Feels like Spring's on its way

Well, what glorious week we've had this week. The temperature has started to rise quite markedly - brought about by the warm Nor'Westerly winds from over the Tasman Sea!

We started the week quite soberly after our excesses last weekend! Maria had a few days of work in her van - one of them was travelling north of Christchurch along the coast - which she said was a nice way to spend the working day.

Sarah wasn't feeling too good at school on Monday and had to come home - she had a couple of days off and then was back into the swing of things again. She's been on a "Mathletics" challenge this week - trying to generate lots of points for her class at Heaton by doing maths tests on-line.

Chris has been kicking his heels this week as he's waiting to start his job at McDonalds in a couple of weeks. At least he got paid for his training hours last week and was quick to draw out some money and spend it as quick as he could! He went to rugby training again, with the 3rd XV, who were preapring for their play-off final this weekend against Sumner.

We went alsong to Christchurch Park on Saturday afternoon to watch Matt in the final. It was a lovely sunny afternoon - probably not ideal for playing rucby in - but it brought a small crowd out to see the hosts (Christchurch RFC) prevail 23-0. Despite not featuring, Chris did his best to join in the post-match celebrations and sank a few beers with the boys in the changing rooms!

Maria and I had a pleasant walk from the Sign of the Takahe up to the Sign of the Kiwi along the Harold Ell Track on Thursday morning. It was a bit windy, but again, nice and sunny and the views across Christchurch were great. I think it will be one for the grandparents when they visit after Christmas!

We also had a nice stroll around Mona Vale with Sarah on Sunday afternoon - stopping off at the "Homestead" for a cream tea - very naughty but nice.

Maria and I had a run-out on Saturday morning through Hagley Park. The Park had a wonderful feeling to it with lots of activity. There were young kids playing rugby and football matches, canoists and punters out on the Avon, artists painting around the boting lake and a BBQ party was well under way. We even spotted the French Boules courts - Jack and Eve will be pleased! It's amazing how much life there already is around the Park compared to the first time we wandered through in our second week here. A sign of things to come, no doubt.

We were invited around to dinner on Saturday evening to some friends of the Guyomars who live close by - who we had been introduced to when Mike and Fiona were down here in the school hols. Mark and Cathy were our hosts and we had a really nice evening in their company - along with fellow guests, Justin and Karen. Amazingly, Justin is from Bramhall - it's a small world!

I've had a busy week continuing to follow up on contacts that I had made at a few networking sessions the previous week or so. Have started to meet some really good people who I hope I can work with in the near future. I realise that starting up the business will take a lot of patience and persistance, but I'm encouraged with the response that I'm getting when I meet with people and explain what I am about. Once it kicks off, there'll be no stopping and I'm going to need that army of Jedi's who are waiting in the wings!!!

House Warming Party

2 weeks since the last posting - does that mean life is slowing down and there's nothing exciting to write about or are we just sooooo busy doing great stuff that I'm toooooo busy to blog?! Probably neither sprinkled with a bit of both.

Maria's now had 2 weeks of working with Medica - she's officially "white van woman" - as she drives her mobile testing room around the streets of Christchurch. And we've finally got some money coming in - yippee! She's had to go to the physio's with a thumb injury - damaged ligament - that she picked up whilst skiing and they have fitted her with a thumb brace. No trip to New Zealand is complete for Maria unless she breaks a bone or damages a ligament! Maria and I enjoyed a walk up the Rapaki Track on Friday as she wasn't working that day. The walk takes you up to near the summit of Mount Vernon and you get good views from the top of Banks Peninsula and back over Christchurch.

Sarah seems to be settling in well at Heaton Intermediate School - we went to parents evening the other night to have a chat with her teacher - who also seems pleased at how well she in integrating in the class.

Chris has started his training at McDonalds at the Linwood restaurant. He's worked 3 4-hour shifts last week and is now an expert Big-Mac assembler! Not sure when he actually starts "full-time" as the restaurant hasn't been fully built yet! Sometime at the start of September apparently.

He's had a couple of outings with Christchurch Rugby Club 6th XV - been on the end of 2 heavy defeats - but still enjoyed it nevertheless. It's end of the season now so I think he's looking forward to joining a "touch-rugby" team for the spring/summer months to improve his handling and fitness. May even have a go myself.

I've been extremely busy over the past 2 weeks - setting up my business and attending various networking functions. Unfortunately that has not meant spending lots of time on the golf course or in the pubs of Christchurch - but hopefully that's something for the future.

Last Friday we all went along - with Matt and Lou - to the AMI Stadium to watch Canterbury vs Waikato in the Air New Zealand (Rugby Union) Cup.
It was my first time at a "proper" rugby match and I found it very enjoyable. The weather was a bit cold and damp - reminded me of going to an evening match at Old Trafford in February - but there was plenty of entertainment on the field - both during the match and at half-time. There was also a team mascot that looked a bit like Derby County's Rammie - though without the horns and testosterone - must be "Sheepie" then? Dan Carter - All Black kicker - was playing his way back to fitness for the AB's and demonstrated some phenomenal penalty kicking.

This weekend we hosted Di, Geoff and Sighle Illson plus "landlady" Nicky for dinner. A good time was had by all and lots of good wine was drunk by most. Maria produced a wonderful vegetarian lasagne that went very close to knocking me off the lasagne-king pedestal in the household!

Well Done Chris!

Quite an eventful and significant week this week. Chris had applied a few weeks ago to do a full-time diploma in architecture at the Polytechnic, starting next February. At last, on Friday, he received confirmation that he had been accepted onto the course! In addition to that great news, he also successfully completed his short course on Food Safety, which in turn led to the 3rd success of the day for him as he was offered a job at a brand new Macdonald's restaurant that's opens next month. So his dream of his own car before he starts college looks like a definite possibility after all. Watch out all you Boy-Racers, here comes Bad-Dog!

Sarah's second week at school seems to have gone reasonably well - though she still misses her pals back in the UK and says she'd rather be back there with them! Nevertheless, she and a friend from school got together on Saturday and went to see the latest Harry Potter film at the nearby Westfield Mall (some things are no different on the other side of the world!)- though reading her latest Facebook offering, she wasn't too impressed with the latest in the series.

Maria has been limbering up to start work on Monday and in fact has been contacted by 2 further potential employers who might be able to offer more agency-type work to supplement her existing arrangements. So it's looking good on that front.

I've had a couple of busy days at the Bizzone Business Expo here in Christchurch - doing plenty of networking with other business people from around the area. Most people I spoke with seemed interested in what I was able to offer - I guess I just need a break and a first client to get things rolling. It will happen soon enough.

This weekend, Chris had his first taste of action on the rugby (union) field with Christchurch FC - he played the first half against the CC Old Boy's - and there were some old boys playing too - made my Oxford Old Boys look positively youthful! Unfortunately, Chris' team lost but he seemed to enjoy his "blooding" - though luckily not literally.

Maria and I had a wander around Riccarton Bush - a nearby oasis of native bush in the heart of the city that is predator free and home to some elusive kiwis. It also boasts the oldest standing propert on the Canterbury Plain - the house of John Deans, an early settler and pioneer from Scotland.

On Sunday, the four of us had a drive out to Taylor's Mistake again and walked to Boulder Bay - a pretty cove with a few quirky bachs. Once again, the weather was fantastic - blue skies with a slight easterly sea breeze which made it slightly cooler than last time we walked the track - but perfect walking conditions.

A Pinch and a Punch

So we've survived our first full month in New Zealand and August has now arrived - another step towards summer and warmer mornings!

We had a great weekend last week. On Saturday we headed over for a ride on the Gondola and took in the fantastic views over Christchurch and the Banks Peninsula.


After that we headed down to Sumner for a stroll along the beach and scramble over the rocks. It was a lovely sunny day and felt quite warm. It's got a great feel to the place - I think Maria would quite like to live out here!

On Sunday we headed into Christchurch to go to the theatre... It's been Arts Festival week in Christchurch and we all went to see the fantastic Slava Snow Show - go and see it yoursef if you ever get the chance - one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It is sure to put a smile on your face. We had been invited over for dinner at Diana, Geoff and Sighle's, post-theatre, and were treated to a lovely meal and fine company.

Monday saw Sarah at Heaton Intermediate for her first day of schooling NZ style. It seemed to go OK. The week has seem a few swings in emotions as different experiences have effected her, but despite her insisting she wants to return to the UK, I think she is starting to form a few friendships that will ultimately help her to settle in.

Chris had his second day at The Poly on his food safety course. It consisted of him cooking some beefburgers - though nothing found its way home for parent testing! He has to repeat it again next week under "test" conditions where he will be assessed - then that's him finished on that course. He has a barista course booked for September which will hopefully help him to get some part-time work in one of the many coffee shops in the town.

Maria's more or less recovered from her head cold and is feeling much better. She's had a run around Hagley Park again and is now considering joining a womens running group that meets weekly in the Park. I've had a few run outs myself and joined in with the Port Hill Running Club on Thursday evening. They seemed a nice crowd and I plan to meet up with them again. They run most evenings in the Park plus a few other times over in the Port Hills - I'll build myself up for those.

Chris attended rugby training for a second week with Christchurch Club and on Saturday made it onto the bench for the 3rd XI. Although he didn't "feature", he enjoyed the experience - in particular helping himself to a number of tins of beer from the chilly-bin in the dressing room after the match. Add to that a couple of pints that cousin Matt bought him in the bar afterwards and you can see why he had a smile on his face when I picked him up from the Club at 5pm! He's been told he will probably get some game time next week - stand-in for cousin Matt no-less - though I think he'd be just as happy to keep the bench warm again and be first in the queue for the tinnys!

Whilst Chris was doing his rugby thing, the rest of us had a very enjoyable time over at Taylor's Mistake with the Frodsham family.

It's a lovely part of the world indeed and the Nor'Westerly wind that's been blowing over the last couple of days pushed the temperature up to around 16 degrees - it was like a summer's day in the middle of winter! Confusing but very welcome indeed.

We finished the day off with some dinner at our place, with Steve and Viv bringing their girls around.

Ready for School

Well, another week has passed by on our adventure. Things have been a little less full-on than last week when we had the fabulous Guyomars with us. I think that the batteries have been recharging this week, plus my liver has appreciated a respite from the shiraz-bashing!

Maria was offered a job at the start of the week - a 40 hour per week role - which she has decided is too much like working for a living. So she's decided to go with some part-time agency work that she has provisionally set-up before we had left the UK. She's been for some "equipment training" and now has a schedule of clinics starting 10th August - so another 2 weeks of holiday!

The kids and I paid a return visit to the QEII pool during the week - whilst Maria was "training" - though we mis-timed it badly, arriving a few hours before any of the hydro-slides or diving boards were open. We still managed to eeck out some fun, nevertheless.

Maria picked up a bit of a head cold - not swine flu fortunately - which has knocked her back a bit - she's had to ease off the jogs around Hagley Park, etc. We were also planning another ski trip at the weekend - this time to Hamner - but we cancelled due to Maria's ailments.

Chris accompanied Matt Ashworth to a Rugby training session at Christchurch Club on Wednesday. He seemed to enjoy it and intends to repeat next week. Of course it did require a new set of kit on Chris' part - boots and gum-shield included. This adventure lark doesn't come cheap, I can tell you!

The other main activity this week has been enrolling Sarah into Heaton Intermediate School for the remainder of the academic year. She starts on Monday, and we've been gathering bits of uniform for her as the week has progressed. The schools over here are still rather traditional regarding uniforms - much to Chris' amusement - at Sarah's expence! However, hopefully, she'll start to make some friends once she is at school and won't feel quite so homesick.

I've started getting things rolling regarding my business and have registered with the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, plus have reserved a company name at NZ companies house and sorted out a web-site domain and address. Now the fun bit - to produce a half-decent web-site!

For those of you who are interested, the site's at www.i2i.org.nz. ...and any constructive comments for web-site improvements will be welcome!

More fun and frivolity!

We've had a great week of fun with the Guyomars down here in Christchurch - pretty much drained the batteries and in need of a few days rest! Mike, Fiona and the girls have now headed back home to Wellington and a relative calm has descended upon Desmond Street.

After our skiing exploits at Mount Hutt on Tuesday, we stayed local for a couple of days.....

After a lazy start on Wednesday, we took the kids to a "Go-Ape"-type park, where they spent a few hours in the trees taking on the various obstacles. They all seemed to have good fun - despite a few tough moments - physically and psychologically - along the way. The adults made the mistake of sitting out the activity and consequently got rather chilled whilst watching/supervising. Next time, we'll be swinging from the trees ourselves!


Thursday's activities included a trip to the QEII complex and a couple of hours inside the "Aquatic Centre" with its wave machines, hydro-slides, pools and diving boards - great fun! The girls were also booked in for an hour and a half of trampolining in the adjacent Gymnastics Complex - which they enjoyed.

Having dined in at Desmond Street on previous evenings, we headed out to Simo's - a Moroccan Restaurant in the centre of town - which Mike had been keen to visit due to it having featured on a NZ cooking programme recently. Despite initial concerns that the menu didn't appear too child-friendly, we all had an enjoyable and filling meal.

Friday was to see our return to the slopes of Mount Hutt for another glorious day of skiing. This time with cars decked out in snow chains, the journey up to the fields did not feel quite so white knuckle!
After a cloudy start to the day, we were blessed with another sunny day in the Alps - with stunning views eastward across the Canterbury Plain to the sea and westward - from the top of Mount Hutt - over the snow-covered Southern Alpine peaks.


And the icing on the cake was the wonderfully warm and tasty mulled wine that glugged with our lunch - though it did make us slightly reluctant to return to the pistes for the afternoon exertions!

The weekend has been very lazy indeed. We brunched out on Saturday afternoon at Cafe C1 - a funky place that Matt and Lou had recommended - and that was about it for the day!

Sunday we strolled around the Botanical Gardens in the early afternoon sunshine before grabbing lunch at the Art Gallery.

2 weeks in

Well, it's now 2 weeks since we set down in our new homeland that is Godzone. It feels like we've been here a lot longer, to be honest.

We're settling in to our place here on Desmond Street - advertised in the local Real Estate Agents as the best street in Christchurch - and it's starting to feel like home. We've bought a car - a Subaru Forrester - and we've hosted our first guests.

Since the last posting, we've had a trip out - with Mike and Floss Guyomar - to the local Orana wildlife park which was good fun. The girls got to hand-feed a giraffe plus we got very close up to some Rhinos and Lions.



Fi and Izzy Guyomar arrived late Monday and yesterday (Tuesday) we all headed up to Mount Hutt for a days skiing and boarding. It was great fun. Conditions were fantastic - lots of fresh snow and plenty of sun. The drives up to and back down from the slopes were interesting to say the least - but our Forrester passed its first real test without the need for snow chains.

With the Guyomars around, it's definitely got a holiday feel. Plus, there's always plenty of wine on the go!