More updates

Well, I've done a week at the new job as an Accountant. So far it is a positive change from my prior employment! I hope this shall continue. Despite my 25 minute commute, I'm still getting home at 530 or 6pm so far. Such an early finish was pretty much unheard of at my prior job. I hope it continues.

During my week off between jobs I tried to start on a healthier living approach than what I've done of late- especially during my past 6 months of busy times. My goal is to exercise at least 6 days a week. So far that involves going for short 30 minute jogs (so far I've managed to get up to do it before work 2 of my 5 days), horseback riding, walking up the Centre of NZ or doing pilates. I can't believe how bad my fitness level is. 10 months ago I was used to walking up hill or jogging up hill. Now I struggle at my 30 minute jog and even walking uphill is a challenge. 6 months ago I could do some of the intermediate exercises in pilates. Now I'm struggling with beginners. The video keeps talking about my powerhouse- I feel that I don't have a powerhouse! I'm also trying hard to eat healthier than I have over the past 6 months- where unfortunately I often defaulted to a coca cola for lunch along with some unhealthy fried food at the cafeteria (burgers, fries, etc etc). I'm trying to work on vegetable soups, sandwiches and wraps for lunch. I'm only a week in but so far it has gone okay. Now- to keep it up...

The kittens keep growing up. They are no longer kittens, but of course I still think of them that way. Jasper was at the vet recently for having injured his elbow. I also had Allie in for a sore tummy. They both recovered quickly. Allie continues to insist on getting up at 5am. I now am up at 6 so it does mean a shorter sleep than I was used to.

On a serious note, the papers and air ways are full of updates surrounding the Pike River Coal miners situation on the West Coast. Thinking of all those involved.

Another slow update...

Well... I've been terribly silent of late, haven't I?
I'm currently on holiday. I finished up my old position on Monday. I start a new position as Accountant at a new company next Wednesday. I am enjoying my break!

Change is afoot...

The days at my current role are beginning to decline. The word "bittersweet" really applied to my decision. I don't run towards change, but I will embrace it when I view it is a long term improvement. I view this one to be a good move in the long term. Stay tuned for details of what is to come.

In cat news, Jasper has turned 1. Now he is a mature young cat. I just watched him jump onto the neighbours roof, and back down again. He continues to be a character, albeit a less crazy, less hyper one.

A decision

So... after many, many long days at work, a few weeks back I made the call that it was time to resign- and so hand in my notice I did. I shall soon leave in search of a normal working hours job.

Hawaii pics

Hawaii!

Finally- it is time to talk about Hawaii. This is how it happened. I had been quietly researching holidays in the islands for a couple of months, but nothing had caught my eye as they mostly seemed to be package deals. One Thursday morning at about 830 I checked the Grabaseat auctions and spotted a flight for 2 to Hawaii! I texted Phil at work and he gave the green light that he would go too- so I bid, some one else bid, and I bid once more before the auction closed at 1030. Score flights at nearly $1000 off the ticket price!

We then did internet research about which Island we wanted to visit. Although our flight was into Honolulu on Oahu, we agreed the Big Island appealed to us both most and would be where we would spend most of our time. The advantage of a short week long holiday meant we could get Lonely Planets from the library and take it on our trip.

Finally the day came- we departed for the airport by taxi very early, catching our flight to Auckland and waiting for our connection to Honolulu. I forgot how much water there is between Auckland and Hawaii. I'm used to the overnight flights, having one in the day time and therefore trying to stay awake on the plane was a bit of a challenge. We finally arrived in Honolulu airport and were delayed for what felt like ages due to problems with the air gate . They finally relocated us to another gate with a working one, and off the plane we went. I think we must have been about the last flight of the night. When we arrived there were only ~2 customs people open to serve the whole flight- and of course we had been near the back of the plane and were at the back. Unknown to us, the other line added more custom agents, and finally we changed cues. The check ins took a fair bit of time due to the finger printing of foreigners. Finally after maybe an hour or two in the line, we cleared customs and caught the Waikiki shuttle off to our hotel, arriving in at something like midnight or 1am.

We were up bright and early to catch our 6am shuttle to the Pearl Harbour tour we had booked.
Pearl Harbour was the #1 thing on my to do list for Honolulu. We watched a sombering video, wandered around the area, and finally took the boat over to the Arizona Memorial. I am glad I had the opportunity to visit the historic spot. The bus driver then took us on a city tour with lots of interesting history and commentary. We also saw the apartment where Barack Obama lived.
Upon returning to Waikiki we wandered for ages past about a million (okay, maybe 20) ABC stores (touristy convenience stores), and finally stopped at Senor Frogs for some mexican fajitas. We then continued wandering, checking out the beach and the markets etc. Impressions of Hololulu- it seemed to be a very clean place with lots of city workers continually cleaning the place. The beach was okay, but nothing spectacular.

We were up at 6am to catch our flight to Kona, Big Island. We took a luxurious limo ride to the airport and being used to non tipping NZ forgot to tip the bellboy who ordered it. (Oops... Felt a bit guilty about that). First impression of Kona was that it had to hardly ever rain there- much of the airport was open air. We then picked up our rental car (a Mazda 6- highly recommended!) and cruised up the west coast all the way to Pulolu Valley on the north tip of the island. We then cruised down the scenic Kohala highway back to Kona where we visited the touristy strip of Kona and visited the markets where Phil found some tasty mangos. We then ventured down south to find our hostel in Captain Cook. Once checked in, we then drove down to Kealakekua which is where the Captain cook monment can be seen in the distance. Captain Cook died here after returning to the Island in a skirmish with locals. We then drove back to our hostel which was conveniently close to the very yummy Mia Bella italian restaurant. This part of Hawaii was really interesting. Shops and restaurants were right along the highway for miles.

We were up at 5 something am the next morning and went on a 4 hour fishing charter. No luck on the fishing, however we did see some pilot whales. We spent the rest of the day visiting lots of beaches. The first one was right by where we caught the fishing charter, we spotted several sea turtles. Of the others, Disappearing Sands beach was one of my favourites, it had a shore break and lots of people were riding those funny boogie board things. I was up to my knees in water when a big wave swamped right over my head. Fortunately my glasses stayed on, but it really did a number on my swimsuit bottoms! Fortunately the water was deep enough. :) We also visited a lovely snorkelling beach where I was able to see pretty yellow fishes swimming by. We thought we'd save some money by cooking our own dinner, but discovered grocery prices weren't that cheap! We did cook our dinner in the hostel and met a couple of Aussie girls and one American to talk the rest of the night away.

Phil was up early for another fishing trip. I slept in trying to get over my cold. We tried to find Kiholo bay and drove back and forth and back and forth before finally getting there. I have to say the Lonely planet instructions were a little substandard on that one. We ended up discovering this was truly a locals beach. It was a black sand beach but with almost black pebbles instead of fine sand. We did see a cool lava tube where you could go swimming, however when we got there there was a topless local using it, so we didn't check it out. We had another go at the markets. We really noticed the resorts. They were the oasis in the dry lava covered area with green grass and palm trees and their own shops and restuarants like Macaroni Grill. We returned to the beautiful snorkelling beach and after a swim/snorkel, sat and watched a beautiful sunset as someone played a ukelele in the background.

The next morning we departed about 6am. We visited the most stunning beach called Hapuna Beach. It is a beautiful white sand beach- and we were lucky to be there early- as it would be packed later in the day. We then did a walk to see some petroglyphs before we journeyed over to Waimea. We did a quick stop there at the markets and I had some yummy fruit popsicles. We then headed to Waipio valley and did the walk down the hill and the big walk back up. What a simply stunning place!!! We also did a few other stops/ drives like Akaka Falls and the 4 mIle Scenic drives. We stopped for some food in a cute cafe in Honokaa. And then we headed to Hilo where we checked into our hostel and also ran into our American friend who was staying at a neighbouring hostel. Small Hawaii. :) Hilo had a very different feeling to it. It was very local- not at all touristy.

The following morning we didn't have to get up early! We were booked on a helicopter tour and had to be there around 10. I was scared but have really wanted to go on one. It did feel like a magic carpet taking off as we lifted into the air and headed towards the lava area. It was amazing seeing down below where houses were buried and seeing a house cut off by lava flow. We also toured over a beautiful rain forest area with lots of stunning waterfalls. That was amazing! :) After the helicopter ride we headed down towards Volcanoes Park. We saw steam vents and craters and did the drive down the Chain of Craters Road. We also came down the other side to Kalapana/ the end of the road. It was almost surreal seeing all the lava flow and trying to imagine what was there before it all came. The people of Hawaii seem to have a respect for Pele (the "godess of the volcano"). The lava is mostly slow moving so the people got out, I think it was our helicopter pilot who said Pele gives, Pele takes and the people accept. We ate an AMAZING mexican meal in Pahoa. I ordered beef burrito and it came with wonderful roast beef instead of mince. I really enjoyed the Mexican in Hawaii- and the Root Beer!

The following morning we checked out of our hostel and began our journey home. We went south so that we could have circled the island during our journey. We stopped at the very amazing black sand beach at Punaluu. It had very fine black sand, quite different from our other black sand beach experience. We then journeyed around the rest of the island and back up to Kona airport, dropped of the rental car and caught our flight back to Honolulu on route to Auckland and then Nelson.

It was a wonderful holiday. Hightlights of Hawaii include:
- the amazing diversity - rain forest, dry and hot , so many climates all so close together
- yummy bananas and mangos
- beautiful beaches like Hapuna
- Waipio valley- absolutely stunning
- the volcanos area/ the helicopter ride. Considering the amazing ness of geo thermic activity.

The down sides- the radio stations which played reggae and stuff I just didn't enjoy and the ones that played music I liked kept cutting out. :)
- expensive groceries
- the end of the holiday...

We drove 901 miles on the Big Island in under a week. I'd recommend that rental car. :) I'll post a few photos in the following post.

Another month ...

First things first- I did not feel the big Christchurch earthquake from my home in Nelson. I managed to sleep right through it, although other friends said it felt like someone was in their rooms shaking their beds.

Hawaii was an AWESOME 1 week break. I'll try and remember to blog on it when I get quick second. However I have to say work is right back to the super busy phase it was when I departed. I'm repeating my 12-13 hour day routine, and getting pretty tired of it. Just pretty tired in fact.

Eating habits...

It's official. If I never knew it before, I know it now. I am a stress eater! 12 hour days at work transalates to me eating terrible, snacking a lot at work, and on top of it doing no exercise but instead falling into bed tired as all get out. I acknowledge my problem. Step 1. I am now counting down to Hawaii and a bit of time off. :)

Time marches on...

Work continues to be super busy. The thing I am counting down towards is my one week in Hawaii, coming up just over 2 weeks from now. I can hardly wait! Not only because Hawaii has for some reason caught a piece of my heart (enough to want to visit), but also because I can't wait to get a break from work!

I popped into town on Saturday and happened to spot "What Colour is Your Parachute" for $2 at book shop, marked down from $44.99. What a deal!! I have heard this book was a good one to read if you were job hunting or career changing. I am open to both at the moment.
One of the interesting concepts the book talks about is what values you want your life to serve- it goes through a big list- like mind, body, senses, heart, will, human spirit, entertainment, possessions, and the earth. It is an interesting concept because I can look at other people I know and clearly see where some of their value systems lie- for example the personal trainer friend who has body as a passion, or the artists who have senses, or the academics who are passionate about knowledge. I think I'm a blurring of a number of them- including will (focus on justice, honesty). To some degree my audit work was consistent with this value- trying to provide honest sets of financial statements, however it still was lacking in something. It's a little tricky to analyse all your thoughts and motivations- but an interesting study.

It's been a while...

Wowzers, another month has come and gone.

The highlight was a visit from an old friend from Canada for a few days in June. He was my first visitor from Canada other than my family, which was very cool.

There was also a bought with a major cold/ infection. I'm not fully recovered yet, the doc said it could take 6 weeks.

Work has also continued to be VERY busy.

This summarizes my past month. Exciting, hey. :)

It tastes bad but it works.

I've been strangely silent of late. The past 6 weeks have been 50-60 hour work weeks. As I learned in my previous employment as an auditor, my body doesn't seem to cope so well with the work load of these hours- for the moment it calms down a bit I get sick. And so get sick I did- Monday was horrible... I've gone through a few phases of the cold now and am on to the coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing properly stage.

That said I was delighted to find Buckleys Mixture on the grocery store shelf even in NZ. It says proudly "made in Canada".

In other news we are marching ever closer to that shortest day. I can't wait for the days to start lengthening. It's no fun going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark.

My car seems to finally be up and going again. It kept overheating over a period of a couple of days- I took it in- and got it back a week later. It needed major work on the heads- a tidy $2200 repair. Then not a week later I was working more extended hours and went to leave work but the battery was dead. At least I managed to diagnose that one accurately myself and we're now back up and running. I chose not to walk home in the dark, instead calling for a ride that time. The period of repair seemed to overlap quite closely with a big period of rain- so walking in the morning was a gamble, but good exercise.

Weatherwise, the rain has gone away for the moment and we're sitting in crips and cool territory. It was -.1 on the met service thermometer a week or so back- that is the coldest I have seen so far this year. I bought a thermometer to see how cold it gets inside my house. Today it was down to 10 degrees, the other morning was 8. Definitely below the recommended safe level- even in this home with insulation. This source which quotes the WHO recommendation as 16-18 degrees as a minimum. http://www.asthmanz.co.nz/what_kind_of_heating_is_best_for_my_health.php

Even though my minimum of 8 degrees as a morning temperature seems low, I am sure it is much warmer that the previously property I moved from. It did not have any insulation anywhere in the house! I suspect it would dip closer to 3 or 4 degrees, on the basis of what it did in warm weather (getting into the high 20s).

Fast he runs- and the budget...

On Saturday my little darling Jasper decided once again to climb over the big high fence. When I went looking I could see him trotting behind the neighbour across the roads house. I called him to return, but without avail. However several minutes later Jasper came running as fast as his little legs could carry him- with the big dog who lives across the road at his heels. In his fear, he missed fitting under the gate on the first try, but made it on the second, just as the dog was upon him. Across the road he ran, and up a tree and my next door neighbours. I hope it has scared him off jumping over the fence. The funny bit is, he knew that dog lived there as it sits and barks at him when he suns himself from on top of the fence.

I didn't talk at all about last weeks budget. Some of the big changes to come are: an increase in the GST to 15% (currently 12.5%), a drop in the bottom personal tax rate (15 to 12.5) , the top rate from 38% to 33%, a drop in corporate tax rate (30 to 28%?), etc. Other interesting changes- restrictions on when depreciation can be claimed for buildings, tightening of LAQC rules, etc.

A few things...

I've been silent again. It's been very busy at work at late.

In other news, my car was playing up late last week. I called Monday morning and took it in to the shop on Tuesday. They called to say it would take them 5 hours to pull it apart and be able to diagnose - after which they gave me as $2200 quote. Uggg... Not pleased, but what do you do... Hopefuly some time next week I will have it back. In the mean time, I've been doing the 40 minute walk to work in the morning, but catching a ride in the evening as its dark. Yesterday it was lovely- with a stunning sunrise. Today it was annoying- I ended up having a person about 5 steps behind me for about half the walk. It interupted the enjoyment of my morning walk. Hopefully the weather will stay fine.

The kitties keep on growing. Mr. Jasper has managed to catch up to Allie within 100 grams. She's now 4kgs- he is at 3.9.

Hurray!

It is Friday. Yes, I am one of those people who long for the weekend! After a week of work, I'm exhausted. I delight in the idea there is only one more work day before a bit of a rest. :) I am thankful that I no longer work every weekend- I do not miss that at all about my public accounting days.

Some people say your work should energise you, but I've taken a survey of a number of accountants I know. We're not in that camp. Nor did we enter the world of accounting because it is our passion. A few of my co workers spoke to some high school students about why those chose accounting the other week back. I didn't speak to the students. I would have, if accounting was my passion rather than just a practical way to make a living.

I'm on a journey to discover my passion. I'm afraid it is a frightfully slow one... so wish me luck.

Mmmmm...

Is there anything that smells better than fresh towels out of the dryer? It is indeed quite a treat for me. In NZ dryers (or is it driers?) are not particularly popular. I did shell out on a used one some time back but have only used it a handful of times. With winter setting in and therefore the outside drying time not at optimum, I decided to take advantage tonight. Mmmmm, fresh towels. :)

Another mmmmm.... with the dropping temperature- I've now put the electric blanket on the bed. What a treat- to be toasty warm before falling asleep. What did I do before I discovered the electric blanket??

Today's random discovery: my kitten Allie sitting in my magazine rack. How cute she looked!

Today's inspirational quote is from Ayn Rand: "Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision."

Life with my kitties...

At left- Jasper

At Right- Allie

I found this great website that explains what its like to live with a ragdoll. (or 2, in my case). Visit it for details here: http://www.ukrcc.co.uk/right.shtml

Here are a few things I relate to:

· Toes poking out of the bed at 4am are a viable target for biting. (I add: or even if they aren't poking out, just because they poke up, they must be a mouse and pounced upon!)
· Anytime is playtime to a Raggie, regardless of what time it is!
· If it moves it's fair game!
· If I stick claws through net curtains how fast can mummy run the distance to un-attach? (I think I shall need to replace the landlords mesh curtain bits before I move out!)
· They like to be involved in everything you do!
· That those big blue eyes really can get whatever they want.
· Your bed is no longer your own, and how dare you even try to suggest to a Raggie that you want them to move over so you can get in it! (I add: Mine like to take over my pillow, and push me off it)
· Fur lined everything is not optional! It just happens anyway!
· Don't expect to get a clear view of the PC monitor while raggies are awake (Ha ha, except mine are napping in the bedroom at the moment!)
· Even guests can expect to be escorted to the loo when they visit! (And you can't shut the door- because they get upset!!)
· You feel guilty everytime you leave the house as there is always at least one pair of blue eyes looking at you pitifully!
· People owned by Raggies are at serious risk of heart failure, if anyone leaves an outside door open. More risk occurs when said owner runs around the house in search of Raggies which have gone to sleep in the only place you didn't consider looking in! More risk of looking like you need some pyschological therapy when tearing around the garden calling Raggies' names and panicking in sheer terror, only to find your Raggie half an hour later curled up, totally oblivious to it all, in the open draw under the bed!! (Mine go into the backyard- but my fright is if something doesn't get perched against the gate - they'll sneak under it!)
· Your glass of water was made for sharing, especially when you're asleep, but you don't realise until you drink some and find loads of hairs floating in it! (I now have a glass so they can drink water out of that- they much prefer it to a water bowl.)
· If you are on the loo, Raggie wants to come on too.
· Owning a Ragdoll is like having a child that never grows up (not good especially at 4.30 in the morning. )
· If you won't get up, said Ragdoll is going to find one hundred and one ways to make sure you do. Garfield has got nothing on Cadbury but we can't help laughing at him.
· You'll never have a clean litter tray because they're in there as soon as you've cleaned it or even while you're in the process of cleaning it out!
· Clean hairless carpets are a thing of the past, especially if you dare leave them at home for a few days - when you come back there is enough fur to knit a couple of jumpers! (Haven't dared to leave them yet, but it does build up when they play a lot)
· Expect to be much poorer for all the toys they get through and ones you "have" to buy them anyway just because

- Walking into the kitchen means of course that you've gone in there to feed them! you do!

Oh but you have to love them.

I could add my own list- but the above do suit them pretty well.

See how big they've grown?

Anzac Day

I was just reading today's local paper. There were several pages of letters from locals about what Anzac Day means to them.
According to Wikipedia:

"Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga."

One of the letter writers sent a poem written by his father about a brave man of long ago pinning his medals and marching, as he did years ago. The poem recognises the age of those heroes, who will not be around to put on those medals much longer.

It is all the more important, as they pass on, to never forget. Humans are clearly capable of committing terrible atrocities, but there is also something in us that longs for something more. Looking back almost 90 years after WWI, we remember those who gave their all. We also remember the ideals of freedom and hope, and recognise the great bravery and courage those men and women displayed. We will not let these things die in our hearts.

In the words of Canadian John McCrae:

"In Flanders fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields."

Each one of us holds that torch. Let us ever hold it high.

Time Marches On

An update on the kittens:
Jasper has discovered he likes to climb! Whether sitting on top of the high wooden bench, watching the neighbours on the other side of the fence, or strolling along the fenceline debating about jumping on the neighbours roof, he has no fear.

Used to be perfect Allie is shaky and terrified, but tonight for the first time attempted to follow in little Jasper's footsteps. I think she was thankful when I reached out to help her down. She has turned a little annoying in that she is regularly waking me up at 5something am.

Things are different in the new house. They don't have their usual play spots or things, so have totally given up on toys they used to play with. I'm a little nostalgic, not about my former house, but for how the kittens grew up to be 6 month olds there.

Other than the kittens, I am largely settled into the new house. I love the yard and am thankful it is warmer than Roto Street was, however I will miss the double glazing and insulation I had in my apartment last winter.

Mom just sent me a big 12 pack of poutine mix in the mail. I'm so excited! Now I can make poutine. I would think that kiwis, with their affinity for things like bacon and egg pies would love the yummy goodness of fries with cheese and gravy but it doesn't exist here. A big thanks to Mom!!

Anzac Day is coming up this weekend. It's kind of like Canadian Remembrance Day. Poppies will be on sale tomorrow. We will remember them.

I attended a local play- "Footrot Flats" last night. It was only $15, and it reminded me how much I appreciate the theatre and how much I miss the Globe in Regina.

Until next time...

A bird in the hand...

I've moved into my new house. It was a crazy big move. Ugg. I totally don't love moving- not so much because of moving all the stuff- but mostly because of the pain of the house cleaning process. It's been busy since I've got possession. I've been here only 3 nights so far, and have been out every evening since- so I don't yet feel settled in.

Today however I popped in from work for lunch- only to discover a bird in my lounge. I wondered how it could have got in- thinking maybe it snuck in when I went out. Strangely my kittens hadn't attacked it- it was trying to get out the patio doors at ground level. When I arrived on the scene it flew up to a higher window, where I captured it and released it outside. My next stop was the kitchen where I planned to have lunch- but instead discovered broken glass all over the window. It turns out Mr. Bird had flown through the window. Right through. He made a bit of a mess all over the kitchen floor, so my lunch was spent cleaning up after Mr Bird. I also got to contact the landlords agent- only a week in the property- and already they've had to repair something. What are the odds of this happening just after I moved in? Lucky I guess! Or maybe the owners cleaned the windows just a little too clean!

In other news- we changed the time on the weekend. I'm not a great fan of less time in the evenings. We shifted my horseback riding lesson back half an hour which means I dash straight from work- and its still getting dark at the end of the hour. Just think- its another 5 months before it'll get any better. I'm not at all ready for winter, and don't even have the electric blanket on the bed yet. Day time temperatures still aren't bad, but its starting to drop overnight.

Hmmm...

Okay, it is back to the most non descriptive subject post line. I haven't posted in a while because nothing jumped out at me to post about.

In my news: I'm only about 9 days away from another move. This will be the hardest move of my life, because for the first time I have big stuff to move! There is the bed, the couch, the love seat, the kitchen table, the dryer, the big stand thing, etc. As usual prior to my moves, I've been purging. I went through my entire closet and was what I considered to be fairly relentless. I must have trimmed out about 4 or 5 bags that went to the red bin. I'm thinning out books as well- although I must say I've been rather restrained buying them, instead trying to make better use of the library. Those will get dropped off at the windmill which will be then used in the great annual Founders Book fair, where you can buy books really cheap. I take advantage, so best to donate as well. I've also been trying to eat the pantry- but haven't made too much headway on that front. I'll be moving away from this cute but ant full and non insulated house to a house that at least has underfloor and ceiling insulation only put in last year. Its a short term let of 6 months or hopefully a year and is much closer to town with a fab kitchen. I can't wait to be moved!

Other than that, my weekday activities of horseback riding and pilates take up a couple of nights a week. I've been pondering entering a 10km race in May- more to get me running again than anything else. Since a slight foot injury a while back, I haven't been out but am feeling okay again. We'll see if I get motivated after the move.

The days are getting shorter. It feels like winter is around the corner. I'm not looking forward to it, even though it doesn't mean -40. :) It does mean cold chilly kiwi houses and darkness, and thats a challenge enough.

My kittens are growing rapidly. Jasper is starting to look like a cat- getting his winter coat, so he's starting to lose the very extreme kitten cuteness. Allie already looks like a cat- she's a big girl. I've had her 4 months already, and him about 2 1/2.

Well, off to work I go. I had room for my blog this morning compliments of my darling kittens who decided I should get up at 6am, a full half hour early, so you can thank them for this post!

On the move...

Okay, so pretty much ever since I moved into my current flat, I've been looking for a new flat. Strangely my couple of minute walk through didn't help me predict how terribly prone to temperature fluctuations my current house would be. If the temperature is in the mid 20s outside, its quite common for me to get home after work and it to be 27 inside. Then it cools right off overnight. This is what happens with lots of windows and no insulation.

I went to see a house closer to town a week or two back. After going through the process, I'm going to be moving April 1st. Its only a short term accomodation- but should get me through the winter, and at least it has new underfloor and ceiling insulation. Plus a bigger yard...

My kittens are driving me slightly crazy when I take them outside. They go darting around the back of the house into the front, and towards the road. I tear after them to try and keep them safe. The new house has a fenced yard. Yay- hopefully they can go for play fests with a little less stress on me... They never seem to run the same direction when they're both outside.

I've eaten a tomato based veg stock made from tomatoes from my garden, and a pasta sauce as well in recent days. I can't keep up with the tomatoes from my 3 plants. Thankfully the big pumpkin plant is starting to tone down a bit- it seems to have stopped creeping- which is good. It covers a huge part of the yard, still. I'll need to get the garden all tidied up before I move. I'm not really looking forward to the moving process- I have far too much big stuff these days!

Tsunamis and Pride

First off, I just got back from watching a taped version of the Mens hockey finals at a Canadian friends. We sat together, 4 Canadians and a wider group of kiwis cheering on our boys. And they won. We cheered, and we felt proud- from the other side of the globe. Early in the games they were de-crying the Canadians lack of performance. If our medal count started slow, it certainly didn't finish that way - especially with our strong gold performance. The only Olympic event I was lucky enough to see was this hockey game. It was the last event, and as I heard the anthem played I felt proud... Just as I did when I saw "with glowing hearts" on the ice at GM place. Well done, athletes. Well done.

In other patriotic news, I must say I felt strangely proud to be Canadian yesterday. I got up after a well deserved sleep in yesterday morning (the kittens didn't get me up early for once! Celebration!) I logged into my email and the government of Canada was the first to inform me of the tsunami warning to NZ. I then checked on stuff.co.nz and found out sure enough waves were due to NZ, however after researching what had happened elsewhere in NZ it sounded like we had nothing to fear as long as we stayed out of the water and off the beach. Since I've done a bit of reading about the waves- it sounds like a really interesting phenomena. According to todays Nelson Mail, the tsunami caused tidal surges of close to 1.5M in Napier and more than a metre in Canterbury. One of the quotes: "I was blown away by how low the tide was and 15 minutes later it was all back again. The river dropped 1.5 metres in 10 minutes. It was really scary." There wasn't much impact in Nelson.

The tie that binds... and for discussion...

There is definitely a tie that binds for me. I've been living in NZ coming on 3 years, but now as the Olympics play out in Vancouver and I can't watch them, I feel I'm missing something. I grew up with one TV channel - CBC- and I really looked forward to watching the Olympics every 4- and then every 2 years. Winter sports were definitely my favourite...

(As an aside, as a correction to a prior post, I found out there is local free coverage in NZ, however it exists on "Prime"- and despite shelling out for 3 ever more expensive TV antennas, I seem stuck with only TV 2. )

One of the things I really appreciated about the Olympics was watching athletes I'd never heard of before- and cheering for them- cheering for our own. Canadians may not always be overbearing folk who shout out who we are and what we're proud of- but I think we have a quiet pride that bubbles below the surface. Perhaps we sometimes feel the need to express or at least show how we feel- and we can do that in simple moments- like cheering at the TV when someone we'd never heard of before did better than expected and won a medal.

Sports I particularly wish I could have watched: 1) Hockey- for me this goes without saying. 2) Curling (I'm from Saskatchewan- enough said.) 3) Figure skating- (thank Kurt Browning for that).

I sort of feel like I'm missing that chance I would have to express my patriotism in a quiet way, in my own living room. Instead, I'll blog about Canada from afar. Go Canada!

________________
And on another matter, a few political issues that have come up in NZ of late are:
1) Whether the legal driving age should be raised. There seems to be public support for going as high as 18. Stay tuned
2) What political system should be in place. Currently NZ uses a type of proportional representation called MMP (which in broad view means every voter gets 2 votes- a party vote, and a local electorate vote. In Nelson- we have an MP who won the electorate who is National, and one who is Labour who is a list MP. The party vote % determines the approximate breakdown in the House of members). Polls seem slightly in favour of MMP. Once again- stay tuned.

Of cars and cats

Say about 3 weeks ago I took my car in for a warrant of fitness (which will allow me to drive with it on the road legally for another 6 months) and service. For the tidy sum of $331 I got my warrant and so I thought a health check on my car.

Not 2 weeks later, on the way out of town towards Kaiteri the car went hot, and out poured steam. After a half hour wait and a check, there was no coolant left. We had a whole bottle of water in the car, added that, and cruised minutes back to a water tap. Another half hour wait, a fill of water, and we made it back home.

Another week or so later and it hasn't lost much coolant, so I can't figure out how it would have been checked at the service... I don't quite trust it still, though.

The kittens are growing. Jasper is starting to look less cute- more of a cat, less of a kitten. He seems to be in growth spurt phase- always hungry! His big sister Allie has been rather playful of late. But thankfully they let me sleep in this morning until 5 something. It's a little sad I consider that a sleep in these days... Hopefully as the days lengthen the kitties will decide to sleep longer too!

The garden is really on the grow. I've got a few big beautiful cucumbers and can't keep up with the tomatoes. I even have yellow beef steaks.

I went for a 15km run on the weekend. I'm not in run shape, so I think I really stretched myself. I was so concentrating on moving I didn't notice my co-worker that I passed on the sidewalk, or another one who drove by. I feel surprisingly okay today though, so that's a good sign. I'm hoping to register for a half Marathon sometime in the next while. I also went for over a half hour swim at the beach yesterday and pilates again today- so it's been a bit flurry of exercise for me this last few days.

A few of my favourite TV shows are back. I do wonder, however, why NZ shows good TV in the middle of summer. I wish they'd wait until winter when people tend to hole up in the house and stay warm. Amazing Race week 2 just finished. Greys is also a couple of weeks in. The other new favourite: the NZ Apprentice which has just started.

I love... and pumpkins

I'm a little horrified. I have a giant volunteer pumpkin plant in my backyard. It has spread out to several feet wide and probably 4 or 5 m long. It came to my attention yesterday that the little green pumpkins on there will never turn into the orange jack-o-lantern like pumpkins I was expecting they would. Apparently, they will stay green. Who would have thought!

Inspired by the Pioneer woman, I thought I'd follow her lead with an I love blog. I love:

- The sound of rain on the roof
- Thunderstorms
- The smell of lilacs
- My 2 lovely kittens
- The smell of horses
- Horses
- Reading
- Josh Groban
- Colourful sunsets
- The voices of laughter carrying over the water
- Star gazing
- Strawberry
- Vanilla
- Poutine
- Mountains
- The Life of Pi
- Red & Pink
- The smell of clothes off a line or out of the dryer
- Baby animals
- Jason Kenney
- Narnia
- The Amazing Race
- Dry Lake
- The "Snugglepuss" brand for my kitties
- Scenery photos
- Travel
- Inspirational quotations
- Pretty flowers
- Cheese
- Cookbooks (even though I hardly ever cook from them!)
- Pepperoni pizza
- Browsing through house plans
- Logic puzzles
- Eeyore (however you spell it...)
- Browsing markets
- The Christmas flowers in NZ
- Chili flakes
- The Indian Cafe
- A shower with good water pressure
- The Edmonton Oilers
- Canada
- Coming home from work and having a "no ants" in the kitchen day
- Fresh veggies out of the garden
- Tomatoes!!
- Having an afternoon nap
- Intelligence
- Mashed potatoes with gravy
- Economics
- Victorian architecture
- Dolphins appearing unexpectedly
- Calendars with pictures
- The feeling that comes when you do something you never thought you'd be capable of (e.g. finishing a half marathon, tandem sky-diving)
- Fruit smoothies
- West Edmonton Mall
- Working together with people towards a common goal
- People who live life with passion
- Continuous improvement
- Roundabouts
- Petite sized pants that don't need to be hemmed
- The crisp feel of a Saskatchewan fall day
- The feel of spring in the air in Saskatchewan
- Rome
- The middle seat on Air NZ flights (best if no one is in the window or aisle seat)
- Running with my MP3 player
- Rotweillers
- Stories with symbolism
- The Time Travellers Wife (imagination)
- Just the right type of bath robe (some hotels have had them back in my days as a travelling accountant)
- Swimming in the sea at Tahuna beach
- Being met at the airport when you come home by someone you care about
- Old friends

That's a start...

Moments of excitement...

Today I went and visited a stable with Quarter Horses as a trial to determine whether I wanted to ride there. I was a horse crazy kid. I've been off horses something like 15 years. Back in my KPMG days I met an accountant who was into her horses. She told me not to stay off them as many years as she did. Hence it became time to have the goal to determine whether the childhood passion has abated. If today is any indication, it has not. It felt good. The instructor had me help her wash one of her show horses, and then she let me go for a walk around the arena on one of her horses. I was pleased to be able to ride western saddle- english is far more common here. I can't wait until my lessons officially start- tentatively scheduled in 2 weeks time.

A few things

Photos: Allie & Jasper, and Jasper

My car overheated on the way to Kaiteri today. We pulled over and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Luckily we were just up the road from Mapua so we made it back there to top up with water and make it back to Nelson. Instead of Kaiteri it was accordingly another swim day at Tahuna today. This means I've now been swimming 3 times this year. I'm not at all sure what caused the car trouble. It held well all the way back, and I only had it serviced about a week ago. Hopefully it'll keep going well.

I was facebook chatting with my brother earlier this evening and he was talking about the 2010 Olympics. I wondered how many Olympians NZ would have- my guess was skiing. The results appears to be 16- mainly skiiers and a couple of skaters. Check out the team here: http://www.winterolympics.co.nz/nz-team I won't be watching the Olympics much- its covered on Sky TV and I only have farmer vision TV.

I keep talking about my kitties. Little Jasper has turned annoyingly vocal. Meow, meow, meow. Translates to - I'm a wild cat. I want to hunt, and jump or at least PLAY, a lot, a lot, a lot!! Play with me. Play with me. He is definitely high maintenance.

Little Allie continues to be a nice, mellow, easy kitten. Well behaved in short. Jasper is growing, but he is still tiny compared to her. Maybe he has a growth spurt coming.

A commentary on "trouble"

So- last night in the middle of the night I had a number of elloquent words to write here. Perhaps I should have had a notepad by my bed to have taken notes because thinking about it they don't sound very elloquent now. Maybe it was only my level of awake-ness that made them seem elloquent in my head. Anyway, I was planning on writing about the power of "one". I know the power of one. One can always make a difference. I know- because I have a kitten named Jasper. Before he came along, his big sister Allie was the perfect kitten coming to bed with me all night and SLEEPING! Jasper is a ringleader and she gets into the post midnight LOUD play sessions too now. First I tried shutting the bedroom door- but that didn't dim the noise. Then I tried locking Jasper in his bedroom and closing the door. He cried and cried and I felt sorry for the poor lad. Eventually I have him a break and let him out. Fortunately it worked- he decided to be my best friend and followed me to bed and to sleep- however big sister was still wound up and jumped around and knocked things over and made all sorts of noise.

With Jasper, if it isn't one thing, it is another. My little prince started with a bed wetting problem (my bed). That has thankfully stopped, but once he gets over his one thing, he always moves right onto another. I realized as I was about to head to work this morning that I hadn't seen Jasper in about 10 minutes. I searched the house and his normal hiding places without a sign of him. (Note: my ragdoll cats don't tend to disappear unless it is to sleep- they like to stay in the same room as you). I had a hunch: I visited the windows and sure enough the laundry one seemed opened more than I had remembered. I searched the back yard, no Jasper. The front yard- no Jasper. And finally the side of the house- there he was- with his tail puffed out like a paintbrush. I retrieved him, shut all the windows in the house, and headed for work... He can't be trusted. But fortunately, he did it while I was at home- those windows have been open just a little bit for weeks- this is the first time he decided to push and open it further so he could fit out.

Hmmm....

I think finally little Jasper is properly litter box trained. It's been a less than fun process in getting there- little Allie was so easy compared to him!

We've finally had a few nice-ish days. I went out on Sunday to Tahuna beach in the afternoon for my first swim of the season. I managed to miss a patch on my back with sunscreen- so I have a funny shaped sunburn- oops. Guess the sunscreen works.

I take my car in for a service and warrant today. The warrant is the thing in NZ that all cars must display on the inside of their front windscreens. Older cars like mine have to get them done 2 X per year. They do all sorts of checks- I guess it's like a safety check. Servicing has been noticably expensive. I wonder if I'll make it through on under $300 today. Time will tell.

I can't believe how fast January has gone. It's almost time for another month end. We get next Monday off as "Nelson Anniversary". But then the holidays start to thin out again. We miss "Anzac Day" And "Waitangi Day" as both fall on weekends without compensating other days off. So we've still got easter to come up and Queens Birthday in June- and then I think it stretches out to late Oct for another one. Uggg. That's a long time without time off work. I didn't take much time off at Christmas and I'm starting to wish I would have... Lots of stuff going on at work in the next number of months- we should all be busy.

The Prince & My little prince

Prince William is currently visiting New Zealand. He's been in Auckland and Wellinton, for sure has had some hangi, tossed some rugby balls, and was here for the official opening of ... my memory escapes me in Wellington.

I got a supermarket chicken for dinner and left it on the counter to cool for a few minutes. I returned to the kitchen not much later to see my little 13 week old kitten Jasper on the counter eating it. What a naughty boy my little prince is. I don't always appreciate his strengthening jumping skills... Allie was sitting on the floor like the good cat she is while Jasper feasted away.

As a point of interest, petrol is currently 175.9 per L.

This and that.

Today I attended the Richmond Rodeo and watched events such as steer wrestling, bareback, saddle bronc, barrel racing, and bull riding. Some events had heaps of competitors (like the bull riding) where as some (like the bronc and bareback riding) had few. I'd never been to a NZ rodeo before. The competitors weren't quite of the Calgary stampede ilk or even Agribition rodeo ilk. There were lots of misses on things like team roping and steer wrestling. A few of the steer wrestlers chased them through the whole corral and never caught up, and some didn't even try once they didn't catch them shortly out of the chute. Nevertheless, very interesting. I was most impressed by the little sheep riders, and the bull riders. Oh- and of course the 2 rodeo clowns. There weren't a lot of local competitors- this is not really cowboy country- but lots were south islanders. All in all, interesting- I'm glad I went.

My 2 kittens are sleeping peacefully- Allie is on a grocery bag, and Jasper is on the door entrance carpet. They're getting along much better now. Jasper thinks he's "all that" and pushes much bigger Allie out of her food dish. He's surprisingly bossy and "tough", given he's only a portion of her size. I took her to the vet on Friday to get microchipped and to get her desexing stiches out. They were supposed to disolve but 2 months later, hadn't. She is a large 2.4 kgs already. She's not the only one growing- even little Jasper seems to be growing into his large head.

I went for a longer jog the other day. I headed out towards town via Rocks Road and when I got there, decided to continue home via Waimea road. I wasn't quite in shape for that long of a haul. I used a great website I recently discovered to determine it was about a 13 + km run. (which turned into a walk near the end) http://www.mapmyrun.com/ What a handy little website! It also tells me my normal morning jog is just under 5 km and has an elevation gain of I can't remember what - something like 77m.
I was debating entering the buller half marathon down the coast which is only a month away- but this trial helped me determine I'm not ready. I need to aim for one that's a bit further out- and intensify the training too!

The garden is really taking off! Lots and lots of little green tomatos, blossoms on the pumpkin plant and cucumber plant too. I hope to be able to harvest them- as I'm still on a new flat hunt. This is due to the lack of insulation in this property. It's hot on a warm day, and I can't imagine how cool it would be on a winters day. Brr. It's not easy to find a rental that allows pets and is okay on the pocketbook, so wish me luck. I have until approaching winter to find something before it gets urgent.

In Nelson news...

To give you a sense of the goings on in Nelson, some of the stories in today's Nelson Mail:

1) Sunshine crown home. Nelson is once again the sunniest place in NZ (for 2009 with 2570 hours ahead of Tauranga and Blenheim.) Nelson finished 2nd in 2008, 3rd in 2007, and 1st in 2006 and 2005. My comment: It's great to live in a sunny town

2) Handling the annual tourist avalanche- the Nelson i-Site visitor center had 1200 tourists a day through its doors this week. My comment: Wow- lots of tourists... This explains why my lunch time drive home to feed the kitties is taking a full 2 or 3 minutes longer than normal these days.

3) Wow factor gets artist into Avatar- a 24 year old Golden Bay local worked on this film for the past 3 years. She left school at 13 to concentrate on her passion, and won the Supreme Award in 2004 at 18- the youngest winner ever. Wow helped her be found by Weta Workshop- which does lots of film work. She's currently working on another film- details . My comment: Good for her!

So today I went to battle with the ants again as I noticed them once again on 2 sides of the house. I sprayed, and we'll see if I notice a difference. Today was also the kitties first day together unsupervised. They're starting to get along better, although Jasper is a bit of a bossy wee fellow. Allie is sleeping in high places because he decides to attack her periodically. She then fights back.

What a difference another makes

photos: Allie & Jasper

On 29th December my second kitten arrived via Air NZ from Auckland. He's a blue colourpoint, about 6-7 weeks younger than little Allie. I was NOT anticipating the major envy displayed by Allie. They can not be in the same room unsupervised. It's now been about a week and only in the last day or two has Allie stopped focusing on little Jasper every moment he is in the room. You couldn't turn your back for a minute as she'd be leaping at him. Now they've graduated into a play relationship- tiny little Jasper attacks Allie with gusto, even though he's much, much smaller than her. He can be seen pushing her out of the food dish, and also chasing her across the room. He thinks he's a big fellow... It also shows me how much she has grown in the time I've had her. I can't wait until they are better friends and can be left alone unsupervised. All the watching has been tiring.

I had a quiet NY eve, and was in bed before midnight. It's not so much the moment of the new year that matters to me as much as what the whole NY will represent. Several years ago I read a journalist saying that their resolution was to try something new. I used that as one of mine several years ago- and it was a good one. Each week- whether it be a new recipe or a new running route, I tried something new. It was good for staying out of the comfort zone and making exciting new litle discoveries. I can't say I've made a resolution this year, but I shall endeavour to be a little more active in pursuing things that make me me. I'm on the road to that, having finally become a kitten owner. I shall endeavour to pursue more of the same.

It doesn't feel like we've had much of a summer yet and already the days are shortening. I'd like to get out camping or something in the near future- but with the young and therefore higher maintenance kittens, that doesn't seem particuarly likely this year.