Brr.

It was -1 overnight. I parked outside last night as my flattie and I have to play musical cars in the parking lot otherwise. I was able to use my lovely window scraper from Canada for the first time this year. Sunny Nelson winter beats the heaps of snow and -40 of Saskatchewan, but I'm still a little chilly sitting in my normally warm apartment. I'll definitely put on the electric blanket tonight.

I spoke with my parents on the weekend and learned they have got a new cat- she who was a stray. I continue to miss Milo & George, the cats of my last flattie. I'm sure George is continuing to be a naughty character for Jill. :)

I worked "normal" hours today- I left at 5. Hurray. I hope the rest of the week will be similarly under control. Time will tell.

Bits of this and that

I'm tired of working. Ugg. Annual plan combined with month end = no fun.

I haven't been doing much of late, my cold hangs on- coming and going. Hopefully after month end finishes this coming week I'll be down to a more normal work week and I can recover.

I went to the Founders Book sale today and bought heaps of mags and books for $13. It reminded me of the Regina Public Library dispersal at the curling club when I lived at Gladmer Park in Regina where you bought by the pound. Here most books were either 50 c or $1! Such a deal for an expensive book country.

I've been exasperating myself working on a puzzle of the Canadian parliament buildings. Surprisingly it wasn't a hot seller in NZ and I found it for a bargain $5 at the grocery store. Finally all that's left is the sky- but its a big sky. ...

If you're on twitter- my name is KellyaCanadian. No exciting posts from me so far so far. :) But I love keeping current on some political happenings/ current events by being a follower.

Time is relative...

I know this is true. My cold has taught me!! Time passes so slowly when your nose is runny and your head feels not normal. Can't wait for it to pass but it's taking its time. Last weekend it came on and I felt miserable all weekend- I slept through most of it. I felt bad enough to take part of Monday and Tuesday off. By Wednesday I was feeling like it was beginning to turn the corner, and Thursday through Saturday were not too bad. But it came back on Sunday, and yesterday I also felt crummy, but not as crummy as today! Work day 1 and with annual plan due is not a great time for an accountant to feel sick. I worked a 10 1/2 hour day but it felt much, much longer. Ugg. Tomorrow doesn't look any more promising.

In other news, last Monday or Tuesday was it I got told I would have a position after the restructure at work. The contract and paperwork are not yet done. I thought I'd delay posting until it was official, but who knows when that will be.

I spent the long weekend (and the last long weekend until late October- yikes!) with a group of friends at Ligar Bay (Golden Bay). We rented a bach there. We did the group team cooking thing- which meant a pair of us would cook for the other 6 and we took turns with meals. This means we ate very fine! Yum. We went for a nice walk on Sunday up a hill towards the Abel Tasman. We went back to that cool Wh. (can't spell it) beach near Collingwood for a short visit on Monday. It was amazingly calm- the polar opposite of our last visit. I love it there... Plus I'm sure I improved my "taboo" skills. Certainly not my pictionary ones though. And Jenga- I'd never played that before- I'm even worse at that than at pictionary.

Can't wait for this cold to pass...

In other cold news, I read in the paper tonight (Ooh yes, I finally subscribed to the Nelson Mail last week- I've wanted to for ages, but waited until I knew I had a job to do so. I got a 40% discount coupon in my quarter marathon race pack- so it seemed like a great deal.) that May was a very cold month for Nelson. It was -3 degrees the other night. The average temp for May was only 8.6 c, a full 1.9 c below average! I've been toasty warm in my flat though. Yay. And I must say even though I am in a warm flat, when I was feeling yucky and achy at bed time last night, having the electric blanket on sure made me feel better.

Hopefully by next post I'll be feeling more fine... Stay tuned.

D day

Tomorrow is the day. I find out if I have work at my current place of employment, or not, or for how long.

I've managed to catch myself a nasty cold. Much of last night was spent sneezing. I purchased some night and day cold medication. Hopefully tonight will go smoother.

It's gotten colder of late. There is snow on the hills around Nelson. Very pretty. I've put my warm duvet cover on and turned the electric blanket on the other night. But still comparatively warm in the apartment. The heat pump has yet to be turned on. Ah. :)

Cleaning the closet...

Okay, so I've been wearing the same pair of every day work shoes that I brought from Canada 3 years ago, alternating with a cheap $70 pair that I bought about a year ago. Neither is in stellar condition. I've been looking for ages... I've got heaps of cheap Number 1 shoes that don't last or aren't comfy, but I've been loath to shell out the $170-$230 most pairs of work shoes seem to cost here. Before I bought the $70 pair I spent a whole weekend in Auckland shoe shopping. I've had my eye on a number of pairs in the past year or two. Without fail, when I finally tried the shoes on, they either didn't fit (typically too wide), or didn't have my size. I had spotted a pair of shoes I really liked several weeks ago when browsing the shops. I finally tried them on this weekend and they FIT!! Wow. New shoes. Yay.

I also went through the closet trying to purge some of those things I never wear. I have a tendency to keep them because I just "might" wear them again one day- even though I haven't worn them for the past year or more. I managed to purge a few items to the red Salvation Army bin. Still a few more to go through- if ever I get the gumption to get rid of a few more. :)

I love the library... I was browsing mags and wanted to purchase North & South, and Wild Tomato. Instead I went to the library on the weekend and read both articles that had caught my attention. According to North & South, you are more likely to die of cold in New Zealand than in Canada or Siberia. I'm not overly surprised about that after experiencing the high costs of heating and the BRRR cold kiwi uninsulated homes. But I was really surprised to read about how terrible for your health unglued LPG gas is. That is what we used last year. I wonder if this contributed to me developing hay fever last year. I still have it.

Another week

Well, its nearly the weekend again and it can't come around quickly enough for me. I forgot how I get a lot more tired if I work 2 weeks running straight on together without a weekend in between. Work has been really busy. In terms of my work update, I still don't know if I have ongoing employment, or not. Hopefully I will find out soon.

I've now got a new flattie. Welcome home Erica.

I can't believe how much warmer this apartment is than the places I spent my last 2 kiwi winters. I feel once again that life again doesn't have to center around winter and trying to stay warm. In cold Canada I took for granted how nice it was to be warm inside and only had to deal with bouts of cold when walking outdoors. Oh the joy and wonder of insulation, double glazing, and even central heating (which I haven't had to turn on yet).

The prices of veggies are back up and the seasonal veggies are out in full force. Pitty I don't really enjoy pumpkin and kumara and still want to spent the $3 it costs to purchase a red pepper. I'll check out the market on the weekend if the weather is nice, maybe. Hopefully it would be avaliable and cheaper there.

I was looking at the calender the other day. After the 1 June long weekend, NZ takes a break from holidays for another 4 or 5 months. That is one long winter without a break!!

I've done a bit of revamping to the appearance of my site. I thought it was high time for a change...

What do you do to destress?

An interviewer asked me this question at a job interview a couple of weeks back. (An aside: I didn't get the job. ) My answer: Sometimes I go for a run. The interviewer replied that stress normally tends to interfere with exercise... That is partially true for me, and partially not- depending on where I am at. 2 years back when I first started running and was stressed there was nothing better for me than heading out to the beach and burning off some steam. I'm not there now. With my sore foot (which became sore thankfully the day after my 10km last weekend, instead of before), I've not been out all week. What do I do now? Listen to the tunes of singers that touch my soul... Josh Groban is a great example- but Hugh Panaro would also be on the list if I could find more of his music. His facebook fan page said his first solo album is on its way out- so I hope it does come sometime soon. (Hugh was the "Phantom" when I saw "Phantom of the Opera" on broadway a few years back. I've never been so impacted by a voice. Wow. What else can I say...)



I worked the whole day yesterday and half the day today. That is my first whole weekend working since I've been in NZ. Back in Blenheim days I once put in one Saturday. And so now, I listen to Josh.



I've been thinking deep questions about life of late. Musing, yes, and not coming up with many solutions to my own questions. How do you know when you are in the right place in life? (Job, physical location, the list goes on...) Is there even a right place, or is what you've got what you make of it- regardless of where you are?



When I worked my first summer job as a painter 13 years ago there was a country song that used to play on the radio- Ty Herndon's "Living in a Moment"-

"And when they carve my stone all they need to write on it

Is once lived a man who got all he ever wanted

Tell me somethin, who could ask for more

Than to be livin in a moment you would die for"

I love those moments. I think of them and I wonder... Because I dream dreams which appear contradictory and struggle with the inherent contradiction. I want contentment (which familiarity often breeds)- and yet I want the unknown and the new- for all of those special unexpected moments which are not planned.... The mirror water images that Chrys and I encountered when we did an unplanned last stop walk in the Canadian Rockies. Getting caught in a downpour in Edam when we missed our tour bus from Amsterdam and waiting it out under a tree. How great it felt to be in hot hot hot Rome. My holiday on horseback when we got off the horses at the top of a great hill- me sitting next to our high school aged guide who told me he couldn't think of any other better job than getting paid to ride horses. Seeing Parliament Hill for the first time- and how it felt to walk through the halls after sneaking out of the United Alternative convention- Contemplating for a moment and shivering to think of those who have served and for what has been done. (For me- Politics is the art of the possible... ) Special moments. I remember, and I contemplate...