Week 4

Started the week with business stuff, ie apply for a job, get car insurance and contents insurance. Insurance for the car is cheap because there is no litigation to speak of as everyone pays into a government insurance which is what pays out if you have an accident.
We got offered rugby world cup tickets, through a friend of a friend. We have reserved tickets for the Australia v Ireland  game in Auckland. Our Irish rugby shirts are in transit, so all we need to to is book flights to Auckland.
In the afternoon we went over to Judith's and had a walk around her farm. She breeds black sheep and they were very friendly. Unlike Rupert the Alpaca ! He came over to see us and Lisa looked into his lovely big brown eyes. Then he started to hiss and spit......we kept our distance. Then Judith tells us not to look them in the eye or put your hand out infront of you because he sees it as a challenge !! Alpacas will not feature in our future home.
On tuesday the weather continues to be coolish and a bit overcast. We went to Richmond to use the library and bought a printer to get our CVs printed etc. In the afternoon we went for a cycle.
Wednesday - We used the pool at Richmond for the first time. A complex with a pool that always has lanes for proper swimming, hydro pools, spa pools, kiddie pools, a wave pool (you can surf in it) and infra red saunas. It costs £3 per visit and you can use as many facilities as you like.
We then collected our new car. It is starting to feel more real as we get into all the everyday stuff.

Our new car !!!!!!
The average age of cars in the Nelson region is 14.3 years, one of the oldest in NZ. This is partly due to the kind weather and the fact that nobody is bothered what car you drive. Car type does not equal bank balance, more likely lifestyle.
In the evening Lisa went to her business class.
By evening the most extreme rain had started to fall. It continued all through the night and it made the national news the next morning. There was flooding and some people were evacuated from their homes. May has since been declared the wettest on record.
Thursday -  Went for a run around Mapua then went to library and applied for another job.
Fiday - cycled with Tasman wheelers. The weather is sunny and mild again. In the afternoon had a drive around some other parts of the area. Some great views (will see about posting all the photos on another site)
Sat - went to nelson market in the morning. Bought some veg of enormous proportions. A leek was the same size of my arm and cost 50p. In the afternoon we went on a trail using the mountain bikes. We followed one of the roads I run along and then it went off road. Great views again.

A typical view looking across the rolling inland hills of the Ruby Bay area. The tasman sea is in the background.
Sunday 6.15 AM alarm goes off...Champions league....being shown in one of the local pubs. We go down for kick off, with about 20 others. We get a cooked breakfast at half-time. watch a couple of goals go in at the wrong end and go home. Then off we go on our bikes for a long (and hilly )ride. Get home 3.5 hours later. with tired legs we then go to have a look at a  local house that has an open viewing. we crash into be that night early as we have a skype appointment with mum and the connells in the morning.

What have I learnt this week ?
Weather is a big news topic. the evening news spends a good 5 mins going over the weather we have had as well as a forecast. The newspapers dedicate at least two thirds of a page to weather info, including isobar maps, stats, tides, winds, all sorts...its great.
New vocab this week
pikelet = pancake
stubies = boxer shorts
judder bar = speed ramp

The local daily newspaper carries lots of lost and found adds. the nelson airport puts a found add in every week, with the smallest of items listed.
A news item caught my eye this week 'Compressed air inflates man'.... a truck driver fell onto a compressed air pipe, it stuck into his buttock and it started to pump air into his body. He said he thought he was going to explode from his foot! " In a matter of minutes my body had gone to twice its size"  ( but his mother said he tripled in size!)When the paramedics tried to put a drip in, his body spat out the needle. He survived but the article didn't say how they got the air out.
We used to have a scap book of rediculous stories or letters from the Coleriane Chronicle ,which we will use if we ever forget why we left. I think we have just found our first cutting for the Nelson Mail scrapbook!!