and now what a difference a few months can make

Little did I know when I wrote and posted in January that only a few weeks later NZ and the rest of the world was moving into the Covid-19 era.
The New Zealand borders closed in March, our last overseas customers cycled on the 18th March. As the news broke about border closures our season came to an abrupt halt. The country soon went into lockdown level 4 so just about everything else came to an abrupt halt too.
After the initial shock we settled into Level 4 life. We got essential supplies ( coffee beans) resisted panic buying but did buy a few extra bits and pieces ( we overlooked Gin, so that had to be rationed!).
The weather was beautiful and autumn days allowed us to enjoy sitting in the sun having a coffee, getting some gardening done and getting into a way were there were no demands on your time. Life seemed strange but good.......except our income was now zero and the industry we are part of was in ( and still is) a precarious situation. The government acted quickly in many ways and a wage subsidy was rolled out that allowed us to receive some income. This has continued and we have about 4 weeks before it is due to stop. We will survive and much time in lockdown and now is spent on working on the business to build for future sources of customers. As we didn't have many domestic tourists in any year, we have looked at ways to reach that market. Time will tell how that plays out.

Now we sit in isolation nation mode with one or two cases reported in iso-hotels where returning kiwis are sitting out their 14 days isolation on return to NZ. A total of 22 deaths has set the bar high with no community transmission for months, the general feeling is that the borders should remain closed to the crazy world out there. We were hoping for a trans-tasman bubble to form as we get quite a few Aussie customers, but that doesn't look like it will happen any time soon. Even though our business is  severely affected, I too think the only option is to keep borders closed. I think life must seem quite good for people who have a secure job. Kiwis are being encouraged to spend money and explore their own country. #backyourbackyard etc etc is pushing that idea. Special offers on hotels and activities are plentiful. We will put a push on for 'Spring Specials' but somewhere along the line there is only so much money to circulate around and if wage subsidies are not renewed then unemployment in tourism and other industries will be significant.
Life goes on in many respects and new and old skills we found in lockdown have stayed with us so far. Baking and enjoying new veggie recipes ( thank you Jamie Oliver). Multi-tasking while listening to a webinar and of course Zoom meetings rather than person-to-person. We enjoyed lockdown and many of my days are the same as they were in L4. I can cycle further and I have started up the gravel group ride twice a month, which is the only time I seem to meet people socially. I do leave the house for the odd day's relief teaching which might even double up on a supermarket shop. My carbon footprint has been reset as it has been for so many. Unfortunately that also means Alex, my nephew and his family have not been able to travel here to celebrate his 18th birthday, with us. Maybe they will all make it for his 21st! We were really looking forward to spending time with them all and they would have been arriving tomorrow.

Life did not go on however for my Dad. On the 3rd July he passed away at his care home in Scotland. A health scare a couple of weeks before that meant my sisters and I got our chance to say our goodbyes. In my case it was just like mum, in that it happened over the phone, this time Jan was there with the phone. My sisters were allowed to be with him in hospital as the covid restrictions were relaxed slightly. He wasn't expected to make it through the night, but he did and recovered and was quite healthy for the next 3 weeks. Then almost without warning his heart stopped. He had made it to 90 and wasn't far off  91. His dementia had developed enough and hearing had deteriorated so phone calls had all but ceased  for about 10 months so he had drifted into another life and one that I could not be part of.
The funeral took place in Northern Ireland and my sisters and their families were able to travel and have a traditional funeral, as more restrictions had just been lifted. Not enough lifting to allow a wake, so not quite traditional in that respect.
So with dad's passing that generation of our family is gone and another generation moves along in a very different world than either of our parents knew.

The Moravian church where the family graves are

Dad and I 1989

RIP Dad

What a Difference a Decade Makes

So 2020 rolls around and I start to think about what we were doing when we saw in 2010. As it happens we were on a holiday in New Zealand, having the best holiday ever and not even thinking about emigrating. We finished our holiday in January and went home to winter, work and life as before....but it didn't take long to realise a seed had been sown.
We constantly get asked by our customers why did we move here. There is a quick superficial answer that is along the lines of better climate and better politics. The reality is that if you are going to move to another country a very long way from your birth country, it has to feel like an improvement on what you leave behind. The overwhelming reason is that NZ felt like home and although we were sad to leave NZ, we thought it was the end-of-a-holiday-of-a-lifetime feeling. It became apparent it was much more than that and thankfully we both felt the same way. A decade later we still feel extremely grateful that we were able to make the move and live here. Yes it has it's down sides, such as the cost of living, being far from family ( especially when major family news, good and bad is relayed), missing nephew and nieces grow up, friends moving on with life and we get a summary and the same with us and them. A decade on from our holiday, I remember my mum crying on the phone knowing we were a long way away when I called to wish her a happy Christmas, it was to be a decade I would say good bye to her for good. It is likely this next decade will bring about significant changes in our families again.
A decade ago we didn't own a business together, we had set holidays ( I did) and I had a salary, the internet was a different place and we knew nothing about owning a website and all that goes with that aspect of work. It also feels like a decade of getting used to being asleep when lots of sport goes ahead. Think Tour de France, Olympics, Football World Cup, Wimbeldon and so on. So getting used to highlights or just a news report is not ideal and that feeling extends to many things. Knowing a funeral or big occasion is happening brings home the scale of the world, in a way as a European you don't have to think about.
 It's been the most amazing decade with the most amount of learning I have ever absorbed both personally and professionally and not without happy and and sad times
I wonder what I will blog about when the next decade rolls around?

Lots of lovely roads we have enjoyed exploring

One of the many photos taken for the websites

Bonnie on Mum's chair,(brought all the way from 'Flatfield', then Portstewart)
She finds the best sunny spot in winter - always