Week 17

Week beginning 29th August
This week we have made our first financial comitment to our new business.....and so Wheelie Fantastic, cycle hire and tours is born. We have ordered our 'fleet' of bikes and are working on sourcing a trailer for bike transport, branding, web design etc etc etc. We are therefore busy and also have usual work to do as well. I have now got put onto my proper payscale so I am owed a lot of back pay.
We continue with our Maori language and culture class. In a couple of weeks we are going to the Marae (Maori community area with a sacred meeting house cook house etc, for want of a better description). It will ivolved being officially welcomed onto it and following a lot of protocol we will then introduce ourseleves in Maori. When you go through ceremony you can then come to the Marae any time you like.
You introduce yourself with describing your natural world that you came from (mountain, river, sea) and then your nationalityand finally your name. Mine starts with 'Ko Knocklayde te maunga, ko Bann te awa, ko North Atlantic te mauna'
Lisa and I both worked a lot at the Wharfside this week(especially the weekend). A Johnny Cash type band played on Friday so we worked quite late. Sunday was Fathers day so it was really busy all day (including lots of bookings for breakfasts). This weekend was our first saturday without a race, so 3 of us went out for a longish bike ride. We cycled on roads we hadn't been on before and the scenery was stunning. It was a saturday afternoon and we could count the number of cars we saw on one hand. Needless to say it was sunny (and also a bit windy).
The world cup excitment grows with the arrival of the teams. The Italian team is based here so the area has gone Italian in shop windows, menus etc. The All Blacks seem to be doing a lot of PR stuff, in my opinion a bit too much if you want to win a world cup !!! The Italian team went to Happy Valley adventure centre. I would have thought sitting with your feet up or a bit of training would be a better build up.....but I'm no rugby coach. Triathletes could show these rugby teams how to 'rest up' for a big event.
Sept 1st was officially the first day of spring ! At school this means summer uniform is worn. This seems to mean they look even more casual. The boys now wear shorts and no ties. Quite a few also dont wear any shoes. This is quite common in NZ and doesn't reflect economic hardship.

Week 16

Week beginning August 15th
Monday morning 8.20am staff meeting....and so the routine of being in school starts again. Monday is cold and wet (a bit like NIre cold) The rest of the country is suffering from large amounts of snow, but not us ! Ther is a flurry of snow in the morning and some studnts are allowed to go outside to experience. My class later that day are all chat about the snow. In other parts of the south island, life has stopped, with schools shops etc closed. while the rest of the country freezes, we enjoy really nice weather. Two weeks ago I saw daffodils in bloom, lambs are in the fields and there are moments when there is a spring feeling in the air. I cycled in shorts again this week and when the frosts melt there is warm sunshine.
This week I have worked more hours in the Wharfside, including saturday night when they had a band playing until late, when the owners left Lisa and I to look after the place and they went home ! We cashed up etc and left at 12.45am. Lisa was back in on Sunday morning by 9.45am and worked until 5pm. I got called in at 11am and worked until 3pm. The weather contributed to a busy sunday.
This week we made email contact with the people we are purchasing the house from. they unfortunately are not moving before the 30th Sept so that is the date we wil be reunited with all our stuff that has been in storage since it arrived here on the 30thnJune. We have bought a double bed from them and a 'weedeater'(heavy duty strimmer).
We went to garage sales on saturday morning. We bought essential items like an axe and a small bright PINK, wheelie bin ! On saturday afternoon Lisa went and did a club bike race while I went to Ecofest. It was a coolection of all things eco, including solar heating stands, eco housing etc. I did the unecological thing and came home with a forest of leaflets!!

New Zealand's latest world champions this week are the U19 underwater hockey team, who competed in Europe last week. I dont know how popular that sport it, but one of the local swimming pools have markings on the floor of the pool. Rugby world cup RWC as it is refered to here is reported on  almost every day. Less than 3 weeks to go and it seems like it is going to get to 24 7 rugby soon. If the ABs (All Blacks) dont win the RWC I there will be a world class anticlimax throughout the country.

Week 15

August 8^th -14^th

The week starts again with a  8.20am staff meeting at school, followed by a 1hour 40 mins yr 13 class. Homework was due this morning, I got approx  half the number I was expecting. This was due to absentees and several quite simple “I didn’t do it” , the reasons were all the same “just didn’t”. There is a system in school to deal with this, but the idea of homestudy seems quite alien to some of the students. This attitude was displayed to a lesser extent in the year 9 class.  After work I go for a run along the coast. My sore knee seems ok, but not perfect.

On Tuesday morning (my day off) I waken up with a sore left foot. It is a lovely sunny, calm day. Lisa has gone to a bar managers course, so I cycle into the village to go to see the chiropractor. A few clicks later and quite a few dollars later, I come out feeling better. I cycle on into the village and, seeing a hairdressers that looked quiet, I went in to see if I could get a hai cut. 10 mins later I come out with half a haircut ! Lesson learnt….there is a good reason why a hairdressers may be quiet ! I cycle on to the wharf for a coffee in the sunshine. I enjoy the tranquillity and read the paper. Before leaving I chat to the owner and end up with a part-time job! I will go in on Sundays to cover the busy lunch period. I am then given a 60 second till training session.  I am only supposed to clear tables and low/no skill work, so till training seemed a bit advanced for my low-level job.

 A rare thing today…it is wet and cold.Lisa and I went for a swim on Thursday(by know my foot is very sore). In the afternoon we go to the solicitor, to see if our house we are going to purchase is all Ok. It is so we now pay our deposit and it is all go. We also spend the afternoon looking at electrical items etc we need to purchase soon.  The sales people can’t believe their luck when we enquire about so many items.  I haven’t shopped for so long it feels a bit odd, and not that enjoyable.

On Friday I teach my class and then get some relief work for a couple of classes. I then go for an interview for a youth coach job at a local education trust centre. It is a part-time job and would be a challenge. It is the usual casual chat type interview. I will know in a couple of weeks if I was successful. By the afternoon the house purchase is officially ‘unconditional’ so it is now all go.

That evening we go to dinner to a teachers house. It is a faculty get together with partners. There are 8 of us and we are served a full 4 course Christmas(mid-winter) dinner. It was delicious.

On Sunday Lisa and I go for coffee at the wharf before she started work at 9.45. I am due to start at 12, but get a call to start at 11. I finish at 2 and come home and do some school work. Lisa finishes at 5pm. By then it has turned really cold so I go and collect her. The forecast is warning about severe cold and snow across the country. This area doesn’t do snow, so we watch the news reports and feel thankful we live in this area. It will be a cold start to the week, but before that, we finish our week with a roast chicken dinner ( a bit of a treat), which I am about to eat so will sign off.

Week 14

A new format for the blog as I am now in the world of work, not to mention house stuff to take care of, so it wont necessarily be a day by day account.

 August 1st  Monday, 8.35am and I am in front of my first class in NZ. Garin College starts everyday with a staff meeting at 8.20am. There is a thought for the day plus announcements. I head off to the library where I have a double class of year 13 geography (1 hour 40mins). The library was also the venue for a Mauri  welcome ceremony for the Japanese group who are staying at the school. We had to wait for it to finish before class could continue.
Pupils are the same the world over. Teaching in front of a class requires the same approach the world over. At least I'm teaching tourism so it is a pleasant topic for them and me. I then have a few free periods before my next class. The school day has two 40 min breaks, the first is at 11.21am and the second is at 1.43pm. this means there is only one class in the afternoon. It seems to work quite well, but it means you eat your lunch quite early or you are starving if you wait to the second break. After years of rushing to get a drink finished at break-time, it seems odd to have time to finish a mug of coffee AND eat.
I then met 9D before the second break. There are 27 of them. They are the same age as NIrelands year10(14 yr olds). The year 9s are the youngest in the school. I am teaching social studies and our topic for the next few weeks is 'Power Politics'!When I introduce the topic, they seem interested....long may that last !!
Later in the week when I give out homestudy(homework), there is a look of surprise in both classes. they tell me they dont get homestudy. I already knew that was true. I assured them they wouldn't get one every class, but they weren't impressed. I also told the year 13s they would get used to it, which, of course I know some of them wont.
I only have 7 periods to teach per week, but I spend a lot of time doing preparation. The staff all have a work area in the staff centre, I have a desk surrounded by the English/Performing Arts staff....all very entertaining. My Social Studies Faculty are a very nice bunch. The staff only day involved mostly eating and being 'social'.
This first week of school also included a full school inspection. I could only hope they would not find me. They didn't! To thank the staff, the Friday afternoon drinks were extra special. My weekend started at 11am, so I didn't stay to find out how special it was.

The week also included the house we hope to buy getting a building inspection. I met the guy at the house and he assured me it was a sound house that he would buy. A lengthy report would follow, but at least we know there is nothing nasty lurking in the building (except the colour scheme).

On saturday, lisa and I go to the clubs bike race. I help out as I am still injured. Lisa moves up a grade and goes OK until the last hard hill. She pays for working to bring the group together earlier in the race. It was over 70km long, so lack of training kms catches a lot of people out. At least she doesn't have to work tonight, so we watch the All Blacks trounce the Aussies. A warm up for the world cup !!
On sunday, Lisa goes to work and I start to move us all to another rental property. We are sad to leave Corrugate, but they have holiday bookings. the next place is a small shed that is now a cottage. It has fab views overRruby Bay. It means Lisa has to cycle slightly further to and from work, but it is flatter.
Bonnie also has to adopt to her new home. She now has ducks, pigs,sheep, a cow and Pukekos to watch/avoid. Sunday is national "Roast day", but we dont have time to throw together a roast dinner as well as move house. Debbie, our new landlady, leaves us some ginger tray bakes as a welcome present (very nice).

This week New Zealand has its youngest world champion...he is 7 years old. He was one of 20 under 12s who travelled as a NZ team to take part in the BMX world champs in Europe. That is typical of NZ sports that seem to travel all over the world from an early age. Funding doesn't seem to be an issue. Sport participation is massive and so is the travel bill.
Must go and do some marking !!

Week 13

Monday 25^th

I realise my sore knee is not getting any better, so I make an appointment to see a physio.  As with most of the main services, you do not have to leave Mapua. I get an appointment for that afternoon. Lisa also gets an appointment after mine.

Today is a first…..I go to a Tupperware ‘party’ in the wharfside.  It is at 11.30 am so it is a coffee morning type gathering. Lisa also joins us for coffee and admires the can’t live without plastic products, before starting work. I end up buying some vegetable storage containers which can be adapted to the type of veg you are trying to store. Different veg breathe at different rates (broccoli is a heavy breather !!)

In the afternoon, I go to physio. I get treated for a torn/ strained muscle at the back of my knee and as I suspected she tells me not to aggravate it, so no cycling or running for a few days. As it turns out I am eligible for ACC because I can identify an exact time the ‘accident’ happened during the race. This means the government subsidises my treatment !!!

Lisa gets treated for a gnarled up muscle at the front of her knee. As hers was probably a long term strain, she is not entitled to ACC, so she has to pay the full amount.

Tuesday 26^th

We go to the Wharfside and have a coffee before I leave Lisa there to work. I go back to the house and spend the rest of the day doing school preparation. I sit outside in the sunshine with my books and before I know it, it is mid- afternoon and I go to collect Lisa from work.

Wednesday 27^th

Another very frosty start to the day.

 We have arranged to meet the estate agent and a builder at a house we viewed last week.  The house is in good order, it has great views and we want to explore the option to extend the house to do tourist accommodation.

We then go for coffee to the wharf, where we sit in the sunshine and number crunch. LJ, the owner joins us and we sit and chat for a while and talk about houses and allsorts. I then head off to school to meet up with the head of faculty to discuss what I will teach to the social studies class. When I get there, I see about 12 teachers in doing school work. One has brought her cute dog, who chases his ball through the staff work area. When I come home Lisa asks me have I been missing teaching. It takes me a millisecond to answer no!

I come home and hand over the car keys, Lisa heads off to her class.

Thursday 28^th

I go to the coffee ride to try out my knee. It wasn’t long before I realise that cycling is making it sore. I turn back and when I get back to Richmond I make myself useful by going to the council offices to look at the property file of the prospective house.  I look  through the documents and plans. Nothing sinister seems to be there. I also make an appointment to speak to the duty planner to discuss our proposed plans.

In the afternoon I go to my physio appointment. I also prepare some more stuff for school.

Friday 29^th

I discuss our plans with the council official. This time the house would seem to allow us to progress with our plans.

Once Lisa has finished work we go to the estate agent’s office to put an offer in writing. The process of agreeing to buy/sell a house is quite straight forward. It is legally binding when both parties agree a price (subject to building inspection and title search). By 4pm we had our offer on paper. The vendors agent then takes it to them. They decided to think about it overnight.

Saturday 30^th

9.30am Our agent turns up  at our house with the counter offer. It is quite far away from our offer, so we counter offer their counter offer. The piece of paper gets taken away to present again to the vendors. We then head off for coffee on our way to the bike race. Lisa is racing while I help out with marshalling.. She finished 3rd Later that afternoon I get a text to say there is another counter offer on the table. When we get home the agent comes to our house with the paperwork.  Our patience is wearing thin as there is too little compromise on the vendors part. It makes us think they are maybe not that fussed if they sell or not. We give them one last chance with a bit more move on price. We are now at the take it or leave it stage. Off the agent goes to pass it on.

Lisa goes to work for a few hours and I get a dish ready to take next door to a ‘pot luck’ party. It is a gathering of 7 people and we all make something for the meal. This party is slightly coordinated  so we don’t end up with nothing but desserts.  I go to the ‘party’ and Lisa joins us an hour later. I take my phone in case there is any progress with the house. I get a text  to say they will sleep on it (no surprise). At 10pm my phone rings; its Kylie our agent. I feel like I am on a Kirsty and Phil ‘Location, Location, Location’ phone call. Kylie says the vendors have agreed our price and have signed the offer.  We have just bought a house !!!(assuming nothing nasty shows up with a building inspection and title search. The party cheer and our kind hosts (Roger and Adele from next door) produce bubbles they have bought in anticipation of this outcome.  Most of the party leave before 11pm ( late by kiwi standards) Then our hosts opened the bottle of Bushmills whiskey we had given them.  Lisa and Adele enjoyed the whiskey and before we knew it, the clock said 1.30 AM  !!! An exciting day had to come to an end.

Sunday 31^st

Lisa heads off to work at 10am. It is a lovely sunny day and quite mild. I head down for a coffee at  10.30. The wharfside is packed and I walk in to order my coffee only to be asked to serve the coffees. I stay for 30mins and get asked to come back for a couple of hours to help clear tables etc over lunch time. I return to an even busier place. I spend 2 hours doing whatever is needed.  When I go back to collect Lisa at closing time, she is very tired. She musters enough energy to cook tea, while I post this blog and get ready for the first day of a new term and my first day of teaching.

This week’s news…….a 300% increase in soup sales this week, due to the snow !! Wellington experienced its coldest day on record……+2.6°C What would they eat if it ever got to freezing point?

Week 12

Monday 18^th July

The week starts with finding some rental properties. This lovely property has got some bookings for August onwards, so we need to find somewhere else. By the second phone call I had spoken to someone I knew. This is a small place. As it turns out Debbie’s place seems like it will suit us and it will be available for as long as we need it.

I also did some of the large amount of admin I have to complete, in order to start my teaching job and, more importantly, get paid the correct amount.

When Lisa came home from work, we went out on the bikes in the afternoon.

Tuesday 19^th

Went for a run along the coast, Mapua and Ruby Bay. A cool morning with the threat of rain in the sky.

Went for a coffee at the Wharfside and got asked if I wanted to be the emergency cleaner for the next two afternoons. Sure, some easy money to earn.

In the afternoon, I went into sport tasman to get organised for a promotion event on Friday.

Wednesday20th

Went out cycling to check out some of the route for Saturdays race. Debbie, our future landlady, joined us.

In the afternoon, we went to view her rental property. It will be fine and is on a small farm, so Bonnie will have new animals to look at (pigs and ducks).

I then went a cleaned the Wharfside, before getting ready to go out to the Mapua District Business Association mid-winter dinner. We don’t have a business yet but they are very happy to include us. The dinner is a Christmas type dinner (chicken, not turkey) mulled wine etc. All very festive! Lisa missed it as she was at her course.

Thursday 21^st

Cycle with the coffee group, which is now on a Thursday as some of us race on a Saturday, so don’t want to cycle on Friday. There was a cool southerly blowing this morning.

In the afternoon we went to view two possible properties to buy. One is a possibility, one is a non- starter.

I then cleaned the Wharfside.

Friday 22^nd

A sunny, but breezy day. I spent half the day in Richmond mall, promoting the masters games.

When I got home we went for a drive up the coast to have a look a building sites, as it may become the answer if we can’t find a house that works for us.

Saturday 23^rd

A longer than usual bike race today. The race will be 70kms long so we need a coffee before we start. The weather is a bit changeable today, so hard to know what to wear in the race. As it turns out it is overcast, but stays dry. The race has a lot of uphill sections which, also means there are nice downhill sections. As we set off along the road, a woman on a huge unicycle was nonchalantly cycling in the opposite direction. Lisa and I noticed it but no one else seemed to find it odd.Lisa and her group broke away from my group. ‘My’ group has decided we will cycle together for the race. This means we have to wait when one person has a puncture.  The race for both groups came down to a sprint. Lisa went too soon and got pipped on the line, so she had to settle for second. I went too early also, but held on to finish some way back, but the first of our group.

Everyone was quite tired but happy at the end. The races always finish with a brief prize giving at a winery or pub. We couldn’t socialise too long as Lisa had to get back to get ready to go to work (with tired legs).

Sunday 24^th

8.30am the race briefing for the duathlon I had entered….went ahead while I was asleep in bed. As Saturday evening progressed, it became apparent that the bike race that day had put paid to my duathlon exploits. By Sunday morning the slight twinge I felt in my left knee had turned to a painful knee that was sore when I moved even slightly.

I did some work (for school) at the cottage while Lisa was at work all day. By evening the news was warning most of the country about the bad weather sweeping up north from the Antarctic, bringing snow to lots of places that rarely get snow. It showed the maps with Nelson missing it all. This area misses most of the storms because of the mountain ranges in the distance and the sheltered coastal bay. By 7pm Roger phoned to tell us it was snowing outside !! Unheard of, he was very excited and a few minutes later he and his family where outside playing in the snow. The snow flakes were massive, I caught one and it was half the size of the palm of my hand. It snowed enough for it to make the ground look white.  We looked at our photos of the December 2010 snow and shuddered with the memories of the cold. The snow continued to fall and we continued to put some more wood on the fire, without the worry of the central heating not coping with the extreme weather……because there is no central heating in this or any other kiwi house.

Sunday night....snow falling for the first time at Corru gate

A typical winter scene, with snow in the distance and a sunny day here.

 This week........

 The Kiwi language lesson this week emphasised the extent to which they abbreviate everything. What could ‘T sauce’ be……..tomato ketchup of course !

Week 11

Monday 11^th July

The week starts with a run along the coastline. Lisa and I then go down to the Wharfside, where she practices making coffees and I drink them !

We then go out for a cycle. We go around the course which is being used for this saturday’s club race.

Later, I start getting an application prepared for a youth coach job with a local education trust. Such trusts and jobs do not exist in the UK, but are seen as vital in helping young people connect with qualifications and employment. In keeping with N Ire tradition on the 11th night, Lisa lets me light the fire this evening.

Tuesday 12^th July

We go for a swim in the morning.

Lisa went to work for the lunch-time ‘rush’ (poor weather today, so no rush materialised).

In the afternoon we went to a meeting with a planner at the local council and our planning consultant. The outcome of which would help us decide if we should put an offer on a house. It was a long, technical meeting.

We then go to the library to think over the meeting.

Wednesday 13^th

A cold and wet day. Lisa gets a call to go down to meet the coffee rep. We go down, Lisa talks and makes coffee for an hour and I drink some. We then go up to Motueka to leave in my job application. We stop in Mot so Lisa can get a chance to have a coffee!!

In the afternoon, we go to town to meet the estate agent. We formalise an offer for the house. When our lawyer checks the title of the property, then if everything is OK, the offer will be given to the vendor. If they accept our offer the agreement is binding, unless a building report show up something nasty.

All we can do is wait and see what happens.

In the evening Lisa goes to her class.

Thursday 14^th

^{Another cold sunny day. Lots of snow on the mountain tops on the distant horizon}

 Lisa went to work mid morning and I went to Sport Tasman.

We were both back home by mid afternoon when the estate agent phoned to say our offer on the house had been.....rejected. Oh well so be it, nothing more we can do.

We go out on the bikes for a hilly ride.

Friday 15th

I go to school for a teachers only day. It starts with faculty meeting (involving coffee and cakes). Then some handover stuff with the teacher I am covering for, an IT update session for the whole staff and then the faculty heads off for lunch. A very sociable bunch ! After lunch i get passwords to get onto various systems. Before we leave I arrange to meet with the head of faculty during the holiday (The next 2 weeks) to go over the social studies stuff.

saturday 16th

We view a house in the morning.

This weeks race is only 10 minutes away. It is a circuit course which we have 6 laps to do. Lisa is leading the group until, with one lap to go, cramp strikes and she ends up on the ground at the side of the road. Meanwhile someway back I am doing battle with a couple of young ones, until with one lap to go......I, or should I say my tyre gets a puncture, so my race is also over. 

We head home without any prizes this week (this week was sponsored by a winery )

Lisa heads off to work in the evening.

Sunday 17th

A very harsh frost, but by mid morning it is a pleasant sunny day. Lisa heads off to work. I clean the car and then head off on the mountain bike. I follow an unsealed road along a ridge with great views of the local area. The roads are used by cars, but not many as they are more suited to  4x4s.

Lisa has had a very busy work shift as the weather was so nice lots of people come to the picturesque wharf for lunch.

 This week in the papers Northern Ireland is getting a mention (again)

A national newspaper described the twelfth celebrations in Ulster as a" one -sided celebration of a 17^th century victory of protestants defeating catholics, which usually results in rioting."

 I read it and thought it was one of the most succinct description of the Twelfth I had ever read or heard. NIreland has been on the news quite a lot since we left. From this distance, the future of the province seems precarious.