HECTIC,HECTIC,HECTIC......but at least its not same same same old stuff. We have moved in to our house. Lots and lots of boxes. All our stuff made it in perfect condition. I was at work when the removal lorry turned up so I missed that moment when the reverse of what happened in Portrush all unfolded. i got 'home' to find our sofa and all other familiar stuff sitting in a house that was now home. Three friends from the cycling club came over and helped to unpack. Belinda and Kay set about the kitchen stuff and occassionally asked "what is this/what do you use this for?" We then spent the next 2 weeks finding out where everything was. It was a beautiful sunny day, just like the 2 removal days in Portrush ( Portrush was experiencing summer around easter time). By early evening we all went out to the garden and opened a bottle of bubbles. By this time we had removed our stuff from our rental place, including Bonnie, who after 15 mins locked in the study/office room, to help her familiarise herself with house number 4 in 5 months ! She looked to get out into the garden where we where. She joined us in the garden and set about exploring her new surroundings. We told her this is it, this is for good !! About 10 days later she gave in and agreed to use the cat flap which was there from the previous owners. a few days after that she got into a stress mood and wouldnt eat or leave the house. we think she was either unwell or quite possibly met a possim. the mood has passed and she is eating and leaving the house again.
We are trying to juggle getting the house sorted, keeping up with the grass that has started to grow fast after the spring rain ( we had to buy a ride on lawnmower), I am working long days at the masters games and we are getting our business off the ground. It is so busy, Lisa quit her job to give us a chance to keep all the balls in the air. The wharfside was getting chaotic with new owners and outgoing owners making a mess of staffing. She is now at the homestead which is animal-less at the minute, so her work will get more interesting when we get some livestock. Tales of the 'farm' could be yet another book she has to write.
Our first encounter with the land involved her cutting the grass with a push (petrol) lawnmower that nearly went on fire with overwork ! I was cutting the long grass with the weed whacker/bush whaker (petrol strimmer on an industrial scale) machine, which we had purchased from the previous owners. I put the harness, earmuffs and face shield on and set to work. It was going well on the rough grass, so I then went round to the front lawn to do the edges. I then realised my skill level was low (it didn't show on long, rough grass). A little bush close to the front door dissappeared before my eyes as the bush whacker dessimated anything it touched. I moved along and it then half destroyed a small garden light !!! Time to put it back in the shed ! A garden type strimmer was purchased the next day ! I think this is the first of many tales of the homested.
Wheelie Fantastic has now got bikes. This week it will have a temporary website, a marked up car, business cards and rack cards as well as branded clothing. Still no internet, but I contacted the local MP (election in a months time......oh yes I got another job this week as an election officer (one ans a half days work)) and the problem is being looked into at parliament !!
We are both competing in masters games events this weekend. when the masters is over I can give more time to Wheelie Fantastic. We have friends from Auckland staying with us for a few days and then Lisa's parents are with us for 3 weeks. Of course we have the Rugby world Cup final to enjoy. We where in Spain when Spain won the football world cup, so we are on a roll !!!!
I will try to blog next week.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Wednesday 28th Sept
Hectic, hectic, hectic....its all go. 2 more sleeps and we move into our house. We are juggling our final inspection visit tomorrow with delivery of a fridge,washing machine and a drier.
Today I filled my day making phone calls to try and set up the broadband connection at our new house, which we had already agreed with the company, but today we find out that we are on a waiting list to get the connection. Not a good way to start the day.
We are also on a fast track to get promotional brochures for Wheelie Fantastic as ther is a big event in Mapua on sunday, when there is an all day event to mark the launch of the ferry (barge type thing that looks like a 1960s caravan with a flat base that floats. Its name is the'Flat Bottom Fairy' and it will transport people and bikes to and from Mapua wharf and Rabbit Island. The whole day has a Fairy theme, with prizes for the best fairies on bicycles. I will maintain a professional appearance and spend the day distributing our brochures and generally promoting our business. Unfortunately it falls on the same weekend we move house, and we havent got the car or bikes marked up with our logo yet.
We did secure a freephone number last week, 0800 2 cycle !! (it wont work outside this region, so no free calls from the UK !!)
Only one week and two days of teaching at Garin left. Today I got a call asking me to work at the South Island Masters Games, as merchanise manager. The job will only last for approx 12 days, but it is another means of getting in the know.
I plan to post some photos again. Remember back to one of the first blogs, when the lorry drove off with all our stuff and the plan was to see it all again at the other side of the world? I think I need a photo of it turning up at our house, except I am teaching when it is due to arrive, so Lisa will be the official phtographer. She has reminded me that I was having coffee with Elma and Rosemary when the lorry turned up at Portrush, so it is fitting that I wont be there. We have had lots of offers of help from friends and we are going to take them up on their offers.
Lots is going to happen over the next few days and we also have to watch some more rugby games (on TV, assuming we get it tuned in !!).
Today I filled my day making phone calls to try and set up the broadband connection at our new house, which we had already agreed with the company, but today we find out that we are on a waiting list to get the connection. Not a good way to start the day.
We are also on a fast track to get promotional brochures for Wheelie Fantastic as ther is a big event in Mapua on sunday, when there is an all day event to mark the launch of the ferry (barge type thing that looks like a 1960s caravan with a flat base that floats. Its name is the'Flat Bottom Fairy' and it will transport people and bikes to and from Mapua wharf and Rabbit Island. The whole day has a Fairy theme, with prizes for the best fairies on bicycles. I will maintain a professional appearance and spend the day distributing our brochures and generally promoting our business. Unfortunately it falls on the same weekend we move house, and we havent got the car or bikes marked up with our logo yet.
We did secure a freephone number last week, 0800 2 cycle !! (it wont work outside this region, so no free calls from the UK !!)
Only one week and two days of teaching at Garin left. Today I got a call asking me to work at the South Island Masters Games, as merchanise manager. The job will only last for approx 12 days, but it is another means of getting in the know.
I plan to post some photos again. Remember back to one of the first blogs, when the lorry drove off with all our stuff and the plan was to see it all again at the other side of the world? I think I need a photo of it turning up at our house, except I am teaching when it is due to arrive, so Lisa will be the official phtographer. She has reminded me that I was having coffee with Elma and Rosemary when the lorry turned up at Portrush, so it is fitting that I wont be there. We have had lots of offers of help from friends and we are going to take them up on their offers.
Lots is going to happen over the next few days and we also have to watch some more rugby games (on TV, assuming we get it tuned in !!).
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Wednesday 21st September
The rugby continues and so does all things linked to rugby. The press are still enjoying England's captain 'relaxing' after a tough game at a night club which had a dwarf throwing competition. His management seem to have supported this, which is in contrast to a young AB who was paraded infront of the media to admit to and apologise for his heavy drinking episodes. He humbly apologised as the team managment looked on.
Our local towns are hosting Italy and USA teams. This means we have had Italian food festivals etc. there is a wine competition between NZ Italy and USA and to celebrate USA 'culture', a local town is having an American field party, which includes a watermellon pip, spitting competition as well as a duck herding competition. The options to embrace other cultures are endless !!
The world is a small place, as we found out on saturday, when we were sitting in the stadium in Auckland, waiting for the match to start. A girl from a few rows away, came over and said to Lisa "remember me, you taught me to drive". She did remember her, she was from Portrush and we had played hockey with her mum!
Our local towns are hosting Italy and USA teams. This means we have had Italian food festivals etc. there is a wine competition between NZ Italy and USA and to celebrate USA 'culture', a local town is having an American field party, which includes a watermellon pip, spitting competition as well as a duck herding competition. The options to embrace other cultures are endless !!
The world is a small place, as we found out on saturday, when we were sitting in the stadium in Auckland, waiting for the match to start. A girl from a few rows away, came over and said to Lisa "remember me, you taught me to drive". She did remember her, she was from Portrush and we had played hockey with her mum!
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Sunday 18th September
WOW, what a rugby match ! Auckland seemed to have a lot more Irish fans in town than Aussies. On the way to the match, along the 'fan trail' (a 4km route from the cities waterfront to the stadium) there were not nearly so many Aussies around. There was lots of banter, with the Aussies very confident of a win. One guy told me there were not so many here tonight because they were waiting to come to the final !!
The stadium was fab, we had fairly good seats, close to where the Irish nearly got their tries. The Irish sang and cheered to the extent that the Aussies were never heard. It felt like you were at a home game. It all got more exciting as the clock ticked on and our neighbouring Aussie fans had a lot less wise cracks. Quite a few escaped as Tommy Bose went on a surge up the sideline, so nobody noticed as the skulked out. Some did stay to the end and then they endured a long route back to the city centre. Kiwis in houses around the stadium were partying and taking ever chance to shout at the Aussies as they walked past. The Aussies huffed and sulked their way home. There were buses and trains waiting to take us to the city centre. We went by bus and the singing continued. We got off the bus and followed a river of green bodies all walking back to the waterfront fan zone. Off the main street there were bars bursting with green clad people celebrating. All in all a great atmosphere and event from beginning to end. The kiwis were delighted and they were joining in on the Irish party.
The kiwis and Irish were still congratulating each other on a great match the next day. The press is full of Irish praise as well as Aussie bashing. They also evaluate everything from an All Blacks perspective. One heading read 'touch,pause....improve'(they were referring to the AB performance). It feels like the tournament has found another gear and it gets more interesting with every passing match.
I still can't quite believe we were at THAT match. I'm now looking forward to work tomorrow morning, when I will talk rugby with some colleagues who happen to be Aussies !
The stadium was fab, we had fairly good seats, close to where the Irish nearly got their tries. The Irish sang and cheered to the extent that the Aussies were never heard. It felt like you were at a home game. It all got more exciting as the clock ticked on and our neighbouring Aussie fans had a lot less wise cracks. Quite a few escaped as Tommy Bose went on a surge up the sideline, so nobody noticed as the skulked out. Some did stay to the end and then they endured a long route back to the city centre. Kiwis in houses around the stadium were partying and taking ever chance to shout at the Aussies as they walked past. The Aussies huffed and sulked their way home. There were buses and trains waiting to take us to the city centre. We went by bus and the singing continued. We got off the bus and followed a river of green bodies all walking back to the waterfront fan zone. Off the main street there were bars bursting with green clad people celebrating. All in all a great atmosphere and event from beginning to end. The kiwis were delighted and they were joining in on the Irish party.
The kiwis and Irish were still congratulating each other on a great match the next day. The press is full of Irish praise as well as Aussie bashing. They also evaluate everything from an All Blacks perspective. One heading read 'touch,pause....improve'(they were referring to the AB performance). It feels like the tournament has found another gear and it gets more interesting with every passing match.
I still can't quite believe we were at THAT match. I'm now looking forward to work tomorrow morning, when I will talk rugby with some colleagues who happen to be Aussies !
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Wednesday 14th Sept
The land of world cup rugby has lots of stories linked to the players, fans and everything else. It would seem that the stories reflect the various nationalities present. The English are being generally annoying and most comments reflect the desire for their early exit. You wouldn't believe how many Argentinian supporters there were at the weekend. A South African couple were in the news because they had booked a hotel room with a sea view in Eastbourne....unfotrunately they thought they had booked to be close to Wellington, but instead they had booked a hotel in Eastbourne, England. A local found them looking for it and when she realised their mistake she took them home and put them up.
There are quite a few tourists touring around. There are a couple of matches in Nelson in the next few weeks.
The news item to worry all AB fans is that Dan Carter will miss the match on Friday because of a back strain. They are playing Japan so hopefully they will cope without him. Alos in the news today is the government taking over the management of the match transport in Auckland and the fan zones. So many turned up in the centre of Auckland last weekend that everything came to a standstill, including the trains that were taking people to the match. We think we may walk the fan trail from the city centre to the stadium. It is a 4km route with entertainment etc along the way. rain is forecast for the weekend so perhaps not so many non-match people will be around.
There are quite a few tourists touring around. There are a couple of matches in Nelson in the next few weeks.
The news item to worry all AB fans is that Dan Carter will miss the match on Friday because of a back strain. They are playing Japan so hopefully they will cope without him. Alos in the news today is the government taking over the management of the match transport in Auckland and the fan zones. So many turned up in the centre of Auckland last weekend that everything came to a standstill, including the trains that were taking people to the match. We think we may walk the fan trail from the city centre to the stadium. It is a 4km route with entertainment etc along the way. rain is forecast for the weekend so perhaps not so many non-match people will be around.
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Week 18
Week beginning September 5th
The week of the start of the world cup....and so the excitement builds up all week until Friday night when the party starts. At the waterfront in Auckland a fanzone was set up for the duration of the event. On Friday bands were playing etc and the organisers hoped perhaps 50,000 people may come to party...approximately 200,000 turned up. Central Auckland was at a standstill and the transport system to get people to Eden park for the match didn't cope very well. Fire extinguishers and emergency buttons got set off on trains so they had to stop and quite a few people missed the opening ceremoney at the stadium as well as the first half of the match.
On a more local note, there are flags everywhere, except for the Wharfside as the owner isn't into rugby (or seemingly profit), so while the rest of the village puts up flags and the restaurant/bar next door becomes an official Hieniken match venue, with large screen etc, the Wharfside remained flag (and atmosphere) free. That was until I got a call from Lisa to say get some flags when I was in town and bring them to the bar. On Friday afternoon we decorated the place with All Black stuff ( I couldn't find any other nationality).
We went with the kitchen staff from work to the next door bar to watch the opening ceremoney. There was a good atmosphere and we then watched the haka before the match started. It was powerful stuff and the anthem was sung loudly by those around us. A surreal moment for Lisa and I as it is still hard to take in the fact that this is home and this event is on our country ! We then left and went up to our friends house to watch the rest of the match. Roger's 90 something year old mum was also there and she knowledgeably watched the match, telling us which of the ABs were on good form at the minute.
I printed off the words of Irelands Call as we are going out again with the head chef from work (who is from Ireland) to watch the Irish game. I feel under pressure to know the words, other than the chorous! I also printed off the NZ anthem as I get the feeling I may have cause to sing it more often during the tournament !!
On saturday morning we went to be welcomed onto the local marae. We intoduced ourselves in Maori and the whole event was very informative and of course, welcoming.
This week also saw Wheelie Fantastic take another step, or pedal stroke, forward as the order was placed for a trailer and cycle racks. We also had a meeting with the company who is going to design our branding and website.
Lots of things starting to happen, so I may post blogs more than once a week and will keep you posted on the world cup as it unfolds from'down' here.
Things such as the match result predictions from Sunny Wool, the psycic sheep, I may spare you from. So far he has predicted the same results as the rest of the world, but I guess his 'powers' could become convincing at the later stages of the tournament !
This is now Sunday lunchtime so I better go and learn the words before tonights match !
The week of the start of the world cup....and so the excitement builds up all week until Friday night when the party starts. At the waterfront in Auckland a fanzone was set up for the duration of the event. On Friday bands were playing etc and the organisers hoped perhaps 50,000 people may come to party...approximately 200,000 turned up. Central Auckland was at a standstill and the transport system to get people to Eden park for the match didn't cope very well. Fire extinguishers and emergency buttons got set off on trains so they had to stop and quite a few people missed the opening ceremoney at the stadium as well as the first half of the match.
On a more local note, there are flags everywhere, except for the Wharfside as the owner isn't into rugby (or seemingly profit), so while the rest of the village puts up flags and the restaurant/bar next door becomes an official Hieniken match venue, with large screen etc, the Wharfside remained flag (and atmosphere) free. That was until I got a call from Lisa to say get some flags when I was in town and bring them to the bar. On Friday afternoon we decorated the place with All Black stuff ( I couldn't find any other nationality).
We went with the kitchen staff from work to the next door bar to watch the opening ceremoney. There was a good atmosphere and we then watched the haka before the match started. It was powerful stuff and the anthem was sung loudly by those around us. A surreal moment for Lisa and I as it is still hard to take in the fact that this is home and this event is on our country ! We then left and went up to our friends house to watch the rest of the match. Roger's 90 something year old mum was also there and she knowledgeably watched the match, telling us which of the ABs were on good form at the minute.
I printed off the words of Irelands Call as we are going out again with the head chef from work (who is from Ireland) to watch the Irish game. I feel under pressure to know the words, other than the chorous! I also printed off the NZ anthem as I get the feeling I may have cause to sing it more often during the tournament !!
On saturday morning we went to be welcomed onto the local marae. We intoduced ourselves in Maori and the whole event was very informative and of course, welcoming.
This week also saw Wheelie Fantastic take another step, or pedal stroke, forward as the order was placed for a trailer and cycle racks. We also had a meeting with the company who is going to design our branding and website.
Lots of things starting to happen, so I may post blogs more than once a week and will keep you posted on the world cup as it unfolds from'down' here.
Things such as the match result predictions from Sunny Wool, the psycic sheep, I may spare you from. So far he has predicted the same results as the rest of the world, but I guess his 'powers' could become convincing at the later stages of the tournament !
This is now Sunday lunchtime so I better go and learn the words before tonights match !
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
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.
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.
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