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

2018 Seven years and sadness

May 2018 marked our seventh year in New Zealand. Life is settled here and with all migration, there comes a time when major family events happen on the other side of the world.
The year of 2018 started with the sudden death of mum. No time for a flight home but fortunately Diane was with mum when she was able to speak on the phone. We said our last words to each other. I had no time to think about the call which was probably just as well, nothing could be prepared that would be any more meaningful than a heartfelt goodbye.
A couple of weeks later Lisa and I sat in our garden on a starry night, waiting for a long-distance funeral service. Both of us still couldn't believe it all had happened and I still can't quite believe, when the phone rings in an evening, it will not be mum.

Gwen
 1934 - 2018

Thanks Mum- 

I should have thanked mum more often for the many things she did for me. Some of those things were intentional and some were not.

Firstly, I am fortunate to have inherited the shape of her legs! I am the envy of my cycling group and I cannot claim my calf muscles are a result of an effective training regime, but just good genes passed on.

Secondly, the skill of learning how to swim. She persisted in taking all three of us to Portadown swimming pool and we eventually gained a skill that will be with us all of our lives.

Thirdly, showing that age is not a limiting factor in what you do. She had a young outlook for any given age. Even in her 70s she thought nothing of lifting and carrying large bags of coal and wood.

Fourthly, showing me, by example, that if you don’t ask you don’t get. She got people to do little jobs for her simply by asking. Lisa and I called it being Gwenned, as we ended up doing those little jobs when we least expected it.

There are many other things I could thank her for but I want to move to mention the things I admired about mum.

1 Her steely determination – when applied to certain aspects of life it came across as stubborn. It was probably a trait that helped her through some of the more difficult circumstances she encountered at various stages of her life. It allowed her not to crumble in the face of adversity and to progress and to move onto better things.

2. Allowing us to carve our own paths without interference and taking the approach that it was our life. This was especially evident when Lisa and I decided to move to New Zealand. This is something I will forever be grateful for.

3. We looked forward to her phone calls. She always had the same cheery disposition and I often remarked how lovely it was to hear from her and that she never complained. They were always nice phone calls that often left me feeling that I missed her.

4. She enjoyed being in the company of her family and enjoying the jokes. She was happy to be a spectator and never wanted the spotlight on her. On any occasion she was impeccably dressed with a great sense of style (something my friends in NZ have remarked on when they saw photos of her)

5. In later years she seemed to have a sense of contentment, enjoying simple pleasures and happy with her life. This was so evident in her last few hours, when we briefly talked for the last time. I told her that I wanted to have the same outlook on life that she was displaying in her final hours.

Over the last few years, and especially in the last week, I have had a recurring thought, that never in a million years as a teenager or young adult, I would have thought I would have heard myself saying. It is a simple statement “I hope I can be like Mum”.

I really do and I believe that she faced life and death with the quiet contentment I can only aspire to.Mum, you are truly loved and sorely missed. 

Miss Me But Let Me Go

When I come to the end of the road,

and the sun has set for me

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room,

why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little but not too long

and not with your head bowed low.

Remember the love that we once shared

miss me but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take

and each must go alone

It’s all a part of the Master’s plan

a step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart,

Go to the friends we know,

And bury your sorrow in doing good deeds,

Miss me, but let me go.

 By Christina Rossetti

Drought in December 2017

The wetter than average winter is a very distant memory and we have a vague recollection that early spring was wet and windy. then sometime mid spring, summer took over on full throttle. Both in weather terms and in customer numbers. It feels like we have had a busy summer season but it is only really the start of summer. We live off what rain we collect from the roof of the house and garage, so we are very careful what we turn on the tap for. Those on town supply are on restrictions which may get more strict as the dry summer extends. We watch the level of out tanks, probably two thirds full at the minute.  Many people are buying fills of water for their tanks already. Just as well we don't have any visitors at this time of the year!

Hop fields in the background are green. An early morning ride to beat the heat

First time EVER, that I went to the beach on my birthday

We haven't seen rain of any quantity for weeks and the temperatures are higher than we get for early summer, so everything in the fields and gardens look brown. Not only is our 'lawn' brown, it crunches when you walk on it. Bonnie spends most of the day, looking for the coolest place and then sleeps there until evening.

This is the view of our garden, from the kitchen window. Taken early Dec but now looks more brown

Bonnie practicing her ju jitsu with Lisa and Adrian, or maybe just the place for an afternoon nap!

Our new website got completed this winter and we had some new photos taken for it. We have a great team of guides and we all enjoy sharing the area with our guests.

Lisa has mastered the art of riding her bike on rollers and is looking forward to a new velodrome opening in Feb. I am enjoying doing a bit of running and road riding.  We are also getting in for sea swims as work permits.

Working in the garden and paddocks stops for summer as it is too hot, with too little time between work. Lisa is keeping the chooks out of the veggies (mostly) and watering them ( veggies) sparingly. In winter we will do the annual wood splitting etc for the fire and give the shrubs etc a good prunning. 

And so the annual cycle continues. The longest day has now passed but thankfully it will be a while before we notice shorter days. 

Citizens of New Zealand

A milestone of 5 years as permanent residents means we could become citizens of NZ, and we did on the 30th November the ceremony was held by our local council.
It has been a fast 5 years and now 8 months!

Lisa and I after the ceremony

Our last year has seen big changes again. The business continues to grow and we have now moved away from the wharf. we have a meeting point at the other end of the village. We only go there when we meet pre-booked customers. More of our work is on the move so we are much more mobile. We have also purchased a lovely new vehicle.

Lisa has been unwell for a lot of the year but she is on the mend and she now works in our business. No more hospitality hours. This has made our summer a lot more enjoyable as we both get to spend some time at our house and even get out for a bike ride from time to time. We also celebrated our new status with a weekend away at Cable Bay.

Breakfast treat at Cable Bay

Lisa's barista skills are very much appreciated as we have a coffee machine at home that gets well used.

We have been able to have our morning coffee breaks in our garden and enjoy some of our views.

I know the blogs are getting shorter and less frequent. I was going to bring it to an end as this seemed a good end point of our journey. The journey never finishes so I guess an annual post will keep the story going, even if it is just a few photos.

What will happen in the next 5 years ?? I will keep you posted

5 years in New zealand

5 years in NZ. That went very quickly. It has been (and continues to be) a busy time of our lives, perhaps too busy. We have settled into the way of working a lot and enjoying the beautiful surroundings we live in. We have had an amazing run of good weather. With the exception of about 4 or 5 days rain since mid-December, we have now reached May and the norm is sunshine.  Autumn has been more like summer and shorts and t-shirts are still the choice of most.

Our business has moved forward again and we have moved into new premises on Mapua wharf. A lovely new building was completed and we and 5 other businesses moved in to our new units just before Christmas. The new building and the landscaping around the wharf area has made it more popular than ever. NZ tourism in general has had a bumper year. Our region has had it’s best ever tourism season and with new air routes to and from Nelson airport, it looks like that trend is set to continue.

Our business has been all consuming as we increase our bookings and with our more labour intensive guided tours becoming more popular. Lisa continues to work at the restaurant and they too had another very hectic season.  Unfortunately the stresses of long hours etc has taken its toll as she is currently off on sick leave. Hopefully a winter of rest, recovery and TIME to enjoy where we live will help get back on track.

We have enjoyed some days off here and there. Golden Bay is a 90 minute drive from here, yet the pace of life “over the hill’ is even more relaxed than here. We have found a lovely place to chill out for a couple of days. It is a beachfront cottage at a lovely place called Adrift. We went there before the season started and again in late February.

In the 5 years we have now been here, we have started to take some things for granted. What is seen as normal now goes un-noticed, except for a few times when you remember that not everywhere is like this. I think nothing of seeing older people exercising and groups of people in cycling gear sitting in cafes.  Women in key and lead roles in organisations go without comment. When you go to a DIY store, the assistants don’t think you have got lost just because you are in the power tool section!  On one occasion on of our llamas got stuck in a fence and broke her front fetlock. We were advised by a knowledgeable friend and neighbour to make a splint. We needed a piece of plastic pipe for the job and went to the DIY shop to get some. When the guy asked us what we needed and why, our response brought no reaction whatsoever. It is a country where practical solutions to practical problems are commonplace. The llama made a full recovery and we added to our skill set.

What next? I think this winter will help us slow down in the off season and take stock of how we can get the work life balance a bit more in balance. The bookings are coming in for next year so there isn't a lot of down time. I am looking forward to cycling and gardening and not having to get up in the winter mornings until it is daylight (about 8 am)
The other thing we can do this winter, is fill in our application forms for our NZ citizenships!
I will report on that when it happens.

Here are some the photos of some of the things I've mentioned.

 A beachfront cottage at Adrift in Golden Bay

A great way to start the day

Checking out some new places to ride in  Golden Bay

The building was late to complete so we got in just before Christmas

Our new premises on the wharf

A day off and we went to our neighbouring vineyard

Freezing

Winter is well and truly underway. So far we have had lots of hard frosts, more than we have seen before. Locals would say this has been the coldest winter they can remember. A friend has recorded his lowest temperature at his house of -5C. I have seen our thermometer at -4C on a few mornings. The upside of these temperatures are the sunny days. Nelson was the warmest day in New Zealand yesterday, recording 12C. The records were also broken a week ago when all recordings for the south island where negative overnight. Loads of snow elsewhere in the country, with ski fields having a great start to their season.

Frost on the ground and another sunny winter's day

 

 

Neil from Chocolate Dog photography took this from a vineyard beside our house.

 

We are enjoying the winter. The wheelie admin work continues and some bike hire. We are waiting for building work to start at the wharf. As our shed was sitting on the site of the new building, we had to move. This was quite easy, as Lift n shift moved us all of 20 metres, in a matter of minutes.

Shed moving

Lisa has a few quieter days in the restaurant, so sometimes the coffee is served with 'latte art'

A flat white bear

I have also been on a few geography field trips, this winter. One of the trips went to Wellington and we took the chance to go to the new Gallipoli exhibition in Te Papa. It really brought the tragedy and horrible conditions of that campaign to 'life'. There are large (4 metre high) life like models of several people who served there and whose stories they tell.

Every detail life-like and very large

Next term starts in a weeks time. I am going to teach a class of Business Studies for 8 weeks. That should shorten the winter and before I know it we will be back into the tourist season.