Christmas cheer

Well, thats Christmas Day over for another year and what a lovely day we had. Nice traditional roast dinner with Christmas pud and After Eight mints then play board games and watch DVD's all afternoon. Then eat more at supper time, play more games and finally go to bed with chronic indegestion. I love it!!
I can't get into the traditional New Zealand Christmas BBQ lark. Neither can I see the point in spending Christmas day on the beach. The weather was sunny in the morning and rained in the afternoon but just in our street we saw the neighbours packing everything up and going to the beach just to return again 1/2 an hour later. Sometimes I think people feel as if they should spend Christmas on the beach because thats what your meant to do but in reality they would probably prefer just to sit around the house or in the garden.
Anyway, I hope everyone out there who celebrates this festive season also had a good day.
New Year is fast approaching and The Mount is gearing itself up to the fun New Years Eve celebrations. The whole area is a liquor free zone, there is a temporary prison set up called Alcatraz and extra police officers have been drafted in. You will be arrested if caught carrying any alcohol (even an unopenned bottle in your bag). There are a couple of live bands playing and some fair ground rides for the kiddies. Every year hundreds of people descend on the Mount to see the new Year in but the authoritarian control gets heavier every year. We were quite surprised by this and were told it was because of the 2003 riots. Riots? In New Zealand? On further enquiry we found out that in 2003 the police were arresting people who were having a wine or beer with their families while using the public BBQ's which caused a lot of bad feeling and some peole went on the 'rampage' round the mount upseting the neighbours. So as a result
strict bans were introduced and enforced. Its the usual story of over zealous authoroties enforcing laws to the letter which causes more trouble than turning a blind eye would. I agree that any kind of huge gathering should be monitored and action taken at the sign of trouble but surely it would be better to difuse a situation instead of charging in and arresting every one.
The council seems to have got its act together though, and has put on a bus service that runs through the night getting people to and from the Mount for $10 return.
As for us, its the busiest, hassliest night of the year but hopefully we should be able to shut the doors at 10ish and get home for a glass of champers in our own back yard.

dancing and goodbyes

This week Georgia finishes junior school and will start Intermediate School in February. The junior school held a year 6 leaving assembly on Friday and as usual the teaching staff and pupils pulled out all the stops to ensure it was an enjoyable and entertaining occassion. If we ever have any misgivings about the education system in New Zealand, these are always displelled at these events.
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the assembly was held outside in the ampitheatre. We were entertained by some lovely singing by the kapa haka group. Next, Emma, the pianist with a lively rendition of the Can Can, Kayla the flute player and Andrew on the clarinet.
Georgia was in the dance troup who performed an excellent cha cha routine. She had been practicing really hard for this and although she said she was a bit nervous it didn't show. It was very professional.
After the entertainment, the Headmaster, Mr Shinnen awarded each student with a certificate. Mr Shinnen is a really nice, laid back guy and he had something special to say about each child, reflecting on their personality and wishing them luck in their futures. He is a casual dresser and relates well with the students and the parents. It was lovely that he seemed to know each one of the kids personally and he knew who all the parents were too. He also gave out his own extra award to certain pupils who had shown extra kindness and caring during their time at school. I think it was brilliant that he didn't base these awards on academic achievement. Each child at that school assembly was made to feel like a special individual person whether they are bright, quiet, sporty, studious or whatever. He talked of one girl who had organised a 'Hugs' day and how he had been honoured to be number 29 on her list. I could never in a million years imagine hugging my headmaster or any of my teachers when I was at school!
We have found the New Zealand education system so far to focus on building happy, confident individuals. They are not brow beaten to achieve certain accademic targets but encouraged to learn at their own pace. Teachers are not burdened with masses of paperwork so have more time to spend in the class room doing what they are paid to do - teach. Georgia loves school here and is looking forward to Intermediate next year.

treasure hunting again!

On Tuesday we all went to the beach to help Norman run a field test on the new pulse induction metal detector. Michael was designated camera man as he was going to put together a video of the test to put on the website http://www.treasuredetectives.net/ I am new to metal detecting and this piece of equipment looks like nothing I had seen before. Apparently it is designed to detect large pieces of metal buried deep underground like cannons and treasure chests full of gold and other such exciting hoards but it ignores small items such as tin cans, ring pulls and other rubbish that you usually collect while out hunting. Its something to do with the size of the pulse induction sound waves it emits. Whatever! For lots more information and technical stuff http://www.deeptech-bg.com/

Norman brought along a cast iron umbrella base as we were certain we wouldn't find any cannons on Papamoa Beach, and a small piece of scrap metal. As well as videoing the test Michael, with the help of Georgia, also dug a 1 metre deep hole in the sand to bury the metal in. All went well. The detector found the base and ignored the small piece of scrap metal. I was the helper following instructions and we drew quite a crowd from the locals wondering what we were up to.

The detectors are made in Bulgaria and Norman is the first person in New Zealand and Australia to use and distribute them.

I know the daughter of the guy who makes them, Sylvia, visits this blog so hi Sylvia!

Anyway, after the test we were happily congratulating ourselves on a job well done when we remembered we had to retrieve the umbrella base. I can assure you this was no easy task. We almost lost Georgia and Norman down the hole and we did seriously consider leaving it down there but Norman couldn't think of a decent enough excuse to tell his wife Linda as to why they couldn't put the umbrella up in the garden. Then we suddenly realised that the beach was swarming with sand flies!! There were millions of them and they were biting! The little devils are only the size of a grain of sand but that didn't stop them making a tasty lunch out of our legs. We must have had signs on our heads 'fresh meat'. Michael fared the worst and he has 150 bites on his legs. Norman insisted he never got bitten by bugs but he did that day! After a lot of digging, sweating and heaving we managed to get the base out of the hole and made a hasty retreat off the beach to the pub as I was sure I had read somewhere that an ice cool beer was the best cure for sand fly bites. Well, it was worth a try, anyway.

This Saturday was Downtown The Mounts Christmas festival. Now I like a good festival. Unfortunately this one wasn't really a festival, Christmas or otherwise. But there were some great Brazilian dancers doing a capoeira demonstration. This is a form of dance/fighting. Its very energetic and athletic and performed to a hypnotic drumbeat. They were very good. We watched them for quite a while but for some reason Georgia and I had decided to wear our roller boots into town and although Georgia is an expert, I am somewhat of a novice. So I spent most of the time trying not to crash into cafe chairs and pavement signs or skate over peoples toes. I think I managed to maintain an air of confidence whilst standing, holding on to a lamppost and Michael very kindly dragged me along through the crowds.

There were also other live bands there playing blues and hip hop also a candy floss stand and the shops stayed open late. It would have been nice to see some Kapa Haka dancers and singers but they weren't on the agenda. At 9 pm there was a huge fire work display out on a barge on Pilot Bay. Right on queue it started raining then but there was still a decent crowd turn out to see it.

It was a pity that the local town planner hadn't done her research very well as the Mount festival clashed with at least 2 others in the local area and there just isn't the population here to sustain more than one event at a time. I spoke to a couple of the shop owners in the town and they were a bit annoyed about the timing of the event.

Georgia and I put the decorations up in the house this weekend. Why is it that no matter how carefully you put the fairy lights away they are always in a huge tangled knot when you get them out again? Anyway, the tree looks very pretty. Some people here go mad with decorating the outside of their houses with lights and they can become part of the local 'light trail'. They put their addresses into the paper so people can drive round and have a look at their lights. The best one wins a prize (I hope its some money to pay for the electric bill). A local bus company runs trips round the houses and charges $15 per person for the privilege!! I wonder if the house owners get a cut of that! I love to see a town decorated with Christmas lights but it doesn't seem to happen much here - I guess the rate payers would be up in arms!

Well, I'm off to the library now to get a book on 'beginners roller blading for the over 40's'

Heres a couple of phtos for you to compare. The one on the far left is of Oxford Street in London, but of course it could be any city centre in the UK. Don't they all look happy!? The other one is of Tauranga town centre on Tuesday. A nice big inflatable Santa watching the throngs of shoppers fighting their way through the busy shops. Yeah, right.

It was a lovely day on Tuesday so of course everyone heads to the beach instead of the shops, which is how it should be. I love the understated hype of Christmas here. Christmas is, after all, just one day. In the UK the commercial build up to Christmas starts in September where the pressure is turned on for you to spend, spend, spend. You had to buy stuff and more stuff 'seeing as its Christmas' just to feel that you were joining in with the festivities.

People in New Zealand look forward to their summer holidays rather than the day itself and thats great. We had a lovely day strolling round the uncrowded shops, no hassle no pressure.

We used to live near a huge shopping centre called the Metro Centre and it was so busy around this time of year, the traffic queues to get in would reduce the surrounding roads to total grid lock. Then once you got there there it took hours to find a parking space then after a harrassing trawl round the shops would take another hour to get out of the car park. What a waste of time!!

Its fantastic that its only 19 days to Christmas and people here are lying on the beach, getting out on their boats or going fishing.

sunshine and sand

Firstly, being English, I have to mention it. The weather. Its been pretty fab these last few days. Every where looks gorgeous when the sun shines, lovely bright colours and clear blue skies. It really encourages me to keep up with my running in the morning and today I ran the furthest ever. I went to the local shopping mall to get my hair cut at a barbers run by 2 girls, Marilin and Denise, from Liverpool. (Yes, I did say barbers and they really only do men's hair but being multi talented they do me a sneaky cut out the back). The mall is about a 25 min run away along the beach and I felt pretty good that I managed it without having a heart attack, until I looked in the mirror and discovered my face was as red as tomato from that beautiful bright sun!

Now, talking of multi talented people, take a look at the most recent tour Micheal has just completed http://thevirtualviewcompany.com/49athena its lovely house, close to the beach.

Well, moving on. There is a strange phenomena in the shop at the moment. If you sit on the chair out the back or stand on a certain tile next to the fridge you get a strange wobbly sensation. Michael has, on occasions, been bounced out of the chair. Its a bit like on Jurassic Park when the jelly starts to wobble indicating the approach of a dinosaur. Vaguely wondering if it was an earth quake or that perhaps the Mount was thinking of reactivating itself, I decided it must be the building works that are underway out the back of the shop. There are 2 huge building projects in competition with each other. One is directly behind the shop car park and the other just over the road from that. You may not be familiar with Mount Maunganui, but it is basically a huge sand bank with an volcano ( The Mount) at one end and the ocean on both sides.So when foundations are dug out they are basically digging out a huge sand pit. There is no bed rock or clay. The builders are using a huge munching machine from Germany(see photos) which digs down into the sand then mixes it up with tons and tons of cement and water which in turn forms the retaining wall around the site. We have been assured that this method causes the least disturbance to the surrounding buildings but I must admit I have checked the shop insurance as I have a feeling the whole street is going to fall down into these 2 huge holes and be swallowed up by the sea. The holes are way below sea level. The buildings are going to be high rise apartments. The Mount is fast developing in to an even more popular holiday destination and it really is starting to come together but in the mean tine we have huge lorries, diggers and cranes driving round the streets and the sand and dust flying about is unbelievable! But at least the workmen come in for pizza! The buildings should be finished by 2009 then all the millionaires can enjoy their drinkies on their decks 2 inches from the next buildings deck while craning their necks to have a peep at the sea. Lovely!!

Well, to change subject a bit you will be pleased to know I managed to down load a new French tutorial onto my mp3 player. So now I have moved on from Monsieur Albert in the cafe to listening to Michel Thomas. If you are familiar with this guy you will know he has a unique method of teaching a foreign language which is very good and works for me. The only problem is I wish he would clear his throat! Either he is a heavy smoker or his false teeth don't fit properly. If you are not familiar with the guy then lets just say I feel the need to clear spit out my ears. Well, I'll leave you with that thought.....aurevoir, mes amis

photos

Above photo of the deserted Papamoa Beach at 9am
View from the mount summit. Papamoa Beach is off in the distance.



We had an impromtu climb up the Mount last week and as usual I was well prepared for these occasions with jandals on my feet. We climbed up some deserted old goat track which was reminiscent of a mountain path on some Greek Island. At this time of year different parts of the mount can be completely diverse from lush native bush to baked Mediteranean hillside to English forest.
We managed to get to the summit ok and enjoy the views and get down in time for a nice cold beer before openning the shop for the teatime rush!

safe

For the past few weeks I have been trying to get fit. I dont like the gym and totally hopeless at any sort of aerobic class so I decided to start running (well trotting, really) along the beach. I have increased the distance from 10 minutes to 25 minutes and I am starting to feel fitter. Its great to be out in the sunny mornings and it fits into my daily routine so I am quite likely to stick with it. However, running can be a bit boring even if the view is very pretty so I started to practice my French via my MP3 player. Unfortunately I am the worlds worst at anything technichal and I am having real prbolems down loading some new lessons on to the player. I am getting a bit tired of 'Monsieur Albert goes to the cafe'. So today I decided just to run and not listen to anything but my thoughts..... There wasnt a lot going on there either. But anyway, what did strike me is how safe I feel in New Zealand. Theres no way in the UK I would run by myself along a deserted beach (or road, or field) every morning. But I don't feel nervous here at all. Anyone I do see generally just say hello and thats it.
We have several Brazillians that come in to our shop for pizza. They are a very happy, loud friendly lot and 2 regulars Michelle and Roberto like to pop in for a chat. They have been here for 2 years now and miss their country, family and frineds a great deal. When I asked them why they stayed here they say that although they love Brazil and it would always be their home they feel safe and free in New Zealand. A feeling of personal security and freedom are so important.
I read the local paper every day and although as the population slowly increases in New Zealand so does crime. But the fact that domestic violence and petty crime still make headlines here means something. Heres an example. On Saturday, a youth saw an oportunity and stole the cash box off the bus in town- front page news. It has now been decided that the bus stop in town is a rough dodgy place with chewing gum on the ground (heaven forbid) and mean looking hoodies hanging around intimidating people. So the paper sent a reporter out to talk to people waiting at the bus stop to see what they thought. The reporter asked 3 ladies in their 60's and one teenage boy and none of them felt intimidated, one lady thought they could tidy the place up a bit and one thought security cameras might be a good idea. These findings made headline news the next day! Two days of news out of a bus stop in town is pretty impressive.
Anyway, long may it stay that way.

the first post

Hi, this is Joyce taking over from Michael with the blog. Michael has been working really hard with the new business which is starting to pay dividends now. So with that and writing a book and making pizza something had to give or the brain cell would definitely go into melt down.

I started writing out Christmas cards yesterday even though it only seems 5 minutes ago I was writing out last years cards. Time definitely seems to pass quickly in New Zealand. Why is that? I think it might have something to do with the fact the seasons are the 'wrong' way round. How can summer be heating up in November - it must only be July. How can Christmas only be 40 days away when Georgia and her friend are playing in the pool out side? Then suddenly its January and a new year begins.
On the theme of Christmas, I love the fact that the Hype is very low key here. Yes I know the Warehouse and Kmart have the Christmas stuff on sale now but it really is nothing compared to the UK where Xmas starts in September and by the time the day does arrive your sick of it all!
Christmas and New Year are the busiest time of the year for us in the pizza shop so it all passes in a blur any way.
Now to change tack a little bit Georgia starts intermediate school in the new year. Intermediate school is a sort of half way house for two years between junior school and secondary school which I think is a brilliant idea. Well, we found out this week that she has been selected to be nominated for the GATE class. Great! Whats the GATE class? Apparently it stands for Gifted and Talented something or other and is an accelerator class for kids from different schools who show extra potential in certain areas. We were given a form to fill in which didn't explain a lot but asked questions about Georgia's personality, interests and strengths. I filled it in but wasn't 100% sure about a couple of issues or even what this GATE class involved. So we had a word with her teacher who explained that it was a class for gifted students and that all kids wanted to get into it because 'all the nice kids' were in it. Hmmm, I was a little uncomfortable with this statement. Does that mean that all the other kids are not 'nice kids'? Anyway, she told us to make up a portfolio of all Georgia's best work, all her certificates and a resume. When Georgia took it into school another teacher said 'oh no we don't need all that we just need a letter off Georgia stating in her own words why she wants to be in the GATE class.' Talk about misinformation! It all seems a lot of hassle to me and puts pressure on the kids at a time when starting a new school is traumatic enough. Georgia, as usual takes it all in her stride and has written her letter. I've told her not to worry about it or get stressed, not that she ever does worry or get stressed. Georgia learns more out of all the books she reads anyway and school is a bit of fun for her, which is how it should be.
Well, that's it for now, I need to pop out for some more Christmas cards!

The Last Post

This is my last post, I am handing over the laptop to Joyce. With any luck you may get a different perspective on things. I await with interest to see what she comes up with. For me, there seems so many things to be done and so little time and blogging is not on the top of my list. I will let you know when the book comes out though. Adieu.

While the cats away.....

Georgia went to school camp this week for 3 days. It was a trip up to Waihi gold mine and she had been really excited about this for weeks. She came back on Wednesday and if you need to know anything about the gold mining industry in NZ she is the one to ask. One surprising fact was that they need to powderise 1 tonne of rock to extract 3g of gold! Georgia's trip coencided with our Tuesday day off, which means we can have the whole day somewhere as we don't have to be back at 3pm to pick her up from school. But where to go? I only wanted to drive for an hour or so, the choices seemed to be Whakatane (not a lot there) in one direction, Paeroa in another direction, there is even less there but they do have a giant sculpture of a bottle of L&P, I think of it as a shrine to type 2 Diabetes. Oh no I can feel a tangent coming on! Type 2 Diabetes is of course a growing problem, the more chemical/sugar/water combinations people drink, the bigger the problem. It became an epidemic with the stroke of a pen, when someone decided to change the threshold for having type 2 by lowering the resting blood sugar measurement from 140 to 126, 2 million Americans became diabetic overnight, and they didn't even know. The drug companies knew alright, lots more money to made now. While I am digressing here is another interesting thing, the obesity epidemic is caused in part, by fizzy drinks and ice cream, however the biggest culprit is the stroke of a pen. Someone had the bright idea of deciding you were obese by using a mathematical formula to calculate your BMI ( the formula is something like, times your height by the square root of a triangle, add your weight and the age of your Granny's budgie, then take away the number you first thought of) If your number came out at 30, you are obese. (using this formula, all athletes, body builders and Brad Pitt are clinically obese). I prefer the old fashioned method of determining if someone was obese, the tell tale signs were a garage full of broken bathroom scales and the "cafe phenomena". This is when the suspected obese person stands up after having a latte and a double chocolate chip muffin with caramel sauce, if the chair is still firmly clamped to the persons back side as they wobble down the street, then they are obese. (The next phenomena is the cafe owner legging it after them, armed with a tyre lever to try and get their chair back.)

The other possible direction was Rotorua, and this is indeed where we went (you may have already guessed this by the photo, which is the photo you always see when you see pictures of Rotura, as it is the only building in Rotorua that merits a photo). Rotorua attracts the biggest number of tourists in NZ, they come to see bubbling mud pools and steamy hot pools. When you see them you are almost taken back to prehistoric times and it would be no surprise if a Diplodocus popped his head round the corner. (thinking about this, it would be a bit of a surprise really, but at least its head is about 5 minutes away from its feet, so you would have a bit of time to scream and run away) . It was however cold and cloudy but Rotorua has a museum (hooray) the museum is the building in the photo and is an old bathhouse, it was quite interesting. You could see the history of the Spa Bath industry, there was a section on the big volcanic eruption in the late 1800's that killed 120 people and wrecked the growing tourist industry and a section on the Maori Regiment. It was also warm and had a cafe that sold huge cheese scones for $3.00. We had a bit of lunch in the French Cafe (Joyce likes to practise her French), had a walk on the lake shore and then came home. It was a good day out.

Art Festival

There is an Arts Festival in progress at the moment, I am not quite sure what is going on with it all but the greatest evidence is the vast rows of aerial photography positioned on the Strand by a photographer whose name has slipped from my memory (if you are a regular reader you will know that many things slip from my memory). The Photos are very good and generate a great deal of debate among onlookers. The start of the festival coincided with the opening of the new art gallery (the council got this open just before the philistines got elected). There was much controversy surrounding this, with the usual "what a waste of rate payers money and no one will visit it". I am glad to say 8,000 people visited it in its first 3 days . Joyce and I paid it a visit last week, it is a building well suited to the purpose, but what makes or breaks a gallery, is what hangs on the walls. Now I come from the "Emperors new clothes" school of art appreciation, and if I think a piece looks like it was painted by a blind 3 year old having a temper tantrum, then I say so. It does not matter to me if the artist has given it a name like "exploration of transcendental mood in the microcosm of social interaction in d-minor". If it looks like someone has been sick on a canvas then I say so. I am sure someone with an art degree will tell me I am missing the point, but then they would , they have to justify having got into debt to do a degree course in "opinion" at art school. I probably missed the point of another exhibit, it had a fine sounding name, but all I could see was a 6x3 piece of chipboard hanging on the wall, it had been painted black. I initially looked on the floor to see if the exhibit had fallen down, no, perhaps it had been taken away for cleaning, no. The painted chipboard was in fact the exhibit with the poncy name. I suppose that does mean every one of us is an artist in some way, its quite uplifting really, so kids just remember when mum tells you to tidy your room, just tell her it is a work of art in progress and she is stifling your creative juices. I do enjoy looking at art, I have a couple of Van Goughs hanging on the living room wall, one is "sunflowers" the other one is "the one with the cafe scene with the starry sky". Now if you look at the quality of painting, it is pretty crap, and you can see why he didn't sell anything when he was alive, but they have a certain something. (by the way the man in the market said they were genuine and a bargain at a tenner each, I agreed). I seem to be going off at a tangent here, so back to the gallery. Upstairs there was an exhibition of press photos that do not make it into the "propaganda press". Now I love a good photo, it should tell a story and allow you to empathise with the feelings of the people portrayed, all in one shot. These photos did just that, with harrowing scenes of world conflict. A couple of documentaries accompanied the photos, and both Joyce and I spent the afternoon discussing the subjects and emotions covered in the exhibition. The more people who can see this exhibition the better, we all need to be able to step outside of our own "Reality Bubble" once and a while and see what is really happening in the world. A good afternoon and a great start to the life of the Gallery (shame we wont have a museum now though to entertain and inform).

Small town attitudes and racism

I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet this week with the two subjects in the title. The first is the "small town" view of things. With it being Labour weekend there is normally a big influx of visitors to the Mount, but not this time. This will be a big relief to so many people who live here and hate the idea of "outsiders" coming into "their" town. I was talking to one customer who really was quite bitter that she can't get parked in the summer in "her" town because of all the outsiders. Others just hate the idea of any rate payers money being spent on expanding the attractions of the town "its just for the outsiders" they go and the councillors who stood on a platform of don't spend money on the town, won the day and the museum project and a new walkway have been scrapped. There are so many people that lament the development that has taken place and really wish the mount was how it was 30 years ago (a mosquito ridden, wind swept sand dune). This is a real contradiction to the image that the tourist industry tries to project. They want the Mount to be seen as the premier beach resort in NZ but it will never be this. There is less and less casual accommodation, three motels have been pulled down this week to make room for yet more holiday homes that will stand empty for 10 months of the year. There are no hotels in the area and if it rains you have nothing to do, and the locals want nothing done that might bring more people to town. Yet those people that come to town spend large amounts of money in the local economy, but it is those who have retired here who shout the loudest, they don't care about the livelihoods of the young, they just want to get parked.
The second item of this weeks rant is racism. There really is a "we are better than them" attitude among elements of the white population and what really gets me is when they finish a conversation with "yeh but at least we don't eat people" WHAT!!!! no the "civilised" white people of the world have just tortured people in ways that only the sickest of minds could dream up, they have destroyed cultures the world over, and even today, Iraqis are paying the price of an empire expanding. I will say I have no problem whatsoever with the Maori population, I find them polite and respectful and friendly (there are of course exceptions, as there are in all peoples) and I feel honored that I have been allowed to settle in their land. The racist elements hate the idea that any recompense is paid in the land disputes (soon to end) and they keep saying that we are all New Zealanders now and should be treated the same. This is kind of like saying if Germany had invaded Britain in the war and renamed it New Germania and made German the official language and 150 years later were telling all the native Brits to stop whinging because we are all New Germanians now. There is a huge cultural difference here and I applaud this, the world would be a boring place if we were all the same that's for sure.

Treasure

I have said this before, I don't miss much from the UK, but it did have something to offer, as does every European country, and that is a real sense of history. I mention this now because a couple of things have rekindled my historical desires. Georgia is really keen on history, her knowledge is incredible for her age, she reads constantly and absorbs it all. She is however frustrated that there is nothing here for her to touch or look at, no magnificent Gothic cathedrals or Roman remains, no footpaths that have been trodden for millenia. Of course we knew all this before we came, having lived in Durham with its 900 year old Norman cathedral history was all around you and you become blase about it. I accepted that moving to NZ would end my love affair with historical buildings but since mixing with metal detectors and the hidden history they can uncover, an inner desire to find that history is growing within me. This of course then leads to ideas like living in France and finding Celtic gold along the trade routes of the Loire valley, do that for 4 months of the year (we have since discovered that metal detecting is illegal in France) then come back here for 8 months and so on. You will probably find if you live out here, that you will consider all sorts of schemes to fulfill all sorts of desires you have (the thing is, you don't quite know what you really desire till you get out here and have the freedom of thought to uncover those desires, if you follow me). So what I will have to do now is work out a scheme that gives us what we all want (I have one in mind), it is always so frustrating that earning a living always gets in the way of living the life that you want (if you know the life that you want that is, I get really confused sometimes). The photo I have include is Me, Georgia and Norman testing a Hi-tech detector on the beach. We found a spoon and a rusty old pair of nail clippers, oh and a large rusty nail which we have confidently dated at around 1400AD.

Packing their bags

First things first, my back is on the mend, (thanks Alison I will have to download Real Player before I can listen. ) It kind of feels like a weight is lifting from me and I got my first good nights sleep last night for over 3 weeks.
To the thread. I was standing in the post office queue the other day (I can do this without being scowled at Ref: Marrissa) and this young girl in her 20's was organising things ready for her departure to Australia that very afternoon. The bloke standing next to her made the comment "yes you and 5,000 others each week". I thought about this and from my personal observations you definitely become aware that there does seem to be a bit of an exodus, especially among the 20 somethings. A few of our customers have recently said goodbye as they go off to OZ and Georgia's good friend at school is on her way in November. So why? The answer is not hard to find really. As a young person it is near impossible to get ahead in NZ. Living costs eat up more than 70% of the average wage round here, so there is no extra for cars, holidays or house deposits. Go to OZ for a few months and your money worries can be over, and that is what people are doing. If you are young enough it seems to be a straight forward proposition. It does open your eyes to possibilities, work 6 months in the Mining Towns in WA and you could live for 6 months in NZ without having to work. (I am too old though, It seems if you are over 45 you are incapable of finding a job). Makes you think though, graft for 6 months then chill for 6 months. Talking of OZ I hope to pop over in May next year with my good friend Norman (he of famed curries). Norman is an expert in the field of treasure hunting with metal detectors, and has been helping with the development of a new gold finding version. This needs testing and calibrating for the Australian goldfields, so it could be a giggle. He has a contact out there with a prospecting lease and a dynamite certificate. So it will be interesting to see if a nugget or two comes our way, or I may just come back minus a couple of body parts. I have seen what to when you have been bitten by a snake (keep your trousers tucked in your wellies, stand still, if it still bites you, you have to wrap a bandage round the bite area, don't run around screaming and there is no need to catch the snake and take it to the hospital with you).
Onto another thread that has just popped into my head. With the big break from the robotic society and way of life in the UK, your eyes are open to a new world of possibilities, and there lies some dangerous ground. It is all to easy to imagine ones self doing all sorts of things, after all you have made that break and it it is relatively easy to do it again. Give me a routine for too long and some thing inside says "so is this it for the rest of my life? no it isn't because I can do what I want" another part of me says "don't be an arse , you have a great life" the man in the white coat says "take this Thorazine and have a lie down".

Wearable Arts

Before I get to the subject of this weeks thread, apologies for no post last week. I have a bad back you see, last week it was unbearable and I couldn't be bothered to do anything (still had to work of course, the joys of self-employment). I wont bore you with back pain details, anyone who suffers knows what I am talking about. I am trying the latest course of action (I have tried many) and am following a Pilates method, which involves holding stomach muscles in all the time to support the back, and you know what, it seems to be helping.

Any way for the last month or so Georgia's school has been spending a lot of time on a thing called "Wearable Arts". This is where each class has a theme and makes costumes to wear which are "artistic" in nature, hence the name. I do wonder whether these projects take up too much school time, shouldn't the little dears be working out the area of triangles and such? But the reality is I feel these projects are very worthwhile. The school held a performance of their creations last Wednesday night, and I have to say it was very good. From 5 year olds up to 11, all on a proper stage with light shows and music, in front of 700 people and no mistakes. What these projects achieve is the creation of teamwork in the design and making of the costumes and confidence in performing on a stage in front of so many people, skills which will hold them in great stead for their life ahead, and whats more they actually enjoy going to school. I just wish my school days had been so much fun with opportunities to shine. Georgia's class did a performance based around the mobile phone, it was excellent and the performance started with a film which was directed, filmed and edited by Georgia (she has a talent for that kind of thing). What you do find in NZ is that the kids are confident and articulate but their knowledge of the big wide world is sorely lacking. Georgia was doing a project on Julius Caesar and none of the other kids had heard of him and only one had any idea who the Romans were. I will go now, it is school holiday time and we are busy, and I still can't be bothered and my back still aches and .......

Take things for granted

You know when I say this phrase in my head I wonder if it actually means what I think it means, say it a few times to yourself and you will wonder the same. But in this instance I want to talk about those things around me, the things I see everyday but that have now become familiar and everyday, yet the first time I came here they filled me with awe. I bring this up now because last week I had a walk up the Mount. It must be a year or more since I have been up, and that is the crazy thing, our cafe is in spitting distance of the Mount, I look at it everyday and yet I so rarely walk up it. The thing is, when you walk up the Mount you are in another world, a world of strange contrasts, you could be in the Lake District or the Greek Islands or the Bush, the scenery changes with each step. When you reach the top you are out of breath but exhilarated, the views........The Maori revere the Mount as a place of Earth power, and you can feel it, open your mind and a clarity of thought flows through you.

It is also a place of extreme sports, from rock climbing, paragliding and sheep worrying. There are plenty of opportunities to fall on your backside and if you are feeling suicidal you couldn't pick a nicer cliff to throw yourself off.

I really think I should do more to re-explore the awe inspiring visual experiences that are on offer here, I will just have to make the time, and get out of the rut that I have slipped into. To this end I went to Hobbiton (Matamata) on Tuesday, not much there but the drive over the Kaimai range made the trip worthwhile. We then popped into Cambridge and got back just in time to pick Georgia up from school. A good day, away from the routine, that left me refreshed with a few ideas buzzing in my head. I will have to do a few more little trips before the summer season starts as I don't see the sun again for 6 weeks.

I will now spend some time uploading some photos, I have just seen a new icon on the toolbar that says I can add a video, (or has it always been there?) so I will give that a bash as well. (gave it a bash but got sick of waiting for it to upload)

p.s. just gone to the preview page an it says video has uploaded 29m 0f 59m so I will go have a cup of coffee and come back later and see what happens before I hit the cancel button.

Homesick?

So what is homesickness? I ask this question because it has come up in our expat discussion group (a bunch of drunks in the pub) and in one to one counselling situations (a cup of coffee at the cafe). I have come to the conclusion that it means different things to different people. From my point of view I have not felt any desire to return to the UK and I miss nothing. It is easy to have a nostalgic view of the UK, I have had some fantastic times with some great friends, but those days ended long before I came out here. In fact those days ended when Georgia was born. From being involved in our local bike club in a big way with great friends, we have a kid and become instant lepers. It is a fact of life that you only have friends for that period of time when you all share the same interests. So for me the break from close friendships was already made. Our lifestyle of weekend bike rallies and European trips was also at an end. We had become Mum and Dad and with that new responsibilities. It is hard to put away your childish ways, but a fundamental change takes place within your Psyche when you become a dad, and the desire to party loses its appeal. I enjoy being a dad and do the best I can. Georgia has seen things and done things in her 11 years of life that I would only have dreamed about at her age, and I know for certain that life for her in NZ is, and will be better than the UK. So if I ever think back to those wild exciting days and whimper, all I have to do is look at Georgia and the "dad thing" overrides all else. So for me homesickness is illusory, it is nostalgia for a time in my life that had had its day anyway. Having said that when things are hard it is easy to look back at those happy times and wish you were there.
So that is my angle, but for other people it seems quite different. Here are few of the points that people have made as they define what homesickness means to them. No family and friends support structure is there for you to moan to, to entertain you when you feel bored and unmotivated. Those places that you felt comfortable in, are gone. The familiar things from sports teams to Favourite TV programs, all different. The more stressed you feel the more importance you give to these things, and there is no doubt that starting a new life here is full of stress, and there are no happy memories (but happy times)here to give you comfort (when you look back in a few years time, you will see happy memories, but for now your mind will drag you back to the UK).
I feel life here is like a jigsaw, all the pieces are here, but they don't all quite fit yet. But what I do feel, is that you need to understand that you are a pioneer in a new country, you are starting a new family line, it is time to let go of the apron strings and to come to the fore as a truly independent person, with this realisation you will grow strong and confident and look forward not backward. (It's still alright to miss your mum though).

Lunar Eclipse

It was chilly on Tuesday night but it was well worth being outside to watch the eclipse. The skies cleared just in time for the main action and come 10pm there was a full eclipse and a bronze coloured moon. I have to say I don't remember ever having seen such an interesting event (but saying that I don't remember much these days, listen kids, when adults say that alcohol destroys brain cells, BELIEVE them. Those chickens have come home to roost.) What was I going to say next errr....

Any way changing the subject our friends are selling their house and I have done a virtual tour for them, so if you would like to look round a $450,000 house which is a pretty typical one for this area go to http://thevirtualviewcompany.com/5putakaplace. The tour takes just a few moments to load in, as long as you have a broadband connection. Short and sweet this week as I seem to have a lot of work to do at the moment.

Clean and Green?

I love the unspoilt beauty of NZ, there is contrast every where. Where we live there is of course the beach with the off shore islands, and the hills are but 15 mins drive away. Everything that has been untouched by man has a magnetic power, it draws you and holds you, your senses are overcome by the magnificence of it all. That said of course, what man has touched is at its best unsympathetic to the beauty of the surroundings.
There has always been a practical side to builders of a European origin, a kind of "I need a building to put tractors in, I've got some corrugated iron, it might be a bit rusty, but will do the job nicely." It is just a pity that said structure is next to, and draws the eye from some natural beauty. Now to the clean and green title. Litter has been discussed in the local paper, it is a growing problem, but nothing compared to the UK. What has been of concern to us, is stinging eyes. You can be driving along and suddenly your eyes are stinging and watering, and can be so bad that you have to pull over. This phenomenon seems to coincide with the spraying of Kiwi fruit. A little investigation on the Internet and low and behold, NZ allows Kiwi fruit growers to continue to use insecticides that are banned in other parts of the world. I tried not to look too hard for the effects of these sprays as I don't think I can do a lot about it, but they look prime candidates for the stinging eyes. I think I will look on EBay for a chemical warfare suit and practise holding my breath for 2 months at a time instead.

There is a natural irritant around at the moment. It is a fine yellow dust, which is in fact pollen that blows off the pine trees that inhabit Matakana Island. It causes a lot of sneezing in our household, and makes a mess on the car, but that seems to be it.
As I am talking about stinging eyes, it reminds me. I am a great fan of Natural remedies as they really seem to work, with no side effects, so as I find useful ones I will pass my findings along. If you have an eye infection, put some "colloidal silver" into it, you get instant relief and the infection disappears in 3 days, and with that tip of the day I will leave you for another week.

New Arrivals

It is always nice when you have been chatting to people via e-mail in England and then they pop in the cafe a couple of months later for a pizza and a chat. Such was the case on Monday night when Cath and family came in. Cath had found our website and we answered some questions, and now she is here and like us is another resident of "pommymoa" (papamoa). They visited an estate agent who helped them find rental accommodation, but like all the desperate agents out here, the old dollar signs fill their eyes when they realise you are a newly arrived Pom. Yes they think you have arrived with bucket fulls of cash and will only be to happy to sell you an over priced house with a 10.7% mortgage, they like to strike quick before the jet lag has worn off. They will be your best friend, maybe show you around, offer to take you fishing on their boat, by, what friendly helpful people these Kiwis are you may think. But sign on the dotted line and bye bye new friend, hello huge debt and over priced house. Renting really is the best option when you arrive, there are loads of nice houses to be had. When you have been here a while, found your feet, decided where you really want to live, be it the coast or countryside, seen were the real estate market is going price wise, then you might think about buying. If you have the money to buy outright, great, but do you really want to pay for your house four times over on a 25 year mortgage? Cath is renting and has already noted the price difference between coastal and country living. You can get a house with acres of land 10-15 miles inland for half the money of a coastal bungalow.
It is a grim time for selling houses at the moment. There were around 60 houses sold in the Mount/Papamoa area last month and there are over a 100 real estate agents operating from 12 offices chasing those sales. A lot of the agents are part time, few are very professional some are a joke. They charge around 4% of the house selling price so you will see that some will make money, some dream of making money but with those high charges the growth in private house sellers is increasing each year. There are no worries about buying privately, just get a survey on the house and a solicitor (they cost about $600 for the sale). So if you are arriving and looking to buy, take your time, and buy what you want, not what some slippery estate agent wants to sell you. As a final note, I know four estate agents personally and have dealt with several others, with this point in mind I think I have been very kind with my thoughts on them.

Customer Service?

Just a bit of a follow up to my last post here and then on to the topic in hand. At the gym I go to , I catch a bit of an "infotainmment" program called Sky "News". A bit of digression here first. I am not by any means a fitness freak but there comes a point in your life when you look in the mirror each morning, and you begin to wonder who the old guy is, that is staring back at you. I tried shuffling round a bit and if you catch the light just right you can improve the look of things, but when parts of your body begin to sag, it is time to do something about it. So I have got into the routine of dropping Georgia at school and then calling into the gym for 20 minutes graft on an elliptical trainer. After 4 weeks you will be pleased to hear that my nipples have now removed themselves from under my armpits and are making their way back to their starting position in life. While on the subject of getting older, how come I am losing the hair on my head, but it is growing on my feet! What's the story here, you get old and turn into a Werewolf? Any way in the last post I mentioned about the pharmaceutical companies and by sheer coincidence the next day Sky News invited a doctor on to the show to talk about the asthma drug "Symbicort" which has just been made available on prescription in Australia. The news presenter did not ask one serious question, like are there any side effects, is there any advantage over the current drugs, how much is it costing the Health Service. Instead it just ran like a commercial, with the presenter and doctor agreeing how lucky we all are that such clever doctors like himself have developed this wonderful drug that is now available to everyone. By the way the side effects are:

• Common side effects
  mild irritation in the throat, coughing, hoarseness, thrush (fungal infection in mouth and throat)headache, trembling, rapid heartbeat
• Less common side effects
  sleep difficulties restlessness, nervousness and anxiety dizziness, sickness, muscle cramps
• Rare side effects
  skin rash and bruising, itching, spasm in the airways, depression, behavioural disturbances, facial swelling, high blood sugar levels, chest pain, irregular heartbeats

To get on to the thread of this weeks post. I went into the local newspaper office this week thinking I could get an advertising rate card. Now not a big ask you might say, but the woman behind the desk informed me that they do not give out that kind of information. I must have had a blank expression on my face which the woman must have assumed meant I was stupid, because that is how she treated me. I rephrased the question and got the same answer. I asked how people are supposed to know how much their advert is going to cost them. The reply was that if you have an idea of the type of advert you want, that they can give you a rough idea but not a definite price, I said I knew roughly what I wanted, but I must have used up my quota of time as the woman turned away and restarted her conversation with her colleague. It is a fact of life in NZ that customer service is poor in most places, with untrained staff that really don't care and get shirty if you show signs of frustration. The worst is the retailer Dick Smiths, They have some good buys but you have to know all about the product you want before you go in. I asked once for some information and got the response "I don't know" I asked again in a different way and got the response "what I am saying to you is, I don't know" with an edgy tone, I asked if there was any one in the store that would know? "I don't know" came the reply and off he went. I could go on with more examples but I don't want to bore you. Just expect untrained, unmotivated, unhelpful customer service and you wont be disappointed.

Feeling healthy?

Marrisa made a point on her blog about an encounter with the NZ Health Service and this week I thought I would mention our experience of it. I am pleased to say that I have only visited the doctor once in the last 20 years of my life (and that was a waste of time), Joyce however has used the Health Service here on two occasions. Both times the service was efficient and hospital appointments were made and the waiting times did not seem too long (about 3 months). There were a couple of Americans who used to come into the cafe for a chat, and they had need of health care and felt that the NZ Health Service was appalling and soon returned to the USA to get the kind of help they wanted. So I guess it is really a case of what you are used to, as to how you rate the service here. What I can say is that the cost of going to the dentist here is something that I find hard to get my head round (think a weeks wages for a filling). At a bit of a tangent here, Georgia has been doing a bit about family history at school. My Dad looked into our family tree as a hobby and traced direct descendants back to 1702. The interesting thing I noticed was the age when they died, apart from two, they all lived to about 73/74. So, David Thomas Corby lived to 74 in the 1700's, my Dad died at 73 in 2003. So what price modern medicine? no one has lived any longer despite the so called "advances " in modern medicine (which did nothing to help or save my Dad). When you read the history of the pharmaceutical industry and medical colleges (financed by Oil tycoons) you realise that money talks and talks very loudly, a cure for diseases just aren't looked for (there is no money if you cure an illness) only "treatments". (If you have cancer or know someone who does, GOOGLE vitamin B17, and make up your own mind). To get back to some NZ relevance, there is a strong awareness here about traditional and alternative medicine, and we have the Maori and Chinese influence to thank for that, Joyce has put together an ointment from a Pacific Island remedy, and it cures all sorts of skin ailments (just ask if you want the "recipe").
What I can say is that living in NZ, you do find yourself less exposed to the Propaganda and brainwashing put out by the mainstream media, that science will save us so don't worry about personal responsibility, just keep eating the same old "crap". Your mind seems to wake up here and you become more aware, you find yourself researching information, to ask questions and to find the answers. I never seemed to have the time to do this in the UK and was one of the masses that believed the next wonder drug was just round the corner. My eyes are now open, just avoid any food that has been processed, drink plenty of water, do a bit of exercise, then you can leave the drugs in the chemist. (of course Sods law says I will now drop dead of some nasty disease).

And no blood was spilt

It is a pretty rare occasion when we go out for a night of merriment, but our friend Norman has bought a new book of curry recipes and I am only too willing to be a Guinea Pig for his new works of art. So on Saturday Georgia was sleeping over, on her friend's yacht and we went to Normans for a curry delight. After the meal was over we were sitting putting the world to rights when a couple of Norman's friends popped in and asked if we wanted to go to the local pub and watch a band that they knew the members of. It seemed like a good idea, so off we went. The pub was pretty busy, which is unusual, but probably meant that other pubs were unusually quiet, which is the way it seems to go in NZ. We nudged our way to the front part of the pub where the band were playing. They were fronted by a 16 year old lad who was very confident and were playing music that had the place bouncing around. This brings me round to the point of this post, when I say the place was bouncing, I am describing a lot of very drunk people, some with a pint in each hand, falling around, trying to pick up other peoples girlfriends, clattering into each other and spilling beer. When a very drunk guy jumped up to do a very strange version of a very strange dance routine, I looked for the nearest exit as I was convinced it was going to end in broken glass and tears, but do you know what happened! the dancers made room for him, let him do his stuff, then led him back to his seat with a smile. I know for a fact that in the pubs I used to go to in the UK, there would have been blood and lots of it. At the end of the night people were shaking each others hands and staggering off home. No one was getting a kicking outside or being sick in the flower beds. As a stranger in this pub I was welcomed and never felt uneasy for a moment. This is an amazing country.

Return of friends

I really do think time passes so much more quickly in NZ and can hardly believe that it has been 9 weeks since our good friends Norman and Linda left to visit the UK. They came back at the weekend and we had a good chat over coffee and lunch. I was interested to hear how they felt and what changes they had noticed. They used to live in the same area as we did, so it was interesting to hear about the changes to Durham City with new building work down by the river. It was meetings with friends that I was keen to hear about. A lot of expats I talk to say that if only they could bring their friends out here life would be perfect. I say "bollocks", if you came out here to start a new life, then that includes making new friends. Norman's experience with his friends in the UK kind of backs up my thoughts. The thing is, emigrating completely changes your life, and friends and relatives back in the UK have no grasp of the experience that you have been through, of the new cultures and the things you have seen and done. For those friends nothing has really changed in their lives, and why would it. They will tell you about their new car or how the local team is doing and for me this all seems insignificant trivia now. But what I have experienced when talking on the phone to relatives, is that they are not really interested in what we are doing or how we are living, I listen to their news and just before they hang up you might get a "so are you alright then". I think the point I am trying to make here is, do not let the thought of moving away from friends stop you from starting a great new life. Your friend's lives will carry on as usual, you may here from them for a few months after you move out here, and then you are forgotten. Don't worry about it, because there are new friends to be made and a great life to be had, if you really want it.

Museums

It is school holiday time at the moment and the kids are off for two weeks. On Tuesday Georgia had her good friend Evan with her and we all went into town for sushi and coffee and cakes as a kind of pre-birthday treat for her, Now it was pretty cold with a strong wind which reached gale force about lunchtime, this made for an uncomfortable walk around. Now NZ is big on things to do outside but when the weather is bad it is quite hard to amuse yourself if you want a day out. In the UK we would have found a museum or Stately Home or such like but round here they are few and far between. We do have a working historic village, where buildings have been collected from around the area and it is nicely done, but will not keep you amused for long. There is an art gallery that is nearly complete and a museum is planned which is causing much debate about where to put it and what to put in it. We did however try out a small aircraft museum located on the fringe of the airport and I have to say it was really rather good. It is run by restoration enthusiasts and has static and working aircraft. You could sit in the cockpit of a Korean war Sabre jet fighter or a Hawker Hunter, take the controls in a restored 1953 Dehavilland airliner or fly a Huey. There was a Spitfire, jeep, field gun, motorbikes and bi-planes. The kids loved it and it was well worth its entrance fee.

Tauranga is changing all the time, new roads are being built which no one complains about, but when it comes to things of a cultural nature there is a hardened element that sees it all as a waste of money. One letter writer to the local paper suggested that if it was costing so much money to store the local artifacts that were being planned to be displayed, then a large bonfire would be in order and then the rate payers would not be lumbered with the cost. Unfortunately he is not alone in that opinion. I am of the opinion that art and history are of great interest and I would rather have the opportunity to enjoy displays of both and if the trade off was less spending on the roading, then so be it.

Tax

It is the time for filling in Tax returns. I have had the return for ages, but keep putting off filling it in, I can honestly think of better ways of spending my time. But there does come a point where Adrenalin starts to flow as the deadline for sending it off approaches and the thought of fines plays on the mind. I probably need that rush of Adrenalin to motivate me. Fortunately it has not been too much of an ordeal as the information I needed was actually at hand this time (I am usually tearing the house apart looking for vital bits of paper at this time). I have developed a system which I heartily recommend to everyone. It involves having a cardboard box at the end of the settee, and when you get something that you think you might need at some time in the future, like an official looking letter or something that you can't be bothered to read because "Lost" is about to start on the TV, you simply toss it in the box, and when you find that you do need it, there it is. Simple and effective eh!
The bad news as far as tax is concerned, is that you pay tax on every penny you earn (even your paper round is taxed). If you earn $38,000 or below you pay 19.5% above that and it goes up to 33% with a top rate of 60%. We have to pay "provisional tax" where once we calculate what we owe, we have to add 5% divide it by 3 then pay it in 3 installments, the first being 7th July then another in November and again in March. As a new business you end up paying tax twice in the year but it evens itself out when you deduct the provisional tax you payed from the tax owed for that year. All clear and understood? good.
On a different note I understand there has been a bit of rain about in the UK for a while now, well it does rain here too. Last weekend we had all of June's rainfall , the sun then came out, the temperature has been pleasant but a storm is lashing us as I type.

Australia anyone?

Firstly I would like to apologize to anyone who has been to the website and found that some of the articles end abruptly. When I gave the site a new look, the page sizes changed, anyway I have applied first aid and it seems fine now.
Since I got back from holiday I have been asked what I thought about Australia and would I consider moving there. I thought this would be a good thread to explore, so here are my thoughts. The thing with Australia is it is a continent masquerading as a country, it is simply vast and I have seen but a small part of it. Take Western Australia for example, the whole of Europe would fit into it, and it has only one major city, Perth. But what I have seen of it I can honestly say I would rather be in New Zealand. Australia is a busy place, it is affluent and materialistic, it reminds me too much of the UK. The reason I like New Zealand is the relaxed pace of life, I have mentioned in other articles about the Pacific Island influence, of "does it really matter?" A journey on the Train from Brisbane Airport to the Goldcoast and back again, tells a story if you look for it. Graffiti everywhere, roller shutter doors on the shops, people going to work with laptops on their knees, pressing buttons on their PDA's, taking calls on their mobiles (the whole carriage now knows about one blokes latest business deal). If I stayed in Australia for too long I feel there is a subconscious pull to drag you back to the world of materialism. It is the things that you notice after having been away from them for a while, like the expensive clothes people are wearing, the abundance of goods in the shops, the smarter cars. There is also a growing campaign to try and frighten people into thinking that they are at risk from Terrorism. There is a TV ad that more or less says that if you think someone looks a bit shifty (Shifty being middle eastern) then he might be a terrorist and you had better report him, can you believe that! Australia is unfortunately becoming controlled by the same group of people who control the USA and UK. It was most convenient that Australia joined the "War on Terror" (ie the illegal occupation of a sovereign nation) just as it was negotiating a free trade agreement with the USA, and then of course the Bali bomb happened which killed 200 Australians (if you want to know the truth about the Bali Bomb, go to www.vialls.com). So I think I prefer my world. The wages are around twice that of NZ, and I was talking to a woman from Perth who was saying that the local shops were really struggling to find staff, as everyone was moving to the mining towns where the money was really good, she said cleaners were getting $45 hour. At the Goldcoast the streets are very clean and the Public Transport system is superb, there is a bus to wherever you might want to go every 10mins or so and they run 24/7, the drivers are friendly and very helpful. The food is great, especially if you go to the small family run Thai or Korean restaurants. Surfers Paradise is trying to gain a classier image, it has had a bit of a "Benidorm" reputation. Some of the older buildings are getting re-vamped, but there does not seem to be a coherent plan that I can see. I felt most relaxed out of town and in the Rain forest and I think that says a lot about where I want to be, I enjoyed mixing with large numbers of people again, but my heart is with the laid back NZ lifestyle. Strangely, when settling back into my routines, I felt more on holiday than I did when I was on holiday.

Back From Holiday

We are back from Australia and a good holiday it was. When we got to Brisbane our arrival coincided with a 300mm day of rain (much needed by Australia, but not by us), but it soon cleared to sunny skies. The temperature was a lot chillier than last time we were here but still a bit warmer than NZ at around 20C, not bad for the middle of winter I suppose. We spent a couple of days of big city life in Brisbane before moving down to Surfers Paradise. It was Queensland week while we were there, so there were quite a few events going on, including a free performance on the beach by Bjorn Again (I know, but it was free) and some impressive fireworks. We decided that because the Australian wildlife is so wonderful, we would do more in that department. The highlights were Currumbin wildlife sanctuary where the Kangaroos were true stars, closely followed by the Lorikeets. We also had a trip to the Rain forest at Reillys plateau where a walk in the forest included a tree top walk in the canopy.

The good thing about the holiday was that everything went according to plan, we booked everything via the Internet, and there were no problems at all. The interesting thing is that it is cheaper to fly to Brisbane (around 250 pounds return for the 3 of us) than it is to fly to the South Island. I still have to pinch myself sometimes, Australia or Fiji (last year) these are destinations that were once just dreams. A bit of hard work, determination and a positive attitude and here we are, and I am loving it.

The nights are well and truly drawing in now, getting dark about 5pm. It is getting pretty chilly in the mornings and of a night time, but when the sun comes up it heats the place up and it is still t-shirts and shorts weather, which is pretty good for the start of winter. Winter time means business is a lot quieter now and we take the opportunity to have a holiday. So next week we close the cafe for a week or so and head to the warmer northern climate of the Gold Coast and Brisbane. I quite like Brisbane as a City, it is full of life, bustling with people, exotic birds in the trees, large Ibis birds in the parks begging for chips (they are great to watch), lots of shops and a bit of nightlife. After a couple of days it is off down to Surfers. If you haven't been, it is a bit like the Costa's of Spain only a bit classier. We will go to a couple of the theme parks we missed last time we were there. There is a good beach there but if I wanted a beach I would just stay at the Mount, so we try to do all the things that you can't do round here. We booked everything via the Internet so lets hope it all goes according to plan. So I wont be blogging for a week or so (will you miss me).

On a sad note our pet rat died last week, he was a great friend and companion and will be missed, he died peacefully in his sleep, aged 3, RIP Ratty.