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).