Skip to content

December 2009

happy new years

091231_850_img_7493.jpg

kiwis always talk about new years with an ‘s’.  so there you go.  happy new years to ya mate.  sweet as.

we went to a new year’s party last night where we pretended midnight was at 10pm and did a countdown then so we could all get home and to bed.  it was perfect.  And they have both new year’s day and the day after as bank holidays.  what a brilliant plan.  i write this in the gap between our made up new year and the proper kiwi new year at midnight.  which is 13 hours ahead of the UK.  so in total our 2009 lasted 13 hours less than all my other full calendar years)

anyway, my new year’s (years’?) resolution is to sort out comments on the blog.  i fear i may need to take some drastic action.  but i aim to get it sorted in the next week or so.  (let’s see how i get on with that !).

this time last year moving to New Zealand was just a teeny weeny thought in the back of our brains.  and now we’re here.  aim high friends.  the world is your oyster.  go for it before it’s all too late !  (and let me know how you get on.)

God bless.  funkypancake 09

overloaded ice cream cornet

091227_850_img_7426.jpg

too much ice cream shoved in to too small a cone was always going to be trouble.  the proprietor pointed out the crack in the cornet before handing it over.  then he saw esther struggling so brought her a little tub to put it in to. but the tub was too small so he then brought a plate and a spoon.  that’s what happens when you are generous to start with.  you have to follow it up with more generosity or the whole thing back fires.

let that be a lesson to al of us.

sheep behind a fence

091227_450d_img_2270.jpg

these sheep were on the inside of a fence in the garden side of the property.  it was a rental property.  esther suggested they had rented it out for the week.

marine reserve

091227_850_img_7424.jpg
we went to a marine reserve yesterday and it was very excellent.

091227_450d_img_2271.jpg

kezia’s flip flop fell in the water at one point, but we fished it back out

091227_450d_img_2278.jpg

you can snorkel there.  but we didn’t this time

091227_450d_img_2279.jpg

091227_450d_img_2280.jpg

instead we went on a glass bottom’d boat.  made with real bottoms i think

091227_450d_img_2281.jpg

091227_450d_img_2296.jpg

091227_450d_img_2306.jpg

after that we went down the coast and the girls did some boogie boarding.

091227_850_img_7429.jpg

coast is an anagram of coats which is appropriate for england, but not for here.  it’s blummin boilin.

lion sock

091227_450d_img_2269.jpg

i broke my ‘no socks’ rule as i’ve seen so few gloves since we moved to new zealand.  this is particularly upsetting given it’s prime glove season in the UK right now.  so here’s a sock with a lion on instead.

our local crazy golf course

091229_850_img_7467.jpg

it’s totally fab living within 5 minutes drive of at least two crazy golf courses.  they really cater to the british ex-pats !

bollesha

091224_850_img_7376.jpg

i just did a spell check on bollesha (which i suspect i spelt wrong) and was quite surprised by the spell checker’s first option.  or perhaps it was a comment on my spelling.  blush

anyway, they don’t have balls on sticks on their crossings over here.  it’s so bright they can get away with flourescent orange circles instead.  they work a treat

shop lifters will be detained

091224_850_img_7366.jpg

a good collection of signage here.  well worth a click for bigness.  their moto is ‘say what you want to say and keep saying it until they understand’.

or perhaps they are making sure they have a sign for every height of customer.  although that doesn’t work right as the “xmas day” (inverted commas) signs are side by side, perhaps for couples walking through

and i very much like that “shop lifters will be detained”