We moved out of our cosy furnished rented house last weekend and into our own house at last. But, of course, with only the suitcases we left England with. Dear Nola came by with a crate of camping stuff – sleeping bags, saucepans, cutlery, deckchairs… Enough to see us through until our container of belongings finally arrives. I understand it is still somewhere around Sydney, caught up in the Christmas rush!
Within about half an hour, our new neighbours, Peter and Delwyn, hopped over the fence to introduce themselves, and shortly after realising our predicament, started ferrying over beds, mattresses, armchairs, kitchen utensils, even a TV!
They’ve 4 children from 18 down to 5. The 18 year old is heavily into BMX-ing and has built himself a course of jumps in the garden. These are serious jumps, and to see him and his mates flying through the air is an awesome sight! Apparently there are often up to 30 of his mates here at the weekend. Great – just what we need with teenage girls!!
We are missing our chickens and Gimmick the cat, but seem to have a few rabbits living in the garden and also have had several visits this weekend from a flock of ducks – about 16 we think – they won’t stay still enough to count!
It’s definitely spring here – the radio adverts are full of the best insemination offers for your cows and sheep – lovely! And when they’re not advertising this it’s the latest in heated clothes airers for your wife’s Christmas present. If I get one there’ll be trouble!
Bonfire night in the spring takes some getting used to. It doesn’t help that it doesn’t get dark till well after 8pm, and it doesn’t feel at all right not to be huddled over a slightly soggy jacket potato, juggling a plastic cup of mulled wine, shivering gently! Kirsty has been asked at school and, more worryingly, Richard at work, whether we have bonfire night in England!! I guess this goes along with the oft-heard phrase, “world famous in New Zealand” !!
It’s been a busy and eventful weekend. We have finished decorating the girls’ bedrooms and ours, in Lana’s second choice of wallpaper – she loved it so much and couldn’t bear never to see it again so persuaded us to have it in our room! Lana rode her borrowed pony in a little gymkhana at school – everything from gate opening to clear round jumping to potato and spoon race. She aquitted herself very well and came away with a handful of second, third and fourth places. Richard has continued to look at ride on lawnmowers – to mulch or not to mulch; to collect or not to collect, these are the decisions he must make! He has arranged for a test mow later in the week.
I’m still on the search for a choir, meanwhile, I managed to get myself invited to support a small group in Hamilton. I went along to just a couple of rehearsals and the concert was on Saturday afternoon. Not one I’ll be staying with I think. But it is nice to be singing again.
They don’t do Remembrance Sunday here in a big way – the main remembrance event is ANZAC day in April. However Cambridge has a close link with a French town that the Kiwis liberated in early November 1918 and there is a regular exchange of mayors and students between the two places. Richard went to the civic service which was very well supported – six national anthems, ambassadors (no Ferrero Rocher), pipers, brass bands, wreath laying and soldiers firing salutes. Also there is a huge (for NZ) re-enactment culture with everything from Romans to two Vietnam camps (one US one Kiwi) and a rather worryingly large number of SS troopers driving around and letting off machine guns in mock-battles…… Highlight was a flying display by a Tiger Moth biplane – we missed the tank car crushing. It all happens here in Cambridge.
As I write, the tranquillity of my evening is being disturbed by the thunk, click of Kirsty going down the corridor on her crutches. She managed to get herself kicked by the horse, and although nothing is broken, her foot is very swollen, so it has been plastered to keep it still and she needs to keep her weight off it for a week or so. Oh the lengths some people will go to not to do PE!!
Our new address is
308a Hautapu Road
RD1
Cambridge
3493
We’re still waiting for a landline and, more importantly an internet connection. Richard is sometimes able to bring a laptop home from work, which somehow works here ( I don’t get all the techie stuff), but it’s frustrating to once again be out of comms with the outside world.
More in a few days.
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