We have had a hectic and extremely enjoyable few weeks.
Sarah and Robert were here for just over 2 weeks and managed to pack in the activities including skydiving (Tom decided not to do a second one!), a sea plane from Lake Rotorua over Mount Tarawera, jetboating, thermal pools, a hangi and a few days in Raratonga (Cook Islands). It was great fun having them here and the time passed all too quickly. The electric blankets proved to be very welcome as the weather wasn't always well behaved for them- thankfully there were some lovely, sunny days mixed in with the rain and overall it wasn't too bad for mid-winter. The house seemed very empty when they left and we look forward to them returning soon to spend time in the new house when it is finished, IN THE SUMMER, when Rob can wear his shorts every day!!
Two days after Sarah and Robert left, 4 medical students from Newcastle arrived. One of them, Ian, is spending a month working in the Emergency Department at Tauranga and the other three are now experiencing healthcare in Tonga. Their energy is infectious and we spent a busy weekend showing Ian our little piece of paradise including more jetboating and a climb up the Mount, followed by the best fish and chips in the world!
Despite several days of storms and torrential rain, the house build is progressing well as the photos below demonstrate. Today the concrete floor on the main level was poured and the garage will be built in the coming days (somewhere dry for the builders to shelter). The steelwork arrives for the main frame this week and our fabulous staircase which leads down to the pool (if we can afford it!) has been made. What do you think to the builders' bums eh?
More to follow soon..............................................
....and don't forget to click on the individual photos to blow them up.
3 comments:
Great to see how far the building works are going. A very large expanse of concrete and I felt for the plasterers bent in that position for any length of time. I hope they have good chiropractors As to their bums? Too much material in their shorts!! but it's winter I suppose. Ask me again in the summer. I'm old not dead! Christina G.
Chapter 1
A big thank you to Dad and Lynn for showing us your world in New Zealand. You are half way around the other side of the world but my memories are vivid and come through loud and clear in all forms of my senses. Here are just a few from my new set of vocabulary terms, hand signals etc:
“yeehaa” must be screamed at the top of your lungs when jumping 10,000 feet out of a TINY (!) plane
the “arm spin” conducted prior to doing a 180 degree spin in a speeding boat down a river, often on a bend!
“I didn’t see it” said after hysterical laughter (and relief) when some wayward passengers onboard a kayak, (kayaking down a river in the DARK whilst rain pours and having just seen glow worms in a canyon) almost disembark having sailed unknowingly (as the instructor thought not to say anything….”cos they’ll see it”) into a protruding tree.
“Turning taps”...the wrong way. Whilst sat 4 to a tub blissfully bathing …..and then boiling as someone managed to turn up the heat instead of down… Skin will feel amazingly svelte and cleansed after this experience.
“Eggs” the pungent smell of rotten eggs. Wai O Tapu. Enough said.
“Hangi” otherwise know as an earth oven - when food is cooked by the Maori’s with steam and heat from heated stones. And it really does have an earthy taste!
“Rotorua” experience geothermal activity from the skies…i.e. turbulence whilst flying in a seaplane over the lakes and dormant volcanoes….or are they!?
“Sunrise” the amazing, tranquil and ever changing view over Tauranga Bay of Plenty….very early in the morning often shared with a purring Pimms.
“awesome” the ultimate descriptive word that kiwi’s use, also what to say when you can’t get any other words out i.e. just after a free fall and on landing the 10,000 feet skydive… and to sum up my time spent with you.
Ciao for now…until the next chapter
Love
Sarah
Hi Lynn and Tom! Its Sophie one of the girls (the blonde one!) you so kindly put up for a night when we tagged along with Ian this time last year (almost to the day!). How are you both? Its great to see the house coming along so well! I thought I'd let you know Lynn that one of my best friends from school is coming over to New Zealand to work in Tauranga hospital for her elective in January 2011. She's from Oxford university and her name is Sally Mclaren. I just thought it might be nice if she could get in touch with you two beforehand as she is going on her own so it might be nice for her to have someone to contact if that's ok with you? Also she's bound to meet you in the hospital Lynn! My email address is sophieottewell@gmail.com, let me know if I can put her in touch with you. we're just in the middle of our medical finals at the moment, pretty tense time! Hope you are both well and enjoying life out in NZ, I miss it there! Love Sophie x
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