Funny thing, when I hear a siren here or even a bunch of sirens, I don’t immediately assume something dramatic is occurring. This is partly because I’m very used to the sound and partly because it’s different here, less dramatic, safer. There are no acts of terrorism (well not since the French blew up that boat in the 80′s) and there is no rioting. Aside from the occasional mugging gone wrong it’s pretty quiet really. This is no bad thing.
January 14, 2012
Run – the third
Saturday morning dawned sunny with gusts of wind of 85 miles per hour. So instead of running at Oriental Bay I hopped in the car and drove around the bay until I reached a relatively sheltered part and ran there instead.
Running into the wind was harder than I thought, rounding one corner was like hitting a wall or running in treacle, but I did it and week one is now complete – I’m looking forward to running for longer periods in week 2.
January 13, 2012
Island life
The one and only thing I miss about my previous job is the friends I made there. There’s just very little camaraderie at my new job.
I think the reason we were good friends at my last job was because we were united by a common adversary. By that I mean that we were all generally overworked, underpaid and under a lot of stress. This caused us to band together by way of drunken nights out, much needed fag breaks or cheeky lunchtime wines. Colleagues were pretty tolerant of each others foibles.
Life gives with one hand and takes with another. I feel very little camaraderie in my new job and I think it’s because it’s just a job. We’re under a lot less pressure therefore work isn’t the all consuming, life swallowing beast it was in London.
On one hand this is a shame as my social life has dropped considerably, on the other hand I no longer feel the need to go out, debrief and get drunk just to cope. The sides of my mouth are no longer ragged as I’m not chewing on them like I used to. I’m no longer in the habit of finding my teeth habitually clenched. Best of all I don’t wake up in the middle of the night thinking about work.
I guess at some point I’m going to need to go out and actively seek friendships because no (wo)man is an island, but for now i’m pretty content on my wee island.
January 6, 2012
It’s an illness
Having now spent what I like to call ‘a crapload’ in the sales and on holiday I now find myself confined to quarters. As suggested by a kindly shop assistant observing the full flight of my addiction – the only way to stop this madness is to isolate myself from temptation.
So far this holiday I have purchased:
1 necklace
1 skirt
1 striped vest
1 running shorts (I don’t yet run, but am trying to motivate myself)
1 3/4 length running tights (see above)
1 dress
1 short sleeve cardigan
1 racer back converse vest (to go with the rest of my converse addition influenced purchases)
This list doesn’t include the money I’ve spent on camping, booze and boat trips etc… I never do dry Januarys but this year I’m making an exception, if only to reduce costs and increase the likelihood of gym use and possibly running.
On that note, I’m off to the gym (in about an hour when I get my shit together).
November 16, 2011
Devicetastic
My first digital camera was the gorgeous looking Canon Ixus (the very first iteration). It was 2 megapixels of chrome encased goodness. Fast forward 10 years or so, I’m now the proud owner of a device which not only phones, texts, plays music, emails, browses the net, games, but also takes photos and videos with an 8 mega pixel camera. It’s like all my dreams have come true…well not quite but it’s still pretty fantastic.
November 13, 2011
So far…
It’s been a week, I’m over my jetlag and am now suffering from child induced sleep deprivation (which of course is nothing compared to my brother and sister in law who are suffering the cumulative effects of 2 years of sleep deprivation).
So to my first impressions;
Things are easier here. It’s literally a case of ‘no worries’. The bank people were pleasant, an estate agent showing a flat I liked made a decision on the spot and I’ve found a lovely little clothes shop where the lady will sew a version of something to your specifications, I’m having a sun top made and if that works out perhaps a dress in a similar style.
When the sun is shining there aint a cloud in the sky, so even if the thermometer is barely topping 18 degrees it feels quite hot in the sun. On the flip side when the sun is hiding for the day and there is a gale force southerly, the cold cuts right through you.
It goes without saying that the coffee is pretty amazing in most places you go and I’m even learning to make a decent cup myself.
The hills can only be described as dramatic but thankfully the flat I’ve found is only a little way up one. It’s also about 10 minutes walk from the city centre – which is nice. It has a dishwasher (wow!), and a dryer (which I will tell myself I won’t use but no doubt when my jeans are wet and I am going out in 30 minutes, my resolve may crumble). It also has outdoor space – and it’s outdoor space that I don’t need to maintain (paved).
Work is different in a number of ways. It’s a much smaller company which is very much lead by the MD (my brother), therefore decisions are made faster and with what seems like more pragmatism. Also we are quite similar and therefore have a very similar outlook. I’ll be learning a whole new process for running projects and undertaking new tasks. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.
September 6, 2011
On my way
Well that’s it, I waved goodbye to most of my worldy goods today as it was loaded into a truck to start it’s journey across the oceans to New Zealand. I’ll be following October 31st.
In 8 weeks time I’ll be back in the country of my birth after 18 years, enjoying views like this:
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zafe/
June 20, 2011
Blood suckers
What time do mozzies go to sleep? I am the person they seek out. In a place where no ine had ever been bitten by a mozzie, i wiuld be bitten. Just around dusk whilst i was watching something on my ipad and glancing at a sunset out of the balcony doors, i suddenly saw the mother if all mosquitos sucking on my knee. I did what anyone would do, that is: emit a girly shriek and brush it off, then curse myself for not slapping the little fucker. Since then as soon as tge sun sinks the door is closed. This then precludes sleeping with the balcony doors open. Of course ive been waking at my usual time (6.51), sweating my arse off. So my question is this: if i opened the balcony door at say 5am as tge sun rises, would i be safe? Will the mozzies be napping? Answers on a postcard please
June 6, 2011
Peaking too soon
Knowing, as I do, that my London experience (of 18 years) will be ending all too soon, I’m making the most of it.
Unfortunately as I’m particularly forward thinking, I can’t help now imbuing each and every experience of London with a bitter sweetness.
Coming up Whitehall on a bus on Saturday, seeing the palace guards, I couldn’t help thinking; you don’t get this kind of pomp and circumstance where I’m going.
Sitting on the 73 travelling along Oxford street on a Monday night looking in the window of topshop, I’m thinking I’ll miss it terribly. Sure it’s taking me what seems like a million years to get home, but there’s a loveliness in that. A taking time to smell the roses and experience what is surely one of the most amazing places on earth.
I worry that I’ve become too much of a Londoner to leave. However the decision is made, the one way ticket’s been purchased. I must savour it now without fast forwarding myself to the missing it stage before I’ve actually left.
It’s going to be a great summer!
