Here At last, Days are running together.

It is Saturday here, today, Friday in Ontario and I am writing about Tuesday.  I used to wonder why bloggers were not more regular in their offerings--now I know. Sue and Mike took away to wander around Christchurch for a while on Tuesday. It was the day that Mike finally felt a tremor.  It took a 5.1 to actually get his attention though  The natives were less than blase about the event.  One engineer was beside the of the cathedral spire in Chch  in a bucket when the event happened. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/4251143/Engineer-grabs-stone-cross-as-church-moves 
Mike found a rather unique car. We will be returning to Chch on Saturday for the market craft market held there every weekend. Finally had a fish and chip meal here--Good fish, great fries.

Here at last--Day Four and Five

Sunday was indeed a day of rest.  Walked to Es's church and experienced Anglican worship using the NZ Book.  Unsurprisingly similar, yet noticibly different, differences are clear as mud but present.  Did not go far from home -- Mike and Es got some more gardening done in the georgeous weather---followed by cocktails on the patio.  Not really a photo type day, not at all like Monday
Monday was another pretty day, but definetly nippy, Es did not have to work until the evening, so we took off with a picnic lunch to see some of the sites.

We started out at Springfield, stopping off at a church there.  We will be back there again in a couple of weeks--I will have the honour of preaching there at that time, but today was just about taking a look.  Just outside the front door we found a new piece of holy hardware--the ecclesiatical boot cleaner.  Wonder what it would be like to have one in one of The Transfig'sChurches. 

Just around that area is a spot where one can get some pretty good shots of east mountains.  They had just been blessed with a fresh dusting of snow so were remarkably pretty.  We didn't go much farther than Springfield today; on Sunday we will go up to Arthur's Pass, one of the corridors to the west side of the island.

We backtracked a bit and went on to view the Rikara.Gorge.  We made a couple of stops there for photographs

The remains of the river that created the gorge are what is known as a 'braided river'.  The day we took our photos of it was the day after a large rainfall in the foot hills, so that, along with the normal spring run off created amazing fast water which is hard to see from the distance of the first photo.  

There are two bridges close together-- Mike took most of his photos at Bridge One whilst I did my snapping at Bridge two.  I asked Es if one could swim in this water in the summer and the response was 'for a minute or so'.  I think that this river, being fed from the Alpine run-off may be the same temperature of Lake Superior in  June.

Even though there are vast areas of dry spots in the river, the tourist is cautioned frequently by signs not to 'walk' the river.  As with any Alpine lowland, there is the danger of  flash floods. 

We were looking at the clouds gathering and expected that it was raining somewhere, but it had been dumping hail instead.

When we stopped to check on the cleanup at the church  in Hororata, we were able to take a picture of the nasty stuff.  Apparently it hails frequently in this area and is, not surprisingly, a real problem.

By the time Es actually took this picture the hail had been done for half an hour.  There did not seem to be any damage to the nearby vehicles, but the grownd was covered with the nasty stuff.  Darfield only about a twenty minute drive from Hororata did not experience much rain at all, so we were finally able to gather the

Here at Last--Days Two and Three

Friday, after a few long and tedious telephone calls, Mike discovered that the luggage was indeed in Christchurch. Somewhere.  The airport promised to deliver said luggage when it's precise location was nailed down.  Jet lag was horrendous on Friday, to the point of extreme politeness between the two travellers.  Es decided that it was time to enact an intervention, and took us on a tour of some of the towns and churches on the Banks Peninsula.  Pea was in the process of making his wonderful bread as well as preparing for work, so we were free to leave the premises knowing that someone would be there for the bags. (they arrived at three).

We set off about noon, temperature which had been cool in the morning, was beginning to rise, but it was quite windy yet.  We had a bit of difficulty finding the churches--we think we zoomed by the church in Gebbes valley as we made our way down from the Canterbury plains to the sea.  The next church, in Teddington also remained elusive--we did find the larger church in Diamond Harbour.

The drive from Diamond Harbour to Port Levy was hair raising to say the least.

We discovered the mountain cow, a distant cousin of the mountain goat. The roads were as winding and turning as those of Cyprus, but the traffic is much lighter and all that we found were paved. 
We took a look inside the little church in Port Levy.  The altar candles were all askew--Es posited that this was a result of the earthquake as the church had not likely been used since easter. The graveyard was quite lovely--the ground covered with a pine cone shaped like a rose.


The scenery, although frequently frightening is stunning.

We drove back up the coast again back to Governor's Bay and handily found the church there.  St. Cuthberts's, a heritage building and one of the original churches in this diocese and province, was badly damaged by the September 4th quake.  Its historical importance may be a factor in any re-building decisions. 
We stopped at Diamond Harbour for a drink, Mike and I had a drink, Es was given a fizzy something as we were NOT letting her even have a sip of bad stuff-- and returned home to our own jammies.
One tidbit of information that I learned today was.....one has to wear more sunscreen in NZ, as the ozone layer is much thinner. (remember the hole in  the ozone layer in Antarctic?)\

Day Three we hit the floor running out the door to the A&P, no, not the grocery store but the county fair or Agricultural and Pastoral, this time in Ellesmere. It was a good sized event.  Tractors, sheep, chickens. sheep, beef cattle, dressage, not to mention alpaca. The elongated chap on the left is not poor photography on my part--but a very long necked example of duckhood, an Indian duck.  I saw limousin and charolais cattle, as well as this lovely beast below the Galloway -- a beef cattle.  They are probably found somewhere in Canada, but I have yet to have the pleasure of seeing one.

On the fair food front; I had my first A&P sausage there.  Absolutely disgusting--large grey slug on a piece of cold white bread, ketchup, fried, onions and NO mustard.  The people serving it were lovely and informative, but trust me, don't waste your money on the product. The lamb on a hotdog bun was marginally better, but still processed. Es munched (and gave me a bite) of a fresh Cornish Pasty. (She`d done this gig before....).  Next time I am trying the lamb on a bun which Es has approved as appropriate.  I did buy some alpaca merchandise there, as well as some delightful garlic product.

At one point a sheep escaped the pen and bolted for freedom--I have never seen any thing jump so high in my life.  We also got to see an Alpaca decide that it was NOT GOING TO BE SHOWN and promptly sit down.  The owner picked up its hind legs and `wheelbarrowed`it toward the pen.  Alpaca then plopped down on its front legs and was eventually picked up by its by then absolutely disgusted handler. I really like these folks, they remind moe of e-woks from the second "Starwars" movies.
We left for home about noon as Pea had to go to work.  Mike and Es worked in the garden all afternoon in the lovely weather. I had done my garden stint the day before, and simply enjoyed the day.

Here At Last--Day One

I can’t believe I am in New Zealand...probably because the part of us that actually thinks is still mid-Pacific. Our suitcases have still not arrived—I believe that Air New Zealand is claiming that it is Delta’s fault.  I imagine that this may be the case; simply because we had a rapid change of planes in Detroit,  Even had the luggage made that switch in there was no way for the baggage to be transferred to Air New Zealand in the short time that we had to change terminals in San Francisco, barely catching the international flight ourselves.

The airport is amazing in Christchurch (hereafter known as Chch).  The duty free, where one can purchase up to three bottles of alcohol, is situated before going through customs. While waiting to pick up luggage, you notice small dogs accompanied by handlers dashing around the airport apparently collecting pats.  While you play with the dogs for a moment, they climb over your carry on luggage and then are tugged away by the handler.  What a great way to be shaken down for drugs.

It was very early when Pea collected us from the airport, taking us on our introductory trip about the island.  We had a quick look at some of the damage done to the city, and then went on to the sea side—I think it was Monk’s bay.  While we were ordering a coffee in the little shop there, we were surprised by Es, who was in a meeting nearby.  After a quick visit with her, we moved on to have a great lunch at Indian restaurant and then continued the tour, this time off to see some of the earthquake damage. Surprisingly tips are not expected in New Zealand.  The bill includes the taxes, which are then broken down after the total is printed.

One of the first signs of the effects of the quake was on Telegraph Road which formerly in a straight line and now rearranged by the fault line.  Below is the coninuation of the fault line into a nearby wood lot.  Unfortunately tourists are discouraged from going into the trees as they are now considered to be 'unstable'.

Our final stop on the Quake Tour was the church at Hororata.  It was  very beautiful structure built in 1911 in memory of Rose Hall following a bequest of her husband, John. He was the 12th prime minister of New Zealand. Hall took an active interest in women's rights. He moved the Parliamentary Bill that gave women in New Zealand the vote (1893), (the first country in the world to do so).

The final piccie for the day (below) is what is left of the beautiful church, St. John's.  The  steeple collapsed during the quake and fell into the organ--itself piece of history, having been orginally installed in Christchurch Cathedral.  So far the parish and the community are hoping to repair the structure, however the extent of the damage has yet to be completely assessed.  First, the tower has to be dismantled, the known problem areas buttressed and a full engineering survey completed.  The whole area is now fenced in to prevent further looting of the bricks for sale on e-bay. The parish hopes to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year.

Our first day ended rather early, following a great supper made by our host, and a quick visit with Es, when she came back from work. We went to  bed with visions of suitcases dancing in our heads.

Spring was nice.....

After reading a the Spring 'happies' friend who lives much further south of here, I realize that I have yet to
post later Spring.  Early Spring was in Toronto, but later Spring was spent on Treasure Island near St. Pete's.


 Mike and I stayed with friends for a week at their timeshare.  It was only days after the BP oil rig blew, so we spent a lot of time watching the television and wondering what would happen to all the fabulous wildlife we saw while there
  This fellow was just half a km down the beach from where we were staying.  The Sand Sculpture festival had been held a few weeks before our arrival, but the handsome devil was in pretty good shape yet.

  Not having been in that part of Florida for about thirty years, we went back to Tarpon Springs--a one time sleepy sponge fishing town; but no more.  They have made it into the uber-Greek tourist Town: I thought that I was back in Cyprus, apart from the 'mercan accents.  We did have the best-ever Greek lunch--He and She and Mike had roast lamb, and I had the Grouper. We shared some baklava for dessert. The town was the site for the movie "Beyond the 12 Mile Reef" starring the recently departed Tony Curtis.  Hence there is this statue to the divers as well as a harbour filled with sponge boats.

crawdads, this would be a meal for one--we shared

As usual we feasted on the native food--Greek in Tarpon Springs, but closer to St. Petersburg we found a bayou-side restaurant that specialized in Cajun food and British beer.  It seems the mine host was an ex-pat, and his wife a lass from Louisiana.  Great setting, good drinks and interesting food.  The oysters were only grudgingly shared by me with Michael.

We haven't been sitting around waiting. (Part One)

Just because we have been waiting to hear from the powers that be in NZ, does not mean we have been sitting around on our hands.  Although the time has frequently dragged, there are still many things to do and places to go. Events in the parish have kept me occupied and Mike and I have been sampling some of the entertainment that Ontario offers.

Doing my parish rounds, I get to go to interesting and exotic places.  Newbury is home to one of the hospitals, Four Counties General, where I sometimses visit parishioners. As you can see, it is "In the Heart of Skunks' Misery".  The area of Skunks’ Misery is "of the most significant remnant forests in the Carolinian Life Zone and is noted for its diversity of upland and wetland plant communities (some globally rare), as well as its animal and plant inhabitants."  For a quick read of its history, and supposed source(s) of its name, I recommend you read the brief article found at www.ttlt.ca/skunksmisery/SkunksMisery-Volume-One.pdf.pdf
On my way to the Church of the Redeemer, Highgate.  I take the road through Moraviantown, a First Nations reservation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravian_47,_Ontario.   Due to the high 'sin tax' on cigarettes, some members of the First Nations have begun to sell cigarettes from the protection of the reservation.  I particularly like the ingenuity of Honest Ed  in accepting the other well-recognized, if not legislatedly legal, tender of Canada.

During March we took the opportunity of a deal offered through the King Edward Hotel in Toronto for a two night 'getaway'.  It was super--included with the price were two tickets to see the King Tut display at the Art Gallery of Ontario.  We took the opportunity of going to see the musical 'Jersey Boys' as well.  It was a great evening there, and the weather was unnexpected balmy--high 'teens and low twenties for the week.  We wandered around Toronto without jacket or sweaters, what a treat for March. 

We stopped first to see Yvan and his housemates, including 'Kali" who thankfully has her own Terrarium.

The weather was so fine, we got off the bus early and walked to the Gallery, finding all sorts of interesting things as we ambled.  We found a pavement labyrinth beside the playground.

The Back of the AGO

The Sharp Centre for Design (The Ontario College of Art and Design)

After lunch and a browse through China town, we went back to the hotel for a nap, watched a film crew working there, then went out for dinner with Benny Boo who had been one of our two exchange students from Belgium several years ago. 

The next morning we had lunch with a long-time friend, (who was still jet lagged from returning the day before from a business trip to Japan) and returned to reality in Petrolia.

The following week the weather, although cooler, was still very Spring-like, so Mike took the opportunity to dig up the parsnips he had planted the previous season.  Although there were a lot of them we shared them with family and friends, and they certainly did not hang about long.-- We had parsnips baked, boiled with carrots then mashed, in curries and in stews.

Signs

The delayed February edition of the Kent Deanery Clericus met on Tuesday this week and continued the meeting over lunch in Thamesville at a local watering hole cum restaurant.  One of my favourite signs is in the women's rest room there, so I thougt I would try my camera sans flash.  It actually worked well, I am getting good at remembering to change the settings.

Saturday was a great day to get some shopping done; and as I drove by the park at the Petrolia Discovery I noticed a couple playing hockey on Bear Creek.  This is a great little rink.  A few years ago, one of the service groups put up a light for evening play; after every snowfall, the ice is cleared.  There is one 'rink' with a couple nets tossed on to it, and one without.  The above picture is a young woman and her beau--she was not the novice.

Things to do on a cold day.

1.  Take a picture of the gloves you bought yesterday; one pair for your friend (who won't get them until well after the Olympics.

2.  Take a picture of the icicle growing outside the door.  (This is an amazing icicle, as Mike is very fussy about the eaves trough.  For those fans, there are two rows of beautiful parsnips that did not get dug up before the ground froze solid, we will have a sweet feast in the spring.

 

3.  Go to the grocery store and buy a huge bag of jalapeno peppers languishing on the half price table.  clean them, slice them and put them into clean jars.  Then pour the same brine as for dill pickles (without the dill) into the jars, seal them up and let them sit for a couple of weeks.  That'll warm you up.  By the way, the safety glasses and gloves are not photo props, but used; gloves are inside-out because I am actually capable of learning.

The table is set to go

When we first decided to look into moving to NZ, we knew that there would be a lot of stuff that, not only could we not take with us, we didn't WANT to take with us.  Stuff that sweet people had given to us and we did not feel comfortable in tossing out.  Stuff that was wonderful and amazing and is now tired and/or well, tacky. (Orange fondue pot, anyone?) and Stuff that is simply no longer needed on the current part of the voyage.
These are the things that are going out, no matter what, in the April Petrolia Town Wide Garage Sale. Some of them are already in the garage, with more to move in as mid April draws near. (Thankfully, the opening day tournament at Sawmill is not on the same day as the town garage sale--can you hire someone to do your sale for you? We have also begun the shredding of 22 years of tax files (yes, yes, we've kept the last seven), paycheques and the triplicate pictures, or hair different shot of that incredibly cute child.

There are also the things we want to take with us but, before going with us, they need a face lift.  In fact, even if they go nowhere they need a little cosmetic work.  And that has begun. It was with great trepidation  I sent off my parents rock maple Vilas  table and chairs (with two panels).  Not to be stripped and re finished, but to be stripped and (shudder) repainted.  The two women who did this assured me that someday should somebody want to 'take it back' and varnish it; it is entirely possible (be still, my siblings).  But for now, I am enjoying it.
I still have the table and all the wonderful memories that go with it.  The meals under which it groaned.  The bun fights that the Collins girls inevitably instigated when sitting too long.  The elbows that rested upon it (not, I repeat not, during a meal) with the owner listening to the stories of the family past and present, engaging in political discussion, or howling at my Daddy's 'shoemaker' jokes that he brought home from Polymer.  We did everything at that table -- ate, laughed, fought, and cried -- I remember all of us sitting around it the night Dad died back in 1969.  I remember coming home from the hospice after Mum died in 2001 and telling Mike, Yvan and PoPo, the story of her passing.  The table holds much more than plates for me.

That table will never change; it was never about the colour or the finish, but the memories that are so ingrained in the wood as to give it a spirit of its own. It is ready for the adventure.

OOPS

Last night I mentioned to Michael that he "never reads my blog".  He frequently asks if I have read other blogs (All right, I admit they are more interesting), points out some fascinating detail about them, but is sadly lacking in knowledge regarding my offerings.  At any rate, last night he brought his computer upstairs to show me a photo from my spot.  I looked at it and said yeah, that's the bridal swan.  He then asked me to look at the background of the picture-- and there he was, sitting on a chair near the bed in a state of, shall we say, undress.  If one were to blow up the picture, then one would see how very undressed.
The photo has been changed.  Apologies to Mike.  If anyone of you should have noticed this, I hope that you were not scarred for life.

Hockey Night in Canada and New Zealand

First of all we have to set the stage in Canada.  No crummy rain or dull setting for the first major playoff of the new decade.  Nope, the kids in Ontario were all happy to see this come down the tubes the day before.  It was the first snowy day that we'd had all winter; Mike was getting anxious, because it is simply not winter if a dump of snow has not been dropped on the town by a squall.  So, Monday the 4th it finally came down--not at all up to Mike's Fort Erie standards, but enough to put a smile on his face as he headed out to clear the driveway, and visit with the neighbours  reminiscing about the snowfalls of their childhoods. In celebration of the snow, we left the outside Christmas lights on that night.  Next day, not quite Epiphany, we took down the tree early as the household Goddess, A. was coming today in order to make everything beautiful.  She did.
On the Monday night, we had spoken with our friend Es in NZ, and had cooked (or kooked) up the plan to put my lap top in front of our TV, turn on Skype and send the show to NZ where she would be waiting to watch the Canadian Juniors play the US for the gold.  Sadly, the Canadians have to be satisfied with five golds in a row, followed by a year with the other, unmentionable, metal medal.  There was no joy in P-town, or M-town last night.  However, the Olympics are on in a month -- give or take-- and the Big Girls can show the world what Canada has....

It was a night for pictures, however.  I am uploading a couple and for the sake of anonymity, I will show only the ones with the figure of Miss Es blurred.  However you will see the two buddies as they watch the battle.  This seemed pretty tame to me so, after watching my obligatory "good wife 1 period of a sports event'  I toddled upstairs to read my book.  I did discover in the morning and found out that for the last period they had been sitting side by side.  Thank goodness the team lost, or who knows where this could have ended?

Not used to the camera yet....

I am not used to my new camera yet.  It is just great, I love it and used it today to take a movie of the cat.  So much fun.  However, I have yet to read the directions and scan the manual, so still have a lot to do.  Last night En and a girl friend D came over for an evening of Dominoes (Mexican Train) along with our friend Sammy.  Mike had to finish the Juniors game before coming up to play with us (Juniors won, have their berth).  We played until just past midnight, missing the New Year by several minutes, but still drank our champagne and wished each one the best of the new year.  We played another game, the guests left, and we went to bed. 
I played with my camera this morning, hence the video of the cat, then Mike and I walked (tramped) to the Anglican clergy's home in town for her levee.  It was a great event and we walked home, deciding that after the last few days of indulgence, we could eschew dinner.  It is bloody cold here today but my friend outside of Calgary assures me that it is even colder by about 25 degrees.
Happy New Year to you all.  I feel it in my bones that we are in for a great year.