On the west side of New Zealand, the beach sand is all volcanic and black - this picture looks like it could make quite a good painting once the snowscape I'm busy on is finished.
We thought you guys might like to see this picture of our friend Nelda returning from her successful visit to South Africa to run the Comrades - her first attempt and a magnificent time! We surprised her at our teeny little airport with loads of flowers and banners and things - a real local hero for a few minutes! She said she said Hi to Maritzburg and Durban for us! (Her husband, seen smiling broadly at his wife's return, is our GP and the one who is saddled with all our personal information that no-one in their right mind would care about but which Immigration need to have in graphic and minute detail) Frankly, for some of the questions on the form, one can fill in NA - not applicable, and for others, one could cheerfully fill in NOYB - None of Your Business!
We know that there are quite a few folks who have been following this blog for more than a year now - our adventure is an ongoing one and although we are starting to feel more settled in many ways, we are still, in other ways 'fresh off the boat'!
It seems like a good idea to keep the blog going - since we are in the process of applying for our Permanent Residence and until that is completed, we can't really close any of the chapters. Admittedly, sometimes there really isn't that much to say on the blog that could be even remotely interesting to anyone, but maybe we are just becoming more accustomed to things here and are less enamoured with things ourselves! Whatever the case might be, we know that there are folks who enjoy reading about life here in New Zealand from our perspective so we'll try to have an update at least once every couple of weeks for you!
Yesterday, 29th June, Jo-anne was 'klapped' on the head by one of the bigwigs at Edinburgh University and is now (after an incredible journey as an 'older student'-wife-employee-part time cook and bottle washer) a real, dinkum, genuine attorney. Maybe they call her a barrister over there, but whatever the case is, this is one puffed-up-chest-proud-mama who sat here in New Zealand with her PJs on and a blanket over her knees at the computer and watched the live feed of the graduation ceremony in Edinburgh!!! What was even better was knowing that Richard and Pippa were in the vicinity to share all the excitement and celebrations of a sister's graduation and a dad's birthday -all quite unexpected and not altogether planned too much in advance! (Rich and Pips being there, not the graduation or the birthday, which were both planned quite some time in advance - the birthday more than half a century ago!)
OK, it wasn't as good as actually being there in the Great Hall, but being somewhat of a crumbly and seriously technologically disadvantaged, I was still gobsmacked to be able to sit here and watch the ceremony live, thousands of kilometres away! As Jo would say - "die witman is 'n wonderlike ding"
It was a different sort of graduation to ones I've attended before - in Scotland, there is no kneeling before the gowned academic for the cap on the head moment - there's just a sort of 'fly by' with a gentle 'klap' with a mortar board and there is no spin around while the academic colours are draped over the shoulders - all the draping was done beforehand and Jo-anne's beautiful blue 'stole' with a fluffy white trim was perfectly spectacular!
CONGRATULATIONS Sweetheart! We are SO proud of you!
Of course the male graduates in kilts with all the trimmings are not too thick on the ground in South Africa or in New Zealand and made for an even more spectacular event - I know that the kilts are worn in Scotland a whole lot more than we who live elsewhere imagine, but it just looked so grand! and in keeping with all the Scottish names being read out. Plenty of Mc's and Mac- something or anothers and loads of Fionas and Roberts.
Just brilliant! Jo and I so enjoyed our long-distance attendance!
We are in the process of applying for our Permanent Residence - as with all things 'departmental' this is not for the feint-hearted and we have had quite a few irritations and frustrations up to this point - and we are only at the very beginning of the process! (in theory that is). As we suspected, the goal posts tend to shift regularly and without any prior warning and so we have done plenty of 'wrong' things en-route to establishing what the 'right' ones are to do! Hopefully, ALL our documentation including full medicals, blood tests, x-rays and their respective reports, all our work experience and qualifications and all our financial affairs since pa fell off the bus will be finally in one envelope and sent off (not for the first time either) to the department of Immigration offices in Wellington before the end of the week. We are still waiting for our Police Clearance certificates to arrive from South Africa (we need to prove that we haven't been involved in any criminal activity in SA in the past six months even though we have been living here???) and although these were requested and paid for on the first of May, we have no idea when to expect them to arrive. Fortunately, we both have our unabridged birth certificates to prove we were born when we say we were and where we say we were and to who we say we were!
I am thrilled to say that I will be doing some knitting in the near future - more details as they become available.
Dis al!
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