Bingo, Bad notes and Bicycles

Came across this on facebook the other day - looks like something lots of us can relate to! (If the picture is too small to read the instructions, try clicking on the picture to make it bigger) Some of the people in high places in New Zealand seem to have been busy playing this game and not being where they should be when they should be. One of the biggest noises being made about 'rights for all' bills created a huge uproar and got everyone all hysterical and choosing sides - when it came to the very same bill being voted upon, the aforementioned member of parliament 'forgot' to be in the House on the day!!! NOT appreciated by lots of folks - we thought it was all hysterically funny!!

When there is really only one 'disgustingly out of tune' note on the piano - 'n boer maak 'n plan!

We call these 'bicycles' - apparently in New Zealand they are more commonly known as 'push bikes' - no comment! - we have been enjoying really good outdoor weather recently and have tired of all the walking - especially those of us who harbour an old knee injury (and that's both the knee and the injury being referred to there) acquired in the bloom of youth on the rugby field - so when our local 'has-most-things' shop put bicycles on special, we decided to replace the ones we had sold in South Africa. It's loads of fun riding out from our home and through the streets of Wanganui - in spite of the traffic, there is a designated bicycle lane most everywhere -we thought it would be good if we could start from somewhere else, like the beach for example. The dilemma was getting the bikes there - not having a towbar on the Touran and realising that acquiring such a piece of equipment was going to cost us a LOT of money, Jo looked at a whole bunch of different options and finally settled on the one shown here! Saved us in the region of $1500.00 dollars (had we gone for the towbar and accessories option)! For our blog readers who have forgotten and live in SA - that's to be multiplied by five for equivalent in Rand - whichever way you look at it - LOTS of money!

It took a trip to the hardware store, a bit of faffing about in the garage (thankfully all the tools and gadgets required came with us) and one last stop to buy the bungi cord that holds the wheels against the frames while in transit!

Total cost - fifty dollars!

So now we can take our 'push bikes' to a starting point somewhere other than home and it hasn't cost us a fortune!

There was a time when certain people swore blind they would never ride around here since a bicycle helmet is compulsory - but we have since overcome that hurdle and don our 'gedoitjies' like the good residents that we are!

Dis al!

Still on the South African theme

Came across this picture lurking in the depths of Facebook - although it was a while ago now, I thought you might like to see the flag that was made for the first 'Big Braai' which was held in Wanganui last year and which is to become an annual event in the mid-central area of New Zealand.

One of the slogans for the big braai was - 'go big, or go home' - think this flag falls under the 'go big' category!

Dis al!

South African shopping

Sometimes one feels like a taste of home - our South African fare which is usually (although not always - I hasten to add) available is artistically arranged on these few shelves at Countdown supermarket. Pak 'n Save and New World supermarkets don't have 'international' items on offer specifically - here and there you might find something tucked away amongst similar products, but not frequently.

You will notice that this photograph was taken a wee while ago - no matter, the items haven't varied in that time!

The big sellers are Ouma rusks, Ricoffy and Freshpak rooibos tea - the other things we assume, are on the shelves because they do sell, but they don't seem to run out, like the rusks and coffee do.

Ceres fruit juice, NikNaks, Koo tins of unexpected things, a few Robertson's spices, jelly tots, chocolate logs, wine gums, tex bars, Zoo biscuits, dried fruit roll - only guava and apricot, cerebos salt, aromat -especially the chilli flavour which we don't like, mieliemeel (one variety and exorbitantly expensive) and cans of cream soda! The aforementioned 'green soda' (sic) is sold for approximately $3.00 a can - that's about R15.00! We are not that crazy about green soda!

Mrs Ball's chutney is amongst the other chutneys in the 'ordinary aisle' and the chemist section sells Bio Oil which loudly proclaims on it's label - made in South Africa!

And that folks, is about that - the specialist South African shop in New Plymouth has a few other bits and bobs, most notable of which is Rennies antacid but not really anything too spectacularly worth driving all those kilometers for! What we really could do with is someone who sells Grandpa headache powders! Don't care what anyone says 'bout how bad they are for you - sometimes they are what does the trick!! maybe it's because they taste so disgusting!

Dis al!

Happy Birthday Jo-anne

What a special photograph! My two bestest girls in the whole wide world! My only daughter and only granddaughter!

Happy Birthday Jo-anne (who just decided on the spur of the moment to hop on a plane in Edinburgh Scotland and fly over to Vancouver Canada to meet her brand new niece!)

Dis al!

Waverley Beach at dusk

If you have been following this blog for a while, you will remember this acrylic painting which is of the interesting rock at Waverley beach - about 40km from Wanganui.
We wanted to call in there again - this time at dusk to see the effects of the setting sun on the scene. As it happened, it was low tide too, and so the picture is quite different.

It really felt strange being able to walk 'through' the rock which I had painted in May as being 'out to sea'!

We had no idea the tide would make such a dramatic difference to the picture.

Although the sun hasn't disappeared yet, this side of the rock is completely in shadow, creating a really interesting effect.

(Incidentally, these pictures were all taken around 8pm.)

If you wander through the hole in the rock and turn right, these huge cliff- like formations line the beach as far as the eye can see.

With the evening being fairly calm and windless, the reflections in the film of water on the black sand made a pretty picture.

The sun just starting to slip under the horizon

and leaving golden feathers in the sky.

We found a marvellous viewing spot, high above the sand with a magnificent view of the sunset - have marked the spot for a 'fish and chips on the beach' with our first South African family visitors - whoever they might happen to be and whenever they might happen to appear!

Dis al!

Permanent Residence

This picture was taken at Hamilton Gardens on the day after we arrived in New Zealand - it was truly the start of an adventure!

There have been many bumps in the road - but an adventure it has been!

Today, after an almost unbelievable amount of to-ing and fro-ing, back-ing and forth-ing, hem-ing and haw-ing and plenty of hither and thither thrown in for good measure - Immigration New Zealand has approved our application for permanent residence.

The whole point has always been to keep the doors open, and the bridges un-burned so that we are the ones who get to decide where to from here.

We have been threatening to sell all our worldly goods, sans a keyboard and a variety of stringed instruments suitable for busking - and heading off into the wide, blue yonder to open a pub on an island somewhere.

The good thing is that we can still decide to do that~! but we have a place to stay in the meanwhile! and there is time to source a monkey with a cute hat for collecting all the money from the tourists on our island!

The whole idea of this web log, from the very start, was to document our adventure from the beginning - when we first decided to take the trip to New Zealand, to the point when we acquired Permanent Residence. That task is now complete (bar the actual stamp in the passports) so this means possibly that this blog is done.

We'll get the stamp and decide later!

Dis al!