100 days! or 8,640,000 secs/144,000 minutes/2400 hours

Hi everyone,

Here's a bit of an anorak-ish thing, but as of tomorrow it will be 100 days since we left Scotland. Not the largest amount of time anyone has ever been away from home but it certainly feels long and the fact that 100days away falls on New Years Day is a bit of a coincidence.

Our house sit is almost at an end which is sad but at the same time it is good because we were getting too used to having a big house and a car - both of which we are not going to have for a while yet methinks (if at all)

We have been looking for places to rent here in Wellington and it is surprisingly expensive especially when measured against the wages they pay here. The houses are also a) Predominantly built on the side of a steep hill, great for views not so good in a place prone to earthquakes b) Made of wood c) Have no heating - no, none d) have no double glazing e) Have all been decorated with left over wallpaper and paint from the UK circa 1970's and f) The cheaper options are invariably sheds in other peoples gardens or basements.

The good news is that we will almost definitely get somewhere bigger than we lived in back home ;o) which will be good news but it may be old, cold and unfurnished which will cause more difficulties. We are already speaking to people about lending us furniture and if all else fails it is off to the charity shop we go - lots of people do that here and there's no stigma attached to it. In fact when my mate Dave McG was over in Nelson he bought all his furniture that way and then managed to sell it a year later for profit. Nice work Dave.

It is Hogmany here and we are just chilling out before going into the city tonight, we were very kindly invited to a barbecue by Steve and Shona but we fancied heading into the city to see what's on. However I am not too optimistic, on Christmas Day I dragged Katie down to the city centre after dinner, convinced that the town would be jumping but alas not a bar was open. At least the bus home was free - that's one thing they are good at here, free, regular, reliable buses on Christmas Day. Why would you need to drink and drive?

There are a few things on in town tonight actually, we just have to decide how much we are willing to spend - Zane Lowe the Radio 1 DJ is playing here but it is more expensive than we really want to pay. Regardless of how well known he is he is just some dude playing someone elses records isn't he? ;o)

Oh, I should also fill you in on my Old Firm online adventure the other day. Basically I was emailing all sorts of Rangers Supporters clubs here in NZ desperately looking for somewhere to watch the game (1.30am kick off here) but with no success - there was a group of guys going to a pub in Auckland but Welly wasn't quite so with it. Anyway, I eventually decided to stay awake, drink some beer and utilise free internet access to try and track down some live coverage online which I eventually managed to do. It was some Afghanistan-ish Tv station showing the game with the British commentary which was great. When it cut to the studio though it was all in the local lingo but i presume they were saying "Stupid infidels! We are so powerful we will enjoy this mighty game of football and then we will kill them all! 'Mon the Hoops!"

Was it worth staying up all night just to see a jammy Celtic win? No, probably not. ;o) (Even Osama Bin Laden admits that the chalked off Gers goal should have counted - if you don't believe me just go and ask him, he's probably still in a London suburb laughing at the Infidels searching Afghanistan)

(By the way, this is funny. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Guh5vrwtC80&feature=related)

More news? We went to Karori Wildlife Sanctuary the other day, it's beautiful and we would definitely go again but unfortunately most of the wildlife are birds and you can't really see them (well if we sat around all day we might have) but apparently it's been single handedly responsible for the repopulation of the Tui (a very impressive native bird that can be rather loud in the morning). Tui is also a brand of cheap Kiwi beer.

http://www.kiwi-wildlife.co.nz/Sounds/tui.mp3

Well, I better go for now and start revving up for the massive party tonight - I will give you a full review in due course but for now I think Katie and i are going to take our new running shoes (Christmas pressies) and go for a jog with Jack the dog.

Speak soon, Have a great New Year everyone!

SB ;o)

Wobbly Welly!!

My god, at 8.45am(ish) this morning I experienced my first earthquake (that I am aware of!) The house and its contents really did shake, rattle and roll, it wasn't at all scary but I just new that things wirny right! Please don't worry though, it couldn't have been that bad as Steph, Jack (the dog) and Leo (the cat) slept right through it ;0)

We've had a quiet and different xmas, which was very nice but reminded us of the importance of family and friends (all year not just at xmas!) Thanks to all the xmas wishes xox

We're going out in the wagon today to scope out areas to rent a house, preferably with a great view, a deck, a heat pump (new zealander's equivalent of central heating - very basic!) a garden and north facing sun (I don't ask for much!) but apparently north facing is best as you get sun all day and some suburbs are much cloudier and windier than others - the weather is a big issue for wellingtonians when considering where to live!

Now that we know where our next pay cheque is coming we're busy planning a wee trip to Lake Taupo and Rotoroua, the big question is.....do we skydive or bungy? - you'll just have to wait and see! Jo, I'll give Auntie Eileen a wee call and hopefully will manage to meet up with her!

Hope you have a cracking hogmanay and will update more as and when it happens!

All the best,
Love K xxxx

All shook up!

New Zealand Earthquake Report
Magnitude 5.1,
Saturday, December 27 2008 at 8:49 am (NZDT), 60 km north of Porirua.

Information about this earthquake:

Reference Number 3021098/G
Universal Time December 26 2008 at 19:49
NZ Daylight Time Saturday, December 27 2008 at 8:49 am
Latitude, Longitude 40.55°S, 174.86°E
Focal Depth 50 km
Richter magnitude 5.1
Region Wanganui Basin
Location 30 km north-west of Otaki
40 km west of Levin
60 km north of Porirua
80 km north of Wellington


Felt widely across the lower North Island and upper South Island.

Katie was up this morning calling home and felt it
Steph slept through it.

Christmas Day - Wahey (as Cheggers would say)

Merry Christmas (for real this time)and we beat everyone back home by 13 hours how great is that? And we will continue to have Christmas until your Christmas is over too!

You will be all tucked up in bed back home right now but we are just heading out for Christmas dinner and before we do I thought I would post some pics on the blog - hope you like them. (the cat couldn't be bothered to pose - surprise surprise)

Seasons Greetings and all that, Merry Presents and all

SB

Merry Christmas from Wellington NZ

Merry Christmas!!! Well, ok, we are not that far ahead - it is actually still Christmas Eve here (I should point out that the NZ clock on this page is wrong we are 13 hours ahead) but I thought while I had a spare few minutes tonight I would write a quick hello and give you an update.

Things are going pretty well here and the house we are looking after is really good (we will post pics really soon so you can see), the couple we are house sitting for are really nice and they left us their car to use for the duration of our stay which has allowed us to do a big Christmas shop today - and lucky we had the car cos, would you believe, it is chucking it down here which is crazy cos yesterday was scorching. Barbecue on the beach tomorrow? Unfortunately we haven't had the West Coast of OZ type weather that we were hoping for so we have booked into a posh restaurant down the road so at least we don't have to cook or clean up. Thanks for the Christmas money Mum, that'll keep us well fed tomorrow and we will be thinking of you all at Aunt Joyce's - loved the photos by the way with cast on Aunt Joyce!

We are just chilling out just now looking forward to tomorrow and we do actually have some presents for each other would you believe - some good (New trainers + clothes) some that aren't really presents as we've had them a week(new mobile phones) and some that aren't really that exciting (we both shopped for each other with a $50 in New World which is a big supermarket - so at least getting a job hasn't went to our heads!! Can't burst the bank yet ;o)

At our house we are looking after Jack (the border collie) and Leo (the cat they forgot to tell us about) - both of whom are actually really pleasant animals and our first impression of Jack was a wee bit wrong he;s just a big baby looking for attention. Luckily my allergies haven't really surfaced and hopefully that's the way it will stay - antihistamines may well be a christmas pressie though.

Before I go here are a few things coming up that may be of interest:

a) We are booked up to see Billy Connolly on his Tour of NZ in February which is great - thanks Dad! I've always wanted to see B.C. live.

b) We are booked up to go to the Wellington Cup which is a big horseracing festival in January.

c) We are planning a big trip in January somewhere before school starts - it might even include a sky dive or something equally mental.

d) I go to immigration on the 6th of Jan to try and get my work visa - apparently it should be ok but isn't really 100% guaranteed on first application.

Ok, well we will hopefully be writing more tomorrow and will hopefully be able to post a christmas photo for you all to see with some photos of our new house and animals.

Merry Christmas.

Steph and Katie

KT Tunstall

Just a quick one.....

Last night we had the privilege of being able to walk 50 yards around the corner to catch an acoustic KT Tunstall gig - she is on her honeymoon at the moment, KT and her new hubbie have obviously decided that life away from music is a bit too boring so they played a short notice gig at Bodega in Welly.

And I must say it was blinkin great - I have obviously heard her most popular tunes before but had never seen her live but she was really impressive. Her put downs of some drunk Scots (not us) in the audience were also rather impressive.

I had my Scotland top on so quite a number of people came up to speak to us which was funny but KT Tunstall was too elusive and we couldn't be bothered hanging about to get a photo - who knows we will probably bump into her at a touristy place anyway somewhere in NZ.

Anyway, over and out - many thanks for all the congratulatory texts, comments and emails regarding the job!

Merry Christmas,

Steph

Wahey!

Thanks Katie that's v. nice of you to say ;o)

It is all pending approval from immigration however - although that's pretty much in the bag apparently.

Two days ago we were planning on eating dog food (or just the dog) for Christmas dinner, sleeping rough for three months and coming home in March due to lack of money but this job has appeared out of nowhere and it will give us extra credit to continue our adventure and see out the rest of the year - which we always planned to do - teach and live abroad for a year and come back next Christmas.

It is such a strange feeling because we just had no idea how easy or difficult this was going to be but we are pleased to have it sorted out before Christmas. The circumstances are a wee bit strange to be honest so let me fill you in -

1st of Dec - Arrive in Christchurch, spend day after day in the library sending off applications for jobs and requesting application packs for other ones. feeling like we are getting nowhere but realise only three days have passed and we shouldn't panic

7th of Dec - or should we? Schools close soon, do they recruit during summer, why haven;t I had any interviews, what's wrong with this country!!!

14th of December - get back in touch with an agency contact from a while ago who invites me to go and meet her.

18th of December - Meet Vicky from Education Personnel in Wellington and after chatting to me for a bit brings in a colleague who has a job description that has just landed on her desk for a school they know well. Mel then thinks phoning the Principal is a good idea. After speaking to him Vicky suggests she take me to the school. The principal is really nice and suggests I come back the next day for a formal interview.

19th of December - Have my interview and I am offered the job - which I accept pending work permit approval. Nuts!

So here's the deal - the job is Head of PE and Sport in Private Primary school. They were looking for someone to stay a while and I have agreed that I would consider longer than one year depnding on how things work out. Katie and I are open minded although we still have a firm eye on coming home - in case anyone is worried about us being away forever- we have a wedding to plan don't forget!!

That;s about it - I feel a bit torn about the job thing - it's great, a fantastic opportunity but at the same time the reality of spending so long away from home is starting to kick in. A bit scary but nothing we weren't hoping for all along so we are looking forward to making the most of it.

The good news is also that anyone who was planning to come out to see us can start looking into making their plans - I wouldn't buy the ticket yet until it is all 100% confirmed but see how much you can get a ticket to Wellington for - it's not cheap but you should be greatly impressed when you get here.

Exciting stuff - never a dull moment just now which is great although I think there may be a few dull moments tonight however when I persuade Katie to go along and watch Wellington Pheonix in their A-League soccer tie tonight against Godknowswho F.C.. Entertaining it may well not be - hopefully they will sell beer though which might make it bearable. ;o)

Another thing we didn't mention is that the other day we visited some more friends of a friend - Shona Schumacher and her fiancee Steve. Shona is a friend of Ewen C's sister and he dubbed her Schumacher after her amazing efforts in getting from Glasgow's South side to Milngavie in about 8 minutes. Shona is from Scotland and they are planning their wedding for July (?) in NZ, which is great - they are a really cool couple with an amazing house with a fantastic view. Hopefully we will catch up with them again soon - for some live music or something perhaps (more about that later)

All the best,

SB

Woo Hoo!

Well, you are now communicating with Mr S Brown, Head of PE and Sport for St Marks School, Wellington!!!! and Ms K Oman - title T.B.C. but seriously thinking about the kind of work she wants to do!!

We've been here for a grand total of 7 days and the work Steph has put in over the last few weeks and months has paid off. I am so proud of him as this is one of the things we/he set out to achieve this year and he has well and truly scored! It's all a bit scary, it now means that the free and easy travelling lifestyle will change but we are ready for the challenge and have vowed that work will remain secondary and that our whole aim of sampling a different lifestyle, exploring New Zealand and generally improving our health will be the number one priority. I'll let Steph fill you in on more of the detail of the job but lets just say - christmas is now back on!!!


We also visited our housesit/dogsit family last night. A lovely couple (both teachers, who by the way rated St Mark's very highly and have friends who work there) Their house is really beautiful and Jack the border collie is a lovely dog (perhaps with a few small issues?!) - We are looking forward to the dog walking and stability of lovely surroundings, but if you don't hear from us after the 2nd of Jan please call in the emergency services as he may have eaten one or both of us!!

I'm going to go now as I suspect another blog entry from my clever fiance will follow shortly......

Love K x

Mobile-tastic

Hello again, Kia ora and all that - we just wanted to let you know that we have hooked ourselves up with a mobile phone deal that has given us new sims and hopefully a new lease of life (released from all the frustration of payphones and multiple phone cards on the go)

Basically we can now call home cheaper than before and from wherever we like (underground probably won't work)which is great news. It is also a lot cheaper for us to text back home than it was so basically feel free to give us a call or send us a text but beware that you should probably check with your service provider (mobile or landline) as to how much it will cost you. It won't cost us a penny to hear from you but it may cost you a few bob.

We are on Vodafone NZ pay as you go (supapay deal) if you want to check out how much it would be - the important bit I suppose is giving you our new numbers so here goes:

Steph: 02 111 07449
Katie: 02 111 06875

I believe the following to be accurate but you may want to double check, I also think that you have to drop the 0 from 02 so to call Stephen it would be:

00 + 64 + 2 111 07449

to call Katie it would be:

00 + 64 + 2 111 06875

If this doesn't work then let us know, but hopefully this will help us a lot - especially calling home and around NZ.

Over and out

S&K

What the Dickens is the time?

I have a mystery for everyone to solve - not quite as crazy as the cockroach photo competition but I am trying to confirm the time - sounds odd doesn't it but it is driving me crazy.

As far as I can see the time here in NZ is 10.33am which is fine (although the computer I am at says 11.33am) - so here lies the problem. The time for NZ on my blog page says 11.33am so I think this is now wrong. The time for the Uk on my blog page says 22.37 so that's 13 hours behind right? (following me so far?)

Ok, so if the time here really is 10.33 as I suspect and if, as every website in the world tells me - and the blog, the time in the UK is currently 13 hours behind then why oh why does the BBC website tell me that the time is currently 11.33 AM????? I have just been to a website that tells world time and it tells me the time in the UK should be 9.33pm and the time in NZ should be 10.33am I don't get it - i may well be being thick but the BBC clock has really thrown me.

Please help.