Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone - we made some videos to post on the blog but I can't seem to convert them to a suitable format but as soon as I can I will have them on here - there will be a way!

For now though here are a few photos from Christmas day on Matai Bay in the Bay of Islands in the North of the North Island - our good friends Iain and Lorna shared our sunny day!

NZ Premiere of Lovely Bones

I went along to the premiere of The Lovely Bones the other day - ok, so I didnt actually get in and see the movie but I hung about the red carpet and pretended to be a bit of a paparazzi type fellow who had obviously forgotten his pass to get a good view.

Anyway - here are a selection of photos from the red carpet, I didn't have a clue who most people were but these folks are the most famous ones.

(for those who are curious we have Kimberley Crossman (from the soap opera Shortland St) Peter Jackson (director) Susan Sarandon, Rhys Darby (comedian), Saoirse Ronan (actress) and some dude who was apparently famous but I have no idea who he is.)

School's out for summer!

Hi folks,

Well that's school all over for the year - has it really been a year since we house sat that mental dog? (yes is the answer if you were looking for one)

It's been a real challenge for Katie and I this year (good preparation for married life I hear) - not only getting used to our new surroundings, moving house 6 times, finding jobs, working out visas/finances, and coordinating all of our travels but actually doing our jobs too (and trying to do them well) - My job has been particularly full on being the Head of PE and Sport in a school where no-one else has been able to give me much info about previous years. Along with teaching 370 pupils how to do PE and running 33 sports teams in the school, not to mention having to work more closely with the parents than I am used to - it has been a bit mad.

I have also been out of school on 35 days this year on school fixtures and trips - which is a huge amount of teaching time lost. Yes, it's been a real effort and I know everyone has a tough job but I wasn't really expecting one this year - still, it's character building - although I am unsure as yet as to which character I am building - sometimes it feels like Mickey Mouse or something similar though ;o)

We head off to Auckland on Thursday to see Iain and Lorna - then we all head up to the Bay of Islands for some camping over Christmas, We then all head down to Wellington for the return leg and a bit of a Hogmany shindig.

it means we will be offline for a couple of weeks but we are thinking of you all and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

The end of Movember

It's been a long month - here are some photos of the final night!

Pearl Jam

I was in Auckland last week for the Pearl Jam gig - I had booked tickets months ago so it was great that it had finally arrived. I loved Pearl Jam when I was younger but didn't really know many of their less mainstream songs so for the last three months I have been listening to their greatest hits (which I borrowed from the library and copied to my computer)

On the way to the gig I was running late mainly because I had no clue where I was going and partly due to traffic - thankfully I eventually found the right bus and I got chatting to some young builders from a place called Tawa. They had some spare beers that they shared with me on the bus - good guys!



While in Auckland I was being looked after and entertained by Lorna and Iain in their cool new pad - it was great to see them again and we now only have a couple of weeks before we head up to join them for Christmas. We are heading out camping for Christmas - hopefully the sun will shine and we can have a BBQ on the beach. I am sure there will be photos a plenty.

All Whites game

A bit of catching up required again I'm afraid!

A couple of weeks ago the New Zealand football team had a chance to qualify for the World Cup through the "diddies" qualifying section play-offs. Their game against Bahrain was absolutely terrible but the NZ boys managed to score in the first half and then save a penalty in the second half. 1-0 New Zealand - a right good pumping in the World Cup here we come. (for those who don't know, the only other time NZ qualified they were in Scotland's group with Soviet Union and Brazil - NZ only scored two goals at the finals and both were against.....yep, us! But we did score 5 against them.)

Anyway - enough of the John Motson trip down footballing memory lane - the crowd went wild and it was a great party atmosphere in Wellington (where the game was being played.)

Katie and I went out early doors to get a good spot at the big free screening down at the waterfront but we needn't have bothered as only about 100 folk went down to the screen so we went to a pub instead.

The photo is us with Tim and Helen who I met through school - a lovely couple from Nottingham. None of look that happy but we were all pretty drunk and almost asleep due to the quality of football we had to endure.

video update

Movember continues

fireworx

On the 5th of November we went down to the waterfront for the fireworks - they never fail to please do they?

Adventures of Oman

Hi all!

Its about time I posted something on here - Sorry its been a while (since July actually) that I have posted my own message - I've been hibernating - but now that the summer has hit I've been inspired to blog.

I'll start with my fantastic 'surprise' trip home in October! To cut a very long story short, my best bud Joanne Brown ne MacMillan got wed on the 24th of October and I just had to be there if it was possible. I'd cunningly planned with Calvin, her hubby to arrive a week early and turn up on the doorstep to surprise the bride to be - the plan was going well until she found out 24 hours before I was due to land in Glasgow due to an email from the venue confirming the extra person for the meal! She was, thankfully, very touched that I was able to make it home for her wedding and in true Joanne style she turned the surprise on me and arrived at the airport....bridesmaid dress and shoes in hand! So, after a quick 'fitting' in the airport toilets all was good and the following week Miss Macmillan looked absolutely stunning as she became Mrs Broon! The wedding was amazing and it was so fantastic to catch up with so many friends on such a great day.




I am pleased to say that it felt good to be home. I have a restored faith and appreciation for Scotland and its people, not forgetting it was just so important to spend time with friends and family. Seeing the kids, Hannah, Scott, Emma, Emily and Michael was really special - all growing up so fast! Emily was so funny, at 2 and a bit she knew Auntie Katie and Uncle Steph lived in "Zealand" and she even knew exactly where that was - "over the moon" Such a smart wee girl! Hannah and Scott told me all about their sports and school - Hannah even took me to her swimming class and I think she looked like one of the best swimmers there even though she was one of the youngest. And Scott is quite the footballer - looking forward to Uncle Steph coming home for a kick about! Emma is the cutest wee baby - full of mischief! Michael is only just over two but he's so smart and I think he took a shine to me - such a charmer!



Being home in Carradale was another reminder that home is good! Spending lots of time with mum and getting to see and stay at Bayview for the first time since all the renovations were complete was fantastic. I had to remind myself of all the hard work that went in before I left and the work that my family did to get it to this stage is such an achievement. I think we all agree, that the hard work has and is paying off - we have a really beautiful home that we can enjoy for years to come. And, I was pleased that when I stepped through the door it still felt like home. I was a little worried that it wouldn't, but waking up in my old bedroom and padding about a new improved Bayview felt really comforting. Also treated myself to some things that you don't get over here - irn bru, mothers pride, carradale rolls and square sausage - and photographed it for Steph's benefit!


So now its back to windy welly and work (with a renewed supply of clothes for both of us - courtesy of raiding our loft when I was home). I held my first Grasshoppers Tennis Tournament last Sunday and broke the National record for most participants - yay! On a down side I delivered teacher inservice training a few days later and it was a disaster! Reminder to self - practice the games before trying to teach others how to deliver them to a class of pupils!! On the whole the job is going well, its going to be a great job over the summer and I am getting round the country alot which has been good for seeing new things and meeting some really interesting kiwis.



I've also gained a new friend called Harry. He's 8 years old, 16.2hh, liver chestnut and an ex racehorse. I met a lady from NZ Equestrian Federation and mentioned I was looking to start riding and she said needed a bit of help so we agreed that I would ride a couple of times a week. Its lovely to get back in the saddle - bit sore after over a year!!


Anyway, I should probably have done 3 separate posts rather than one massive story so I hope I've not bored you to tears!

The sun is shining, we are beginning to peel off the layers and duvets! Looking forward to a summer in the city and beginning to plan our final Australasian/South Pacific Adventures before making the homeward journey.

Will write again soon and thanks to everyone I managed to catch up with when I was home :-)

K xxx