Too much to discuss

Nov 28 to Jan 28. Only two months to catch up on. Good thing nothing muchs happens over this time of year? Yeah Right as the ad goes.

The beginning of December was taken up with winding up activities, and getting ready for the NZ trip. Steph and the kids flew over on the 14th Dec to spend some time at the farm first.

Reminds me - Steph had a birthday on the 12th. Seemed to fly by with other things on.

I flew over on the 23rd after spending a week pining for the rest of the family (party party?). Didn't get up to much in the end, just a bit of last minute shopping and an explore around Adelaide.

I think the best way to summarise the NZ time is to add photos and then comment on them.

Christmas Day was at the farm. Full house with Andrew & Judy, Aunty Jeanette, Stephs Brother Simon and a fellow teacher Chandler, Stephs Sister Natalie and husband Matt, and us four. Plus the Dog and the Cat. Hectic but enjoyable.

The 26th was Nats Birthday (as it is every year), and we heading to Ti Point for a swim and a picnic lunch. Hosea enjoyed placing shells from here to there, and then there to here.

The 27th was spent packing and then travelling to Auckland to get a flight to Blenheim via (windy) Wellington. Arrived in time to celebrate Grandads birthday (complete with themed cake). Blenheim was a very relaxing time. There were a few short trips looking for Geocaches, taking us to places we hadn't been before. We had picnics on the lawn and a BBQ at my sisters place. Jenny is great with taking photos of the kids, so full credit to her for some of these photos. H and H enjoyed going on the model steam engine, although Hosea was a bit puzzled that the engine sounded like a chainsaw (which it was - two-stroke!)

We returned to Auckland for a week to catch up with friends. We stayed with Euan, Amy & Liam - who is just older than Hosea. They had a great time playing with each other. We headed to the beach to show that kidss can still have a great time and a smile on their faces while shivering after being in the water too long!

Unless someone can tell me how to insert photos at the bottom of the blog, I'm going to stop here and start another log.

Hosea's first birthday

It was special having Nana and Grandad staying with us recently when we celebrated Hosea's first birthday. On the morning of his birthday he got stuck into opening and playing with his presents (some new books, fun bath toys and a toy drum). His ultimate favourite was the blue smiley-faced ball that Hannah gave him. Later in the morning we headed out to Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary for a walk in the tranquil surroundings; We fed kangaroos and wallabies and spotted some turtles. We enjoyed a picnic lunch augmented by some sweet treats from the cafe. That evening we went out for a family meal at the Marraytville Hotel which was recommended by friends as it has a nice playground in the restaurant. Hosea loved his 'popcorn chicken' with chips and we had a really pleasant evening together.

And as if that wasn't enough we'd decided to have a party for him the following weekend as well....an afternoon tea followed by a BBQ at our place. Guests were Murray's Auntie Valerie, Murray's parents, good friends from church, two of Murray's workmates and their families and a family that we'd gotten to know through kindergym. Hosea was well and truly spoiled when it came to gifts – a beautiful patchwork quilt from Nana, a huge teddy bear from Aunty Valerie, some lovely wooden puzzles and lots of special books! We enjoyed the 'treasure hunt' provided for us by some friends who couldn't attend the party but had hidden their present for Hosea on our front section and provided a GPS clue!! The place was a melee of helium balloons and party food with kids alternating between tearing around the section on their bikes and cooling off in the paddling pool. I think it's fair to say that Hosea enjoyed the food and the action as much as anybody – he tried out all 3 of his new birthday T-shirts getting wet in the paddling pool and got completely covered in 'pillarbox red' icing!

Thank you to everyone from N.Z who sent birthday wishes; it was a really special day and we are so grateful for our wonderful family and friends!!

Aunty Jenny comes to stay

In October we welcomed our first visitor from the Wood clan – Murray's sister, Jenny. It was great to spend time with her and catch up and the children really enjoyed her company too.

We decided that it was high time we checked out some of the vineyards that Adelaide is famous for so we took a day trip to Mclaren Vale. We explored a pretty olive grove and visited the Fruchocs factory (if you're curious about what a fruchoc is take a look at Hosea's birthday blog). We admired the view (and the pricey menu!) at d'Arenburg vineyard and settled on a cafe-style lunch at Red Poles Gallery. Their resident dog provided plenty of entertainment for Hannah and vice versa – she was kept busy throwing a stick for him to play fetch with for the duration of the meal!

It was nice being able to show Jenny some of our weekly activities – playgroup, kindergym and Spark and to introduce her to our friends here.

Jenny and Hannah must have a similar taste in shops – or perhaps both of them just know how to sniff out a bargain. We came across a scrapbooking supplies shop which was having a closing down sale and Hannah was chuffed when she and Jenny came out of the shop with “matching bags”.

We also took Jenny to explore the historic Harndorf village – established in 1839 and settled by Lutheran families. We took a picnic lunch although it wasn't great picnic weather. . . which gave us a good excuse to warm ourselves in a cafe with an open fire, hot chocolate and apple strudel!

Thanks, Jenny, for a fun time together – looking forward to seeing you again soon!!

Camping at Stringybark Forest

We really enjoyed having Granny come and stay with us during the first week of the September school holidays. It was fun being able to show her our place as we hadn't moved in last time she was over visiting us in Adelaide. We also managed to show her some of the sights, including taking a tram at Glenelg beach, the view from Mt. Lofty (might have done better if we'd picked a finer day!) and iconic Ikea.

The highlight of our time was going camping together along with friends from church. Our chosen campsite was Stringybark Forest, Deep Creek Conservation Park on the Fleureiu Peninsula. We purchased a new tent for the occasion partly because our old tent is in storage back in N.Z and also because we needed something with a bit more room now that Hosea is on the scene.

We enjoyed the unique environment of Stringybark forest, including being able to observe kangaroos grazing at dawn and dusk, seeing some beautiful wildflowers on one of the walks near the campground, and sleeping on a bed of tree roots when our lilo deflated during the night!! On our first day at camp, Murray, Hannah and I went on a 4WD trip to the nearest beach – blowhole beach. At night we had campfires so the children would have bedtime stories around the fire followed by toasting marshmallows. Magical! We even managed to fit in a few games once the kids had gone to bed.

Time flies

Hard to believe a month has passed since I last updated this. Steph promises she will put pen (fingers) to paper (keyboard) one day, but for now you get my take on life.

After last months theme of sickness, we are all a lot better now. Life is now in full Adelaide swing. Steph, Hannah and Hosea are involved in a playgroup, kindergym (climbing etc for Hannah), and Spark - an afterschool programme for school kids that Steph is helping lead. Hannah sometimes joins in with the 5 year olds, and Hosea charms everyone - except for one girls who thinks he is scary as 'he just keeps staring at me'. I've had a word to him, but don't really see the problem with scaring off girls at his age.

I still have work as my main activity - funny that. The weeks seem to pass designing different bits of buildings that then seem to get changed. Lesson learnt - never throw anything out as designs can come full circle.

We've managed to do a bit of looking around the city/countryside. One fine late winters day we went out to Henley Beach, which is a suburb similar to... New Brighton in Chch or maybe Kohimarama but cheaper. We went out to go for a walk along the wharf, but it took quite a while to get far from the car as we parked beside the erosion protection (big rocks) and Hannah kept climbing up and down - see photo. We finally had a quick zip out to the end of the wharf and back, and then decided to have an early dinner watching the sun set. Hosea was quite taken by it - see the photo. I think he was more interested in the seagulls who of course were interested in what we were eating. We were the only people having a picnic in winter at Henley beach but I figured that we are allowed to act like immigrants.

Speaking of immigrants and cultural differences, I can add to our list of 'oddities' (to us) that we've observed. I am aware that some Adelites (Adeladians?) read this blog, so I'll explain that what we find odd/funny is not wrong - just different. I may have mentioned before, but I think the national meal would be parmigiana with donuts and iced coffee. For those who don't have an Italian heritage, parmigiana is schnitzel (typically chicken) with a tomato sauce and cheese. Other food names that are different - Dagwood Dogs = Hot dog dipped in batter on a stick. Kitchener Bun = Cream donut.

I think the next story reflects more on the NZ accent rather than South Australians, but Steph ordered a book from a book shop. I note came in the mail saying that the book had arrived. It was addressed to....Stiffanie Wood. Australians find this hilarious. Steph doesn't as much.

Back to our adventures. One other weekend we headed out to Hahndorf and a pet farm. Hannah and Steph tried their hands at milking a cow. Then we went out and fed the Emus, Alpaca, Kangaroos etc.. The next day we headed back to Warrawong Sanctuary for more of the same with some friends. Yes friends, we have made some through shared interests of church, small kids, and grown up board games. Had a game last night and the final result looked like the Tri-nations standings - NZ first, Australia second.

Fathers Day saw Hosea expound on what he thought a Good Father should do - I took the photo mid spiel. Yes, that is two bottom teeth. Also a top one to match. He's now sort of crawling - he drags himself around the house. Hannah has learnt to put things up to get them out of his way. Problem with this is that it leaves no where to sit as the seats get covered with his and her toys (haven't figured out the reasoning why he's not allowed to play with his toys, but then I'm no three year old).

Speaking of Hannah, she's enjoying being three and a half, with all the fun and minimal responsibility that entails. She will start Kindergarten next year, so it will be one morning a week preparation during November and December.

I seem to be jumping around a bit (like Hannah was jumping into the balls at the playground the other day).

The weather over here hardly seems the 'Mediterranean climate' that Wikipedia expounds. Last month was the wettest August they have had for 25 years. Seems like drought is not the problem forecast for this summer. Rather it's likely to be locusts. And yes, I have checked - the rivers aren't running red - just brown.

The weather has caused the odd problem getting to work - the footbridge near the bus stop had a bit of water running over as well as under. Otherwise it's amazing to see the damage to trees caused by drought (roots weaken), heavy rain (soil weakens), and strong winds (timbeerrrr). Normally I don't park under trees as I have to clean bird poo off. I think bird poo is easier to clean off than a fallen gum tree!

A bit of minor flooding is nothing compared to a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. That was a shock to us. Amazing that the injury toll was so low.

I must have rabbited on long enough so I'll stop now, but please comment if you want to know anything more.

We'll be back in NZ at Christmas. Steph & kids back on the 14th, me on the 23rd. Returning 8th Jan.

Normality strikes

Well, we are now knee-deep in everyday life. I could have said knee-deep in something else, perhaps washing, or something worse, as we're are getting over a nasty gastro or rotavirus. On the bright side, Hosea finally has a tooth to grizzle over.

I can finally add some photos taken by cellphone camera - I still haven't discovered the cable for downloading the camera.

This is the kitchen to our new place - obviously the day we moved in as the cupboards are empty. We are enjoying the place, although after a couple of bad nights with the bug, Hannah confessed that she "liked sleeping at our house in New Zealand better".

The next photos are taken from our second visit to Mt Lofty, on a fresh Winters day. As you can see, the weather was better than complete fog, but the haze has hidden Adelaide from view.

So I took another photo of a better view - Steph and Hannah up at Mt Lofty.

Hannah enjoyed visiting the pigs in Rundle Mall - one animal that doesn't mind being climbed over by preschoolers.

For equality I've attached a couple of pictures of Hosea to prove we did bring him over as well

That is a smile in the picture with the beans. And the other picture is him looking curious at the black thing Daddy was holding in his hand (the cellphone).

My birthday was a different experience. I enjoyed the day at home (well it was a Saturday), and then had a couple of workmates and families over for a BBQ dinner. I would have thought Aussies were better at BBQ etiquette - I was left cooking the meat outside by myself! The church friends who couldn't make it to the dinner came for lunch the next day. We suspect they left the gastro bug behind when they left.

I was given a new boardgame 'Agricola' as a present - somewhat confusing at first as instructions were only an adequate english translation of the German rules. But we finally sorted out the wood from the coal, and enjoyed our three hour long, one hour game.

Work is still challenging and rewarding.

We are starting to plan sights to see around Adelaide, SA, and Australia. Any suggestions?

Settling In

Following requests from family members, I'll try and document the last couple of weeks.



We've now moved into our house. A rental place at 40 Laver Terrace, Felixstow, Adelaide 5070.



It's a nice three bedroom place on fenced flat section about 7.5km from work, and handy to public transport. Hannah likes the bedrooms as one is purple (hers), one blue (Hosea), and ours is Green. They also have full height mirrors on the wardrobes which is a challenge to self confidence every morning. The bonus feature with this house (apart from being cheap) is that the garage has been converted to a rumpus room with bathroom, which will be great for guests.



On other news and happenings, Judy G came over for a week while we were still in our temporary apartment. Unfortunately our belongings took longer than expected to clear so she wasn't able to help us unpack into the new place, although she did get to see the moving truck turn up on the morning that she left. This was a huge highlight for Hannah. Memorable quote was "Are you here to help me move in?" (to the movers). We had to leave as Hannah was trying to give them a hand moving everything.



Steph and Judy enjoyed touring around Adelaide seeing some of the alternative ways home. Hannah and Hosea enjoyed seeing Granny again, and I think Hannah really liked sleeping in the same room as Granny (don't know what Granny thought). The best result was that Hannah ended up keeping Granny close to NZ time - Waking her up early and early to bed. We also met up in Rundle Mall one day which everyone enjoyed, especially as it meant another trip to "the really big toy shop" for Hannah.

The one picture I can post on this blog (I can't upload photos yet), is of the view we saw one morning from Mt Lofty. The view is looking towards the city:

























Can't make the buildings out? That's because we had low cloud that morning so we saw nothing...



Work is going well, below is a picture of my main project, a 17 storey office building in downtown Adelaide. The office environment is nice, and people are really friendly. Had a site visit in Berri on Tuesday - only 250km away. Meant I had a chance to see some South Australian country side. The comparison in NZ would be the Bombay hills and North Waikato, although it just keeps on going and going and going.

I went to my first live 'footy' game last weekend. An architect pulled out of a client function so I was asked. I managed to watch the first quarter and some of the last quarter while talking to clients. Ended up being a close result with the Adelaide Crows (local team) beating the top of the table Geelong Cats. Footy is a surprisingly integral part of Adelaide culture. I'm enjoying it as it's a ball game and I can't watch any other sport (apart from the World Cup). I have to admit though that a dozen pages of the sports section on one sport is a bit OTT for my liking, but you can't have everything.

We'll try and keep the blog updated, so let us know if there is anything you want to know.