Helms Deep – in Candy Yay may just have met her match…

Ok, so I could be persuaded to change the name of the blog to An Aussie – No A Kiwi ; No Man and a Burmese but it has a vaguely familiar ring and I don’t want to get done for copyright infringement… or to upset Katia and her most excellent blog… but we now do have the Burmese thing in common…

This is Chino. Apparently short for cappucino but actually I derived his name from a contraction of Chinois – French for Chinese if I recall correctly… which is stoopid anyway because he’s not Chinese… Go figure… anyway I never said my brain didn’t work in mysterious ways… I’ll confess that it’s most likely to get regularly shortened to ChiChi anyhow which sounds suitably Oriental which was the whole point…

I’m blogging from work, Optus showed up yesterday and were unable to connect me to the cable… I’ll be dropping from ADSL2 down to ADSL as the new exchange hasn’t been DSLAMED – bugger… one of the things I should have checked before moving in… Nightmare… had a meltdown on the phone to the CSR because I’ve been hanging out for it SOOOO long… I do have to point out in Optus’ favour that they’ve been very helpful about it all even though it’s still bloody next week before I’ll get anything going on… arrrgh… The worst part of all is that I’m missing my NZ family like mad and can’t call them for good long chats because I don’t have a home phone!!! BOGUS.

Anyway… I should have a phone on Monday… it will be cheaper than the last because I’ve signed up for a business plan… hah… take that Optus… getting less money out of me after all… particularly, due to my pain and suffering, as they’re not getting any transfer fees out of me.

Amazing what a few tears down the phone can do, eh girls?!

Anyway – best do some work… Blogosphere I miss you… and as it’s de-lurking week please leave a comment to say hi… I know you’re out there… my stats don’t lie!!!

Not too late to wish you a Happy New Year?

I’ve just landed back in Sydney, the internet access at the airport is 100% better than that at home (non-existent till the 9th… bah humbug to you Optus) and so I’m just checking in to report on a wonderful holiday, renewed relationships with all my favourite little people and a bag full of loot to help stock the cupboards at home, including feijoa chutney… yeah… I doubt I’ll be back in NZ for feijoa season so it will have to do until I get back there next April… maybe mother can smuggle some in when she comes over round easter time… Anyway…

I’ve missed everyone, it’s been a crazy trip, busy with Christmas madness but highlit by the “Hi Dee”s from Woh Woh who’s 21months and a little delight… I have to point out that “Hi Dee” wasn’t just a one off but a regular feature and the means by which he got an extra half our up playing last night… he clearly couldn’t sleep and guess who was on his mind? Yeah… it’s great being the bonus Auntie…

The other kids are all equally lovely, and I had a great time entertaining them at their various homes, Jim and Jam and I played sing star… (they rock harder than I do!) and Sire and Fias entertained us on Christmas Day and beyond… mostly in the sandpit or the paddling pool.

All in all the family time was just lovely. I have it first hand that mother IS doing well and recovering from her op with the District Nurse signing off on her dressings at last.

But there was some me time in there too.

I had the wonderful privilege of a night at the Kiwifruit Chateau in the winterless (snort) north and the bonus of a night there with old flatmates and great friends also from there… I know they say you can never go back, and while there were funky moments when I felt awkward wandering streets and driving past old homes I still got chills driving over the Brynderwyn Hills and catching a view of the Whangarei Heads. A view to set alight the heart of all Northlanders… I feel as though if I ever moved back to NZ you’d find me back there again.

Anyway, even though the New Year started with me crashing out in front of House MD at 9pm (while I was babysitting that little treasure who’s favourite word appears to be Dee) I’m looking forward to a new home, new challenges both at work and in the lecture hall and wish you all the same.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Happy New Year.

Exhale.

Here I am in meek and mild NZ, ok, not meek but the weather is mild today… I’m in jeans and a jumper/jersey/sweater and the sky is grey. Actually, it’s lovely… and even a bit rainy… I’d forgotten what rain looks like!

I am coming down off the most busy 2 weeks I’ve ever had. And I hate saying that, I hate that busy has become the definition for my world. The bugger is that it’s true. In spite of that it’s been very satisfying finally ticking off all the little jobs that mean I’ve tied up all the loose ends at one house and can start getting things settling in at the new.

At least when I get home I can start settling in…

Now that some of the little bits and pieces have been fixed.

Like the hot water system…
And the bathroom door…

It’s like this (and to pre-empt any other questions, yes I did get the house I wanted. A 1 bed unit, combined living/kitchen, massive bedroom/office, garden flat – affordable, and all mine, all to myself!!).

I moved in on Tuesday, had the men dump all my stuff in the house (this was after they’d attended to the wall they knocked down at the last one… don’t ask) and showered (ice cold). I plugged in the hot water and the fridge and left the house for work (some things don’t stop…) noting as I did that when I plugged in the fridge it didn’t give off that hum… the one that says “I’m on!”.

I figured I’d figure it out when I got home and when I finally did the fridge was warm.

This is not good.

The rest of the short story is that I finally connected with the emergency electrician and between us we figured out that the hot water cylinder was forcing the circuit breaker to trip.

Cue Electrician to visit to diagnose cactus water heater and cue plumber to replace the thing.

So by Wednesday I had hot water… hurrah.

Friday comes and the first visitors arrive to have a quick look round and pick up keys to the house for the house sitter and keys to the car for the car sitter.

And then my ride to the airport shows up, has a look round and borrows the loo.

And gets locked in.

Locked into the toilet – this is a problem when I need to get to the airport on time.

Cue Handy Man… who arrives just as I break CoverAll out of the toilet louvre windows.

and so I’m hoping that the toilet door has been repaired… as we had to leave and let him fix it without us…

So, here I am in NZ and my heart rate has finally slowed to normal, my churning stomach has reduced to a vague queaze and v shortly I’m off to see Lil’ Sis.

In the meantime I’ve brought Series 2 of House M.D with me and I’m hot on the heels of episode 4…

Holidays are good.

V Good.