Laundry or Driving?

Which has been more of an adjustment for me, doing the laundry or driving? Surprisingly, drying the laundry.

Laundry - In New Zealand laundry is dried outdoors. I find this challenging in the damp, chilly weather. At first I was using a clothes line in the back yard; however, it did not get any sun and limited wind. So I started asking people how they got their laundry dry. One person said he uses his conservatory (greenhouse). Another said she dries stuff inside on a clothes horse with a dehumidifier in the room on the "laundry" setting. So for a while we were bidding on dehumidifiers on Trade Me.

Over time I've figured out a system. I check the weather in the morning to find out if it's a good drying day. (I found out the kiwis do this too.) I started using the clothes horse on the porch. A clothes horse is a large collapsible drying rack. We have a large and small horse and Tom strung up some extra clothesline along the sunny corner of the porch. After about 1/2 to 1 day the laundry is dry. I bring it inside and spread it on my bed to warm up. We do have to watch for rain storms and sometimes need to move things around on the porch.

Another essential tool of the trade is clothespins. Because Wellington can become very windy at a moment's notice, everything has to be clipped with strong pincher clothespins. Ads for clothespins are in the women's magazines. Unfortunately Dennis learned the hard way the necessity of clothespins. He removed them from his wetsuit that was on the clothes horse. We have no idea how far away it flew or where it might be! (Yes, a wetsuit needs to be dried so it doesn't mildew.)

Driving - I was nervous about driving on the left. Not anymore. I am becoming more and more comfortable. We are getting to know our way around and learning the rules and "giving way." I am especially vigilant at roundabouts and pedestrian crossings. When I show my ID at the bank, I talk about needing to get my NZ drivers license. I am assured that the written test is fairly simple and I can buy practice tests at the BP station. We bought and have read the Road Code books ($25).

PC TP

Yep you know that that means. PC is Politically Correct. TP is Toilet Paper. So what is politically correct Toilet Paper. Is it green toilet paper. Well probably but that is now what this post is about.

I was in Auckland last week to learn about Kiwi employment law. It is worth a post in and of itself and not the point of this post.

The instructor was selling some cadbury chocolate bars for her younger son as a fund raiser. The chocolate bars are quite the value for the money so I jumped at the opportunity to but one (or two but whose counting?) Carolyn apologized to me for selling candy. I asked why she said that some people are offended for it is not healthy. I laughed and mentioned that we do the same in the US just a different manufacture.

Then we drifted onto the push that New Zealand has for Healthy Eating Healthy Action (HEHA-this is a ministry of health initiative) then the instructor said ... ready for this ... her older child was asked to sell Toilet Paper as a fund raiser.

Yes she said that the push has made its way down to fund raisers and TP is a lucrative non-offensive means of raising money. I can't imagine a child having to go door to door selling toilet paper. It just isn't right. When I asked about nuts she said that with allergies they are no longer viable for fund raising.

So there you have it. Politically Correct thought (or lack there of) taken to the extreme results in children being asked to peddle toilet paper.

Codine and TKD

Yes Codine. I would like it to be known, for the record now, that the most civilized part of New Zealand is the fact that you can buy Codine over the counter. Ibuprofen and Codine in a mixture that cuts pain like nothing else known to us mere mortals.

I need this because of Tae Kwon Do. That is the Koren martial art which I find myself enrolled. I am not sure how this happened to me. It all started way back when in the US when I finally woke up and decided to loose some weight. My son was going to a TKD class and the instructor as well as half the adults around there encouraged me to attend their remedial exercise class called Kick Boxing. Well I went and kept at it only to loose quite a bit of weight. Actually enough to get me through New Zealand immigration. However I did not know that in time.

I say it that way for I eventually enrolled in TKD. It was a way of changing my twice a week exercise for five days a week. I needed to burn more calories to loose even more weight. So I signed up back in the US. Now I find myself in a New Zealand TKD club at Victoria University. That means I am attending a club with a bunch of 20 year olds, except for the occasional freshman who is 19 years old.

Sunday I sparred with a black belt. Not that this is unusual I have sparred with many black belts over the past two months. The average black belt around here is 5'5" and weighs 150lb when wet. What was unusual is that this guy, David, is as big as I am except he doesn't have my gut and he is 20 years younger than me. David figured I knew what I was doing so he came "full on" as they say over here. I lost every single time I sparred with him, about 15 times over an hour. At the time I felt pretty good for I was able to block many of his kicks, and actually take some major kicks and keep in there fighting away no matter how feeble.

Where I blocked with my arms and shoulders I am black and blue. The kicks in the chest do not have the marks however there is internal pain which is a reminder of the exercise. This leads me to my opening comment about Codine. The codine makes the pain almost bearable. I can remember five kicks to the chest on Saturday, three of which David visibly staggered from the impact with my body. Like I said I kept in the fight. All I can say is that I am so glad he wasn't wearing shoes.

I asked David why he was not blocking my kicks, he kept his arms at his side when we fought. As David put it "in our weight class bones break. A good kick will easily break a forearm." He went on to say that he has seen a few tournaments where people walk off the mat with bones protruding from their skin. Ouch.

So back to the drawing board. I have been known as the guy who blocks well. I realize I have to be much faster on my feet and learn to avoid the kicks.

In all my sparing on Saturday I scored -1 points. That would be one real point with David and a minus two. In case you are wondering TKD sparring rules deduct points for kicking to the head and groin. I really tried to kick high enough to get him in the stomach ... really I tried.

Kid Fun Photos

Dennis has had opportunities to do a number of kid activities.

Photo #1 - Dennis is bungee jumping in a set up like a baby johnny jump up on steroids. I got video of this as well.



Photo #2 - Blow up slide at a swimming pool during the April school break.

Photo #3 - Dennis is on the flying fox at the playground in the Botanic Garden. This is a 10 minute walk from where we are living.

Photo #4 - Dennis on the teapot ride at Lollipops, an indoor playland for kids. I took Dennis here as a special treat on his birthday. He also enjoyed the slides and video games. He is counting down until his dad will take him again at the end of June.

Photo #5 - Dennis playing fetch with Lacey, the chocolate labrador we're caring for, at Trelissick Park. We drive to this park and Lacey whines in anticipation of going to one of her favorite places. The park has a path along a stream and is one of the places where dogs can be off leash.

The one that got away

Okay the house was not that big. In fact it was smallish about 800sq feet. But the "conservatory" added another 300sq feet or so. (A conservatory is what they use to describe an unheated porch with lots of windows.)

The house faced North by North West. Which meant it got great sun and that is probably the most important thing in a house in the Wellington area. Also the sun would heat up the conservatory and probably therefore the whole house.

There was a good patio off the conservatory, an amazing deck off the living room with a decent size yard. The property the house was on was quite big. There were four other houses on the same property but the hill to the back with the grove of trees would have been perfect for Dennis to wander.

I really liked the owner Derrik and his wife Wendy. I worked hard to make Derrick like me and it did pay off. It pained him to say no, but no it is for the person who is going to get the house was willing to commit to a five year lease. Ours is only two.

Derrick has promised to invite me back to his cabin on the property to taste some home made bourbon he produces out in his lifestyle property. Like I said Derrick really liked me so I have lost the house but made a friend!