Year from Hell

This has been the year from Hell. (my apologies to the adults with children for use of that phrase.) There is no better way to describe it. The first four days started out well then from there it went down hill.

The MoH was hit with a particularly bad virus on the Monday that I went back to work. This has taken my full time efforts to combat it thus far this year. I have put in quite a few additional hours and now I am just nakkerd (that is Kiwi for tired.) I would write a bit about the virus however there are quite a few journalist asking questions and in case someone finds this blog I am best keeping the details to myself.

In addition to battling the virus my acting role at the MoH ends soon as the permanent person has arrived. This is a good thing for it allows me to get on building the life we want in New Zealand however it is bitter sweet as the MoH has a great bunch of people. In short I am grieving the change there.

Back to the virus!

With the virus running I don't have anytime for anything else. Which means I have not been updating this Blog, looking at other options in Wellington, or spending enough time with my family.

At this moment Chris is out getting our tickets to the South Island for next weekend. Dennis has come back from a friends house and is asking me to play a board game with him. So I am off to play Cadoo. At least I can end this first month of the year right by posting a blog entry and spending time with my son.

Wish me luck!

Tom

Homemade Pavlova

We made a homemade pavlova last weekend. Ready made ones are available at the grocery store, but they don't compare to homemade ones.

Pavlova is made of egg whites, sugar and a couple other things. These are beaten together with my heavy duty stand mixer. Then it is baked in the oven for an hour or so. The oven is turned off and it is left to cool inside.

The result is a bit crunchy on the outside and a bit chewy in the middle. The top is coated with whipped cream and then decorated with strawberries (which are in season now). Our kiwi dinner guests enjoyed it as much as we did.

Dennis recently discovered that he likes pavlova. When he invited our next door neighbors over for a sausage sizzle, he suggested they bring one. Tom and I just laughed when he told us that!

Makara Walkway

On Monday the 5th, Dennis and I joined four others to explore the Makara walkway. Makara is on the west coast looking out at the Tasman Sea. The prevailing winds are northwest and it was blustery. The hike was challenging; here they call it tramping. First we climbed uphill and tried to avoid getting too much sheep droppings on our boots. Next we went downhill and completed the circular route by returning along the beach. The beach was stony and we would sink down a bit with each step. A section of large jagged boulders also kept the heart pumping.

At some tidal pools we stopped and found crabs, starfish and limpets. Dennis enjoyed finding interesting sticks and dragging them along. Above Dennis is holding a little starfish.

After being out tramping about 3 hours, all of us were tired. We climbed into our cars and headed home. Dennis and I treated ourselves to slushies. Following a refreshing shower, I put my feet up for the rest of the day. I also resolved to buy some cushion insoles for my boots.

Yes, I took the gorgeous scenic photo on the right.

Motorized Skateboard

For those of you who forgot let me remind you about "Tom's Folly" the motorized skateboard that I purchased from a slick salesman within a few weeks of arrival in the country. The skateboard has been safely tucked away in a hall closet all these months we have been living on Pitt Street. Well last night after Dennis went to sleep I took it out of the closet and charged it up.

It took Dennis about 30 seconds to point it out to me this morning. You will not be surprised to hear how much of a motivator it was to get him dressed and fed this morning. We were out the door 20 minutes later.

Our destination was Queen's Wharf. A delightful waterfront area that was packed with cyclists and walkers this fine Sunday morning.

Dennis brought his scooter (see earlier post) and we raced south for a while. On medium he was able to keep up with me, on fast he was lost. I quickly found a bench to sit on right near his favourite park and gave him the board. He enjoyed himself greatly!

Sydney

I went to Sydney! (the trip was in the middle of November apologies for the lateness of this post.) It was a business trip to the Asia Pacific region Gartner conference. As you can tell from the title this post is about the city not the conference.

So what can I say about Sydney outside of the fact that it is a great city! Sydney is located in ... Sydney Harbor, an estuary dead center on the eastern coast of New South Wales. New South Wales you ask! That is a state in Australia, oh about the size of Texas it is located in the South East of Australia. Sydney is a 3.5 hour flight from Wellington. One of the few direct international flights from New Zealand's capital.

Sydney is the largest city in Australia and is divided into two by the bay. The main city, Sydney is located on the south side of that famous bridge you have seen. And on the otherwise they have (imagine this) North Sydney.

I was staying near the Sydney convention center which is on Darling Harbor (yes they called a harbor darling!) It is a cute little harbor basically made up for tourists. I promptly left the harbor every evening after the day's festivities.

My first night I met a old Chicago friend for dinner. Kurt and I were sailing partners back 0n Lake Michigan. I walked to a wharf which seemed more interesting than hanging around the harbor which would be home for a week. We had a great dinner somewhere nearby and with some help managed to find my way back to the hotel.

The next evening I walked to "The Rocks" which is old Sydney. It looks like a cross between a wild west town and a medieval city in Spain. At night the rocks showed at their best. The locals have put in extensive indirect lighting which gives the whole place a magical feel. A wonderful place to be.

Following night I walked to the Opera House via the botanical gardens. The gardens are lovely but the Opera House! Wow it is even more amazing up close and real than in the various pictures you have seen. I hung around the opera house for a while than grabbed a cab back to the convention center for a night of networking. As I got into the cab I noticed that the Opera House is quite close to "the rocks" just across Circular Quay to be precise. Circular Quay is quite significant for my third night out I met Kurt again at ... Circular Quay. I managed to find three different paths through Sydney to effectively the same place. Each walk through the city was spectacular.

On Thursday night after meeting Kurt at Circular Quay we took a ferry to Manly. Manly is a small tourist town on the far North of Sydney Harbour. It is quite an amazing town actually. The harbour itself is more like a train station with cafes and shopping. From there we took the main street right across the peninsula to the ocean. Wow the moon was at its full and the beach was lovely. Even with the southerly blowing which meant we were being sand blasted while looking at the water. So quickly turning around we took another road back towards the harbour and found ourselves in this little hole in the wall Italian restaurant. It was great food, great conversation, in a great town. What more could one ask?

My last day in Sydney reminded me of why I live in Wellington. I left for the airport at 3:15, arriving at 4:00. It was an uneventful ride but contrast it to my 15 minute cab ride in bad Wellington traffic. Then at the airport I stood in line for one hour to get my ticket. Compare that to my standard of walk up to the ticket counter in Wellington. (Well once there were two people in front of me.) Then I had a half hour wait going through customs and a similar wait to get through security. Finally there was the walk to the terminal which is a typical lugging luggage through a big airport. I really like the scale of Wellington.

Speaking of Wellington. Arriving at Wellington was very strange. Emotionally I was going home. Yet it was only seven months ago that I arrived here for the first time. So driving to the house I was very much aware of both the newness and familiarness of Wellington. It was a turning point for me in this great adventure. I still call Chicago home but now I call Wellington home as well.

Scooter Repair

A while ago the front wheel of Dennis' scooter fell off. I was tasked with repairing it and have dreaded the effort. The problem was Dennis only brought back half the axle assembly. We were missing the male bolt and one of the bearings. Finding those in Wellington can be difficult.

Well today I was determined to get this repaired. First stop was the local bike store. Which was closed for the season. Second was the local hardware store, Placemakers, where, as I expected, they had nothing. They suggested a skate board shop however no one had any idea where to find one. As I got back into the car I remembered the day I purchased the electronic skateboard that there was a skate shop in the area. So I was off to down town Wellington. Fortunately I found a parking space right on the park which I had to cross to get to the shop.

As I drew near to the shop I saw a bustling ice cream business so I figured I had the wrong place. Upon further inspection I saw that there were two businesses in one. The skate shop on the right and ice cream/coffee on the left. So walking to the right I waited, and waited, and waited while the highly tattooed man behind the ice cream counter was free. I explained to him my delema and showed him the parts I had and he was sure he could find a bearing but there was nothing for the axle. Five minutes later it appeared that all spare bearings were sold and I would have to purchase an eight pack for skate boards if I was going to get this done. Then he looked at my kid and said I may have a used one around here. Pulling out a jar which would look at home in any garage he dug out a nice greasy bearing and slipped it into the wheel and said 'Merry Christmas.'

I thanked him by buying two ice cream cones. Dennis enjoyed a rocky road and I white chocolate. So now to find an axle. As it is a simple machine screw back to Placemakers. Where I was recognized upon walking in the door and quickly was directed to the loose screws (figure there is a joke in there somewhere.)

After a few minutes I found the size (M8) and the length required (15mm.) The bad news is all they had was an M8 at 20mm. So back to the audience (yes they watched me) and I told them I needed 15mm. Okay. Happiness registered on their faces as they could direct me to the next isle where (oh joy) I could buy a package of 15mm M8's!

The rest of the story is kind of anti-climatic. However Dennis is now a happy kid riding his scooter.