night shift no more!

How to celebrate the end of a set of night shifts? Go out for breakfast of course! And so we did – and it’s now 6pm and we’ve still not eaten anything since then – that’s what a good breakfast can do for you!

We also went for a different walk a bit further up our wee river – reminded us of the Deeside area!

There was an excellent swimming spot in the river a bit further down from the spot above – if only it was slightly warmer then J would’ve been jumping in in a flash and I’d have probably followed him!

And now I have the fun of trying to keep J awake this evening until a respectable time!

night shift

Well, J has done two nights so far and they’ve both gone well; a steady number of patients so he doesn’t get bored (and sleepy) and yet not too many so that it’s stressful. The shifts are only 8 hours long (2 less than in Freo) which I think he quite likes. The thing about the accommodation we’re in is that it is just one open plan room and a toilet/shower room and so when he sleeps during the day I go out and entertain myself and then he wakes up around 3pm and we have a couple of awake hours together and then around 7pm goes back to sleep until 9:30/10pm. While he’s sleeping in the evening I don’t go out, instead I make camp in the toilet since it’s the only place I can have a light on without disturbing him! I’ve got cushions to sit on and the internet cable just stretches and I take a wee pile of books. Last night I made the error of not taking in enough to do but today I went to the video store and rented a DVD – well prepared!

Anyway, today I went to the wee town of Stratford and went to the pioneer village and then saw the glockenspiel play. All very pleasant. The weather was fab too!

And then after J woke up (while they were ’servicing’ our unit) we went to the beach – lovely lovely!

Just want to give a wee shout out to Doc Martin – we’ve finished season one and are on to season two. Now it’s no West Wing or MOTG but we’re enjoying it all the same!

Just in case anyone was wondering what the job / life after NZ situation was like… well far from getting clearer our future plans are becoming less clear. Literally at the moment we have no jobs, no prospective jobs and nowhere to live long term… It’s all rather exciting!!!

welcome!

We are delighted to welcome baby Bethan to the Wraight family! Congratulations Tim and Katy! (For those keeping a tally (is anyone?) I guessed a girl and on time (which we defined as within two days of the due date) although I thought she would be called Hannah. J’s guess of a boy called Steve was clearly wrong!)

We had a lovely walk today in Pukekura Park (the Rosies were right – it’s fab!) Great trails, interesting trees, a few lakes, sweet wee benches and awesome smelling rhododendrons and azaleas.

And so tonight J is doing his first night shift here (how many times in this blog have I proclaimed his last night shift?) Anyway, they only have consultants on at night but it’s generally pretty quiet and so he is the only emergency doctor at the hospital tonight!

I was on tea tonight and made a tomato fettucine with crispy bacon on top. I’m not known for my amazing tomato sauces but J lauded it continually all the way throught the meal – really he almost went over the top – and then at the end he said (in all seriousness) “that was so good it’s almost as if I’d made it!” Now those of you who know my husband know he’s not given to big headedness but there’s also no doubt he makes a mean tomato sauce – I’ve learned from the master!

quiet day

Well, we had a brief window this morning of clear skies before the rain started and so we walked up the river – so beautiful!

And then it P O U R E D and so we had a lovely stay at home afternoon drinking cups of tea, playing cad rum, reading books, doing sudoku and chatting.

PS We’re thinking of you Tim and Katy!!

up and down the river

Today J’s working the late shift and so we had the whole morning and half the afternoon to make the most of – and we did!

It was another sunny day and we decided to explore our immediate surroundings further. There’s a sweet wee bush walk right on our doorstep – literally – and it takes us up the river. Lovely! The smells of the forest and the native trees and New Zealand birds – we love it!

And then we headed off to a local ‘historic’ house and gardens to have a wander and visit the farmers market they were hosting. The house was downriver a bit from us and so we got a pretty good perspective on what is on either side of us.

And now J is at work – his first shift with no other consultants on – He’s the man!!

Big happy birthday today too to our favourite Ruby!

Guest blog

J here. We’re just back to the house after a a walk on the Coastal Walkway which they say was part of the reason New Plymouth was voted  the best place in the WORLD to live for it’s size. One of the cool things – apart from the light evenings which  we are LOVING – is this…

The Wind Wand. Looks like a red pole with a bulb on top. Which is exactly what it is.  Basically it sways with the prevailing breeze, kinda gracefully. And there is a red light on top – which we haven’t seen yet.

It looks warm but was surprisingly chilly.

It is a beautiful coast. Great to be on the west again with sunsets on the sea.

Earlier in the day we went for a walk round  Lake Mangamahoe. Nice forrest/lake/hill combination.

A koru or uncurling fern – one of Morv’s favourite shapes (and words).

The mountain (Taranaki) almost visible. We tried to go for a walk earlier in the mountain up the side of it but got rained on…

Between the two walks we went to see movie Up which was great. Definitely recommend it. Some pretty moving bits and deep themes for a kids movie too.

Back home and the mountain finally showing itself. Good day all round.

beach

We’re never long in a place before trying to find the nearest beach and so yesterday I picked J up from work (which went well although it always takes time to find your feet – and get used to the new computer system!) and we headed to Oakura and had a lovely barefooted walk and paddle

Today rained and rained and rained (the way it can on the west coast!) J was off work though and so we headed to Puke Ariki which was great! We went round the Museum and then had lunch watching the rain fall. This afternoon sky movies came to the rescue – The Spideriwck Chronicles – did I metion our room has sky? Including sky sports 1 and 2 – hello Premier League football! I’m seriously considering staying up all night when Jonathan is working nights and watching the football!

So it’s all good here! And J’s making a delicious smelling dinner in our wee kitchen… off to sample it…

the power of a name!

Well yesterday was quite a surreal experience for us! I felt like I’d gone from cleaner to queen!

Before I write about that though I didn’t blog about the 19th October which is an anniversary day in all sorts of ways

• two years to the day from when we got engaged – ah the memories – Central Park in the rain, umbrella, Cates family, tanzanite!
• it was one year to the day from when J passed his final exam!!
• this year a new memory was added – J found out on the 19th that he has satisfied all requirements to become a fellow of the college and so is now a fully fledged consultant – no more paperwork, hoops, exams, logbooks!! WOOHOO. Raise your hand if you weren’t sure this day would ever come?! Strong work my love!

So anyway, we moved out our house on Monday and spent a fun evening with the Geddes  actually playing games! Not Settlers, but Rummikub which was a blast from the past! Before that we played out in the garden with the girls. Oh boy we are so fond of them!

this is the worldwide universal ‘pick me up please’ gesture!

every god-child of ours needs to know the rudiments of the great game!

We stayed at the Geddes’ again on Monday night and then Tuesday morning were woken by two sweet wee girls knocking on the door at 7am! More playing and reading and then sending boxes back to Scotland and then a lift from our house group leader to the airport and we’re off…

This is when we realised how powerful our names were! But first, how much do we love NZ – you all know that right? But I gained a deeper appreciation at the airport – you have virtually none of the hassles of flying that you do at home: check in (a mere 30 minutes before take off) at a touch screen which takes about 30 seconds (no queue), drop off your bag at a smiling lady, walk through the screening bit (again no queue), sit for 10 minutes, board the plane at the exact time it says on your boarding card, find your seat – not tricky because there are only 26 seats on the plane!! The remarkable thing is that because there’s no threat over here everyone is smiley and happy and friendly and pretty chilled out. So much so that Jonathan got all the way here on a ticket that said

So, we had a very smooth flight here (so I’m told – I was asleep!) and then arrived and went to the Air NZ desk, gave our names and were handed a set of car keys to a car parked outside. Got in the car was about to pay for parking when we spotted a note which said all we had to do was swipe a card to get out of the car park. Okay. Drove to our accommodation which had all been arranged for us. Went to the check in desk, gave our names and were handed apartment keys and directed to where our unit was – no signing, no paying. Apparently our names have power in Taranaki!! And oh goodness this accommodation is SWEET!!

this is our view – rather like Stanley, eh?!

this is my reading chair! And our bath – some view!!

And all for free (is this a big deal for me because I’m Scottish?) The hospital sure knows how to take care of their locums! J and I have never lived like this before! We’re so appreciative of everything! Oh and we have a petrol card too so we don’t have to pay for that either! Oh and they come and clean our unit every day and make our bed!! (It really is like being in Stanley!! ) J’s first day of work is today and so we’ll blog later about how it went.

I have to say the legendary Taranaki friendliness is everywhere evident and the Mountain is stunning (photos to follow). We certainly are incredibly thankful to have this opportunity. Now, I’m off to make soup…

marks, set, go…

Well, this is the final post from our weee Christchurch house! We’ve cleaned and scrubbed and dusted and weeded and tidied and it’s virtually spotless (I have to say ‘virtually’ because there may well be one spot we’ve missed). I am ever so thankful to have a husband who cheerfully cleans alongside me and who knows how to clean properly and does a thorough job! I’m going to be sad to leave here – it’s been a great place to live!

Yesterday we spent most of the day cleaning but took a break in the evening for church (they even baked us a cake!) and then afterwards we went to some friends house for ‘Top Gear’ and pizza with some other friends – love it! And then we headed to the Geddes’ and stayed there last night. It was ever so lovely to get up this morning and see those sweet wee girls faces! J had a dream about a crying child in the middle of the night… and then realised it wasn’t a dream! We’re heading back there now to cook them dinner and then hang out. Off to Taranaki tomorrow morning.

So this chapter is almost over. Thanks for journeying it with us! On to the next one…

Last night in the house – Guest blog

We’re still mid packing and so there’s a background mild stress due to OCD in one half of the family being challenged by the clutter in the house (echoes of cloths in the sink and people wearing blue/black combinations…). We think we have pretty much sorted out now what’s going home and what’s not which is good but there’s still about 2 days of cleaning to do…anyway against tha backdrop two pleasant interludes happened upon our day.

This is Mike Jowsey and I having a chat (probably about me needing new glasses) with the International Food Market in the background. Morv has taken a liking for some strange Thai dish that is essentially bits of vegetable lost in plenty of deep fried donut with satay sauce on top. Great to see you Mike – thanks for taking time out to see us!

We had curry with Duncan tonight at The Copper Chime tonight which was great but went about 1 poppadom and half a naan too far.  Know the feeling? No picture of Duncan but nice lillies eh?

I love this pic. I think it’s expression on the dog’s face, looking at the cat. No connection to the blog whatsoever.

So we’re hoping to be out of the house by tomorrow with the final inspection on Monday. Quite sad really. We have loved living here and having people to visit. Thanks to all who came and stayed and made us laugh and played Settlers!