HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDAD! I hope you had a wonderful birthday meal and I'm sending loads of love, hugs and kisses!

Also!! CONGRATS to Papa Vaea for being the winners of the Nationals! Sorry I missed it, I would have loved to have been around for it all!

It's been on entire week since I last blogged and I have heaps of stories to tell, I just hope I don't forget any of the bestest ones! :-D Monday through to Thursday were my days off and I got a free tour with KBC tours - it was super good, it took me to New Brighton, Sumner, over the Porthills and inbetween we had stops at some major earthquake damaged areas. I actually saw half a house on a hill and the other half a couple of 100 metres downthe side of a cliff! It was intense! So story number 1: One whole wall of a massive superstore fell down on to the street of which people lived, and to my amazement the rest of the story didn't go as I expected. So the people of the street came out of their houses because of the damage and they all lined up along the broken wall so that people couldn't just go in the superstore and steal stuff! My jaw dropped - the community embarrassed the people who tried to steal by naming them the local paper. I was just shocked by the sense of community and it was a really cool story to me! Especially as we had bystanders just watching the people around the UK stealing and damaging shops- ruining the community. Its the complete opposite on the opposite side of the world :-) I love it here!!! So I'll carry on... Over the days off I walked around alot of the city, through Hagley park, around the Botanic Gardens, got to know where I am now living :-) My last day off was by far one of the best days in Chch so far! I got to spend it with Vaea and Eleanor! What a fricking amazing couple of people! They feed me, drove me places, made me smile! A-MAZING! :-D They took me over some hills to a beautiful place, Akaroa! The sun was shining, the ice-cream was tasty as, the park had swings! It really couldn't have been any better! So thanks guys for a sweet as day! This leads me to story number 2: Vaea's car broke before we even left Chch and Eleanor saved his ass. Thats pretty much all I have to say, it was entertaining for the most part. And it also lead to double fudge frappes= love, but with no ice? Which then goes to story number 3: I completed my Peterson family puzzle!!!!!!!! And I have to say, it is an incredible puzzle :-)

It's been a crazy busy weekend full of crazy backpackers, most of them have been really good company! And I've had a sweet weekend full of scones and chocolate cakes :-) But I'm ready for my 4 days off! And I'm more ready for a day at the races, Tucker family night and a couple of walks in the Porthills :-) And I'm happy to announce I get to spend Christmas with the Peterson family :-D

"The best way to predict your future, is to create it"

Mucho LV and peace from JAY- Chch, NZ