Kia Ora

After the physical week last week I was looking forward to a much more relaxing time but at 8.20am I was sat in the doctors waiting room waiting to get my ears syringed after finding they were blocked on my medical last Friday. The method used was the old fashioned way and not what I have had in the past with a syringe of water blasted into my ear and not a lovely steady jet of warm water from the machine version.

Back home I had breakfast then set about cleaning the place which for some reason seemed to take a long time and it was gone 2pm before I stopped for lunch.In my haste to leave the doctors I had forgotten to post a letter so decided to stretch my legs and walk back into town to the post office, I put the umbrella up and set off.

I got half way into town and the rain got so heavy that the brolley ceased to be any use so I took refuge in the bus shelter watching the lightning and listening to the thunder rolling,within 10 minutes the sky was blue and I carried on into town. Mel arrived home earlier than usual and we caught up on her day before relaxing on the sofa.

After a busy morning on the phne trying to get to the bottom of where our possessions were, I needed a break and set off walking to the hairdressers to make an appointment, it was gorgeous and I was in short sleeves. My route took me past Narrow Neck Beach where the ladies were out on the beach doing Tai Chi, the tide was in and the sea calm. I had planned to continue on into Devonport to put our lotto numbers on but realised that I had forgotten the sheets so walked back to the house past the golf course.

I had a spare hour so decided to make some Cornish pasties and I managed to make 4 decent sized offerings,the hardest bit was watching them cook in the oven and then sit on the baking tray cooling down,they were golden brown and I was tempted to eat one but resisted and had a tuna sandwich instead!!!!

I took the bike out for a spin in the afternoon and was sure I heard my phone ringing but by the time I had pulled up and checked the caller had rung off but there was no number to call them back. I waited a few minutes in case they called back but eventually set off again down the road and it started ringing again. This time I managed to pull up and scramble to get my gloves off before pressing the button that put me on loudspeaker as I had my helmet on. I was glad that I had managed to answer it as it was the council formerly offering me the job that I had spent the last 10 days being tested for,needless to say I was delighted and couldn't wait to get home and tell Mel.

All you detectives out there guessed that it was a role as Parking Officer (traffic warden) so well done to those who got it right. I don't start until August 3rd and then have to have several days training followed by exams then I am free to pound the streets and upset people!!!!

Mel had beaten me home and I told her the good news and obviously she was excited too.We celebrated with cornish pasties for dinner and we even had a bottle of sparkling wine which for us was pushing the boat out midweek.

After the excitement of yesterday Wednesday turned into a mediocre day with chance for me to catch up with reading my book and generally taking it easy. Mel had her usual coffee when she got in then I coersed her into coming for a walk with me. Itook her on a walking tour of houses for sale or rent around the area and it was dark before we arrived home. Mel sat down to watch Neighbours (she has become addicted to it!!!) and I made dinner.

After spending a while earlier in the week trying to locate our worldly goods I took the matter into my hands and made phone calls to find out what was going on.That was when I got a real shock,all the time we have been planning this move we were told the shipment would take 10-16 weeks but after a phone call today that timframe became 5 weeks which really screwed things up a bit. In true Marcus and Mel style we were onto this like a shot and walked into town to get all the latest rental property lists which we perused over coffee. There seemed to be 4 or 5 promising options for us but our timing needs to be impeccable otherwise we could move into somewhere and not have any thing at all....

As we drove back from the supermarket the moon was low in the sky and as soon as we had unpacked our shopping we walked down to Cheltenham Beach to try and get some photos of it,which we did manage but it was so peaceful with the waves lapping onto the sand and the big dinner plate moon reflecting off the water.

I spent the morning riding around town looking at possible rental properties for us to consider,it was a glorious winter day with no cloud and the sun low in the sky. After lunch I went for a ride around the city centre to get used to my new workplace. Because the schools are off the City was packed and traffic was heavy. I sat static and started to get really hot as the engine beneath me warmed up,after a good tour of the city I headed home,tonight was tapas with Patatas Bravas,garlic and chilli prawns with rice, yummy...

We took our usual walk into "Devo" and just managed to sneak in a beer at happy hour, then it was up to the Patriot for a pint and to sit and digest the week before heading home,the wind had picked up and we walked briskly but it still seemed to take forever.

Now my cellphone doesn't ring often as I don't have many friends here (Ahhhh!!!) so I was surprised when it started ringing at 8.45am. It turned out to be Lesley who had dialled me by accident and was trying to order a pizza,it made Mel and I laugh when she realised,but it was good to have a qick chat with them too. I did tell her that I would deliver the pizza but it would take 2-3 days!!!!!

Saturday started off with a visit to the AA garage to get a W.O.F (Warrant of Fitness) put on the car. I guess this is like the M.O.T back in the U.K but here you just drive in and if it's not too busy 15 minutes later you get your keys back and you are done. They check all the safety features of the vehicle and when it passed you can go,which thankfully ours did so we are good for another 6 months now.

The rain kept pouring as the day went on and it was still drizzling when we set off for the ferry to take us into the City. we had decided to go for a meal to celebrate my job offer as well as getting residency and Mel getting her job. Basically we hadn't been out for a meal since we arrived here and although it was a lavish expense we went for it. Before we ate we took a walk around to try and find some new bars and we found two. One was good and one not so good so a 50 % strike rate, the drizzle kept on coming as we walked to the Vertigo Bar at the top of the Mercure Hotel.

In true style we arrived for Happy Hour intending to have a drink before dinner but when we tried to book a table for later they were fully booked and the only option we had was to eat straight away so that is what we did. We were seated at a a table by the window so we had views of the harbour and Queen Street below us.Now I know you are all sat thinking that the meal must be costing them a fortune but we had a coupon so it was very reasonable and the food we had was delicious. We shared a delicious starter with breads and avocado and olive oil, this was followed with our mains. Mel had rack of lamb with pumpkin mash and wild mushrooms and I had roast duck,with gorgonzola tart,we shared steamed broccoli in honey dressing and garlic potatoes,it was all very delicious.

After dining we sat in the bar with fantastic views of the Sky Tower enjoying our drinks and the atmosphere.It was a nice way to celebrate our good news but we know that there is still lots of hard work to follow. We stepped off the ferry and couldn't believe our luck when the bus was on the stand, needless to say we jumped on for the short ride home to stay out of the rain.

The wind was howling this morning and we were not sure what to do with the day but over breakfast we had several ideas before plumping for swimming. I checked the times and before we knew it we were in the pool swimming around.Mel did a few more lengths than me as I got chatting with a painter that I knew but after the swim we jumped in the hot tub for a relaxing soak. We thought this was great and a real bargain but our excitement was to continue. I went for a shower and couldn't believe that you got all the shampoo free too and when Mel met up with me she was ecstatic that they provided hairdryers free too!!!!

We were hungry after the exercise so drove up to Milford Beach where we parked up and ate our picnic in the comfort of the car watching the waves crash in and people nearly getting blown over walking their dogs.

Lots of Love

M & M
xx