Lives That Count

The TSCF conference entitled 'Lives that Count: Mission from McDonald's to Mongolia' took place in Auckland from 27th June - 2nd July. It went really well and it was fantastic for me to meet so many students.

The students seemed to really enjoy the mixed program of meetings, seminars, destination world, resource centre, Sunday morning at different churches, a day trip to a temple, islamic centre and mall, lots of recreation and the final night concert!

I was kept busy all week working long days but loved watching the students enjoy themselves and get excited about mission.

One of the highlights of the week was the trip to the three place of worship - A Buddhist Temple, An Islamic centre and A Mall. It was a great chance to see how other people worship, understand them better and therefore sharing the Gospel with them more effectively. It was very obvious at all three places the lack of hope or certainty in there futures wheras I can be certain of my salvation in Jesus Christ! The students seemed to find it beneficial and asked some excellent questions to the staff in each of the centres.

I was ready for home though by the time I got back and enjoyed a couple of days off!

A small Tiki tour to Auckland!

The TSCF mid year conference started in Auckland on 27th June. As there was A LOT of stuff that needed to be transported up there, I decided that it would be a good idea to drive. It also gave me a chance to see some more of the country. So last Thursday, Val and I set off with a heavey laden car for our long drive north. The previous day the desert road (main road north) had been closed for a short while due to snow so we were pleased to find it was open when we needed to drive along it. Normally from the desert road you get fantastic views of Mt Ruapehu but there was too much cloud! I did get to see some snow though!

The remnants of a snowman - most of the snow had melted!

Val and what we could see of the mountain through my car window!

The base of Mt Ruapehu! It is very high - I promise!

We kept driving and made a stop at the Huka falls! Very beautiful rapids which are illegal to Kayak down. They are an amazing colour! Can't wait to take Jenny, Simon and the girls to go and see them.

We then carried on our journey - stopped off at Vals parents for the night and then carried onto to Auckland on Friday morning. Next installment will be about conference!

Completed at Last!

So, at the beginning of March, I decided to start a jigsaw. I fancied a bit of brain activity and thought it would be good to do as the weather got colder and had lazy afternoons in the house. It was much more difficult then I expected, but just before leaving for conference (post to follow) I completed it after nearly 4 months! I had lots of little short bursts and then long breaks as I got frustrated and bored with it but perseverance came through in the end and here it is:

Breakfast in Parliament!

On Thursday Morning, I attended a prayer breakfast in the banquet hall in Parliament. It was organised by the council of Wellington city churches and the chair of the TSCF board, Judge Andrew Becroft was speaking about Jesus affecting how we are in our workplace. He spoke excellently and even mentioned TSCF. About 8 of us from work attended to support Andrew. It was an early start but certainly not anything I ever would have had the chance to do in the UK!

Apparently it's winter!?!

After church this morning, Trudy, Katie and myself went out for lunch at Maranui Cafe in Lyall bay. It has a bay window overlooking the beach and we managed to get a table by the window! It's 16 degrees today, the sun is out and the wind is light - what a stunning Wellington day! I will be very happy if winter stays like this! After a very delicious lunch of avacado, tomato and bacon on 5 grain toast we decided to go for a walk along the beach! Whoever comes to visit me will definitely be taking a trip to Maranui!

Time flying by!

OK, so I apologise for the lack of posts for a couple of weeks. I can't believe I'm already in my sixth month of being here, time is just flying by! I'm trying to think what I've been up to since my last post and I can't say that's it's anything very exciting! Work is very busy at the moment as conference starts in 2 weeks! I'm driving up to Auckland (8 hours) on 26th June and I'm looking forward to the chance of seeing some more of the North Island. We already have 90 odd registrants for conference which is great and it looks like it's going to be a fantastic week!

Winter is slowly going by, I still have the urge to go Christmas shopping. Today has been a stunning day though. My friend Trudy came round and we went out for a lovely walk along the coast. I didn't even need my coat it has been a beautiful day!!! If winter stays like this then I will be very happy!

I have joined the gym!!! I have put on so much weight that I decided enough was enough and I've joined the local council gym! I go 5 times a week and am absolutely loving it. I go straight from work so that I don't get comfy on the sofa. I'm feeling a real difference in myself and I'm looking forward to seeing the results in my clothes!

On Tuesday I went to a public lecture with Dr William Lane Craig - The title of the lecture was 'She'll be right: Do we need God in a self sufficient age?' It was partly organised by TSCF and there was a great turn out. Dr Craig is one of today's leading philosophers and it was a great opportunity to be able to listen to him. It took me back to my sociology days at 6th form which I used to love. It was great to see the turn out and hear the questions at the end. Dr Craig shared some of his testimony of how he came to Christ at the end which just framed the whole lecture. I also felt semi-intelligent attending a public lecture!!!

So I think that is pretty much all my news for the last couple of weeks!

Day Trip to Auckland

Sounds a bit strange doesn't it? Day trip to Auckland!!! but it is actually quite common here! This year's TSCF Student conference is happening at Willow Park Conference Centre on Eastern Beach in Auckland so I headed up there this morning to do a site visit. I am coming down with a cold and very annoying cough so the prospect of getting up at 6.30 this morning was not an attractive one! It is about 1 hours flight up to Auckland from Wellington. It was a stunning day in Auckland and I was picked up by a collegue and taken via another collegues house to Willow Park. The visit was really helpful in my preperations for conference. We then stopped for lunch at a lovely cafe overlooking Eastern Beach:

I was then whizzed back to the airport ready for my 2.45 flight back to Wellington. Whew what an exhausting day!

Autumn in May!!!!!

So it's coming to the end of May and Autumn is definitely here. It feels very strange to see trees looking like this in May! With the dark cold evenings setting in I keep getting the urge to go Christmas shopping! I find it quite confusing to realise that it would be very early! It got me thinking about how much our brains rely on visual signs to determine where we are and what time of year it is. If there is a bank holiday for instance, it confuses me about what day of the week it is! My friend Lizzy, for the first three years of living here started thinking about her birthday as soon as the weather turned colder beacuse it is in September! I don't think I will ever get used to May meaning cold autumn weather and September meaning Spring! I am really glad I live in a place with clear seasons though even if they are the opposite way round.

Which way is North?

I had an interesting conversation the other day. We were talking about what could be causing the headaches I have been having. Somebody suggested that it was because I was upside down. It was then suggested that maybe I was the right way up. We then had a discussion on the fact that space has no top or bottom. Who says North is up and South is down? Maps were initially drawn by Europeans! I found this very confusing! I still do I think! If there is a scientific reason that suggests that the Northern hemisphere is at the top and the southern is at the bottom then please let me know, I would be very interested to hear. Otherwise it is a good reminder to consider a different perspective! Especially of those in the southern hemisphere constantly being told they are upside down! :o) The conversation did put my brain into a bit of a spin though and that definitely didn't help my headache!

Personal Reflections

(left: me 2005, right: me 2008)
I suddenly realised at church this morning that today is exactly 3 years since my world started to unravel and fall apart! When I say 3 years, it hardly feels like anything and yet so much has happened. I started to reflect on where I was then and where God has brought me to now and the two are miles apart not just in terms of physical distance but spiritually and emotionally aswell! I have such a testimony of God's faithfulness and sovereignty.
While I was thinking about this journy that God has taken me on over the last 3 years I was overwhelmed with such a feeling of God bringing me to this city, to this church, to this work and at this time. I am so sure that I am in the right place for this time and involved in the right things and that is so exciting!!!!
In Romans 8 it says:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is my testimony, nothing has or will ever seperate me from the love of God. I'm so excited about what God will do with me here in New Zealand for the time he has brought me here!

A visitor from Cheltenham

It was a lovely surprise a couple of weeks ago to get a message from my friend Beth saying that she would be in NZ and more specifically Wellington for a couple of days!

I used to work with Beth, back in the day of my SHS working life!

We arranged to meet for lunch on Friday. It was so lovely catching up with her! It was quite surreal seeing someone from home though! I got a bit confused about where I was! It was really great to catch up though!

New Staff Training

I decided that it has been a very long time since I blogged about work, so I thought I would tell you about New Staff Traing which we had a couple of weeks ago in a place called Raumati, staying in a house almost on the beach. It was a good chance to get to know people on the team much better and also to learn more about TSCF, the ministry and get some training and input from experienced and wise people. It was good for me as Events manager to get to know possible venues to use and get an idea for catering needs for different amounts of people.

Below is a picture of Andy teaching us a Maori song (with actions):

It was a fantastic week!

Anzac Day

I have just arrived back from the Anzac day dawn parade and I wanted to capture my thoughts and reflections on it before the impact fades.

Anzac day is the New Zealand remembrance day for all who fought in the 2 great wars and other wars since. I have never attended any official remembrance thing before, but with both of my Grandad's passing away this past few months, I decided it would be good to go. I got picked up at 5am this morning to make sure we were there in time for the start. I was amazed at how many people got up at this time to attend the service!

I wasn't prepared for the impact and emotion that this service would have on me. It was extremely moving.

The noise of the canon firing and later the rifles was deafening and was a definite reminder of the horrific scenes faced by our Grandparents generation and service men since.

It was moving to see veterans who played such a huge role ensuring the free society we live in today! It was also striking the amount of effort that goes in every year to make sure we don't forget the sacrifice made for us.

In devotions at work on Wednesday, Raewyn prayed that as we remember the sacrifice made by soldiers for our freedom that we would remember the sacrifice of God's son for the freedom of all mankind. Lest we ever forget that sacrifice - the greatest sacrifice of all!

I don't say this to take away from the memory of people who gave themselves for their nations but to make it all the more poignant by recognising the greatest sacrifice of all!

I think it is very well summed up in the Anzac Statement, particularly the second half:

'At this hour, on this day, Anzac received its baptism of fire and became one of the immortal names in history. We who are gathered here think of the comrades who went out with us to battle but did not return. It is fitting that we should keep this dawn vigil together in remembrance and gratitude. We feel them still near us in spirit. We wish to be worthy of their (/Jesus') great sacrifice. Let us, therefore, once again dedicate ourselves to the service of the ideals for which they (/he) died. As the dawn is even now about to pierce the night, so let their (/his) memory inspire us to work for the coming of the new light in the dark places of the world.'

Lest we forget!

A sailor went to sea sea sea......

...and it turns out, she couldn't see very much at all! I was booked on a whale watching tour from Kaikora in the south Island on Saturday and I was going with Lizzy - my friend who lives in Lincoln which is near Christchurch. So, I decided to fly down and spend the weekend with Lizzy and her husband Tim who are old friends from the UK. I arrived quite late on Friday night due to a pilots strike causing delays. We rang ahead before setting off and we were told that there would be no boat trip out that day due to the severe weather conditions out at sea (summer isn't back anymore). Instead we had a lovely day, out for lunch and then we visited a vineyard, stopped off at a gallery and went for a walk along the beach! I got a bit wetter and colder than anticipated!

Oh dear!!!! I got very wet and very cold - but also laughed a LOT!

This is a picture of Lizzy's favourite road - The southern Alps can be seen.

A Social Weekend

Last weekend was lovely, the summer weather was back (see previous post) and Nyree, James, Viv and I decided to go out for a drink on Saturday night. We went to a really nice bar in town which is a converted boxing gym. There was an open fire with marshmallows to toast, it was a really nice evening.

Then after lunch on the Sunday, Nyree and I went for a great long walk around the coast from where we live. It was a beautiful clear day where we could see the South Island. It was great!

It was one of those moments where I felt very blessed to be living somewhere this beautiful!

Summers Back...............

....Well kind of! It has been a lovely warm super sunny day, but the air did still have a little bit of an autumnal feel as the day went on! It was lovely to be back in a vest top for the day! After a shopping trip with Nyree and Viv to buy a winter coat which I didn't have, I decided to go to the beach to take a few pictures and read my book. It was good fun and was a good opportunity to relax before a busy week next week!

Jandals in the sand - an iconic Kiwi image. I was playing around with my camera, I have put it on here to educate you all in all things Kiwi and Jandals are very Kiwi!

And then here is a picture of me enjoying the sunshine!

I Baked!

Work collegues and neighbours have finally rubbed off on me! The girls next door bake all the time and I felt lots of shame that I couldn't. They regularly bake bread as well! I don't think I will ever be good enough to bake bread but I did manage to make 2 chocolate tarts - my favorite pudding. One for morning coffee at work and one for my flat!I need to work on the presentation, but it tasted pretty good!

Mike Pilavachi in Wellington

I had a bit of a shock at church a couple of weeks ago when they announced that Mike Pilavachi was going to be speaking there on 6th April! Mike from Watford whom I haven't heard speak since I was about 15!!!! Nobody knew who he was or how to say his name, it was very strange!
So he spoke last night and was excellent and extremely funny. He was speaking about how Jesus went to find the one as opposed to the crowds. How it ws usually the one that was an outcast from society that other people didn't want to know. It was very challenging in how we show people how God loves them and how we reach them with the amazing good news of Jesus! It was quite a strange feeling as the only context I had previously heard him in was a UK one so for a moment I was quite confused about what country I was in!
Following on from the Godcast camp it just finished my weekend off and I now have to work out how all of the stuff that was said applies to me!

Godcast 2008

So this last weekend was Godcast 2008 - a young people's camp for 18-30 year olds that my church ran. Nigel Pollock (my boss) was speaking throughout the weekend from the story of Joseph and was very challenging throughout all that he said, in recognising God's sovereignty, his grace and the hope we have in God for the future and how these things should impact on our lives here and now. It was very challenging, and the times of worship were excellent and it was great to have the opportunity of silence and quiet time with God.

We also had a lot of fun with funky chicken dances galore, an afternoon of challenges, quiz's, singstar and lots of fun together. The food was also fantastic all weekend. I met heaps of new people. The weather on Saturday was pretty miserable and so I took a picture of the low cloud covering the hills.

I'm afraid I wasn't very good at taking more pictures than that. It was a great weekend though and I'm really glad I went.

Photography

I had my last photography class last Thursday and we reviewed the images we had taken on our field trip. I decided that I need a lot of practice in manual mode before i'm going to be any good. My tutor said that his friend says that you are only as good as your next photo, so I figure as long as I don't take any, then I will be great! Slightly flawed thory I think. The tutor is a documentary photographer of faith and religious groups and he showed us some of his shots. It lead into some very interesting conversations after the class. He even said that he might be interested in coming along to my church!
I'm so glad I did the course and now I have the basis to build on and get better and better having met some really lovely people at the same time.

Flat trip out for Dinner

On Saturday night, our two flats of 5 girls and a boy got invited to a flat nearby, by 3 blokes from church. I had a bit of a blonde moment as at the bottom of the email inviting us round it said 'bring a plate'. Now being a fairly new blokes flat, i thought they meant bring a plate as they don't have enough crockery for all of us! What it actually meant was bring some food! Oops!!!!!!! I'm just glad I checked with someone before I turned up on the doorstep carrying my empty plate! So Nyree and I decided to make a quiche (it doesn't carry the same Christian stereotype as it does in the UK!) I say Nyree and I made it but I just grated the cheese and courgette and chopped the onion. Nyree made the mix and put it together so a kind of joint effort but all the skill came from Nyree! Anyway, here is our finished product:It tasted yummy. It nearly ended up all over the road as it was carried to the flat but Nyree managed to catch it (which meant putting her hand in the quiche)! Nobody seemed to notice it too much though! It was a fun evening with lots of yummy food and plenty of plates!

Photography Field Trip

Things are finally starting to get clearer. I had my third class last Thursday and we had a look at some images and how they were taken which gave me some visual illustrations of the theory we had learnt.

On Saturday, we met up in civic square (town) for our field trip where we had a list of photo's we needed to take. I still found it quite confusing and don't ask me to take a picture in manual mode in a rush - it just aint gonna happen!

After we finished taking our shots, we met back up to the sound of some Harry Krishna singers which led into some interesting discussions over coffee afterwards!

It was great to get to know some of the people on the course better and I'm feeling a bit sad about this Thursday being the last class!

Easter Sunday on the Beach!

After church on Sunday, Nyree and I decided to go down to the beach for a bit! I think this is the first time I have spent my Easter Sunday afternoon on a beach apart from possibly at Spring Harvest but you wouldn't have sat sunbathing then!

We decided to lay in the sun until we were hot enough to get in the sea! The sea was freezing, but we did both go in and even had a swim around, doing a bit of excercise!

I then cooked the flat a roast for our dinner, I demostrated Dad's speciality of crispy roast poptatoes and Mum's speciality of honey roasted parsnips and carrots. It was a great day!

Proof! Nyree and me!

Wellington Zoo

I decided to go to Wellington Zoo today and have a look around! It is pretty close to my house so I thought I would take a look. I had been told that I probably wouldn't see any Kiwi birds as they are nochturnal but I was told on arrival that they were due to start a talk about Tahi, the one legged kiwi! He was caught in a trap that was left to get possums and as a result had to have his leg amputated. He has had so many procedures and operations done to him, he is quite used to being up in the day so they bring him out very day. He was pretty cool!

I then saw Shaun, the Sun Bear, he was pretty impressive. The keeper had just put some food around his enclose and then let him out. He was very striking and enjoyed a good feed.

It was a very pleasant wander round seeing lions, tigers, cheetah, zebra, ostrich, wallaby, kangaroo, baboon, giraffe, wild dog (and their half eaten lunch!)

This is all good research of things to do when people come to visit me!

Skippy and co.

Easter

This weekend is Easter weekend and I wanted to take a moment to recognise why we celebrate easter and to remember that God sent his only son to die on the cross and then rise again so that we don't have to live under the judgement of our own sin.
Matthew 27 vs 45-54:

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Matthew 28 vs 1-11:

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Happy Easter everyone!

Photography

I have enrolled on a photography course! I have a digital SLR camera and I have absolutely no idea how to use it! So, last Thursday at 5.30pm I attended my first of 5 sessions. Last week we learnt about shutter speeds - what they do and why, apeture settings, what they do and why and how apeture and shutter speeds work together. We also learnt about ISO/ASA settings and we did a bit on exposure. It was really interesting and a lot of it made sense when you look at the different aspects in isolation. When you have to put them all together, it becomes a bit more confusing! At 7.30pm, I left with some serious brain ache!
I decided to take my new found knowledge and practice at the cricket, I didn't last very long in manual mode! I got what I needed to do, just didn't do it very well! Automatic was much easier to make sure I caught the action shots that I wanted.
Last night I attended week two! We had a quick re-cap from last week and then spent the 2 hours looking at metering. Apparently my camera has 3 different settings for metering which made sense to me, it also made sense to me that the camera works out the exposure on a grey scale but when putting it together and trying to work out when I come to take a photo: what kind of photo I want to achieve, what part of the scene do I want the camera to use to metre from, are there any strong areas of black or white which I will need to compenste for? What is the lighting like and therefore what ISO setting do I need to use? what depth of field am I trying to get in the shot and therefore what apeture setting do I use and finally what shutter speed do I need after all of that to achieve the correct exposure, is not so easy to get. To add to that, the order in which these things are thought about can be swapped around depending on what kind of photo i'm trying to achieve.
Again, I left with serious brain ache! Practice will make perfect though and I'm sure I will get to the point where I can think about all of the above in about 5 seconds rather than 5 hours!

Test Cricket at The Basin - part 2

I apologise for the two part post but it was getting late and the pictures take ages to upload! I'm afraid I can't really remember what cricket happened on what day! I do know that England won despite some very bad fielding mistakes. I also know that I loved every minute of being at the basin even if the cricket wasn't the most exciting in the world! I will leave you with some of my photo's!

The Slips! KP himself!

The crowd at the basin. It was absolutely packed on the Saturday! We arrived at the ground at about 9.30 to save our space on the bank which is not very Kiwi and felt very strange not to just think 'she'll be right' (which is a fairly common kiw thought) and turn up at 10.30 for start of play!
The barmy army were at the far end of this picture and they definitely made themselves heard! They had some good chants and songs and probably made England feel like they were playing at home.

At lunch they let people onto the outfield which you would never see happen in England! I went down a took a picture of the wicket!

Monty bowling, we had a few wicket maidens, sidebottom himself, and some batting action.

Below is the winning moment on Monday morning!

Test Cricket at The Basin! - Part 1

The English cricket team have been in town and it has been great watching them. The TSCF office is literally just down the road from the Basin Reserve! From Thursday to Monday, every spare moment was spent watching the cricket! Lunch times were spent at the ground, after work. On Friday, my supervisor said I could go down in the morning and watch Ambrose get his century! Saturday and Sunday were spent with Tim and Lizzy and other friends watching the cricket. The weather was fantastic on Saturday and it stayed dry on the Sunday (I went to night church instead of morning church). The five day ticket cost less than 25 pounds! What a fantastic way to spend your weekend. It was a strange feeling getting to work todayand not plugging my headphones into the radio!

A Little Taste of Home

My lovely flatmates clubbed together and Nyree went to a shop called 'Cool Britannia' which imports and sells lots of English goodies that you can't get over here. The picture is of the things they got me. They also got me a Thorntons bar of chocolate but i've eaten that! Thanks guys! It was really thoughtful and meant heaps!
You wouldn't really think that PG tips would taste that different to tea here but I made myself a mug of tea and it was familiar, it tasted of home. It doesn't even start to make up for not having all of my friends and family around, but it was lovely to have a little taste of home!

Staglands Reserve

After a pretty rough week, Jen and I decided to head out for the day and spent the morning at Staglands nature reserve which is in Upper Hutt about 50 minuites out of Wellington. It is home to a wide variety of ducks, birds, parrots, pigs, donkeys, goat, deer, a horse and some guinea pigs! It also had an Old Bush Settlement. We both had a bag of feed to ensure our popularity with the animals. The ducks are certainly well rehearsed and know that the people wandering round are extremely likely to have food! I think next time I will go, I will not wear jandals so that i'm not so paranoid about my feet getting pecked.
After making our way through all the ducks, we arrived at the Kune Kune Kainga which is a unique NZ breed of pig! There must be a funny caption to go with this pic of the very ugly pig. He was quite a bully of the other smaller pig in the pen!

We made our way round the track passing through the Kea Gully(A Kea being a rare mountain parrot), the donkey stables, a trout pond, the toe toe avery and accros the river on a swing bridge.









We had a bit of a laugh at the recreation of an abandoned Akatarawa settlement, as we had a drink in the bar and ended up in jail.

















Then of course were the goats, horse and deer! After enjoying lunch in the cafe we made our way to the shopping mall and had an afternoon of retail therapy - I didn't buy any shoes though!!!!!!!

Ana vs Anna

People keep mistaking me for someone else. They keep thinking that i'm someone called Ana (long a at the beginning). I have no idea who she is! Seriously, I don't know how to say my name in an English accent without people thinking I am called Ana. I can't say it in a Kiwi accent without sounding like i'm taking the micky. I might resort to wearing a name badge, I have once introduced myself: 'Hi, I'm Anna, A-N-N-A.' Any suggestions are welcome!

Flatties!

Here they are! My new Flatties, Nyree and James! I'm looking forward to getting to know them better and sharing lots of fun times together.

Aqua Jogging

Today, Val and I discovered the joy of aqua jogging. Apparently it is as good a work out as a jog but not so stressful on your body. We collapsed into fits of giggles on several occasions as we felt quite silly but we soon discovered that it was actually quite hard work! I can thoroughly recommend it as a fun work out. The pictures are not of me!!!!