Sunday BBQ and Botanical Gardens

Hi everybody,

Spring is here! It is finally time for barbecues, flowers, and sunshine.

Rory and I attended our very first Kiwi barbecue with our flatmates and friends. I made an American-style potato salad to contribute...it took time to find the ingredients, but it was worth it! We had pavlova, sausages, grilled eggplant and zucchini, baked wedges and guacamole, salads, and beer.

It was held at Nik and Jakob's (the twins') family home next to the Botanical Gardens, and it was so lush and green. After we ate and tidied up, we headed for the gardens for some tea and a walk around the roses and herb gardens.

We've met such nice people here in NZ, and I'm grateful for their kindness!

Love, Amy

Severe gales

Hi all,

So that plan for visiting parliament? Scratch that! There are severe gales to 140/km per hour in the city today. I believe that is the second strongest storm we've had since we arrived. Looks like we'll have a day of painting and video games inside instead!

Love, Ames

Now a PT and Contract worker

Hi everyone,

I ended up working a full day yesterday, and it seems it'll be happening quite often until Christmastime. Barry, the consultant, and Lynda, the CEO, have asked me to work for them on an as-needed basis in the afternoons. This means I'll work my normal hours for Michelle, and then switch gears and work at an hourly rate after 1.30pm. I'll be working on more graphs and charts, as well as Excel spreadsheets for Barry. Surprisingly, Barry wants me to help him analyse the business structure of the company! I'm not an expert, but I'm taking it as a compliment.

I wasn't prepared for the longer day yesterday, and I was exhausted. Unfortunately it was Halloween, too, so we didn't do anything except go to the Mexican Cafe for dinner. It actually wasn't bad at all, and my shredded beef burrito was awesome. Good ol' Newtown.

We had lovely sunny weather all week, and now that it is Saturday it is gray and blustery. We are considering taking a tour of the Parliament buildings today, and visiting the galleries around Civic Square, but we'll see how energetic we are. Tomorrow is forecast to be better, so hopefully we'll be able to play outside then. :)

Love, Amy

I'll soon be a trained writer!

Hi everyone,

I start my training next week for my job at Write. I get to work my way through our course offerings over the next several months, starting with Advanced Reading in November. In December I'll take Business Writing, and then Editing and Proofreading in January, as well as Letter and Email Writing.

I am very excited. Not only will they be fun and informative, but I'll get paid for going (as in, the time will count towards my 20/hrs per week). I could have never afforded them otherwise, as every course runs over $600 apiece. So I feel very lucky and very motivated to make the most of this opportunity. They will all look fantastic on my resume...every job requires writing skills, and I'll soon have great ones.

It is almost the weekend again already! Tomorrow is free smoothie day at work, and we all get to partake in a one hour 'Brain Gym' session in lieu of our normal staff meeting. My boss's kinesiologist has been hired, and we've been instructed to wear comfy clothes (Friday is casual anyways) and shoes that we can easily slip off. Another thing to look forward to!

I seriously think I have the best part-time job in the world.

I'm not sure how we'll spend the weekend yet. It came so fast that we didn't have any time to plan! I'll keep you posted.

Love, Amy

The end result

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Matiu Somes Island

Hi everyone,

We had a great day on the island. We caught the ferry from Queen's Wharf downtown, and in about 25 minutes we were disembarking on Somes. We almost missed the boat, but we also saw a penguin swimming by the dock, so I guess that all evened out.

We had to go through biosecurity once we arrived. The island has been used for all sorts of things: Maori village, prisoner of war camp, quarantine, animal quarantine, and now it is a predator-free wildlife sanctuary. This means that it has no rats, mice, or (most importantly) possums. Within 100 years it will be completely rid of non-native plants, as well.

Rory and I had packed a picnic, so the first thing we did was find a sunny bench and ate lunch. The weather was perfect for a day of hiking, and it was clear enough to see all the way back to Welly and the surrounding bays. We trekked along the outside of the island and then walked to the summit to see the old buildings and gun encampments. It is both historical and ecologically impressive.

We stayed for about two and a half hours and then caught our return boat back to the city. All of the hiking had made us thirsty, so we stopped at Mac's brewery for some pints and chips. From there we caught the bus back to Island Bay and made a big pot of vegetable soup.

Today it was back to the grind. I've been tired all day, so hopefully I'll be fully recovered by tomorrow. Tonight I'll be making pizza for dinner. Here is my recipe for the best pizza sauce in the world:

1 little can tomato paste
2 or 3 fresh tomatoes
1 small onion
4 cloves garlic

Blend all that together, and add olive oil, garlic salt, and oregano (or other Italian herbs). Cook it on the hob for 15 minutes or until the onion tastes cooked. It makes a really tangy, tasty pizza base. :)

Love, Amy