Minibeast topic is well underway. Am constantly being shown a variety of them in various forms of death – with legs or wings missing – in scruffy little hands – usually accompanied by a proud chorus of ‘look Miss – a minibeast!’

Gross.

Had a school trip on Monday to the Auckland Museum (Tony Blair was there today – 2 days after me!). The kids were soo good – noone got lost or fell down the marble staircase or got runover etc. Whew!

I slept really well that night.

Was given a praying mantis in a jar to show my class today – they are funny creatures!

Have found the elusive feijoa – in my garden! Next door has a tree hanging over and there are loads of them falling in. Very nice they are too – also very difficult to describe due to having never tasted anything like them before.

Here’s a piccie or two. They taste luverly. You can eat them by scooping the fruit out with a teaspoon.





Were discussing them in the staff room today after getting the other newbie foreign teachers to try them. The local staff do think we’re funny.

Am reaaaally enjoying the chocolate chip hot cross buns you can buy over here – absolutely gorgeous warm with butter melted on. Yum.

We’ve got a special literacy day next Saturday along with lots of other primary schools in the area. Apparently I’m on the quiz team along with the Deputy Principal and the Principal. For some unknown reason they seem to think I’ll be an asset to the team – they don’t know me very well. I’m rubbish at quizzes. Can’t even remember what I did this morning – never mind the contents of a whole book or cartoons etc.

Have been asked to dress as characters from a book – so we are all going as different versions of Bob the Builder. I’m Robert the Builder due to my posh pommie accent! Apparently the New Zealand Prime Minister will be there. So not only am I going to seem stupid (quiz) am also going to look stupid (Bob Builder) and all in front of bloody TV cameras and PM too.

Have decided to hide whenever something like the above approaches our space.

There’s a drink over here called L&P (lemon and peiroa – spelling wrong probs) and I spent a lot of time wondering what kind of fruit the peiroa was, because it just tasted like lemonade to me - only to be told, amidst fits of laughter, that it is a place in NZ where the drink is made! Oh well.

Coronation Street is now on the bit where Ian McKellan (sp?) is the writer – still got ages to catch up to where I left off! A new series of Jamie Oliver in Italy has just started and the second series of Lost is on. CSI is popular here too. Oh yes there is also Top Gear on here and Little Britain.

There was an ad re Little Britain on the bus that took us to the museum. It was a picture of Vicky Pollard saying ‘Don’t be givin me no evils’ and ‘I aint done nuffink’. The scary thing is that the kids had seen the programme (7 year olds – 9.30pm) and thought it was hilarious to hear me say the words in my pommie accent. Passed the time on the bus journey.

Glad I shaved my legs today. Was sat in my chair with the children all around me – talking about – let me see – oh yes – Minibeasts, when I felt a little hand stroking my leg. Upon looking down I came upon a conversation going on – it went something like this:
(child 1) ‘Aren’t Miss’s legs soft? Go on, you have a feel.
(child 2) ‘Oh yeah – you’re right!’.

A swift reminder was required at this point, before any further grubby hands came forward, about listening and staying focussed.

My arm muscles were the topic de conversation last week and I was also told that I shouldn’t be sweating because white people don’t sweat. So, there you go – bet you didn’t know that!

Bless em.

I've missed you!

Hi all – I bet you can’t guess what I’ve been doing?

Here’s a clue – every time I close my eyes, I see white boxes – EVERYWHERE…….
Along the hallway, in the kitchen, all over the bedroom blah blah blah de dah for ever and ever amen.

Yes – you’re right – our stuff has finally arrived! How weird to see it all here and to think of all the places it’s travelled to – Germany, Holland, Italy, the Suez Canal, Australia and finally New Zealand. Wow.

The weekend the stuff finally made its Bucklands Beach debut was one of the busiest ever experienced by myself – all the time at the back of my mind I was thinking – back to work on Monday, back to work on Monday, must get sorted…….Sunday night was not in bed until after 12 due to getting stuff ready for work, only to be woken by shrieking alarm at 6am!

Aaaaaaaahhh……. I did not catch up with myself until the Sunday just gone – I slept in until 10.30!

Didn’t sleep in on Saturday due to moron beeping horn outside house at 7.30am. Grrrrrr….

This Sunday the clocks were moved back one hour – so I gained a precious 60mins all to myself. Lovely. However, forgot at first and spent the day wondering why I was getting everywhere earlier than everyone else!

The obvious advantage of daylight savings time is that it is light in the morning when I get up – rather than pitch black.

Last week was hanging my washing out in the early morning darkness, when I heard a rustling noise very close by (about a metre away). As I squinted into the darkness and my eyes became accustomed to the lack of light, I realised it was something rather large and furry that was scuffling around near my shed. I stamped my feet a few times in order to scare it off (whatever it was).

Either the furry blob was deaf or it did not give a crap – because it carried on shuffling in the leaves in the same spot! Now I needed to get that washing out before going to work – so – it was done at top speed with many furtive glances in the direction of shuffly furry blob. Luckily, it carried on scruffling in leaves and I got the job done – albeit rather haphazardly, with many strange and novel ways of hanging out of clothing.

Quite artistic, I thought, that evening, as I was about to bring it all in.

Washing now goes out in the evening in the light.

It is now dark at around 7pm and we are really appreciating the fabulous sunsets as viewed from our sitting room window – gorgeous hues of red, orange, yellow, ochre, gold, crimson, pink, cherry (you get the picture – good – I’ve run out of descriptive words in the thesaurus). Anyway – in layman’s terms – the sunsets are WICKED!

Good news! Have had a letter from Payroll and will be getting some of my money for being a ‘teacher in need’ soon – yippee! Will get son a new bed and proceed to move bed settee to spare room - once it’s free of haunting WHITE BOXES that is!

Talking of teaching and school – I had two children walk into my classroom last week (obviously on an errand for another teacher) – asking me if I had any TWINK that they could borrow.

Now – lots of things crossed my mind after the utterance of the word ‘twink’, this is a wind-up, being one of them. After a few seconds of goldfish mouthing and giving the kids a blank stare – I asked them to repeat the sentence – and – yes – it was twink they asked for.

The children suddenly became aware that I had not the slightest clue what it was they were asking for and, after lengthy explanations, hand movements and descriptions, I came to the realisation that it was tippex! Apparently the Kiwis call tippex, twink. Oh well – I’m learning!

Anyway, I didn’t have any. Bought some yesterday though. But obviously too late for needy teacher in another room somewhere in the school twilight zone.

The Commonwealth Games have been really enjoyable to watch – loved the cycling and swumming – esp the Hakka given by the male swummers when a Kiwi medal was won!

A new fruit has been experienced by my tastebuds – a Kiwi Berry! These are like miniature kiwi fruits, but they are smooth on the outside and you eat them whole – just pop them into your mouth – yummy and soooo sweet! I like them.

A lot.

Yum.

This week I have mostly been eating yummy avocados – one everyday in me saladio. Smoothly gorgeous!

Anyway – I’ve missed talking to you all and promise not to be so late again – at least not until I have to move house (groan).

Sue signing off (not for too long though).

Byeee!!!!!!!!

Better late than never!

Well – as usual time is flitting its flits away!

School

Have been busy trying to learn the NZ National Anthem – but not really getting very far! We had the ground, where the new Computer Block and Library will be built, blessed by a Catholic Priest last week and I dutifully did the goldfish mouth for the anthem. I love the bit in Maori first.

I also love weekly singing practise in the Whare Hui (you should all be able to say this now). The Fush and Chup song is soooo funny. ‘Fush and Chups make me want to luck my lups’! Gives me the giggles every time.

The kids are cottoning on to the fact that we are going to be studying the wonderful topic of Minibeasts – am currently being shown or tried to be handed a lovely variety of said squirmy creatures – yuk!

Have taught my class how to sing Frere Jacques and London’s Burning. They are excellent at singing London’s Burning as a round now! Goodness knows what people think when they walk past my room!

Had Meet The Parents Night at school last night. A sausage sizzle (barbie) was enjoyed by all. Teachers were then introduced to the parents (one by one – embarrassing) and the evening ended after a Q and A session with our Deputy Principal.

Census

Last week was handed the NZ Census at my front door by a lady who assumed I knew what the heck she was talking about. I have no TV and only listen to the radio on the way to work, so I nearly shut the door in her face and said no thank you not today. Good job I took the time to listen – apparently it’s illegal not to fill it in!

Phone Bill

Have spoken to hubby from the UK everyday since he left last November. Luckily he uses a very cheap ‘line’. So far he has called 165 times – over 25 hours of chattering – and the total cost was seventeen pounds and ninety two pence (sorry no pound sign on computer!). So please let me know if you want more info!

Howick

I love the ‘village’ feel of Howick. Every time I drive into it, the view of the sea and islands beyond is so spectacular. The sea seems to be a variety of shades of blue and it changes chameleon-like every time I see it.



Last Saturday, son and I drove in to get hair cuts and a new school jumper. Son NEVER wore a jumper to school in the UK, but is really feeling the cold now in the early mornings (only around 14 degrees – but chilly when it’s been so hot recently). Sad isn’t it?! Must be acclimatising.

Well we got our respective hairs cut, but the uniform shop had no jumpers in stock – they’ve all be sent off for embroidering of school logo and won’t be back until Thursday. I enquired as to how much one would be and was gob smacked to be told that they cost nearly $100! Must be made from spun gold dyed pale blue I reckon.

Well, after all of that trekking around shops in Howick, we felt that we deserved a ginger beer (for son) and a latte with vanilla syrup for me. We sat outside in the sun and enjoyed the sights of people milling around the little craft market there and the sounds of a lovely man singing along to his guitar. He’s very good. Made me feel good to be alive. Very restful!



Here's a few photies of the main street:





Earlier, we had a wander around the cemetery of the Howick All Saints Church - it has an interesting history.

It was completed in November 1847, was the first building to be erected in Howick, and is now the second oldest church in New Zealand.

Many early settlers are buried in the churchyard including the graves of the Lush children – the offspring of Howick’s first resident vicar, Vicesimus Lush, and his wife Blanche. Three Lush children died in one week in a scarlet fever epidemic in 1854.

Very sad - apparently there are loads of children buried there from this awful epidemic - hard to see now because their simple wooden crosses have long since decayed. Mainly aged under 6 years.







Signs

Have noticed an interesting sign at the end of our road – it reads:

CAUTION!
Blind Pedestrians Crossing!

Take it as you like – me senses a distinct lack of apostrophes! Although – the more I read it – the more confused I become. Doesn’t take much to confuse me.

Very interesting though because there are usually apostrophes everywhere – delightfully placed whenever a word ends in an ‘s’ (have noticed this phenomenon in the UK too). Has become a standing joke between a friend and myself at work. We have a common phrase now – “Does it have an apostrophe in it?” This has often left us in a state of near collapse during quite a few ultra serious staff meetings. I know – very sad – worse than the kids etc etc etc!

Another sign I noticed today was Odorid – a website for bad breath – this is tied to various lamp posts around the Botany area. I’ve seen quite a few whilst making my way around during my daily driving.

Well – container of our belongings arrives from the UK this weekend – have already talked to the MAF man (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries – I think) – our candle containing a festive Christmas pinecone is sadly no more. Destroyed in the interests of the New Zealand environment! Cheaper than having it sprayed!

Wish me luck cos I’ll need it! No more deck chairs! I love my three piece and I’ll never be nasty to it again, I promise.

I am also truly thankful to those kind families that have allowed me to use their washing machines. Life would have been rather pongy without them - cheers!

You have also been good for me to vent my anger and sorrows upon during these trying times!

Take care.

X Sue