googling myself

Ever typed your own name in on Google, just to see what comes up? I searched my name on Blogger and the following came up. Neat!


http://jacbowie.wordpress.com/2006/10/12/jennifer-stannard-swimwear-3/

going to a movie premiere

Tonight I went to the New Zealand premiere of A Prairie Home Companion. There was champagne and everything. Of course, it's not as exotic sounding when I tell you there were only 29 people in the theatre. It was great fun though - a little bit of excitement and it is a movie that I had really I wanted to see, but missed seeing it in theatres in Toronto and again in Australia.

New Zealand is behind the rest of the world in popular culture, even farther behind than Australia (although not as far as I thought). Last week I saw the season opener of ER. School starts next week, so it makes sense that the television season premieres are just starting now. But the ads are promoting the fact that 'we aren't going to make you wait another six months', so maybe this isn't normally the way. Whatever. There are only four TV channels available without satellite, so you take it where you can get it.

another touristy day

Yesterday I went diving because one of Richard's friends was able to fill in for me for breakfast and cleaning the rooms. This afternoon Richard arranged for me to go on a steamship ferry cruise. It leaves from the bottom of the hill and goes up the Kerikeri river and the trip takes about an hour. It was a nice little outing. I am going to make more of an effort to participate in some activities - when I get to the restaurant on Thursdays everyone asks me how my week went and did I do anything and it would be nice to have something to say for a change.

the Rainbow Warrior

I went diving today at the Rainbow Warrior, which, to quote the brochure, is one of New Zealand's premier wreck dives.

I was actually really nervous - the guy on the phone, when I booked said that they don't normally take along people with my certification level (PADI Open Water), but since I had experience diving in cold water (yeah, 17 years ago), that it was okay. I worried I was in a bit over my head. But it's not like I talked the guy into it.

(Again according to the brochure), "The Rainbow Warrior was Greenpeace's flagship vessel. It was on her way to protest French nuclear testing on Mururoa Atoll when she was sunk by French saboteurs on July 10, 1985 in Auckland Harbour.

Three years after the bombing Greenpeace gifter the Warrior to the sea and she now lies as an artifical reef in the Cavali Island group, a refuge for the marine life she was sunk trying to protect."

I had a good time. We ate lunch on an island and then did a second dive in the area. I met a young couple from Boston who have been travelling and working in Australia and New Zealand for 16 months now and are now off to Thailand for another 4 months. Then they'll think about maybe going home.

the New Zealand accent

I find myself having difficulty understanding some New Zealanders because of the accent. Not all of them mind you, just some. It's like they swallow part of their words. For example, some New Zealanders will say 'fush and chups' rather than 'fish and chips' and the name of the town is sometimes pronounced 'Curry-curry' rather than "Carry-carry'. Sometimes Richard has a hard time understanding my accent as well.

Last night we were short staffed in the kitchen so I had to do a few things the commis chef normally does, like make sundaes, get bread or various sauces. At one point the chef had to repeat himself 5 or 6 times until I understood he was asking me to get some tomato sauce. In Australia and New Zealand it is pronounced to-mah-to (but not pot-tah-to in case you are curious), but I'm used to that and know what they are talking about. Even after I know he's saying to-mah-to, it's still hard to understand. Eventually he took a short cut and asked me to get some ketchup, which solved that problem.

(Although, technically, tomato sauce, while it looks like ketchup is not quite the same thing. More tomato tasting, less sugar I think. But, for french fries, it works.)

I've got mail!

The agency I got my work permit through in Auckland provides mail forwarding, but since I didn't have a stable address (I knew I wasn't likely to stay in Hastings) until now, I hadn't received any mail since just before Christmas. I finally got around to giving them the address here in Kerikeri to have it forwarded. I was really excited to see anything from home, especially since I was waiting on photos from home of my dogs and niece and nephew etc.

But then, last weekend, someone ran over the mailboxes at the end of the driveway. Just mowed down all seven of them ( a couple have since been ressurected).



It was actually kind of funny when I went down a couple of days later, looking for the weekly, local paper, and found that an obviously determined paper carrier had put one newspaper in the mangled debris of each mail box. Sad really (even sadder is that a picture of the flattened mailboxes was included in said paper in an article on vandalism). But the postal service did not do the same - it wasn't until yesterday, a week after the initial flattening, that the new and improved letterbox got installed. And today we got mail! Yay! So, to anyone who sent me a Christmas card/present/etc that hasn't been acknowleged, it's because I didn't get it until today.



I painted the mailboxes, but, for the record, I didn't choose the colours - I would have picked blues and reds and yellows - it was just the extra paint that Richard had around after painting the lodge. We still have to put numbers on it, after we figure out what everyone's house number is. I did try picking through the rubble, but I only located five numbers and there's seven houses.

just curious

When you tidy the guest rooms you're not supposed to move or touch the guests' personal posessions if you can help it. So, I have a question - if they haven't flushed the toilet and I flush it for them, is that considered moving a personal posession?

the restaurant

This is The Landing Restaurant where I work.

wakeboarding

The other day, Richard took Harry and two of Harry's friends, Nick and Angus, wake boarding.


Dot is not particularly fond of wake boarding, she prefers to stay in the boat. So do I for that matter.

We had a bbq on the beach for lunch and then the boys went wake boarding again.





The last couple of days have been rainy, so I haven't had a chance to get any photos of the restaurant. Which may be a blessing for my poor parents who only have dial up access. Between the lodge and the restaurant I've been quite busy and a bit tired. I've been waiting for a parcel of photos of my dogs and niece and nephew to arrive from Auckland. Unfortunately, a car went off the road and completely demolished all the mailboxes - don't know if maybe I should be searching the wreckage just in case.

My mom tells me that my grandma is settling in nicely to the nursing home and with regular food and exercise she is improving. Annie, a lady my grandma knows from where she used to live on Antiquary Beach, just moved in and they have been playing cards. Apparently, my grandma has been playing cribbage with my mom and she tells the staff that my mom's 'not too smart' because she keeps beating her. Actually, my mom is a pretty good card player as is my grandma. When I was little we used to play Euchre and 31. For money.

the view from my office - part 2

STONE STORE LODGE
This is the view from Stone Store Lodge, looking down at the river (although you can't see the river in this picture).

The red thing in the garden is an oven is to make wood-oven pizzas. Richard is supposed to have a lady come over to teach him how to do it properly.
This is the view out from the kitchen. The guests eat breakfast here. If the weather is nice then one of the tables is outside.

my new job

I got a part time job, working at the restaurant at the bottom of the hill. I'm working as a kitchen hand and I really like it. The restaurant is called The Landing and it's right on the river (not that I can see the river from the kitchen or anything, but it's there). I'll post pictures in a couple of days. It's got lots of staff so plenty of new people to talk to. The work is simple and active and, knock on wood, I haven't broken anything yet. Primarily, I wash the dishes, but occasionally do some food stuff like peeling potatoes and cutting mushrooms.

Dot at dusk