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Published: January 21st 2009
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Auckland
On 23rd December 2008 I flew into my new home - Auckland - to be greeted with no less than a torrential downpour! I wouldn't have minded but this was the second time this has happened to me and I am trying not to take it personally........
Nathalie picked me up from the airport and greetings etc out the way she promptly told me how annoyed she was that I had brought the rain with me. Apparently it hadn't rained 1 day since she and Lindsay arrived here one month ago. now I feel guilty - oops!
My first glimpse of Parnell where we all live cheered me up. Another great little inner suburb with a load of cafes, bars and restaurants to pick from. Over the month I have been here we have made good use of the local establishments sampling much fine New Zealand fare - but in truth mostly Japanese as I seem to now have developed a serious Sushi addiction!!
I stayed with Nathalie and Lindsay for 2 weeks in their lovely little white house with white picket fence, which looks rather nice in the sun - once
the rain stopped of course! Here we spent out first Christmas away from our families which was very strange but with the help of Skype and Nathalie's foresight to buy us a chocolate orange each to make us feel at home and the same of my mum and my chocolate coins from the UK, we all just about got through!
Santa did find me ok over here this year but he seems to deal more in hard currency here in New Zealand - (thanks to all my lovely family who must have asked him to send that this year). I had some lovely cards coloured in by Joshu adn Jessica and some nice presents - and even a stocking. So all was good and off we went to Nathalie's cousing for our Christmas meal.
We had a nice afternoon sitting by the pool. Very surreal but the masses of turkey and sausages and bacon and even shortbread made it more of a traditional Christmas and it was nice to spend it with a big family even if it wasn't my own - helped by the the fact that this particular family owns a chocolate factory and had
some very nice chocolates to sample yuuuuuuuuuum!!
Ellerslie
On Boxing Day I used some of Santas money to go with Nathalie to the Ellerslie Boxing Day Races - an Auckland tradition apparently. And a very good one it turns out We had bought tickets to the Champagne Lawn no less and felt very posh hob nobbing with the beautiful (very drunk) people!
It was a gloriously sunny day (at last). We sipped champage and Pims and lost money on all our bets (what do you expect when your choices are based purely on horse names and colour and pattern of the jockey's jacket) and marvelled at the hats and outfits some people were fashioning that day!!!
I think it just pipped the Musselburgh Races........😊
New Year's Eve 2008/09
Was a bit strange gettting ready to go out to Iguacu for our NY celebrations in the heat! I kept thinking about our usual Edinburgh nights out in the wind and rain and was very happy to be missing all that this year (but not the people).
Nat, Lindsay, Pete and I went for a nice meal and many a
cocktail and glass of wine in Parnell. Nathalie and I had a good night boogying on the dance floor and impressed Auckland with our moves and danced very enthusiastically (some might say too enthusiastically) to the Proclaimers and got a Scottish shout out from the band!! At midnight we opened up the windows full and watched the fireworks being set off from the Auckland Sky Tower!!! Very excited aboout 2009 in New Zealand!!!
New Years Day - 1st January 2009
What a lovely sunny new years day - very novel!!
We had a second new year this morning - this time a Scottish one with Nathalie's M&D on Skype. We toasted them with a Kiwi glass of wine and they turned on the telly for us to watch all the goings on in Edinburgh - it was really nice.
Then we had our new year's BBQ - at last I got to use the phrase throw another shrimp on the barbie!! Shame I had left Oz by that point of course.
We had a very relaxed day eating, eating and eating some more, drinking a large box of wine over the course of
the day and getting a little hot and bothered in the heat...I'm but not complaining......... oh no - this should be the way all new years are celebrated!!! And did you know we were the first to celebrate it in the world..........ooh now there's a fascinating fact for you!
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and I wish you health and happiness and all the best for 2009 - I hope to see you all at some point later in the year xxxx
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