Life is not measured ....

"Bean" and other oddities

In between two stormy days with a southerly wind coming up from the Antarctic, the sun came out yesterday and we made the most of it by taking a trip up the gondola to the top of the port hills, fantastic views over the Port and the Banks Peninsula (and our house) to one side and to the other the city of Christchurch. There was not a cloud in the sky and we could see over the city and as far as the snow capped Southern Alps. We then decided to join the tourists and go out on a boat from Lyttelton Harbour to see some dolphins. We were in luck, after the hammering rain yesterday, the wildlife was out in abundance. After an hour’s trip towards the fishing boats we were rewarded with loads of dolphins swimming and playing alongside the boat. They are Hector’s Dolphins, the smallest and rarest in the world, they have a rounded dorsal fin and swim off the shores of the South Island. As I write, there are hail stones hitting the windows, this is autumn!

Port Hills, Dolphins and House Warming pics

We’ve spent most of the last few weeks sorting ourselves out, all the everyday things take just that wee bit longer to do the first time round but it’s a good way of finding our way around. From what we can tell in our short time here, there are lots of similarities between the Kiwi’s and us English – there’s the obvious language one (although Ben has become “Bean” to the locals) and driving is also on the left but there are also more subtle things like Louise and Daniel’s primary school which depends on help from parents for “non essentials” (like bean bags for the library). The issues of education and health are high on the agenda here too. There are some differences, again noticeable at the school (I’ve spent quite a bit of time there over the past few weeks) – a bit more laid back, more focus on sports. They get similar results but in a slightly different way. I have just about got used to the kids not having a school uniform (that’s just a Lyttelton Main thing, generally the schools here do have uniforms).

As we said when we started this adventure, it wasn’t that we were looking for a change in lifestyle (we recognised that we had it pretty good already), we just had an opportunity to try new experiences and we didn’t want to look back on our lives having not had a go. So far that’s the way it is panning out – it is different, not better or worse. Don’t get me wrong, when we think of it like that it’s all good – we’ve met great people, we love Lyttelton and the outdoor lifestyle, the kids are settling in at school and Ben is enjoying the challenge of a new job. This is also real life for us, and a couple of times over the past two weeks we’ve put pressure on ourselves to make decisions that we are not ready for yet – great news, we finally exchanged on our house and should complete this week but it raises the inevitable discussion about whether we invest in property here and how long we stay. When you look at it that way, it’s all a bit scary. It’s fair to say that Ben is seeing this as a permanent move more than I am but that’s not a decision, it’s just born out of the fact that he is working and committed to his job. We both have the same feelings about family and friends, there’s lot of important questions to work out on the way and not just considering the kids but us too. That’s all part of it and we’ll work it out as we go along.

Blimey – that all got a bit serious for a minute, perhaps I should have put a warning on this one. I just wanted to try and describe it exactly as we feel it – we are having the most amazing journey of discovery that goes right to our souls. For now we continue to make the most of the opportunities.

We’ve still got all the energy that comes from being new in a place and even the simple things are great fun: we’ve taken the bikes out and cycled round Hagley park in the centre of town, been to see March of the Penguins at the cinema (great film, our two liked the bit where two penguins try to squeeze through the same hole in the ice to get to the sea – result, two fluffy bottoms in the air), we’ve been ice skating and out to the thermal springs at Hanmer about an hour and a half’s drive from here.

Louise and Daniel are keeping me busy after school. They both have swimming lessons, Daniel has started playing soccer and Louise was thrilled to have a go at horse riding last week. I did think on day three of the kids being at school and Ben being at work, that I may start looking for a job to keep me out of mischief (and from spending too much money) but then I discovered walking – since then my walking boots and my IPod have become good mates of mine as I have discovered so interesting walks around the hills here. It feels weird to have time just for me, it’s not something I’ve been used to. Maybe I’ll try and out off the necessary for just a bit longer, well getting a bit fitter would be a good enough reason wouldn’t it?

posted by Sharon, Ben, Louise and Daniel @ 11:47 pm