Garden porn and another move

Our first summer in Dunedin wasn't exactly a warm one, but it was good enough to allow us to successfully grow our very first vegetable garden.

We planted some things from seed but most were small seedlings that we did our best to situate in our tiny little raised bed and a few pots. Since the garden went in in early November, we've enjoyed peas, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, raspberries, cucumbers and carrots. Our only major failures were peppers and strawberries. Sadly, we won't get to enjoy all the beautiful  leeks which are still on their way. Why not? Well, because we're moving. Again.

That's four moves in four years for those of you who are keeping score. Thankfully, this one has us moving just a few blocks away. We've found a lovely little house that gets better sun, has better heating and a bit more outdoor space for us to enjoy. There's also a sleep-out in the backyard where I will get to set up my sewing workroom - there's even a toilet out there! Luxury!

I'm glad we got a chance to try our hand at gardening in our current home because the new place has some pretty impressive raised beds that I can't wait to get my hands into. Apparently the landlord is quite the gardener, so hopefully we don't disappoint him with our lets-just-see-what-happens-if-we-plant-this-here approach.

After all the moves we've done over the past few years, this one feels about as monumental as a trip to the grocery store. We shift in less than two weeks and I haven't even picked up any boxes yet. What's a couple of blocks after having moved 12,500km last year, and 1715 the year before, and 1715 the year before that?!

Even though his move wasn't really planned, I think it will be a very good one for us. Here's hoping that we somehow manage to make it through at least one calendar year without upping stakes! Keep your fingers crossed for us in 2015...it could be the year!

One year in...

One year ago today (Feb 8) my little family and I arrived in New Zealand. Happy immigration anniversary to us! A little over a year ago I hadn't even heard of Dunedin let alone entertained the thought of moving here. Other than a short stint in South Africa, I'd never lived anywhere outside of Canada before. I had no particular desire to visit New Zealand let alone move there for Pete's sake. To mark the occasion, why don't I share a few of the many, many pictures we've taken over the year and just a few thoughts on the many ways in which life is just a little different down here.

Driving

Took a few months, but I am totally used to driving on the wrong side of the road. It still stuns me to think that we got our NZ drivers licenses without any testing - the road signs are different, a few rules are a bit different, not to mention we drive on the OTHER FREAKIN' SIDE OF THE ROAD! The Dear Sweet Husband still hits the wipers when he means to use the turn signal and I am forever going to the wrong side of the car to get in, but at least we keep it straight once we're on the roads!

Groceries

Dear Canada, don't complain about your grocery bill. Ever. I remember the days a few years back when TDSH and I could get by on less than $100/week. True, we have a third family member now, but our shopping bills are disturbingly higher than that. We only have a wee bar fridge in our house which means we have to grocery shop nearly every day which probably doesn't help much...neither does that pricey proscuitto that somehow made it into my cart the other day. Oh, and fruit and veg are way more seasonal here (this is not a bad thing...not at all). I can't remember the last time I went to a Canadian grocery store and couldn't get any and all produce at any time of year. Here certain items either go through the roof price-wise or disappear from the shelves altogether in winter. I'm going to have to learn to plan for this a bit better next year - hopefully that will help get those grocery bills under control!

Getting around

Dunedin is a great city to get around in. We managed for over two months without a car at all (except for that Porsche our friends loaned us to help with our house hunt in the beginning). We walked EVERYWHERE and it was fantastic. For a town with an insane amount of hills, you can still pretty much manage to get most places without getting off the flat too much. With a car, we've been able to get around so easily. Traffic jams...bridge traffic...tunnel traffic...they don't exist down here. Jealous?

Housing

When talking with our fellow expats here in Dunedin, the conversation invariably turns to the Dunedin housing stock and it's rather unique characteristics that add a certain charm, if nothing else: drafts, condensation, lack of insulation, tin roofs, single-glaze windows, lean-tos, etc. Our rental home is cute and lovely, but it has its quirks. There are drafts like you wouldn't believe. All three fireplaces are blocked up. What little insulation we do have (which is heaps by Dunedin standards) is no more than R1.6 (the maximum insulating value I've seen here). I just did a quick check on Home Depot's website back home and found R38 (I started drooling with envy). Basically, there's not a heap of difference between the building practices behind the typical 100-year-old Dunedin villa and your average garden shed. So far the record temperatures we've hit in our house are a whopping 5 degrees Celcius in the toilet and over 40 in the lounge while basking in the sun. Try and dress for that now, why don't you.

Safety

This is not an unsafe country, but there's definitely less of the over-protection you can see in Canada at times. A 70 metre drop to the ocean? A sign'll do, we don't need a fence. Playground zip line 15 feet in the air? No worries. It's a difference I find rather refreshing. It's great to see kids getting to be kids here without all the warnings/prevention/etc. I was seeing more and more of in Canada. We let Abner roam far and wide with her friends when we're in parks, even *GASP* out of our sight! It's not unheard of for kids to play unsupervised in the playground before and after school. I'm pretty sure that's not happening of back home.

Camping

TDSH and I both enjoyed camping back in Canada. We got our first taste of camping in NZ just last month as we headed to a DOC (Department of Conservation) campsite south of Dunedin. As we pulled into the site, it felt like we had arrived at a wizarding campsite to attend the Quidditch World Cup. Our little three-person dome tent was absolutely dwarfed by the massive canvas tents around us that each looked like they could surely house the entire Weasley family plus the entire Order of Phoenix comfortably. Indeed, we've camped at other sites as well now (bought ourselves a larger tent in the meantime so we'd blend in better) and some of these tents do indeed come with a kitchen sink and bunk beds! We also found it totally bizarre to camp without a fire. Yes, there are sometimes fire bans back home in Canada, but at those times, I'm certain we all still put our feet up on the provided fire ring and there's always the ashes in there still so you get the smokey effect. Here, when it gets dark, people just go to bed. That's it. No staying up telling ghost stories and roasting marshmallows around the campfire. Weird. On the plus side, our camping clothes didn't smell nearly as bad as usual!

Kiwi English

Yes, Canada and New Zealand are both English-speaking countries. However, this does not mean we speak the same language. Here is just a short list of the many Kiwi words we've had to pick up if we have any hope of being understood here (accents aside).

supermarket = grocery store
footpath = sidewalk
underbridge/overbridge = underpass/overpass
batch/crib (which term you use depends on where you are in NZ) = cottage/summer home/cabin
bickie = cookie
lounge = living room
boy racer = street racer
sparkie = electrician
capsicum = pepper
chilly bin = cooler
tomato sauce = ketchup
dairy = convenience store
petrol = gas (for your car, not the other kind)
dressing gown = housecoat
flash = pretty fancy/new
kumara = yam/sweet potato
flat = apartment
fortnight = two weeks
what do you fancy = what do you feel like?
hottie = hot waterbottle
heaps = lots
wee = small (used often)
jandal = flip flop
jersey = sweatshirt
jumper = sweater
ice block = popsicle
toilet = bathroom/washroom
mum = mom
motorway = freeway
buttie = sandwich
full stop = period (punctuation, not the other kind)
panel beater = autobody shop
plaster = band-aid
slip = landslide
flying fox = zip line
spider = float (ice cream and pop)
fizzy drink = pop
lolly = candy
pottle = container for fries
punnet = container for fruit (think strawberries)
rubber = eraser (I still do a doubletake when hearing Abner ask for a rubber)
ta = thanks
torch = flashlight
tea = dinner (to invite someone to share a cup of tea, you ask them to join you for a cuppa)
singlet = undershirt
whinge = complain/whine
wop-wops = boonies
littlies = very young children
section = property
bench = countertop
American = anyone from North America (this drives me nuts)
cheerio = cocktail sausage (I find this one particularly bizarre)
fringe = bangs
judder bar = speed bump
long drop = outhouse/biffy
mince = ground beef
morning tea = mid-morning break (at school it's the same as recess)
note = paper money
op shop = thrift store
paddock = field where animals graze
rock melon = cantaloup
she'll be right = it'll be okay
sleepout = A small shed in the yard for extra accommodation
fluffy = warm, foamed milk served only to kids with chocolate powder on top
flat white = most popular coffee option

As we head into our second year in New Zealand, we've started the process to get residence status. It's going to take a while, but it'll be good to be that much closer to not having to fill out another immigration form in our lives. Our criminal record checks just arrived from Canada so once we get those up to Christchurch, we should have everything sorted within the next six months or so (fingers crossed). Yes, folks, that means we're staying. I still stop in my tracks on a regular basis and pinch myself because I can't believe I actually live here. Anyone want to come visit?

Our first visitors!

My parents arrived for the first visit to Dunedin last week. The trip has been planned for months now so it's always been in the back of our heads as something to look forward to in January. It's kind of strange that they're actually here now...the visit is finally happening in real life! We've been running them ragged showing them around town and seeing all the sights along with them. So far we've hit Larnach Castle (it's not really a castle by European standards, but it's still pretty cool), Cadbury World, the art gallery, Otago Museum, Toitu, the eco sanctuary, and about a dozen other places I've already forgotten (thank goodness we had four cameras covering the action!) It's been a great visit so far, but we're all pretty tired by the end of the day.

As tired as I am in the evenings, I've also had an incredible hankering to do a little sewing. Stumbling upon Imagine Gnat's infinity scarf tutorial the other night was just perfect. In less than ten minutes I had my first scarf whipped up. It still doesn't feel like a proper summer here yet (note the 'yet', I am still hopeful at this point - that won't last much longer, I'm afraid) so this light little scarf has been put to good use already. My mom and I popped into a fabric shop that was having a big sale today and picked up fabrics to make five more...I may be a bit addicted to these scarves!

Roadtrip fabric

My first trip to Christchurch will be remembered for many reasons: my first look at what's left of the downtown area post-quakes, beautiful scenery the entire drive up, my first steps inside a proper mall since leaving Canada, stunning architecture everywhere I looked, and some of the best fabric shops I've ever set foot in.

Up first was Bolt of Cloth. Not your average fabric store, this one is in a mall. In addition to selling a range of fabrics, they have an extensive range of home decor products and designer-y type things. Fabric shopping itself is a little different in this store. They have a wall of folded up fat quarter samples for buyers to peruse before placing their order with the clerk. I was in a hurry so I opted to grab pre-cut fat quarters out of a big basket on the table. They offer discounts the more fat quarters you buy so don't be afraid to load up if you stop in. I walked off with the 13 fabrics in the middle picture.

Then clerk at Bolt of Cloth told me about Stitches which is just a couple of minutes up the same road. This has got to be the best fabric selection I've ever seen in my entire life. There's heaps of it and it's ALL stuff I love. I could quite literally ask for meter of everything they've got and be perfectly happy with all of it. Despite all the fabric love, I held myself back and only grabbed the 10 fat quarters in the top picture.

As Abner and I were driving home to Dunedin, I saw a house on the side of the road that was actually a fabric store. The shop was Annie's Country Quilt Store in Ashburton, and while it lived up to its name (lots of traditional and country style fabrics) I did manage to find a couple of gems (bottom picture). It also made me very happy to add two more to my roadtrip stash since coming home with 23 fat quarters just seemed like such an odd amount. 25 is much better, don't you think?

We were on a break

Please excuse the quietness around these blog parts lately. It's been term break for little Miss Abner for the past two weeks so we've been up to our eyeballs in fun and excitement! Our adventures were many, but our photos were few. Here are a few of the highlights for your viewing pleasure...

Looking chic as we headed north for a wee day trip with friends.

Braving the rope swing for the first time. How would you like to have this beautiful spot for a family getaway? I feel so lucky to have generous friends who let us join in the fun at their spectacular holiday house.

Enjoying the first of many Crunchie bars aboard the Crunchie Train. Dunedin has its very own Cadbury factory and every year they host "Cadbury Week". It's an all-out festival of all things chocolate. We did chocolate decorating, rode the Crunchie train up the Taieri Gorge, and took in our first Jaffa Race.

What you're looking at is 25,000 candy coated chocolate balls racing down the steepest street in the world. They do two races, sweeping the entire street (by hand) between races. It is extremely bizarre and totally awesome.

The children (and plenty of adults) help out by digging in the gutter and grabbing as many Jaffas as they can before the sweeping crew comes. Forget the five second rule - these things have rolled down a busy city street and came to rest in a GUTTER for Pete's sake. Eeeeew!

There was plenty of other action happening during the break; we managed to take in two plays, go for plenty of walks and go to a movie as well. I fear we may have set the bar a little too high and Abner will come to expect this much fun on every term break!

Weekend ramblings (a picture post)

Around the house: the lounge

It dawned on me the other day that we've been living in this little villa of ours for over three months and I have yet to share any pictures of the interior. Shame on me. Why don't I kick off a wee house tour with a look at the coziest room in the house: the lounge.

Part of me is sad that the landlords blocked up the original fire place. It would be so nice to cuddle up in front of a roaring fire on these chilly evenings. They thoughtfully picked out a lovely faux fire electric heater for us though, so it does sort of feel like a real fire (if I really use my imagination).

Slowly but surely, we've been collecting artwork to put on our walls. I've arranged and rearranged the collection we have thus far, but it doesn't seem quite right for hanging just yet. Just need one or two more pieces and then I can finally clear off the sideboard and admire all that lovely art up on the wall - where it should be. The two pieces on the left in the picture below were done by our neighbour in Regina. The colourful one is done in a technique called crosshatching which blows my mind every time I look at it...thousands of hand-drawn lines done oh so straight without any rulers! Crazy. Beautiful.

This little built-in cabinet has become our little work station. There is a spare room we'd intended to use as an office, but at the moment, the temperature doesn't rise above 10 degrees in that room so we don't really go in there too often. Most days, the laptop sits on this cabinet or in the kitchen...whichever is warmer. The painting was done by the daughter of TDSH's host family in Suriname - way back in 2000! I can't believe it's been that long since he lived there! It's nice to have this little reminder of that time in our house.

When you look at the view out the lounge window, you'd never guess that we live in the middle of a very dense residential area of Dunedin. Sheep graze on that hillside and there are horses just at the base of that hill. We also hear the occasional rooster in the mornings but I have yet to see one. Plenty of people keep chickens around here (one day we will too, I hope). It's hard to believe, but there's another subdivision just on the top of that hill as well...it's the ultimate farm folk/city folk town. Love it!

I'm almost embarrassed to show this corner of the room. A big, beautiful blank wall and not even a stitch of art on it. Shame on me. I MUST get something up there. One day soon...I promise.

Every room in our house can be closed off with doors. So much for open-plan living! To get from our bedroom to the toilet, you have to go through FIVE sets of doors. When it's this hard to heat a home, you really want to be able to close off rooms and heat only what you need. We've turned the doorway from the lounge to the kitchen into an art wall for Abner. When I first showed her the string and pegs and told her she could put up her artwork, she beamed! She feels so proud to have her art on display for everyone to see. I love having it up and seeing what she adds (I don't think she's taken anything down yet, so it's getting kind of full at the moment).

That's about it for the lounge. What room do you want to see next?