Songs :)

Hot sun, rain and Antarctic winds (a.k.a my last couple of days in CHCH)

Well I have spent my last couple of days in Christchurch. Tomorrow at 1pm I leave.
Saturday was nice, the sun was out in full summer glory as I went round the art markets.
Saturday night I went to see 'In the Loop ' at the Metro cinema. It was so small and quirky. The screen I was in had the capacity of 15! The film was dead good as well. Dad, I think you would enjoy it.

On Sunday and Monday I spent the day on the Trams, punting and gondola. On Sunday I did something I haven't done for donkeys years, I went to a Church service. Two in fact! Holy Communion where there was a really interesting sermon on hell (I am interested due to my A-level in ethics and philosophy) and then in the afternoon I went to Evening Choir Song where everything was sung. Found that a tad bizarre. The sermon for that service was boring.

Today I went to the Antarctic Centre opposite the Airport. It was bbbbbbrrrrrrrrilliant! You got to experience a Antarctic storm which was amazing. Got cold so quickly. Good practice for when I get back to the UK! I paid a little extra and got to get a guided tour of the little blue penguins (penguin comes for a welsh word for white head!). Got really close to a poor little fellow who was blind in one eye. So cute! There was a huge theatre where they showed images of Antarctica with music. It looks to be such a stunning, barren and vast landscape, after the storm simulator I would not want to work there! Also! I went on a...shoot I have forgotten its name but its link a tank kind of vehicle that they use over there. They can go really fast, float and at 45 degree angles. It was a fun and very very very bumpy ride. My stomach could only handle one, but you could have any number of rides with the ticket. Dead good day out!

Shona's Place

Today was my last day at Shona's. The Gardening Group was here this morning. We planted some maze and weeded the tiny sprouts of carrots.

Been thinking about what I want my garden (its OK to dream Mum!) to look like in the future, when I possess one!

It will mostly be a lawn but it will have a creeper plant at the bottom of the garden, probably Sweet Peas. I will have two beds, one for flowers and one for veg/ herbs.

Flowers I want:

• Sunflowers
• Tulips (my favourite flower)
• Poppies (the small dainty ones)
• Snow Drops
• Daffs
• Lavender
• And maybe a rose bush.

Herbs/ Veg:

• Garlic
• Leeks
• Cabbage
• Tomatoes
• Basil
• Sage

So basically I can make a mean spag bog or winter lentil soup!

We also picked some Black currant pie... still to have a taste... slightly burnt round the edges :/

Tomorrow, I am off to Christchurch to spend 4 days there. I am going to do the Tram/ Gondola/ Punting ride, go to the Antarctic Experience where you can experience a blizzard and get up close to the tiniest penguin in the world. Also there are art markets and there is a new Kiwi film with Sam Neil in it that looks really good. Its called 'Under the Mountain'.  

Jen is...

... shattered. 

Manual labour + a warm North Westerly = Knackered Jenny!

Stacking fire wood...

Katrina you would not like this job. It's not the stacking of the wood that is the problem... it's where I need to get it from. Shona has 4 hectares of land and in a small paddock there is the fire wood. In this paddock there is long grass and loads and loads of cobwebs!

It is nasty. I'm going to the wood pile and (because its hot I have a vest top on) all I can feel is the cobwebs hitting my skin. When the sun hits the field right all you can see is cobwebs! Eeek! Oh and a couple of flying spiders on there cobwebs blowing in the wind. What fun!

Oh! There are 3 piles of wood. I have been doing it all morning and I am still only on pile one. Might split them up so it's a morning job...

BBQ Concert

Shona, who I am staying with, is part of a gardening group. Last night, one of the members held a BBQ so that their son (who has just completed a music course) and his friends could have a jamming session. 

It was really good. Ate so much, which wasn't so good. The slab of steak sandwich was my favourite. Medium rare....mmmmmmmmmmm. Then there was the deserts! Any weight I may or may not have lost over the past 4 months will have been put back on from last night and previous days of cake eating. Ooops!

I had a really good night. The thing that is really screwing with my mind is that it is December, it's warm, its doesn't get dark till 10 o'clock and people are having BBQ's!?!? Its not normal!!! Well for me anyway! :)

CHCH Cathedral

So on Monday I had planned to go into Christchurch to break up my time on the Hobby Farm with Shona. Just my luck then that it rained all day.

I spent a lot of my time on the Internet, catching up with emails and chatting to my Mum and friends online. My mate, Debbie, introduced me to a new folk band from London who I am now obsessed with and hope I get tickets to see them in Manchester for Christmas. They are none other than Mumford and Sons. 

After my time on the Internet, I was going to venture to the cinema due to the crappy weather, however, for some reason I decided to go into the Cathedral. There setting up for a 2 hour concert was a music school from Brisbane. They played three sets; string, wind and big band. My favourite was the strings who played a Chopin mash up which was cool. There was also a young player who played a Viola solo beautifully. 

Something really spiritual about music. It can soothe the soul so easily. Love it!

The Cathedral was the best I have seen in New Zealand so far. It was traditional. Pure and Simple. I don't think of myself as religious but there is just something about being in a church or cathedral that I just love. I think religion is important its just when it get manipulated and radicalised that it becomes a problem. So in that sense what I believe is: Religion=bad, Faith= good.  Sometimes I wish I was more religious and went to church more often. I can see it as a kind of free counselling if you have something on your chest, there is where you can get it off. Also its the community aspect of the congregation. Being recognised and to be part of something and having 'someone' there to look over and protect you.

I suppose my Church is the Chorlton Players. Miss you guys! x