upsidedown charlotte

update seven: ticking along....

....(13 hours ahead!)

It's all been quiet on the (extremely south) western front here... well apart from more noticeboards! so the photo above this week is a rather gratiutous one of my lovely family back home who recently sent me a great package containing a cadburys creme egg (my all time favourite!) and a packet of mini eggs (my all-time second favourite (yes Easter is a happy occasion for many reasons on my calendar!))

from l-r : sis (the lovely rachey), me, (me) dad ( Jaoow), mum (Mrs Grace Bates), and bro (rod-er-ney.)

Well, another week, another scintillating round-up from Rangiora... yes yes, the highlight of your week I know... simmer down now,... (certainly the highlight of mine (and sadly that last comment was not made in jest...!)

Ive added little gizmo to my site which you should see flashing away in the side bar....... it tells the time and temp in ChCh (general rule of thumb,...add a couple of degrees celsius on for Rangiora as we tend to be quite a bit warmer here-something scientific to do with the mountains!!)

It's probably beginning to dawn on you that there really is not much to report this week! Well apart from a lovely fun dinner with Alexandrea and Paul and Gwendolyn (they are so fab!) where Paul shared his inspiring story of his arrival in London 'sans-very-much-at-all' and how God came through each time he was on the wire! Some unprompted encouragements I REALLY needed to hear so that was great!

Also I have been asked by a lovely couple at church, Jacqui and Paul to help them out with their Silver Wedding Party in a few weeks.... great to get my hand back in with this area but whilst I really enjoy it and am keen to show people what can be done on a budget, it has made me realise that working on such events is perhaps not my big dream after all..!

I mentioned noticeboards earlier...(and no.. they're not my big dream either!) Warning: people who are not fully signed up members of 'Noticeboards Anonymous', you can skip to the next paragraph!

I'm now working on the one in the Parish Hall which is the main one seen by non-church users (ie line dance class attendees and the like (Laura they need you!)) Whilst taking down the current info today (see photo: above), I came across an info sheet from the AWA (Anglican Womens Association) An extract from which, read as follows.....

"This year we have a very interesting programme.... At one of our meetings Sister Annette will join us and help us with the church linen which needs cleaning and ironing.

I think Ive just lost the will to live.

More generally speaking, Im eventually getting to grips with the accent ('ixccent') Simeon and I entertain ourselves for hours by getting each other to repeat certain words in our respective accents (ixxcents) Im always right of course (well I DO speak the Queens english and its everyone else who has the ixxcent)

Kiwis may as well be speaking Klingon sometimes though with their heavy (hivy) accents (ixxcents.... OK I'll stop now)

Exhibit A

I remember my first week here (all those years ago....) I was just heading out for my first trip into Christchurch, and I asked Christine for a few tips on what to see..... Cathedral Square featured highly and as well as the (rather obvious) must-see of the Cathedral, this included the sculpture of (and I quote) The "Cellist" , a landmark of Christchurch....

A little while later, fresh of the bus I found myself in the square by the cathedral (looked like a typical parish church to me!) and so after a polite look around that I headed to the sculpture.... now pause a minute to look at the photo...

Can you see how this depicts a 'cellist'!?.......

....No. nor could I, but I spent a good (and very determined) half an hour walking round it, standing back, moving closer, squinting at it through half closed eyes... etc etc- perhaps it was a particularly abstract pretentious 'interpretation'...

Eventually I rather grudgingly admitted defeat and resorted to my trusty 'AA Essential guide to NZ' for the explanation......

'........oooh...... a "CHALICE"!!!!!'

drat.

Exhibit B

I was helping Christine to sort the angel costumes for the pagaent....

me: "can you pass me a pin please Christine..."

Christine: "a pin or a pin?"

me: "err" (silently ...EH!!??) "..a pin!?"

Christine: "a PIN pin?"

me: (beginning plot how I could begin to back away slowly whilst making no sudden movements....) "um yes a pin"

Christine: "so you want this (holding up a pin) not this" (holding up a pen!!!)

aha!

and herein lies the fundamental flaw with the (otherwise fab!) kiwi accent..... the 'e' in any word is replaced by an 'i' sound but the 'i' in any word remains as an 'i'. So for example 'Les' becomes 'Liz' but 'Liz' remains as 'Liz' so 'Liz' could be 'Les' or 'Liz' and you don't know until the rather ambiguously-named person turns up, whether you are about the meet a 'Liz' or a 'Les'..... (a rather irreverent but practical thought has just occurred to me that this could potentially prove very useful for any guys called Les out here planning a sex change).

On that rather unfortunately seedy note ......I'll say goodbye! (I warned you there was no real news this week!) hope you're all well... would really would love to hear all your news too!

cx

ps just want to clarify that any emails you send me will go directly to my private email address as normal and will not be published for all to see on this site as some have feared!!!)