update sixteen: birthday bouquet!

i was inspired today in the first time for a loooong while to wrote on my poor sad neglected little blog (awwww....)

Ok so it was my birthday today (come to think of it, at the time of writing... it still is in the UK.. oooh gotta love these 36 hour birthdays!) and I had a lovely day blah blah blah... but the highlight was this afternoon when I was driving with my friend Sam in remote countryside... at the side of the road I spotted a handwritten sign "peonies $3"

Now... peonies are my absolute fave flower and so I thought I would stop & treat myself (well I AM the birthday girl!) so I duly screeched to a halt, but once Sam had peeled himself off the windcreen, (and after much searching under all seats for any loose change) we realised we had only $1 cash between us. Drat. (just don't think these 'yokel' farmers take visa.... )

Anyway, I opened my purse again and there was a $2 coin in there that I SWEAR was not there the first time I looked!!! so happily I hopped out & dashed over to the Land Rover parked up at the farm gates.

flowerseller: "hello! the peonies are $5 for a bunch"

hmmm i had misread the sign.*

me: "ohh but I only have $3 in cash, can I maybe get a single stem for that?"

flower seller "sorry no...."

(me: "sigh")

flowerseller: "but you can have the whole bunch .... merry christmas!!!"

me: "well actually it's 'happy birthday' but THANKS!"

and so I bounced back to the car with a perfect bunch of flowers.. and quite clearly heard God say.. "Happy Birthday Charlotte!"

c

xx

* I did actually misread the sign (we checked as we drove away!) didnt want you to think I had fallen foul of an unscrupulous roadside kiwi bandit! ;)

update sixteen: shadowfeet

.

hello i'm still here. clinging on (somewhat precariously!) to the bottom of the world....!

ok, so new years resolution #1 was to get back into my beloved writing and also to get back in touch with those of you to whom I owe a huge apology for not being in touch.

Umm.... so I never actually stipulated which 'new year' and the chinese one just happened a few days ago so maybe Im not that far out after all... (Xin Nian Kuai Le everyone!!!)

SOOOOOO much (and conversely SOOOOO little) has happened in the past year. It's been an incredibly tough one, a learning curve to the power of ten and then add the number you first thought of!

Too much to say initially and I just don't know where to begin, so im not going to right now and instead I am going to unashamedly cheat and invite you - if you have a moment (and audio on your computer!)- to click on the 'listen to the music' 'play' button on the sidebar of this blog.

Brooke Fraser is a hugely popular kiwi musician (incredible as her songs are so overtly christian and this country is so overtly not!)

Anyway, her song 'Shadowfeet' sums it all up 100% more eloquently than I could right now. Awesome. (ooh 'kiwi-speak' alert!)

will be back soon with some proper updates on my new-look (anti-facebook) blog

..... and would be great to hear your news too!

c
xxx

update fifteen: no place like home...?

back in the UK for a bit..... dad and me at windsor racecourse... dad won, I didnt.... ('nuff said)

So since I last wrote I’ve actually seen many of you as I got home for a few weeks…… What a treat!

In celebration, I have decided to add a couple of extra bits to my blog…. Main thing being my ‘flickr’ photo account.. I was having so many problems uploading my photos and so now you can access all my photos in one place online by clicking on the flashing photo box on the right. Also (and if you are REALLY desperate for something to do!) you can click on my links and take a virtual stroll with me down Rangiora High Street- pass the smelling salts!!

So update time…..

The week before I headed home we had another prison visit, one of the other team members had bought his mother-in-law along… she was visiting from the Philippines and she shared her testimony with the prisoners .. turns out she is a famous film star (now retired) in her country and had a really powerful story to tell! Also turned out she was on the same plane from nz to Singapore than me so we arranged to meet at the airport and check in together.

And so verily it came to pass that I found myself playing escort to a Filipino Film Star…. kind of hoped she would be recognised by the flight crew and hustled off into First Class (with me very firmly in tow) but alas it seems that Filipino film stars are not so famous in Singapore and so it was with a sigh that I folded myself into my 2.31cm of leg space and settled down for the long flight home.

Singapore Airlines has this thing where you can keep track of your flightpath on your personal tv screen, I kept checking it to see where I was and it was lovely to be able to note I was flying over places where good friends of mine currently are….. India, Vienna, France & Canterbury(!) to name a few…. did you see me wave!!???

7 years later….I unfolded myself from seat 35C…… how FAB it was to see mum and dad beaming away in arrivals along with what seemed like a million other people…. It was only about 6.30am but I think I saw more people in the arrival hall of Heathrow then I had seen in my entire year in nz… took a bit of getting used to and I did wonder how on earth earnest young Kiwis fresh off the plane on their big O.E. cope with it all!

Driving home on the M25 and then through Sunningdale, Bagshot etc I was fascinated at how small everything was, the motorway lanes (practically held my breath as we passed within inches of the other cars!) and the houses, they were so packed together! And the OLD THINGS!! Was so wonderful to see old things (Mum and Dad don’t count) churches, steeples, cottages, pubs, stone walls… buildings of substance!!– those of you living in the UK, don’t take them for granted EVER!!

My first week home was spent catching up with family and of course Corrie! I wasn’t too well, but it worked out OK as it was good to have to take things slowly, and have the chance to spend quality time with a few rather than dash madly about the place seeing lots of people all-too-briefly as I originally felt compelled to do!

After the initial integration time was over I was very much looking forward to visiting London although slightly apprehensive as to how I would find it after over a year away (and in such a different environment!)

On my first trip in, I stepped off the train at Waterloo and literally broke into a run as I raced along the platform and sprinted into the tube station. I was halfway down the escalator tutting and glaring at the torturously slow and bulkily laden tourists in my way before I caught myself and stopped…… what on earth was I rushing for!? I had deliberately got to London much earlier than necessary for my arranged meetings to enable me to have time for a wander to savour it all so I had absolutely no reason to! It was shocking how instantly I had stepped back into the fast flowing tide of London life!

Slowing down drastically I continued my wanderings, it quickly struck me how it was physically impossible to walk in a straight line for more than 3 steps at a time, also how completely multi-cultural London is (rural nz just isn’t!) and, what depth of variety there was…. for example, I was walking past a HUGE bookshop and realised it was completely devoted to travel books…. That wouldn’t happen in nz, there simply isn’t the population to sustain such specialisation.

Most striking of all, after a year in the backwater of Rangiora, was how much potential there seems to be in London…. I was completely caught up in the feeling that round the next corner ANYTHING could be happening or I could bump into ANYONE etc etc. None of the above observations have EVER crossed my mind when I was actually living in the city for all those years!

Someone gave me some advice when I was new here, that whilst making such a huge move is obviously broadening my horizons, in reality, life actually contracts massively as you establish yourself, It wasn’t negative advice at all, but it has proved very true….. for whilst on the one hand I am experiencing new things all the time (even a regular supermarket trip still brings new surprises!) my social networks and day-to-day living in such a small town have all become very small and focused… with all that in mind I decided to relish every second of my short time back in pulsatingly crazy London!

First treat was a ride on my favourite section of the tube… that overland bit on the Piccadilly Line between Hammersmith & Acton Town where it doesn’t stop at any of the District Line stations and so goes really fast and is a real bumpy ride…. My lunch was in Hammersmith but I carried on to Acton Town and caught the next tube back just for old times sake! (and yes, I really am as sad as I know I am making myself out to be)

I was treated to a wonderful ‘homecoming’ moment whilst walking from the tube to my lunch appointment (catching up with the gang at the Christian Healing Mission (hello You Lovely Lot!!)) and overhearing the following conversation….

Man “Excuse me, sorry but do you know where Argos is?”

Woman “Oh sorry I don’t know, really sorry!”

Man “That’s OK, sorry to bother you”

Woman “Sorry I can’t help!”

I could have hugged them both for providing me with a delightfully intense moment of Englishness at its best! Marvellous!

I must confess that I did manage to fall in love with a lovely young man whilst back home….. devastatingly gorgeous, lovely smile and gives great hugs! My oldest friend Louise’s, son, Barnaby is completely fab… an 8 month old cutie! Though was funny to meet him as Lou was barely showing when I said goodbye last year!

So the rest of my trip home passed all too quickly in a flurry of friends, various birthdays (including my own milestone!) and Christmas shopping…. Yes it was only October and I’m usually a Christmas-Eve-kind-of-girl, but I had to buy them so I could leave them all at home! Believe me, it’s very hard to muster up a festive spirit when you are surrounded by pumpkins and devils horns! How come Halloween’s got so big in the UK over the past couple of years (and one final and quite random reflection… where DID all that pomegranate juice suddenly come from..??!! The shop shelves are positively groaning with the stuff and I didn’t even know what a pomegranate looked like before I left to go to nz last year!

I found it very difficult heading back out to nz again, I LOVE this country but I think I got a taste of how much more ‘normal’ life could be if I stayed in the UK…. in terms of good friends around me, chance of a decent job/career/ flat share/ etc. I felt as if I belonged when in London particularly, I was one of the crowd…. my age, single, my sense of humour etc! All the aspects of life where I feel different in nz… How hard it is to go against the worldly flow!

And I certainly got a second (double) dose of culture shock when I returned! Its SO quiet it here! What potential is there for me!? I think turning thirty made me reconsider what I’m doing here and in my first few days I majorly panicked (took all my willpower not to turn tail & head straight back to the airport!) BUT I felt more strongly than ever that whilst it IS hard over here and I seem to be kissing goodbye to all the things I long for by moving away from where its ‘happening’ I KNOW that its is where I’m meant to be for now and there is a real sense of peace about that, I cant really explain it but its something I wouldn’t swap for the world (or a man or a good salary!) and anyhow… God can do ANYTHING ANYWHERE!- watch this space… and I say that with more than a little faith (um I think!)

A week after being back I felt fully reintegrated and England seemed like a surreal dream. I was really bowled over by how much I was loved over here. I think I had to go away and come back to fully appreciate it!

For starters… Jessica and Emma had the day off school (naughty!) to pick me up from the airport with their dad and stepmum and as the plane touched down I could see a group of dots waving madly from the viewing platform at chch airport…. I just KNEW it was them and I can’t tell you how special I felt to be welcomed home so literally on arrival! God is so abundant! (also got overwhelmed with the biggest smiles and hugs as I came through arrivals!!)

The first Sunday back at church, I lost count of how many people came and hugged me and said how much they had missed me and even the “Christian Culture Cynic” residing in me could tell they meant it! I had a nz birthday ‘party’ a week later ( a quiet drink in a local bar with an open invite to all at church) and I was blown away by how many and who came… I got pressies galore and a delicious cake (courtesy of the lovely Christine) and whilst it wasn’t my very nearest and dearest around me it was the very next best thing! Check out the photos on flickr!

Life since has been … well fairly dull actually! I’m just horribly frustrated if I’m honest.... Its tricky to explain how I feel but its like I’m on the very brink of something amazing, but not quite there yet and I still have the major issue here of not having good friends who are around to ‘do things’ with.

TV is a massive culture thing out here, EVERYONE watches it all the time…. that’s not necessarily a criticism, rather an observation. I’m longing find a friend who embraces life completely, who wants to go for a walk or drink in the evening, watching the awesome sunsets they get out here and just talking and revelling in life!!

I said in a previous blog that following God like this is never boring… I stick to that…. Its not! BUT I still feel like I’m in some kind of cage or Perspex box here, I’m a ‘do-er’ and I WANT to engage fully in life but whilst I’m happy (or OK!) to do 90% of things on my own there are some things that I can’t for safety reasons or simply because I don’t want to on my own and I need a best mate here.. a partner-in-crime! Those of you who pray for me… please pray for that (thank you!)

A couple of weekends ago, I had a lovely lunch with Danella and Rick as they passed through Rangiora, they are old work colleagues and friends from HTB who have just moved back to nz after many years in the USA and UK and are suffering from similar (if not worse!) culture shock than I did!

Well how lovely to be able to empathise with each other and to share old jokes and chat about familiar people (in the non-gossip sense!) They are expecting their first baby in a few weeks (and there you were, putting Danellas shape down to a decent lunch!) and I’m so excited they are home and on this side of the planet (albeit several hours drive away…its all relative.) Avid blog readers amongst you will remember Danella’s parents as being the union Jack flag bearers of Nelson this time last year!!)

I was encouraged by a number of you whilst back in the UK that you actually read my blog (its goes off into Cyberspace each month and I tend to think that that’s where it stays!) and so on my return I approached a local magazine to see if they were interested in publishing an english girls rantings….. they seemed to be keen and I got published last week… Fame at last!!! I can send you an autographed copy for $10 and, yes you’ve guessed it…… if you can find it, an un-autographed edition is worth an absolute fortune……

So , Christmas is coming again and I thought I would be more used to it this year….. summer and santa… but noooooooooo its still so wrong!!! I was at the Kaiapoi river carnival last weekend (neighbouring town- see flickr photos again!) sitting in the sun, watching rubber duck racing… avec ice creams, strappy tops, sunglasses, sunshine… you name it, it was summer … except perhaps for the “I saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus….. “ ringing out from the PA system. (ably accompanied by the beefy log-cutter competitors frantically chopping wood on the other side of the river…. Can it GET anymore surreal??!! I ask you!!!)

Well actually, yes It can ‘cos only yesterday I witnessed the Rangiora Santa Parade…(‘tho before I go on….. what a wonderful community day! The whole town turned out and you can see the photos on flickr. Must make a mention of the fact that the church won the best float in the parade!!!! Hurrah! …though have absolutely no claim to fame on this as I was not taking part, simply took some photos and felt like the proud parent on the pavement as they passed and waved!!)

Santa Parade Day in Rangiora took on the same kind of surreal flavour that other special event days adopt, with the whole town taking on some kind of ‘dream sequence’ feel…. but maybe I'm being harsh,,... after all what Christmas Parade would be anywhere NEAR complete without a chicken and a rooster on a moped?!

Then again... I was driving out of town to a BBQ party after seeing the parade go by and gave way to a car on a narrow bit of road, only to glance at the other driver and note he was a dressed in full clown attire. (wig, make up, nose. the lot.) For one horribly sinister moment I was an unpaid extra in Stephen Kings ‘It’….. then minutes later I turned onto the main road and found myself behind a traction engine, fully bedecked in tinsel naturally) with none other than Ivor the Engines Driver at the wheel, gunning it down the road at top speed of 5 MPH. What has happened to Life As I Know It!!!!?????

I’m going to end there…Its been too long since I wrote and God's been challenging me and changing my heart even more than before... and there is so much more than I can even begin to fill you in on but thats for a whole other blog.... In the meantime, dont forget to look at all the photos!!!

Looking forward to hearing from you this Christmas time... have a good one!

Lots of love
Charlotte xx

update fourteen: a flying visit

Photo of Spring here in NZ, its strong stuff, everything’s so bright and vivid with the intense blue skies to set it all off… I took an afternoon a couple of weeks ago to wander in awe around the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch, I spent HOURS there just revelling in the beauty and snapping away with my trusty camera! Our Creator God has such great taste! (More pics at end of this posting... having trouble loading them up again!)

I guess Spring here means that Autumn is beginning to show its face at home?? My favourite season…… and speaking of home, I’ve been praying recently about being able to get back to the UK for a few weeks, Its been a long year out here, getting settled in and I recognised I’ve been getting to the point recently where I’ve simply had enough for now ( I know my limits!) I’m totally exhausted, hit a wall, tired of not seeing my friends and family; people that truly know ME and for the first time since being here I crave Englishness! What do I miss most? Silly things…. the terminology and the English humour, I would give anything to hear an “‘Allo darlin’” or “alright ‘luv”. don’t ask me why!!

So bearing in mind the promise that God said ‘He would provide for me’ I had a quiet word and asked Him if He could make it possible as I would REALLY appreciate a real break and see loved ones! BUT that (as He was well aware) I didn’t have any money. So it was totally out of my hands and up to Him! Anyway He had something up His sleeve with a healthy tax return from the UK for last years earnings that came through a couple of weeks ago! Excellent!

It was enough to pay off a bill or two and TO COME HOME FOR A FEW WEEKS!!! HURRAH! (and I didn’t just hit capslock by mistake there, that was the cyber version of me shouting from the rooftops!) -Crack open the Marmite!!!

I was musing on this yesterday, (not the marmite bit) but the fact that being so reliant on God -whilst not easy in practice- really provides mountain-top moments as if I had been earning good money I could well have afforded a trip home but would not have got the WOW factor of it being provided miraculously as it was. It’s only when we stop being reliant on worldly things that God can really act and I highly recommend it (though don’t highly enjoy it a lot of the time!) Kind of like the Psalms with David agonising and despairing one moment and then the next being unable to find the words to praise God enough… but all the time never doubting His existence- as I often say, its not glamorous, Worldly eyes would look at elements of my life and more than likely pity it, and I’ve had to try and master the art of humbleness, (though ‘frustration’ often wins the day!) but it’s certainly not boring, it’s radical living and those who settle within a comfort zone -whatever that is for them- miss out IMMENSELY!!!

I fly back into the UK a year to the day since I left (lift)…. (and no doubt speaking with a Kiwi twang!) early this *Friday (13/10) and fly out again Tues 7/11.

* will only be here in body for the first couple of days due to jetlag. I will be busy getting reacquainted with my bed during this time!

There’s an added bonus that I get to reclaim the hour back that we lost here in NZ last weekend when daylight saving started as I’m home during the time the UK daylight saving ends….. my watch dial is going to see a lot of action! (and I’m already confused)

I’m also home for my birthday which is nice, as this year it is a special one and I will get to have another celebration on my return to NZ!!….. “21 again (agin)!?” I hear you cry!? Well no, but I’ll give you a BIG clue:

I’m NOT expecting a telegram from Her Majesty this year.

So now you all know!! Yes on 1st Nov my name automatically changes by deed poll to Miss B. Jones. Oh Well.

Birthdays aside, it would be great to catch up with those of you who would like to and are around…. I’ll be based back in Camberley but am planning to spend time in London, Guildford, possibly Wiltshire and Canterbury! Get in touch! And if you’re in the Camberley area on Tues 17 Oct I’m hosting an Upside-Down Night at my parent’s house; a kiwi-style dessert evening with lots of treats to sample from NZ! (I even have a NZ flags plastic bunting which I was very excited to discover in the $2.00 shop (“Everything in Just $2’s is $2’s!! (local radio jingle)) . Oh yes, this is going to be one classy event!

Having said that I’m excited about coming back, I’m also more than a little apprehensive… what will have changed? How much have I changed? Will my friends remember me!? (joke) Will I want to stay? And ultimately… Will I be able to catch up on a years worth of Corrie? (I shall NEVER succumb to calling it Coro as they do over here… sacrilege! AND they are more than a year behind!)

Whilst trying to book a flight I came across more than my fair share of rude call centre employees, one in particular I would like to name and shame as providing the worst customer service I have ever come across…. ‘Travel Mood’

“Thank you for your help” I said politely after being on the phone for quite a while with an extra surly call centre team member, from whom I had received no help whatever:

“And may I suggest that you might like to consider changing your name from Travel Mood to Travel Moody”

Then I hung up.

HA! that felt GOOD!

Other news from the past few weeks…..

The Managers at my paid work have been great at me upping and leaving them all of a sudden to head home, it’s only a temporary position but they have said to come and see them when I get back and if there’s work they would love to take me back on again. The ladies also took me out for a drink after work one day (social-life-alert!) to wish me ‘Bon Voyage’… they really are a great bunch.

I have been working the odd weekend as an on-the-door ticket seller for Eventz NZ, they organise outdoor and boat shows around the South Island throughout the year, like the Earls Court shows but only 0.0000001% in size! Its extra money and makes a nice change. Its also lovely to be part of an event without being the organiser, I get to sit behind my ticket desk watching others run around with the walkie talkies and feel very glad its not me! It’s not lucrative but it’s a fun team, there’s no responsibility (past me smiling and selling tickets) and I can leave at the end of my shift!

The latest show was in Dunedin (Gaelic for ‘Edinburgh’) this ‘city’ is one of the oldest settlements in NZ and where the Scots landed back in the 1850’s. I love Dunedin although both times I’ve been I’ve never had much time there to look around! It’s got the ‘oldest’ buildings I’ve seen in NZ (and more notably the NZ Cadbury Factory!!) and reminds me greatly of Edinburgh (but with random Kiwi twists that only serve to remind you how far from home you actually are!)

Anyway- I got the minibus to Dunedin, as I was getting a lift back with my friends Anne and Rex who were also working at the show but had gone down earlier. Note to self…. DON’T catch a public minibus in NZ during the school holidays… it was full of 15 year olds on their way to visiting friends in Dunedin. Yes I endured 5 hours of flirting and text messaging and screaming at a pitch that only teenage girls can reach. I spent the whole trip expecting the windows to shatter at any moment. Was I ever like that??!! Probably.

Back in Rangiora, I have joined the Parish Prison Team, which visits one of Christchurch’s Prisons once a month for a Sunday evening service. This is absolutely awesome.

Whilst the services are terribly old-fashioned ("All Together now..! “Give Me Oil in my Lamp Keep me Burning...) and there is huge scope for developing the format -the rest of the team are all older folk but have been visiting faithfully for nearly 20 years- God is honouring their dedication and heart and last week some of the men asked if they could sing a Maori song that they had written about God. (There is a disproportionately high population of Maori in NZ’s prison) It was BEAUTIFUL. Also some of the men are now standing up in the service to share a personal thought or testimony, it’s really powerful stuff. (with a heavy dose of laddish humour!) The men (min) are all so welcoming and we have time at the end over coffee for great chats about their past lives and future hopes and dreams etc, I can’t even begin to relay what a wonderful privilege it is to be part of it.

I think that’s all for now, have to go and pack, though I must leave lots of room in my case for my return trip as I have a long list of ‘English-Specific’ things to get for homesick Brits over here…. It’s funny what you miss! Items include… Polo Mints, Pork Scratchings (Personally I was more than glad to leave them 12,000 miles behind!)… ‘Anything from River Island’ (I reassured them that I’d bring back a carrier bag) Walkers Crisps (NZ doesn’t ‘do’ crisps… my sister (AKA ‘Crisp Fiend’) wouldn’t last 2 minutes here) and some Whole Nut Dairy Milk as I’m ashamed to say that I ate the giant bar (even more ashamed to say in one sitting) that I asked my mum to bring over for this person back in May (you know who you are and I can only humbly apologise!)

Really have to finish now….. Packing frenzy calls….. I’m flying up to Wellington later today, and staying overnight for my second Summer Wine Managers Meeting, (I’m hoping I get to stay with‘Olive-On-The-Waterfront’ again and this time I won’t bat an eyelid if she says she’s “going to prepare a ‘hottie’ for me to take to bed” I’m much more au fait with the kiwi language compared to my first visit! And no, Olive-On-the-Water-Front is (sadly for me perhaps ) DEFINITELY NOT that kind of establishment….)

I fly back from Wellington late tomorrow then off on Thursday morning to the UK, The airport is to be my home for the next few days!

Looking forward to seeing lots of you soon! (God Save the Queen, How Do You Do, Here Is The News, Luv-a-Duck and all that!)

C
x

update thirteen: the lion and the lambs...

“Welcome Child” he said

“Aslan,” said Lucy, “You’re bigger.”

“That is because you are older, little one,” he answered.

“Not because you are?”

“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

(from Prince Caspian)

(Photo is of me at Castle Rock, an area close to here where scenes from Narnia were filmed)

“Just like Susan from Narnia, you are a queen, stately and regal. And I have given you authority in this land. I am Aslan- a powerful Lion and your King but also I want to play with you, just mess around and DANCE with you!

This land is yours. Stride out. Walk tall. I have called you and you have authority to be here. I will provide. Do not worry. Just pray and press into Me”

These were the very words given to me by four godly men praying over me earlier this year. I had sat down with little expectation and just said silently but desperately in my heart… “Lord please romance me here ‘cos I’ve just had it!” I hadn’t mentioned this to those praying for me and also they didn’t know that I had come to NZ simply because I heard God say “come and dance with Me”. In fact I had only met them all earlier that day!

Writing that down again, (copying it from my journal!) is great ‘cos I remind myself of God’s LOUD AND CLEAR promises, as most days- I’m ashamed to say- I forget and I just spend the day wondering how much longer I have to do all this on my own (worldly speaking!) and whilst being poor (worldly speaking!) and wasting time comparing myself unfavourably with others (erm… worldly speaking!) I’ve come close recently to quitting, (still am on the verge most days if I’m honest!) But those words are just wonderful to hold onto.

Amongst all the goodbyes I had in the UK in the run up to coming here there’s one I remember very well and that’s Martin, the vicar at our family church in Camberley, who hugged me and simply said “Fly”. (And I don’t think he was trying to give me advice on the most suitable way of getting here….) Ten months later I’m still here (phew!) and I’ve got to know myself masses more and got more intimate with God (who has got bigger!) than I ever dreamed possible but I still I don’t think I have truly ‘flown’ yet, not REALLY let go, actually not by a long shot, just IMAGINE what God can do if only I let Him! Hmmm back to the drawing board!

Must apologise for lack of photos in this blog... doesnt seem to be working as it usually does but Ive managed to add a few on in separate posts which you will find underneath this one! dont miss them!

Anyway, in my last blog post (about 10 years ago) I seem to remember promising you some work-news as I was getting concerned that you were all beginning to think my time out here was actually just one long jolly in disguise as all I was writing about was my travels!. Sadly in reality I have only had about a months worth of ‘travel’ here and the rest of the time has been very much knuckling down and getting on with lots of things!

I have 3 main areas of work:

1) My ‘bread and butter’ job, working at Vircom: a power supply company mon-fri 9-1.

2) Parish Work, as Andrews PA, events, campaigns, noticeboards(!) etc etc

3) Summer Wine Co-Ordinator (New Wine for the South Island happening in Jan)

1. Vircom
Now this job, as I keep telling myself, is a means to an end. It’s not a career move and it’s certainly not fulfilling a passion in me!

Still the ladies I work with are lovely … real local Cantabrians and I learn so much about authentic Kiwi life from them. Because they all know I work at the church as well I can be really open about my faith and we’ve had some great chats over tea breaks (mainly prompted by the fact they can’t understand why I’m here on my own (no one's on their own over here.. everyone has a spouse or more often than not a ‘partner’) and also why I’ve chosen Rangiora over ChCh or Auckland!).

My day to day work is boring data entry and a lot of telephone work with technicians as they carry out jobs around the country. This is my favourite part as they are all great and really fun and they just LOVE my ‘ixxcent’. I must confess to cranking it up to the max when speaking to the nice-sounding younger techs! (“Oh Heeeelllllooooo…!”)

I struggle in the ‘non-creative’ environment though. The other day we were handed out forms titled “Official Staff Gap Analysis Assessment” to fill in…. “Huh?” Basically had to grade ourselves 1-5, how we rate ourselves on a list of our daily tasks. (using the photocopier etc…. blah blah BLAH) Had a snigger as I was filling it in as reminded me of that scene from ‘The Office’ : “Always the same, always the same….”

I spend most mornings at my desk fighting the urge to gnaw my own arm off with the sheer ADMINISTRATION of it all, the only thing stopping me is the fact I’d probably have to carry out a full ‘Risk Assessment’ beforehand and submit a detailed ‘Health and Safety Report’ afterwards….

Not worth it.

Fans of ‘The Office’ will know that I’m not exaggerating about all this when I tell you that someone actually LABELLED THEIR STAPLER WITH TIPPEX* the other day as people kept borrowing it!... I rest my case.

*English to Kiwi translation = Twinkie

Still, the morning walk to work is always an absolute pleasure…. Just like my London ‘commute’ (a 2 minute one from one side of the Brompton Road to the other!) I say hello to at least five friendly people, and just like London, I catch glimpses of majestic snowcapped mountains in the distance, and just like London I walk across the unbarriered rail lines only waiting if a huge lumbering freight train is making its way past towards the mountains, and just like London, I pass by the garage forecourt where the owner is polishing his….. tractors.

So it’s all just like London really.

The best day is my once-a- week coffee treat where I stop off at the best coffeehouse on the ‘Main Drag’.
“Hello Lovely!”
The lady is making my coffee to my exact specification almost as I step through the door. I just LOVE that. The first time she did it I told her that back in London I felt good if someone noticed I hadn’t been lying dead for a month being chewed by Alsations (in full Bridget Jones style) let alone how I liked my coffee! (OK so I played it up a little).

Anyway as I said, the ladies at work are great, real friendships are slowly but surely really being formed during the 10-minute tea break (they’re wary of outsiders!) and I’ve actually had my first invite round to one of theirs (Teresa’s) for dinner.

Now my social life has taken a massive nosedive since being here (actually is currently bearing more than a passing resemblance to the Dodo) so you will forgive me for being excited about spending my Saturday Night in a ‘shid’ in a field in the middle of nowhere. For that is where Teresa and her partner Michael live whilst they build their own home on the land. Do I miss the trendy sophisticated bars and dinner parties of Knightsbridge….?? altogether now … YES!!!! (actually no not really….. but sometimes VERY really!)

2. Parish
This is where my heart really is here, its a real challenge! New Zealand is SUCH a secular country, people have their families, lifestyle block and a great way of life so ‘don’t need’ the church. They say that an Englishman’s home is his castle but they don’t hld a candle to the Kiwis (though I s’pos you could argue that they are all English anyway!)

However, like most places in the world, hidden loneliness is rife here, bubbling away just under the surface. The local paper the other week had an article on the lack of community and the difficulty that newcomers have in really integrating. One comment jumped out at me.. made by a recent immigrant from England…. “A smile just isn’t enough”; she was referring to the fact that whilst this country is seen as being really friendly (chatty shopkeepers etc) it is only on a surface level and there is no infrastructure in place to enable real community to develop.

Well WHAT an opportunity for the church to be THE CHURCH! The centre of the community and the place that facilitates REAL relationships and provides a place for people to come and BELONG. But instead of stepping in, the NZ Anglican Church is (generally speaking and -I must stress- in my opinion!) just so ‘dry’ with an ageing population and an underlying feeling of it being a ‘club’ where newcomers are almost feared as it will mean changing things. (perish the thought). The message given out (perhaps subconsciously) is that of course you can come in and join but you must fit in with what WE do.

It’s a tough environment to work in, Andrew and Christine can testify to that! Not hostile but perhaps worse than that… ‘indifferent’ . I recently learned that the opposite to ‘love’ is …. (no not hate!) but ‘indifference’ and that’s sooo true. Hate CAN’T be opposite to love as it can often stem from love… it a passionate feeling, not a passive one. If you love someone you can hate them but its simply not possible to be indifferent to them. (ooh mini sermon sorry!)

There is hope though(!) the church in Rangiora has been hearing from God over the past year or so with the promise from Isaiah 43: (See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland... ) and it really is, slowly but surely small shoots are peeping through, there are some awesome people in the church, both older ‘stalwarts’ and new younger families. One family in particular, the Devlins, (from Luton and speak like London cabbies with humour to match) and have such a raw and unpolished passion for God… I think they are FAB!!

We are currently in the middle of a big campaign: ‘40 Days of Community’, the follow up to ‘40 Days of Purpose.’ So instead of examining the question; ‘what on earth am I here for?’ its ‘what on earth are WE here for?’; building relationships both within the church and between the church and the local community. Its brilliant stuff the teaching is great and its been wonderful to see the beginnings of people putting it all into practice on a day to day level. (I include myself in that!)

There are several events staged throughout the 6 weeks, one being a local community project (we called ours ‘Serve Rangiora’ and provided a free carwash and coffee for allcomers one Saturday, with teams also going out and about around the town to carry out odd jobs for people who needed a few extra pair of hands… gardening, washing walls etc.)

Disappointing that we didn’t have many people sign up and help and also that several church members actually came to have their car washed rather than to serve(!) but never mind….. *sigh* just felt saddened for them, for missing the point and consequently missing out as those who did come had a great time both serving and also getting to know each other a little more as they worked together.

We are also holding an end of campaign event at the local RSA( Returned Services Association- like a working mens club! ) in a couple of Sundays and its all about celebrating what God has done during the 6 weeks and a chance for people to come and find out what its all been about. Its going to be a really informal service, so it will be interesting to see how those who refuse to come to church unless communion is on offer will find it all (that’s if they even attend!) Anyway several people who we came into contact with through ‘Serve Rangiora’ are keen to come and so that’s fab!

3. Summer Wine
Check out www.summerwine.org.nz and click on the ‘step out’ button. To find out all about this! Just want to clarify, we had no say in the layout design of the website- yuk!

So work life is definitely busy, but enough of work talk!.... I’ve recently had my hours at Vircom reduced so don’t work on Mondays now and Andrew has insisted I take off Monday afternoons from all the other work so each Monday I now go AWOL, switch off my cell (I mean mobile) borrow the spare vicarage car and head off for the day somewhere nice.

So far I have been blessed with wonderful warm late winter/early spring days, the cutest baby lambs are everywhere, leaping about on their wobbly legs and daffodils are also currently en masse. (very odd for late August!) I have just been so refreshed with the JAWDROPPING scenery, augmented by the crystal clear blue skies… Only thing that would make it nicer would be to share it all with someone!

One day whilst driving along, I was listening to a talk on the radio about living your dream. Just at the very moment the speaker posed the question to listeners … “are you sitting at your desk in a stuffy office wishing you were elsewhere…” I was crossing a bridge with a RIDICULOUSLY PERFECT view of the braided river and snow capped mountains. That was a romance moment! (and I shouted "NO" back at the man on the radio!)

My NZ driving test was a couple of months ago (had to wait the mandatory 6 MONTHS before I could take it!) Andrew & Christine were away but I had arranged with them to borrow the spare car for the afternoon, so went round with a friend to pick up the car and drive to the test centre.Meanwhile, back at the ranch.... Unaware of the arrangements, Simeon had returned home to find the car gone and so (quite understandably!) called the police. So I was tootling around the local roads blissfully unaware I had the entire local police force trawling the streets attempting to hunt me down.

Luckily they failed dismally which, whilst a relief in the circumstances, on reflection is not perhaps particularly encouraging in terms of their effectiveness in tackling local crime -After all, Rangiora isn't exactly a sprawling metropolis and I wasnt exactly trying to make a fast getaway!

Never mind, I passed (yey!) which is the main thing and has made a real difference to my life here for whilst I dont have my own car, Andrew & Christine have v. generously said I can borrow their spare one anytime its available which, after finding myself stranded in a rural area with no transport (not to be recommended) .... is real freedom!- being able to get to places easily (or at all!) is perhaps one of those things that have extra enjoyment for me as I dont take it for granted.

On the housing front.... Neil and Natalie, the Youth and Children’s workers here went home to England for a month to introduce their new baby Matthew to family and friends (and I think to stand aimlessly in Tescos for an hour just because they could. It’s funny what you miss!) They offered me their house for the time they were away which stands in the church grounds and it was quite wonderful!Best bit was being able to have people over for dinner (first on the list of VIPS was naturally the Allan-Johns and it was a real pleasure to be able to host them for a change!)

Dinner parties aside, I was also able to have Jessica and Emma round for a girlie sleepover party. A night of pyjamas, DVD’s and fish and chip takeaway… great fun. (though what wasn’t great fun was the 6AM wake up call (Sunday morning) It certainly wasn’t “Hallelujah” I was proclaiming under my breath as I was awoken that particular Sunday!

Speaking of takeaways, perhaps you care to take a moment and join with me for this interesting experiment….. Grab your nearest Kiwi (human variety as opposed to bird (tricky to find) or fruit (wouldn’t work)) This is not hard if you are reading this at HTB as chances are you only have to reach over to the next desk, but I appreciate may prove slightly more taxing for the readers in Surrey/deepest darkest Wiltshire/USA/France/etc etc amongst us!Got them? Now ask them to say “Fish and Chips”…..

“……. Fush and Chups.”

It’s Very Funny

Anyway so after a few nights back at the vicarage where I really enjoyed being part of the family again (I found I had strangely missed their relentless teasing over my mini hot water bottle) I’m now in a new housesit, a few streets away sitting for another English lady, Barbara who is in the UK for a couple of months.

Opportunities to partake in Fascinatingly-Authentic-Kiwi-Experiences have been a bit thin on the ground recently… the country seems to shut down for winter mainly due to the fact (as far as I can work out) that people dont have central heating here but rather rely on a log burner so are too scared to leave it for more than 30 minutes at a time incase it goes out.

However, I did have the chance recently to go to a local annual pig hunt gathering. Unfortunately this came on a day I was totally exhausted so declined but after seeing the pictures from those who went, I was devastated I had missed it…. LOADS of blog fodder (and rumoured Brett sightings!) Apparently there were races with people carrying the pigs on their back over an obstacle course followed by kids races where they carried hares!

I did visit Christchurch to witness (and sample!) a 150metre long cake made to celebrate the 150th birthday of the City of Christchurch being founded.

Still, whilst actual experiences have been a bit elusive recently, the local paper always provides me with hours of entertainment (I think it was Bill Bryson who said that he found that local papers provided such a fascinating truthful insight into wherever he was visiting!)

For instance, I was amused the other day by an article, reporting on a couple of world records that a local school was making an attempt on. One was OK… joining with other schools in the "world’s biggest simultaneous tooth brushing session" (they beat the record). But the second record… was get this… “the world's longest human tunnel that a dog could run through”. Inspired by their success at such an epic and undeniably worthwhile feat, I’ve decided to make my own attempt at a world record….. “ the biggest group of people called Charlotte Bates who live in Rangiora simultaneously writing a blog” Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, you are witnessing a piece of history in the making….

Well that’s just too much excitement for one posting so I will end there thogh there is LOADS more to write on! I really must start writing little and often and spare you the effort of having to block out a 3-day period in your diary to make time to read my updates (that’s assuming there is actually anyone left who has made it to this point!) (“helloooo is there anybody there!!!???”)

WILL WRITE AGAIN SOON and don't forget to look at the photos listed under this post......

Lots of love
Charlotte x

Our churches promo shot for 'Serve Rangiora'. Made pages 11 and 2 of the local rags.... Fame and fortune beckon..... sigh.

One of my Monday days away.... my view as I enjoyed my 'fush and chups' lunch on 'Kaikoura' Beach... (Kai (food) koura (of the sea)) Not in view were the Alfred Hitchcock gulls who gradually encircled me in sinister silence as I ate. gulp.

Christchurch's Birthday Cake being decorated.... Am happy to report this was both HUGE and DELICIOUS!

the pig hunt races.... oh the glamour!

update twilve: thelma and louise the out-takes (II): "on the road with mum and jeffrey"

guest-starring in this blog posting is my mum Grace and sister Rachel who returned a couple of weeks ago to summer in the UK after a 3 week visit. Picture is of them overlooking the bridge just outside Queenstown where bungee jumping was invented- not the bridge in the photo though! I managed to get a quick snap of them just before mum took the plunge. (I just made that last bit up...)

hello devoted readers, I hope you are both keeping well....

Another long silence on my blogging front. sorry about that. Hopefully this one will make up for it as there's lots to write about; mainly due to mum and rach's visit here mid-May to early June, there is always mischief to be had when they are around. It was fab to see them (and the pile of my clothes and other necessities I had asked them to bring over... Approx 90% of their luggage allowance went on my stuff!) It was also great to take the chance to experience some more of this amazing country. We stayed on the South Island but covered a lot of places, some I had been to before but other areas were new territory for me too so that was exciting.

In my last proper blog I think I mentioned their imminent arrival and that I was praying for accommodation and provision whilst they were here as the vicarage is completely full and my funds were low! It all turned out well with a lovely lady from church, Suzanne, kindly insisting she put them up and she did it in style... mum and rach experienced kiwi hospitality to the max.

They also got a good education in the ways of kiwi-man through Suzannes hilarious husband Alan who was very keen to introduce them to the delights of pig hunting (wild ones that is- not poaching from Farmer Giles' back-yard) and other typical rural-Rangioran pastimes. He made it his (ultimately unsuccessful) mission to 'cure' Rachel of her vegetarianism and lots of fun was had by all.
We were also lent one of Andrew and Christines cars to use as our own and so all in all were truely looked after!

trip 1: north & west
Our first trip was a 5 day jaunt with a couple of nights in Hanmer Springs, an hour or so north of here, then across to the west coast for 2 nights in Moana on the shores of Lake Brunner.

hanmer springs
Hanmer Springs is a gorgeous Alpine resort famous for its natural hot springs. Its pretty expensive to go and stay there but I am fortunate in that the electrical company I work at own a holiday 'bach' (holiday home) there which is available to employees for $15 per night (for the whole place not per person!) so we enjoyed a couple of nights in a top class bach with mountain views only minutes from the resort for the princely sum of approx 10 pounds sterling- extortionate.

Hanmer is a place to relax and so we did. Lazy breakfast then onto the hotpools, soaking in hot water and also soaking up the snow capped mountains vista! We fancied doing something a bit more active in the afternoon so opted for a spot of horse trekking. Absolutely stunning views as we made our way along the trail and across rivers and fords on our trusty steeds rather unfortunately called 'Kev' and 'Jimmy' etc. kind of took the shine off the glamour of it all a bit. Never mind.

Before we left Hanmer the next morning we popped into a coffee shop in the town- "The Old Power House". This was a lovely building maintaining many of its original features and as we waited in line I commented on this to mum.
mum: "hmm yes its lovely isn't it... I wonder what it was originally"
my mum's great.

lake brunner
We made our way through stunning mountain landscapes to the West Coast (famed for its jade, wild coastline and rain, saw lots of all three!) The bach I had booked in Moana was a family-owned one belonging to someone at work. It was quite old fashioned and cold but its lakeside position was fantastic and we enjoyed incredible views across to the mountains.

The first night it was cold, wet and dark out so we were settled in watching tv when I spied something scuttle along the skirting board.
"er... I hate to tell you this but I think Ive just seen a mouse run behind the tv..... "

A few minutes later, once we had all peeled ourselves off the ceiling and climbed down off the chairs we began to form our plan of attack.

I must admit we came up with a good one. The TV unit was in the corner of the room so we calculated we could hem Jeffrey in (giving him a name helped lessen the fear factor) Mum carefully constructed an intricate barricade of chopping boards, records and books around the unit whilst Rachel stood by with the hoover, finger poised over the 'on' button and I supervised proceedings from my great vantage point on top of a chair on the other side of the room.

Once satisfied Jeffrey was fully imprisoned we settled down again (Insofar as you can settle if you do not like mice, have just seen one and are aware they do not tend to live in solitude).

Minutes later I saw a furry face peeping out from behind the video player.... we had underestimated Jeffrey. The rest of the evening was spent in designing elaborate trails to tempt him towards the mousetraps mum had found and set.

Just before bedtime we heard an almighty crash behind the TV followed by a deathly silence. Upon investigation we deduced that Jeffrey had succumbed to one of the traps which had fallen with him to his timely end behind the tv unit. All was quiet. It was too dark behind there to be certain and I for one was not going to look to closely, so we left the barricades up and went to bed.

Next day we visited the pancake rocks in Punakaiki. These are fantastic formations on the coastline which, if you see at high tide, treat you to a spectacular blow-hole show. That was the second time I'd been but still have yet to catch it at the right time!

The following day, as we packed up to head back to Rangiora, we started to deconstruct our Jeffrey-proofed TV unit. We were horrified to discover that a weak line in our defences had been infiltrated. a suspiciously mouse-sized hole (complete with teeth marks) had appeared in one of the record sleeves we had used... as we slept 'safe in the knowledge that Jeffrey was no more', he was heroically chewing his way towards freedom, no doubt fortified by the lump of cheese he had grabbed from the jaws of death. Jeffrey was still at large! We were glad to be leaving!

Our trip back was via Arthurs Pass, the road through the Southern Alps runs alongside the TransAlpine Railway for much of the way and this is widely regarded as one of the worlds greatest railway journeys so you can be sure that we weren't disappointed with the views although mum did spend half the trip with her hand over her eyes (just to clarify... she wasn’t driving)

Back in Rangiora for a few days, we popped round for coffee at Jessica and Emma's one evening. Was lovely for mum and rachel to meet the girls! All very exciting for everyone to meet everyone else!

trip 2: south

Our second trip was over 5 nights and took in much of the southern part of the South Island. We booked in only one night ahead each time and so was always quite fun not quite knowing where we would be spending that night!

oamaru
First stop, Oamaru. This was just an overnight stopover but turned out to be a lovely place, unfortunately we got there minutes after dusk so were just too late to see the penguins coming in for the night. Next time! We had a lovely self-contained unit in the grounds of a large house. Roland the owner popped in during the evening to say hello. He was a particularly cheery fellow and I noticed he had a bible tucked under his arm. "off to church?"
"Yes"* he beamed through his beard... "well mid-week bible study group actually"

He needn't have explained, for if I ever had to construct a photofit picture of 'Man-Off-To-Bible-Study-Group' then it would be Rolands face staring out at you from the tv during Crimewatch (not that Roland would ever be likely to appear on said programme but you know what I mean!!)

* You can deduce from this that Roland is english.... for if he was a kiwi, this would have read "Yiss"

moeraki boulders & dunedin
Next day we continued south to Dunedin armed with detailed directions of the scenic route courtesy of Roland and with his chorus of hearty 'Cheerio and God Blesses' still ringing in our ears.

One 'tourist trail' stop on the way was the Moeraki Boulders. These are strange formations of almost perfectly spherical rocks embedded in the beach. Apparently there used to be zillions of them, all different sizes but the smaller ones had been take as souvenirs over the years and so only a few massive ones remain... the ones too heavy to put on (or fall off!) the back of a lorry I suppose.

Even though there are only a few left they were beautiful, so thanks go to Lou for recommending them to me! Loads of arty-photo opportunities!

We spent the afternoon in Dunedin (Gaelic for Edinburgh) this is very much a scottish settlers city with architecture similar to its namesake. Was very strange for me to a) be in a 'large' city and b) be surrounded by 'old' buildings (young by UK standards but after 8 months over here, anything more than 50 years old now seems positively historic!

There is much to do in Dunedin and much more to do in the surrounding area. One of the places I intend to revisit properly one day!

One of the places we visited in our short stay was Baldwin Street. Its in the Guiness Book of Records as the 'Worlds Steepest Street'. Im delighted to say that I made it to the top and requiring only a little oxygen and a couple of sherpas. (picture is of me at summit!)

Back at the bottom we met a young chinese couple heading up. The girl didn’t look too keen so I thought I would encourage her a little...
me: "It's OK , there’s a water fountain at the top"
her:- uncertain smile and blank look (obviously didn’t speak english)
me: "W-A-T-E-R" (speaking loudly and slowly always helps of course..)

Cue lots of smiling but she was still obviously not understanding.
So I exaggeratingly mimed having a drink
"AHHHH!!!" her eyes lit up and she practically started sprinting up the hill, excitedly calling over her shoulder to her boyfriend in Chinese.

I was slightly puzzled by her reaction, until it dawned on me I had just shown her the universal hand signal for 'having a beer'. Rachel wanted to stick around until they returned from the summit having realised there wasn’t a pub to greet them there after all, but I thought it was best to make a quick getaway.

That night we had booked into the Manor Motel in the city. The lady showed us to the nice but standard unit adjacent to the original 'manor' then said... "well as there are 3 of you I think you may be more comfortable on the family unit- its empty tonight so I'll pop you in there, no extra charge"

Well we were expecting this to have an extra bedroom and a bigger kitchenette perhaps so imagine our surprise when she ushered us into the actual manor itself and proceeded to give us a guided tour of this veritable mansion complete with ceiling roses, contemporary decor and about 10 beds. Now thats what I call an upgrade! (cost= approx 10 pounds sterling each) So we spent our evening in Dunedin in the lap of luxury. was a real treat!

te anau
Next day we headed across to Te Anau, the gateway to Fjordland National Park, one of the most spectacular areas of NZ. The route took us the most southern Ive been yet in NZ, an odd feeling to know that theres only a couple more towns in that direction then next stop is Antartica. Very cool. (in more ways than one of course)

Id been to Te Anau before with my friend Rachel but it was good to go back, this time we took a boat trip to the glow worm caves across the lake which was great fun and really beautiful.

Queenstown, Cromwell & Mount Cook
Over the next couple of days we headed back north to Rangiora via Queenstown which I thoroughly enjoyed with its funky and vibrant feel... lots of younger people around! then through Cromwell (Rachel was inexplicably excited about seeing the giant and totally pointless fibreglass fruit structure on the state highway that the town is famous for) and the mighty Mount Cook, Australasia's highest mountain (couldn’t see it in the fog but I assured mum and Rach it was actually there as I had seen it on my last trip!). pic is of mum and I at the church of the good shepherd on Lake Tekapo.

A few days later mum and rachel left. So Ive been adjusting to being on my own again but lots to be getting stuck into on the work front. More of all that on a later blog, this one is getting too long!

Also winter has struck hard and fast. Its FREEZING! Ansd much of the area just south of us has had power cut off for days now. I took a trip down to to Geraldine (a town not person!) on Saturday for a site visit to the ‘Summer Wine’ venue. Took some photos of the awesome view… snowcapped mountains aplenty! but alas have had to be frugal with photos this posting as having diffculty uploading them...

I was looking forward to the World Cup, but its proving very difficult to follow it over here with the time difference and the general indifference as nz is not really a soccer nation!

Dad sent me through a world cup wall chart to whet my appetite (nice one Dad!) and Rachel has also made sure I can do my patriotic bit from afar with some very classy (honest gov’) “come-on'en-ger-land” underwear. No photo of those as this blog is designed for family viewing.

Early yesterday morning I managed to watch the 2nd half before work on a dusty tv in the back of the local pub. Was a slightly solitary experience sipping my coffee in the silence and attempting to not miss my friends and the ‘big game’ experience I’m used to in england!

Must admit though I would love to be in a position to join with my friends sharing the ecstasies (and agonies!) of the games its kind of a relief not to be in the midst of the rather silly and over-the-top media frenzy that always accompanies tournaments such as this. There was a piece from the BBC on the news the other night about Rooney’s foot and I find all the melodrama just so unnecessary, one of the few moments when I’m not really proud to be english!

OK I shall climb down off my soapbox now (once I’ve checked Jeffrey is not in the vicinity....)

Well done for those who have made it to the end of this rather lengthy posting & enjoy the football Sunday night (an early start for me on Monday morning… *sigh*)

lots of love

Charlotte x

the tables are turned!

I have it on good authority that all of you in the UK are living it up in the sunshine at the mo....

Hard to imagine when this sight greeted me upon opening my curtains yesterday morning... please feel free to send over all your redundant winter wardrobe. Speaking of which; Aunty Kath... your FAB and funky scarf arrived just in time!! thanks!

feature length blog update on its way. (If you can tear yourself away from the deckchair that is...)
Charlotte x

update eleven (ilivin): on top...or is that bottom? of the world

Me on a recent visit to Wellington. Uncertain smile due to fact I was fervently hoping person taking piccie wasnt about to scarper with my beloved camera... one drawback of being on my own is that I have to pounce on unsuspecting bystanders to do the honours if I want to be in any of my photos!

Hello. First off, apologies I’ve not emailed back a lot of you who have mailed me, Ive been in cyber-hibernation. Sorry and thanks for your emails!

Clocks have gone back now so we are only 11 hours ahead of those of you in the UK. Its early autumn here (my favourite season!) and Im finding it weirder than Christmas in the Sunshine.. .Easter in Autumn (with harvest thrown in for good measure!) Just to confuse me further a snowman popped up in a TV ad the other day. Coming from the UK I associate them with Christmas so for a few moments I couldn't work out what on earth was going in... of course snowman = winter rather than Christmas and winters on its way over here! I cant tell you how excited I am about the snow coming on the mountains, it had practically all melted just as I arrived 6 months ago so have yet to see the mountain vistas in full glory!

I’m currently house/dog-sitting for a couple who have gone abroad for a month. Its minutes from the church and vicarage and is working out well. Neve (posing beautifully on the right)is a Doberman but is very good tempered, though she does tend to eat anything and everything, I turned round the other day when we were in the park to find her munching on the grass! Might need a couple of sessions at the Animal Identity Clinic.... Also she happily tucks into the fireside rug every evening, still I suppose its good that she’s not eating me as I feared may well be the case when I heard it was a Doberman I was to look after!

So it’s been a while since my last posting… what’s been happening?

The Commonwealth Games have been and gone since I last ‘blogged’ (sounds so elegant doesn’t it!!) I tended to catch it late at night for an hour or so before heading for bed…. So only really caught the cycling and rugby! It was really interesting experiencing a major sports tournament from another country’s viewpoint. I have little idea of how England got on!

These late night glimpses provided a couple of funny moments that for me beautifully summed up Kiwi culture…. First off in the cycling when a Kiwi was in the individual pursuit final against an English guy. The English cyclist gained a fantastic lead but was the kiwi commentator giving up?? Not a chance!! Quite the opposite… “don’t worry, this is not over yet, (as the guy was being lapped for practically the tenth time), as our man has GREAT finish (he was going to need a 3000cc motorbike on standby to have any chance by this point…) I watched and listened in disbelief as the commentator heroically maintained this level of optimism, conceding defeat only when the Englishman had actually crossed the line, got his medal, packed up and gone home. Very cute.

Second ‘Kiwi classic’ came in the rugby. NZ had just beaten England in the final (boo) and, after receiving their gold medals, had headed over to the corner of the stadium where the main NZ supporters contingency were seated, to perform the obligatory Haka. The commentators were incredibly excited about this as anticipation built to the ‘perfect climax’… blah blah blah…

Now bear in mind that the games were being held in Oz (NZ‘s sworn enemy’s- think Scotland V England to the power of ten) and that they held the broadcasting powers of the games… so no prizes for guessing who pulled the plug just as the NZ team drew breath for the first war-cry and cut to a very pleasant round-up of the rugby tournament, returning live to the stadium a nanosecond after the Haka had ended.

So simple but oh how devastatingly effective.

The commentators and studio pundits were in absolute uproar….. and are probably still paying off their fines for inappropriate language in a live broadcast.

Onto my news….

I finished my census contract a few weeks ago, I thoroughly enjoyed it and whilst it was very hard work and difficult to fit in the time for it, I learnt tremendous amounts about the NZ people and was almost sad to finish (though not sad to see the back of the huge blue bag that I hauled around for evenings on end!).

I was blessed with the most amazing evening skies and sunsets as I did my rounds, the skies over Rangiora really are incredible. One night the sky was particularly gorgeous and I was walking along on my round thinking what a waste it was that so many people were holed up inside glued to the TV with their backs to the window and this awesome beauty outside….. the sunset that is, not me ;)

“It doesn’t matter that no one else is seeing this, because its for you”

“oh! (stopping in my tracks) Well thank you its lovely”

Now I can get quite envious of ladies who have husbands who, when they feel so inclined, can whisk them off to watch the sunset together but then again, how many can say their husband actually went to the trouble of designing and making the sunset for them!? – I can. I felt very romanced then and it came at one of my less glamorous moments, struggling with my huge heavy census bag around the deserted streets!

I was reminded of a verse that I shared as part of my testimony in a talk I did at HTB before I left: Hosea 2:16. I'll leave you to look it up if you want!

Is it enough? Sometimes it’s more than enough and I feel for those who never get to be so intimate with God because other people and things get in the way. But if I’m totally honest most of the time its not anywhere near enough, I yearn for someone I can physically share this experience with: whether it be sharing a private joke about the accents here or talking over how our days were or the difficulties we’re experiencing with the culture differences etc. etc.

Speaking of culture changes…. I’m finding as I’m engaging more and more with kiwi life that I’m coming across more and more things I have no concept of or clue about. I often feel quite confused and it can be quite bewildering and upsetting to be so uncertain about the most basic of things and its exhausting as it’s pretty relentless; some days its seems like everything I try to do or say is done differently over here! I guess its all part of the ‘culture shock’ process and because I’ve chosen and am determined to engage as fully as possible in NZ life, I have to accept it as par for the course!!

Anyway, life has been busy, last posting, I mentioned the Loaf and Fish Café we were running at the Rangiora Showgrounds. This was to be a fundraiser for the Parish – target c. $10,000 as well as a great team builder and community outreach initiative.

Well, didn’t it go well!? The two ladies in charge, Juliet and Janet did us proud, the food was top notch, all homemade, pies, rolls, cakes TO DIE FOR, fresh coffee etc etc, all as good as you would get in a funky London café, and we had about 60 people from the church helping us out over the weekend, I did all the décor then was on the BBQ team for the rest of the weekend, was great fun

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On the subject of food, I’m going to have to tuck into some humble pie as last posting I seem to remember poking fun at the notion of a traction engine rally....

Well how wrong I was! (again!) What a fantastic weekend. I can’t even begin to describe how fab it was, the photos will give you some idea but won’t capture the smoke, smells and all round fantastic-ness of the 2 days. Before I went, I must confess to not really being sure what a traction engine actually was, but after the weekend I was thrilled whenever I spotted one clomping down the road (more often being tailed by a 4 mile tailback… no actually this is NZ so more like a 4 car tailback(a tailback that length here on the South Island is in with a fighting chance of making the evening news!). As they made their way back to various parts of the country.

There is a whole world out there of traction engine enthusiasts, this was the largest rally ever held in the Southern Hemisphere with 80+ engines driven from all parts of NZ (you can walk faster than these things!) The star of the show was transported from Dorset! (pic: left) I was delighted to be rubbing shoulders with countless ‘Ivor the Engine’ drivers, (complete with overall’s smudged faces and caps!) many of whom visited our café and also out in force were ‘Rural-Rangorians galore’ you couldn’t make these people up….. sooo stereotypical its ridiculous! Whilst I was on duty at the café BBQ I had a great vantage point to watch the crowds and couldn’t get over the fact that this is real life, not a theme park (‘Hicksville World’) or a movie set!

Looking over the area where the traction engines all stood ... for all the world you felt like you were in the midst of the industrial revolution.

Best part of the weekend came straight after the grand parade at 3.30pm each day. The drivers had been asked not to use their horns during the day because of all the horses around but at 3.30 they were allowed one big blow (so to speak….) Isn’t it funny how the simplest and most innocent things in life can bring so much pleasure!? How much fun was that!!!?? (OK so you really had to be there!).

Back to the café and we raised over $10,000 (hurrah!) but I believe the real benefit came from the church all working as a team on it and the community seeing the church doing something really well, with a lot of smiles.

We only had a few days to draw breath before launching into planning for the Alpha Supper. (it’s called ‘Alpha Dinner’ here, I had to keep correcting myself!) (

www.alpha.co.nz ) It too went really well, Janet and Juliet (Loaf and Fish Café ladies) co-ordinated the food for me so I knew I had to get the décor up to a high standard to match! I missed my old job a lot during this planning, the early morning jaunts to Covent Garden Market with Amanda B to get the flowers, and just knowing where to get the best stuff and where the bargains were, I felt quite incompetent a lot of the time, like I didn’t know anything about anything and it was frustrating!

All this aside, the dinner was great, Food was superb, all served on huge white plates from Juliet’s café (a handy lady for an event co-ordinator to have on the team!!). The menu included lemon chicken breasts, Kumara Mash, Hazelnut and Chocolate Meringue etc etc. YUM! We had a lot of no-shows but a number of the guests signed up for the Alpha course. Was strange to glimpse Nicky G on the big screen and see familiar surroundings! Unfortunately I was in a hurry with my camera trying to get snaps before the guests arrived and the photos didn’t come out. Never mind.

Between Loaf and Fish and Alpha Supper I fitted in a trip to Wellington, this was to attend a meeting for ‘Summer Wine’ (New Zealands 'New Wine') a camp in January which takes place in three locations, two on the North Island and one on the south. (I have been asked to ‘co-ordinate’ the South Island one.) Andrew is heading up the team for this.

Its at a very exciting time as there has been a real feeling that time has come when God will be doing new things with this venture and the committee certainly reflects this with a complete overhaul of members. Will keep you updated how this pans out, it’s a big project to get involved in.

Wellington was great, I flew up a day early for the meetings and squeezed in bit of sightseeing, I liked the city the first time I visited it with Rachel back in November but we were only passing through then and so it was good to have time to wander and soak up city-life…. Ahhh felt good! But after a few days there I was ready to head back to the sticks…. Ooh I’m in grave danger of entering into country-bumpkin territory!!!

I was most impressed with the national museum (Te Papa) which is in Wellington, fantastically contemporary, interactive and informative. Though I must admit my favourite display by miles was the one celebrating the national treasure that is- the 'Squashed Possum'. I took a photo as I had to share this with you. Next to this fine exhibit was a full -and must be said gleefully gruesome- low down on exactly what happens to a possum once it has been hit by a car (namely it becomes extremely well-aquainted with the tarmac)

The Beehive: NZ Parliament

Those of us at the meeting who had come from other areas got put up by members of the local churches for the night. After supper before our final session we were advised who we would be staying with…. “Charlotte you are staying with Olive on the Waterfront”.

Staying with Olive-on-the-Waterfront turned out to be just as nice as it sounded. complete with hot water bottle, extra blankets, cup of Milo (Horlicks) pleasant chat and then breakfast with homemade jams in the morning when Olive insisted I sat facing the window so could overlook the fantastic view of … yes, you’ve guessed it, the waterfront. Very good.

Good news before I go is that mum and sister Rachel are coming to visit in May!!! Excellent! Sadly my dad and brother aren’t coming too but it is still great news! Am beginning to plan trips and pray for some accommodation for them whilst they are here!

Anyway, lots of love this Easter from me (and Neve who is snoring contently beside me….)

That’s all for now.

Look forward to hearing all your news!
Charlotte
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