Geoff & Chris in the UK Letters & Photos: Previous Next
1 April 2003
Mothers Day in the UK last weekend, and the start of daylight saving time.
I enjoyed one of the radio advertisements, which I think was for Mothers Day: Here's to the happiest hours of our life/Spent in the arms of another man's wife!" He meant, of course, our mothers - Edward Lutyens
Favourite quote of the week, "you know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the US of arrogance, and Germany doesn't want to go to war".
Closely followed by: "George Bush isn't a member of Mensa, he belongs to Densa".
Chris has bought two pottery sheep. They are about 9 inches tall with one a
bit smaller. They felt very 'NZ' so had to have them and we have put them to
graze in a corner in the hallway. Chris 'baas' every time she walks past to
remind ourselves of spring at home.
George is feeling better now he has another course of Steroids and antibiotics, but it won't last long. He has peculiar big bruises coming up on his wrists, so as the practice nurse is coming to see him tomorrow (to help explain how to use the nebuliser we bought him) he will ask her about them at the same time.
Divided loyalties? England has beaten New Zealand in the Hong Kong 7's rugby…
Although we're so far away, the internet is keeping us touch, via the newspaper websites www.nzherald.co.nz www.waikatotimes.co.nz and I can still get my weekly 'fix' of Kim & Max at http://xtramsn.co.nz/musicandvideo/0,,6151,00.html . I know that some NZ friends look up the latest Coronation Street episodes on www.csvu.net - shame on you! That Barlow boy has a lot to answer for, to say nothing of the Hillman chap…
The spring is delightful in that there are new sights and sounds. Keep on hearing strange bird song, seeing Robins and Crows. I stop every time I hear the chirps, trying to see what birds they are. Quite unlike anything I've heard in NZ.
The Squirrels are coming out of their winter slumber, and are running about
gardens and up trees.
Don't know why planes in the sky here leave trails in the sky so much more than in NZ. Perhaps there is more moisture in the sky here. With so many planes flying around, the sky here is criss-crossed with lines going in all directions. Yesterday it looked a bit like one of the finger signs at the airport, pointing in all directions to exotic locations that we've like to travel to, like Baghdad - not!
While looking through an Oxfam shop today, I smiled when I heard the OMC (Otara Music Club) song "How bizarre". I was hoping to find lots of eclectic 2nd hand shops to rummage through, something I enjoy doing in NZ, seldom buying anything, but enjoying the experience. However, in the UK, there are virtually none to be found. The culture here is to throw everything out, or to donate things to a charity shop (which tends to only be clothing, books and ornaments). The number of charity shops is quite incredible - in one shopping area (Acocks Green) I went to today, 10 of the 100 shops would have been charity shops! Obviously they are a big part of people's lives here. Seems a great shame to me, that everyone's old furniture etc is put into huge rubbish bins, or worse still - "fly tipped" by dropping them off down country lanes or on abandoned house/factory sites.
Driving on UK roads continues to frustrate! Even the main roads through the city are so narrow, that you can't pull over to the side of the road to look at a map. So you have to drive on for quite a distance, by which time you are even more lost! I have bought a small compass to have in the car, so that I can try to get my bearings! Of course, the sun is to the South, not the North, so everything is back to front - it seems!
Off now to the local farmers market - on the first Friday of every month,
farmers and produce growers from around the midlands come to the Solihull town
centre, to sell their wares. Last month I tried some beautiful honey and mustard
sausages, and some ginger beer. Perhaps we'll buy some local cheese and some
more yummy sausages. The brits really do make lovely sausages - even the 99p
ones at Sainsburys are jolly nice. (Back now, bought some farm made cheese,
sausages and apple pie).
Also tonight we had a look at a fitness centre at a local hotel - we want to find a swimming pool and gym, so that we can try to get fit for the upcoming summer!
That's all for another week in the life of the temporary immigrants.
Love to all, Geoff & Chris
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