Well it is amazing how unproductive two A-type personalities can become. Ahhhhhhhh, the stress. So that we can stop feeling guilty about blog frequency, lets readjust our expectations from weekly to…say…. never. This way if we feel motivated (happening less and less these days…) then it is all upside for our neglected readers.
That said, I am very excited about writing this particular edition. There is THAT rugby game that needs to be re-lived for the benefit of our Aussie friends and family. It is, after all, being re-lived by every kiwi in the country, in excruciating detail. There is also some ridiculously good footage of DP being dropped off a bridge. Note to the Hodders: he is starting to become suspicious. “Do you realise your family has now bought me a sky dive, a face-first abseil into a waterfall, and now a 160km-per-hour- flying-fox-head-first into a canyon ….and they KNOW I’m scared of heights…what are they trying to tell me???”
As far as personal achievements go, DP read a book. This is in direct response to a challenge from me to at least attempt to read 3 novels over the course of a 5 month break. And my challenge, far from being unreasonable, is in direct response to him claiming we could create more space on our bookshelf by “getting rid of the useless ones, you know, like the novels”.
“Does The Four Hour Work Week count?”
“No Dave, they can’t be self-help books.”
“Oh…how about The Most Dangerous Man in the World, the Story of Julian Assange?”
“No, that isn’t a novel, it is a biography”
“This sucks. Can I read SAS Sniper Adventures in Afganistan?”
“Well I suppose that counts, but I was really thinking some nice fiction books…”
Depending on who you are, this may seem like quite a small or quite a large and challenging request. For instance, I read 3 novels in less than a week when Wellington was wild and windy and no one wanted to go anywhere. DP sits firmly in the second camp, but having now enjoyed his first novel in probably 10 years (Jasper Jones in case you were wondering) maintains that he is getting quite into “this whole reading fad”.
Some things we have discovered:
- Travelling out the back of a van is decidedly less fun in the rain
- Friends and family make for extremely gracious hosts in such circumstances (HUGE call out to Susie and CC for their hospitality in Wellington and Sarah and Steve in Auckland….potential new-marriage-savers in the wild weather!)
- We much prefer Australian Shiraz to the Hawkes Bay variety, but this isn’t a good enough reason to stop buying when on a wine tour. Neither, it turns out, is a complete and utter lack of space in your van…
- Women are better at fly fishing than men, and look better in the waders too
- It is MUCH more fun to let your husband believe you caught a trout and he didn’t, even if technically speaking your guide did the hooking of the trout and you simply reeled it in
- A Hawkes Bay “Tawny” (Port: kind of like the Champagne/Sparkling Wine confusion) is a great way to drown the sorrows of the less-able fishermen
- Being a tall, male, obvious Wallaby supporter calls for a LOT of attention on the long walk home through Auckland CBD (post the Aus v NZ game). Thank goodness NZ won or the attention may have been a little less fun. Go the ABs!!!! (NOTE from DP: this last statement cheering the ABs is from Zoe)
- The only thing you can predict about the French is their unpredictability. We watched them get mauled by Tonga, dominate England, and then be given a lifeline by a self-destructive Wales, and finally, test the ABs more than any other team in the tournament. Hooraaay ABs for finally putting these guys away in a World Cup crunch match!
- There are only so many ways you can cut the space in the back of the van. At the end of the day, the more stuff you have the less space there is for sleeping. Particularly relevant for those of us that are 6 foot 5 and still want to buy more wine and food supplies…
OK, photo time. First up, the masochists who want to see the flying fox/bridge swing footage...thanks to Sarah and Steve to an incredible, memorable wedding present!
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| Yeeehaaaaaa - the coolest flying fox ever!! |
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| Brave face before.... |
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| ....and go!! |
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| He swore he enjoyed the whole experience... |
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| ...a little relief! |
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| And just for a bit of balanced reporting... |
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| ...I got scared, too |
We have marvelled at the kiwi enthusiasm for rugby - both at the games and out and about...even the smallest towns have embraced this tournament with gusto! (Like Te Kuiti for example, which renamed and rebranded themselves "Meadsville", after Sir Colin Meads)      Some rugby fun...this carnival has been an absolute blast and we've had some incredible times...    Proof on the waders suiting us ladies a little better than our men, and on the trout fishing prowess...     DP: "A big shout-out to Gavin Hodder and the men of the 70's"  Some of our favourite location shots...       Lots of love, Mr. and Mrs. P |
