According to the news, snow comes to Wellington once in a decade, and we are seeing it today. Southerly winds blowing up from Antarctica are bringing a chill that is supposed to last through Tuesday.
It's been a busy week. We said goodbye to Newtown and moved into our little apartment on the bay on Thursday. It's a little like playing house. A little on the bare bones side. Apparently, NZ houses are not famous for being well insulated, and they are heated with heat pumps and space heaters. So it's also a bit chilly. Since moving, we've been off the grid with no internet access till yesterday afternoon.
Our next door neighbor did invite me over for tea Thursday. She and her partner have a fabulous view of the bay. He is a sound technician on"The Hobbit" movie. Like most Kiwis we've met, they are very active--cycling, hiking (called tramping here), etc.
On Friday I faced my fear of getting lost and took the bus downtown. Other than that, we've mostly walked everywhere. Friday night we went to dinner with the other medical staff employed by Global Medical. It was a goodbye event for Michael Allen, the dr. John is replacing, at a restaurant downtown called Two Souls. Yesterday we went down to the Museum of City and Sea to listen to some "country/cowboy" music. A little Johnny Cash, a little Merle Haggard, a fairly engaging woman singer with a dobro and a bass. Fun. At night we went to see a French film which was part of the NZ International Film Festival at the Embassy, a beautiful old theatre that reminds me a little of the Carolina. Apparently, it was restored for the premier of "The Lord of the Rings."
Today we met some new people at meeting: a young teacher who'd just returned to NZ after teaching for a while in London and a woman who has been working on a video project to put cameras in locations of choice for long-stay hospital patients, so that they can have scenery from their gardens or whatever they choose as they are confined in the hospital. That woman, whose name is Jan, has already emailed to invite us to participate in a discussion related to the treaty between the Maori and the Pakeha (sp?)(white people of NZ). Apparently, this is an ongoing conversation and a strong concern for Friends here.
After meeting we returned to the market for a butter chicken roti and to shop for veggies for the week. I had decided to buy an inexpensive guitar I can sell back on Trade Me (NZ's Craigslist), so we went down to a music shop near Cuba St. to pick it up. Then we went to Te Papa (the national museum) for another short film, "Tiny Furniture." When we came out of the theatre and looked out the large round window of the museum, it was snowing. Went to visit the giant squid exhibit (Te Papa is free, so we can do it in tiny bites like this) before gathering our umbrellas to brave the cold and dark. Walked back to the apt., getting soaked in the wintry mix. Probably sounds pretty good to those of you feeling parched back in Carolina. Then hot tea with milk and sugar. A very civilized and calming ritual. Trying to take a page from my husband and not worry till tomorrow about the icy weather. Hope you are getting a little rain but also enjoying the sunshine back home.
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