Monday, July 30, 2012

There and back

Well, it's been about a month since I last wrote a blog and I have done quite a bit in that time.  Firstly, I went home to Palmerston North for the school holidays. It's amazing how well you use your time when you know it's limited.  Not only did I spend some quality time with the kids, I caught up with family and friends, went to the movies (which are soooo expensive for a family now, no wonder why people pirate movies), got a haircut, went to my GP, sorted through the kids’ clothes drawers, etc etc.

The weather in Palmy wasn't half bad either. I was expecting to freeze going home in the winter when it's around 30 degrees here but in fact here were sunny winter days the whole time I was there. I don't think  people believe me when I say everyday here in Katherine is sunny and warm. That means NO RAIN and amazing sunshine and sunset’s everyday. You can plan a weekend fishing or an outdoor event knowing full well the weather will be perfect.

Anyway, we visited Weta Cave in Wellington with the kids on my way back. It wasn't as big as I thought it would have been but enjoyable none the less. Took lots of photos on my new phone too.

So now I'm back here working. The watch house is fairly quiet currently as apparently in the dry all the indigenous people go back out to their Communities and don't travel as much because it's too cold (7-11 degrees at night..... so not NZ cold but cold none the less). In the wet, they come into town or else if they don't, they will likely get flooded and stranded out bush.  Also because it's not cold at night in the wet therefore they can just 'long-grass' around town.

One of the woman I use to work with (a nurse) in Palmerston North did the Ghan train trip from Adelaide to Darwin with a friend and they stopped in Katherine for the morning on the day I got back from NZ so it was lovely to spend the morning with her, hearing all the local happenings at my old work.

It seems no matter how long I am here I still have moments of culture shock in the most unlikely of places. Don't get me wrong it's not just the indigenous population, the 'aussie bloke' has had the same effect. Our neighbour, an older man in his 70's had been making a table (ugly it was too) outside on the front lawn. So when I came home later in the day I found him outside sawing away wearing nothing but his undies (of the speedo variety) that were a bit loose around the waist so there was also plumbers crack on display. Now I would usually always say hello to the neighbours, but on this occasion I found myself hoping he wouldn't see me as I didn't want to embarrass him (or myself). Yes, I am a nurse and have seen many a 'plumbers’ crack', but never my neighbours, and I didn't wish to start now.

 

The biggest disappointment currently is I am in Australia for the Olympic Games and just can’t get excited or teary eyed for the Australian National Anthem. I have to suffer listening to the News and TV being full of Australian's competing. The only way I have of knowing how New Zealand is going is by checking the stuff.co.nz page and the facebook NZ Olympic Teams page for up-dates. Funny how there was NO MENTION of Aussie being beaten by the NZ Black Stix in their first match on TV over here though.  I LOVED reading that. That win alone is worth a Gold Medal.

GO NEW ZEALAND, bring home some Gold :)