For your amusement (from Jon)

It's been quite a bit of time between entries and it's not that anything hasn't happened, there just hasn't been time to write.  That, and I'm lazy.

One of the highlights for me in the interim has been a guest appearance in the Canterbury Premier Hockey League.  One of my big hopes in coming to New Zealand was to find a hockey (field hockey here) club to play for.  While I have found a coaching job, I've been hard pressed to find a team to play with.  During one of the recent university holidays I got an e-mail from my American colleague Todd Robinson to tell me that their goalkeeper was going to be away for the weekend and their replacement wouldn't be back on a flight until after their upcoming game on the Saturday.  He asked if I was interested and my thought ran along the lines of "Does a bear s**t in the woods?"  Of course I was interested.  Able, is another matter.

As I've previously written, I've had a huge issue with my feet (plantar faciatis) so I won't even pretend to be fit.  As a goalkeeper, not a huge thing, but from a comfort perspective being fit helps.  I've been standing in goal with my girls for training when we don't have a keeper but it's not the same as playing against Premier men.  The week of my premier debut I had an opportunity to train with the University Men's club before the match and I don't know what they thought when I turned up.  Part one was probably relief because the other option was to have a field player dress up and stand in goal (something no one wanted to do) but part two must have been, "WTH, where have we got this guy from?"

After a few minutes of adjusting to ball speed, I started to get comfortable and it helped that the boys were being sympathetic.  Eventually things moved on to full tilt and I know I'm not a kid anymore, but I felt pretty good.  I got a good workout in and then got ready for our big game against High School Old Boys.  University is a fairly strong club and Old Boys have had a tough season so on paper we should have been fine.  I allowed an early goal off a corner, a drag flick that I tried to do too much on my save and ended up putting one to the inside of the post and into the goal as opposed to out of bounds.  That was the extent of what I had to do in the first half as we ended the half trailing 1-0.  Mercifully we got a goal early in the second half and while I only had two more touches, we got a second and won 2-1.  Not quite a Hollywood story, but a lot of fun.

Winter is coming to an end and Summer Hockey is soon to start.  Summer is Master's hockey season and while I don't know that I'm a master, I'm certainly masters aged (over 35).  I'm looking forward to playing.  53 going on 15; I just need to remind my body.

Cheers,

Jon

A day trip through the mountains

I've been itching to get out of the city. I'm in the middle of a two week break between terms so the opportunity is definitely there. I've been working on a paper which I'm dying to get done so it's tough to determine what I need more: to get the paper done or to get out of town. The sunshine this morning provided the answer. The pups and I were heading west to the mountains.

We got underway around 10:30 a.m. The idea was to drive to Arthur's Pass, about a 2 hour drive, do some hiking, and then head back to Christchurch. A wonderful thing about driving west is that the car's windshield frames the snow-capped Alps the whole time. It didn't seem to be too long before we were in the foothills. Sammy and Tatum hung out in the back seat, their quiet cooperation encouraged from time to time with bits of carrots.

About an hour out we passed amazing rock formations jutting from the mountains at Castle Hill. I just looked it up on the web to understand what it is that I saw. Apparently they are "water eroded remnants of limestone formed during the Oligocene age 30-40 million years ago when much of present day New Zealand was covered by the sea." (http://www.castlehill.net.nz/castlehill/castlehill.php). It looked like a spot I'd like to discover without the kids, so we continued on our route.

As we continued westward, I was on the lookout for dog-friendly paths. Many of the ones I saw were wildlife reserves so dogs were not allowed (understandably) but there was a good candidate near Broken River, which we would come back to.  First, however, the driver needed  lunch.  Unfortunately, the road to the west coast is not very populated. It winds up and around mountains, and over lakes and basins. There are few buildings, let alone gas stations or cafes. There are several opportunities to turn off the road and head towards ski areas but "we" decided to stay on the main road until something presented itself.

And it did. The historic Bealey Hotel/Backpackers/Bistro/Cafe/Family Bar. *Family* bar????? hmmm... That aside, I have to say that the historic venue was a bit underwhelming. Neighbour Jeff described it as a "has-been" and I'd have to agree that it's probably seen better days. Nonetheless, the cook made me a good sandwich which I enjoyed while admiring the scenery.

From there we headed back to Broken River. The sign on the gate said that entry was prohibited in November and December because of sheep and cattle grazing. But it's August so the kids squeezed between the chain-link fence gates, and I climbed over. From there, the kids were off leash and we were all free to explore!! The landscape here and throughout the mountains/valleys is a really interesting mixture of alpine and desert: there are evergreens but also lots of tall grasses and other vegetation that I could imagine seeing in a desert. Broken River proved fascinating. (By the way, they must have fixed it; the river looked fine.)

Back in Christchurch, I have two pups sprawled out exhausted on the couch while I watch the All Blacks vs. the Wallabies.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and warm. It looks like working on that paper may just have to wait until Monday. :)

Cheers,
Beth

The New Normal

Not sure I can believe it but this week is our six month anniversary of living in New Zealand.  It's been interesting to notice how things that seemed so new six months ago, just seem normal now. Here are some examples:

- I look over my right shoulder when I cross the street.
- If the 'r' in 'Kia Ora' isn't pronounced as a flap, it sounds weird.
- The weather is warmer in the north.
- When taking the dogs for a walk in the upper reserve, I need to be careful not to step in sheep poop.
- Saturday morning means going to the other side of the hill to Lyttleton Market for fresh fruits, veggies and bread.
- Weekly hikes along the Banks Peninsula involve evaluating coves as potential kayak launching sites.
- Buildings that existed last week, may have been demolished by this week.
- Most cyclists are super conscious about being seen; lime green high visibility clothing and backpack covers are everywhere.
- When a bread recipe calls for flour, you don't use a measuring cup; you weigh it.
- Noon is a good time to call folks back home.
- I know what experiencing a mild winter really means.
- The weather report goes from north to south so I can ignore the first part.
- The recycling bin is bigger than the garbage bin.
- PVC = College Dean, VC = University President
- When they say 'hockey', they mean 'field hockey'.
-  Going for a walk usually involves climbing hills.
- Compost is picked up every week but garbage and recycling alternate every other week.
-  On a clear day, you can see the Alps on the other side of the country out the living room window.
-  Excellent and inexpensive sauvignon blanc is easy to come by.
-  If you want to hear American news, NPR streams well online.
-  El Paso refried beans are priced as an exotic food.
-  What you see is what you pay: taxes and gratuities are included in the listed price.
-  I'll know the words, but need to turn to Wikipedia to understand the phrases, e.g. "It quickly turned to custard" (no custard is involved).
- You can always negotiate a price.
- You watch "American Idol" a day late, but "The Voice, Australia" live.
- The All Blacks vs. the Wallabies is like OSU vs. Michigan (though OSU really needs a haka).

And that's a taste of the new normal. :)

Cheers,
Beth

Akaroa hike pictures

Here are some additional pictures from the hike in Akaroa, thanks to Darcy Rose. 

Right below is one showing the jetski-powered above-the-water ride. It was pretty amazing to watch!

A view of the pier.

Walking up the trail.

A view from near the top.

Darcy, visiting from Colorado, and Beth.