Firstly, apologies to those who have sent me e-mails recently and not had a response. As JP guessed I have been job hunting/interviewing, which has been a bit like hard work (especially after my 12 month holiday – ah, the good old days).
Anyway, those of you who took offense to my life of leisure will be glad to know that I have maintained my 100% interview to job offer ratio and am now the proud owner of full time employment in Nelson. And considering the complete lack of suitable jobs around I’m pretty pleased to have landed something.
I won’t bore you with the details (who cares really!) but it’s working for a decent sized printer, based in Nelson but covering the top of the South Island, looking after its existing accounts and new business. So, should you ever want to publish a book in NZ of your memoirs or get an annual report done then I’m your man – unfortunately not much use for any of you.
With Lisa and I now gainfully employed poor Buster has had to be shipped off to day care 5 days a week, which he is loving – though he does keep pooing in his pants but I think that’s just cause he cant remember where the loo is. Childcare over here is approx 50% cheaper than it was in Leeds, so whilst still bloody expensive, is much more in the realms of reality/affordability.
I have been making the most of my final few weeks of leisure by trying to get out on the bike more regularly. I have teamed up with some friendly locals and we do 3hrs or so on a Sunday and the occasional mid-week 2-3hr ride as well so the fitness is coming back slowly but surely. The only problem is the hills/mountains around here – now I know that mountain bikes were made for mountains, but I am not sure I was. On pretty much every ride we will climb at least 2 hills over 700m high, with some other cheeky little assents thrown in for a laugh. This is made the more gruelling by there not being much flat to speak of, its up, across a ridge line, and then down, down, down. The down bits are great, and you get a good 20mins descending in before the next Col de Misery approaches but it’s certainly not for the weak of leg. Ah well, they are a good crowd (apart from some Yank who comes out on a fully rigid single speed some time – I guess it takes all sorts) and come summer I should be pinging fit – or have given up biking for life!
The other big news round here is the Aus V All Black game tonight. Bloody Aussies gave the All Blacks a pummeling last weekend (thanks, so I believe, to their NZ coach) so tonight, for the second test in Auckland, there really is a lotto play for. The Kiwis don’t have much time for a loosing All Blacks team so if this one doesn’t go their way I think all hell will break loose.
Cheers for staying in touch everyone and I’ll put some new pics up onto Flickr this weekend. We are also off snowboarding next weekend at Rainbow so I’ll let you know how we get on.
PJ