Hi everyone, sorry it’s been a while since the last update. Things here have been a bit hectic – we have had two visits from overseas friends, a computer that ate my last update (and my desire to spend 1hr typing it all up again), lots of biking and a new job to contend with. It’s a tough life.
Anyway – here goes (I suggest you get a brew on, this might take some time!)
We have been having some pretty crazy weather here recently. It is the middle of winter so that is to be kept in mind but we have had 200kmh winds (snapping off hundreds of trees in the local woods), torrential rain showers (and 4m of snow in the hills) all wrapped up in some of the most beautiful clear crispy days I have seen. It definitely helps keep things interesting. Nelson, renowned for being sunny when nowhere else is, is living up to its reputation. It’s not uncommon for the whole of NZ to be shrouded in cloud and rain and for us to be basking in 15 degree heat and clear blue skys – I’m not complaining though). The high mountains that ring us do a great job of collecting or diverting any rain, with only the wet weather from the north ever really getting through.
Last weekend we had Gaynor and Michel (Lisa’s mates from Yorkshire) over to stay. They flew into Christchurch from Melbourne and drove up through Kaikoura where they did some whale watching and stopped off at one of the huge seal sanctuaries (well, beaches just off the main coast road) for a night. They had planned to go and visit the Franz Joseph glacier or Hanmar Springs but both passes were closed with snow so they cruised up around the coast (and didn’t see a cload for about 4 days!). It was great to see some friendly faces and Lisa took Monday off to go for a walk with them to ‘the centre of NZ” – a hill in the middle of Nelson that is dead centre of NZ and has superb views over the bay to the mountains.
Last night (Tuesday) Simon, my brother in law, was over from Melbourne where he, my big Sis Wendy, and their daughter Jasmin, have just moved. Again, it was great to catch up, and a bit weird having him round for a meal and a beer. Simon flew out the next day to Auckland but we will be taking up his invitation and going over to Melbourne for a visit asap.
Nelson is starting to gear up for ‘summer’ now, with tourists beginning to get here mid September. There is a whole raft of events planned by the council all summer, from arts festivals, carnivals and concerts to sports of pretty much every kind imaginable. I’m looking forward to getting down the beach a bit more often and am just considering my summer business wardrobe (shorts and long socks like a true colonial maybe?).
Bike wise I have been getting out pretty regularly – 3hrs or so on Sunday with a pretty fit group (including some yank who insists on riding a fully rigid or single speed- he gets up the hills quick but gets a schooling on the way down from me and my monster machine – once I catch up that is) and 2hrs on a Wednesday night with a group from the MTB club. Riding at night in the woods is pretty crazy – luckily one of the guys is an electrical engineer so he has hooked me up with a mega watt daylight brining torch setup. It’s funny, your cruising around the woods, thinking your all alone, when you see lights on the other side of the valley, up on the other hills, down by the river – everyone out here seems to embrace the chance to do some night riding and just gets out there. You regularly see possums and hear pigs rummaging around and we even came across a glow worm grotto the other day. All very David Belamy.
This weekend we have a kids birthday party, maybe a bit of pig hunting and on Sunday might head up to the snow (I’ve been saying that for about 2 months now!).
That’s about it for now – I’ll make an effort to keep things a bit more current in future.
Hope your all well
The Jennings 3
