Oh dear, it has been a long long time since I last wrote something on my blog. Part of this can be explained by FACEBOOK(.com), where many of you already joined me. Some to become hooked, some to be totally confused or left unaffected by all it's options.

I think chances are slim that I'll continue writing new stuff on this blog. If you want to know how I'm doing, join facebook and add me to your friends!! ;o) Or just send me an email if facebook is really not your thing...


Love you all!
Linda

Let it snow!

Only two weeks ago word on the news was that it had been exceptionally warm for this time of the year. Skiing season was almost to begin, and there was no snow whatsoever on the ski slopes of New Zealand. The past week has made quite a change in that. At the end of this week a whole lot of hail and snow made it clear winter had started. In Invercargill it was mainly hail that we got, and one frightening thunder at 6am on Friday morning. The mountains got their share of snow, which showes promise for the skiing season. Some photos in the newspaper showed a nice snow carpet on the roads north-east of Invercargill. Unfortunately, the snow didn't stay on the ground in Invercargill itself.

In the meantime, I have changed my working hours. I now work 9 hours a day from Monday to Thursday, and only 4 hours on Friday! Very nice finishing work at noon on Friday. :-) It was only my first week with my new hours, but I loved it!

Th-th-th-th-that's all folks! Until next time!

Visitors

It's almost been two weeks already since my parents went back to Belgium, so it's time to give you guys an update!

On the 25th of April I set out to Queenstown to meet with my parents. It was funny, but when I saw them it didn't seem like it had been 6 months since I last saw them. Amazing what calling each other with Skype every week can do... Anyway, we loaded all their stuff in my tiny car, and then set out to go on the Earnslaw Steamboat for a trip on Lake Wakatipu. It was very nice, but not particularly exciting. After that boat ride we rode off to Glenorchy where we stayed the night. The next day we went on a nice walk through the landscape of Glenorchy. In the morning it was sunny and warm (ideal for our walk), whereas in the afternoon the rain came falling down when we were driving to Te Anau. In Te Anau we visited the glowworm caves, and walked a small part of the Kepler Track (i.e. a several day walk). On Saturday we drove in the direction of Invercargill, but made several stops before we actually got there. We made a few walks in the lovely Southland area, before heading to Colac Bay, where one of my friends would be married. I appointed my father as last-minute cameraman, much to her delight. Bride and groom looked stunning of course (I bet she's blushing when she reads this), and it was a lovely ceremony. I stayed for dinner, after dropping off my parents at a restaurant in Riverton (10 minutes away from Colac Bay). Although I really enjoyed the wedding, it was time to get back home to my dear cat, Luna. I hadn't seen her in 4 days, and that was the first time we've been apart for longer than a day. Fortunately she was well looked after by another friend. On Sunday we had another sunny day to discover Invercargill itself, and yes, make some more walks. On Monday I had to go back to work, while my parents visited the rest of the region, with my car.
The next weekend, we flew to Stewart Island. We had a very nice stay there, and again the weather was amazing. It must have been 20 degrees! I know that probably doesn't sound amazing to you guys now that it's summer in Belgium. However, that was the start of May, which is (weatherwise) like November on the Northern Hemisphere.

Anyway, that was it for my parents stay. It was a little bit weird to be alone in my house again after that... Photos will follow as soon as possible on my other website (see under links).

Easter bunnies

Easter weekend has come and gone too quickly, but no worries, next week I've got some time off again! My parents have arrived in NZ yesterday, and I'm really excited about that! Only one more week to go before I meet with them!

I have heard about another NZ tradition last week, namely the Easter Bunny Hunt. I'll have to disappoint those of you who are thinking about some kind of treasure hunt for the Easter Bunny. It's less fun than that (for the bunny anyway). During Easter weekend kiwi-men (and probably also kiwi-women) set out to hunt and kill bunnies and compete for the most killed bunnies. Some of you are no doubt appalled by this (I know at least one person who must have stopped breathing for a second when reading this... Bart, stop teasing her!), but here in NZ bunnies are a pest (as are all rodents) ruining crops and fragile vegetation. After Easter weekend one of my colleagues told me her husband and his "team" (12 people in total) had shot 1300 bunnies. The winners had shot down 1600! Gives you an idea of how many bunnies there are...

On another note, I have received a letter on Monday informing me of the fact that my application for a residence visa has been approved! This calls for another celebration! All I need now is the stamp in my passport to prove that I am officially a NZ permanent resident!