a HiGh Of 1 DeGRee aND tHe cHanCE oF a PoLAr BLaSt...wTF!

Not happy Jan. Queen and I are hating on the back of the Quad bike.

It has been raining mercilessly for days and days, and today there is snow all around us on the nearby peaks. As it is my day off work and because I am a glutton for punishment, I decided to tag along with Justin, get some fresh air into my depressed lungs, and get a true appreciation for a life in front of a warm fire. 

It started out as an 'adventure' as Justin likes to convince me... 

But it quickly turned bad when I could no longer feel my feet, or legs, then my fingers, and finally I got an instant cold headache as the ridiculously freezing temperatures reached my skull; this was 5 minutes down the road while we were still sitting in the Ute. Unfortunately there is no heating and the front windscreen fogs up easily so it's 'windows down please' - why of course Sir, I'd love to put the window down so I can no longer feel my face as well. This was not exactly the dialogue that I used to get my point across to my beloved husband, but you get the idea. The window came down despite my protests which didn't continue for long as I now no longer had the cooperation of my facial mechanics. I was powerless to the cold and forced to sulk into a mute state of emotional catatonia. How Justin does this everyday I do not wish to understand.

So we went out into the minus degree temperatures, with snow on the nearby peaks, and we shifted some pregnant cows from a holding paddock back into a grazing paddock because the truck that was coming to get them could no longer get through the blizzard up north that has forced the closure of two main routes. From up on the ridge the foul weather was very much visible and very much coastal, as was most of the snow capped mountains. My right hand was threatening to seize up every time I took it from my warm ski mitt to take a photo, but like a true journalist I refused to listen to logic and proceeded to document the moment at which 'hell froze over'.

Just as hypothermia was setting in, the sun came out, for about half an hour. The golden orb of sustainable life was shining. Then it went again just as quickly as it had arrived; almost as if to suggest it was even too cold for the sun. WTF is a Polar Blast anyway? According to 'One News' this is what NZ is experiencing today, and the worst NZ has seen for 15 years. So if I've got this right...The southern most polar region is blasting New Zealand with a snow storm that makes General Joseph Stalin look like Mother fuckin' Teresa.

After returning back down the ridge, and freezing my butt off on the back of the four-wheeler; and now with my tears and snot solidified into stalactites and stalagmites at various stages of formation; someone pointed out to me..."it's probably warm in Brisbane today".

What an arsehole thing to say. 



FaRm-tAsTiC

Arrived in NZ on the 31st March, two black cats in tow. Unpacked (mostly) and have been living in our free farm house, thanks to Uncle Benny (Justin's new employer) for just over 2 weeks. Moving is about as painful as any experience can get. I give it a pain score of 9 and a half out of ten.
Now we are feeling a little bit more settled. We have TV *tick*, broadband *tick*, landline and mobile *tick*, farm dog *tick*, functional killing house *tick*.
We definately are not in Kansas any more Toto.
So far we have managed to spend thousands of hard earned dollars on just the basics. It is amazing how much money is actually sitting in a pantry cupboard with just the bare minimal of necessities. Of course we have had to get a few miscellaneuos items (ie. slow cooker, wheelbarrow, new car) which have made a dent in our profit from the Rose St unit sale, but what can you do?
The cats are happy enough, especially in front of the fireplace. They have mostly forgiven us for the flight and quarantine ordeal which left them both a little bit more than pissed. But home is where the food is, so here is home.
Roger has killed thrice already so he has already paid for his ticket and for Lucky's. Didn't really need the bloody mess at 6am this morning outside our bedroom door, but took on board the fact that this is supposed to be a real gift of love from our feline male hunter.
Will be beginning my new midwifery job next Wednesday at the local (45 mins drive) rural hospital. Will be looking forward to a change of pace by then I'm sure. Farm life is good, but working in a job you love and being switched on is better. To put it another way, I think as a farmer's wife full-time you would become a very good baker, and woodchopper. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Have met the only neighbour that we have and I give our future friendship the thumbs up. A strong individual with the capacity to do ten things at once. My kind of woman. I can foresee many a laugh and drowning of sorrows together over middle of the range NZ sav blanc's.
The weather has been kind to us thus far, but today we had a small taste of the misery yet to come. Grey drizzle and howling wind that threatens endlessly to bore into your psyche and depress even the most optimistic soul. It won't have much of a challenge with me I'm afraid, I'm not even going to try to fight it. I plan on embracing the meloncholy and writing painfully depressing songs on the guitar about it that will be able to bring the happiest of people to their God forsaken knees.
Slow cooker has been on for 2 hours now, dinner is scheduled for 2300hrs tonight; just as well we tend to eat late.