Windy Wellington is definitely living up to its name! This definitely brings back memories from when we lived here 28 years ago. Slept pretty well, but was wide awake at 4:30 in the morning. The coffee shops here don’t seem to open until 7:30, so I patiently waited, listening to the beautiful bird sounds – Kaka, Tui, Kea, Kakariki? Not sure- I’ll have to ask Owen and Mary if they know the type of birds that are in the area.
I also journaled and watched the final episode of Magpie Murders. Because I am in New Zealand, I don’t have access to some of the content on the PBS website because of streaming rights. So I created an account with TVNZ in order to watch the final episode, which meant I had to watch commercials, something I didn’t need to do on the PBS website. But of course, watching commercials in another country is a lot more enjoyable than at home because they are all different. I had somewhat figured out one of the murders, but not the rest and really enjoyed how it wrapped up – I just wish it had been a longer series!
Finally I headed out for a walk around the neighborhood, it looks like the dairies don’t even open before 7 AM, there were very few cars out, it wasn’t until 730 that I began to see more people around. I stopped at the local café for a latte and a sausage roll, again happy with the lower cost of the food, it only cost six dollars US for a hazelnut latte and a sausage roll. It’s been interesting getting acclimated to hearing New Zealand accents, now I am again the one whose accent stands out.
I came back to sit on my deck, and realized the deck furniture is from a company called Retyred that uses old tires to create outdoor furniture. It’s very heavy duty, which given the wind in Wellington is important! I love the fact that these tires were put to such good use again, obviously they are fine to sit out in any kind of weather. The deck railings are made from rebar, another good use of recycled materials. This is so New Zealand! I have a view of the Wellington central business district and the Harbor, it’s pretty cloudy today, but saw all the city lights last night before I went to bed.
I walked over to Annemarie’s house, it’s about 45 minutes from where I am staying. I walked through several different neighborhoods including a few journeys up and down stairs and through pathways. Everything is so lush and green here because of the consistent rain they receive. I literally stood in shock staring at a grassy meadow that was lined with dense bushes and trees, it looked so full of life-and it was, I could hear all kinds of birdsong. We headed to Pac N Save and the chemist warehouse to get the shopping done. I got all my toiletries, an electric jug (kettle) for boiling water and a coffee plunger (French press) so I could make my own coffee in the morning. 730 is WAY too late to get my first cup as I’m usually awake well before 6.
It has been fascinating to see what has changed and what hasn’t – or at least what I remember from almost 30 years ago. Geez, that makes me feel so old, it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long since I’ve lived here. I saw a few classes of school kids with teachers and parents headed out on field trips I suppose. All the kids were wearing sun hats, many were in T-shirts and shorts, in fact I saw many people wearing what I consider light summer clothes. While I definitely put on too many layers to start with, and brought an extra vest in my backpack in case I got cold (Lol), it was still too cold for a T-shirt and shorts to me, the high today was 68 (yes, I’m a wimpy Californian!)
I did manage to join the weekly family zoom call, it was 7 PM on Monday night for them, but 4 PM on Tuesday afternoon for me! It was great to be able to catch them up on what I was doing and hear what was going on back at home, even though I’ve only been gone two days. 🙂 One of my sisters helped capture a runaway pig in her neighborhood, no she doesn’t live in a rural area, in fact she lives in Citrus Heights, a suburb of Sacramento! You just never know what’s gonna happen on a Monday.
After the zoom call I headed back to Annemarie‘s for dinner, taking a different route which led me through a beautiful bush walk right in the middle of the city! Just unbelievable. The playground just around the corner from her has some fantastic artwork incorporated into the play structures, very creative. During dinner we planned our trip to the South Island where we will go after Christmas and over the New Year, we’re both very excited. I was also excited about the fact that it rained tonight, I enjoyed listening to the rain on the roof and seeing it drip off the trees outside my window.
