Working at a yarn store has all sorts of perks. I've learnt a lot about knitting, and improved my confidence. I have also met some nice people, and invited them to join my crafting group. And then there are the completely unexpected perks . . .

Yesterday, a young woman, about my age, came into the store. I helped her choose some yarn, and gave her some advice about knitting needles. When she came to buy her items, we got to chatting, and it turns out that she is a Canadian, here for work. As I was ringing in her purchases, my co-worker came back into the store, and mentioned that there were lots of AC-DC fans about the city (there was a concert on Thursday, another tonight). I asked what an AC-DC fan looks like, how they are different than normal people, and she replied that there was just a huge number of band t-shirts on display. At this point, the customer spoke up "I work for AC-DC!"

Turns out, she is the production manager (I think?). She said that she is basically the "mother duck" and is responsible for arranging all the catering, on-site transportation and arranging to get all sorts of stuff that is needed last minute. My co-worker then went on to say how she would have loved to go to the concert, to take her son that had just started to listen to the music. She would love to meet the band, ask Angus why he cut his hair . . . I don't know much about the group, so I just nodded my head. The customer rummaged through her back and commented "I've brought the wrong purse! Normally I have picks in my bag, but they are in the other one, sorry!" As she left, my co-worker jokingly called out "If you come back tomorrow, bring your other bag!"

About half an hour later, I was in the back, eating my sandwich, when I hear the distinctive Canadian accent again. The customer had returned, with tickets for the concert for my co-worker! I was so excited for her that I went out to congratulate her, only to be given my own set of four tickets! My first reaction was "you"re joking!" followed quickly by excitement! I called James to let him know about our new plans for tonight, and he didn't believe me! I had to pass the phone over to the customer so that she could convince him that it was legit!

Moral of the story: It's good to be Canadian!

Terribly sorry, but it's time for a rant.

So, I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to get a job teaching. I have applied for 19 teaching positions, and been granted exactly zero interviews. With this in mind, I have been considering going back to university to retrain in early childhood. There is a very well developed early childhood system in place in New Zealand, with a curriculum from 0-5 years. The vast majority of centres are government funded, and there is a huge push to have qualified teachers (BEd) in these centres. The more qualified teachers, the more funding. Also, centres that do not have 80% of their staff qualified by 2012 will lose ALL funding. So there is a need for qualified teachers at that age. And I really like working in early childhood. I've been doing relieving, and I always come home happy and relaxed after each day.

Here's the rant: I need to go back to university for a year to get qualified. Not a huge deal, really. The part that really pisses me off? Anyone, with any degree, only needs to take 1 year of studies. I worked yesterday with a guy who had a BA in media studies before going back for 1 year. A three year BA, mind you. I have a four year BEd, which included classes in early childhood development and early childhood psychology, and I will have to take the exact same classes and course load as someone who took three years of film classes or design classes. This is what pisses me off. It seems completely unfair that my degree is basically invalid if I want to teach anything other than primary. Now, I know that life is not fair, and I know that one year is not that big a deal. But with many centres poised to fall short of the 80% target (which was originally set for this year, and had to be pushed back as 38% of centres would have lost all funding), you would think that the ministry of education would be trying to make it easier for teachers to get qualified. I would think that my experience would count for something. I would think that my education would make me slightly more qualified that a BA or a BSc.

Rant over.

As I posted before, we spent Christmas with James' family. Rather than trying to decided who warranted a present and who did not, it was decided that all grownups attending would just draw names and buy a present for that person. I wasn't working much before Christmas, so I decided (on Tamara's excellent advice) to make some cards as part of my present. Enjoy!

The folder in which all the cards were packed.

James thought that there was a typo on this until I explained that there was a frog. So it was SUPPOSED to be "Hoppy Birthday".

This one says "Merry Christmas" in candy cane striped letters inside.

It's not what you know . . .

It's who you know. Or so they say. Whoever "they" are. If this statement is indeed true, it kinda sucks trying to get a job in a new country with no contacts. Hopefully this might be starting to change . . .

About a week ago, I was working in the knitting store, and helping a customer find appropriate needles, when she turned to me, and said "You're not a Kiwi. Where are you from?" I told her I was Canadian, and was rewarded with a hug. Turns out she too was a Canadian, and was excited to find another "one of us".

We got to chatting a bit, and I asked her if she was visiting, or living, and why New Zealand. She explained that she and her husband had come over in 2008, having applied for residency while still in Canada. I replied that I was applying for residency, but due to my own stupidity, I had not had a criminal record check done while in Canada, and was now waiting on that. She assured me that I should have no problems getting everything approved. I agreed, saying that my husband is a Kiwi, and that I'm a teacher, so I have training, and am qualified. She smiled, and replied "You too? Where do you teach?" Nowhere at the moment. Well, this lovely lady was determined to change that. She explained that she had been working last year half time at one school, doing relieving at the same school most of the rest of the time. She was now working full time, which meant that the school was down a reliever. How did I feel about her passing my name on as someone willing to work?

HOW DID I FEEL?!? Freakin' fantastic, that's how! Please, pass it on. Here's my email, my phone number. My registration? Got it right here! Need a urine sample? Not a problem. My first born? Where do I sign?

After selling this lovely lady her needles, she asked if I knew of any knitting groups around. I invited her to join the crafty group I attend on Wednesdays, and yesterday she did just that. While there, she let me know that she had got a call from another school, asking if she were still available for relieving. She replied that she was not, but knew someone who was. She told me that she hoped she had not overstepped herself, passing my name along without asking me. I assured her that she had not, and was welcome to pass out my name and info to any school that might ask. Her reply? "Sure, I'll do my best to pimp you out where ever possible."

Maybe I'm starting to know some people . . .

Last night, I worked as a bartender at Westpac Stadium for the Wellington Phoenix Soccer Team's game. This is the 3rd time that I've worked at the stadium, and the third time I've been assigned to a different bar. It's also the third time that I've been told by my supervisor that I'm a great worker, much better than they expected, and they would love to have me back in their area. If that's the case, why do I keep getting shifted around?

Now, before it sounds like I'm bragging, let's just clarify about me being a better than average worker. I work at the stadium through a temp agency. There are over a hundred people that work each game. Seeing as it is through a temp agency, and there is not always consistency about who works each game, competent is better than average. Giving the right change is better than average. Following instructions the first time is better than average. It's not hard to be better than average.

With this temp work, I managed to be in the building when the All Whites (New Zealand's soccer team) managed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Granted, I didn't see the winning goal, but I was in the building. Maybe, if I keep up the work (and why not, it's super easy work) I'll manage to be in the building during the Rugby World Cup in 2011. We'll see.

I'm a little bit addicted to this stuff. It is delicious, and unavailable in Saskatchewan. Every time I drink one, I am reminded of my next door neighbour, as we had a conversation about it just before I left Regina. Sadly, this will probably be the last one I will have for quite a while. Since I still don't have a full time job, and James is registered to go to university in March, we have decided that Coke does not fit into the budget. Also, there is ridiculous amounts of sugar in Coke (over 50 grams per 500 ml bottle!), so I really shouldn't drink in anyways. So I bought this one, just to take a photo, and to savour, as it will be (hopefully) the last one of 2010.

2009 has just come to a close, and it makes me think about everything that has happened over the past year.

We started 2009 living in Bristol. I was working at a pub, and I (unsurprisingly) had to work New Year's Eve. Luckily, I worked with with a great group of girls, and we had a blast! (I'm not sure why I look so pissed off in this photo!)


February brought SNOW! to Bristol, which was a very big deal. The city basically shut down. People in Bristol have do idea how to drive in the snow, and don't have snow tires of any sort. We heard reports on the news that the city was running out of grit for the roads. It was the first time many children I was teaching had seen snow. It was the biggest snowfall in a decade! James and I both had 2 days off as we couldn't get to work. This is the first snow man James has ever made!

March saw us taking our first big trip. We visited Prague. We had a great time exploring the city. It was bit cold, but we bundled up warm and spent about 6 hours a day walking around. My favorite memory of the trip was taking an evening river boat tour and diner. The city looked beautiful lit up at night!


We were really lucky to be visited by our friends Brett and Jacqueline in April. They spent about a week with us, over the Easter break. We went to Stonehenge, saw the Magna Carta and birdwatched. We also explored the SS Great Britain, which began it's life as a luxury liner, the Titanic's predecessor. We spent a day in Bath, seeing the Roman Baths and having cream tea at the Jane Austin Tea Room. There were over 1000 pictures taken during this week long period, but this one sums it all up!





I was also very lucky in April to begin a long-term relieving position. I started at Whitehall Primary School, teaching a Year 4 class. It was so nice knowing where I was going every day, not to mention having a stable pay check. I also like actually teaching, rather than shouting, controlling traffic and just trying to keep a lid on things. It was great to see the same students day after day, week after week, and see them make progress.

In May, one of James' best friends Mike, and his girlfriend Hannah came to visit us in Bristol. I had never met Mike, and was excited to do so. He and Hannah were both delightful, and we spent a wonderful weekend full of music, fun and frivolity. We taught Mike and Hannah how to play Yahtzee and the boys played long into the night.








June was a busy month! My cousin Keeley came to visit before heading to the continent for some art classes. While she was about, we went to the Banksy exhibit at the Bristol museum. Banksy is a "graffiti" artist who is world famous for the social commentary he makes with his art. He is a Bristol native, and collaborated with the museum to show his works. My favorite part of the show was that he swapped out some of the authentic pieces in the museum with altered work, so you never knew what you might see just around the corner.

We also spent 3 days in Rome. I have never been anywhere more amazing! The history and architecture were incredible. Every time we saw a new sight, I said "this is the most amazing thing I have ever seen" only to repeat the same thing a few moments later. We took a tour of the the Vatican, and the Sistine Chapel. Our trip ended on a Wednesday, and we caught part of mass in St Peter's Square before catching our flight.





We had more visitors in July, with our friends Laura and Dom visiting Dom's family in Devon before spending a couple of days with us. I was really lucky to have Laura, one of my bridesmaids, in Bristol for my hen night. Forgive me for not posting a picture of that event ;)

We visited LegoLand, also known as heaven to James. The sculptures were unbelievable. There were whole cities reproduced in Lego, including locks on the rivers in "Amsterdam". My favorite part was the Scottish representation that included Highland dancers than actually danced! James liked the pick'n'mix Lego bulk bins where you could pick any pieces you wanted, and just pay by weight. The Lego store on sight had more sets than I could have imagined.






July also saw us bidding farewell to Bristol. It didn't think I would be sad to leave Bristol, but over the 9 months we were there, it became home. I finished up the school year, wrote year end reports, and 2 days after the year ended, got on a plane back to Canad.

The first weekend in August, we went camping at Lake Diefenbaker. My parents didn't know that I was back in the country yet, so I surprised them by showing up early!

The rest of the month passed in a blur leading up to this.

We got married!

My mom and sister were amazing, helping with all the details up until the last minute. My mom somehow managed to make my dress, as well as the bridesmaid's dresses, and all our jewelery. She's a superstar! Tamara managed to keep me calm, and dealt with many many many details while I was out of the country. If you want to see any more pictures of the day, check out our photographer's Flickr account. We were blessed to have our friends and family with us on our wedding day, including 3 of James' closest friends and his mother, Rowena. It was fantastic that they made the long trip to be with us.

We spent a couple of weeks in Regina after the wedding, but made the long flight to New Zealand the middle of September. We spent a couple of weeks relaxing at Rowena and Graham's in Whitinanga, a small beach town where James grew up. It was really nice not to have any worries for a while after the stress of the wedding and packing up all my worldly possessions. A couple of weeks relaxing was about all we could manage before getting antsy, and moving to Wellington to find a place to live and jobs. We stayed with James' cousin and his family while finding our feet, but hit the ground running, finding a house and jobs within the first week of being here! Our house is quite small, but it is perfect for us, and we love it. We have a small garden, and are trying to grow some of our own vegetables.



















The last couple of months have passed very quickly. We are well settled into our house. James is working in a timber yard, and registered for university in March. I've been doing substitute work in Early Childhood Education, but don't have a teaching job yet. I'm trying to stay positive, and hope to get something a little bit more permanent for the 2010 school year. Just before Christmas, I started working at a knitting store, which has encouraged me to start knitting again, and to take on more more challenging projects. Who knows, I might even make a sweater one of these days!

We spent Christmas day with some of James' cousins and family. It was a lot of fun, especially as there were a pair of 18 month old twins running around. They didn't really understand what was going on, but they knew that something special was happening, and that there were lots of people to see!

I hope that you all had a great 2009, but here is to an even better 2010!