Labour weekend in Duntroon

This weekend is Labour weekend in NZ, and we and our flatmates spent a night on Blair's family farm near the town of Duntroon in central Otago. We hadn't been there for 30 minutes before Blair coaxed me to let him pull me through a pasture while sitting on a plastic bucket tied to the back of an ATV. While it's hard to beat that kind of excitement (when you get pitched off the bucket, you go sliding through sheep poos at about 45 km/hr on your back), Blair made a worthy suggestion: hunting pidgeons and rabbits with their shotgun. I won't embellish my shooting skills, except to say this: Andrew -1, Pidgeon that used to live in the hayshed -0. Christine had a go as well, and handled the 12 gauge recoil like a pro. We also had a chance to go boating and enjoy a picnic on the shore of a nearby lake the following day. All in all, a great escape from Queenstown for the weekend.

Chef Christine

We have a problem: we both love food. This might not sound like a problem to most, but for us it's compounded by two things: our budget (food ain't cheap in Queenstown!) and my lack of talent in the kitchen. But I am a blessed man, as Christine enjoys cooking enough that even after putting up with my bullsh*t she still cooks for two. I cannot lie about it- she cooks 98% of the meals (I do the other 2%, but admit that this includes takeaway as well as microwave popcorn) and does a consistently incredible job at it. Our food is always good, always healthy, and I always go back for seconds. I like to do my best to help out though, as evidenced by this photo take by our flatmate Blair. Judging by the utensils I'm holding I'm at least proficient in peeling and stirring, and as all good cooks know that's at least half the battle. Oh, and I'm quite handy at washing dishes too...

Good old Mark

Andrew's buddy Mark from back home is out in NZ on a surfing venture and crashed out with us in Queenstown for a week or so. Since we pretty much have about 3 friends in New Zealand (including ourselves) it was great to see another familiar face, even if he does look a bit handicapped in some (well, all) of the photos. We still love 'im though.

Parental visit!

Christine's parents took their summer holiday in New Zealand this year; after winding their way down the North and South islands, they arrived in Queenstown to spend nearly a week with us. It was so good to have them! Here are a few pics from their time here.

The blog runs cold!

Just because we haven't made a post in two months doesn't mean that we aren't doing anything... it just means we aren't doing much. Actually, that's hardly even a half-truth: we've been very busy with all sorts of diversions, from snowboarding, to visits from friends and family, to a few good parties, to work. However, the past two months have proven one of traveling's most desparaging maxims to be true: that you cannot escape life's routines and drudgeries, no matter where you go. We still have to buy groceries, and pay bills, and put gas in the car, and find time and energy and money to have fun with whatever time is left over. It's been a good lesson though, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Additionally, spring has sprung in New Zealand and the days are getting longer and warmer, and that alone has buoyed our outlook on life a fair bit. It turns out that cold, damp weather is not the best environment for Christine- could this prove to be the final undoing of Andrew's ongoing persuasions for her to move to Seattle someday? Stay tuned...