Red-Faced Canadians: Rolling in to Fall in NZ

Hello friends,

I started this post a few weeks ago, and in the meantime, the terrible attacks on the 2 local mosques in Christchurch took place. The entire city was on lockdown that afternoon, and the kids and I happened to be at the library in Cathedral Square at the time. Tim was at work at the University of Canterbury. We were all safe, and in calm environments considering what was going on outside of the doors. We are so grateful for the safety and security that we felt. Yet, feel deep grief for those people and families targeted in the attacks, who were in a place they considered safe, and sacred. In the library, I overheard a 5 year old boy ask his mom, "mom, if there is one bad guy but a lot of good people, the good people will win, right?" I believe he is right, and good does overcome, eventually. But there are so many innocent casualties along the way. It's very hard to get your head around.

As for the older post- keep reading.

The mornings and evenings are getting cool, the leaves are starting to turn and it's harvest time! We lucked out big time when moving to 115 Roker street in that the owners (who are away temporarily, like us) are amazing gardeners. There is SO much fruit here. We have feasted on peaches, plums, grapes, apples, raspberries, both black and red currants and this week Celia found a physalis plant which is giving the most amazing little berries right now. We'd tried physalis berries in Saskatoon before, but they're so much better picked in your front yard and not shipped half way around the world. Next to come are feijoa fruits. We have been told that these are amazing, and are eagerly awaiting their ripening. There are some lemons well on their way too. Given the weather reports that we have been getting from the Saskatoon region (and the rest of Canada this winter), we're savouring the warmer weather in Christchurch, and the fruit that this climate allows.

My job this sabbatical year has been, and continues to be the generator of enthusiasm for a year-long adventure that our children had no choice in participating in. There are some trying days, but in general the kids are champs at keeping on board with the plan. We are continuing to explore and learn, and have fun, but I think it's safe to say that we're all starting to consider what going home will look like. Our tickets are purchased for June, which will put us back in NS where we'll pick up our car and head back across the country to Saskatoon. In the meantime we've got a few big trips planned and otherwise will continue our weekly school routine. An aside, Celia refers to our school as The School of Hard Knocks, which I find hilarious. I'm pretty proud of how well they are both working and adjusting to everything we're throwing at them.

Some of our latest exploring includes cave walking, and I think it's safe to say that these underground adventures have been the most memorable and exciting. Our first crack at it was at Castle Hill, where a section of river flows under a big limestone hill. The section is around 750m, which sounds like a nice easy, short walk, but it was a much larger undertaking than I'd thought before we set out, taking us almost an hour and a few tricky situations to get through on our own. We were equipped with headlamps, and in the absence of these, we would have been in trouble. We experimented a few times in turning off our headlamps underground to see what it was like, and I can only describe it as the darkest of dark. The kids were in their wetsuits, which was a good move in planning on our part, as there were parts of the underground river that were up to Celia's shoulders. Tim and Celia buddied up, and Edie and I buddied up and we made it through. The water was refreshingly cool, as it was a hot summer day, and we felt like champions when we finally made it through to the other end of the cave. Daylight has never looked so good, and this cavewalk is hands-down one of the coolest things we've ever done.

The second cave expedition was near Greymouth, NZ, which is located on the West Coast of the island. It was not nearly as epic, probably because it was not nearly as long, and we had a guide with us. The danger factor wasn't really there. The coolness factor was high though, as the cave was habitat for the New Zealand Glow Worm, and was a part of a geological deposit of gold, amongst other minerals.

Evoking fear into the negative cave spirits with our fierce faces.

Panning for gold

We were privileged to host Brian Fry for a few weeks in February. He's been part of many a Jardine adventure, and we were so happy to spend time with him again, and in a new country.