She told me not to step on the cracks-I told her not to fuss and relax

Sunday I did something shocking: I went mountain biking.

Of course when I say "Mountain biking" I mean the most gentle hills ever, but it was an actual mountain bike park and there were TONS of sharp turns, bridges and trees.

BREAKFAST WITH SULLY

SOMETHING TO DO WITH ALL THE HAIR THAT COMES OUT IN THE SHOWER... ROMANTIC.

 I don't know why I do it to myself, but I tend to make friends with very fit and adventurous girls. I spend my time with them feeling like I am going to pop a lung while trying to keep up with them. One of the girls I worked with at the pub found out I liked running. She's a personal trainer- and we met weekly to run the stairs (she ran, I focused on surviving and used any spare oxygen to cursed her). Then she convinced me to sign up for a couple races. She even tried to convince me to run a half marathon in San Francisco this past fall (only the hilliest place ever).

SCOTTY'S MO NOW LIVES IN OUR WASTE BASKET

WHEN YOU LET AN ASIAN NEAR YOUR WHITE BOARD

House tutor Liz is also a personal trainer. She asked me if I wanted to go for a "bike ride", and I hesitantly said yes (the hills here are nuts). When she greeted me at her door in actual padded bike shorts, I knew I was in trouble. I climbed on her bike and put her helmet on as she gave me a quick lesson on gears.

ST CLAIR 

SAND ARCHITECTURE 

The next thing I knew we were peddling up the side of a flipping mountain (think riding up Oxford hill in white rock).

I SAID: "DO A MODEL FACE"- SHE IMMEDIATELY DID THIS- NO COACHING NEEDED. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT BRIAN.

My lungs have never burned that bad. Oxygen- couldn't get enough of it.

Somehow I actually made it to the top. I turned my bike to ride down the sidewalk and noticed she was watching me from the middle of the road and hand-signalling a right turn (remember we drive on the left side of the road) to the cars.

Right. This isn't grade 5 anymore. We ride with the cars, not down the sidewalks. *Embarasssssed*.

SOMETIME BRIAN LETS US STEAL HIS GI-JOE VAN

THERE ARE NO SUV'S HERE, JUST SPORTY VANS- LIKE YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE IN SOUTH AFRICA

She led me out of the city to the mountain bike park. Ha Ha.

Huh?

She asked if I knew the brakes. I confidently replied, "Yes. I'll just use this one."

"No... don't do that. If you only use your front brake while going downhill- you'll fly over your handle bars."

THE MARTENS' CRIB- WE GET A LOT OF SUN IN OUR PLACE.

And then we were off. My first cornering round a tree was incredibly wobbly. Probably because I was going the slowest ever. I know that speed makes it easier to round the corners, but I was so bloody focused on the brakes that I forgot to pedal.

WHERE SCOTTY WATCHES THE FEW NFL GAMES WE GET DOWN HERE. I WATCHED THE KARDASHIAN WEDDING IN HERE ALL ALONE. FELT AWESOME AND AWKWARD ALL AT ONCE.

Liz only had to stop about five times to let me catch up, but by the end, she was cheering me on as I rounded the turns with very little wobble (still very slowly). Once we arrived back at the hostel, I raised both arms victoriously above my head and exclaimed, "I DIDN'T GET INJURED!"

Total victory.

HIS LIFE GOT A WHOLE LOT BETTER WHEN WE ARRIVED

SUMMER NIGHT OUT MY WINDOW

He's Got Two Left Feet and He Bites My Moves

I told you it was the best picture ever.

Santa Claus is coming to town in the parade this afternoon. I finished my Christmas decorating last night and celebrated with Elf and Domino's pizza. We have three full days left with the boys (the year 11,12 and 13 have all moved out already). Scotty is in exam mode with one exam both this week and next. I need to find a really good book (any suggestions?) to read in the sunshine, get some new sunglasses and make some eggnog for my coffee (it's not an easy thing to find here).

Hot Like Fire

ST. CLAIR- HAVE I CONVINCED YOU TO COME VISIT YET?

Today's high is going to be 25 degrees, it's not even lunch yet and it's hot. Today is another beach day. Was weird to lay out yesterday and make Christmas decorations.

ALMOST FINISHED MAKING SUMMER CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

Last night we took the juniors ice skating. I've never really thought about it, but all Canadians can skate. We've all taken a lesson or two as kids (or at least have gone with our school class). We went with one of the girls hostels. 60 kiwi kids on the ice, maybe 15 of them could actually skate- the rest were all over the ice. No one skated in the same direction, just a mass of teenagers slipping and sliding all over the ice. 

I can skate, but I can't stop. Dangerous with so many wobbly teens all busy flirting with each other- I was hyper aware of where everyone was going and spent a lot of energy dodging people. I got one amazing photo of Brian and Scotty (on Brian's fancy camera... was so scared I was going to fall and break it) with one of the boys in the background mid- splits... Funniest shot ever. I will post it on here ASAP.

A RAINBOW IN OUR BACK YARD

Woke up with sore feet from the worst, most uncomfortable rental skates ever. They don't do hockey skates so the boys are stuck with toe picks (haha), and there is no liner in them, so it felt like putting on a pair of roller blades without the liner- just brutally hard plastic. I only lasted 45 mins (best to stop while you're ahead- it was only a matter of time before I collided with one of the kids)- the other 45 mins were spent laughing at all the kids flailing on the ice.

SULLIVAN LIKES TO DO HIS HEAVY SLEEPING AT DINNER TIME. I WOKE HIM UP WHEN I CAME IN AFTER "TEA" (THEIR WORD FOR DINNER HERE), HE SAT UP, BUT THEN FELL BACK ASLEEP SITTING UP.

Quite a few of them had never been, and by the end of the hour and a half, they were doing really well. Must be nice to be able to fall 10 times and still want to keep trying. My old lady body wouldn't be able to handle it.

For the Love of Used Stuff

Between local designers, Australian chains, UK stores and the vintage shops- the shopping in Dunedin is pretty good.

Despite the fact that I'm on a ramen budget- I am still enjoying looking at everything. About once a week or so I wander into some of the shops try on some clothes, fawn over the accessories and toy with the shoes. If I return home with anything, it's usually a little something for art or craft- a ball of wool, paper, crayons etc.

Last week I caved. I took a little bit of cash with me and headed to the biggest "OP Shop" (Kiwi version of thrift shop- an "opportunity shop) in Dunedin.

I've been surviving off 5 pairs of pants, and I've been lusting over all the boyfriend jeans I've come across on Pinterest. After trying on over 20 pairs of jeans, I found a pair that should work if I taper them in from the knee down (which should be interesting to do by hand).

I came across this adorable bag- tucked in  behind some shoes. I was getting antsy for a cross body bag, much better suited for all the walking I've been doing.

I packed for New Zealand at the end of August. Most of my warm clothes were packed into storage (Scotty and I unpacked as little of our stuff as possible b/c we lived in the van last summer and anticipated NZ in the fall). I managed to pull a couple of my "winter clothes" tupperwares open, but I really didn't pack many warm clothes. 

I found a couple amazing second-hand wool Zara knit sweaters right after we arrived in September, and this time I found a long-sleeve merino wool top (they retail for at least $80 here- I got mine for $8) and the softest cardigan.

Aside from the sickly cheap prices and the thrill of the hunt- I love thrifting because it allows me to buy clothes that would be way out of my price range if I got them brand new. They just fit better, the fabric drapes nicer and they often have little details added that give them that extra "oh la-la". The black pants I found are all those things. I think they're one of the local designers' pieces and barely worn. Score.

Nearly 2 hrs and $35 later, I decided to try walking home a different way. My "short cut" took me only 50 mins from start to finish. The "long way" would have taken me 20. Pfffft.

Oops.

Victorian Fete: Picture Overload

I'm sorry to tell you but this is where I am blogging from this gorgeous late Friday afternoon. I just found out that the UV rays in NZ are 40% higher than equal latitudes in the northern hemisphere (due to the hole in the ozone layer).

SULLIVAN: MY KIWI BOYFRIEND

Yikes... for a second, but them I felt all its warm love and I forgot my worries (they immediately burned up in the laser-strength sun rays).

Last Sunday we ignored the rain and ventured an hour and a half up north, along the coast, to Oamaru to take in the Victorian Fete.

I WASN'T ABLE TO GET A COSTUME TOGETHER. THIS IS THE BEST I COULD COME UP WITH

CHRISTMAS CRAFTING ON THE RAINY CAR RIDE

I may have taken 200 plus photos in 3 hours. I'm getting worse. My camera's shutter speed can't keep up sometimes.

Musttakepicturesofeverything!

YOU COULD FEEL THE HEAT COMING OFF THE CONVERTED TRACTOR- STEAM ENGINE

 This means that you're going to be subjected to a LOT of photos of the fete.

Oamaru is a very cool town that boasts a Victorian precinct and a steampunk headquarters (more on that another post). Aside from the drive through the town on the way down to Dunedin from Christchurch when we arrived, Scotty and I have come up to Oamaru twice on our own.

SPEAKING FROM HIS SOAP-BOX. THE KIDDIES IN THE BACKGROUND JUST KILLED ME

SPOTTED: AMAZING CONCEPT FOR A COSTUME

Originally, i had thought that Scotty and I would dress up. Budget, time and materials made me realize it would not happen, but had I been able to pull it off, Scotty and I would have been dressed much like Kirsten Dunst and her Soldier lover in Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" (that movie triggers so much creativity in me).

The number of people dressed up was impressive. I would say that the costumed people outnumbered the people who didn't dress up. I even spotted a family who had not only dressed up their 2 preschool aged children, but also pushed their baby twins (also in costume) in a  gorgeous antique pram. My kind of people.

IS IT JUST ME, OR DOES THE JESTER LOOK LIKE MICHAEL JACKSON?

There were some incredible antiques and vintage clothing on sale. I think that because of all the old family farms down here- the antiques are especially good. I found a pair of very old spats in a vintage shop in town and they were only $90 NZ! Something like that in Vancouver would easily have sold for $250. I am hoping i can find a cool pair of eye glass frames before I leave and then get my prescription put into them when I get home.

"WHISKEY" BAR

 I only picked up a couple scraps of vintage Liberty of London fabric. A girl can never have too much fabric. I am hoping to collect a bunch of scraps while I am here and then make a crazy quilt out of them when I get home.

I SPOTTED THIS HUTCH FROM ACROSS THE WAY AT "WHISKEY" AND NEARLY FAINTED FROM EXCITEMENT

 The pastel paint-chipped wood slats in this hutch have inspired an idea for my own kitchen (if that ever happens)- I'll just keep in in my back pocket until then. Love when that happens- when something just screams "Hey, I was made for people like you!"

EVERY KID NEEDS ONE

INTERESTING BOOKS BEING SOLD. IT WAS A USED-BOOK SALE MEANING THAT SOMEONE ACTUALLY BOUGHT THESE NEW. NOTE: THE "NAKED ROWER" IS PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED. HA HA

THESE MASKS WILL BE CREATED

AN ART GALLERY ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE OLD GRAIN WAREHOUSE (NOW CONVERTED INTO A RESTAURANT AND BAR BELOW)

Whoever bought the old grain house in Oamaru is brilliant. The bottom main floor boasts a giant restaurant and a big pub area (the pub is photographed above), the third floor is a beautiful art gallery. All three fall under the "Whiskey" name.

I started swooning and couldn't stop. I loved the space! I'm sure Scotty got tired of hearing me ooooh and ahhhhh over and over and over again.  The high ceilings, the giant, peeling beams, faded wood, curved windows... the light up there was incredible- it just glowed. I am so glad that whoever designed it had the smarts to leave a lot of it as it was. That uniqueness created over years and years of wear n' tear cannot be replicated.

THE ORIGINAL STAIRCASE LEADING UP TO THE ART GALLERY. NOTICE HOW THE HANDRAIL CURVES. IT IS HELD IN PLACE BY SUSPENDED STEAL RODS. KIND OF SCARY.

COSTUMES, STREET PERFORMERS AND AN AMAZING OLD CAMERA

We weaved in and out of all the shops and the warehouse spaces lined with crafts and used goods. The rain did a good job of soaking my jacket, but it was warm and I was tingling with inspiration- it couldn't have been more perfect.

Unless you could have joined us.

SPOTTED: INSPIRATION FOR MY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

THE LIGHTING IN THE OLD BOATHOUSE WAS DREAMY

NEXT YEARS HALLOWEEN FEAST THEME: VICTORIAN CIRCUS... HEAVY ON THE FREAK-SHOW

WOODEN BICYCLE

WHEELS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

HAT SHOP

SCOTTY HELPING A STREET PERFORMER GET HER HULA HOOP LIT

Just as we had decided it was time to head back to the car, Scotty spotted crowd of fire dancers way down at the other end of the street. The rain had picked up at this point an created a kind of haze and hushed the street around us. As we neared them, we could hear the accordion and the jingling hundreds of tiny bells (attached to their pant legs and ankles). It was all very dream-like.

FIREDANCE