Cuba Street

There is a street not far from us that is closed off to traffic and it has shops and restaurants all along it.  In the middle is a little water fountain with buckets and a little playground.  When we see it it reminds us of our grandchildren.

Mt. Victoria

From Mt. Victoria you can see all of Wellington.  We went up there and it was a foggy day.  We need to go up again on a sunny day.

House for Sale

There is a house located between apartment just a few houses up from us.  It is probably about 900 square feet and it is going for $750,000.  We took a picture of it to show all those of you in the USA.

Walking Wellington

Don and I still don't have a car so we walked a lot yesterday.  We went to the Vodafone store because our internet still isn't working.  I think we have the problem solved so hopefully this week it will be hooked up.

Since Wellington is built on a hill there is a lot of climbing.  By our flat there are stairs going from the Terrace down to Willis Street which is part of downtown.  Yesterday I counted the steps and there are 143 steps.  So you can see Don and I get a good work out every day.

We also went to the Rugby Stadium and then went to Te Papa Museum where we got to see the Rugby Players.  We don't understand the game but it is a big sport in New Zealand.

Te Papa Museum is very big and free.  It has something for everyone including a special section for children which is very hands on.  We will have to go back and spend a whole day.

I also wanted to find a cable car located near us.  We finally found it and it goes from the top of the hill near the University down to Lambton Quay located at the lower end of town.

Later we met the Ditchburn's, Lupe and the McVey's.  We had dinner and then went to see the movie Jane Eyre.  The theater was very nice.  I have never read the book but after seeing the movie I need to read it.

September 18, 2011

Farewell

Today was Roy and Lorraine Ditchburn and Lupe's last day at the lab.  They were released as missionaries last night.  It has been fun having them there and we will miss their homemade treats every day at tea time.

New Zealand people are very giving.  The Ditchburn's knew we didn't have a TV set so yesterday they brought us one to use.  It only picks up about 3 or 4 channels but it is nice to hear the news or watch a show or two.

We had the missionaries for dinner tonight and boy can they eat.  They finished everything I cooked.  It still need to figure out the oven.  It cooked for 35 minutes and still wasn't very hot.

September 16, 2011

Different Words

Today we went out to a restaurant to eat lunch.  Some of the people in our groups ordered mince pies.  Don looked at that but didn't think mince pie sounded too good.  But he soon found out that mincemeat is actually hamburger.  Some of the other things that are different are:  checkmark = tic mark  clapping=speeding  give way=yield   please indicate=turn on blinker   lift=elevator  flat=apartment   brilliant=great    bacon=ham

Today at work we saw a fire in the direction of our flat.  Then when we came home the road was closed by fire trucks and the fire was only about 2 blocks from us.  The firemen had a hard time getting to the fire because it was in the rear of the house with houses below it on a steep hill.

I tried baking brownies tonight but the oven is gas which has to be lit every time it is used and there isn't any degrees only numbers 1 through 9.  Someone said to use 5 because it is in the middle.  However, the brownies looked done on the outside but they were raw on the inside.

Friday we feed the missionaries so I hope my casserole will cook.

For the brownies I used my measuring cups from the USA and the missionaries said a cup here is not the same because they use an Imperial cup which is less so I added too much liquid to the brownies.  The missionaries ate them anyway.  In fact the missionaries will eat everything put before them.

September 14, 2011

Roy's birthday

Wellington can have four seasons in one day.  It was raining this morning, sunny at lunch and a hailstorm right after lunch.  You never know what to expect.

Today was Roy's 73rd birthday so Danny Chan (from Hong Kong) took us out to a nice restaurant for lunch.    We went for lunch to a restaurant called Fisherman's Table.  It is located on the beach and has a beautiful view.  The food was so good.  Almost everyone had the salmon. With the mean came an all you can eat salad bar. Roy and his wife are very down to earth people.  He had to leave work early today to go home and check on his baby chicks.

Our flat is having some plumbing problems.  We don't notice it but it will cost the owner $10,000 to have it fixed.

We like it in New Zealand when people always say "no worries".  That's how we should all be is with "no worries."

September 13, 2011