Our trip to Australia was great. We spent lots of quality time with Mick's brothers, mum, and his best friends. We took in the sun, saw some live music, and even fit in some yoga and a meditation! It was really nice to catch up with our neighbors down under, but I must say, coming back felt good, especially because we have a beautiful new home to come back to!
Getting off the plane in Queenstown, New Zealand is always breathtaking. I had to laugh when the Captain of the plane assured maiden voyagers to the Queenstown airstrip not to be alarmed by the proximity of the plane to the "land features." It's the kind of landing where you are glued to the triple paned plexi-glass window the entire time. If you are in an aisle seat, man are you missing out! The view on both sides is absolutely stunning, and if you are afraid to fly, probably the last thing you want to see.
Jagged snow-capped peaks surround you on all sides, and if there is any wind (often flights get diverted due to the high winds), you're in for an adventure. It would be an understatment to say the landing was a bit turbulent. The landing strip is probably all of 1 kilometer short as well which made for an abrupt stop. Its so short, in fact, that when we were taking off on the way to Oz, we completed a full 180 degree turn on the spot!
Enough about that. I don't want to scare you all away from flying into Queenstown! It's the flight of a life time, I promise!
Anyway, when we got home and unpacked and turned our phones back on after being away for a week, I noticed that I had received a text from a friend asking if we'd like to come over for pot luck and a ukulele session! What a warm welcome home! What more could we ask for?
The Uke session has now become a weekly event. 6 of us girls (and our partners) get together and play songs together. We teach each other songs, and every week try a few newies. We just might be good enough to perform by the end of the season! Who knows! Jolene by Dolly Parton and Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show are two of our faves! I think we're starting to sound pretty good!
We are gearing up for winter here as well, literally! We have been collecting gear from various second hand sales and shops, and are pretty much ready to rock! Now we just need snow. It's been in the high 60's here for the last week. Not that I'm complaining, but some of the ski fields are meant to open this weekend, and it's not even cold enough to blow snow!
We had our first dinner party at our new house last night too, and we had an interesting crowd here. We had an incredible 94 year old man named Ludwig over along with 7 others. The Asian-themed dinner was fabulous, and the conversation even better! Ludwig used to be a professional ballet dancer. He and his wife who was a concert pianist used to perform together. He also joined the circus back in the 30s as a trapeze artist! He was truly an inspiration to us all, and incredibly with it.
It's the beginning of my favorite time of year...pot luck time! Wanaka is a great place for dinner parties and the ever-so-popular pot luck is in full effect come winter time. I love it! It's such a great alternative to going out to bars and blowing money on overpriced drinks. Everyone gets right into it and is innovative and creative with their dishes....you could say it even gets a bit competitive from time to time!
So we are settling in and "finding the groove" here again. It feels so good to have a proper home again. Pip moves in a week from today, and we are so looking forward to having her here. She is a great friend and an inspiring house mate!
Stay tuned for more. I'm going to try to get back onto a regular update every couple of weeks!
PRAY FOR SNOW!!
