Changing seasons and preparing to change lives once again...

While spring is blooming in England, autumn is spreading it's magical colours across New Zealand.  All the native trees here are deciduous, it's only those that have been brought in from other countries that shed their leaves, so it's never as bleak in winter as it seems to be in UK.  There's a chill in the air now at night, and it's beginning to feel as though the time is drawing closer for these two old birds to fly north for the summer ...

Although I love living in New Zealand, at the moment it's associated with working full time (and more, some weeks!!); subsequently I'm now counting down until we leave and return to England to travel around the canals and rivers of the Midlands and south England.  Barry is enjoying working again, but he's lucky to get just one day off each week, and I'm sure at the end of his 8 weeks will be more than ready to be at home again!

It really is a life of contrasts, we have a fabulous home here in NZ that I adore, but am not getting a lot of time to enjoy.  But we do have a large 'section' of land, a three bed-roomed house and of course an automatic washing machine!  Back aboard Northern Pride, space is limited and we'll be living in the proverbial 'corridor' once more with just the one 'fixed' double bed and no washing machine!  I think that's what I'm mostly not looking forward to; but luckily the benefits of living on a narrowboat and travelling around outweigh the disadvantages.

The weekend before last we had a trip 'down the coast' and spent some time walking on the beach in the sunshine and a temperature of around 25 degrees, and then dropped into some hot springs for a relax with some student midwives who have come from Edinburgh to have their elective placement with the maternity unit.

 

Barry is excitedly planning where he wants to travel first on Northern Pride, and we're hoping to spend a couple of weeks at least, travelling around the Birmingham Canal Navigations.  We did a trip in April 2007 from Tardebigge; 4 days and nights in a loop passing through the centre of Birmingham.  It was all such a rush having to travel at least 8 hours a day in order to get back to the hire place on the Friday morning so we're looking forward to a much slower pace this time!

We moored up in our hired boat in Gas Street Basin and Barry couldn't believe that we were in the centre of Britain's second city!

 A walk to The Mailbox for a spot of Tapas one evening

Barry at the helm of the hire boat in 2007; the beginning of his passion for the canals

Northern Pride and the kindness of strangers

Barry has started his first 'proper' job after selling his photography business in September 2008, and is working for Montana wines running the centrifugal CT6 separation system (!!) which separates the water from the grape juice for the production of low alcohol wines (are you with me so far?!).  This machine is designed to spin the grape juice under heat, in a vacuum, to separate water from the juice.  A part of this process will be low in alcohol and used for cheaper wines and grape juices, whilst the remaining, more concentrated part, will be used in higher alcohol production.  Those in the know will understand that more sugar in grapes = more alcohol in wine, and it's imperative to get the timing right to harvest the grapes.  During the process more sugar may be added, but it's considered cheating and definitely frowned upon in the winemaking industry which is such an inherent part of New Zealand culture!  Another way to increase the alcohol content (so Barry reliably informs me) is to use lower 'brix' grapes, and separate the water from the juice.  The current challenge apparently, after working for two days (well one full day as the harvest has been put back a week due to previous heavy rainfall!), is that the CT6 machine, which is obviously crucial to the process, isn't working!  Fingers crossed they get it sorted by Monday when he should commence full time as a vintage cellarhand.

Our other exciting news is that the story I submitted in November to the Australian/NZ Reader's Digest, has been published in the March edition that we received today.  Of course it is (extensively!) edited from my original submitted article, the wordage being reduced at least by half (the fewer words the less money paid!!), but the general idea is there and the really cool thing is that a photo of Barry and I is featured on the 'contribute' page.  The story describes the people in the two boats who so kindly stopped and jump started us - our guardian angels - when we were stranded close to Rugeley, on the Trent and Mersey Canal, towards the end of our travels in 2009 on our way to Bodymoor Heath for our English wedding.

Store High In Transit ...

My last post ended with reference to Barry's new job which begins on Wednesday - just one day left!  It's going to be a little strange for him after running his own business for about 26 years, to be working as an employEE rather than an employER, and as a cellarhand at that for a minimum wage.  But beggars can't be choosers and it fits in with our plans as it's just an 8 week contract.

The irony of Barry working in a winery won't be lost on those who know and love him; he could never be accused of being a teetotaller!  I'd insinuated that he'll be like a pig in s--t and it reminded me of a story he recently told me about the origins of the word 'shit'  that he'd read in a book my mum sent from England for his birthday (when you think about some of the words in the English language you've got to wonder how they came about).  He's building up quite a collection of quirky books about what it is to be in England.  The latest one is called 'The old dog and duck: the secret meanings of pub names' by Albert Jack (can't imagine why my mum thought he'd enjoy it!) and there's apparently a story in there which describes how, many years ago, raw sewerage would be collected by 'night soil' men, and, along with ash from the fires, would be made into blocks and used as fertiliser.  Somehow, unimaginable really, there wasn't enough for their requirements so extra supplies would be shipped in from abroad.  Originally they stored the blocks on the floor of the ships, but inevitably some became wet and would go soggy leading to a build up of methane gas so if anyone struck a match there would be random explosions, blowing up the ships.  Consequently they were eventually stored in bags higher up the ships to try to prevent them becoming wet and the fumes from rising.  The bags were labelled 'Store High In Transit ', the acronym of which spells, yes you guessed it!

I must find some time to read the book, having digested just a couple of pages in a few spare moments it's fascinating.  We often laughed at the names of pubs on our journeys around the north of England and were curious as to the meanings of them (I won't repeat Barry's jokes about distances and 'The Cock Inn', definitely not original!).  I suspect he's enabling me to see my home country in a new light, such is his passion for it (yes Andy, you're correct, his heart is in England - but funnily enough he only aspires to live on the canals there, not in the 'real' world thank you very much!).

 

We've just had a great weekend away at The Mission concert in Napier and boogied on down to a Motown party with bands from the 60's and 70's including The Temptations, The Miracles, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves and the Vandella's and Mary Wilson (of the Supremes fame).  It was fabulous to have four days together (that's in succession and with Barry!), we're going to be like ships passing in the night once he starts full time work next week.

But that's OK, we'll have at least five months of living in close quarters back on the canals come May, so it'll all be worth it.  Life is short, Carpe Diem ...