Mending Charlie

It was a pain in the arse when my car failed its WOF (MOT) earlier this month, but it turned out a lot of it I could do myself. So I have. With the help of my advisory team – the friendly chaps at Repco and my ever-patient and supportive mechanic friend – along with my Subaru handbook, common sense and a fair whack of trial and error, I’ve successfully completed a series of fiddly repairs and today she passed her WOF. The best thing of all is that I took so much more pleasure in working on my car than I ever expected.

Never mind that I stabbed myself several times with the electric probe, flattened the car battery, broke and mended parts unrelated to the original problem, and almost burned my flat down.

Samaritans in the storm

We’re being hit by a pretty serious storm front this weekend. To be fair, it’s further north where they’re bearing the brunt of it with floods, power cuts and, in some areas, into civil defense mode. But we’re taking a pretty heavy beating here in Wellington too

I was a wee way into my steep uphill half hour trudge home through this storm just now when 3 ladies picked me up and drove me home. I live in the opposite direction from them but they couldn’t stand to see me walk through that. After having dealt with a particularly difficult and abusive customer last night (and eventually calling the cops on him), those three lovely women in their little red micra have restored my faith in humanity.

Land of a thousand beds

I’ve moved around a fair bit the past couple of years. Stating the obvious, right? Over the course of 5 months in Asia I spent the night in 68 different places, slightly more if you count individual beds. Since arriving in New Zealand I’ve already clocked 45 and still counting.

It’s certainly made me really appreciate it when I do get a chance to stick somewhere for a wee while (although it’s always safe in the knowledge that I’ll move on at some point – proper settling is still a long way off for me). I’ve been lucky to have three such ‘homes’ already – Borneo river lodge, Roz & Frank’s in the Bombay Hills, and Ruapehu farmhouse with Bex & Basil. I’m now onto a fourth here in Wellington. I’ve covered the chest of drawers with photos, I’ve got vegetables going furry in the fridge, I own a pair of slippers. The opportunity to create a home, to unpack, to make your mark on a place, learn you way around, form your unique dent in a bed, it’s become something very special.

Photos: Random Mt Ruapehu Trip, 30 June - 2 July 08

Photos to be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddballproductions/sets/72157606069023225/

Random acts of spontaneity

* Monday, 8.00pm: Just finished induction for my new job and faced with another fairly empty week to fill. I've already arranged to meet up with Lyle tomorrow, a fellow ex-RAL'er in Welly but we haven't decided yet what to do. I've got an idea, I text Lyle.

* Monday, 10.30pm: We leave Wellington, petrol and fluids topped up, Big Mac in the tummy, ZM on the radio.

* Monday, 2.30am: We arrive in National Park and drive the last 15 mins to Bex' farmhouse. I've let Bex know I'm coming, but she has no idea Lyle is with me (they're close friends who don't see anywhere near enough of each other).

* Tuesday, 6.30am: You should see Bex' face when she sees Lyle.

* Tuesday, afternoon: I'm knackered, but we've had an incredible day of skiing and catching up with people. Lyle quit earlier in the day and has been drinking all afternoon waiting for me. Makes for fun playing and sliding in the snow in the car parks.

* Tuesday, 10.30pm: We're in the snow again. We won the pub quiz, so back up the mountain to check it out at night.

* Wednesday, 11.00am: I've had breakfast with G and now Lyle and I are back in the car, heading south. This particular random act of spontaneity is over.

I love it.