10 bags full but now space with a view!

So much stuff so little space

We sent 10 assorted bags with household goods and clothes ahead on FedEx from our Washington home and retrieved them when we arrived in Auckland.  FedEx was good enough to hold them for us so that we could walk the paper work through customs ourselves. We didn’t want to pay extra import taxes on personal goods so being there to walk them through was important to us.  The customs people were helpful, efficient and only charged us $46. NZ for admitting all of our belongings.  We appreciate our new employer has supplied a temporary residence for 2 months,

Can't believe we've only been here for 2 weeks, and now have two, new to us, cars, a home, bank account, tax number and will finish the health care registration this week.  It feels good to be settling in.  The new rental home is on the water with wonderful views of the Tamaki Straight.  A bus runs from our home to downtown Auckland and another bus runs to Half Moon Bay where we can take a ferry into Auckland.

Lucky find in a rental home with a view.

Furniture soon

The language barrier! And wonderful Bitter Melon Dinner

Okay, so we all speak a form of English and in the US I have had trouble understanding Southern Speak, Hawaiian Pidgin, Boston Brogue and innumerable other dialects of the English language as abused in the states and around the world.  But my husband yesterday had a wonderful exchange that left us laughing all evening.

He is employed in a job where he had to be fitted for a new suit.  At the allotted time he met the seamstress and began the process of getting the shirt, tie and trousers fitted.  After wearing the stock items for a while as she measured and pinned, she asked if he would “(he thought she said) put your shoes on.” So he walked into the private dressing area to retrieve his shoes and put them on, assuming she needed to check the length of the trousers with footwear.  She looked at him rather quizzically and said, “(he thought she said) touch your toes.” Surprised he replied, “Touch my toes? Why?”  “No, no” she responded quickly trying not to laugh, using her best slow enunciation, “I said TUCK - your -  SHIRT - I - want to - determine - tie - length.”  “Oh” he responded, “I thought you were going to catch me in a Kiwi head lock when I bent over.” The whole room erupted into laughter, and the seamstress turned many shades of crimson. They all became more relaxed with the laughter and the fitting proceeded. 

The people of NZ have been very hospitable with our difficulties understanding some of the accented words.  I spend a lot of time saying, “I don’t really hear well.”  Smiling seems to bridge the communication gaps most readily. 

Ampalaya (bitter melon) is soooo tasty! 

Dinner last night was inspired by using the curried rice.  I decided to make a traditional Filipino bitter melon dish with ham. This dish is call Ampalaya con carne with egg.  I started with the fragrant triad of sliced onions, and chopped garlic and ginger.  To that I added sliced sweet peppers and sliced ham.  Using oil I brought it to a nice sizzle allowing the ham edges to darken.  Adding a dollop of milk to a well whisked egg I quickly covered the frying vegs and ham tossing the mixture together as the egg cooked covering each bit of ham and vegs.  Then I sprinkled sesame oil and soy sauce over the cooked meal to taste. Bitter melon is considered a medicinal food for diabetics to lower blood sugar and has many other indications to better health.  However, it is contraindicated in pregnancy.

Bon Appetit!

Our First Fresh Lamb Dinner. There is nothing better!

There seemed to be a lot of local lamb at the market today.  I’m wondering if at the end of summer the lambs are being harvested.  I bought an inexpensive cut of lamb leg steaks and some sweet green peppers.  An easy dinner of curried lamb was on my menu.  Looking like a nice, elderly, bag lady I buy at the local Pay n Pak and trundle my goodies home in a pull behind wheeled bag.  I always buy too much for the bag and end up with the odd head of lettuce and mustard bottle peeking out from between almost closed zippers.

Home at last and feeling a ‘bit peckish’ (local slang for hungry) I quickly unload the newly purchased food onto the counter and start the stove heating.  Olive oil in the bottom of the pan I brought the sliced onions and pepper and the minced garlic and ginger to a sizzling, popping temperature, while I chopped the lamb into 1 inch cubes.  Tossing in the lamb bits, quickly flipping the pieces about I covered the pan and scurried about the kitchen searching for the chicken broth. Not finding it I went back to sprinkling about 2 tablespoons of hot curry powder on the lamb mixture, tossed it some more, covered it and rushed off to find the chicken broth.  Distracted by putting some of the tinned goods in the cupboards I spent about 5 minutes abandoning the sizzling lamb.  Finally finding the chicken broth I poured a cup onto the lamb causing an uproar of steam and popping liquid. I quickly plopped on the cover and turned off the stove allowing the lamb stew to simmer on the residual heat of the electric burner. Voila’ dinner was ready to be accompanied by brown rice, broccoli and mango chutney when Phil returned home.  20 minutes before we ate I started the lamb simmering and quickly steamed the broccoli.  Accompanied by a NZ red wine it was wonderful.  The extra broth I put in the left over rice to be eaten the next day with another meat or fish as curried rice.

Now I understand why people take pictures of their food. Still feels a little bizarre though.

Once we are settled in our new home I will prepare lamb broiled or BBQ'd.  But my favorite is to simmer a shank, Spanish style, for a few hours in white wine with lots of garlic and cracked black pepper.

Too much information: Time Changes

A friend texted from Arizona indicating that he couldn’t get a grip on the time change from NZ to the continental US.  It is quite easy for those of us who live in Oregon, Washington or California.  We subtract three hours in the winter in the US and add a day.  1100 in Seattle is 0800 in Auckland.

Day light savings time in 2014 stops in NZ on April 6 with the advent of Fall and the clocks are set back 0800 becomes 0700 and starts up again on the 28^th of September 0700 becomes 0800 with the advent of Spring.

But wait there’s more!

Daylight savings time in US in 2014 starts on March 9 and ends on November 2^nd.  So.....

                                                             NZ           Maui           US Washington,          

                                                                                                  Oregon, CA

                                                                                                                     

Present time 2/18/14                            0800         0900           1100                -3hrs

March 9^th                    US DT              0800         0900           1200                -4hrs

April 6^th                      NZ ST               0700        0900            1200                -5hrs

September 28^th            NZ DT             0800        0900            1200                -4hrs

November 2^nd             US ST               0800        0900            1100                -3hrs  

           

2015

March 8                       US DT              0800         0900            1200                -4hrs

April 5                             NZ ST                  0700          0900             1200                 -5hrs

This begs the question, "Isn't Hawaii more dependable?" 

If the sun rises over the South Pacific and no one is there to watch...

does time matter?

Learning the hard way! Disappeared the blog!

I have managed to delete my blog! I am still in New Zealand and am still learning to blog, but have had the terror of losing my 9 previous posts.   Well time to pick up the pieces and try a little harder with new knowledge.  But it is becoming fun.

All good here. J

Left snowy but pretty Vancouver, WA

Flew to Auckland, NZ

View from our new home.