[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr5ZWYRaAyw[/youtube]
The Olympics are underway. The annual couch potato fest can begin. Well it might if only there weren’t so many darn adverts. I’m afraid we’re suffering from NZTV’s coverage which unlike the Beeb has adverts about every 15 minutes.
After only a short spell watching this afternoon it’s driving me crazy and there’s two more weeks of this to go. Fortuantly we have a magic box under our TV that means you can record oodles of stuff and then play back skipping through the advert breaks. Yay! Read more
There are some things you need when you’re feeling unwell. One of the is food that will comfort you. Imagine my delight when I found out that my dear husband had snuck one of our favourite comfort foods into the shopping trundler as we stocked up on our holiday provisions.
Although we’re now having staycation no sense in wasting the goodies. Also it would do much to help my aching body. Feed a cold and starve a fever I think the saying goes. Read more
It must have been sixth sense, whilst cruising the internet I decided to have a peak at what’s happening in the UK village we lived in. Imagine my surprise to find that “our” house was up for sale.
On closer inspection it seems that there is daylight robbery going on. We loved the house and the location but it seems that the price has shot up by about 42% in 2 years. I am reliably informed that’s just inflation and how things are in the UK. I don’t believe it!
It was very strange to see the house which has hardly changed at all. New flooring in the hallway and new paint job on the front door. Otherwise it looks pretty much as we left it, except of course there is different furniture in.
Described by the real estate agents as “outstanding” with “flexible accommodation”. The house “boasts” and is “immaculate”. I guess you need lots of superlatives to justify asking such a high price.
As the floors get colder this Domestic Executive needs her slippers to keep her tootsies warm and toastie. My preferred slipper is an Acorn Moc, just like the one in the picture. Now Acorn slippers are not just any slipper but famous because they’ve been worn by astronauts in space and also Tenzing Norgay has worn them on Everest. Acorn has a mission to creat Comfort on Earth. It’s true these slippers are the most comfortable I’ve ever worn.
I am wearing my second pair bought just before I left the UK. As you can imagine that after all this time they are starting to look to retirement to the home for worn out comfy slippers. Simple I thought just go and buy a new pair. Yeah, right!
My normal supplier of Acorn slippers is a small shop in Oxford covered market. Now clearly a trip back for slippers is not feasible (although an attractive prospect if I could pick up some gob burner and oxford blue cheese and perhaps a steak and blue cheese pasty too). In this age of global shopping I though bound to be able to get them on-line. Yeah, right!
Seems that UK on-line retailers don’t stock my beloved Acorns so I turned to suppliers in the US who unsurprisingly seem to shut their borders to sending things overseas to New Zealand. After getting thoroughly depressed at the thought of never replacing my Acorns I came upon a new idea www.buyusa.co.nz. This is a mail forwarding company that allows you to set up a mail box in the US – Idaho in fact. They will then receive any goods you’ve purchased and forward them to you in New Zealand. For a fee of course.
It all sounds slightly dodgy but it’s a bone fide system. There are other companies that use a similar mail forwarding approach – www.accessusa.com is another. So I’ve registered, got my mail box and ordered my slippers. I know that they’ve been shipped from the supplier just now waiting for their delivery and onward forwarding.
If this actually works I’ll be the proud owner of a new pair of slippers in time for full blown winter. It also opens up all sorts of retail opportunities on-line previously prevented. As long as we can get around the second barrier of US e-retailing in that lots of companies won’t accept a non US addressed credit card. Can you believe it, they won’t take my money! Still, you can use paypal or just shop with sensible retailers.
I’ll keep you posted about the tale of my two slippers. I know you’re dying to know the end of this story!
Do you remember how Gollum coveted the ring – my preciousssssss?
Well there’s been a little strange behaviour from MT who has been protecting his coveted newspapers. Now these aren’t just anyone old newspaper but three pristine copies of Saturday Guardians lovingly transported back from blighty by my friend from Jonathon at work. He’s a brit too and a fellow Guardian reader.
This is like having gold in our house, a newspaper that takes longer than 10 minutes to read and has more editorial than advertising. Sheer pleasure. Sad I know but when you spend a year reading the NZ papers you’ll realise how this feels too!
PS – I know Ron Hill’s alter ego won’t like this blog entry – but tough!
http://www.ronhillsalterego.blogspot.com/
I’ve talked before about the wonders of technology and we were once again able to experience the closeness of the whanau in the UK across the internet. Very frustrating when Auntie June is passing around cups of tea to those on camera in the UK and we’re left without!
MT has another new boy’s toy which allows him to attach his iPod to a radio and when combined with some special software he is able to down load all sorts of programmes from the Beeb and other broadcasting institutions. Podcasting is really bringing home to NZ as we listen to the weekly news casts and I can listen to my beloved Archers (shocking about Ruth, David and Sam!).
Email has poured in from my note to friends and family to say hello. Blog readership has sky rocketed and once again I’ve felt connected with folks back home in the UK. It’s good to know you’re out there reading about our exploits in NZ and continuing your encouragement of our endevours to live the NZ dream.
I’m off to Christchurch today which is another new adventure – pity I’m going to spend it all in boring offices talking to colleauges!
