Our BIG move

This is my diary of our new life in New Zealand up to 2011 when we moved to QLD to be near our grandchildren...

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Temporary work....

well due to the unexpected events of the 6th & 7th, I was told about some work going at the fish factory in Bluff, so I went down and asked for a job.

:p

I know...fish YUK!

BUT it was Salmon...they don't stink as much... YOU still stink after 8+ hrs - but the smell isn't that bad while your working.

the actual job was "spooning" which means you use a spoon to remove all the remaining blood and guts in the fish. IT IS HARD WORK!

I will never look at a salmon again and not think of those girls working their guts out (pardon the pun) for $12.50.

Its so hard a job that my arms are killing me after 2 weeks so tomorrow is my last day.

I have baked a cake to say thanks for making me feel welcome, it was what I needed after the way Open Country treated me.

oh well - better get job hunting...


highs and lows - Jan 2010

well what a rough start to the new year!

Christmas/New Year was over, and I had to work over the stat holidays due to problems at work.
then on Wednesday the 6th Jan, my boss called me into his office while I was on break to chat about something....

"I'm making you redundant"

What a bolt out of the blue - shocked was an understatement!

I was very upset - and suffice to say I went back to my desk...deleted emails/files not pertaining to work. The Production staff who were on shift at the time were astounded and were saying to me..."who's going to fix the system when it goes wrong, your the only one who knows how??" - I replied apparently the admin assistant will be doing it, as part of her role will now be done by head office. (yep - my job wasn't redundant really) so I said some hurried goodbyes to the guys and went home to break the bad news to Rob

AND I NEVER WENT BACK! so it was a good job I did delete all that stuff!

Lawyers were contacted... and 3 weeks later after them offering me my job back (only so they could make me redundant in the correct manner) they have settled a pay out that is acceptable to me.

but I am not allowed to talk about it so thats all I can say.

On the Thursday the 7th another catastrophe happened...Jasmine cleaved the flesh off her right rear fetlock joint, down to the bone!

I stood at the vets while they discussed how much it would cost to get her better...if she was going to get better and rawed my eyes out, I was a total mess!

eventually the vet and the nurse calmed me down with tea and biscuits (well I had gone straight there at 8.30am without breakfast) the bone was not chiped and the capsule that covers the joint was intact, so all the damage was to the ligament - a hole about the size of a 10 pence piece, or 20 cents, and muscle and flesh damage, and the vet said Jasmine was turning out to be such a great trek horse it was a shame to put her down...she said we could work out the bill later (and I still don't know how much its going to cost me!)

She spent 4 days in the vets, on intensive drug treatment, then I was allowed for her to come home after her 2nd bandage change, she is stabled, but she needed to be taken back every 3 days for a bandage change.

the wound is healing nicely (vet terms - it looks gruesome to me)

I have now started to change the bandages myself, to lessen the cost, tonight was the first time and although she didn't behave as good as she did at the vets, she was good and I managed to get it done.

I am now at home applying for jobs, so hopefully things will change for the better.

So thats Jan so far! not that great hey!!!

your wondering what the High's were... well see next post :)

Monday, January 11, 2010

here are the pictures from Christmas, the first are from Christmas Morning from Rachels camera and the rest are from when we arrived...























Here is Cole opening his presents


















Rick and cole opening presents

Then we arrived at lunchtime...
We all sit down to eat Rachels sumptuous meal (I took the pic so thats why I am not there)
they were Huge portions!
I'm now on a diet





















































Cole watches Xmas cartoons while his dinner settles























The Hostess with the Mostess...Rachel looks glowing after working hard for 2 days preparation for the christmas day meal


















eek a bad picture of me...but heck I'm brave enough to post it!


















Cole patiently waits for pudding...2 of them!
Margarets Xmas Pud recipe was so tasty that even Rob had some..he doesnt like fruity puddings normally.























Cole show's us his 'Transformers, Bumble Bee'costume that Bambam and grandpops sent

he also got other dressup costumes - so he will be happy all summer holidays, playing cops and transformers























Rick proudly displays the 'Optimus Prime' figure he just turned from a Truck to a Robot...