I have lots to blog about but when I tell you all the fun stories, I
want to have accompanying photos, which I have not yet sorted through to
organize and find the best ones. So, I thought for now I would settle for a bit
of an update on local news. Hopefully in the next couple weeks I can share
goodies about the recent adventures I have had, including my sister visiting!
Firstly, if you had heard anything about “Cyclone Pam” that came
through this part of the world, I can assure that all is well in New Zealand. The
cyclone did hit some islands in the area, but nothing too close to New Zealand.
The eye of the storm was within about 400 kilometers of the North East end of New
Zealand, but the worst we experienced was some rain and high winds. On my side
of the island, it was just a bit overcast. The worst damage was done to the
island of Vanuatu, which is an island nation in the South Pacific, towards the
upper corner of Australia (if you look at the globe, New Zealand is off to a
bottom corner of New Zealand nearish to Tanzania). It has been an independent
nation since only 1980, prior to that it was a colony of France. According to
the news, about 80% of the island was seriously affected by the storm. New
Zealand and Australia's Red Cross and National Guard have been providing aid in
hopes of restoring some comfort and normalcy to the nation.
The Cricket World Cup has been going on the last week or two. While I
am not a cricket fan and do not watch it, possibly in part because I do not yet
understand it enough to really know what is going on (I do plan to eventually
figure it out, but it has not yet made it to the top of the to-do list), I have
been keeping tabs on how the NZ team (the Black Caps) is faring. Yesterday
afternoon, NZ beat South Africa in a very close semi-final game. Per the
morning radio talk, this is a good achievement, as in more than one prior World
Cup, they have lost in the semi-finals. On Sunday the Black Caps will play in
the Finals in Melbourne, Australia.
The neighboring town of Eltham, which reportedly is currently in the
Guinness Book of World Records for the world’s biggest scone, is preparing for
a unique annual event. Next weekend, on Easter Saturday, young and old alike
will compete in the Eltham Cheese Race. I have not been to any such event, but
from what I have been told, the contestants race down an incredibly steep hill
trying to beat a roll of cheese... Yeah I really am not sure about this one, but
if I hear anything else I will let you know J
Here is an article about a previous cheese day:
I just got peaches for an excellent price so I’m off to do some baking J Keep an eye out for
pictures and travel stories coming soon!
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