MEDALS FOR NEW ZEALAND !

Well, it was a nailbiting weekend as far as New Zealand Olympics was concerned.. the rowing was the best; the 1/100th of a second win! Drysedale surrounded by paramedics after his race - all soap opera style wins!
Newspapers here are full of the stars so far and more yet to come!
It was a day for Olympic history for this country. Valerie Vili's shot put gold was the first in athletics for 32 years, the Evers-Swindell twins gold medal and Roulston's silver, all combined with Mahe Drysedale's bronze and bronze for Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle; made for a 'cracking' weekend!.
Of course, New Zealand style - the phrase of 'medal envy' by the rest of the world has originated. (I don't think China is suffering from this, do you?)

PAUA SHELL !

We've probably sent you a souvenir made of paua shell, or sea opal.
Pāua is the Māori name given to a kind of large, edible sea snail. We had paua fritters at the Food Show a few weekends ago.
The shell is oval and the outside is often covered with greyish incrustations, which makes the inside (nacre) all the more surprising!
It is an iridescent swirl of intense green, blue, purple, and sometimes pink colours.
To Māori, paua are recognised taonga, or treasure, esteemed both as kai moana (seafood) and for arts and crafts.
Paua shells are often used to represent the eyes in Māori carvings and connected with the stars, or whetu, the eyes of ancestors that gaze down from the night sky. (My Maori IS coming along!)
The paua is iconic in New Zealand: its black muscular foot is considered a delicacy, and its shell used in jewellery.
It is forbidden to collect it using scuba gear, so only free divers can harvest it. And it's limited to 10 paua a day, per person. But there is a lucrative black market.

OLYMPIC CAKE !

Really this makes me wonder about the world of the professional cake decorator..
Imagine how the person who ordered this cake would have felt when they got home and opened it up?
Clearly a warning about the braincell count of bakers!
And obviously, there's the Olympic link!

SNOW BUSINESS !

The weather looks to get worse at the moment!
There is a bitter cold front moving up from Antarctica (it's REALLY cold there!) and this weekend the temperatures will plummet.
South Island looks very pretty under its blanket of snow in the news.
I particularly like the snow sculptures they made in Christchurch.
But here in Auckland it's been too cold for too long.
Can't believe I'm moaning about the weather!!

ALTERNATIVE OLYMPICS !

Long Distance Queuing



Table Tennis



Jet-Skiing



Sumo Equestrian Event



Para-Shoot



Dodgem Cycling



Nano Golf



Mud Bombing



Bubble Bumping

I thought that we could definitely add to the Olympic repertoire and accordingly submitted these suggestions at work ..
does anyone have alternative suggestions?
The things I have time for!
But it got me 5 points in the competition!!

THE WILKINSONS ARE LEAVING !

Our friends, Tim, Julie & Emma left to return to the UK today.
We've had some fun times and drunk some fine wines!
We wished them a safe flight and return home, tears were shed and it was sad to see them leave.
We had giggles over the best & worst list for New Zealand (shame on you Arrowtown pie shop!) and my apron will never be the same..or the stool for that matter!
So, we hope they have a wonderful British winter and that the wait at Heathrow customs is under four hours. We wish them luck in the traffic jam on the way home and that perhaps the National Health service has improved while they've been away?
And, we hope they come back soon!
Look at their blog of their time here!
www.jtebigadventure.blogspot.com/

OLYMPIA-MANIA !

What a spectacular Olympic Games Opening!
The most lavish Olympic games of the modern era started today, in the spectacular Bird's Nest stadium.
There were more than 80 heads of state joining 91,000 spectators and 15,000 performers.
Despite concerns over pollution, security and human rights, the organisers promised a 16-day extravaganza of sport.
It certainly started with a bang as 35,000 fireworks illuminated the five-hour ceremony!