Thursday 6 May 2010

Things I Will Miss

I have been back in Scotland for 10 days.  So what am I missing and what will I miss for the next six months?

Wendy and Martin and the children, of course.  Although I’ll be seeing Wendy, Catriona and Fraser here is a few weeks.  I will be meeting them in Glasgow and bringing them to Lewis where Wendy, Martin and I first met.

Croquet and my croquet companions: the perfect way to spend a day (sometimes!):DSC08355

 

 

 

 

 

 

TV’s One News.  Why?  Because it is an anchor point in the day.  Unlike the UK where the weekend TV News appears to be almost randomly timed, One News is on at 1800 every day of the week. There is a certain comfort in that.

DSC08327 DSC08345

The chap in the centre of the first photo is not the Prime Minister.  The one in the centre of the second photo is!

DSC07697The Puzzles Page of the Dominion Post and especially the Two-Speed crossword which has clues in both simple and cryptic format for the same word.  An excellent way to learn to do cryptic crosswords (if that happens to be one of your aims in life).

Having the ranch sliders open and sitting in the sun even on an autumn day.

The song of the elusive Bellbird round the Cottage, the twittering, flitting, friendly Fantails and the bird and insect noises that are my countryside companions.

Food in a Minute.  This one will need explanation.  Watties (owned by Heinz) have an advert every day immediately before the Six O’clock One News with a ‘quick' recipe – hence, food in a minute. It’s an institution.  It’s not exactly Delia Smith and certainly not Nigella Lawson (despite Lana Garland apparently trying to look seductive) but it’s good everyday quick food.

DSC06419 DSC06427 DSC06428

Staying with TV (I really watch very little but this is all around The News which I do try to watch) there is the weather.  I shall miss the glorious Hawkes Bay weather.  You wouldn’t think so from some of the posts I’ve done this last summer but I couldn’t drive round in the Mazda with the roof off for most of the summer in Scotland. You’ll notice that Hawkes Bay has two sun signs over it where the rest of the country (almost) has cloud.  That’s Hawkes Bay for you.

DSC06448 DSC08560

Mind you the days are gone when weather presenters were serious ‘academic’ types on UK TV (with the exception of Michael Fish) and it was always very noticeable that they were dressed so as to ensure that they appeared flat chested.  That is definitely not the case today.

I shall definitely miss the simplicity of my life in New Zealand.  It may be hectic but it has a certain predictable simplicity which life in Scotland certainly does not have.  Having said that I’ll miss it that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy the more involved Scottish existence.  They are just different.

I give up.  I’m sure that I could go on.  There are many more thing’s I’ll miss but I shall call it a day.

6 comments:

  1. I just have one question. How did you manage to take your photo on a day when we had cloud? Sure as shooting can't have been rain cloud! Oops, late for the News!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The idea not to have TV news (and weather reports) broadcasted at regular times seems odd to me too. All our major TV channels each have their fixed times for the news. I'm not a really obsessive news-watcher myself, but if I want them, I know when to turn the TV on, or switch channel etc. Actually the newscast I watch most often is probably our 6PM news (lasting 15 minutes including weather).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aw, sweet post. I have to get myself up to speed with where you are now - I had in my mind that it was isolated simplicity itself...

    But all I have to go on is having read 'Whiskey Galore' and the two weeks I spent living in a one-room tin-walled building in a two-week-long gale on Muck 30 years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can't believe that the time has come around for you to be back in Scotland again! How time really does fly, illustrated by the lovely clocks gracing your blog!

    I wish you such happiness in your 'muddled' island home once again...

    I wonder what you miss about here when you are back there again, the summer months having dashed past?

    Take care, x

    ReplyDelete
  5. I hope that you will do a similar post about what you will miss about Scotland when you return to New Zealand. Enjoyed reading through the differences between there and here.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello Graham,

    Thank you very much for your thoughts on my blog.
    I certainly don't follow any particular god or spiritual belief other than the power of the human spirit. I'm employing that now, everyday if I can.

    So we are strangers no more. I love both Scotland and New zealand so I think I will enjoy following your blog.

    So lovely to meet you here in cyber space.
    Take care
    Jasmine

    ReplyDelete