Rawe, meaning lovely
As in "ko rawe to blog mea", your blog-thing is lovely. Thanks Paul!
This coming Monday is the Queen's Birthday here in New Zealand. We will be celebrating, along with all the other Kiwis, by staying in bed a little longer and getting out and about to enjoy some of the winter weather. It's unseasonally warm at the moment I'm told, and some evenings when the wind is blowing in from Central Otago it feels like a warm summer breeze. Still, the sun is barely risen by 8am and disappears just after 5:00. Mid-winter approaches, though without the satisfying promise of Christmas.
This post is dedicated to Ellen's brother Paul, his wife Joella, and their baby Noah. The three have recently moved to a new home in the Wairarapa and Noah has enjoyed his Dedication, surrounded by friends and family (although I just couldn't make it in the end)! Noah is shown here being carried by his paternal grandfather, John.
I've started working full time for Steel & Tube Reinforcing as an Administrator. This is not my dream job. However I'm learning tons about the steel industry and about company accounts etc. This job will be OK for a while - at least until the wedding, and I am really glad to be earning a regular wage. Working conditions are pretty cool - I am part of a small team within a larger company and we have lots and lots of work on. The atmosphere is quasi-building site at times and very conservative at other times. I am making some friends and generally enjoying it. Plus I get to buy power tools at supply prices. Bonus!
Ellen and I have been enjoying using the local swimming pool, which is one of the best I've ever been to because of its size and sophistication. We get up really early and hang out in the spa which is surrounded by native bush, and then we use the dive and lap pools. Someday I might have a go in the kids pool when the wave machine is on! Football is going really well and I am definitely going to score some goals this weekend. I am predicting one diving header in at the near post and one ranging shot from 15 yards or so, in-off the far post.
Wedding planning is developing apace. We have a budget up and running and are developing a timeline. We have done lots of research using NZ Bride & Groom Magazine which is pretty hilarious. Have you ever seen rings made of titanium? Oh yes, for that special Terminator in your life! Ellen wants me to assure you that these are library loans and not purchases. I particularly like the sections on ceremonial protocol, I didn't know I was such a traditionally minded person! Ellen's favourite sections are the invitation design examples, a topic she is only mildly obsessed with right now.
