Much less Rant like

Well, after yesterdays rant, I feel much better. I had an uneventful day, although my children have picked today to ALL 5 OF THEM lose their minds & go crazy. I'd say 'cabin fever', but they were outside for most of the day! I chalk it up to "unconcious planning".
So, as I don't have much to post about today, I thought I'd leave a small "Ode to New Zealand", which I miss like oxygen.
I miss the smell of the fires in the houses as you walk the streets at during dusk, I miss the taste of lambchops for dinner, not as a treat (Outback Steakhouse has N.Z lamb chops), I miss the kiwi humor, I miss the swimming in the ocean, I miss the visiting someone & having coffee while our kids run wild through the house or backyard. I MISS MY FAMILY. I miss the greenery, which I took for granted, and I miss tourist watching. (A friend and I used to sit in the cafe/bar where we worked & would try & guess if a customer was a 'native' or a 'tourist - and if so, from where' before going & taking their order.) Mostly I miss the people, they can be friendly, but there's that feeling you have of "belonging", and maybe I don't feel that as much here because I was raised in a different place and time.
When I first got here, I could not believe the size of the cars - my husband and I joke that if we were to take our truck back to drive on N.Z roads, it would take up the entire road. And that's not even exaggerating!
*sigh* I guess I feel melancholy tonight ... time for a hot bath :D

This runs through downtown in Christchurch (where I lived), it's called the 'Avon River', & has gondolas on it, with a tram that runs through town as well.

This is an art exhibit in front of a hotel on 'Victoria Square', which is still in town, but more towards the edges of the city.

This is a church (I never did learn what religion, most likely Catholic?) that sits in the center of the city, the area is called 'Catherdral Sqare', and is the main heart of town. From there you branch out 4 ways to the rest of Chch. They redid this area about 15 years ago, and man that was a mess! But when they were finished, it was gorgeous!

They also have a section where you can play chess, with lifesized pieces - I've played several times with complete strangers (and won, I might add) It's a tourist attraction, but for me, it was home.

The next shot is on the beach of 'Sumner', a suburb of Chch (known to the locals as the 'rich area') It's really pretty in Sumner. Well, that's it for me - next time maybe I'll post some personal shots of N.Z, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet :D