It’s a funny thing, the first Monday in June is the queens birthday bank holiday weekend. Now, I could be wrong (happens occasionally) but I don’t think the UK gets a holiday – strange as she’s their queen too and lives in the country.

Anyway, headed off to Ohau region to do some tramping/mountaineering. We had 3 days of pretty good weather and attempted to climb Mt McKenzie. The drive in was pretty interesting as it was an old 4wd. I think our subaru station wagon has done more extreme 4wdriving than most SUVs in town!

I’m really not much of a mountaineer – and certainly found some of the slopes we had to go up a little scary! Mind you, food in the evening always tastes so good if you’ve been out walking all day – I think it’s probably my favourite part ;)

So a good weekend away with Steve, Ben,Andrew, Carine & Olive. Andrew, a friend of Olive & Carines is a maths teacher here. It was good to chat with him as I have been thinking more and more (though I’m still not sure) that maybe going back to become a teacher is something that I want to do. I’ve had so many conversations going from ‘Don’t do it you’d be mad’ to ‘the holidays are great’. I’m not sure – I think I’ll have to try and do some shadowing of teachers to see if I like the scene before committing to a years study. The other question is where do to it.

If I do it in Ireland it’ll cost 5000 euro – though I might be able to
save somewhat on accommodation.. assuming:
a) I can live with my parents again
b) that they’ll have me!

If I do it in NZ I can most likely get a 10K grant as they’re stuck for maths teachers, or alternatively the UK which would mean starting in August next year most likely – but I think there are grants over there too.. so who knows – not me for sure. It’s a pretty scary prospect – thinking that you want to get out of the area you’re trained in & have work experience in – to move into an area that you’ve no experience in and aren’t too sure of.

Last weekend headed off to Mt. Somers for the weekend. It’s a 2 hour walk in to the crag (nice DOC hut at the base of the crag), but excellent climbing rewards the walkers.

Then today I headed out to meet Kris from Kingswood Skis who are sponsoring snowpool. It’s really impressive the company they have been able to make within 2 years. I loved their robot too..

What else.. well.. been having a pretty difficult time of late to be honest. I have been feeling quite down – I now have an idea of what depression is like. And to be honest it sucks! Little energy, find it really difficult to make decisions, worry, anxiety.. tis terrible stuff really. While I still believe the basic idea behind Vipassana is a good one, the effects for me have been less than positive (at least at the moment). I’m sure things will (they are) get better – just at the moment life could be a little easier.

So there you go – life isn’t always perfecto for me – even though one does ones best to make it look like that with the sneaky idea of getting all the right ppl to move out to NZ so that I’ll have more friends to play with out here :) It’s at times like these that being far from family sucks. Still, I suppose whatever doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger, and if that’s true I should come out of this super strong!

So off to the coast last weekend for my friend Steve’s 30th. It was a really fun affair and we managed to get some caving in too. I’d done the cave before but forgotten just how squeezy it could get.. There was a part where you almost had to put your head under (cold) water.. Still.. what doesn’t kill you I suppose!

I’ve spent a little time getting snowpool migrated across to our sponsors site.. and it’s all looking like it works – which is great! Just hoping we’re going to get some snows as it has been really warm weather lately – which while very nice isn’t too good from the point of view of getting a good base of snow!

Glynn & Jayne return to ChCh for a few weeks this weekend – and I’m really really looking forward to having my good friend back in ChCh – have definitely missed him being up in Wellington. Off to Mt. Somers this weekend to get some climbing in.. should be fun (though I am so out of climbing fitness it’s ridiculous!)

Been a while since the last update.. Not tooo much to report really – had a nice Sunday tramp with my flatmate Mark in the fog up Mt. Bradley which is a hill close to ChCh.

Then last weekend I went off to Anakiwa (which is the home of Outward Bound NZ) with my good friend Michelle. Lovely to get away from ChCh and to spend time with such a great person! It was Michelles (and mine a bit) friends’ daughters first birthday. Michelle is the (fairy) godmother.

Other than that – well, this weekend of on TWALK which is a 24 hour orienteering event run by the tramping club. Should hopefully be fun! not quite sure whether I’m fit enough to be on the team which invited me to go with them. Will see.

I’m finding work a bit hard at the moment. Partly (mostly?!) ‘cos I’m still not back to myself since going crazy back in January.. hopefully things will improve soon.. otherwise I’ll just have to quit and be a bum for the upcoming ski season. In fact I think I’ve really hit it on the head.. I prefer being on holiday to working.. that’s my issue ;)

Had a good tramp last weekend with a couple of people from the tramping club. Just up in Arthurs Pass – a couple of hours drive from ChCh. I have Fridays off at the moment as I wasn’t really feeling myself before going away on holiday and asked to go to four days a week.

I have been finding it really hard being back in work. I think (I hope!) it’s all just part and parcel of getting over what happened to me back in the New Year. It all felt quite wonderful at the time – but I suppose it’s a brain oscillation and sometimes you’re up – and sometimes you’re down – and just at the moment it’s a down bit. Which isn’t something I am remotely used to – or really know how to deal with. It’s all very well saying to always look on the bright side of life (and I do try), but hard when you’re not feeling that capable of doing so!

Ra ra ra. Poor me ;) hehehehe, no, I’m sure things will get better – I just hope that it starts soon.