12 months ago I experienced one of the most memorable and enjoyable events I’ve encountered during my life so far. In the presence of all my family, friends and God I married a woman described by some of our younger guests as a princess. I remember the whole church seemed to light up as she entered the building, she beamed with happiness and I was the luckiest guy in the world.

I remember the whole weekend like it was yesterday. Amongst the mountains of advise generously provided during the build up was to take a moment as frequently as possible to look round and ‘take everything in’ with the intention of preventing the day disappearing into the blur that adrenalin fuelled events can become. It was good advice as I do remember more of the day… one of our joint favourite memories is looking out at all our guests from our position on the top table and enjoying seeing everyone chatting, laughing and genuinely enjoying the experience. It was validation that the months of preparation were worthwhile, a memory that still brings a smile to our faces.

To celebrate our anniversary we booked a weekend away, a couple of nights to reminisce and have some quality ‘us’ time. We set out after work on Friday, we dodged the rain to the train station and started our weekend with a train ride. 25 minutes later we emerged in dark and damp Plimmerton, a small town located on the Kapiti Coast.

The cottage, constructed in 1895 and aptly named the ‘boathouse on the beach’ was quite literally ‘on the beach’. We were advised that high tide is just 3 meters away from the front door, in reality it was just the other side of a decked area immediately outside the cottage.

We dropped our things and headed out to a locally prized café turned restaurant for something to eat. Although we enjoyed the food in this small but friendly establishment we both were ready for a chance to relax after a weeks work and for our ‘us’ time. We headed back to the cottage, lit a fire in the original wood burner and settled down watching the flames dance around the logs while we enjoyed recounting stories and memories from the wedding and our time together.

We woke the next morning to be greeted by the sound of the waves lapping against the shore and sun invading the cottage via the skylight and beckoning us from our sleep to start enjoying the weekend. We’d chosen this particular cottage from the description of being able to enjoy the scenery from the ‘luxury’ of a hot tub located out on the decking overlooking the bay. The description online didn’t do the location justice as we opened the front door to be greeted by the breath taking landscape.

The scenery was fantastic, everything a retreat away should have and despite a few passing showers during the day the evening compensated us with a picturesque sunset.

After what was a unsettled Saturday weather wise, we awoke on Sunday to the sun calling us out to enjoy and make the most of the view and our excursion to the Kapiti coast.

We spent Sunday exploring; walking besides the coast line and stopping for breakfast along the way. The sun had definitely won the battle for the sky as it shone down on us evaporating all cloud cover and leaving the landscape looking like a summers postcard. who would have thought in the middle of winter we’d be enjoying a day like this…

The beach was stirring from yesterdays dormant state with todays sun fuelled life, children and dogs playing at the waters edge and together with the sea gulls many rock pools where explored. Away from natures grasp the roads were busy with folks of all ages walking, jogging and cycling; some just stood around chatting but all enjoying the sun. The local cafes were a hive of activity, full of people enjoying a favorite past time of consuming coffee. Plimmerton showed itself to be a friendly little community, the type of place where people did seem to know each other. It could have just been the weather or our positive outlook but everyone was smiling and we loved it.

The more we walked the more the view improved, as we cast our gaze out over the cook strait past mana island we could see the snow capped mountains of the south island; definatley a destination for a future excursion. Like the first time we caught sight of the southern alps we stood in awe of what we were looking at.

So a year to the day we found ourselves once again standing side by side feeling like the luckiest people in the world with the sun shining down upon us.

There’s an old Chinese proverb – To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root!

I guess that since we are after all the sum of all our parents’ DNA it makes sense that by knowing our ancestry we can understand ourselves, appreciate where our interests, mannerisms and even the way we look have come from.

How often have you looked at a child and remarked on how they look ‘the imagine’ of a parent of other family member at that age? When I introduced Kerry-Anne to my parents she commented on how she could see the similarities of my Dad in my brothers but not me, this curiosity wasn’t answered until she met my maternal Grandad. She says the moment she saw him was the moment she knew where I came from!

I’ve always had a connection with my Grandad, as I have with all my grandparents and extended family. I think that’s the magic of family, like real friendships it doesn’t matter how long it is between visits or communication there’s that bond which allows you to pick up where you left off regardless of the distractions of our individual lives.

As I’ve mentioned before the hardest part of emigrating for me was saying good bye to my grandparents, despite the advances of communications via phone calls or the internet; the thought that I might never see them again is hardest to sallow. It was that in mind; with a little help from other sources that persuaded me to create this blog. I knew myself enough to know I wouldn’t be able to make regular phone calls to provide the updates and stories of our adventures over here on the other side of the world.

I remember as a child making the regular visits to see Nana & Grandad, it was always interesting as Grandad had a real gun and that was just cool because as we all know a real gun beats any imaginary weapon, the truth was that he actually had 3 which made him nearly the army! Despite Grandad’s military past serving in the Great War, he wasn’t a police man or a gangster, he was a game keeper.

I’ll always remember him for being the big powerfully built man that he was, a stature built from a life of manual work. Always clothed in his faded beige shirt or jumper that was normally half hidden by his padded waistcoat, thick woollen socks and his hat that kept his bald head warm – an item I’ve also come to treasure as I’ve inherited his hairline.

Born of a time so different to mine he exposed me to his world through stories and showing me skills I’ll never use thanks to the technically advanced and convenience orientated world we inhabit today. The last time I saw him he was no different as he recalled stories from his childhood, the time when he first went rabbiting with his Grandfather and first learnt skills he’d shown me years previously. He was the original Ray Mears in my eyes. He could detect an animal from either its tracks or a bird by the sound of its song, he would then continue to tell you how it tasted. The dinner tables were always courtesy of Grandads hand whether that be the vegetables produced from his vegetable plot at the bottom of the garden or a fresh piece of game meat. The meat was always a result of a day out in the field. It was quite normal for the only thing to be left on the dinner plate at the end of the meal was a collection of shot, the proof of grandads provision.

The first time Kerry-Anne met Grandad, I had forgotten to advise her fully about Grandad considering Kerry-Anne’s love of all things feathered or furry, not to mention her long past but not forgotten choice of vegetarian eating. During conversation Grandad recalled a then recent incident that occurred at ‘his field’ setting the scene and drawing us all into his story the way Grandparents can, describing that as he walked through his field and saw a pheasant rise into the sky awash with the colours of sunset ‘bang’ he shot it down bursting the Kerry-Anne’s Disney inspired mental image. Not one of Grandads funniest of stories but the look of horror on Kerry-Anne’s face was enough to cause my brothers to erupt into laughter.

I mentioned his military past earlier and his time in the engineers corp. spurred a never ending interest in all things mechanical, he would always ask what car we were currently driving and wouldn’t hesitate to get his head and hands under the bonnet if he could. The last time I saw him we had travelled down in Simons MG which unfortunately needed to be brought back on the back of a recovery truck but that’s another story. The tragedy of the situation was not that brake down itself but that we didn’t have the available time to get the necessary parts as all grandad wanted to do was to help me replace the part despite being too weak to do so, this didn’t stop him however wanting and subsequently investigating the engine.

He was a proud but kind and generous man, I believe the reason he was absent at my wedding is due to not wanting to be immortalised by our pictures in his weakened state, that and the fact that he hated how the countries motorways had become so busy and fast over the years. Those views are shared by Kerry-Anne; it’s not surprising they got along so well

I can never recall a time when he raised his voice, such was his gentle nature. As all grandparents are he was always interested in my life, always ready to help or offer advice gained from the wisdom of such a varied life. His practical life seemed to centre his priorities, I remember him going against the general consensus and openingly chatting to Dad one time when he dropped us all off for a visit.

Despite my parents divorce he always enquired as how Dad and his parents were doing and what was the latest in their lives before telling me how he used to always see grandma and grandad at a local supermarket. I remember how much he was looking forward to my wedding so as to chat and catch up with Dads parents again after so many years. Something that sadly didn’t happen due to his weakened state but he was quick to enjoy looking through the wedding pictures with the same genuine enthusiasm that he showed when I’d sit by him describing the intricacies of my toys or drawings all those years ago.

I’m fortunate to have many memories of him being around, from overseeing my brothers and I playing in his garden as children to proudly showing me round his garden or field discussing life. His field was a patch of land he obtained many years ago, he took me out with him one cold grey day when we planted what seemed like a whole forest of spindly looking twigs. We then dug a pond for the frogs and when we were done we sat in his truck and ate pork pies and drank a cuppa tea from his flask while surveying our work. He would always update me on how ‘our’ field was growing until the other year when I was able to return with my brothers and we attempted clay pigeon shooting with grandads shotgun.

Family always came first after his faith; he was a very spiritual man and was always concerned with my spiritual well being. He openly told me he knew when his time to go was due, confirmation that would be the last time I would see him. That was the only time I’ve ever seen a crack in the emotional rock of a man he was. I’m just glad in that being able to see him that last time we were able to chat and more importantly I was able to let him know the love he had for me was reciprocated!

Grandad died the other day, I’m not sure when exactly… I didn’t ask, I don’t want to know.

I do know that as long as we keep the memories alive in our hearts then he’ll never really be gone!

When we first discussed the possibility of moving to New Zealand (nearly two years ago now) we didn’t quite realise the extent of the adventure we were about to embark on. Adventures like people come in all shapes and sizes, some good and some that are… well, not so good, whichever way you look at them there’s no escaping the fact that they are what shape us into the person we see in the mirror every morning. I think the important thing is to enjoy the good one’s and learn a lesson from the others, that way even a bad experience can have a positive outcome.

Have you ever watched a young child playing with an educational toy, I’m thinking in particular about the toy where the object is to pass the blocks through the correspondingly shaped holes? From the determination of attempting to force that square block into the round hole, try as they might it just won’t work but that doesn’t stop them. Over time through trial and error the ‘lesson’ to successfully solving the puzzle is learnt. The journey from the frustration of failure to the delight of successfully completing the task is great to see and I’m sure you’ll agree is just as good to experience whatever the age; unfortunately this lesson of allowing ourselves to fail and starting afresh until we find the correct resolution is sometimes lost.

We recently had to re-learn that lesson the hard way; we mistakenly tried to make a situation work when in any other circumstance we’d have walked away to start again without giving it a second thought! The result was that we found ourselves urgently seeking accommodation just when a local international sports event had consumed all availability and the friends we had made were out of the country, ironic eh! For the first time ever we truly knew the feeling of loneliness, even though we were fortunate to have each other we were totally devoid of our support network. It was a situation that allowed us to learn more about not only ourselves but also ‘us’ and our relationship. For the first time our decision to emigrate was questioned and the thought of returning to the UK was entertained but I’m happy to say we overcame it.

In reflection I don’t hold any malice against Karina, after all it doesn’t enhance our lives to dwell or indulge any ill thoughts. We both believe that what goes around comes around; call it karma or whatever I know we are the ones who are better for experiencing the situation!

The reason I can say this is that 3 weeks on from that experience we can look back knowing we not only have better accommodation but more importantly than that we have made some great friends in the process.

The friends we have gained are a colleague and his family who offered us their spare room for as long as was needed. Being offered the room was quite the experience, after what seemed like calling every hotel yellow pages and google could offer the internal battle between my ‘I’ll sort it’ mentality and the words I’d overheard Kerry-Anne’s aunt say when offering advise ‘don’t be too proud to accept a genuine offer of help’ where fighting for position.

I know when those words were being offered they weren’t intended for me but I’m glad to say that they it was good advise!

Less than 24 hours later we’d been rescued and relocated to a home with views as special as the family within.

Have you ever dreamt about having another job, a complete career change perhaps or even a whole different life?

I heard somewhere that we have 5 different career paths in each of us. As children, like me I’m sure we all dreamt of ‘what we’ll do or are going to be when we grow up’. However time rolls on by and we narrow down our career paths through developing preferences, educational achievement and the cost of life; whether that be the funds or time available to facilitate the life we desire.

During the packing of our possessions for transit over here I asked one of the lads about the families he’d met during his career with the removals company, after he’d shared stories of his experiences I asked if he’d consider making the move!?! He replied saying he would have loved to but just doesn’t have the bottle. Since moving here people have been amazed at our story and we’ve enjoyed talking to others with similar experiences.

Recently we were invited to an art exhibition at a quite prestigious local gallery, the artist was someone I’d never heard of before and despite not being a wealthy collector or someone otherwise qualified to be placed in the right circles so to speak we decided to go… especially since, as I later discovered, tickets to this event were limited and so quite a privilege to be invited.

As we arrived at the gallery we paused a while in the crisp winter air to remove our hats and scarf’s in preparation to attempt to fit in with the people on the other side of the gallery doors. Looking in from the street we could see a mass of smartly dressed people seemingly engrossed in their conversations; some discussing variously displayed pieces of art work around the gallery and others in groups around a table offering different coloured drinks, plates of finger food and dips. They looked too preoccupied with possibly increasing their collection of masterpieces to worry about the cold like us… maybe they’d spent a hard days work trading stocks on the market or wining an unwinnable case in court like they only seem to do in TV. Maybe like us they were just planning to enjoy a night of something a bit different and in the process enjoy a glass of wine, unwinding after a full days work…

We continued with the theme that our attitude to life has embraced and decided to enjoy the experience… after all what did we have to lose.
Upon entering the gallery we were introduced to the artist, the gallery owner and the people who had been instrumental in acquiring our invite. We even had a glass of wine while been shown round a few pieces of work that had caught the eye of Jess the lady that had befriended us since before our arrival in New Zealand and helped introduce me to my new employers.

As we took our seats, the evening commenced with a welcome from the gallery owner to be followed by the reason tickets to this event where in such high demand, a presentation by the Artist, Mark Olsen. Mark Olsen is a highly respected New Zealand born artist. Mark has quite a unique brand or technique when it comes to painting portraits, a technique which captured our curiousity and also helped to achieve the phenomenal increase in viewing of his work globally. In 2007 alone it’s been estimated that over 400 million people have viewed Mark Olsen’s work, this number includes endorsements by such names as Rolf Harris and the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II. Marks unique quality is that he paints upside down, now when I say upside down I mean the painting not the artist! Apparently it removes all the preconceptions and guidelines that our minds have to dictate how something should ‘look’!

Anyone with an interest in motor-racing might have heard or at least recognise some of Marks work as he is responsible for the artwork that covered the Autosportif Le Mans team car.

Mark Olsen’s creation or conceptual series of paintings known as ‘the children’ (top picture) has graced more than just a gallery wall but has had exposure not only in the world of the Le Mans team but also such potential canvases as cruise liners.

Mark shared with us his love for art and how he came to find himself painting instead of what was his ‘real’ job in the completely different world of I.T. The whole room was silent as Mark shared with us stories of his adventures that the past 10 years have taken him and his family on since he first picked up a paint brush.

Mark would never have called himself ‘artistic’ prior to one fateful moment in a restaurant when after commenting on the restaurants choice of art work being displayed he accepted a challenge many of us would have dismissed as a ‘throw away’ comment. He was inspired to step outside his comfort zone and is now reaping the rewards for daring to ‘try’!!!

After Mark’s presentation had finished and the evening was drawing to a close we ventured over, trying to steal a moment in-between his conversations with possibly potential cliental to thank him for such an enjoyable evening and to say goodbye. Whether it is a result of the free wine or just Mark’s personality, we promptly found ourselves enjoying a conversation with this world renound artist and discovered a really down to earth and very easy to talk to guy. In fact, what was intended to be a polite goodbye soon turned into a lengthy but enjoyable conversation discussing everything it seemed… except art! It was especially encouraging that at the end of a long day Mark was willing to just chat with us when he could have quite justifiably excused himself and gone back to chatting with potential customers.

We never know what the future holds or what life has planned for us but if the past can be used as a gage then I’m looking forward to hearing of and seeing more from Mark Olsen.

I can’t think of a better way to thank Mark for such an enjoyable evening than to share some of his art with you!

Thanks again Mark

Below is a few links to access Marks work and more about the man, artist and all round nice guy:

http://www.markolsen-artist.com
http://www.childrenoflemans.com
http://www.fishersfinearts.co.nz/Artist,69,Olsen

Winter in New Zealand appears to be very differant than any other winter I’ve experienced before. Britian is famous for its weather the world over. when my friend, who’d moved to Germany brought his bride to be over to England for a visit the weather became a still is a standing joke.

Like most, I’m used to the winter consisting of months of grey skies and rainy days. That’s what I expected to encounter, but it seems to be the opposite here.  So far, except for less days of rain than I have fingers on my hand, we’ve had blue skies.  It almost feels like we’ve not left the uk in regards to the weather and its summer

Don’t get the wrong idea it has got colder…  but then it is winter.

I’ve always known winter to be the time of year that you turn up the heating and hideaway, not emerging again until late spring if not summer when it’s warm again; almost to the point of hibernation.

Having only been here in New Zealand for 4 weeks now, we’re still far too enthusiastic about exploring our new home to let the threat of cold southerly winds force us to stay indoors. It sometimes feels like when I was a kid in a new environment, another opportunity for exploration.

Despite winter being upon us now, we woke the other day to the weather beckoning us out of the house. Karina had often mentioned of a walk round the airport she enjoys and offered to show us. Our walk then took a detour onto a far part of the beach known as Moa point.

Despite winter setting in and a chill in the air we went for a walk down to the beach for no other reason than it was there. So instead of making the turn to head back home we continued down the road letting the sea draw us towards it.

Watching the waves crashing against the beach never seems to get boring, we sat memorised by the sea for a while not noticing the breeze. It was only on the walk back home we contemplated what it must have been like to be a surfer sat on their boards bobbing in the sea waiting for the next big wave.

As we sat there huddled together enjoying the scenery the skies started to fill with colour as the sun set. For a moment I appreciated technology, as a i couldn’t believe a painting could do justice to what we were seeing.