Super, man!

I'm happy to report that after four days I still/already/totally love my job :) :) Rachel is just such a Fabulous Person and an outstanding boss...yellow flowers on Monday, a key on Tuesday, pink stationery on Wednesday, and permission to hold the reflector at a shoot on Thursday...{sigh}...what more could a girl want? The work itself is still a bit muddly and I think I get less and less done each day as the to-do list keeps growing! No panic though, we knew from the start that things might be a bit confusing and random until I know what's going on and how best to get it done - that's the privilege of shaping a brand new position. And sometimes I get to be the "sit on the chair while I test the light" person too!
In the mornings and afternoons around my working hours I've been at home, mostly...although not so much today as I have started attending the Thursday morning prayer meeting at the school, and this afternoon I had a dentist appointment. I've not been to the dentist in our year here; taking nightly painkillers to dull the various aches in my teeth was a sure sign that it's time! 45 minutes in the chair gave me clean teeth, cute little x-rays and an obscenely huge hole in our savings account. Unfortunately there are many more appointments to come as I need some work done...boo hoo! BUT...I am thankful that we have the means to afford what will no doubt become a weekly visit over the next month or two. Got a dress sewn today as well - I bought the fabric in Wellington in January and have only gotten to it now! Super pleased with the finished product (Candice, hope yours has turned out too?!).Caleb was awarded a certificate in chapel today for "putting so much effort into your work". Yay, well done! His teacher was very pleased that he had slowed down and tried harder instead of rushing to get finished.And as usual, after tea the boys were on the tramp again! Not so many of these long evenings left though - already the sun is setting around 8.30 pm and it won't be long until daylight savings switches off. At least then the sun won't only be rising around 7.15 am as it does now!

Here's to the beginning...

First day of work, first day of work!! So excited this morning - I don't normally look forward to starting a new job - first days are a blur of faces and a muddle of written instructions as the hapless newcomer tries to follow along. Today was different though and I knew it would be great - and it was!! I nearly ran late for my 11.30 start and ended up running through Noel Leeming, down Stafford Street and up the two or three flights of stairs to the offices of Callander Girl Photography, where I have been installed as the Creative Administration Manager (I've never had an administration title - admin people are generally viewed as nondescript and unnoticed: "desk"; "chair"; "admin person"; "printer"). My job is to creatively manage the administration side of things - ie make the business stuff pretty and get it done! Between laughing and chatting we didn't get much work done but it sure was fun. Photos to follow some time...er...how does one take photos of a pro photographer?
Now this photo was requested as a 'first day of school' gag - so here's my little outfit, Liefling!"And this is an isosceles triangle", said Caleb through bent lips. Oh the things they learn in school!

Sundays not for resting (for pastors only)

Nick's day: 45 minutes of intense lecturing at Adult Bible Class, in which he presented his 'God and the Earthquake' study; a 10-minute prayer meeting which was all there was time for between the bible class and the morning worship service. Then church 'proper' at 10.30, followed by the monthly fellowship lunch. Home for about half an hour, then off to a community BBQ at TCS. Home at 3 for more sermon prep, then off to church again at 4 pm for the afternoon service, in which he has resumed his sermons in the Psalms. You can bet he was glad to be home at 6! Of course the boys and I had a similar day, except we didn't have to do any preaching and the concentration of listening to a sermon is far different from the concentration involved in delivering one!

Pizza AND a fire? Who could resist!

Timaru was the chilliest place in NZ to be today, with a rainy grey cold 4 deg C...we're hoping to still have some decent weather before winter really sets in. Miriam and the boys are in town for the weekend, and not having seen them since the family uprooted and headed for the West Coast shortly before Christmas, it was great to catch up - they popped in for a short morning visit. The rest of the day was spent quietly at home; we watched all three hours of Fiddler on the Roof, all four of us sitting close together on the couch...better than blankets! I finalized a few polymer pendants - these are my latest pieces. And that is not bath-plug chain...it's the latest fashion accessory chain!While I was at a music practice with Bronwyn, Matt and Rachel both texted individually (did the right hand know what the left hand was doing?) to invite us around for pizza. We have been grafted into the wider Kemp/Cameron family tree, as Bronwyn and the kids were also invited (Rene and Jesse are away), and Miriam and the boys were staying the night there. Fabbo evening, heaps of yummy pizza and time just chilling (with a fire blazing in the background). Anyone for toilet rolls? Bronwyn is selling packs of them for fundraising for Jesse's volleyball...a bit of free advertising for you, Possum!

School's done and 2,000 rolls

Another week of school done...the boys are always happy to be home after their school day to relax, jump on the tramp, read, draw etc (and spend time with the family, Caleb says).
Nick was at the bakery again last night - Simon is run off his feet with additional orders as a result of the Christchurch quake, and can use any extra help! Andreas joined them as well for a couple of hours.Above: Simon with one of many crates; below: U-Bake Cover Girl Nicola with one of the rolls Nick made :)

Illuminated!

So Tuesday has come and gone and if you've been paying attention you'll know that I was set to start my new ultra-super job on that day. I didn't start though as the signing of the contract is still pending! No worries, this week I'm at home getting my head around cleaning, baking, polymer clay, graphic design, dentist and doctors appointments with the boys (Caleb needed his asthma reassessed and some new ventilators), paper crafts, and ironing! I finished the lamp shade which Danielle and I started a few weeks ago - the outer shade is a handmade paper which I found at a stunning gift shop in town (discovered during a lunch break last week), and the structure itself is made from four bamboo skewer sticks held together with bits of twine and glue. It's simple and even a little fragile but for now, it works.

Unsolitary Sunday

Nick's morning message was just beautiful - I couldn't possibly describe or retell it all, but we were left encouraged and challenged by the life of Barnabas in Acts, rather than being burdened with a 'go and do likewise' mandate. We had some SA visitors at church - Mark and Pam Cvitanich who I have previously mentioned, and their daughter Kim and her husband visiting from Hamilton. I knew Kim when we were both quite little girls in South Africa, at Honeyridge Baptist - then vaguely through the years until we went separate ways. We tried to work out when last we had seen each other, and it must have been a good 10 years at least! It was lovely to reconnect with this grown-up version of her and Paul, her hubby - both are doctors, currently studying to specialize in different fields. Again no photos (what is wrong with me), so I've done the unthinkable in lifting one of Kim's facebook photos...hee hee....Another missions DVD in the afternoon service - just incredible - then a spur of the moment braai with Andreas and Danielle. They make their own boerewors (translation, literally 'farm(er) sausage') which is the real thing; we took some bread along, Danielle made salads (beetroot and canned peaches made an unlikely but delicious combination) and there you have it. Mmmmm!!! Don't drool over your keyboard while I describe the pudding - lemon flavoured luxury yoghurt in meringue nests, topped with cherry juice...

Catching up

Good to be home again after a week of full days at work. It's remarkable how different my temp assignments have been in nature, and the variety of reactions there have been from the permanent staff...for some people, a temp is like an appliance or a stick of furniture - purely functional and inanimate; not greeted or spoken to. For other people, the temp is seen as one of them - a person to be engaged with and included in the staffroom chatter. This category keeps it interesting! We were hoping to do something outdoorsy and family-oriented but the weather was not hopeful. Instead, the day brightened when Andreas and Danielle called in to say hello, Andreas having returned from SA on Friday. We stood in the kitchen with our cups of coffee around a plastic tub of store-bought Anzac cookies...gesellig!
Following youth last night, the boys wanted to have a game of Taboo. We were amazed at their giving and receiving of clues! They can play quite a competent game. This led us to lunch which was toasties, and then I spent the afternoon in the kitchen, baking and preparing for Sunday's lunch.

Midday thoughts

The Christchurch earthquake has really been the subject of everyone's thoughts and prayers since Tuesday. It's surreal to be reading about the devastation, death toll rising and eye witness accounts that are almost exclusively the featuring stories while I'm sitting so comfortably in an air-conditioned building with plenty of water to drink straight from the taps, food to eat, a home to live in and no missing family or friends. I may as well be reading about earthquakes in Chile. But then I have people phoning in who are looking for the telephone number of Civil Defence so they can declare themselves safe - refugees from Christchurch who have made their way here to seek shelter and stable ground. I've taken calls from people offering their homes for accommodation; I've had people phoning in wanting to know where the distribution points are for drop-off of food and clothing. And it becomes real. There are real people wandering the streets of Timaru who look like tourists on holiday, but who really are the shell-shocked with demolished homes or who are simply needing to get away from the City. There are people at the Caroline Bay Hall with tragic stories of loss - real loss, not just a bit of smashed china. Some of them have absolutely no idea what the future holds and how they will survive. It's real. And I'm at work fielding calls from angry subscribers who had a newspaper or eleven delivered while they were away on holiday. Like seriously, you're distressed about that??

Waaaaaa, waaaaaaa

Absolutely not a single photo to be had for the day...I went to work, leaving Nick in charge as the chauffeur with a set of instructions and appointments. He had to get both boys to the dentist and then both had music lessons. I don't think he's much enjoying doing the mom thing! Caleb had to have a tooth pulled but you never would have known by looking at his cheerful face, and Aaron was the recipient of a filling and several injections. They both still had floppy anaesthetised faces when I saw them after work which was the cause of much giggling.
I was gripped by stomach pains around lunch time - the rest of the afternoon I was hunched over and shivering at the reception desk trying to sound friendly and engaging but really wishing I was home! We suspected appendicitis but by the time I got to phone the after-hours line the pain was easing. The very kind nurse on duty took a long time talking through all the symptoms and possibilities and suggested that I had had a form of gastro which presents itself as colic, with nausea and fever. I do have great sympathy for babies if that was colic!!
I asked Nick to buy bread on his way home from bible study but when he got home he had none...there was no bread to be had at the garage, and apparently Pak'n'Save was also running low or running out - a lot of food has been taken to Christchurch and/or distributed to refugees in temporary shelters here in Timaru. I suspect there will be a run on milk and other staples too. Anyway, Nick went off to Simon's bakery and put in a few hours there to help out with the influx of orders - it's a practical way to help in the crisis!

Earthquake, II

Aaron did not like the idea of going to school in a slipper so made a concerted effort to get his socks and shoes on – which he did, and quite ably. For such a bruised foot he is doing pretty well. During the morning Nick phoned to ask if I’d like him to make soup – what an amazing offer! It’s been rainy and a little cold today, just the right weather for a pot of pork and veggie soup (and what a great soup it was - and such a treat to come home to tea already made). And then, just like that at 12.51 pm, the building started shaking with an earthquake – I hadn’t seen the air-conditioner maintenance man come in but it seemed that he was running about in the ceiling. The general cry of “get into a doorway” went out pretty quickly and I think we were all quite severely rattled with the rocking and jerking and rattling. This one again had its epicenter in Christchurch, with a magnitude of 6.3 but only 5 km deep. We had a few more big aftershocks in the afternoon, and even now at the time of writing (19h50) there has been another little tremor. Our prayers are with those in Christchurch who have lost their homes or been badly injured, and all who have lost loved ones in this disaster. The death toll was up to 65 at about 6 pm, and climbing as more bodies are pulled from rubble. (Thanks Catherine for your comment on the blog - please keep praying!)

Herald this

I’m doing a week’s temp assignment at the Timaru Herald – answering phones, receiving faxes and so on. It’s fairly mundane work, and more so because not much is expected of a temp, but it’s interesting nonetheless to see the inner workings of a newspaper – disappointingly, it’s nothing like Clarke and Lois! When Nick and the boys fetched me at five, Aaron had a super show-and-tell for me of his bloodied toe…a wood chopping accident which had happened about five minutes before they were due to collect me, in which a sharp chunk of wood landed heavily on three of his little toes, cutting quite deeply into one. No breakages and no stitches necessary though, thank the Lord! The weather has been magnificent today, lasting late into the evening - normally a hot day would give way to Southerlies and turn cold by late afternoon. I took a short drive south of Timaru but alas, in my excitement and haste to go photographing something, I left my tripod at home so ended up being frustrated with most of what I did. Still good weather though and great to be outdoors.

Oh so Kempf

Following our morning service, Rene invited us around to his place (technically the invitation was to get together as Bronwyn was in Christchurch; I invited us there). I took some left-overs and mealies (corn on the cob for you kiwis and other non-SAcans) and we had a good meal together – sorry Bronwyn, next time we do it with you too, hey? The boys moved off outside for some backyard soccer while Hannah stayed glued to the computer, hard at work on some graphics. Watched another missions DVD in the afternoon service; again a very moving account of what God is doing in tribal missions and how entire tribes have come to faith in Jesus through the His Spirit and the preaching of the Word. Very exciting!!

Of animals, models and food

And what of today...Nick found a hedgehog in the back yard while he was cutting and stacking wood and shuffling pinecones from one location to another. The boys were understandably excited, and made a cosy little home for it from which it quickly escaped, only to turn up in the front yard later to snack on some discarded corn chips. They are a little germy though so one has to be careful with thorough hand-washing afterwards. Nick did his fortyearly clothing shopping today, having found some good threads on sale at Farmers. His wardrobe is needing a bit of an update anyway as he no longer preaches in a tie (apparently only 18% of UK bankers and corporate types wear ties nowadays...men are finally breaking free from the restraining noose of conformity {but will they be burning them, I wonder??}). I pleaded, cajoled and coerced Nick into posing for me for a blog pic - I think he makes a smashingly good model but he is convinced that this is not his forte. Had an unexpected invitation for tea from the Camerons, who took us out to the Sukhothai Restaurant in town for Thai food...and what great food!!! We had a most excellent meal and evening despite (or because of?) getting really silly with food-in-teeth gags and the like. Thanks Matt and Rachel!

Mr and Mrs Swimming Pool

After the euphoria of the last two days, it was back to a regular 'out of the clouds' day - good thing, otherwise the family won't get fed, washing doesn't get done...no concentration on anything serious! I had an orientation at the Timaru Herald where I will be temping next week (nothing glamorous - reception and answering a busy telephone) first thing in the morning, and then I was largely at home the rest of the day, other than a Subway lunch date with Nick. We had Leon, Magda and Lisa Swanepoel around to tea - shocking that it's taken nearly a whole year to do this!! Actually today marks a year since landing in NZ, so happy anniversary to us. It's been a big and busy year. Anyway, had a really lovely evening with the S's over mexican food (quite a drastic breakaway from the usual lasagna) and then as the evening was just so gorgeous - still and warm with just the right sort of clouds - we took a short walk to Dashing Rocks. My hat was totally off to Magda who had no problem clambering over the slippery rocks in her wedged sandals! I'm clumsy enough with sports shoes on.

{I've got that floating feeling}

Have you been anxiously watching this space? Hmmmm? I'm VERY pleased to say that, 25 hours after walking through the Prospective Employee's doors, I am now Hired Person!! I was invited for a 'formal' interview today with the Lovely Lady and her husband, though never has one been conducted with more giggling from both female parties. At the end of it we looked at each other and said, "so, should we do it?". And we did! A contract is being drawn up so the formalities will be signed, but there is just so much excitement on both sides. I start on 1 March, working 10 hours a week for now with a view to extending the hours, and at that time I will detail the who, where and what of the job (but for now, this is the beautiful building in which I will be housed). I can see God's hand at work here in so many ways - the timing, the prompting, the dreaming and even the nontraditional format of my CV which was best suited to this position. He has brought all the little disconnected puzzle pieces together in perfect order and each piece interlocks perfectly!
Danielle and Petru came around for a girls' evening while Nick was out at an elders' meeting. We watched a teaching DVD together - it was the first time I'd ever listened to preaching in Afrikaans!

You did what????

The orthodox method of job hunting has simply been failing so I'm trying a different approach. It's called the "Pretend to be Confident and seek out your Dream Job" approach, where you think up what you'd most like to do, have it spontaneously seconded by a friend whose strength is getting people motivated, and then go ahead and ask the Prospective Employer if they're hiring. I really had no such intention of doing this when I left the house today to buy a ukulele for Aaron, and as such was garbed in a rather dowdy combination of clothing, accessorylessness, non-hair and just a thin scraping of make-up. Not a great start to pulling off such a mission, but I just had to do it before courage failed. Thus attired and prepared I marched up the stairs (timid people creep; confident people march - one must get into character) and thrust forth my hand in exuberant introduction. The Prospective Employer graciously smiled and nodded and although her first thought was "oh dear, another walk-in I'll have to turn away", the more we chatted the more excited we both became about what seemed to be a possibility. I left the meeting in high spirits - as high about the fact that I'd done something so brave and daring as that I'd met such a lovely, lovely person...whose identity I'll not share just yet in case the whole thing falls through!! But watch this space....
The boys started their music lessons this afternoon. Aaron loved his bright yellow, brand new uke and was keen to get into it straight away. His lesson was first and he kept staring out of the window and avoiding eye contact with his teacher...nerves? Caleb's violin lesson happened later and it was such a thrill to see him standing with his hired instrument tucked under his chin, the right pose and grip being taught as the first thing. He needed no encouragement to practice, and indeed we all had a turn on his violin. It's remarkable to me how you can drag a bunch of hairs across a string and it produces such a resounding note!