What a year so far!

Apologies all round for forgetting about this blog (it was bound to happen sooner or later).

It is now the end of June, and I must say my previous post was interesting to read and remember the warm weather. 

In Dunedin, we're now in the middle of winter. I haven't caught the flu yet (touch wood) and I've been so busy that even if I had remembered this blog, I don't think I would have updated. I've decided to make a list of interesting/exciting things that have happened since January, which could be a lot!

• Started School

• Started designing dress, started photography board

• Coached a netball team

• Formals!

• Finished dress

• Holiday soon!

So since my last post, I've obviously started school again. It was good to get back and this is my second last year of high school which is both exciting a seriously scary! Year 12 is most commonly known as 'The year where you do a lot of work'. I can tell you now this is very true, mainly because all of the previous years I wasn't really driven to complete work to a high standard. However this year has really hit me like a bomb shell, yet hasn't really encouraged me. I've actually enjoyed this year a lot more than last year and these are the three things I think have helped:

• No sciences

• Study

• Accounting

So this year I haven't taken any sciences (don't kill me over it). I always found it a hard subject to completely understand and I don't really plan on delving into any sciencey sort of careers in the future. So I dropped science and picked up a Study. I honestly couldn't have enjoyed this choice more in my life. Last year I would get off topic and watch videos during class, which was terrible both for my concentration and my exams at the end of the year. But with my study this year I can use it to get all of that out and really pay attention when I'm in class. I have four study periods a week, which is also useful if I need to catch up on work, or do homework etc. I would highly recommend if you get distracted by youtube or buzzfeed (guilty) that a study is a good way to get rid of that need to watch or read in every class (or so I've found). 

Also I think what has helped me this year is taking subjects that interest me. Last year we chose two subjects, the other three were mandatory (maths, science, english). This year I've taken Accounting, which wasn't available to year 11 students. I've really enjoyed it this year, and it's a subject I'm beginning to really understand. I guess it's not really a subject for everyone, a lot of the girl in my class find it hard to pick up at first, but I enjoy it (I can't really decide why). 

Another subject I've picked up this year is photography. Now I feel like I came in with very high expectations for this subject. Maybe each week snap a few photos, add some filters and chuck them onto your board (which you can get up to 13 credits for at the end of the year). Boy was I wrong. Not only is it not the easier subjects, but I really underestimated how much work went into it. Last year I took art and completed a two panel board and I thought THAT was hard!

So to finish the story, never underestimate the arts. Haha I'm kidding but I've gotten through half the year, and I should have a panel finished by now.....I don't. I'm really not enjoying it, and I think it might be because I had such high expectations. I dunno, but it's been stressing me out. 

Something a bit more uplifting, well for me anyways, was my favourite subject of all time...TEXTILES!! *queue confetti*

No one would know this, but I quite enjoy myself some sewing and designing. Last year I entered the Hokonui Fashion Design awards and earned myself a High Merit (or something along those lines). 

This is the dress and the sketch I created (and no the L is not for loser).

I created this by myself, with the guidance of my mum (who knows slightly more than me about sewing and such). It was quite a stressful time for me because I left it to the last minute and it was the first dress/garment I had ever designed and created by myself. I also only had time after school, and had very little motivation (that seems like the case for me with everything!)

However coming to textiles this year was very exciting! Not only was a fresh starts, but my textiles teacher Mr. H, had decided to change the textile program so we could enter our own garments into this years Hokonui Fashion Awards. To say I was relieved was an understatement. I was planning on entering anyways, but it was very helpful to know that I would have four periods a week to work on deigning a pattern etc. (all of which I didn't do for last years dress.) Mr. H is very much a perfectionist, so this year I probably have a better chance when I enter. I can't put any photographs of the process up yet, but it was surprisingly interesting to manipulate a pattern to created the shape and fit I wanted for my dress. Again I scribbled out a messy idea of what I wanted to make (no where near as tidy as the one above). I'm not sure if I can post it yet, but when I can I will.

Another exciting occurrence, is the netball team I'm coaching this year. I have never in my life coached (which may sound a bit worrying) however my good friend Alice is a coach, and has been for a couple of years. Together we coach the year 7 and 8 B netball team. So far I've really enjoyed it. All of the girls are really nice, they play really well and listen most of the time (but what could you expect, they're only 12 and 13). It's also taught me some strategies and tips to improve myself when I play netball, and its very very helpful to have Alice because she knows the rules of netball that only a ref would know.


In year 12 and 13, our school has a formal, where you dress up in heels and dresses (I would expect) and you bring a partner with you to the town hall. You dance, have a meal and dance some more. This year I was invited to the Johnnies formal, that was held in the museum. It was so much fun, the food was delicious and some of my friends were there too.

Last week was our school formal, and I wasn't as excited about it as everyone else. Mostly because the same day I had to hand in my textiles dress, completely finished (what a downer to an event am I right?).
However on the night it was so exciting. I went over to my good friend Sophie's house and we got ready together. Then our formal partners and some more of out friends came over and we took photos together and it was even more fun that the johnnies formal. It was held in the town hall and the theme was the 1920's. There was dancing and a meal (I didn't really like it but most people did). There were year 11's taking polaroids of couples to keep as a 'momento'. It was all round a good time.
After the formal there was an after party, which is held in a dark, grungy venue called Sammy's. Most people in Dunedin would have gone here at least once in their life, I however had not. My expectations were low, this was going to literally be drunk teenagers dancing for three hours. I was not wrong. The only thing that I can commend them on was that it was warm. I think on that Friday night it was meant to snow, and it was freezing outside. Inside there were big heaters that kept the place above 0.
I could honestly compare the after party to the formal with the only difference being that people were drinking. There was pizza and there were non alcoholic drinks and there was a dj. Everybody was dancing and it was quite fun, but at 12am I honestly just wanted to go to bed and sleep. I decided I was only going to stay an hour. In that time I saw a lot of my classmates VERY drunk however most of my friends weren't drinking.

All round I really enjoyed myself and can't wait till next years formal (hopefully I wont be sewing last minute on a dress beforehand). I am also considering making my formal dress for next year, year 13's tend to wear long dress' which I am excited about (as both of my Hokonui dress' have been long).

I actually 'bagged and tagged' my dress yesterday so it is ready to be sent. I can't say much about it yet, but I've spent over two weeks of hand sewing the organza onto the dress. It was a loooonnggg time, but I'm so pleased with how the dress has turned out.

The last bit of exciting news is this term finishes is a week and a half, so I will have holidays for two weeks and then a month later I'll be going to....Rarotonga!! I am VERY excited about this holiday. The furtherest I've travelled overseas is to the good ol' Gold Coast in Australia. I will bring my camera and snap some shots to put on here, but it almost doesn't seem real that I'll be on a tropical island in 6 weeks! We'll be staying for 8 days (I think) and we are planning on hiring scooters. By the sounds of it, Ryan isn't going to be old enough to get a licence so he's going to have to ride on the back with mum or dad!! (This is hilarious because he is very capable of riding a motorbike, whereas my mum is not). That will definitely be a highlight of my year as well as finishing year 12.

That's really it for now, I'm sitting in Accounting finishing this because yolo (I just cringed).

Au revoir, goodbye, I can't really remember how I finished the other blog post but this surely is more than enough to read. 

Wrap up the week - 1

What happened this week?

• We returned from holiday.
• I brought a new phone.
• Ryan didn't come back.
• I scored myself a job. Kind of.

On sunday night we returned from our week and a half holiday in the bus and it's good to be home. Hello internet! It's also nice to be able to retreat back to my own room where it's quiet and I can read/write ect. 

This week (after several months of jobs) i've saved up enough money to get myself a new phone. I now own an iphone 5C which I have wanted to get for a long time now and I'm very proud of myself for earning the money and not asking my parents for it. And I have a feeling my brother is going to be a bit jealous of it when he comes back.

We left Ryan at my cousins house when we left on Saturday, so he's been there all week and it's been nice not having him around but I must say I do miss him a bit, only because we've been getting along pretty well recently and our age gap isn't as large as me and Emma. 

Also, about an hour ago my mum came in and asked if I wanted to help her with her accounting for her business. I only have to do two hours a week but it's the first long term job I've had and it means I'll be earning money! Plus this year I'm taking accounting so it would only make sense that I learn the how to's. (it's probably because I've finished all of her scanning for the entire year and it's the only jobs she can kinda trust me with.)

But it'll look good on my CV, not that I have one yet.

So that's everything for the week and I'll report back next weekend. 

Summer 2013-2014 holidays

For the past two years, my family has taken to our house bus to holiday in. During the christmas holidays (start of December - end of January) we leave cold Dunedin for central Otago, and meet up with some of our friends in their motor homes. 

This year, after major maintenance on our bus, we visited my grans for christmas. We only spent three days there before returning home to restock and pick up anything we forgot to take. 

I have to admit, the idea of spending over a week and a half with my four other family members and our dog wasn't that exciting. It would always be noisy and you couldn't escape to have time to yourself. I was dreading leaving but, of course, we did leave on the 27th of December in hopes of finding nice warm weather in whatever 'exotic' place we would find. As it turned out, my parents had already decided where we were going to stay (usually they just went with the flow like they didn't even know how to plan anything.) We arrived at Pinders Pond a 10 minute bike ride from Roxburgh. My brother and sister took great delight to naming the area Piddlers Pond, as did our family friend Drew, who was camping with her family in their bus by the pond. In a matter of time, Dad and expertly parked the bus next to the Sopers, and we were standing in the hot sun catching up with Drew and Bailey, the Sopers daughters. At this point I was beginning to enjoy the holiday. We were parked right next to a huge pond and a bike track which my father was adamant we would complete the next day. 

This is the view from the rocks across the pond.

We all went for a swim after we unpacked the deck chairs and such. The water was much colder than I had expected but it was a nice way to cool off from the unusually warm day. After our swim, our family friends the Balentines turned up in their campervan and we created a circle or vehicles. 

All three families in our mini campsite.

One thing I do enjoy about our bus, from camping all the years before we got our bus, is the comfort of living in a mini house. Inside we have a toilet, shower, kitchen, oven, fridge and beds. Through our holiday we did encounter people that were tenting or staying in small caravans and I was very thankful for our motor home. 

The next day, Dad, Robbie, Ellee and I biked to Roxburg which was 10km there and back. It was nice to be on a bike track than on a fast road and you couldn't get lost. I also enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of the track that ran through the forest and next to the Clutha river. We made it to Roxburgh and stopped for an ice block and picked up some food from the super market. My mothers auntie and cousin live in Roxburgh so I had visited before but it was nice to have the freedom to just walk around and take in the small town. Every day that we went it, it was always a hive of activity.

We came back and hung out around the pond just playing in the water. My whole family biked to Roxburgh the next day, and I remembered to take my camera. It was stinking hot, that you sighed in relief when you biked under a tree's shade every few minutes. There was this pool next to the river that on our way there, Dad promiced we could swim in on our way back. He claimed the water would be warm because of the sun heating the rocks and how it was cut off from the river.

The pool.

After Pinders pond we stayed in Clyde and Cromwell (during the end of 2013). We went boating around the Clutha river and Dad had a water ski. I was allowed to drive the boat, towing the lake snake and the double biscuits. On a particularly windy day, Ryan and Sam wanted to go out on the biscuits. I agreed and as we left slowly the wind got stronger until we were driving over white caps. But to get back I had to go a certain speed to keep moving and Ryan kept falling off. He fell three times before wanting back in the boat, claiming that I was purposely making him fall out and it didn't help that Dad and I were laughing. As it turned out, Sam had just wedged himself into the biscuit than Ryan and was fine all the way back to the bus (although he was getting some air of the waves!)
After Cromwell we visited my aunty Donna who lives in Kurow. On the way there we stopped at the Benmore Dam which was spilling excess into the river. It was amazing to watch, I'd never seen anything like it. We ate dinner watching the man made 'waterfall' and soon the sun hit the water and you could see a rainbow.

We made it to my aunties that night and Morgan and their dog Bella had fun running around the lawn before we went to bed. One thing I like about Kurow is that its quiet. Sometimes too quiet, not many people live there at all, but it's very different to Dunedin. 

The next day we biked over the Kurow Bridge which is going to be replaced by a bigger, better one. It was amazing to see how fast the river was moving with all of the extra water it was holding. 

Then we left, meeting Ryan and the cousins at a beach just out of Oamaru. It was so windy that we just sat inside the bus while Ryan and the boys dug a huge hole in the sand.

The landscape and hole that was abandoned after 30 centimetres of digging.

Dad standing on the sand dunes.

We left Ryan at my cousins, Jackson and Angus who both look up to him, and started on our way home. We didn't get very far (maybe that was Dad's was of lengthening the holiday) and arrived at a campsite in Herbert near Oamaru. It was lovely, an old forest that had spaces for campers to stay and tent sites as well. There were toilets and showers and a kitchen, not that we needed it but it was really nice. That afternoon we walked down to the river that ran right past where we were staying. The water was warm and Morgan even voluntarily swam in the water. 

Morgan standing on a rock after a quick swim before returning to the water

In parts the water was moving a bit and it was hilarious watching Morgan as she tried to swim against the current. But the majority of the river was shallow enough that she could walk instead of swim. Dad spotted a Tui, bigger than the one that lives in the trees at home, and told me to take a photo of it. Except it flew away before I could even get up camera out. 

This is me in the river, being the pack horse (carrying camera bag, shoes and Morgans lead)

The walk back up to the campsite was steep but short and Morgan started barking at a huge fallen tree on the track. She wouldn't go near it, fearing that it would eat her or something. 

This was the track, I found the mini pinecones so fascinating.

It was the most tranquil place we had stayed at over the whole holiday, but maybe I was just glad we would be going home the next day. The next day we made it home and I was so grateful to be back. Also I had at least ten Big Brother Australia episodes that I had to catch up on (call me petty but it's a riveting show). 

So that was my holiday away for the Christmas holidays, and I'm glad I could post it on here so I can remember it.