Some Kiwi Slang That I've Learned... with a splash of Kaikoura Adventures

College -- high school, not university

Bush -- forest or scrub wilderness

About to be surprised by a mass of seals!

Biscuit -- cookie

Fizzy drink -- soda pop, i.e., carbonated softdrink

Seals.

Gidday-- hello

Gumboots-- rubber boots (Everyone wears them! At the library, right at the entrance is a bin for you to drop your Gumboots into. It is normally quite full. People often walk around and go to classes in wool socks or bare foot.)

Found a rare, pink seal.

Ground floor-- first floor

Hotdog-- corndog

Hooray-- goodbye

Half Hour later... still watching in amazement.

Hire-- rent

Lolly-- candy

Lift-- elevator

Is this reality?

Ladybird-- ladybug

Mum-- Mom

Oz-- Australia

Right before we got on our bus. 

Sammies-- sandwiches

Tramping-- hiking

Stuffed-- exhausted

Toasties-- grilled Cheese (often with many extra toppings-

 Resting... There baby is in the bush.                       such as ham, spaghetti, pineapple and creamed corn)

                                                       Swot-- study

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.  This makes it hard to plan the day.  ~Elwyn Brooks White

Wall of Hope

Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the earth.

~ Rumi

Clear Blue Skies... 

What better place to visit than the

We were greeted by many welcoming residents enjoying the gentle breeze and natures soothing flow of water.

As we flowed through the winding walkways, we made our way to a sub-tropical alpine forest where we bumped into my Professor at Lincoln University!

We had fun at the Gnome Grotto Showcase in the Fern room!

We had some fun climbing trees... and even spotted a gnome palace!

Extracted from Serenity in the Garden Blogspot... written by me... The following pictures are by Jan Johnsen.

When you walk into a garden [designed for serenity], you feel a sort of energy. A fusion between relaxation and excitement.

...Your first rush of energy is usually captured at the entrance way...As you leave the stressful world that we all share, and enter into the garden of thoughts, dreams, and peace, you become the feather floating in mid-air....

a garden for healing - j.johnsen

You look down and appreciate as the ladybug sits on the plant's leaf, you notice the bee's pollinating the magical wild flowers, and the the squirrel keeping an eye on you as it cracks open a fresh acorn.

Rock Garden - J.Johnsen

This is the feeling of Serenity.

You become one with earth as you sit on that rock, which is perfectly situated between that ground covering of moss and the tall zebra striped grass. You feel ... its slightly vibrating rush of intensity ...

Dry Stream garden - J Johnsen

As the rock takes you in ... it forms a relationship with you. It allows you into its very diverse environment. You are now an accepted being in this garden. Whenever you enter, you will know that you are in your ...room of comfort, peace, and of course, serenity.

This is the feeling of Serenity in the Garden.

Now take that  feeling, which hopefully, you have absorbed after reading my snippet of thoughts and imagine walking out of the Bush (Forest) and into a city which is mainly blocked off by fences all around it's perimeter. Completely vacated and off limits. I stopped taking pictures because I was in complete shock... but here was the last one I took before putting my camera away.

Look closely, and you will see a crack going down the whole left side. It was terrifying to see that this brace system is common practice and a common sight to see around Christchurch... not just the city, but also at Lincoln University!

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.  

~Anthony J. D'Angelo

MB