Hi all, sorry it's been a while since I last updated. Well it's still relatively cold in NZ, and the snow's a bit on and off, but still managing to fit in the boarding. In fact I bought my own board (second hand) but I love it. Only problem now is I don't want to leave it behind, and unfortunately it's not long now till I have to say goodbye to QT & NZ. But not yet, so lets not dwell on that!!

The QT winter festival finally went ahead, which featured the family drinking mulled wine, watching fireworks on the Lake Wakatipu and watching some pittiful people attempt kareoke, was a good nite!!

The beginning of the Winter Festival also brought on QT's Top Bloke competition. Where 24 men from around town strutt their stuff & try to prove themselves the most eligible bachelor's in QT. Not many of them were particularly hot, but Crowne Plaza had a candidate in Isaac, who we all got behind. (Matt & Rob were too pussy to enter themselves!!)

To kick off the Mr Queenstown competition, they had Ladies night, 24 naked men on stage with 200 screaming women in the audience, very strange experience!!! I've never seen girls lose control and start ripping guys clothes off before, not matter how drunk i've been!! But it did provide a lot of amusement, and kinda felt good having boys being treated as objects (burning bra moment, i know!) All the girls I work with at the crowne plaza were there, so it was a good girls night out. (Sarah -left-, Rebecca-random hotel guest-, Emi & Becs).

(Rhiana, Becs, Liz, Galyna & me.)

A few night later was the Top Bloke Finals night, boys were allowed at this one, so lots more beer was drunk, and lots of sillyness ensued. (Adam with a card hat)

(Stu, Glenys, me & Brett)

(Matt)

Unfortunately Isaac didn't win the Top Bloke award, even though he sang the national anthem in maori & did the haka, but all was good anyway!

Then started the tri-nations, and as we were desperate to see the all blacks play, James, Jon, Em and I drove up to Christchurch for the weekend for the NZ vs. S. Africa game.

The drive up was so amazing, it was so cold & frosty, that I woke up at one point and thought I was in Narnia!! I love the drive up there anyway, it's got such beautiful views of the mountains & lakes.

Not a great game, but the Haka was totally awesome, and we were so close to the action you felt they were gona run onto you when they scored a try.

It was quite a hectic weekend, as we drove the six hour journey on sat morning, and drove back sunday pm, so our celebrations in C/Ch after the game were not very exciting, but then again, C/Ch nightlife isn't very exciting!!!

When we got back and settled back into work again, us Front line staff at the old CP (i'm in an abbreviations mood today) got a free limo ride & wine tasting day. So we went round the otago wine tasting region, and spent 5 hours, only to manage 2 wineries. They spoiled us rotten and we tried every wine in stock, including one which was given the nickname smack coz it was so popular (Whaitiri Creek 2005 Pinot Noir for those who want to know, but I don't think they exported many!). The Limo: (only 6 seater, but still cool!)

(Anita, Sarah, Me & Matt)

Last Week we had some new guests arrive at chez QT, Matt's family friends and trainee doctors no less Laura & Rachel:

In honour of their arrival, and as a belated house warming, we threw a house party!

(Tama, Random & Anita)

I think I only knew about 10 people there, and we even had a dog turn up, so a very successful house party!!

(Rob & his K Jet buddies)

I'm still boarding, and getting quite good (even if I do say so myself), i'm a little scared of going fast, but my turns are down, and I've promised Jau (my personal instructor) that I'll do a rail by the end of the season, only a wee one tho! (Me & Jau)

Even Jon made it up on to the slopes with Em, as she got him a couple of free ski lessons.

Oh and I forgot, in the midst of all this, I drove a guests car round to the front of the hotel (down & very steep hill), lost control, went carreering down the hill, couldn't stop, passed straight accross the main road, onto the grass verge opposite the hotel, & hit a bench which finally stopped me about 5m before being in the Lake. I was a little shaken up, but got back in the saddle today, and drove another guests car down the hill today without crashing, wahoo!! It was a brand new mitsubishi (gold, so i rekon that deserves a totalling!) and here's what it looked like after:

(the bench was pretty bad off too!) but I didn't even feel a thing!

Since my last update, James has returned, and he's brought the snow along with him!!

Not much happened whilst he was away, we moved into our new house, which is the other side of town and a long walk up a big hill (my heart can't take it yet!), but the views are amazing(below picture is from our balcony!!), well worth the sweat!!! It's a lovely house too, with sky TV, and its really warm!! Far better than our old place.

(our house!!)

We also all invested in house-coats, everyone's favourite accessory of the moment, being shown off by models Matthew & Rob:

We'll never be cold again!!

One fine afternoon for a bit of entertainment, Jon, Rob & I went for a walk to Arthur's point, a pretty valley near where we live, and stopped off for a pint in a dirty tavern. The barman wasn't very welcoming, and Rob started acting like a yocal calling the barman fella, in a deep gruff voice, no idea where that came from!!

I went on an activity called fly by wire, which is hard to explain, it's like a go-cart with a motor engine attached to a metal wire suspended from cables accross the top of a valley. and you basically steer yourself around a valley, probably better shown by the photo's! was pretty cool, but didn't last long enough! I did feel like I was flying tho!!

Then in no time at all, James was back. We had a welcome back party / happy 1 year away anniversary for em, which included playing kiddies party games such as: apple bobbing

getting sweets out of flower, and even guess who!!

I hate to say it, but my favourite new arrival in queenstown this week has been the snow!! I can't stop singing xmas songs, even though it's the wrong time of year!!! It's crazy but for a town which is renowned for its skiing/snowboarding, a little bit of snow, and everything goes crazy! we've had cars going off the side of cliffs, 20 car pile ups, and even a guy died up the mountain this week. Buses aren't going anywhere, flights can't get in or out, and the hotel is like a mad-house!! The winter festival opening had to be cancelled to keep people off the roads!!! But at least it means we can snow board!!!!

One of the guys from work has taken me under his wing to teach me how to snowboard, but his teaching style is pretty unique. My first day up there he took me on an intermediate slope and just said go! But i'm learning fast that way, and nearly got my turns down, soon i'll be doing 180's and half pipes!!! (maybe not) altho I do have a purple ass from falling over a lot!!!

On Monday work organised a day skiing/snowboarding, so me, Emma and 10 other people went up, but I left them to the baby slopes most of the day!!! Below is Emma with Anita (my boss) and Galyna (restaurant supervisor).

My plans from now on include boarding everyday I can. Mountain is closed at the moment as too much snow fall, which means it'll be even better on monday when I head up!!! I'm gona be a pro by the end of the season, just you wait!!

Love to all x

Hi all,

Since I last updated you quite a bit has happened.

Me & Emma drove the colonel to Glenorchy a very beautiful (if non-existent) town near QT. It's an amazing drive, so scenic, but not so great on the stomach, especially with a hangover! We both arrived feeling very queezy!

Me & James also drove the Colonel to Arrowtown, a very quaint town which had it's autumn festival over the weekend. Even then there wasn't much to do, we looked round the art exhibition, which had some really nice local scenic works by local artists, and we quickly looked round the mining museum (and I do mean quickly!) There's only one main street in Arrowtown, and most of that is restaurants, so we had lunch, then headed back!

The next week was Emma's Bday. We got her lots of little gifts, and hid them around the house with little clues to find them. The boys spent all day writing rhyming clues, most of them pretty poor, but amusing, once the rude ones were vetoed!!!

That night we went out for dinner & drinks with Anita (my boss & em's v good friend - right), Tama (Kiwi who used to live below us, a real dude!) and his girlfriend Stella(left).

On the weekend, Emma & Katie (a crazy, hyper girl who used to work on reception with me) had a joint Bday party at a v hip & trendy bar! Good night, altho we did have to escape the drunken Katie pretty quickly!

The next day I had organised for me & em to go horse riding in the afternoon, by which time I thought Emma might have recovered from a hangover. Unfortunately her hungover got worse during the day, so the drive to Glenorchy was pretty bad for her again!! But she arrived in one peice and still managed to get on a horse!

It was em's first time on a horse, but she enjoyed it, even tho she wasn't a big fan of trotting!!

The area we hacked through was amazing! It's called Paradise valley, and it really is!!! We hacked down in the river basin, and the views were stunning, it was a fantastic day for it too:

The next week was James last week in QT, for a little while at least, as he had to go back home for a month to see his family. We decided to spoil him a little before he left. Me, James, Jon & Matt all went ice skating at the local rink, something none of us had done since we were kids (broomball doesn't count as it's not on skates!) We were all pretty terrible at it, except James, who I think must have been some kind of figure skater as a kid (definately not a hockey player!!)

On my day off, me & James hired a car (by this time the Colonel had failed its WOF - NZ version of an MOT - unfortunately!!) and we drove to Wanaka for the day to do some shooting!! We did Clay Pigeon shooting, which I sucked at, and James kicked my ass! But I beat him at the rifle shooting, I knew I could have been an assassin!!

On his last day I took him on Shotover Jet, the rival Jet boat to the one Rob works for!! It was pretty cool tho, they drive through shotover canyon, which is beautiful, and they get really close to the rocks, slightly scary! And we got pretty soaked by the splashes, James looked like he'd wet himself!!!

We then drove up to Christchurch for James' flight home, in another hire car, this time it was pink! James was not amused! We stayed for a night in Christchurch and it happened to be the big night out in Christchurch! It felt like I was back in Harlow with the amount of young girls in rediculous skirts!! We managed to make it to Shooters tho, cheap drinks, dirty girls and drunken guys, wahoo!!!

Then I had to say bye to James and head on the long drive back to QT! At least my room is tidy now!!