This time 2 years ago I'd be worried about getting a burned head or nose during my cycle trip down to the ferry and across Auckland Harbor. This morning back in the UK it was how I am going to cope with all day wet feet from the soaking I got on the blustery freezing 1.2k to Whittlesford Station. Nothing to consider when you see the awful plight of the North West of the UK and mt hearts go out to anyone battling nature.
It is at this time of year one does question the wisdom of a return to the UK. However, as we head to Christmas, and simply because its what we know, a cold Christmas seems right. Jessica and Lucy are going to be "stars" in their nativity play and Millie is going to be an "angel." I think the essence is my term "its what we know." Sure hot summers were an adventure and great to experience, but they were not "what we knew" and therein lies the difficulty in emigration. The new experience has to out do what you know my a huge magnitude for it to be worth giving up what you know. We humans love what we know, we cant even give up things we know to be bad for us let alone the things we love. I love an English Christmas, it is what I know, it is where my family are it is I guess where my heart is, and the lovely days spent on the beech in December didn't compensate. However the friends we made in New Zealand and that we enjoyed all the holiday breaks with are so sadly missed.
But I am so looking forward to seeing Jessica and Lucy as Stars and Millie as an Angel, even if it is blowing a gale and pouring with rain. And I think Grandma is too!
1 comments:
Sounds like a perfect build up to Christmas and even more special being able to share it with 'Grandma'.
It's taken me 12 year's of living in New Zealand to finally adapt to a summer Christmas and fully embrace it. I used to like it when we had an overcast, rainy day for Christmas in New Zealand so I could at least see the fairy lights!
Since both our children were born in NZ I have had to refrain from frequent comments on, 'It's just not the same...'. My children don't know any different and they are little Kiwis. As such, I've established our own special family traditions to celebrate the festive season, that embrace the season of summer. We have a Pohutukawa tree in the garden and last year we woke on Boxing Day to see it in bloom, which was very special (my youngest's Birthday is on Boxing Day). We look forward to feasting on berries and pavlova and having a light lunch. We have an active day of sports and games and save the board games for our mid-Winter - when we cook up a full roast for Winter Solstice.
However, I do have aspirations to take my children to Europe some time in the future so that they can see how it's done in the Northern Hemisphere - just love the Christmas markets in Europe and ice-skating rinks that spring up around London. And then there's the lights.... ooooh, ahhhh, indeed. Here in Welly we have to be content with Christmas flags :) And the pubs.... now I'm missing England just a tad - but then again, I wouldn't be spending much time down the pub with my little'uns anyway.
Have a fabulous Christmas and enjoy the school play,
Sarah
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