Hi De Hi Campers…well August was a month of poking and prodding!
Places I’ve Visited and Things I’ve Done this Month
August was extremely quiet…the lack of blue sky made me feel a tad gloomy all month; the Auckland Mayor stated that there would be water shortages due to the lack of rain….of course, moments later the sky opened up and it’s rained for what feels like 1000 days…(drama queen alert!)…
…even though I haven’t actually done very much this month, it was so lovely to enjoy the garden at home as it has started to spring up with daffodils and iris…my Hunter gumboots are still going strong, care for them and they’ll last for years (either with the official Hunter creme or olive oil!)…
…the Kowhai tree is now in full bloom and the Tui’s just love it!
As New Zealanders we definitely need to be more mindful of what we plant in our gardens; we’re privileged to have so much unique wild life that can only be found in New Zealand however they need to feed off native plants which we no longer deem to be trendy…
…avoid the trends and plant for the wildlife especially in Auckland where we seem to want to cover any piece of available green space with a house with not even a postage stamp as a garden.
Last weekend we popped across to Cornwall Park near Greenlane to check out their Daffodil display…
…I think I was spoiled after the gorgeous displays in England however it was still lovely to actually get outside for a walk…until the rain clouds arrived!
New Zealand Life
I didn’t think I could actually miss a month but I actually longed for August…a European August…weird I know! My friends and family up in the Northern Hemisphere are posting beautiful photos from their summer holidays or from home (Croatia) which has made me miss Europe.
I totally understand that the shoe is definitely on the other foot come January and February…and I shouldn’t be too much of a Moaning Myrtle as lets be honest…Winter in Auckland is more like Spring in England…it’s pretty mild…bar that bloody rain which the dams around Auckland required desperately.
As we roll faster towards an election…I can definitely see the poverty gap widening, drug usage, alcohol abuse and crime sky rocketing…it’s a real eye opener especially if you live in South Auckland…I just want a Prime Minister that admits there’s a problem and tries to do something about; I don’t care if that person is a man or a woman…the grass doesn’t feel greener at the moment!
The measles epidemic in Auckland is shocking but is so much more prevalent in South Auckland due to overcrowding in homes as there are 1-2 families living in one home (sometimes more!) as the rental and house prices remain exceptionally high vs the average wage…even with some house prices starting to soften.
Living in South Auckland has made me a lot more aware of New Zealand’s problems.
Exercise
At the end of July, I felt like I had lost control of my health all over again so I decided to do something about it and tried out Reformer Pilates…expensive but totally worth the money as my posture and a lot of my back pain has improved within a month. (My height increased by 2 cms between medical appointments…just due to better posture!)
Years ago, I did mat pilates and while I loved it…I didn’t feel like my positioning was correct during the class however the Reformer has definitely fixed this issue and I’m loving it.
The lovely ladies who run the studio are moving back to the UK at the end of the year which I’m devastated about but totally understand…ageing parents and the high cost of living in New Zealand is no longer sustainable for them.
Health Update
I’m a lot better than last month…I’ve had a colonoscopy at the beginning of the month and am awaiting those results still…apparently there is a major back log of test results due to a lack of staff…the shocking truth of New Zealand’s health system is sad and it’s folk like this man who are really pushing for change, his legacy will be the change to cancer care in New Zealand.
^^Hospital selfie sent to mama…best hospital gown ever by the way…100% bottom coverage!
After reading about the lack of bowel cancer care in Southland and other postcodes around New Zealand…I’m actually grateful that I have a familial disease, it means my colonoscopy care is pushed through and I don’t have to fight for the procedure. I’m disgusted by how many innocent Kiwi’s have lost their lives to bowel cancer due to funding.
Uterus wise…they’re unsure what’s going on even after an ultrasound this month but I’ll be having an operation in the near future to remove whatever is in there…they think it may be a fibroid and large polyp hanging off the fibroid now but they still can’t be sure…I had a biopsy and a smear on Friday to eliminate cancer from the equation…still feeling a bit worse for wear as I should have had the biopsy under a local…I had no pain relief but at least the tests are all done.
I think it’s safe to say that I shop till I drop when my health goes out the window…
…I want these shoes! Want, want want but probably don’t need, need, need! (Possibly need to have a pedicure as well!)
Plans for September
A bit like August…just hanging around to see if anything needs to be done health wise but I’m heading down to the South Island in November…hopefully to house hunt and photograph some beautiful flowers.
So that was August 2019…over and out!
xx
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