Holy smokes. That's yellow.

I think the giant yellow bruise is a sign that it's healing, right? 

My poor husband says he's been feeling much better now a week and a half after breaking his collar bone. He's been going to PT, using his left arm more and even going without his sling. Maybe soon he'll take the wheel and give me a break from driving us everywhere. :) But I'm not complaining. This guy didn't even take a day off work! This happened to be a really full-on (Kiwi term) time of year -- therwise I think he would have taken a week. I know I would have! We're all wishing you a quick recovery, honey. 

P.S. Does anyone else think this bruise resembles the South Island of New Zealand? 

Father's Day again?

And speaking of holidays, I just realized why we almost forgot about father's day back in June. Apparently NZ celebrates it in September. (Sorry Dad and Jim, you're not getting another card out of us.) And Labor Day? That's in October. I think the Kiwis want to have as many work holidays as possible during the nice weather because you won't find any between about June 1 and late October. Sounds good to me!

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Happy Birthday to one of our good friends Aaron today, August 13. Hope you have a good one!

(Photo: Halloween 2006)

A trip to the farmer's market

On Sunday morning, a few hours before Jake's exciting sports moment, I was enjoying my favorite Sunday morning pastime... the farmer's market. It's right on the harbour, and you can even walk up and buy fish fresh off of the boat. But I'm usually just stocking up on our fruits and vegetables. 

I'm sure someone else would have a better idea of the differences in the produce here, but I've picked up on a few things. 

First, zuchinis are called courgettes, and we eat a lot of them, mostly steamed or sauteed, but sometimes in pasta. I think mandarin oranges are pretty popular here, and they are delicious. But my favorite is the kiwifruit. 

I could eat a dozen of these at a time. There's the traditional green kiwifruit and also a sweeter golden kiwifruit, which is amazing. Mmm! 

Making his mark on rugby

We're all about having new experiences, and Jake had two pretty big ones this weekend. The first was a chance to play some rugby with the guys -- it was a practice with the guys from work in preparation for some games vs. some other accounting firms here in town. 

The second experience, as a direct result of the first, was a visit to the ER for a broken collar bone. 

The friendly hospital staff offered him some nitrous oxide (the same pain relief, we heard, that they give women who are going into labor. Can you imagine?), which he fully enjoyed while waiting for the X-rays.

So fond, in fact, that happily told the doctors and nurses that this break isn't nearly as bad as the one he got playing soccer and everyone seemed very interested in seeing the scar on his leg. He also called his buddies to make jokes about needing some big rugby players to come in and help the doctors reset his dislocated shoulder. 

In the end, they can't do much for a broken collar bone, so they sent him home in a sling with some hefty pain medication. One thing we didn't leave with was a hefty hospital bill. Thanks to NZ's national healthcare program, we spent a whopping $3 on each of two prescriptions (including some codeine) and $9 on some over-the-counter paracetamol, which is like Tylenol they tell us. These are NZ dollars too, so we're talking only about $10 USD. And nothing at all from the hospital, unless they mail us a bill later. 

So he'll have to wear the sling for several weeks and meet with a physiotherapist, and may always have a little bump on his shoulder, but he'll be just fine. I hope he feels better soon. 

Relaxing Saturday hike on the west coast

You've been asking for more sheep photos, and we're here to deliver.  We snapped photos of these fluffy fellas on our hike today at Makara Beach on the west coast, which is about a 30-minute drive from home. 

Pretty sweet view for a farm animal, don't you think?

Our friends Archie, Maggie and little Cameron took us out on the hike, which involved a gradual climb up from the beach to the top where the sheep roam. 

Apparently this wind farm is only about a year old.

But these bunkers date back to WWII.

On the way home we drove by lots of sheep, cows, horses and even ponies. Then out of the blue, saw a bunch -- oh no -- a gaggle of geese in a field. What the...?

But I have to tell you (especially you, Katherine) the best is yet to come. I'm told that it's getting to be baby sheep season here in New Zealand. Some may call these little critters lambs, but I think "baby sheep" sounds so much cuter. My next assignment: snapping some baby sheep photos. 

Welcome to August

Can't believe it's August already. We're looking forward to the warm weather that's just around the corner. 

So we had to smile over the weekend when we flipped over the page of the calendar our families made for us before we left. The photo for August was taken in the boat at Table Rock Lake with Aunt D (driving) and Shelly, and Emily and Ella, who aren't sure what to think.