I’m sure the title makes more than one person groan and roll their eyes *evilgrin*. Yes we kiwi exploited the Lord of the Rings trilogy to the very best of our ability and damn did we do it well!
Seriously would you actually believe we’re a nation of only 4 million? It’s true – it’s also true that literally everyone in NZ knows someone who was in LOR, whether just an extra or one of the main actors themselves. For example – my brother was an extra!
Sooo much cooler than the brief stint I had on an ANZ advert. Sadly for me my height prevented me been of any use to the LOR lot. You either needed to be tall (5.8 above) or short (5 foot and below) and I am 5.5.
Anyway! I didn’t actually come on to rave about LOR (but YES my view from work looks like stuff from the movies *hee* okay feeling better now..).
I came to whine about winter. Which you lucky buggers in the Northern Hemisphere are happily avoiding. I really think I could follow Summer around the globe.
What I like about Winter.
Merino wool! Which considering we make lots of here in NZ is pretty darn expensive at the best of times.
Hot, stodgy, self saucing desserts – smothered in custard or cream.
The sound of rain on the roof.
BOOTS! I have several pairs of beautiful boots! Black, knee high, leather which I’m currently wearing and ..
The Pièce de résistance My stunning, gorgeous, sexy, black suede, over-the-knee boots *sigh* I love those boots! (and incase you hadn’t yet realized I’m a Leo.. at times it explains a lot!). I might post a picture… though the only pics I have are when I’m wearing a painted on dress.. did I mention I’ve been a bodypaint model for 5 years or so? Just a hobby ; p
What I don’t like about Winter.
It’s wet! Really, really wet. The floors get wet cause of it, the dogs are wet, we only have a little house and already the ends of the net curtains in the windows are going mildewy.. *ewww*
The cold sucks cause it turns me off getting up for my run. And when I do shove myself out – it’s wet!!
Ugggghhhhh. I know I won’t melt (haven’t yet..) but I don’t like been wet when it’s cold. I want to stay home and hibernate in the bed like Griffon our spoilt cat who at this moment is claiming one of the beds.
Drying clothes is awful! I’m sooo grateful it’s just the two of us (not counting the three furbabies – they don’t wear clothes, though Otis would like too) because a family would have a heck of a job getting everything dry.
What else? Oh yeah.
The cold makes me hungrier. I already eat every hour thanks to my hypoglycemia (otherwise I kill people – don’t take it personally *chuckle*). So I’m currently squeezed into a shift dress which in Summer – never feels like a corset!
Arrgh. I am sooo looking forward to Summer! The one bright side is that I never feel guilty about writing all day. The weather sucks so why would I want to be out? And on the days I do manage a run I feel like super-girl *lol* and pretty soon I’ll be back to five a week rather than two or three..
Tell me what you guys like/dislike about seasons ; ) distract me a little *grin*
And thank you to my newest follower – so new I haven’t even checked you out yet *grin* but I will be shortly!
Welcome Dawn!
picked a BIG bouquet of flowers for the wife's return home tonight. Summer allows free field flowers for the endeavor. Winter is slim pickins.
I'm originally from Chicago and there are very cold winters there. I miss Christmas in Chicago because of the snow. I now live in Florida. Christmas can sneak pass me if I don't pay attention. It's hot here most of the year.
@ SH – awww that's so sweet 😉 we don't have that many 'wild flowers' here in NZ. We're pretty green – maybe that's why Twilight appealed so much – feels like home *lol*
@ Chris – our Christmas's are warm too! And florida huh, so you get lots of weird and wonderful creatures *grin* neat! Snow would be awesome but Wellington is too low for it. Once when I was 12 we had the lightest dusting and it was the biggest thing ever *lol*
Thanks for stopping by my blog and wishing my daughter a happy birthday!
Winter: too cold. But, Summer's TOO HOT. Right now a heat wave in USA Virginia. 97 today, and humid!! I'll take winter. You can bundle up. Summers: well, you're at the mercy of the A/C. But thank goodness we have a wonderful landlord if it should fail.
Thanks for your wise advice about agents on my blog! I'm so excited to follow yours. I'm a big LOTR fan and I want to travel to New Zealand someday just to be where the movies were filmed!
The cold makes me hungrier, too. I usually eat more bread and stews in the winter.
Oh, it's just mean to rub in your beautiful scenery! LOL!
Your yummy desserts sound oh-so-fabulous! I think I would HATE all that wet, wet cold too. 🙂
i love the homey-ness of the roaring fire and how you can snuggle down in bed with a good book or your one and only 😉
and you are so right about the washing for a family – sigh!
i hate being cold! luckily my husband just measured the house for underfloor insulation so hopefully the cold won't last for long!
@ Ann, you're welcome 🙂 I found your blog very awe-inspiring, as a family you've done so well out of a ..tricky situation *grin* A/C *hee* such an American thing – it's practically unknown here in NZ. We have it in shops/businesses but that’s it. And welcome to my blog!
@ Aubrie – no prob, I know what it feels like when you've just sent them (or even for the first couple of months). It's kinda strange to get a reply 3-4 months later and you're just thinking 'wha? Oh that's right!' *grin* And come on over! If you do visit NZ let me know via this and I'll take you to our cabin in the bush *grin* and that’s a promise! Oooh and welcome to my blog!
@ Shannon – well you guys keep blogging bout how wonderful summer is! I had to get my own back some how ;p
And K. Our place would melt if we had a woodburner *grin* waaayyy too little. And yay for underfloor insulation – I still can't believe Xander crawled all the way under there! Would give me nightmares
I live in California…we have the weirdest weather here.
In the summer, it rains sometimes or the air might feel like you're in a microwave oven.
The same can happen in the winter though.
Spring is always beautiful and the calmest, I believe, of all the seasons.
As for fall, where I live, there are huge gusts of wind that make it hard for you to even move if you're going against the current.
Despite all the crazy weather, I'm still glad I live here though. It's just perfectly crazy enough for a crazy person like me, I guess. 😀
Write on, Nicole, an interesting post!
Nichole, I love winter because snow = no farming = more time to write! This is my busy crazy season, but November 1st, I stay in my pj's all day because farming is officially over for me then.
Thanks for stopping by my blog, you're is pretty fun too! 🙂
Welcome Wendy! I have to say I'm pretty darn impressed that you're a farmer. Obviously it's a very 'normal' job here in NZ but you wouldn't catch me doing it *grin* I want lots of land yes, but I want it covered in beautiful bush and trees mmmm and thanks for joining my blog! I thoroughly enjoyed checking yours out.
@ Vatche – oooh don't get me started on wind (I live in Wellington – THE Windy capital) have had a chuckle more than once when the news, reports on hurricanes, report wind speeds of up to 150km that's not that unusual here! What is unusual is the locals determination to use umbrellas…. not such a good idea!
Except for the Lord of the Rings part, I could've written this post. I love boots. Hate wet. Hate snow. Living in a city, snow means I have to dig my car out, there are less parking spaces, and if it gets icy, my car may get stuck.
It's so funny to picture winter now that it's 90 degrees where I am – having a week with family on Long Island in New York.
I hope it's a decent winter for you.
oy vey. i live in the southern US and it is sooooo humid here. It's like chewing on the air in the summer time. We have summer for 4-6 months, 2 weeks of autumn *my fav*, 4-6 months of winter (well what I call winter) back and forth w/the temps, and then 2 weeks of spring before it's ridiculously hot again.
Sure, Northern Hemisphere, but try living in the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere! I'm willing to bet the majority of the world's population would call our summer "winter"… (Though Wellington is probably far enough south that you perhaps get a little snow in the winter? No?) I have a kiwi friend, but she's from Auckland, so when she first came to Norway she was THRILLED when we had snow…
Anyway – yay for milking LOTR! Those movies are of my favourite NZ things (you know, aside from my friend, Katie; the kiwi bird and fruit; and of course Flight of the Conchords).
Happy winter 🙂
@ Cruella – woohoo for Flight of the Conchords – we love those guys *grin*
@ Deeds – humidity is something we don't have in wellington – apparently Auckland does though 🙂
@ Theresa – i just can't imagine living in the city *grin* – especially when the population is like, twice the size of our entire country! Would be very weird ;p