Paddling

We awoke this morning to beautiful blue skies. This was good news. It meant our plan to visit the Christchurch Arts Centre market after church followed by a bit of kayaking on Avon through the Botanic Gardens could go ahead. I've been looking forward to both of these things for ages. Everyone has recommended the market to me while I work opposite the boat sheds and often, if I take a walk at lunchtime through the Botantic Gardens, I see tourists paddling on the river and it looks like fun. I've always had this idea that I'd like to get into kayaking.

I'm not sure what I was expecting with the market really. It wasn't comparable to Borough Market, or the markets we used to go to with Bints and Rene in Vienna. There were some nice handicraft things, I guess, but I suppose it was aimed at the tourists really. The food was good though. Down one bit of the Arts Centre there was a 'street' with food stands both sides where you could get all sorts of different foreign foods, from Egyptian to Indian to Chinese to Thai to Lebanese to Hungarian to Greek to German. Pretty much something for everything. A slice of leberkaese and a souvlaki later it was time to hit the kayaks.

It was really relaxing, paddling along the river, ducks and ducklings swimming by, the sun shining and the trees and river bank sheltering us from the breeze. Definitely a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon, working off lunch. I'm going to ache tomorrow though. I had a different kayak to Joanne. Hers cut through the water like the cliched hot knife through butter. Mine was more like a brick through a window. I don't think it was down to technique. Still, it was great fun. And Joanne enjoyed it too, once she got in the boat and set off.

I think I'd like to investigate some sort of kayaking day-touring thing (down-stream, of course). I think it'd be an awesome way to see the countryside. Lots of people have their own kayaks, it seems, and just head off into the back of beyond at weekends. I presume there's some sort of kayaking map you can get to let you know when you're about to fall down a waterfall or have a bit of fun down some white-water rapids.

Last night we were out to dinner at the house of a couple from St John's, Tim and Christine. Another case of friends in common. They know a guy, Tim, from the barge from his time in Chch, and also they have just got back from five years overseas, the last few years of which were spent in London where they went along to St Helen's so we're bound to know some of the same people from there. It was a lovely evening though. It's so great that people have been so welcoming. And with Tim and Christine having spent time in London and at St Helen's it gives us all something in common right away. We had roast lamb again, like at Monika's on Wednesday. I do wonder whether Kiwis do eat roast lamb all the time or whether it's just the traditional Kiwi meal so with us being new here it's the traditional first meal to be cooked. Not that we mind. We both love roast lamb.

I've got my rearranged appraisal tomorrow. Supposedly. I guess more time will be spent on looking forward rather than backwards, given that there isn't that much backwards to look at. I am looking forward to some feedback though, just to get an idea whether I am beginning to deliver what they employed an analyst for.

And speaking of illumination, in a smooth linking way, I found some lights outside the garage door at home last night that don't appear to have a switch to turn them on. How frustrating is that?