In cafes over here, when you order a muffin, they ask if you want it warmed with butter – weird.  But that’s not the muffin this blog is about. One of the problems with two winters in a row (there are too many to mention on one blog) is that you miss that time in 12 months where you are motivated and enabled to lose the jabber that appears over the cold, dark months. This coupled with the fact that we have lived in temporary homes for that whole time (meaning we are without all of our belongings, my exercise “stuff” being part of the packed up things) I have really struggled to keep off the winter padding – the hips don’t lie. Now we are two weeks away from moving into our new house (please God let it be so), 48 hours from the nights getting shorter and 22 days from me turning 36, which rather depressingly means I’m closer to 40 than 30 in this decade. Ergo THE MUFFIN (TOP) MUST GO! I …

I am so over them. Gareth and I have had to work hard over the last ten years of marriage (that’s right, coming up to a decade of The Cowlzies) to find harmony when it comes to spending money.  We come with very different ideas so the work is meeting in the middle or closer to one of our ends, but we meet and that’s worth working at. Most of the time we just have to make decisions about one purchase and it’s not for a huge amount of money, so agreement is found argument free-ish.  However, since coming to New Zealand it’s all about the big stuff; renting a house, buying a house, buying a car and now, how to spend the set amount of money we have left after the purchase of the house to make it liveable.  The list looks like this: washing machine tumble dryer (so necessary in the land of no central heating) fridge/freezer two sofas spare double bed for visitors a proper bed for Big Girl Minnie a gate …

So I have never been that into the Royal family, in fact a few years ago I would have argued about getting rid of them (probably more to wind up my Grandad than actual conviction).  In more recent years I have conceded that they make a lot of money for us, so they are worth keeping purely on a financial basis.  How nice for them, they are financially viable! Then in the last 12 months I have fallen in love with Wills and Harry and their lovely ladies (Harry having many more than Wills) and have felt really quite positive about our Royal future. Now, having lived in a Commonwealth country for just over two months, I am positively brimming with pride for our Windsor contingency. Twice over the Bank Holiday weekend (yes that’s right they have a Bank Holiday for the Queens’ birthday – every year!!) I have commented on how much more enthusiastic Kiwis are about our Queen than we Brits, “We don’t have a bank holiday every year for her birthday and …

I thought it was a good time to do one of these lists.  I will probably revise in 6-12 months time.  And this list will not be including my wonderful family and friends – they are a given in missing the homeland. In no particular order, other than what springs up first when I think of home: Candy King Clothes shops (you know who you are Jack Wills, Sweaty Betty and GAP) Georgian architecture Sarcasm (it’s too negative for the Kiwis) British TV – I have no idea how I am going to cope during Strictly season! The lack of earthquakes Gastropubs, Indian take-aways and 60 Hope Street Heatwaves (this will definitely not be on the list in six months time) Marmite that costs less than £10 Yorkshire, Cumbria and Bath

So just to update on the house buying situation – it would seem we did get the house!  Shan’t bore you with the back and forth details we have just been through for the last two weeks, but essentially it resulted in us paying a deposit (yes that’s really required over here) for a lovely house in Christchurch.  Please God don’t let an earthquake hurt it. Or us for that matter! Anyways I’m very excited and am now off to look for sofas….