Winter

Its started to get cold here already. Business has picked up and has kept me busy which is why I haven't had much to say here. Shizuka has started a new project at her work too so it looks like we will have to endure winter here in Auckland. 

I hate winter here. Actually, I get pissed off anywhere that I can't go around in shorts and a Tshirt. Unlike Japan, NZ only has 2 seasons. You don't ease into winter gradually here. It's hot and then one day it isn't. It happens around the end of March. It's like someone throws a switch. Sure you get a few nice days after that but it's never quite as warm. Shortly thereafter all ensuing weather comes blasting out of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. That means showers, squally showers, torrential showers, hail showers and scattered showers. In between those showers there will be periods of rain. Now rain is tolerable when it's coming straight down. Where I live it tends to be accompanied by howling wind and so comes in horizontally. Don't even think about trying to deploy an umbrella. Life expectancy for umbrellas around here is measured in minutes. Every now and then there will be a day or two when it doesn't rain and the skies are clear. This is when it will be freezing cold. Not stupidly cold like the South Island with its snow and ice, but cold enough to be annoying. In short.....Auckland winters are 7 months of miserable dampness. Ironically, this is the peak season for Japanese tourists and the planes are full of school kids on exchange or young dudes clutching snowboards. I have never understood why people from Japan choose to come here in August.

Another thing I hate about this time of year is when the clock gets wound back and its dark by 6PM. Daylight saving is a brilliant idea and I believe we should have it all year. So what if it's dark at 7AM? It's not like it stops people from doing something cool.....They're only going to work! For some reason farmers bleat and moan about it but I really don't understand why. It's not like they have to milk cows at exactly 6.43AM. every day. I cant see what difference an hour or so would make to them.

This year will be even more insufferable than most. That's because the Rugby world cup will be in town. It's still months to go before kickoff but already the hype is astounding. Rugby in this country is like a religion and the All Blacks are bigger than God. That obnoxious windbag who is the coach is on the news every night rabbiting on and on and on. For months on end there will be nothing else talked about, written about or on TV but this stupid game. If the all Blacks lose the country will go into a tailspin.  Last time round they got beaten by France and the whole place was in mourning for weeks. I had hoped to spend this year mostly in Japan  and so avoid all this nonsense but that now looks unlikely so I will go up there in May for a week or so and do some small jobs on the house. I will report on that when it happens.