As Tasty AF

Although it's hard to recall now with any great certainty, but I think in general I drink more alcohol here in New Zealand that I used to when I was in the UK. Not necessarily in volume, but probably more regularly. It's not that I've been keeping a record or anything, but alcohol is served at many more occasions than it ever was back in Blighty. And so by extension, I must be drinking more often. Or maybe I'm just being precious and, as usual, thinking too much.

I was really surprised, when not long after I started work, there was a late afternoon client meeting in the office and, as well as the usual snacks and finger food, bottles of wine started to appear. And not just one or two but several and of different varieties. Maybe this is common place in some other industries, but in my experience not in engineering, and certainly not during the working day.

And then there is office drinks. In the company I work for, every second Friday the beer and wine fridge is opened at 5pm - yes there is a beer and wine fridge in the office kitchen area - and staff can come down and enjoy some beer, wine and food with the rest of the team. This practice is fairly commonplace in New Zealand and generally it's a lovely thing to do but there have been stories when things have gone a little too far. For example, after one such event several years ago, an employee decided to drive home after drinking more than their fair share and crashed their vehicle into a tree. No problem they thought, I'll just leave it here and come back in the morning and get it. Unfortunately for them, they were so unaware of their surroundings, that they didn't realise that they had barely driven 100m from the office and the tree they had crashed into was actually on the grounds of the adjacent primary school. Oh, and it if that wasn't enough, the car a company parking pass attached to the windscreen. This was not, I hasten to add, at our company but that of a competitor. 

In December 2014 the drink driving laws in New Zealand were tightened up - this resulted in numerous awareness campaigns being broadcast and in some cases, bars displaying posters advising how many beers you could have per hour and remain within the legal limit. I'm sure they thought this was being responsible but I have my doubts about their effectiveness. 

That's not to say that there wasn't an alcohol influence in the UK. I remember many occasions early in my career when we would go to the pub on a Friday lunchtime and wander....actually make that stagger....back in to the office sometime around 3pm. But that was back in the good old days in the early 90s when it didn't really matter. Or did it? Nah, who cares if some of the designs prepared were fuelled by lunchtime drinking...actually thinking about it, that might explain some of the horrendous road junction designs that have been built. The general UK population was in no danger from me anyway - I tended to doze through the rest of Friday afternoons and so did very little work. What can I say, I was young and very easily led and you absolutely didn't leave the pub until the boss did!

On the whole though, New Zealand doesn't seem to have a binge drinking issue, random issues on a Friday evening aside, it's just that it's more readily available. And hence why I think I imbibe on a more frequent basis. I'm not saying that I have an issue or anything, but it is something of which I have become increasingly more aware. One part of me thinks so what, it's not like I'm putting beer on my cereals or anything - although I did try that once as a hangover cure after a particular heavy New Year's Eve in Edinburgh - but there is a small niggle at the back of my mind that makes me wonder.....

If the prevalence of alcohol wasn't enough, New Zealand's beer is much stronger than average. Take our local bar as an example, the weakest beer they have on tap is Guinness at 4.2% and it's about as Irish as me - it's brewed just down the road at the Lion Brewery. Most of the other beers served at our local start at around 5% and increase in strength to a syrupy 9%. And most are very deceptive and certainly don't taste as strong as they are. This might be due to the fact that New Zealand beer is typically served at throat numbingly cold temperatures - even the glasses are kept in the fridge to make sure it arrives at your table as cold as it was when it left the tap. It's just the way we like it, or at least that's what I've been told. But make no mistake, mistake a heady brew for a session beer and you'll soon be wondering why your legs won't carry you in the direction you want to go....when you eventually get up from the table that is. 

There is one blessing, a safety net if you like, and this is that it is illegal for any pub licensee to serve to inebriated people, and that extends to the entire group. So, if one person in the group drinks past their limit, the whole group won't get served. Further at large events, such as sporting events and concerts, there is another level of control - the volume that can be served to an individual is managed on an hour by hour basis. How does that work? Well initially they may be no limits, or the limits are very generous - say four drinks per person. But if there is a hint that some in the crowd might be getting too tipsy, then the grip is tightened and the tap is turned off a little - so the limit might become one drink per person. And so the flow of alcohol fluctuates as the evening progresses. This did lead to an odd situation when we attended a concert at a local vineyard only to find that the distribution of wine to the crowd had been turned off. Imagine a vineyard not being able to sell it's own wine to the punters. They were lucky there wasn't a riot!

So why am I telling you all this? Well because I was conscious that I may be drinking more than I should, I've been experimenting with Alcohol Free (AF) beer, and I have to say that it's been an eye opener. I wasn't expecting much - my experience with AF beer from the past has been less that satisfactory. In fact water was more palatable than the AF beers I have tried in the past. There was more beer flavour in the beer bottle sweets we used to each as kids. But surely, things have moved on I thought? I found a company in New Zealand that specialised is such things and ordered a box of 30 different types of AF beers and, as this was one of my projects, naturally I had to create a spreadsheet to track the beers that I was trying and score them.

I am pleased to report that all 30 beers were a vast improvement on AF beers from the past - they all had flavour and actually tasted like beer. Some were even better, had a lovely bitterness and I swear that on a blind tasting it would be hard to discern the difference between an AF version and a normal beer. 

Since I started this experiment, I have also noticed that supermarkets usually have a shelf or two dedicated to AF products and it has even appeared in some bars on tap.  In fact the tap beers are so good that I have had to check that I have been given the correct one.  Don't worry, I haven't gone all puritanical and given up on regular beer, but it is nice to have the option from time to time.

So without further ado, here are my top five AF beers. Yes and they are all as tasty AF!

Brewery	Name	Comments
Good George	VR NonAlc Hazy IPA	Wow - had to ask the server to make sure it was the AF version. Got it on draft from Good George bar
De Haalve Man	Bruges Sport Zot	Smells like a Belgian beer, tastes like a Belgian beer so must be a Belgian beer. Remarkable that this is AF
Drop Bear Beer	Tropical IPA	Wonderful! Tastes just like the real thing. Nice and crisp taste with good hoppyness.
UNLTD	IPA	Lovely sharp bitter taste - crisp on the tongue. Very refreshing.  Fruity with a long, hoppy finish. Delicious.
Weihenstephaner	Hefe weissbier	When the Germans get in on the act you know it must be a good thing.

Tasty AF? You bet!

Anywhere but here

Okay so it’s about time I just face facts and admit it…..Easter in New Zealand sucks.

I know I will have mentioned this before, but to recap, it just doesn’t work. In the northern hemisphere Easter is a spring celebration, enjoying the rebirth of nature, flowers blooming and days getting longer. Here it is the exact opposite; nights drawing in, arrival of autumn and summer plants receding. The only saving grace is that it isn’t cold. Not yet. At least not up in Auckland anyhow. But why celebrate darkness and the coming of winter? 

I can get on board with a summer Christmas - it’s odd enough to be enjoyable. And besides, the sun helps get over the fact that it’s nearly thirty degrees out and people are dressed in Santa costumes. Heck, I even don’t mind Halloween being in spring even if it does kind of take the edge of the spook-fest by being sunny and bright. Nah Easter sucks.

But it’s not just being in the wrong season that makes it a tough sell with me. It’s everything else.

Our first Easter in New Zealand didn’t go as planned. We decided to take advantage of the long weekend and flew down to Christchurch. Maybe we could’ve chosen another destination but I don’t think it would have made much difference. The simple matter is that we just weren’t prepared. How we were supposed to know that everything shuts on Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Want a beer or wine to celebrate the long weekend? Well you can have one glass of wine or beer with a meal but that’s it. If you fancy going on a bit of a bender, then buckle up. Or rather don’t buckle up, because you’re going to need to have the stomach for it. Just think about it. For every drink you have to buy a full priced meal. And it’s firmly enforced for fear of severe penalties for any establishment caught flouting the law. We know from experience - trying to convince a sceptical bar tender that you always only eat crisps for your evening meal isn’t going to work.

The final straw that first year was hiking miles across town to a bar that we thought might be far enough away to allow us to buy a beer without the need for a three course meal. It was so far out of town it was literally the wrong side of the tracks. Nope. Nothing doing so we admitted defeat and headed back to the hotel. We had a very dry and uneventful weekend in Christchurch I can tell you, to the point where it prejudiced our view of the city for years to come. 

If the lack of beverage options wasn’t enough, then tendency for one of us to get ill during the four day break puts the tin hat on it.

Last year it was Covid which struck us down on the Saturday of the Easter weekend. This year it was the turn of another less famous but equally effective virus. We both felt like we’ve been hit by a truck. The only silver lining is that as everything was shut, there was nothing worth being well enough for anyway. Oh and we had to cancel our plans to go camping. So not all bad. My goodness, the thought of being unwell under canvas….reminds me of one year in Coniston where I spent the night sleeping in a ditch because it was closer to the toilet block. Urrgghh!

Some say illness is brought on by the change in the seasons but I’m not sure that’s it. Some say that because it’s the first break since Christmas, as soon as your body senses a slowing of pace it shuts down for some rest as well. Maybe that’s it.

So what are the options then? Don’t take a break and work the whole way through? That’s unthinkable. Maybe we should’ve learnt our lesson from the first year and not travelled? Nah sod that. The only option for next year is to be anywhere but here…..

Bye baby, baby, bye, bye

If there is a true art form in New Zealand, it’s dentistry. Wait……give me a chance. Come back. But it’s true, somehow dentistry in Aotearoa is head and shoulders above all of the other medical practices. (See what I did there.) Except maybe physiotherapy. But then I would say that - I’ve had more bad muscles than I have bad teeth. Actually that probably says more about my choice of leisure activity than it does about the standard of my oral hygiene.

Anyway I digress. Where was I? Ah yes, Dentistry in New Zealand. Right. So as I was saying, dental care in New Zealand is really something. When we first arrived here, I thought I’d just not bother with it. A couple of years without seeing a dentist regularly shouldn’t be a problem. I have, after all, had a relatively trouble free set of gnashers. Sure I’ve had the odd filling here and there, and the occasional extraction, but overall nothing to write home about.

But as our stay became extended, eventually I gave in and so booked an appointment at our nearest practice. Boy was I in for a shock! What I was used to was an appointment lasting maybe ten minutes. Fifteen on the outside….. Not an hour and a half. Yes you read that correctly. Ninety-sodding-minutes. What I hadn’t factored into the equation was that it was actually two appointments in one. First with the hygienist, where the teeth are given a bit of TLC, and then a check up by the dentist. It’s a long process that's for sure. 

I suppose it does make sense. Why waste the dentist’s time on scraping and polishing when they should be looking for faults. It doesn’t take a mechanic to wash your car after all.  And all that attention doesn’t come cheap - at least on the occasion of my first visit, the dentist didn’t take a sharp intake of breath and say “Oohh, that’s going to cost you mate!”. Or if he did I didn’t hear it - I was too busy worrying about getting out of there before nightfall and wondering if I should have brought pyjamas.

That was many years ago now so I’ve gotten used to the process. Allow plenty of time, wear comfortable clothing and maybe get a loan pre-approved. Thankfully my healthy gob trend has continued in New Zealand. Or last it had until last week when I lost a tooth. Well not exactly lost. Let me explain. You see it all started late last year…..

Oddly, I’ve had a constant companion in the mouth department - a baby tooth that didn’t want to leave the nest so to speak. It’s been there through my school days, college and university, and was there when I started my first job. Obviously I care for my teeth so well that it just didn’t want to go. But as it approached its fiftieth year, things started to go a bit wobbly. You could say a bit doddery. So it’s fair to say that in the last couple of years it's been more of a hindrance than an asset.

In fact it was getting so loose I started to think about alternatives - something to fill the gap should I lose my faithful companion. An implant seemed to be the best option until I found out that I would need a bone graft for it to work. And the most suitable building material for that graft? Swiss cow bone. Yes the bones of a bovine. I wasn't sure at first if it was a wind up or just a rouse to pump up the price. After all nothing from Switzerland comes cheap. Whatever the reason, it was off-putting. And what if there we’re side effects? Doesn’t bear thinking about.

So I was resolved. I decided to be undecided. I  and my little trooper would soldier on…..

At least that was the plan. Unfortunately a bowl of muesli had other ideas. Last week I was tucking into my morning my cereal and…ouch! It was one bite too far for the little fella. After an emergency trip to the dentist I was a few grams lighter and several hundred dollars worse off.

That gap in my life is nothing to the gap in my mouth. It feels huge! Like the Grand Canyon of the mouth world. A deep as it is wide. Even now I can imagine that there is a dare devil blob of bacteria planning an audacious stunt to jump across the chasm…. I need to get out more. Sometime I forget and get a shock when I notice the absence. I suppose it'll save a bit on teeth cleaning.

People tell me it isn’t bad, it’s hardly noticeable at all really. As long as I don’t smile or talk. Hhmmm, maybe cow bone isn’t too bad after all......

M is for Matariki

"Bank holiday comes six times a year
Days of enjoyment to which everyone cheers"

At least it is if you prescribe to Britpopsters Blur's view of the world. But it's not that accurate from an Aotearoa point of view. Let's try that again with an NZ orientated eye....

"Public holidays come twelve times a year
Days of enjoyment to which most people cheer"

There that's much better.

I know what you're thinking. Twelve 'bank' holidays? How do you cope? In all fairness it was eleven, which is generous by most people's standards, but another one was added this year. More on that later. And why only most people? Surely a public holiday is a good thing? *sigh* you would think so wouldn’t you….

As well as the standard holidays around Easter and Christmas, we also get these;

Day After New Year's Day (January)
Presumably this is for those that are totally hungover from the New Year celebrations and need just one more day to get their shit together. Whatever the reason, it's a welcome addition to the summer holiday and it means that one less day's leave is needed to cover the Kiwi summer shut down - oh and another day on the beach.

Anniversary Day (various)
Although these are scattered around the calendar, each region of New Zealand gets its own public holiday. Most are enjoyed in the summer months, with Auckland's being in late January. It's a bit of a mystery why Southland and South Canterbury chose to have theirs in Autumn and very early Spring. Possible the worst time of the year for these colder southern regions. All I can surmise is that the officials must really dislike their constitutents.

Waitangi Day (February)
Waitangi Day marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 when on the 6 February representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Māori chiefs signed what is often considered to be New Zealand’s founding document. The day was first officially commemorated in 1934, and it has been a public holiday since 1974

There are not surprisingly some tensions around the occasion. But on a purely superficial level, it's a nice little break to have shortly after NZ gets back to work after the summer hols.

Anzac Day (April)
Coming shortly after the Easter Break, Anzac Day commemorates those "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". Dawn services are held around New Zealand and Australia and it generally serves as a time to reflect and hope for a better future without war.

Queen's Birthday (June)
It's always stuck me as odd that New Zealand gets a national holiday to mark the Queen's birthday when the UK, her home country, doesn't. At least until this year anyway. Being at the start of June it's right at the beginning of winter so outdoor options are limited but that's okay. It's another day off and I'll drink to that! I do wonder what will happen when Charlie gets on the thone though.....

Labour Day (October)
No not associated with the political party, although some seem to think it is, Labour Day commemorates the struggle for an eight-hour working day. New Zealand workers were among the first in the world to claim this right when, in 1840, the carpenter Samuel Parnell won an eight-hour day in Wellington. Labour Day was first celebrated in New Zealand on 28 October 1890, when several thousand trade union members and supporters attended parades in the main centres. Government employees were given the day off to attend the parades and many businesses closed for at least part of the day. Or at least according to Wikipedia.

These days it's a nice wee break in Spring and the first opportunity to take a breather before the hectic run up to Christmas.

And so that brings me to the new kid on the block, Matariki.

Matariki (June/July)
You wouldn't believe the grief the government got for introducing a new public holiday. Hardly days of enjoyment to which everyone cheers. Some accused the government of putting increased pressure on businesses who would lose "even more money" because of the extra day off. Others suggested that they had nothing against the new holiday, but suggested they should remove one of the others...such as Labour Day. Odd behaviour....ahh but wait.... maybe, just maybe the reason for the ire is because it is primarily a Māori celebration?

So what is it? Rather than me mangle the meaning, here's a quick summary from the newzealand.com website.

Matariki is a star cluster that appears in the early morning sky in New Zealand during the mid-winter months.

The star cluster is well known throughout the world and at different times of the year can be seen around the globe. It is one of the brightest clusters in the sky, containing hundreds of member stars.

Matariki has different names around the world. In English, it is called by its ancient Greek name, Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. In Hawaiian it is Makali’i, ‘eyes of royalty', and in Japan it is Subaru, meaning ‘gathered together’.

Matariki is known as the Māori New Year in Te Ao Māori.

Closely connected with the maramataka (the Māori lunar calendar), the reappearance of the Matariki stars in the early morning sky brings the past year to a close and marks the beginning of the new year.

Mātauranga Māori (ancestral knowledge and wisdom) is at the heart of celebrations of the Matariki public holiday and it will be a time for;

• Remembrance – Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki
• Celebrating the present – Gathering together to give thanks for what we have
• Looking to the future – Looking forward to the promise of a new year

I don't know about you, but that seems to be quite a noble and worthy thing to pause and reflect upon. Why not stop and think about where we are, what we have done and where we need to get to? Goodness me, in this year of all years we need time to do exactly that. 

All You'll Ever Need

The first few days after we arrived into New Zealand for the start of our little adventure - not so little now I suppose - were something of a whirlwind. 

We arrived on a late Friday evening in winter, it was dark but not that cold, not to us at the time anyway. Some work colleagues had kindly offered to put us up for the weekend whilst we found our feet and pretty soon it was Monday. And being keen to start our New Zealand careers, we went off to the office. It was probably a bit ambitious and maybe the sensible thing to do would have been to take a week off and get to know our new home a little bit better. There was quite a bit of debate about this, with one half of the partnership preferring to take the time off and explore and the other half keen to make a start. For the sake of a harmonious relationship, I won’t divulge which I favoured. Jet-lag and a new job. Smashing.

Anyway, we had a lot to sort out that day. Not only did we have to turn up and look remotely useful, coherent even, we also had to move into our temporary premises and get our bank accounts sorted. It was going to be tight. We had to check in before 6pm and get to the bank before it closed - it hadn't occurred to us that we could've taken long lunch break and done at least one of those tasks with a little more time on our side. So we left work at 5pm and charged into the city to get things resolved. 

We quickly checked in to our new apartment - at least we would have somewhere to sleep that night - and then dashed back across the city centre to the bank. It didn't help that I managed to get us lost on the way to the branch - in my defence this was a new city and I was still suffering from jet lag and had just completed my first day in a new job. So there was that. Also, I had the map upside down, the outcome of which was that we’d been heading in the wrong direction for about ten minutes. Oops!

The clock was definitely ticking down. We retraced our steps, corrected our directions and turned up at the bank with about 15 minutes to spare. So far not too disastrous.

We were directed to a booth at the back of the branch. For those used to the UK way of doing things, New Zealand banks are a bit odd. Rather than be faced with a secured counter, it's more like walking into a department store. Scattered around the foyer are customer service desks - little round circular desks which you approach and tell the customer service advisor why you are visiting. Not like a bank at all. Anyway, we let the person know that we were here to formally open our accounts and have the funds that we transferred over a few weeks ago - all of our savings - released. 

"No problem sir, please take a seat at the booth over there and your account manager will be with you shortly"

We sat down and within minutes our account manager sat down at the table alongside us.

"Thanks for coming in today, we'll soon get things sorted and you can be on your way", she noted.

After handing over some ID and giving a few signatures everything was just about sorted. 

"Right here are your cards, ", she said handing over our cards.

"Errm, excuse me", my partner noted, "why is my card a different colour to his?" pointing to her card that was clearly a different type to the one I had been given.

"Don't worry madam, that card will give you everything you need", the account manager reassured with a smile.

Oh shit, I thought.

"Really?", my partner noted, "but why is my card different".

Seemed like a fair question.

"It's okay", the account manager soldiered on, "it's all you will need." At this point she may have even reached out and gently but condescendingly patted the back of my partner’s hand. I can’t be sure - it may have been the affects of jet-lag.

"Please answer my question. What is different about my card?"

"Well, it's really just the same except you can't use it for online purchases", the account manager explained before adding ".....well not without his approval."

Crikey dick, as they say around here, this account manager was either no reading the signs or had a death wish. An awkward silence descended. I’d learned a long time ago that in these situations it was best to keep quiet and not try and pacify the situation. 

Silence

"Well I suggest you take a look at our account balance and the combined total of the two salaries that will be coming in on a regular basis and tell me if you think I am not entitled to exactly the same level of rights."

Silence. A few key taps. More silence

"Well yes madam. But it is quite normal practice for the partner to get......"

The account manager didn't get to finish that sentence. Which is probably for the best.

"How long does it take to issue cards?" my partner calmly asked.

"Usually a couple of days but......"

"Okay, well here's what's going to happened. You are going to arrange for an equivalent card to be delivered to my workplace by Wednesday or we will be moving our accounts to another bank"

"Well I will ask if......."

"I'm not debating this with you. Are we clear?"

"Yes madam."

And with that we picked ourselves up and made our way back to the apartment to start our New Zealand adventure. Not a great start, but at least the card wasn't pink I thought. 

In many ways New Zealand is a progressive and forward thinking society - they were the first country to give women the vote for example. But in many other ways it is stuck in the past. Sometime around 1955 is my best guess. 

The Path of Land and Sea

Before we set out to come to New Zealand to work, we asked ourselves what did we hope to achieve from our time here, and we both said “to make a difference”.

Admittedly, we didn’t specifically say that we wanted to make a positive difference but I hope you agree that was implied. It would, after all, take a special kind of person to want to make a negative difference. They certainly don’t put that question on any job applications I have seen.

So having established we wanted to make a positive difference, what did we think that would look like? Honestly, we didn’t have a clue. To do a good job was one suggestion. But was that enough? Isn’t that what we’ve always strived to do throughout our careers? I hope so.

All of this is a long way around to say I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from working in engineering in New Zealand. How would it compare to my experiences so far? Would my skills meet the expected standard? What projects would I be working on?

All good questions.

If there was one project they has, to date, defined my professional life in New Zealand it’s got to be the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path. It’s been ever present during my time here. 

And when I say it’s been ever present in my New Zealand life, I’m not exaggerating. It was one of the first projects I was handed when I arrived and even after I returned from an 18 month stint with another organisation, it was there waiting from me.

What is it? It’s just a cycle path, or so I kept being told. Yes but it’s nearly 8km long I argued, and goes through so pretty inaccessible land. Yeah, but at the end of a day it’s still just a path. Maybe, I countered, but we need to cross over a railway line, span streams, negotiate around archaeological sites and cross a water-filled basin. Well, yes hhhmm but it’s not a road!

Ah, there’s the rub. It wasn’t a road and New Zealand really does like its roads. Although at nearly 5m wide it is almost a road. It also connected several suburbs to the city network and so would become a vital commuting link. But not for cars so therefore it didn’t really count - in the eyes of many at least.

I first became involved in GI2TD, as it became known to those working on it, in 2014. Not long after I arrived in NZ. At this time it was nothing more than a line on a plan. A squiggle. 

To help manage the delivery, the route was split into four sections and slowly, bit by bit, the squiggle slowly became a reality as the path was delivered. Section 1 completed in 2016, followed by Section 3 (for engineering reasons I won’t bore you with) and then Section 2. Section 2 was the big one.

My goodness it was a struggle. To give an idea of the type of terrain it crossed, I’ll just say that we had to organise helicopters to drop in the drilling equipment for the ground investigations. Even though a suburb was just a few hundred metres away. The land was steep, covered in dense natural New Zealand bush with no road access.

Two bridges had to be designed to cross a gully and rail line respectively along with nearly 1km of boardwalk to help get through a steeply inclining section.

If that wasn’t enough, a railway access road had to be moved to accommodate the shared path. Without that the project probably wouldn’t have been delivered. 

And then there was the issue for getting the beams for the main bridge to site. The only way in was through a housing estate and let’s say those roads weren’t designed to accommodate a long load. The turns were right and numerous power poles at the side of the road didn’t help. 

But it was just a path.

And all consuming. I lost count of the number of sleepless nights, stressful days, arguments and tears. Yes real tears. I asked for help. There wasn’t any. The only way out was through. I can honestly say I’ve never been involved in a project that was so demanding, technically challenging yet somehow rewarding. Not that I could see that at the time. I just wanted it to be over.

So you can imagine my palpable relief when the $40m Section 2 officially opened on the 25 May. Finally, after nearly eight years of effort, the most challenging section was competed and open to the public. It was over.

As for Section 4? Well that’s being progressed, not as quickly as some would like, but as it’s with another organisation that’s not my problem.

So if anyone out there wants to see what I’ve been up to, and you’re in the vicinity, then I recommend a trip along Te Ara Ki Uta Ki Tai, - the gifted name for The Path of Land and Sea. It’s worth the ride, walk or run if you’re that way inclined.

https://youtu.be/IxNOXEQxskM

Early Retirement

Before anyone gets carried away and asks "What the?" let me explain.

On Easter Monday, a few weeks ago now, I started to feel unwell and so, as is the custom in these times, I took a RAT. For those who are observant and appreciate grammatically correct statements,  I said a RAT and not a RAT test. It's a Rapid Antigen Test so a RAT test would be a Rapid Antigen Test Test. By all means refer to it as a RA Test if you must. And as for those who say they're reverting back to something ....don't get me started on that. 

Anyway it was a bit of a surprise when the test gave a positive result. After over two years I'd finally succumbed to the virus. Well I supposed it felt rude not to - all my friends and colleagues were doing it so why shouldn't I? Indeed. It turned out, thanks to the vaccine, to be a mild case with mainly heavy cold symptoms with a dash of grumpiness and irritability. Hey I heard that!

After about a week, my outward symptoms generally receded and I tested negative. Phew! Or so I thought. I was soon back at work but definitely wasn't myself. I felt tired most of the time, when tiredness was usually reserved for Monday mornings, and had problems concentrating. It was okay I just needed a holiday I told myself, and I was due to take an extended break in July so all good on that front. It was a few months away but I could get there. My niggling cough refused to budge and, from time-to-time, I succumbed to coughing fits. 

Nevertheless, I wasn't going to let it get in the way of living my life so I kept to my usual routine and went back to running in the mornings. A good run never hurt anyone and breathing hard would surely force any remnants of the virus out of my system. That would show it who's boss. 

After five weeks with little improvement to the underlying conditions I decided to visit my doctor. I was sure that I would be told to get over myself and I'd soon be right. If anyone asked, at least I could say that I'd been and got myself checked out.

The visit didn't run exactly to that script. Sure I was still negative for Covid but the doctor wasn't impressed. To say I got a bit of a telling off would be putting it mildly. The general gist of the conversation was that we didn't close down the country because a mild disease was circulating in the community. This was a serious illness and needed to be taken seriously. By getting back to my routine so quickly after being ill with Covid was reckless and put me right in the firing line for developing long-term symptoms. Yikes!

I was then asked if my job was stressful. I decided to play it down and suggested that it had its moments. I certainly wasn't going to mention the sleepless nights that I sometimes succumbed to when the pressure was on. 

It made no difference. I was signed off on sick leave for two weeks with immediate effect and told to get myself acquainted with the sofa and Netflix. If I didn't take this seriously I could be in trouble. Health-wise.

I don't think I've ever been off work for that long without being away on holiday. And being told not to exercise at all was a novelty. What was I going to do with all that time? What was I going to tell my employer? 

I needn't have worried about the latter - my employer took it really well and put measures in place to have my projects covered in my absence. The former was going to be a little more problematic. Not being able to exercise at all, not even a walk around the park, took at lot of my favourite pastimes out of consideration. Well at least I couldn't make myself feel guilty about not running. For once. 

With such a lot of time to fill I was going to have to approach this like I would any challenge....I needed a plan. And maybe a Gantt chart. Well that's what project managers do!

So early morning became piano practice time - goodness knows I needed it and had been meaning to take it up seriously. Best to get it done whilst I was fresh and to stop myself getting sidetracked. Mid-morning was reserved for auditioning a new album or two. I had quite a backlog from my last visit to the record store and the albums weren't going to listen to themselves. I had to stop myself from wanting to write a blog about those, but time was precious. The remaining time before lunch became video game time - it was deliberately put before lunch to make sure I took a break. 

The afternoons were, as per the doctor's instructions, sofa and Netflix time where I either binged on a TV programme or watched one of the movies that had been on my to-do list for some time. 

And that was basically it, and it generally worked and my days have filled up nicely. 

Was this a taste of retirement? Is this how it would pan out, wherever I was when it happened? Maybe. Obviously I would have to add running or some outdoor activity into the mix. But overall it wasn't too bad and actually quite enjoyable. At this point, in case anyone from my employer is reading this, I should stress that I'm not actually considering retirement at this stage. Well not seriously anyway. But if retirement, or part-time retirement, means I can get to the things that I've been putting off or simply not able to find the time to do then why not? 

The problem now is that my return to work is just around the corner and I'm not ready. I need more time. I even checked my doctor's note this morning to make sure I hadn't got a few more days off. I haven't. Blast. Well I'd better make the last few days count. I think I need to update my chart......