Spring = Sun and Snow

This week have offered everything from cold and rainy winter days to hot summer days! Most of the houses are not insulated here, like the one i live in, so on cold winter days its really cold inside if you don't have a heater inside, I don't in my room so this weekend I had about 10 degrees during the evening and night.. so I had a few nights when I went to bed really early, because my electric blanket is the only source of heat! Now it's turning and spring is on it's way! Yesterday the sun was shining so nice at us in school and we had about 22 degrees! It's so beautiful with all the flowers!

Me and the kids went with Shantalle to her parents earlier this week, they live in Bulls outside Whanganui. We stayed there for one night, her parents have a farm in a very nice area and the land is much flatter down there. The day after we left the kiddies with there grandma and we went shopping. I bought a pair of new riding pants, because mine is starting to "give up".
I also bought two pairs of jeans and one hoodie. I weren't that smart when I decided to bring a pair of light blue jeans to a farm in middle of winter. It's kind of muddy up at the farm. Later on we meet up for some lunch and then we went to the supermarket to pick up the monthly preordered food. Five big food carts full of food, lucky that they have a big car to put everything in.

This weekend four of our horses are going competing in a race, I think it's a 120km race. Me and the kids will stay at home and take care of the farm.

When I got up this morning and looked out the window, the weather was so perfect! After I left the kids at daycare and on my way to the library I had so big cravings for snow! On the way to Ohakune you are just driving towards Mount Ruapehu, so today i did not stop at Ohakune, I just had to get up to the snow! The road went slowly up through the Tongariro National Park, a very beautiful road full of palm trees. Those of you who know me know I have a fondness for palm trees! Then appeared Ruapehu up behind a curve, and the road immediately became much steeper and curvier. There was snow along the way but it was very good road conditions. Otherwise my little Mazda would not had make it all the way up to the parking lot. My plan was to just come back down, but I started to get hungry and I needed a coffee, real coffee no instant shit ;). Of course, was the top car park full so I had to park further down and walk in the snow beside the slope, with my white converse and jeans up to the restaurant. I must have looked really funny when I passed all that went in ski boots and carrying skis. I ate my breakfast out on the terrace and enjoyed the sun.


Now Im sitting in the Library and have just booked my hotel for next week, I have three days of so Im going skiing! Ruapehu have two sides the one I visit today, Turoa and the other one is Whakapapa, this is were Im going to next week for skiing! Now I must by some sunscreen, the sun is really strong here and you burn so fast!
On monday the two week long school holiday starts here. "What are we going to do when we can't go to school?" Sacha loves school!

10968 miles from home and I love it!

There is one special house Im passing on my way in to town. Its a big white house on the right side of the road located up on a hill and every time Im looking up on the house I can see the flag of New Zealand dancing in the wind. This makes me pinch my arm and smile, Im in New Zealand!

This Picture I took from the small gravel road up to the farm last week when I was driving home from Ohakune. I have said it before and I am probably going to say it many more times, the view from here is so amazing!


This week have been long for all on the farm, Ashely got a call last week about a person that were not able to take care of the animals, many of them horses. They were starving, just skin and bones and most of them totally feral. Ashely and Ash went there with the cattle truck and brought back 9 horses in different ages, some very young and all of them purebred arabs. They have been working so hard with these horses the whole week and you can see the improvement. Ashely have three horses at the time she is working with, while the others are out in the field eating. She have already started to find new homes for some of them and one is leaving this sunday. Im so impressed of the work she is doing! These horses deserve so much more!

We had some rain during the week so me and the kids have been inside playing and baking. We been to school and Sacha really loves school! It's a very creative school, they are doing a lot of artwork, dancing and singing. That fits a four year old perfect! Always in the car she wants me to turn around so she can go back to school!

Now we have 12 lambies and 1 calf to take care of, and they are eating a lot! The lambies is very cute and loves to cuddle, I named the calf Rosalie or Rosie and she is getting big and strong! but she always wants to suck on you and she is drooling a lot..! So I have like calf drool on all my clothes now.
Im now "trusted" with the motorbikes! That makes everything a little bit easier because they don't need to drive me around.


Yesterday after school Me, Shantalle and Ash went out for a training ride and took all the working dogs with us. I were riding Starbow a wonderful chestnut and he has a lot of energy. We took a new road that i never been on before and these horses never stop to impress me! we went down through the valley and the in to one of the fields and the it started to go up, steep up through the valley again. The horses are just going and going, canter and trotting mostly then walking a little, and they are re-boosting with new energy so quickly after a workout like this. Before I came here I have to say purebred arab horses were not my favorite, but I must say I have never meet a horse like these horses! They are just so amazing.

Time is just flying by..! - 2 weeks now

Saturday 6/9

Today during the afternoon i helped training horses, I was riding Starbow and she road Divo, these Arabian endurance horses are so powerful and so incredible fit! They work with a lose rein in walk, trot and canter. The terrain here is very hilly so the training is hard but necessary when they go 120km races or longer. So I thank my skiing days this winter in Sweden for good leg muscles to start with! But i was tired after this "easy" training for the horses! 

Sunday 7/9

My birthday!!:) I turned 24 years old and I say thanks to all of you for my birthday wishes!!:) and for my great going away/birthday party before I left Sweden! 

Today I baked a really nice muffin cake that everybody on the farm enjoyed! Me and the kiddies had a picnic lunch outside in the sunny and beautiful wether! We also played some hide and seek with Sachas barbies, but she thinks my hiding spots are better so she mostly put the barbies in the same place I did..

Monday 8/9

First day of school for Sacha! She is only 4, but she starts with 2 days a week, Monday and Wednesday, to meet new kids to play with! Me and Lauchlan stay at school during the day playing on the playground. The class are mixed with kids from 4-10 years old and there is 3-4 teachers so they can have some separate classes and some together. All the Kids bring their own lunch, and I find it a little strange that all of them have so much candy and sweets in the lunchbox and not food..! During the lunch brake they did some really cool art work on the ground for a girl that has cancer! 

When we went back home in the afternoon the were a big red bull sleeping in the middle of the road! he was very calm and nice, he just stand up and let me pass him and then he went back sleeping again. 

Well at home Shantalle gave me a brake from the kids so I went with Ashely on a ride and I had the best ride so far! This time i was riding C-boy( I don't know how to spell his real name) and he is my new favorite!!:) we went cantering trough fields of sheep and lambs, that sort of riding you see on movies! 

Wednesday 10/9 

School day again!:) me and Lauchlan are out enjoying the sun, while Sacha have her lessons. The lessons are mostly singing, playing, learning to read, doing some art work or practices their speech for parents day! A few days a week they are training for the schools Cross Country Trail Run a trail that goes outside the school. So they have to practices by running around the school ground. When Lauchlan saw all the other kids run he did it to. Me and Lachland did one lap and the others did two or three laps around. 

In the afternoon me and Ashely went out on a evening ride before it was time for dinner.

Thursday 11/9

My day of and I needed to go down to Ohakune, so I dropped the kids of at Daycare on my way. I'm very proud over my self because now I find my way around here a little better! So now Im back at the library using their wifi. I need to fix a few papers today and then Im of exploring the town a little. Need to get some info about the skiing, if its easy to drive up there with my car or if there is a Shuttle bus. It looks like its going to rain a lot next week, and thats good because it haven't been raining for a while now so we need it, but i hope we can have a little sun to!  

   

My First Week

I left Sweden August 26th 2014 to start the adventure of my life!
I already got a job to be Nanny to two kids, Sacha 4 years and Lauchlan 2 years old.

We had a short connection in London since the plane was delayed in Gothenburg.
I meet a Swedish Girl, Bella, on the bus from terminal 5 to terminal 3 in London Heathrow. You do know that the world is small when Bella and I is from the same small town Lysekil, Sweden. She actually applied to the same job i New Zealand, the one I got! And now she were going to Australia instead.

On the plane to Hong Kong I slept like a baby. Watched one movie, had my dinner and I was out.

Well in Hong Kong me and Bella meet Annie, another swedish girl on her way to Australia. I was shocked there were no restaurant on the airport in Hong Kong that served sushi!?
My Plane from Hong Kong to Auckland was delayed almost one hour so I had plenty of time looking at the tax free shops!
Well on the last plane I had a window seat! yeah!! The plane was far from fully, so I had my own VIP row in economy class! That is luxury!

I arrived to Auckland after almost 32 hours of traveling, but it sure felt so much faster! I arrived but my Backpack didn't.  It was stuck some were on the way, it probably missed the connection i London or something. So the called my name in the speakers when i was standing waiting on the bags. So no bags but 130 dollars from the airport instead. When they told me that they would deliver my backpack to the adress of the farm, they did not now that it's up in the mountains were the post only delivers once a week.

Thursday 28th of August
Shantalle, the kids mum, picked me up in Auckland, and we had a 6 hour drive up to the farm.
On the small very narrow gravel road up to the house, we meet three of the farm horses on the road in the dark. and the walked very nicely infront of the car all the way up to the farm.

Im so happy I got a electric blanket to put in my bed, because its so cold in the room, no insulation or heaters in my room. So I snuggled up in my bed with dubbel blankets and one electric!

Friday 29th of August
I can tell you that is was dark when I arrived to the farm the evening before and OMG what a incredible view it is up here!! It really is breathtaking! I meet the kiddies and followed Shantalle around on the quads. The farm is so big and the landscape is so amazing! Mount Ruapehu is the name of the big mountain on the picture, it is also the closest Skiing area here, only two hours! Im going there soon on my days of! the skiing season is until October so I have time.

The airport called me, my bag had arrived to Auckland and the delivered it to Wanganui airport, (two hours from the house) and we were going to pick it up on sunday!

Sunday 31th of August 
I love the Kids and I think they love me! we have so much fun together, but they have a strong will sometimes. We went down to pick my backpack and I got to see how to drive to town and around to all places the kids need to go, like day care once a week, library, supermarket... and then it was my turn to drive the car!! on the wrong side of the road!! I was a little nervous but it went fine! the annoying thing is when I want to turn and put the arrow on, I put the wipers instead..! I guess I will get used to it!;)



Thursday 4th of September
The days are long and goes quickly, I already been here for a week! It is so fantastic here, I been out riding and been on pic-nic with the kids! We have four lambies that we need to bottle feed 6 times a day. Today is my day of, so I followed Shantalle down to Raetihi were the children's daycare is, and to see the roads again, because tonight i need to find the way my self! I have been at the library in Ohakune, because here is WiFi! and now Im going to explore a little!