Steff Metal’s Christmas Break

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a quiet holiday break, and it’s been lovely. Sun, beach, family, friends, and delicious food. It’s been all good.

Most of these presents were for my little nephew

I got utterly spoiled at Christmas – got a new iPod with my name engraved on it, two books and a handmade iPod case (made by a close friend) from CDH, a weekend away in Tauop, some spice jars, fudge, a gorgeous white shirt, and a bunch of iTunes vouchers from Mother and Father metal, some cat slippers and a whole bunch of socks with cats on them from my sister, and lots of sweets and my kobo ereader from my in-laws.

CDH had the brilliant idea of getting my 2 year old nephew a child’s percussion set. We also got my sister and her husband a pair of earmuffs (they can share).

Sean attacking the Christmas snackage (I ate all the salmon)

Dad and CDH took 3 hours putting Sean’s trampoline together because they had to pull it apart again three times after refusing to read the instructions. It was rather hilarious.

CDH fixes the trampoline. Again.

Yesterday, CDH and I went on a little adventure. Owing to the fact that our moving-to-Germany plans might be on the fritz, we’ve been looking at some land for sale outside of Auckland. We drove out to the area we’re interested in and had a look around.

Anyone who has been here before will probably tell you Auckland is not a pretty city. It’s not. We are, comparitively speaking, a “new” country, so our cities lack that wonderful built-upon effect of London or Edunbugh or Damascus, or that otherworldly sci-fi feel of Hong Kong or Tokyo. Our urban architecture tends to be a horrid mix of state housing, 70s design, and “chic” modernism. Auckland has a different vibe to the rest of New Zealand – and after too many years in the city, you feel it starting to grate on you. We both grew up in the country and are weary of Auckland. I’m sick of the shoddy public transport in particular. But 40 minutes out of the city, you get to this:

This is Opotoa scenic reserve, which would be a short walk or drive from our potential plot of land. We won’t be too far from places like Helensivlle, which has a great arty community and this funky junk shop:

Opotoa Reserve

What would we do with land? Well, we would start a smallholidng (or lifestyle block, as it’s called over here). Vegetables, an orchard, a few chickens, and some tr00 metal goats. Later, a few pigs and maybe some sheep. We’ll take in guests over the summer and hobbits over the winter.

New Zealand is a great place to do this. Although our land and house prices can be pretty steep, our living costs are comparitively low (how many times can I say comparitively in one blog post). There’s a close community to help you out and some amazing countryside that’s still truly rugged and wild. We’re suffering in the recession as much as any country, but with less people, there are less people out of jobs, and our status as a small tropical island off the coastof Australia shields us somewhat from the world at large.

I am looking forward to kayaking and swimming in that lake in summer.

Hungry adventurers need sustenance.

Helensville Junk shop (inside an old theatre)

This is just an idea, and not something we can seriously look at till I find out about my German visa. But we’re still going to Wacken (and Finland now, too). So whatever we do, 2011 is gong to be an exciting year.

What about you? What kind of awesomeness – big and small – are you planning for 2010?