Working Man No More

Thursday

Mark has worked 15 shifts in 19 days to finish out his time at Tauranga Hospital. He brought cheesecakes for all the nurses on his last shift yesterday, which were quickly devoured. On his way home after midnight, he stopped off for a celebratory pint at the Irish pub just down the block from our apartment. He even got hit on by a woman old enough to be his mother (and "pissed" enough to be Australian).

Pilot Bay and Mauao under a full moon

ED nurses at tea

Nurse Specialist Ali in the docs' office

Mount Mellick Irish Pub

Sherry had an MRI of her knee earlier this week, gratis thanks to the ACC. Although she had some idea of what it showed from the sympathetic cringes on the technician's face and her own studying of the CD images for several hours, comparing them with pictures from the internet, she got confirmation of her fears at her Orthopaedics visit today. She has completely torn her ACL, there's what looks like a bucket-handle tear of her lateral meniscus, with extensive bone bruising and impaction injury of the lateral articular cartilage, an MCL sprain, and a large joint effusion. Ouch! She's understandably frustrated at how one little moment can completely alter your life. Too bad we have to leave NZ at the end of February when our visas expire; if she had time to get the surgery here, the NZ government would pay for the whole thing, rehab included. Double ouch!

http://www.acc.co.nz/

"Helping" mum bake

After dinner this evening, Mark took Ro down to Pilot Bay to hopefully watch Holland America's Volendam put to sea, but the cruise ship wasn't leaving until midnight. Some Hokey Pokey ice cream soon eased Ro's disappointment, until he slipped on the wet pier and dropped it. D'oh! They ran into our apartment managers Lindy and Russel, who were dining with friends at the Yacht Club, chatting with them through the window. Mark and Ro spent the rest of the evening skipping shells on the water, throwing sand and shells into the bay for distance, digging holes, and other pleasantly pointless endeavours. Meanwhile, Sherry was busy baking sheet cakes (for the kids) and pavlova (for the adults) for Ro's farewell party tomorrow. Props to Craig for pulling his electric mixer out of storage, saving us from hand-beating the egg whites. Sherry's arm nearly dropped off last time!

Our favourite after-dinner spot

Lindy & Russell enjoying a round at the yacht club

You're gonna drop that!

Going for distance

Sunset over Pilot Bay

Volendam all lit up

Do I have to take a bath if I rinse off down here?

Peaceful Interlude

Sunday

Sherry fell in the bathroom last night, re-injuring her knee despite wearing the brace, and it was throbbing pretty hard today. Although she did take Ro to Drury Park again early this morning, Mark tried to take him off her hands for most of the day. Sherry's best friend has become a frozen water bottle that she's managed to mold to her knee. The Oceania cruise ship Nautica was in port today, but with only 777 passengers the bulge in the usual weekend crowds was hardly noticeable.

BurgerFuel in bed, a glass-bottle Coke, and plenty of hugs. Life could be worse!

Mark finally convinced Ro to come to the beach with him, after some "firm but gentle persuasion." Ronan, like all human beings, is ruled by the law of inertia, and sometimes requires another force vector applied to keep him from staying in the apartment all day bouncing off the walls and eating us out of Ben 10 yogurt, which comes in such nutritious flavors as chocolate, caramel, and cola (his favorite).

Ro loves to hear the crash of the rubbish four stories down

With our time in NZ winding down, we're fast becoming aware that to live just a few blocks from such a beautiful location in America, we'd need to win the lottery, so we're trying to enjoy it as much as we can before we leave. Ro and Mark stayed at the beach all afternoon, digging holes, jumping waves, and just vegetating, which is what Sherry finally got a chance to do in peace on the sofa. Ro was scared out of the water more than once when Mark would spot the occasional jellyfish. Not to worry, though, the ones around here aren't deadly like the ones in Australia. In fact, why anyone would get in the water in Australia is mystifying to us. If the jellyfish don't kill you, the great white sharks or huge salt-water crocodiles will! New Zealand's most dangerous aquatic animal would have to be an orca that you somehow managed to anger, but all the ones that come into Pilot Bay seem pretty well-behaved.

King of the Beach

Happy as a clam

"Warm" is relative

Ro devoured by the Main Beach

Waiting for waves on the mirror-like sand

If you look hard enough, you can see Hawaii!

Mark finally pried Ro off the beach around dinnertime...again, inertia. They came home to find Sherry cooking some pasta, steamed broccoli, and fresh corn on the cob, with filet mignon for Mark...mmmm. Ro washed the sand off in the tub, leaving the whole bathroom looking like his own private beach. We fired up Ro's new mp3 player that he got from grandparents Randy & Martha; he really enjoyed recording his own voice and playing it back to himself.

I'm cold, daddy!

Wait up, Ro!

His Master's Voice

First Goodbyes

Saturday

The hospital has been wringing every possible shift out of Mark before he's gone for good, so he worked all week again, covering for Lynn who's on leave. Sherry finally had her first Orthopaedics appointment this week, and the surgeon suspects she not only tore her MCL, but her ACL and meniscus as well! She also got a new "RoboCop brace," which keeps her knee much more stable, but is a bit unwieldy. Sherry wasn't able to get the car back to Mark at the hospital that evening, so he decided to walk home instead of hailing a cab. It was a nice night, and the harbour looked absolutely beautiful as he crossed the new bridge. The port was still buzzing with activity as a cargo ship was loaded, a few fishermen were out on the breakwater at the marina, and more than a few startled rabbits hopped across Mark's path. The walk took him about an hour and 45 minutes, finally arriving home just before 2am.

Container ship getting topped off

Tauranga Bridge Marina in the wee hours

Exhausted after a long week, Mark slept in this morning while Sherry took Ro to Drury Park. As Ro played with a few other kids at the park, a few teenagers in sleeping bags poked their heads up groggily, looking perplexed as to why their slumber was disturbed at 7:30am. "They obviously aren't around little kids much," Sherry and the other mums observed of the teens' poor choice of places to crash. As usual, Sherry got a lot of attention at the park due to her brace, attracting unsolicited comments from anyone who's ever had a knee injury, sharing their war stories and scars. Even after a year, we are continually reminded of the stark differences between NZ and the USA: here, the people sleeping in city parks are teens on holiday!

Kite surfers taking advantage of a windy Pilot Bay

Ro took this

Ro played at the pool for much of the afternoon, hanging out with neighbor Sharon's grandkids. After Ro was fed and bathed, our babysitter Teagan came over with her girlfriend. Since Teagan only had a learner's permit, her friend drove. Leaving the Mount late on a Saturday night with a restricted license would have been inviting trouble from the police, so we got two sitters for the price of one. Ro didn't mind the extra attention one bit.

Ro jumps into Sharon's arms

We hopped a cab into Tauranga to attend a little going-away get together for Mark thrown by David, his fellow ED doc from the States. David had quite the spread, so our Kiwi and British house officers got to try some American delicacies such as Buffalo wings and chili slaw dogs. Since David and Sherry both grew up in Asheboro, small world stories abounded as they discovered all the people and places they both knew.

David's long search for "American Mustard" was a success

Andre & Cindy sample their first Carolina-style dogs

Born To Ride

Wednesday

Still crippled, Sherry was running out of things to do with Ronan, especially on a drizzly day. They spent a few hours at the pool, and then she figured she could kill another three hours by taking him to a matinee of Avatar 3D. He liked the novelty of the 3D glasses, but she feared the worst when he got scared by the Cheshire Cat in the Alice in Wonderland preview. Not to worry, though...he was completely transfixed by the whole Avatar experience, sitting on the edge of his seat, peering intently through his too-big glasses. Sherry looked over at him during the scene where some magic wispy seed pods are landing all over the main character, and Ro was batting them away from his face with his hands, thinking they were going to land on him, too!

Checking out the scene at cloudy Pilot Bay

Mark got home from work around dinnertime. Craig, Paulette, and Caitlyn came over for a chat as we were finishing, then Mark took Ro out bike riding to burn off some energy. They rode over to the other side of Coronation Park, where Ro took an unauthorized run across the impeccable, inviting lawn at the Bowls Club. On their way home, Ro nailed a curb with one of his training wheels, bending the metal post that holds it on. Mark decided it was either time to buy new trainers or take them off altogether, and Ro made that a no-brainer. As soon as the trainers were gone, Ro took off like a shot, all the way across our carpark. There was no holding him up and running alongside him - he did it all by instinct. He was grinning ear-to-ear, pleased as punch with his newfound "big boy"-ness. Turning is still taking some getting used to, but that will come soon enough.

Sampling the smooth grass at the MMBC

Last moments on trainers!

Sherry watching her boys arrive home

A wobbly take-off

Sherry cracking up at Ro's insistence to squeeze his grown-up bike into the rack

Marking An Eventful Year

Sunday

For those of you who were at our wedding a year ago, you'll be glad to know it was appreciably warmer today. Mark awoke to find Sherry putting Ro's big Lego airplane together, which she has sworn on several occasions she would never do again. Married life has made her soft, apparently. She gave Mark a very sweet card and some NZ poetry magnets for the fridge, but his main gift is still on the way, caught in Trade Me limbo. She soon delegated finishing the plane to Mark, as she whipped up some bacon and eggs. Her scrambled eggs have gotten really good lately, ever since she reverse engineered the recipe that Main St Café uses. She claims they sauté them in a bit of cream cheese, with a dash of chili powder.

Just married...on the coldest day of the year

Thanks to cousin Ashley for the pics

It was another cruise ship day on The Mount, with the massive Diamond Princess in port, and the streets around The Anchorage were filled with tourists. The whole country was buzzing about Prince William arriving in Auckland on his first official visit anywhere as the Queen's representative. In addition to hanging out with Prime Minister John Key, he met with NZ's own royalty at Eden Park: All Blacks Dan Carter (#10) and Richie McCaw (#7).

We were debating what to do today when we got a frantic phone call. We rushed over to a neighbor's apartment, stethoscope in hand, to assist with a medical emergency. As we tag-teamed our assessment of the patient, we found it ironic that we had first met doing the very same thing at the Randolph Hospital Emergency Department. Mark recognized the paramedics who showed up to the apartment, and they were grateful for his succinct summary of the situation in Kiwi medicalese. When we got back to our place, Sherry mused, "Well, I guess Ro got out of eating his eggs after all."

Ro & Barnaby watching the excitement from our balcony

Mark had some errands to run, so he ducked out to score Avatar 3D tickets for tonight, bless Sherry's greenstone earrings in the ocean, pick up a card and some glass-bottled Cokes (Sherry's favorite), and got two more NZ-oriented charms for Sherry's Pandora-style bracelet (one would be from Ro). Once Mark got home, he took over watching Ro and Barnaby while Sherry ran out to do some shopping. The boys paused briefly in their trashing of Ro's bedroom just long enough to scarf down some Vegemite sandwiches.

Greenstones about to take a dip

Crowds gather for the finish of the annual Round The Mount Swim

A common sight on Maunganui Rd in the summer

Cruise ships somehow make summer traffic even worse

Ro and Barnaby were enjoying watching Beetlejuice on DVD for the umpteenth time when Sherry came home and shooed them outside for a little fresh air. Mark took them across the street to Coronation Park for some squirt gun fighting and tadpole catching.

Let's squirt your dad! Yeah!

Lawn bowls beneath the Diamond Princess

Barnaby's mom Heidi picked him up just as our babysitter Jessica arrived. Mark had polled the nurses at work to figure out the best restaurant in town, and they unanimously recommended Somerset Cottage in nearby Bethlehem. When we first pulled up, it didn't seem to be all that special of a location (right across a busy road from a mall), but we sat out back on a pretty, secluded patio overlooking a fern-filled gorge. Sherry even spotted a large rabbit hopping through the trees.

Marriage (and a little sun) has been good for us

Enjoying some bubbly on a midsummer's eve

The nurses' endorsements were well-justified, as the food was easily some of the best we've had in NZ. We started with homemade Naan with several savory dips, then Mark had the roast duck while Sherry had the Paris Gnocchi. We finished with a selection of mini chocolate treats, all washed down with some NZ sparkling wine and a pot of tea (of course). We made it back to The Mount just in time to throw on our 3D glasses and enjoy Avatar, which was awesome. By the time the movie was over, Sherry observed that it seemed like we'd been away from Ro for a week.

A whole year later...and half a world away

View from our table

Best Mates

Saturday

Ro and Barnaby have been nearly inseparable this week, although they'll have a bit of a spat every hour or so. Ro can be a bit rough...Barnaby decidedly less so. Some bruised egos inevitably result. Both of them are prone to tattling, so Sherry, Mark, and Craig are frequently fielding wild tales of injustice. Following a perceived insult or injury, one of them will storm off home to their apartment, claiming they'll never play with each other again. Five minutes later we hear, "I'm bored, can I go over to Barnaby's?"

Finishing a round of Glowgolf at The Rock House

You first!

So much for keeping the shorts dry

Rhapsody Of The Seas pulls away behind the boys

Not keen to wait for her Orthopaedics appointment to begin range of motion exercises on her buggered knee, Sherry circumvented the medical system and ordered a hinged knee brace on Trade Me. Fortunately, it fit nicely, and she's feeling like a new woman. Good thing, too, as with Mark at work all week she's been keeping Ro and Barnaby entertained. They've thoroughly enjoyed their swimming lessons, especially playing on the big Hydroslide afterwards.

Wave to my dad!

Ro meets the business end of the wave pool

After a long, painful week, Sherry was in need of a break this morning, so Mark and Craig took the boys out for the day. They went down the road to the driving range across from Bayfair. Craig was the only one who'd ever driven a golf ball for real before, and it showed. After a few Mulligans and even a couple of whiffs, Mark was able to get some decent distance, but still had a wicked slice. Ro and Barnaby had a couple of good hits, but found it nearly impossible to keep their arms straight. After we burned 100 balls, the boys were jumping at the bit to move on to Mini-Putt!

Lock your wrists!

Oooo...slice!

The mini-golf course was easily the hardest Mark has ever played. Unlike the courses in the States, there were no walls or bumpers along the sides, so it was all too easy for the ball to roll off the course, resulting in a penalty stroke. We didn't even bother to tally our embarrassing scores, but they were probably around 100. Ro had the the signature moment of the day, when he nailed a hole-in-one on a difficult "bridge" hole that Mark and Craig took 4's on and Barnaby finally gave up on entirely.

Note the signs: the Mini-Putt doubles as a fish market

The last hole was, of course, The Mount

After a quick stop at the grocery store, the guys came back to Craig's place to hang out with Paulette, have a few drinks and watch The Simpsons (some things are universal). Sherry was happy for the blissful solitude, making the most of her chance to start cleaning out Ro's room and stuffing bags full of clothes and toys to donate to the Sallies (Salvation Army) down the street in preparation for our return home.

"It's hero time!"