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Following Henry’s request, here is another blog post! 

So, we’re trundling along quite nicely! We’ve paid off the credit card (our ski passes) and now we only use our earnings, which is great! We are working hard and allowing ourselves the occasional treats, for example we had TWO ice creams last week. Ferg ice cream is better than Ferg burger. Just sayin’. 

Last night we spent my $100 winnings from the retro ski night competition. It was delightful! We had calamari to start, then a mixed grill each and finished with a chocolate pudding! A jug of beer to wash it all down and we were most satisfied!

 We then toured a few bars, sang 3 karaoke songs (Offspring, Tom Jones and The Clash) and finished the night eating a sausage on a stick ($1!), sold as a hot dog. Craig was impressed by the even coverage of ketchup, despite the fact it lacked the dog. Or the hot. Which one is the bun?! Why is it called a hot dog in the first place? I’ll Wikipedia it later. We all know Wikipedia is gospel. 

Breaking news- I now realise that I’m no longer a binge-drinking uni goer and last night confirmed this. 

We had a smooth Disaronno and coke in 2 separate bars called Barmuda and Bardeaux. These were sophisticated affairs where we sat in comfortable armchairs and in front of a roaring fire. The lights were dimmed in an elegant but mysterious way and good music played in the background. I loved it. So inviting; cosy yet cool. 

Then we left these suave establishments and went to the raved-about Winnie’s. I so wish I had been blessed with Craig’s blocked nose. It reeked of sweat, bodily fluids and desperation. 8 years ago, I would have loved it, I’m sure. Now I just feel old. I had to work hard to keep a look of distain off my face, and I’m not entirely sure that I succeeded. We had one drink and left, never to return. Fair play to the people in there having a good time…crack on! I think it is just no longer for me. Soulless with shit music (excuse my French). I also now need somewhere with cleanish, useable toilets. Winnie’s isn’t that place. 

I don’t even like rosé any more! It’s just too sweet. Cor blimey, before you know it, I’ll be drinking red!! I’ll let you know when that happens. I feel completely happy, chilling with Craig in front of a fire, with a glass of crisp white. Perfect!

And I’m not even feeling hungover this morning. This is because I am also now sensible… yes! That’s right! I drank water in between each beverage! Smug. 

Anyway, enough about that. A quick note on the ski fields. 

I can’t get over how tiny the resort is, and how soulless it is! NZSki basically own the mountain and must be making millions, however I simply can’t see where this money goes apart from paying their army of staff the bare minimum they can! The lifts are old, without footrests, there is only one canteen with a very small range of decently priced food, the transport is often delayed and costs extra to the lift pass, the pistes aren’t marked… it all just seems crazy and unprofessional as a company. There are some great slopes and great skiing but it could be expanded and so much better!

I know, I know it’s small and you shouldn’t compare it to the Alps, but I can’t help but thinking even small improvements would go such a long way. They did Christmas in July on the 25th last week and it could have been a really fun event. However it ended up being completely half-arsed and just flopped. That sums up NZSki. 

I guess part of it is because QT isn’t a ski town. Its primary feature or attraction isn’t actually the skiing and mountains, as I had initially thought. It’s an adventure capital! People come here to do everything adrenaline-pumping like bungee jumping, paragliding, sky diving, going super fast on boats down rivers etc etc. Skiing is part of that but a large percentage of tourists come here and only do it for a day, as part of ticking off their adventure ‘done that’ list. You just can’t appreciate skiing or boarding after one day!!! But that’s how it is and it’s not going to change so we need to go with the flow and accept it. 

Whinge over!

In other news, we’ve been a bit ill recently. Craig hardly ever gets ill so this cold is driving him mad. He doesn’t get much rest, working days AND nights so that doesn’t help. I think we’re coming towards the tail end now and sleep is probably the medicine we need most. Some buttercup syrup wouldn’t go amiss either!

I love working at the rock shop. A lady took a photo with us (Giovana and me) the other day. I feel famous. 

QT is lush. I might moan a bit about NZSki, but overall I proper love it here. We’ve got a good thing going! We have some exploration plans in the pipelines and I’m looking forward to what the upcoming months have in store!

Missing family and friends lots though. Massive congrats to Vicki and Stephen, and Joe and Nat on their engagements! So much love! Thinking of you all and sending my love to England, Germany and wherever else you all are! 

Peace out x

Ps. About the karaoke. I didn’t get booed off. Result. And some muppet sang a Meatloaf song. It seemed to take hours. That’s just not karaoke etiquette.

Pps. Btw, I’m not saying I don’t like going out and dancing…I love to dance! I think I’ve just become a bit more picky on where we go to drink and dance, if that’s the mood we’re in!