More Public Toilets

It seems the antipodeans really take this topic seriously. No sooner do I comment on the number in this country than I get a link to an official map of the location of said conveniences in Australia:

http://www.toiletmap.gov.au/

By the way there was no shortage of toilets for those caught short on my half marathon route.

Half Marathon

Tim had his first crack at a half marathon today and it went very well. Once again the winter weather here was dry, very light winds with warm sun and moderate air temps around 15C (56F). The course was pretty flat (with a climb only in the final 1km) and these conditions helped to achieve a time of 1hr 25mins 48secs (or so, their automatic timing was messed up and someone was standing in front of the seconds on the timing clock at the finishing line... so I had to squint at my watch as I gasped for air in the finishing channel).

For any running nerds the 5km splits were 19.40, 20.26, 20.54 (bettering my 15km PB), and 20.42.

Edit: My "official" time was finally given as 1.25.45, good for 4th in the 40-44s and 20th overall in a field of 374.

Public Toilets

I'm sure the friends who could never roadtrip far without pause for relief (you know who you are P**l and A*d*ew) would be interested to hear that there can't be anywhere in the world with more public toilets per person than New Zealand. Even in small towns you can follow the trusty blue signs and find a convenient errr convenience. While the main facilities tend to close at dusk there is always a reserve option in the same block open 24/7. Tracy is doing her best to visit every one.

Wanganui itself is quite the hotbed of public toilets thanks to an elderly man who has campaigned on the subject for years. Another good reason to retire here I guess.

Meanwhile on the same theme those people who would do anything to avoid pub toilets should visit the gents in the Thirsty Whale, Napier. This wood paneled haven features flat panel TV's so as not to miss a moment of the rugby action.

Flora

I seem to bring up the weather a lot (it was up around 16C (60F) and sunny again today but with a big storm approaching) but hey, after New York I love the temperate ambiance. And the lack of extremes mean we are never without flowering trees, shrubs and flowers. I mentioned that the town had recently planted fresh bedding plants, and we've also had lots of daffodils and right now a number of common bushes and trees are in bloom.

Next month I'd imagine another selection will be in season. Sure brightens up a town.

School Uniform and Short Trousers

In the dim and distant past when I was at primary (elementary) school I used to wear shorts every day, despite the fact that most of my contemporaries were in long trousers (pants). I think I must have wanted to be different or something. However I would have fitted in well here where many of the boys are still in short school uniform trousers at and older age than me. I'm not sure if it is compulsory or optional at different ages... will have to find out. I rarely see kids at work incidentally, young ones get care from school dental nurses (therapists) free and the high schoolers are only seen by dentists with the relevant paperwork sorted to be paid. No loss for me!

Like the UK and unlike the US all kids are in uniform. The boys look like Brits in grey with school tie and requisite coloured jumper (sweater) but the girls all have very long tartan skirts matching the jumper, giving them a very old fashioned appearance.

Incidentally, even in the middle of winter many men coming from work are in short shorts... and a few patients turn up in sandals too.

The Flag

As some may know the New Zealand flag owes much to it's colonial history:


and is also rather like that of Australia:


There are moves afoot to change the flag and efforts to collect 300,000 signatures to force a referendum. Some of the possible designs are shown here.

The flag is used more like the British one as a decoration for official buildings rather than the American habit of flying it everywhere. Especially as the silver fern on black or Kiwi bird motif are also used as national symbols. So the argument on a possible new flag is not exactly heated!

More from the Letters Column

I commented a few months ago that the letters page of the local paper was a treat but one recent contribution really stood out among the local political mudslinging, fascist rants and religious diatribes. The letter focussed on the prevalence of melon in general and water melon in particular in the "fruit salad" purveyed by local caterers. This was apparently all some kind of plot to defraud the populace, and while the actual point of the missive was not entirely obvious it seemed to center (I note I still spell like and American sometimes) on the fact that as melon disagreed with the correspondent's digestion it should be classed as a vegetable.

The editorial comment following dryly noted that the dictionary definition of melon was as a fruit. I wonder what other gems will follow!

Winter and Stuff

Once again it's a while since I've updated the blog, work, blah, blah, etc.

The weather, always a favorite topic in every country I've lived in, has actually been sort of wintry in the last few days. Not enough to need a jacket but there were hail stones bouncing off my bike helmet at the weekend and apparently a combination of hail blocking downspouts, then heavy rain managed to flood and collapse a flat roof at our local home improvement/ DIY warehouse. It's actually been pretty much that favorite of Scotland's weather forecasts: sunny intervals and showers. However the town is still very attractive with fresh flowers in all the beds and hanging baskets still going strong, and the sun is pretty warm when it does come out. I've only recored 2 frosts at the house, and neither made it down to -1C (30F).


I did get a little crazy Sunday with the fitness freakery. The town promotes a 10km run with the slight twist that the course includes the two steep hills on the east of the river (75m/ 270ft high) with start, midpoint and finish back at the river. I did OK finishing in 41.54 and was just behind the same girl who beat me in a recent flat 10km. However in the afternoon I wanted Tracy to try out a little duathlon (bike/ run) and while she did the short course (run - bike - run 1.5k - 10k - 1.5k) I tried the long course (5k - 30k - 5k). This turned out to be hard work and while the first 5k was done at a jog the biking was a chore: the good competitors were fast, the weather awful (see note about hail bouncing off helmet) and the wind managed the trick of being in my face most of the way. By the time I got back to the transfer point the legs were numb and it took about another 2km of running to get feeling back in the legs. Maybe that's why they end up with a run? A time of 1hr 38.05 was good enough for me and I joined Tracy in the local pub before we staggered home (in more pouring rain) via the chip shop.

Kiwi vocabulary for today, another one for the dentists: Lollies - not lollipops as I first imagined but a general word for sweeties/ candy.

We have still not hit the ski slopes... the only two possible days have promised high winds and rain so we demurred. Some day hopefully, or maybe on the South Island where we head in a few weeks.