reflections on Cromwell

the best days of my life...





well, i could just leave it there could i? it was just the most incredible time i've ever had.. every moment i spent out in the middle of the desert changed my life so much.. it just showed me that there is so much more to life than the comforts that a city crawler is so attached to, e.g. everyday internet, TV, etc.. it will be looked back as such a pivotal moment in my life..

6 weeks ago, when i set off with Dunedin with Jacqui, Jess and Roxy full of their stuff from their flat, i had no idea what to expect.. then, i was glad to have some sort of job, even if i dint know what i was leading myself into, and i was glad it was outside Dunedin and in the most beautiful part of New Zealand.. 6 weeks later, well i definitely know what not to do with a spur, and i definitely have had too much of Mike Willis' cornyisms -

"wires, the best of all the jobs", "i-rection", "Fong and... Leeeee"

the last one was my fault.. but yeah there's a point if need be.. now i know Mike Willis much better and he's quite a good guy.. likewise Jared and Joe, whom i've known fairly well but in foresight, i wouldn't have imagined how far they could go at their risk-taking, e.g. jumping off bridges, free-loading... spent heaps of time with them which obviously meant getting to know them much better, coz really i only meet those guys once or twice a week and it's really superficial stuff i see.. Mike actually loves jigsaw puzzles.. haha... it was nice when Chris McDonald came along too for the last 2 weeks, partly coz it meant we got another car for our long distance trips.. got to know Roxy better as well, coz she was the only flatmate from the girls flat whom i dint really know that well.. she is quite a cool and caring girl, quite organised although found that out just as we were about to leave for Cromwell when she was trying to get Jess to hurry up.. wouldn't have thought she was the daredevil that she showed to be, esp doing the higher end of the Cromwell Bridge.. wish i had a picture of her covered in mud after that mudfight by the Bannockburn Bridge coz that was a sight! she was p much soiled!

then of coz the Deans who owned the bach we stayed for most of the time in Cromwell.. we spent most of the time talking to Charlotte and Alice, when she came over for the last few weeks, although Teri is quite good to talk to esp on the vineyard.. they are very nice family and their place was lovely as, although the kitchen was challenging when ya have 3 groups of ppl - the other group being the 3 girls in the tent working at Akarua, Rachel, forgot the other two names, they know Jared.. otherwise it was good times, whether it was Cranium on one night during the first week - will never forget that coz of the launderette/lingerie fiasco, or the Sluicings..

i'd describe my time in Cromwell as a tour.. and it was a tour that got more exciting over time and peaked right at the end.. every time i look at my digital camera i always look at the last ones where we were at Mount Cook, and of coz the jumps off the Cromwell Bridge, prob one of the highlights of my time there... and yeah i got Joe Ryan and Kat doing their little vineyard skit during the party at the Mullers... that was a great night coz our whole tour party was there, meaning us staying at the Deans and the Mullers, which was like 20 ppl from Student Soul, Apo, Elim, the Buxtons..

it was always great when we had everyone there.. those occasions were quite rare, coz we were living in two different places, and we worked at 3 different vineyards.. go figure.. so really apart from Jeremy and Joe Ryan who worked with our boss, dint really get to see the other guys except during weekends or when we decided to make the effort and go to their place to hang out together.. it was nice we all hung out at the rock that last Tuesday before most of us left.. the mudfights, the rock diving, that was awesome.. and working at the same vineyard that one Saturday on the 2nd weekend was p good too, and the trip up Mount Rosa as well..

goes with the saying the more the merrier.. and even more so when the food was free or lovingly provided by the Buxtons :)

should mention abt work.. well just for the record, bosses were alright.. work wasn't v exciting so it was nice to finish after 5 weeks, with all that dosh.. abt $1600 i reckon.. spent a bit of it while i was there.. not very interesting bit which is why this bit only gets this much on my blog..

so like all good things, my time in Cromwell had to come to an end.. and it's still a bit difficult for me to get used to life back in Dunners.. partly coz i've not really been in Dunners for very long since i left for Cromwell.. it's kinda weird as well, suddenly, not being with ur best mates, and realising that ya not going to be with some as much as u used to, but maybe that's why it's good to have a break right now before uni when i'll see most of them.. have to start tuning down the adrenaline but it's still hard.. it's 12.30 at night as i'm typing this and i'm not really keen to go to bed just yet.. partly coz it's been ages since i've been able to stay up like this and not worry abt the 6.30 wakeups.. just wondering what i'm gonna do for the rest of the summer, should i work a bit more, take a holiday else where with my hard earned cash.. shouldn't worry abt it now..

gosh.. just can't believe there's like only 3 days to Christmas! and 9 more days to an extraordinary 2005.. the best year of my life yet..