Friday 13th June: Finished school at 5.00 got home and made a pork stew! Mmmm. Mike wasnt in as he started work at Oakridge at 3.00pm. I have decided to ride my bike to work and back, it takes me 15 minutes up hill down hill etc. I'm pretty tired so I've told James I'm not out tonight, ive cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, let my stew stew for an hour so all the juices come out ready for Mike when he gets back. We finished at 12.00am the other night which was hard as I was working at Mt Aspiring School 8.00am - 5.00pm, then Oakridge 5.30pm till 12.00am! then again the next night so I just worked and slept for 2 days! I'm okay with it work hard and play hard I say, we will be able to do all the things we want to do as we have worked for it, heli sking the main one which costs around $500 - $700. They take you up to the top of the mountain in the Helicopter and drop you off at the top of piste where no one has ridden perfect powder *sweet as**. Everybody uses the phrase *sweet as* and *sweet* over here its like there word for *ok*! We've booked a luxury apartment for one night on at Snow Park Mountain for the 1/4 pip Burton NZ Open championships. There is DJ's afterparties etc, thats on 1st August. Also there is a Snow Girlz Camp, where they teach you to ride the park, rails, jumps etc over 2 days, accommodation on the mountain, lunch etc so I have booked in for that aswell. The school Ball is coming up at School, the them is Alice and Wonderland, i've been selling the tickets to all the students over the past weeks, the teachers get to go free and there is a buffet so I'm going to go without Mike to that and go with the teachers for pre-drinks. Oooooooooh I've been sucked in by one of the infomertials, this cream that Cindy Crawford owns and it derived from this melon found in some country far away that never ages, so she asked this top doctor if he could make a cream from the melons and put it into bottles for her, he did and she swears by it, saying she doesnt have time to shop around for creams, this is the one it works and its hers, she's done the research etc. So i've bought it! I'l let you know its called Meaningful Beauty! I have a staff meeting at Tango's on 24th June at 6.00pm to go over the new menu etc. Mike went for a menu testing at Oakridge last week, where they made one of each of the dishes from the menu to taste, he said they were all gorgeous but the portions were tiny and you have to pay for sides like veg, chips etc! They charge you $9.00 for bread rolls! We've been learning how to work the barista and make all the different types of coffees. I didnt realise how much work went into making a nice coffee, the barman takes it very seriously, not to press too hard, milk not to be too hot, warming the glass, 2cm of throfth etc! Its a touch screen till so we have to log in using our pin and put the drinks and food on the computer. There is a very miserable irish girl that works in the kitchen but the rest seem ok. 2 x Indians are teaching me and mike. They both have all the hospitality qualifications and are very very good at their jobs. It hightlights actually how little me and mike know. I have to hold the wine in a certain way, put the napkin on their laps etc. We get free food there which is gorgeous and will probabley save us on our shopping. We have decided to only go shopping on a Monday to save money and if we dont have it we dont eat it simple as that until the following Monday. We spent $130 on shopping. People usually budget $80 a week on shopping here. Thats £32, but compared to the wages etc everyone complains how expensive it is. Especially for cheese and Milk. Milk is more expensive than the UK, its all over the news here about dairy products and petrol going through the roof. Also there is talks about us running out of power and having to shut everything off (which we do anyway) but more in the cities I think, as there has been a lack of rain in the summer and the power is run by water etc. All the lakes are really low and shallow so we might have to get the candles in soon! Me and Mike went to the re-cycle centre to get clothes for the hotel, I found some pants that were labelled New Look size 8! How random, so I bought those as I knew they would fit. I work the first day at the hotel in my 4 inch heels that the old woman gave me and they were killing me as I had been working for 14 hours that day, so I bought some flat leather shoes from the re-cycle centre for $4.00 which is about £1! Mike bought a pair asweel for $1! 40p! I need to learn all the names of the wines at Oakridge as trying to listen to the NZ accent and the name of the wine has proved quite difficult. They have quite a few functions on, there was only 3 tables in and I was working till 12.00! I hope we wont be working that late all the time! I'm really liking working at the college. All the teachers think i'm great because they have a Konica Minalta Photocopier and I have shown them all how to SCAN TO EMAIL and set up everyones email addresses on the printer! I'm the official photo-copier IT girl! So I have taken something from Tangerine with me! I have to take the sick and injured children to sick bay which I'm finding quite challenging as I dont have a symathetic / caring bone in my body when it comes to kids! So I have to put on this caring attitude and it feels weired quite strange! I like my job its so stress free and laid back, there is just the right amount of work to always have something in your in tray and to be doing but if it doesnt get done it doesnt matter do it tomorrow. I'm trying to work out weather I would be happier in a job like this or not? Plus if you work in a school you get all the holidays off paid, how good is that! All those holidays! In NZ you could swim and do water sports all summer and get paid for it! in the winter holidays snowboard everyday for half term and get paid! Then return to a stress free job close to home and weekends off. I'd be lying if I handnt thought about working there and living here in NZ!Its the Queenstown winter festival soon so heading down there which is about an hours drive away to see Shelly and Cairns. Should be good fun. I'm getting my hair done tomorrow $100which is expensive but thats the cheapest I could get 25% off colours. I'm thinking of going a deep natural red colour. My routes are soooo big at the moment not a good look. 9.30am the apt tomorrow cant wait. Mikes still growing his hair. Its so funny its just getting thicker not longer! He already had a big head and now he says his head just keeps looking bigger! **giggles** I think he looks cute so i've told him to stick it out and just wear a hat all the time. Hecan do that here as all clubs, restaurants etc let you wear a hat. I'm pretty tired now, its only 9.30 here, I should go out really as we didnt go out last week but i've got the hairdresses in the morning and me and mike have work at 4.00pm at Oakridge tomorrow aswell. Shame really as James is going to QT and we would have gone to, to go on the riverjet boat, bunjee, cinema and bowling if we werent working. So we will be staying in again,unless we go out after work tomorrow? It will be late but we have to have a little fun! Its forecast to rain all weekend so not the time to climb Mout Roy which I would have liked to do. I might go to puzzling world as we havent been there yet and go swimming again next to the college.Bye for now peeps! Hayley and Mike x x