The Southern Ocean - Fish & Chips (Sunday 30th)

Nice .... Flowers

Apart from small victories, I spent most of last week very frustrated with progress, the amount of new work I have to do etc., BUT after a beer at the Staff Club on Friday with Department Folks, and new determination I am slowly making headway again. Baby Steps. It was a slow start today - clocks jumped forward - it was and continues to be very grey, wet, and windy.

The Southern Ocean from St. Clair. Nothing
 (apart from that tiny island) between me and Antarctica

View northeast up the esplanade

After tapping away for an hour or so I walked downtown and got a public library card (excellent library here), then took a public bus out to St. Clair. The bus fare was $3.40 one way, which makes the Northstar fares seem like a pittance - it only took 15 minutes. Everything is very expensive here relative to the US. I wasn't really prepared for the cost of living. I had been rather glib when I packed, saying "oh, they do have stores there", but I am certainly trying to avoid buying anything I don't have to. Apart from the local newspaper.




St. Clair is on the Pacific side, and has a Beach and a trendy (?) area with cafes. Not too many people around today because despite being 'Spring' it was, cold and wet. I walked along the esplanade, and selected my eatery and treated myself to Fish and Chips for a Lunch/Dinner.Fish was just perfect - Chips were pretty good too. Nice salad on the side.

My Fish and Chips. At a restaurant, not
wrapped up in newspaper. It was too cold
to sit on the esplanade and eat.

The winning bloom from the World daffodil Convention

More impressive Flowers.
I don't know what they are.

In other news, you'll be glad to see the winning bloom from the world daffodil convention, I am sure. I am also sure that the other newspaper items give an ndication of the small community that it is here.

Dunedin is a small city. 

I have to get up extra early tomorrow because I left all my maps spread out in one of the classrooms on Friday - I didn't realize that they get locked over the weekend, so I wasn't able to get them out - and will need to extract them before classes start at 8 am. Funny how a 7 am start suddenly feels early.