Look how the garden grows...

It's been a few weeks since I transplanted the majority of my plants so I thought it would be time for an update. The garden is doing very well!

I've still been keeping them in the Sky Loft, although on nice days I've put the containers outside on the roof. I just have to be careful because it can get a bit windy up there.

Chives (from which I have already harvested), a Chilli plant which needs transplanting soon, and plenty of lettuce.

Another lettuce and some pak choi. I'm a little worried that the pak choi don't really have enough space, but I read that they don't like being transplanted too much, so I've decided it's probably better to leave them.

Strawberry plants and starting to flower! And some mint I stuck in the top of the container.

My sunflower, which seems to be growing visibly every day - I should start marking it on the stake. Come to think of it, if it grows much taller I'll need a taller stake!

My cherry tomato plants. The closest one I have named Alpha, because it seems to be twice as big as the others, a real super plant!

Last but not least, my rocket. I've just harvested some of this for my salad this evening, and it was scrumptious!

Well, that's it so far. I'm planning on sowing some seeds at some point. I should get onto that, but life has been pretty hectic at the moment. Suffice it to say I should be a proud (and broke) home owner in less than 2 months time!

Yum! It's sushi time!

Tonight I made sushi :)

It was the first time I've ever made sushi, and it was surprisingly easy. I bought a bamboo sushi mat from an Asian food store a while ago, which made rolling the sushi a lot easier. I think I will get better with practice too.

My sushi contains tuna, carrot, red pepper, avocado, snow peas and baby spinach. I made too much, but that just means there is some for when I'm hungry later on tonight when I can't sleep. I've just finished working night shifts, so my body clock is a little screwed up...

I love sushi, it is one of my go to lunches when I'm out and need something quick and yummy. Funnily enough I never ate it before moving to NZ. There are a lot of foods I never ate before moving here actually. There is such a range to choose from in Dunedin, particularly Asian foods, my taste buds have become a lot more adventurous!

All cultured out!

I'm feeling very cultured this week. Not only did I go to the theatre on Saturday I also went to the ballet on Wednesday!

My mum came to visit me last weekend and for a change we decided to go and see a play on Saturday night. She lives out in the sticks and hasn't been to the theatre for years. I must admit I haven't been very much since I moved to NZ - although it is something I try to do whenever I visit Christchurch or Wellington. I've only seen one other play in Dunedin in my 3yrs here, and that was a couple of months ago. That was Emma, and by coincidence the lead actress in that was also in the play I saw on Saturday.

The play was called Glorious - and it was played down in the Studio Theatre, which I didn't even know existed!

Glorious is a modern play by a local playwright, Richard Huber. It only had 2 actors, a male and female. Unlike Emma, the play only had these 2 characters. In Emma, the 4 actors played several different roles.

The female lead, played by Anya Tate-Manning, is Gloria. Gloria is a wealthy socialite who decides to annoy her father by announcing she is marrying a writer-slash-waiter she met at her father's birthday party. She moves into his dingy apartment and takes a job as a waitress. Jimmy, played by Daniel Coppersmith, reluctantly puts up with her (although he isn't exactly indifferent to her charms). Both actors had a great grasp of an American accent and their chemistry really sparkled. I think Daniel stumbled on a couple of lines, but honestly the script is so fast paced who wouldn't miss a beat every now and then?

The play is based on the Screwball comedy genre of Hollywood films such as those starring Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. It is gloriously fast paced, the 2 characters continually sparring with quick-witted comments. I really enjoyed the background music too, the 1930s theme came through really well.

The intimacy of the studio theatre works really well for small plays such as Glorious - you feel as though you are right in the action and can almost reach out and touch the characters. The set itself never changed, and yet was able to be two completely different locations. I've always had an interest in set design, indeed I would have opted for that part of 'A' Level Drama if one of the other girls hadn't hogged it every time we did a play (so I was stuck with acting or make-up).

My only complaint was Gloria's wardrobe. I don't know where they got those dresses from, but I think they for an actress who was a couple of sizes bigger than Anna, they did nothing for her figure at all!

Glorious has been short-listed for this year's Playwright New Play Award, and deservedly so. I'd recommended everyone to go see it, if that showing had not been the last one!

On Wednesday, my friend and I went to the Regent Theatre to see Swan Lake. We'd bought our tickets ages ago and so I'd been looking forward to it for a while. I think I've only been to see the ballet once before, years ago, although I've seen a few on TV.

Swan Lake was performed by the Imperial Russian Ballet Company. They are world renowned, but I must admit I don't know an awful lot about ballet.

It was performed following the traditional version, but with the happier ending decreed by the Soviet Rule (I wonder if anyone does the original ending these days?) The ballerinas were hypnotic and did an excellent job of telling the story through dance and gesture. You don't need a script to understand the feelings they convey.

I loved the way the ballerinas resembled swans, not just through their costumes but also in their gestures - the slight move of an arm could instantly evoke the elegant arch of a swan's neck or wing. All the costumes were magnificent, although Prince Siegfried's white tights left little to the imagination!

The principal ballerina playing Odette, the Queen of Swans, was mesmerising - she could move in ways I didn't believe were entirely humanly possibly. I felt that the Prince faltered a little in places but otherwise he was very good too. I wonder how uneven the Regent Theatre's stage is - it certainly looked it from where I was sitting, which presumably must affect a dancer's ability.

My only problem was that I was exhausted from working a morning shift and the ballet was quite long, and the theatre very warm, so I almost felt like I was being lulled to sleep by the music and the dancing. That meant I didn't enjoy it quite as much as if I had been wide awake, but it can't be helped when I have to work.

The Imperial Russian Ballet Company will be returning to Dunedin next year, and I plan on seeing them again. I think they will be performing Snow White. I'm quite tempted to see Peter Pan next month, but to be honest I really need to start saving my money for my foray into house buying!!

Beginnings of the Container Garden!

For a while now I've thought about growing my own vegetables. I've always grown up with home grown vegetables, my parents and my grandparents all being keen gardeners themselves. I have great memories of picking pea pods in Granddad's veggie patch and eating the yummy raw peas inside. I also have less fond memories of my dad growing several tonnes of courgettes and declaring that he "grew them especially" for me every year, despite the fact that I absolutely hate them. So I won't be growing courgettes, and I'm aiming not to grow so much of one thing that I won't know what to do with it and it goes to waste.

At the moment I live in rental accommodation and whilst we have a lovely garden I can't exactly dig it up for a veggie patch. Our Landlady doesn't even trust us to care for the garden properly and has a professional gardener do it for her. Hopefully I will soon have my own house and garden, but in the meantime I'll have to make do with a container garden.

My little veggie collection started when I was at the Farmer's Market one saturday morning, and on impulse bought 3 cherry tomato plants. A couple of days later I headed to a local nursery, YouthGrow in North Dunedin, and picked up a few more seedlings. YouthGrow is a nursery run by Presbyterian Support, helping young people to earn skills and gain employment. I am a volunteer for another PS initiative, the Buddy Programme (which I'll blog about another time). They do a lot of charity work with families in Dunedin and so I wanted to support them by buying some plants from the YouthGrow nursery.

I've decided to start small and kick off my veggies with seedlings rather than attempting to grow from seed. Less chance of me killing them! Once I get into the swing I'll start growing a few things from seed, but I don't want to over do it and end up with too much all at once.

The plants are currently living in the skyloft, our conservatory on the roof. On calm, sunny days I'll put them out on the balcony but the weather has been so changeable lately I dare not subject them to that right now.

I've also replanted them into bigger containers, so now they've moved from the bookcase to the floor.

I'll update with more photos as they grow and I add more to the collection! Can't wait until harvest time!

Reaching a nursing goal!

I've just handed in my Level 1 Professional Portfolio!

I am so relieved that stress is off my shoulders! Of course the Level 2 Portfolio is due in another 5 months, but at least I am halfway there with this one.

For those that don't know, Registered Nurses in NZ have to meet certain practice competencies to gain and renew their practising certificates. There are 2 ways we can prove this. The first option is waiting until the Nursing Council decides to audit you and then compiling a portfolio with evidence to show how you have met the competencies. The second option is signing up to your employer's Professional Development Recognition Programme (PDRP). This consists of several levels. As a New Graduate RN, the terms of my first year of employment are that I submit a Level 1 Portfolio at 6 months and a Level 2 Portfolio at about 12 months.

Most RNs work at Level 2. You can progress to Level 3 or 4 by submitting further portfolios, but for these levels it would usually mean you had a more senior role or were more experienced in your field. If you are on the PDRP you are exempt from the audits, at least for a while.

Although the portfolios are a pain to do, they are beneficial in providing proof to the Nursing Council that an RN is maintaining his or her competence to practice. A lot of nurses freak out about them, but those of us that have trained recently in degree programmes are much more used to putting portfolios together.

The New Grad RNs are also being encouraged to apply for the postgraduate courses next year. To be honest, I have no intention of studying next year, even if it is free. I feel like I need a year to consolidate my knowledge and concentrate on improving my nursing practice. There are also a lot of practical ward-based certificates and courses I'd like to spend my time doing next year. Although I do want to continue postgraduate study at some point, I really don't think I'd get an awful lot out of it this soon into my practice.

Anyway, I'm going to have a short break from portfolio-related work and focus on some other things, in particular buying my first house!

Intensive Update #3

My blog has been taken over for the last 6 months by tales from my trip to South East Asia, and so I haven't written about anything else. Hopefully now I'll get back on track!

So, first a bit of an update in what has been happening in my life during the last few months:

1 - Job

I started my new job at the hospital about 10 days after I got back from my trip. Six months in, it is still going really well, and I really feel like I'm improving as an RN. As a new graduate I have this job for a year. After that I'll have to find a permanent job, hopefully in the same place I'm working now and definitely still in Dunedin - I have no plans to move elsewhere! I feel settled in Dunedin, and it must feel like home because I always miss it and am glad to get back whenever I leave! I'm not sure I've ever really had that feeling in my life before...

2 - House

I'm currently looking for my first house! Yes, I'm entering the property market, and hopefully before the end of the year when my rental agreement runs out or else I'll be homeless! It is proving quite hard, houses I like tend to be sold very quickly before I can even make a decision! I've got a few lined up to see this week though, so hopefully something will come of it.

3 - Free time

Well I don't have much of this any more, due to all the working! I've had to give up choir for the rest of the year, but hopefully I will be back there next year and able to be a bit more focused! My writing is also pretty sporadic at the moment, I think I need to get into a routine and plan my free time a little better to make room for it. I've also been trying my best to spend time with my friends lately, as a lot of them are leaving at the end of the year - won't have many left after that!! And then there's the boyfriend...

One new hobby I've taken up is vegetable gardening. Well, sort of. I've got the beginnings of it anyway. It'll all be in containers, at least until I get my own garden. I'll blog about it later.

I'm making this a short update. The clocks go forward an hour tonight, which means I get an hour less sleep. I have to work at 7am tomorrow! Argh!

SE Asia Trip - Conclusion!! (Finally)

So it's finally over! It only took me six months to catch up on the blogging for my trip. I took a lot of photos and it took a while to weed through them all. And with my busy life at the moment it has been pretty difficult to write it all up. Remind me not to attempt such an extensive travel blog again!

I really enjoyed my time in Laos, just wish I had longer and could have visited the southern part too, but I'll have to save that for next time. It would be nice to go with somebody next time as well, just because I did find it more difficult than usual to meet people. From previous experience, I usually prefer to travel alone - I can do my own thing and don't waste time doing things I don't want to do because I'm compromising with somebody else. Yes, I'm selfish, but I don't see the point in going to the other side of the world and not seeing or doing what you dreamed of. It really amazes me how people can go to these exotic places and spend their time drunk and hungover instead of actually exploring and absorbing the place. I mean, you could have done that at home!

It has actually been 6 months since my trip now, and it seems like a long time ago. It has been enjoyable re-reading my travel journal and going through my photos to stir my memory! Now I have it all online, I can have a quick read back whenever and wherever I want to remember the wonderful time I had!