Goodbye 2017

2017 was a year of re-establishing a NZ based life, of consolidation rather than exploration. Our 2016/17 summer of the outdoors reconnected us with the power of love and the beauty of our homeland.  We settled in Auckland, drawn there by work, to a life full of opportunities for exploration of new landscapes and different geology.

Our priorities remain the same: family, health, worthwhile work and travel.  Since we defined those priorities more clearly for ourselves back in 2011, we have got better at matching our practice with our intention.

Our choice to return to a NZ base was confirmed by the great pleasure we have had from time spent with family and friends.  It is so much easier to see them from an Auckland base, and to be more easily in touch by skype or phone when we are in the same time zone.  Moira was able to catch up with her UK, Swiss and Californian relatives in brief visits this year.  We were delighted to spend longer with Rebecca who joined us for our cycle touring expedition in the Alsace/Lorraine region of France.  

Healthwise, we continued our active lifestyle with lots of walking and cycling in Auckland and further afield.  Mt Eden became “our mountain” through our evening peregrinations around or over it’s volcanic cone from our little apartment on its flank.  Auckland has excellent cycle paths which we have enjoyed exploring, although it can be challenging getting to them as Auckland drivers are notoriously impatient.  After our years of living overseas, Ross took advantage of NZ’s health system to have a hernia dealt to.

Moira undertook one parliamentary consulting role in the Parliament of Moldova, her first in Europe and an eye-opening experience to work in a former Soviet country.  Her main work this year has been as Library Director at Unitec, the largest of NZ’s polytechnics.  The student demographic is very different from a university, with almost half the students speaking English as their second language, while a third of the students are first in family to study at a tertiary institution. Education has the potential to make a real difference to their lives, enabling them to find more satisfying work or to advance in their chosen careers.

Although 2017 was a year with less travel than previous years, we holidayed in the UK, France and Switzerland in July/August when we went to Europe to see family and attend Ollie and Fern’s wedding in lovely Cornwall.  It was such a pleasure to meet up with parliamentary friends, last seen in Myanmar.   We really enjoy exploring Auckland’s 50 volcanoes and multitude of islands. Nothing we like better than to take our bikes on a ferry to explore somewhere new.  

Goodbye 2017, we liked you!