engage-ed!

taking a break in recounting the epic trip to nz - and all the hilarities that ensued on our extraordinary roadtrip to announce: we're engaged!

we had planned a stopover in hong kong for rest purposes, feeling that it would be good ease back in gradually to london-time. we stayed in the fabulous renaissance harbour view by marriott. it was superb and was one of those occasions when a good hotel with the extra amenities is absolutely worth it. we took full advantage of the swanky health club and biggest buffet breakfast either of us have ever seen. we were seriously in breakfast heaven.

but on to the important stuff right?

we decided to head up to the peak on our first day - as it was clear in hong kong - and that is rare! taking a cable car up the hill we emerged above the city and promptly felt that lunch was a necessity - bubba gump shrimp to the rescue! it was filled with paraphenalia from the movie and seriously had probably every kind of shrimp dish listed by bubba. we had a tower of onion rings and an assortment of shrimp (prawns for you brits!) - delish!

then we went upwards - i honestly believe that neither of us knew we'd be engaged by the time we got back down! we wandered around the viewing deck, looking excitedly at the view, getting a few pictures and enjoying the glorious sunshine. we also laughed at one of the tackiest tourist signs that read 'say i love you on the peak' covered in neon pink hearts and sparkles.

the view.

completely unaware.

about five minutes later i was joking around with le boy and said, 'you were supposed to say 'i love you' on the peak!' to which he replied, 'i think i can do one better,' and pulled out a box of chocolates - which i honestly wasn't all that keen on, given our enormous lunch not even 20 minutes prior. he encouraged me to open it and inside was a note that asked if i would marry him! i was uncharacteristically rendered speechless, i was completely surprised and a little stunned, not really expecting it to come so quickly after the trip to nz! and then i thought about it, did i want to marry this man? and everything in my heart and my mind said YES - so i found that word - and managed to get it out of my mouth.

on the back of the card was a 'filler' ring and a request for me to join le boy in ring shopping when we returned to london! here's a picture of us immediately after we were engaged - the older gentleman who took it wryly told le boy that he still had time to change his mind! ummm, i don't think so!

so happy!

we basked in the sun and the glow of our new relationship status for a bit longer and then shamelessly called my parents in canada - never mind that it was 2 am - and really they didn't care! we were all so excited! in a typical move for us, we decided to 'walk' down from the peak - while this was paved and a clear walking track, it was also STEEP! but what would our engagement be without a little endurance training thrown in for good measure? the trail handily deposited us at a bus stop for a bus that would travel directly to our hotel! we then called le boy's family to let them know our joyous news! and i exercised incredible restraint in waiting until 7am toronto time to call my sister. filling the waiting time with a little of this:

a.b.barton was of course asleep when i finally got her on the phone - never mind that she hung up on me twice before she actually answered the phone! and so i said that i was sitting in my hotel room looking out on victoria harbour, admiring the 'symphony of lights' show held nightly, and thinking of her. 'oh that's nice,' she says, 'can you call me later?' 'well, i could but i have a question i'd like to ask you first.' 'can you ask later.' 'ok, but i just wanted to know if you would be my maid of honour?' well that got her attention! and there was whisper screaming and great excitement and i believe she accepted my offer!

we spent the next few days tooling around hk, enjoying the nice weather and revelling in our engagement. on our last night there we were looking to go to a favourite store - shanghai tang - and happened to pass tiffany & co. le boy suggested we pop in, just for a look. well i found the ring i've always loved from there and it fit perfectly. but we decided to leave it as we had dinner reservations at one of the top restaurants in the city and needed to get ready. about 45 minutes later we were dropped off for dinner, outside tiffany - the restaurant was completely coincidentally above tiffany! le boy worked a bit of magic, asked for our reservation to be pushed by half an hour and said that he really thought we should go back a second time and look at that ring again - who was i to argue? and so, 30 minutes later we were walking out the door with a ring on my hand and grins the size of canada! the evening was made absolutely perfect by the restaurant opening the terrace for us to have privately! it was such a perfect way to end a perfect engagement weekend!

i am so looking forward to wedding planning and preparing for our marriage! it is such an absolute blessing to love and be loved by someone so amazing! we are so incredibly thankful to god for his grace and mercy in our lives, for drawing us to one another and for knitting our hearts together - we genuinely believe that only he could have written our love story!

side tripping.

after a few days to acclimatize ourselves to the timezone, get over the illness that pervaded my head and start to get control of the allergies that have besieged both of us, we took a side-trip to a lovely little place called hanmer springs. it's an alpine town with a series of natural hot springs and we were excited to get a little bit of r&r!

the drive up included a stop in a small town called oxford where le boy was placed in the stocks for naughty behaviour.

 

i pause our regular programming to pay homage to what might be new zealand's greatest achievement. some might say it was being the first country to give women the vote, this self-proclaimed feminist would counter with the pie. oh my. the pie. they are individually sized, come in a variety of incredible flavour combinations and after eating one you quite possibly could die happy. the best part - they are most frequently sold from small independent bakers and are clearly made by hand, fresh that day. swoon. 

we now resume our regularly scheduled programming. 

le boy outdid himself with an early christmas present - treating us to a lovely b&b in hanmer and most wonderfully - a session at the hanmer springs spa!  the whole trip was absolutely perfect and included some spectacular food at a new local restaurant - chantellinis. not quite over jet-lag we woke early and took advantage of enjoying sunrise! followed swiftly by a pre-breakfast walk to invigorate the appetite - who am i kidding? i rarely need my appetite invigorated. 

 

for our friend mr w-p! you have your own forest!

another incredible nz sunset over the mountains in hanmer.

 the next day it was time to drive. the generous use of the family car was much appreciated and le boy was clearly happy to be back on roads where driving includes a certain amount of skill.

which way? take the long way.

 the scenery of nz is most definitely arresting. it's all golden fields and green hills and bronzed mountains. big blue skies and lazy puffs of white cloud. a favourite roadtrip game was adapted for the county specifications. miss neate you'll be happy to know that horses, cows and cemeteries can be changed to horses, cows and sheep in this country. we played to ten. i won. (i'm just saying).

we visited some of le boy's favourite surf spots and i came to appreciate all the nz road had to offer. 

self-timer - but i love the wonkiness of it.

we stopped in a beach town for lunch, as we were eating our fresh fish lunches, sitting on the patio, in the sunshine and 30 degree heat, a car pulled up with a pair of skis on its roof. now, i'm a hopeful person and i love skiing, and i know that the weather here is subject to change in a moment's notice - but i think this might have been a stretch. needless to say, we think this might be the most ridiculous thing we've seen yet. 

 the drive home took us via the brew moon cafe. nz is known for it's coffee and cafe culture. almost everywhere you go there is coffee that competes for best in show - although le boy's brother is probably one of the best baristas i've ever seen (tasted?). behold below the caramel slice. think caramel and chocolate on a vanilla cookie base. pretty incredible. way too sweet for me.

 

hey uncle - i think i've found a new car for you to fix up!

links: fontainebleau b&b : chantellinis cafe : hanmer springs spa

i've come from to a land down under.

after 35 + hours of travelling le boy and myself arrived in hot (!!!!) and sunny christchurch. warmly greeted by parents and brothers we spent most of saturday fighting to keep awake and keep up with the conversation. first thing i've learned in nz? you'd better get a good sleep and eat your wheaties if you want to have a fighting chance in the conversation. banter is the name of the game, and i struggle with this generally in the uk - it's even tougher here - but consequently much more colourful!

waking at 5 am on sunday meant we had time enjoy early morning quiet and after a hearty cooked breakfast, we drove over to the cutest beach town. i've decided that sumner is the place to be, it all feels so quaint beachy - kind of like ft myers beach, but without a causeway... later we went to church where le boy's friend (the pastor) announced that le boy was back in town, but more importantly, he'd brought a girl with him! he then proceeded to drag us up to the front - yup that's me, the canadian-by-way-of-london, circus show. sunday afternoon we slept, preparing for a family dinner, which was great for providing a little context to le boy's childhood stories (turns out he's only actually the hero about 95% of the time!)

monday the great city of christchurch was calling. christchurch (and indeed all of nz) is relatively young, i'm told that christchurch is much more english in feeling than auckland. the wide streets and mix of early brick and new concrete building. the earthquakes (on boxing day there was another officially deemed earthquake), and aftershocks have clearly taken their toll - whole streets are nearly cordoned off, places where condemned buildings have come down or are scheduled to, right next to open and trading shops and restaurants. i was able to duck into bolt of cloth - a fabric store i was tipped off to by the christchurch city guide found on design*sponge. great fabric was found is most definitely destined to become pillows or the like.

the centre of town is a charming mix of old and new, interesting sculptures dominate the pedestrian areas.

christchurch cathedral

most. important. countdown. ever.

we wandered into the christchurch museum, which gives a great overview of much of nz history and culture i learned a couple of key things: 

the maori had santa claus:

le boy can ride a bike with no hands:

and interior design can be completely sourced from nature:

the last two pictures show a house that had been down on the south coast and moved in its entirety up to christchurch. fred and myrtle covered the whole of their lounge with paua shells - a shell commonly found on nz shorelines, which can be polished to an iridescent shine - and apparently are in vogue for this year's wall coverings. marvellous: take note, this could be your answer for the living room! 

about this time a head cold and allergies were fighting for control of my sinuses. i did end up spending the next day in bed sick. but before then i was able to witness two of the most famous nz sights - a glorious sunset and scampering sheep. both brought me great delight.