What a year! Here's a few of the highlights from the past 12 months:
Road tripping and hill walking with Tracey en route to the Aberdeen Highland Games.
Andrew’s surprise 30th birthday shenanigans at his and Kirsty’s and the only memory I have of ever being in sweltering heat in Scotland. Lets all hang out in the hottest part of the flat then!
Travelling in Barcelona: Departing the city with every belonging I took there with me. (ie not becoming another tourist to get things nicked.) Being a fool and buying a beer on the famous La Ramblas which set me back around 18 New Zealand dollars when I could have gotten one down a side street for half the price. Couch surfing and having friends get cranky at me for staying three nights in a foreign country with complete strangers. Pushing the delete button. OK… not really a highlight in hindsight.
An Irish woman, Kiwi and Aussie trying to start a coal fire whilst surrounded by lions, tigers and (no bears) wildlife at the Blair Drummond Safari Park and failing miserably. Well, we did get it going after about two hours and enjoyed some tasty fare. (Read: Sausages.)
Hiking with Kylie and camping in Kawakawa Bay on the shores of Lake Taupo and reacquainting myself with the beauty of my home town.
Meeting Billy Connolly and Charley Boorman and getting photos with both of them. No mongoring though, and no jumping photos. Shame.
Spending a day in Rotorua luging and death swinging with Kylie and Alise.
Seeing Coldplay live in concert at Scotland’s National Stadium. What was even better was that it was free. (Thanks Brian!)
A white Christmas and the first snowfall of the winter on my birthday when I’m so used to celebrating getting another year older with BBQs on the beach.
Attending three major pipe band championships, taking photos at two and competing at one. Goal to make it competing at five in 2010.
Punk Party in Taupo as a farewell to New Zealand before hitting Europe. Mad costumes, great friends and a pimpin’ party. Never mind the Buzzcocks.
Hanging out with the Panzar Division in Germany for a weekend of piping, drumming, schnitzel and Dunkel beer. I guess being used as a human mop was a bit of fun too…
The Glenfiddich Piping Championships. Just enough Piobaireached. Just enough light music. Just enough dancing. Just enough tweed.
Too. Much. Red.
Seeing close friends back in New Zealand after 18 months in Australia and feeling like I’d never been away. Those are the friends that are the best. – The ones that you can go without talking to for months and when you see them, nothing has changed.
Facing my fears at the Go Ape Assault Course for Greig’s birthday.
A solo trip to the highlands at the start of December. Just enough time to chill out, chat to the locals and get away from Glasgow. Climbing on the Glenfinnan Viaduct was pretty good too.
Managing to pack up 18 months of settled life into just over 20 kgs and not having to deal with too many numpties at Perth Airport when leaving Australia.
Hearing the Kiwi accent in Auckland airport coming back into the Homeland.
Getting a stack load of jumping photos that I can be proud of. Still many more to go though!
Spending ten days with Nizzle and Emma as well as Andrea and her family in London, seeing the sights and getting strange looks from Londoners for wearing jandals in March.
Getting the opportunity to be a part of Lynsey’s graduation ceremony and getting some photos of my beautiful friend and her lovely family.
Being attacked my a man and a small child on Games Day on Mull.
Alisdair’s surprise 30th birthday curry dinner with lovely friends.
Constantly thinking the exact same thing as Kirsty and getting scared by it on more than one occasion. (My Westy!)
Being welcomed back into the drum corps and competing with the Mighty A&D in March, winning the New Zealand Nationals with them and another drum corps championship.
Getting kicked out of two clubs on my first night out in Glasgow with Kirsty and Teresa. How the heck did that happen?!
Being back in Paeroa for the Highland Games, competing with A&D after only a few hours practice and seeing a whole lot of familiar faces for the first time in ages. And Mum was there!
Christmas with the MacKinnons. Spending a white Christmas with some of my favourite people in what is probably my favourite part of Scotland.
Being asked to play under one of the most respected leading drummers in the 2010 season with The Vale, and looking forward to the challenge.
Mooching around Paris without any understanding of the language and finding the most perfect boots for ten Euros around the corner from the most perfect hostel. Catching up with the crazy Elodie was excellent too!
Being a part of the Piping Live! launch photo shoot and getting mine and the crew’s painted mugs in OK! Magazine amongst others. What made it even better? It was a full group jumping shot. Excellent.
Seeing Prince Charles at the Piping Centre and being proud of Alasdair for putting together such a great crew of Youth Banders for the occasion.
A couple of new nicknames that seem to fit so perfectly. I’ll never look at a bottle of merlot, fish mongerers or something vile in the same way again.
A holiday in posh accommodation at Pukehina Beach with Mum and the birth of the jumping photo craze.
Every day working at Slanj. What a great bunch of people. I’ve never had so much fun being accused of being a lesbian AND a mongerer that goes after married men. Yes, I'm confused about that too.
Frequenting the Station Bar and the Park Bar and being recognised at the latter by the bar staff. Oops!
A stunning weekend on Mull in May. Too many highlights of that weekend to list. Wrat fun we did have. YUP!
Competing in the World Solo Drumming Championships and the amazing support I received from Scotland, Australia and New Zealand for repping it for the Southern Hemisphere. A good night out afterwards too.
The Worlds and the lead up with the Pipeband Club. This could possibly have been the highlight of the year as this is one of the best groups of people that you could possibly want to hang out with for two weeks. I can’t wait until we can all hang out again, whether it’s here in Scotland or back in the antipodes.
Living in a different continent, a different country and a different city on the other side of the world from home and feeling like I’ve been here for years thanks to good friends, good chat and some good times.
Thanks for a great year everyone. Bring on 2010!
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