Aunty Lindy's Kiwi Slang

Tutai - crap, shit, pooh
Kapai - Good, excellent
Dodgy - Shady, questionable, unsure
Not even ehor! - not the case
Nah - no

Mean as - terrible

Ehor - you
Gunga - backside, posterior, butt
No worries mate - no problem
She'll be right - work out OK
Too much - very grateful, blown away
Get on the blower - phone someone
Fair dinkum - true blue
Bull at a gate- impatient
True dat - stating a fact
Gidday mate - greeting
Lovely - great
Hori -untidy, unkempt
Bloody
Jandals - flip flops
Feed - food, dinner, grub
Mate - friend
Ay - what do you think
Sweet as - awesome

Aunty Lindy, telling jokes at Grandma's house!

Day 2: Corned Beef on Vogel Bread

After the tour of the house, Grandma sat us down for mum's favourite. A Corned beef sandwich on Vogel bread with Just Juice to wash it all down. And I can't forget to mention the Toffee Pops, which were waiting patiently for us on the table. After lunch we decided to take a walk around temple view. Mum and I both changed into a fresh set of clothes...since we had been in the same clothes for almost 24 hours now. Yuck! I could have really done for a shower too, but decided that the weather was so nice and should make the most of the day. We asked Grandma if she was up for a walk. Knowing that she is getting older, we didn't want to over-exert her...at least not right away. But she said that she would be fine, so we promised not to go too far and to take it slowly. We put on our walking shoes and headed, on foot, down Fosters Rd to see what we could find.

Day 2: Grandma's House

You would think that since I have been gone for over 15 years from the house that things would have changed. This was not the case at all! The moment I stepped in the front door, the smell pulled me right back to my childhood. Smells from Grandma's kitchen are engraved into the walls forever. Dripping with butter, Sunday dinners, pot roasts, Pavlova's, cookies by the hundreds. I did manage to take a peek in the cookie jar, and stole one...or two before I ventured into the rest of the house. The wallpaper was exactly the same. The old paintings hung in their same spots. Grandma had still kept the small bathtub from when we were kids. Carpets were the same. Same bed linen and sheepskin rugs in the bedrooms...just like I remember. And each room had it's own unique smell...that I remembered so well. I will never forget those smells! Outside, in the backyard, there were a few things missing. The presence of Grandpa was no longer here. The lemon trees needed a good pruning, the green house was now a rotting jungle, and you could tell the BBQ pit had not been used in ages. This is when the reality hit that Grandpa was gone. And as I looked over and saw the old, rusted wheelbarrow sitting lifeless...like an heirloom, it saddened me to see death creeping in on Grandma's house. But I guess that is the nature of this world. Life, death, and rebirth. No worries though Grandpa's spirit is engraved into the walls there too.

Day 2: My Beautiful Aotearoa

Lindy and Grandma were there to greet us at the Airport. I was so excited to see them both that I nearly took out a small child with my cart as I rushed over to give them hugs. I was so glad to see them! It has been 15 years since I have seen my Aunty Lindy and several years since I have seen my Grandma. Grandma used to come to America and babysit my sister and I while school was out for the summer. After my grandpa got sick, her travelling slowed down quite a bit. It was a beautiful day to arrive in New Zealand, that's what we were told anyway. It supposedly had been crappy out the last couple weeks. But today was bright and sunny...just perfect! We loaded up Grandmas car with all of our bags. Grandma sat in the back with me while Lindy drove the lot of us home. It was good having Grandmas company in the back...since I was getting tired of looking at the back of an aeroplane seat. Grandma was good company. And the scenery on the way back to Temple View (My hometown) was absolutely beautiful! Green, green, and more green. Grandma said, "look at the moolies!", as she pointed out the car window. In confusion I said, "Moolies! What on earth are Moolies?" She replied, "You know, Moo cows." I just looked at her and smiled! I haven't seen so many cows in all my life. And they were beautiful too! I remarked to Grandma that they say "happy cows come from California" I don't believe it though, I believe "happy cows come from New Zealand." She just laughed at me!

It took us about an hour and a half to arrive at Temple View. We drove through Hamilton and dropped Lindy off at work...we would be catching up with her later that night. Grandma took over driving the rest of the way home. We drove around Hamilton Lake and got to see the Waikato Women's hospital, where Chelsea and I were born. We then headed into Dinsdale, up the hill, and took that, all so familiar left turn, onto the "Mad Mormon Mile," that is what we call it anyway. Until we finally turned down Fosters Road and pulled up outside Grandma's house. Still the same...just a little shabby at the corners, like a well-read book as I would put it. There was a "Welcome Home" sign posted up for us. Someone must have secretly snuck down and put it up while we were being picked up from the Airport. Grandma said that she didn't know nothing about it. My suspicion was that Aunty Jo had snuck down from up back. That reminded me that I couldn't wait to see her too!