September was lovely and sunny and mild and we were wearing t-shirts for a few days there - then October and the equinox arrives and a couple of huge nasty southerly weather systems rise up out of the southern ocean and dump snow of the ski fields (which had closed already because it'd been so warm) and the southerly wind is freezing! It was like this last year as well so now I'm predicting (unfortunately) that October and November are going to be rather nasty months with lots of rain and wind. Oh well, September was really nice!

This week I finally finished my data analysis. Phew. There were lots of little jobs that had been piling up so I fluffed around and got some of those done. Then spent yesterday getting gear together to go in the field to Mahurangi on Monday-Tuesday for some marine ecology sampling. We fill up the back seat of a ute and the whole back canopy part and put some stuff in the boat we're towing as well. Quite a bit of sampling gear. Nothing fancy - pretty much just a corer and spade to dig up little chunks of the intertidal sand flats (we're looking at which critters live in the sand) and lots of bags and containers to put samples in. Then sleds and back packs and various other boat paraphanalia and wet weather gear.

This weekend I'll be going over to Tauranga to visit Nana and Poppa - it's been a long time since my last visit so I'm really looking foward to a big catch up.

Not much else to report. We were going to go snowboarding this weekend but the forecast said there were gales which didn't sound very pleasant to me. Right-o time to start my Saturday... Ciao..

Current Location: bedroom, home
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: lawn mowers and birdsong

Hey all

Yesterday a bunch of us from the work social club went mountain biking in the Redwood forest in Rotorua. It was really fun, we started out with a couple of easy tracks to warm up then went for it on a couple more intermediate tracks! A few thrills and spills were had by a few of us! Some of us are keen to head down there again and do more - it's good fun. 

Then last night a young guy from work held a party so my friend Debs and I went along for a laugh. As we predicted it was a typical Waikato party with cars lining the street outside the flat where music pumped out the open doors, many empty packets of chips and breads, dirty plates and glasses and empty beer and wine bottles on the kitchen benches... people standing around outside in the freezing cold or sitting on the couches which had been placed on the lawn... but they also had a stack of firewood and a brazier!! So that was an unexpected and welcome addition, as although the days are warming up here with Spring arriving, the nights are still cold!! Luckily I remembered to wear my polyprop under my party top :-) Oh and the other thing we predicted was we'd have to drink out of a plastic cup or a tea mug, but we got the 2 last clean glasses in the house (my wine glass was a champagne flute - we were impressed). It was fun :-) Then we went into town and critically assessed the lack of atmosphere and nightlife and decent music, and half empty nightclubs of Hamilton. That was fun too. Then the old ladies (us) bailed off home at midnight and bought MacDonalds cheese burgers and drank herbal tea before I took myself off home!

Today is windy and a showering looking day so my ideas of going for a surf are ruled out. Instead I'll go and catch up with Kristel who has just returned from 4 weeks overseas where she did some training for work in Hull (England) then visited family in Holland.

Not much else to report. 

Ciao! Nicole

Current Location: home, bedroom
Current Mood: relaxed
Current Music: i think the tv in on in the lounge, i can also hear birds and wind in trees

Hi Ems - I posted this reply to your comment as a reply - but it seems to me it so hidden that Nana and Poppa and Mum and Dad may not have know it was there - and seeing your question prompted me to describe my work (and I think they wonder what I do too!!) I decided to just post this as a new posting as well as a reply :)

Yep, kittens are definitely small cat size now! But still kittens to me! Maybe you can meet them when you pass through Hamilton :)

Generating electricity with waves is a concept that has been around for a while and I think the Portuguese have done it in the Azores Islands, maybe 10 years ago!? At the moment NIWA isn't looking into wave power, but I'll see if I can describe what we do!!

My group tends to focus on sediment transport - when tidal currents and waves in a harbour or estuary move sediment around (especially during a flood event) - channels can move, intertidal flats can be deposited on, estuaries fill in bit by bit. So we like to try to figure out how and why. Alot of our pure research is looking at the really fine scale of that, doing field and lab experiments on the fluid dynamics side of physics - all to do with asking "when is that grain of sand going to be picked up off the sea bed, and how, and why" and then "when is it going to fall out of suspension, and how, and why". By doing this research (which gets published as scientific papers), bit by bit we add to the body of knowledge on sediment transport (we also use this info in our computer models). When we want to make predictions about a specific harbour or estuary (e.g. Tauranga Harbour) for a client (e.g. regional council) we also go out and make measurements of local wave and current conditions in that harbour. Then we add our research on sediment transport and our local wave/current info to a computer model of the harbour (which includes a 3D map of all the bottom topography) and we can make predictions about sediment transport over many years. This is useful for the client if they are trying to decide what the impact of developing certain parts of the catchment will be, or where certain contaminants (e.g. heavy metals or pathogens) might end up accumulating in the harbour.

Well, I bet you didn't count on getting a big long answer like that :) But hey, now you have some idea of what I do!

N.
 

Current Location: office, work
Current Mood: creative
Current Music: air con humm and squeeky floorboard

Hi there - oops I forgot to put an entry in last weekend - well last week was very much like this week so you didn't miss anything. 

I'll start with work and get it out of the way - pretty much sitting in my office all day every day crunching data! This is the not so glamorous side of science (if there is a glamorous side at all...?). But it's going well and I'm getting though it site by site. We have 2 months of data from 11 sites in the Pahurehure inlet of the Manukau harbour (the tiny bit of the harbour to the EAST of the airport - yes there is a bit of harbour to the east - you see it briefly as you go over a small causeway on SH1). So I think I've done 4?? Hmmm... yes... still a wee way to go.

What else? Hmm... well... evenings are getting longer and lighter which is great. More time after work for walks around the lake or runs/bike rides along the ridge near my place (awesome spot - great views in all directions - amazing sunsets).  And with day light saving coming up in a couple of weeks I'm looking forward to surfs after work! Also been out for dinner with friends and family a bit which has been good fun. 

The flat is going fine. My flatmate is a very quiet type - the Kiwi bloke that doesn't speak much - it can be a little too quiet here at times! Each evening he's either on his computer or reading the paper or watching tv or out with mates.  But he seems ok and he really likes the kittens. And he is incredibly tidy - the house is NEVER messy. OK, well, for the first time in 4 weeks he left his frying pan in the sink after cooking his tea. But it was gone first thing the following morning. Vacuming and through clean down of kitchen and bathroom every weekend. I've had to raise my bar a little to keep up! But it's fine and it's nice to live in a really tidy flat.

I had planned to go snowboarding this weekend with a colleague from work (Mike) and his girlfriend (Hazel) but the weather looked dodgy - bummer! Haven't been this season. We'll try and go in two weekends time. I'll go for a surf this evening instead.  Time to carry on with chores!

Ciao!! Nicole

Current Location: bedroom, home
Current Mood: chipper
Current Music: simon and garfunkel

Hi there
Well it had been feeling a little spring like around here a few days back...but we've since had a cool southerly breeze blowing and the electric blanket has been back in constant use and the thermal singlets are pulled back out of the back of the bottom drawer and relocated in the front of the top drawer... you get the picture.

I moved into my new flat 3 weekend ago - is that all??? - yes i think so.... well, I'm feeling quite settled, got my room how i like it and adjusting to having a flatmate again - i probably said that all last time... well, the adjustment continues. The kittens are well and truely at home here and are now expert cat door users (hooray!) and kitty litter is now kept outside (phew!) and I think they're starting to get the idea that anywhere outside is fine as a kitty bathroom.

Work has continued to be busy. All still indoors though! I'll have to take a photo of my office to show you guys - it really is tiny!! This month I'm crunching Dobie (water level gauge) data. I've made a start and it's going ok - just lots of it! But I'm still enjoying being the master of my own time and being able to plan what i'll do and actually get into it rather than constantly making plans to get work done then being asked to urgently help out with something else (constantly as in 2 x a day - which was the case in my old role). 

Not much else to report. Went to Whanga and Waihi last weekend to catch up with friends. Contemplated going home via Tga as it would be lovely to pop in and visit !!! But ran out of time. Would like to pop over one weekend soon though.

I'm supposed to be organising a band to play at Jess's wedding next March. Better get on to it.

See you! Nicole

Current Location: my room
Current Mood: peaceful
Current Music: rugby commentator coming from the lounge

Hi ya'll. I have spent the whole week, Monday to Friday, 9-5, at my desk. What's going on?!? This never happens in my job...

I had to pass up 3 days of field work in the lovely Kaipara Harbour this week, mmmm it would've been nice. The boys were diving to take photos of the surface sediments for our German biogeochemists. They were staying in a lovely lodge in Mangawhai - not that they got to see much of it as they must've arrived at 8 or 9pm and been out the door again at 6am. Oh well. I wasn't there!!

I was in my office all week as I've been writing a report comparing suspended sediment levels in the Waihou River to those in the Firth of Thames. Exciting eh. We collected the data a few weeks back. I can't tell you the results as they're confidential, but it was quite fun writing it up.

I moved house last weekend - two 1.5 tonne truckloads (that's a little truck, like a little milk man size truck). I have lots of stuff. But then again if you own a house, or live in a house alone, you need lots of stuff. But I could definately get rid of some stuff. Mostly old notes and paper stuff I guess. I have to keep my garden tools and workshop tools and kitchen stuff. It would be silly to sell it cos then I'd just have to go out and buy it again. (Do I sound like I'm trying to convince myself??). 

This week has been quite a period of adjustment. I have lived in my own home for the last 2.5 years and now I'm flatting again - a big change. I have a bedroom. And a shelf in the fridge. And two shelves in the pantry. And a shelf in the linen cupboard. And a drawer in the bathroom vanity. The rest of the house belongs to my flatmate, Wayne. He seems nice enough - pretty quiet and did his own thing every evening. He's organising a conference in his spare time so he disappears into his office at home and I don't see him. Hmmm. At least he's not in my face! Hmmm. Oh well.

The kittens adjusted pretty quickly and are settling in quite well. Leelou has figured out how to use the cat door which is great! Ecco is a bit slow but she'll get there :-) Wayne likes cats so that's nice - in fact I thnk he's spoken more to the kittens than he has to me.  Ha ha! Maybe I'm scary! :-)

OK - I've sat at this computer all week and I've had enough of it. Bye!

Current Location: chained to my desk
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: air con hum

Another week goes whizzing by !!  00000000olkk  Ecco (the smaller kittuenyj8ui7iiiiiiiiiiii) is helping write this journal entry :-) She is purring her head off and jumping off my lap and onto the computer desk and stepping on the keyboard. This week I was mostly in the office which isn't very exciting. But even though it's only the start of the nex financial year - well - we're only a month in...I'm already quite busy and quite booked up. This week we also went out in the field for a day on Thursday. We took the middle sized boat (Whai; a 5.8 m pontoon boat) and Rod and Az went diving and retrieved a couple of instruments out of the Firth for me (I was Skipper). It was a nice cruisy day and we had time to find the legendary bakery at N.....?? and then checked out Rod's boat that's being built on the way as well. Then we put the boat in the water and they did a couple of dives and it was time to come home. It was pretty cruisy. 

What else is going on...well I found a new flat as this one is on the market. My new one is in Dinsdale. It's 3 bedroom and I'm sharing it with Wayne (the owner of the house - electrical engineer/manager - I don't know him - found it on TradeMe). There's just two of us living htere so it'll be nice and spacious which is what I'm after. Wayne has owned the place for  5 years and he's renovated the kitchen and bathroom and they're both really nice. The place is at the end of a cul de sac and is on a hill facing west with a view of the Raglan hills! Pretty nice really :-)  He also has no pets but is happy for me to bring the kittens and he has a cat door and a big section (but not much garden - but there are a couple of trees and lots of fences). So I'm moving in in a weeks time. Hopefully it'll all work out well! It'll take me about 15 min to drive to work which is the same as from where I live now (Chartwell).

Tomorrow night is the NIWA mid winter do. Rather than a big christmas do we have a huge mid winter do. This year it's at the casino in town. The social club always puts loads of effort into really decorating the venue really well and everyone gets really into dressing up. This year the theme is "Las Vegas". Taxi there, meals, drinks and taxi home all paid for (they even pay baby sitting for those people with kids!). Should be a fun night :-)

Current Location: home
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: holly smith

Hiya - OK I'm a slacker - I guess I don't write in my journal that often. But here goes, I will try and write in it once a week!! That's lots for me. 

OK well anyway I went to Tonga for 10 days from 18-28 July and it was a fantastic trip. I went with two girlfriends (Renay and Kerry). We did very little. We slept in, ate, read books, ate some more, swam, read some more, went for a walk, sat around then drank and ate and slept. I also took my surf board and surfed 6/10 days. We had sun 7/10 days. The food at the resort was amazing 10/10 days. It was very social and everyone at the resort ate dinner together every night. Right now I'm pretty shattered cos I went in the field yesterday (Mahurangi monitoring) from 7.30am-9.00pm and then there was lots to do today. I'm trying to hang on to the holiday feeling but it feels like it's slipping away!! Will write more later. Here's a photo (hopefully - if I can remember how).

N.

  

Current Location: home
Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: jack johnson

I have more bugs. First two days weren't that bad, just bit of a sore throat and cough but could still go to work and get things done. Not today though - well and truely under the weather today. Bit annoying as Friday is the end of the financial year for us so there are a few things that need to be finished off at work...

It's been a beautiful day weather wise, although we started with a mean frost so it was a bit chilly until the heater warmed up. But the sun has been streaming in all day which has been lovely - so that's something.



Here's a picture from a few weeks ago of my lounge, I've moved things around a bit more now and most of you have already been here - but there you go Ems - you can picture my surroundings.

Feels like time for another nap - or another hot drink - or both. Erk.

Current Location: dining room at home
Current Mood: blah
Current Music: national radio chatter

ahhhh!!!!!... i had just written most of my new entry and then I got a phone call and  needed to check another website and forgot I was doing my entry and couldn't get back to my page! bother.

Summary version of what I had written over the last 20 minutes...

Time has flown and I can't believe my last posting was over a month ago! It has been a full on time.

Greig moved out the last week of May - very strange feeling. Rather empty house once all his stuff was taken away by the packers! Went in to work that afternoon which also felt very strange - he wasn't just away on a trip somewhere - he was really gone! Went out for dinner with Debs and had lovely time, went home and all felt fine - as though it was still 'our place' (it was an illusion!!). That first weekend was very tough as I had to post an ad on TradeMe for new flatmate and it reality hit that my circumstances had completely changed and I was on my own! No fun. Last 3-4 weeks been a time of big adjustment. 

So I have begun to get used to living 'alone' (after having lived with Greig for 2.5 years). In fact I'm no longer living alone as I have two flatmates (as of 5 days ago) so that is much more fun, the house is busier and feels more lived in. Rebecca and Carolina are 2nd year engineering students from the south of France. They are here for just 6 weeks doing their internship with Dr. Karin Bryan at the University of Waikato modelling beach swash zones. And they like kittens :) 

After they go I'll be moving out of the flat (so, in about 6 weeks time) and will go flatting with a guy from work (Richard) who is getting married in Janaury. Hopefully by January I'll have a better idea of where I want to go - so I'll move again and hopefully it'll be to somewhere I can settle at for a little while. Not really feeling settled now as I know I've got two moves on the horizon... but perhaps getting a little more used to feeling unsettled???

On a more fun, less serious note, Friday night we had a 'shortest-day-dinner' where we managed to fit 7 of us around two small tables pushed together (I'm looking forward to having a big long dining table one day!). Present were Rebecca and Carolina, Luca (Niwa) & June (his partner), Debs, Virginie (PhD student at Niwa, also French) and me. We had a lovely simple meal of two loaves of fresh bread, 3 cheeses, cold meats, a huge pot of home made steaming vege soup and mulled wine - then a self saucing choc pudd made by Debs. Much fun had by all - heater pumping - kittens well behaved (mostly, except the time they got on the table...).

OK, gotta go eat! It's lunch time and I'm hungry.

Will make an effort to enter in my journal each week... bye!

Current Location: work
Current Mood: rushed
Current Music: air con (again)