Bye, Bye New Zealand

Sadly our NZ holiday has come to an end. We have had an amazing time visiting great friends and family.
We had Christmas with family and saw in the New Year with friends, we have been hanging at the beach and camping, swimming, horse riding, walking up Mount Maunganui, eating yummy foods and generally just catching up. The girls have riden bikes, played cricket, screamed and yelled in all of your backyards and just had the best time with their friends.

Cousins

Friends

Kiwianna Kai

Two hours off the plane and we were eating the best fish and chips we had eaten in the 2 years, actually it was the first we had eaten in 2 years.
The list of unique kiwi foods eaten by the Ruebe-Haigs is growing by the day. Already we have indulged in fish and chips, pineapple lumps, hokey pokey icecream, jelly tips, venison steak, lamb racks, weetbix, paua, whitebait fritters, smoked salmon, classic kiwi meat pie, chip butties and the list I'm sure will continue you grow as will our waist lines.

Land of the Long White Cloud

We finally hit NZ soil on the 3rd December after 33 hours and 4 flights, boy did I struggle with it this time. We landed in the South of the South on a beautiful sunny day and just breathed in the amazing fresh air. It's funny what you first notice when in a different country. I remember our first time out in Tbilisi it was the different smells that hit me first. Sitting in the sun today I could smell every little detail of the garden. The freshly mowed grass of the neighbours, the lavender pot and the tomatoes plants, the parsley and the washing blowing In the sea breeze. When we are away we are always asked what we miss the most about home, we always say friends and family but also high up on my list is going to be the amazing smells and fresh clean air of this country.

Girlfriends what would we do without them.

When you move to a new city or like us the other side of the world, as a girl you always worry if you are going to make at least one special friend, like the ones you have left behind. Those friends that support you through the laughter and the tears, who always know the right things to say when you are having that bad day, who you call at a moments notice to go shopping or rummage around in their closet, who tell your kids off when they are being right little ........ and it doesn't worry you, who agree with you when your other half is being an idiot, but like you still loves him when it all blows over. Old friends or new friends you just know when the fit is right.

On a lovely sunny day a few weeks after we arrived in Tbilisi, I get an email from a lady saying that her school director has put her in touch with me, as our girls were the same age and like us she had just arrived. We decided to meet in the local park for safety reasons, as who really knew she could have been an axe murderer. The kids all played and we chatted about the obvious (new city, where to find things, shopping and schools). Sitting there I soon realised that she was the right fit. BUT as we walked up the street, out of no where Lily decided to just turn around and plant both hands on this lovely ladies boobs. WHAT THE HELL, I was speechless, my god what do you say when your 6 year old latches herself onto a near complete stranger. Well obviously we were just meant to meet and be great friends as even this didn't put her off.

A big shout out goes to my dear friend Katy. Who last weekend had to endure the last rugby test against Samoan with me. She screamed, yelled and cried with me over those 80 minutes and took all these amazing photos and videos as I just couldn't watch this game though the eye of the camera.
Thanks my little friend for all your support, help, encouragement and expat advice, oh and I must not forget making me buy my first pair of high heels.

OMG I love this fruit

" OMG I love everything about this fruit "
" It's shape, it's rich colour, just look at these amazing little seeds and this juice "
This was my conversation as I squeezed the fruit all over my chicken legs. Lets just say, Milton looked at me like I had lost the plot.
The POMEGRANATE. You know that red fruit with the hard outer shell, that you look at in the supermarket and think what can I do with this. You glance at the horrendous price but buy it anyway. Then you get it home, look guiltily at it in the fruit bowl for weeks, before finally deciding to cut it open. Then you splatter the bright red juice not only all over your freshly painted white walls of your kitchen but also all over that new white top you are wearing.
If you haven't already realised I am in love with the pomegranate. It can be found in Georgian cooking all year. It comes into season late September and is in abundance in the little fruit stalls at the moment. I brought 3 this week for little more than 2 nz dollars. The girls are loving them juiced in the mornings, or they just eat the seeds as a little snack, they are amazing in salads or as I did, just cut the fruit and squeezed the whole thing over my chicken.
Now the question is how do you get those little seeds out. I tried Jamie Oliver's idea of cutting the fruit in half and hitting the back of it with a wooden spoon, sorry Jamie this idea is bollocks. It's takes for ever and you still get covered in juice. The best way I have found is to cut the fruit in half, submerge in a bowl of water and sort of turn the fruit inside out, the little seeds just pop out. Usually they sink to the bottom and the white pith floats. Easy no splattering, you can even do it in your new white top.
Some facts
The pomegranate is one of the world's most ancient foods. The name pomegranate comes from Medieval Latin meaning "seeded apple." It has been named in many ancient texts from the Book of Exodus in the Torah, the Quran, the Homeric Hymns, and Mesopotamian records, to name a few. The pomegranate originally came from Persia, or modern day Iran, and the western Himalayas. It has been cultivated for millennia in places such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Russia, and the Mediterranean region. It migrated as far east as China and Southeast Asia and was found along the Silk Road as a symbol of abundance and posterity. It is also grown extensively in Korea, Japan, and Latin America, having been introduced there by settlers or traders.

Wish I could bring some home.

For some recipes check me out on Pinterest. I'm loving the look of the pomegranate scones and the pomegranate and purple basil gin smash.

doors, windows, balconies

The Windows are the eyes and ears. 
The old sit behind, gazing out onto the never ending flow. 

Watching 
The flower and the  fruit vendors selling their wares. 

Smelling 
The Aromas of the puri baking and the  BBQ cooking. 

 Listening 
To the dogs barking, the cars tooting and the babies crying .

Buildings crumbling, still inhabited retain the tears,
the laughter and the unfulfilled wishes of past generations,
The smell of time circulating amongst the new.

Deserted balconies stand silent 

Doors stand closed

Go Lelos

Milton heads into camp for three weeks.
With many weeks of preparation behind him, the boys will finally be together to get what's on paper onto the pitch. I'm guessing any coach would love the opportunity to work with his players everyday, but international rugby coaches don't have that luxury. With 75% of the Georgian players based in France and IRB restrictions on the amount of time you can be together before a test match. Milton is lucky to get the full 15 together 4 days prior to the game. But he says that's the job and you just have to make the best of it.
Milton lives at the Rugby high performance centre with the team when they are in camp. Wouldn't it be great if all jobs had a place for you to stay when you had a stressful project on. Your own space to let off steam when needed, to think and totally focus on the task at hand (without having to involve the family). Many people ask how I feel about this part of the job. Honestly, I have no issues, its part of the job and it gives the girls and I time to just hang out together, in between the normal daily grind of course. We do get to steal a couple of visits with him during his stay, a quick kiss and hug in the grandstand after a game, in between people wanting photos of him (oh to be famous) and many Skype calls.
Well the week has flown by and we head out to catch one of those quick moments with. We are very lucky to be there in time to watch the the jersey presentations. It's very quiet in the team room, the odd sound of a phone game can be heard as the players gather. Milton says a few words and the Georgian Rugby President presents the jerseys. I feel a little emotional as each players name is called, the pride they must feel, but I also feel the dissapointment of the players who missed selection for some reason or another.
The girls and I have been to every game that the Lelos (this is the Georgian name for the team) have played in Tbilisi. Over the past 19 months we have seen Georgia play many European Nations teams as well as Japan, Fiji, Emerging Ireland and South Africa. At most of these games, the girls and I cheered quietly by ourselves, amongst very loud Georgian supporters. Today it is nice to have some good friends and supporters with us and to be cheering very loudly.

Congratulations to our favourite coach.