Turning Christmas on its head

family.

Yours sincerely, Sultan Arrowsmith from Motueka Valley Highway.

Dear Santa,

I am sincerely sorry I high-kicked my sister in the jaw. I had recently quit karate and had begun regretting my choice. I did not want to get rusty and was practising my high kicks amongst the tulips.

Suddenly out of the blue – ‘hey what are you doing?’ I was so startled I didn’t have time to think. My instincts got the better of me. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The crack, the scream, the desperate cry for help. She was rushed off to hospital. Tears poured down my cheeks, forming puddles on the hard concrete ground. In the cold, harsh hospital wing, I sat by her side for four hours.

So, if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, now she’s fine, because after all that’s what Christmas spirit is all about.

I would love a new phone. Just so when I’m out running I can contact my family if I get hit by a car. Also, so I can reach my friends and maybe play games.

Please Santa PLEASE get me a new smart phone. I’m on my knees!

Yours, Sanne. Orinoco PS. I’m going to Australia for Christmas so don’t come down the wrong chimney!

We are a Swedish family of four, fortunate to be able to spend half a year in Motueka. As we left our northern country we were approaching winter, the sky turning grey, the days shortening and the temperature starting to drop below 10 degrees. This is the season to cocoon, to stay indoors and bravely await the darkest period. In the southern parts of Sweden you have daylight between 9am and 4 pm… how clever of us to leave all this behind and head towards the very other end of the world!

New Zealand –the country where a lot of things are very similar to Sweden, but a few, the very opposite!

For our kids the Christmas celebration is a subject of comparison right now. On the first of December we went to the beach in Mapua and lit a fire, had a cold gingerbread, walked barefoot and enjoyed the last beams of the sun long after 8 o’clock.

Back home it is pitch dark at this time of year, we would struggle to stay awake and gather indoors around the first of the four candles every Swedish family light on the four Sundays of Advent until Christmas, which we celebrate on the 24th.

We would have been enjoying the thin, special Swedish, gin- gerbread cookies, as well as a “lussekatt” (‘Lucia-cat’, a cardamom bun, coloured with saffron and shaped like an S, named after the Italian saint that we celebrate on the 13th).

In the window you would be sure to see an Adventcandlestick – a V-shaped lamp-thing with seven electric candles in a row. Above that, a star, made out of paper with a bulb inside, spreading that precious light in the dark, cold night.

It all makes a very cozy Christmasy atmosphere – but we don’t have any problems at all replacing it with a beach hangout this year!

Rotary Science & Technology Forum

Congratulations to Rowena Mosimann who has been selected to attend the Rotary National Science & Technology Forum 2020 in Auckland from the 11-25th January 2020.

NBS Motueka Golf

Closing day for another year and once again Santa found time in his busy schedule to turn up with goodies for us all. A fun day, and a large field, saw everyone playing of the yellow tees, familiar to the ladies but a challenge for the men!

Rob Bruisma continued his recent run of good form scoring an almost unbelievable 93 points to win the men’s event. Jocelyn Thomson won a very close women’s event with 80 points.

Other men’s winners;

2nd Ken Melind 88

3rd Graham Shaw 85

4th Bob Valle 81

5th Roger Harman 81

Other ladies winners;

2nd Linda Thurow 79

3rd June Patching 79

4th Irene Fell 75

5th Lois Cocks 72

Six players shared the Bay Pharmacy Hidden Holes while eight players shared the twos pool. Lower Moutere Store closest to the pins were won by Donna Mitchell and Peter Cederman.