The Mr X factor 14: November 19, 2007

September - November 2007

Tough times and a trip to France

For photos visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157602476021432/ (Sth of France)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157603217513627/ (London times 2007)

Hi all

I last emailed from Brussels in early August, where I had injured my left knee, cycling in Holland/Belgium. It has been an interesting 3 months since, to say the least – uncertain in many ways, and not how I would have planned it if I had the choice! Here follows the continuing story of my OE travels...

After a week convalescing at family friends in Brussels (very fortunately located), I made it back to London by coach mid-August. Next day I saw a doctor, and soon after a physio, who thought I had torn cartilage in my knee. My GP then referred me to a surgeon, whom I saw in early October. I am (finally!) booked in for 'key-hole' surgery (arthroscopy) on 7 December, to have a look inside my knee and clear up any damage. For those inclined I would appreciate your prayers for this.

Unfortunately, my mobility has been limited by my L knee, as well as an ongoing R heel problem. As some of you know, I've had heel problems with my right foot in particular, since playing some football in 2003. Lots of medical investigations have not solved this problem and it has become more painful and limiting over time. I've had to severely limit the amount of walking I do, trying not to walk too far at any time, cycling whenever possible. However sometimes walking can't be avoided and slowly things have got worse, which has obviously been very frustrating and worrying. With the recent L knee injury, I've had to lean more on my R heel to take the weight, which has aggravated it further and is now constantly achy. So everything has felt pretty precarious.

What's the way out of this? I must have asked that Q a thousand times! After many unsuccessful visits to doctors/surgeons - X-Rays, scans, ultrasounds, orthotics etc... the thing that gives me real encouragement to keep searching, is the countless number of episodes and seemingly providential events that encourage me to seek healing from God. In situations like this, this is where the rubber hits the road, faith-wise. Jesus Christ says to seek Him in all things. When I've been reading the Bible at desperate times, specific scriptures relating to feet and healing have just kept jumping off the pages at me – for 3 years now - as well as with people I have asked for prayer from. Recent stunners have been Habbukuk 3:16-19, Psalm 66:8-20 & Psalm 105:16-20.

Key learnings have been to focus on the Lord and wait patiently for Him, to worship & praise the Lord regardless of circumstances, keep knocking on the door and never give up, thank Him in advance for His goodness and healing power, trust that he will refine my life/character through difficulties, and ultimately use everything for His purposes and glory. Have also been learning about spiritual opposition, and have considered the Q of what if God doesn't heal my foot, even though He seems to be indicating He will – there seem to be plenty of desperate prayers in this world, that don't get answered in the way people wish. Not an easy thing to consider, but necessary to work through.

Well, that's the real-life honest stuff - there's been other stuff going on too: Due to my health problems and a lack of suitable jobs, I've been off work and stuck at home since mid-August– think I have only been into central London 4 times in 3 months. Being unemployed and home-bound has been quite an experience. Initially it was quite enjoyable - a chance to slow down, reflect, read, pray, chill out. I did interview for a job with the Royal Bank of Scotland, mid-September, but missed out on this. So I concentrated on sleeping in (!!), reading some books, working on my photo album and photo website etc... - for my latest travel photos check out: www.flickr.com/davidhodgkinson

I also began sewing my European souvenir fabric patches onto my much-loved Scout blanket. Way back in 1985, my Grandparents gave me a lovely green Scout blanket, soon after I started going to Cubs. Over many years, this has become a 'tapestry of my life' – recording places I have visited, things I have done, groups I have been involved with. I am now finally nearing the end of the first side – 255 patches currently, many of them slightly crooked – Mum always tries to make me feel better about this, by saying it adds personality!! Have bought about 80 souvenir patches since I got over here in 2005. I only retrieved my blanket when home in NZ earlier this year, as I knew I had to get started on the sewing mission, before it became too daunting! The final quadrant of the blanket has developed firmly into the 'overseas travel' section. Finishing the first side and turning onto the other side will be a momentous event!! I am now down to a backlog of 40 patches.

I have also been glad for having a laptop and broadband internet connection at home - for emailing and keeping in touch with people, surfing the net, and liaising with recruitment agents over job applications. As ever, my flatmate Simon (Cuffy) has been good company during the weekdays – between contract work he picks up. I have also had some stellar friends pick me up/visit and hangout/phone/email, which has been really appreciated. Despite my efforts, I wasn't getting many job opportunities from recruitment agents (frustrating), and cabin fever did set in after about 6 weeks – I was starting to bounce of walls! By the time mid-October rolled around I really needed to get out of the flat and see the horizon.

Fortunately, I had a way of doing this. In July, four mates from NZ won a trip to Paris for the Rugby World Cup final, in a World Cup quiz competition. We organised a rendezvous in southern France, over semi-final weekend. I flew out of London on October 11th, with Matt & Barry, two of the competition winners, who had had a few days in London. We were met in Nimes by Ashley, Renee and Alan and drove to nearby Arles in our hire cars, looking at the open-air theatre and ampitheatre. Then we headed to Sommieres, a small town west of Nimes, where Ashley had organised our apartments through family friends. Renee cooked up a lovely pasta meal (that jet-lag is bad coming from London!) and we toasted the start of the long weekend.

Next day was blue and warm – Tana Umaga is onto a good thing, heading to the south of France - the climate was stunning for our visit. We headed for the coast at Sete, with a swim in the Mediterranean Sea firmly in mind! It was 18-20 degrees, and the Med was beautifully blue. We sunbathed/read for a while, then Matt and I headed into the surf: Kiwi lads + water = gotta swim it! Late afternoon, Ashley arrived with Mark and Andrew, fresh arrivals from NZ and London, respectively. We had another swim, before heading into Sete township for dinner at a lovely fish restaurant. We headed home via the airport, picking up Rob - our tour group of nine was complete!

Saturday morning began with the Sommieres market experience. I managed to find a Sommieres souvenir patch for my blanket and take some photos of the township and market, not to mention Ashley, with his stunning 'carrier-trolley for old ladies'. Then we headed for the old walled-city of Carcassonne – a two-hour drive away. We had our lunch from the morning's market purchases, then looked around the town and city walls. While several of us sat down for a beer at a bar, Mark went AWOL finding and successfully recording an interview with a Frenchman, about the upcoming evening's semi-final match up - France v England – a northern hemisphere war about to unfold.

Mid-afternoon we began heading back to our French hosts' lovely farmhouse, on the outskirts of Sommieres. We helped prepare a sumptuous BBQ meal, washed down with lots of wine and beer, before heading inside to watch the rugby match. Most of us were hoping the French would win, so that the Penalty Tryhards - Matt, Barry, Ashley and Mark - would have a great time with the host nation in the final. However, it was England who triumphed in a tight match, with Johnny Wilkinson kicking them to a deserved victory. We began to resign ourselves to an England v. South Africa final, drowning our sorrows, chatting, and having a sing-along until about 2am.

The next day we split into two groups – some headed to Arles for a bullfight. Having studied Latin for 3 years at Wellington College, I was keen for a Roman infrastructure fix. So I went with Matt, Renee, Alan and Carolyn, to the 'Pont du Gard', near Nimes. This is an ancient Roman aqueduct, which used to carry water across the River Gardon. It was massive, and pretty much still fully in tact - they knew how to build things back then! We got some great photos. Matt, Renee and I swum in the river (refreshing and slightly chilly!) and Matt, Alan and I skimmed stones across the near-still river.

After a lovely ice cream each, we jumped in the car and headed for Avignon – famous for the Avignon papacy and Great Schism of the 14th and 15th centuries. We only had time here to walk around/through the city – checking out the fabulous city walls, Le Pont d'Avignon, Notre Dame Cathedral and massive Papal Palace beside the Place du Palais (town square). Matt took me for a spin in my wheelchair here (had rented it in Sommieres), which was a tonne of fun, especially going down some steep hills!

After this we drove back home to Sommieres, for another fabulous meal (roast) at our French host's place, swapping stories from each group's experiences, before settling in for RWC semi-final 2, Argentina v. South Africa. The Pumas gave it a good shake, but SA had a few more gears when needed and won through to the final, versus defending champions England, the following weekend. The Penalty Tryhards would be at the Stade de France in Paris for this!

Monday was my final day of adventures. Mark and Matt cycled into nearby Nimes, After lunch, Matt and I explored Nimes by bicycle, while the others visited Avignon and the Pont du Gard. We checked out Nimes's ampitheatre, listening to the audio commentary about gladiatorial fights in Roman times – we even spotted a broken sword in the arena itself. This proved too much of a temptation (boys will be boys!), so Matt 'accidentally' dropped his rugby shirt over the wall and 'had' to jump in to retrieve it. With 2 school tour groups and plenty of other tourists watching, he dashed to the sword, as if there were lions and gladiators about to surround and attack him. The broken sword wouldn't have helped if this was the case– it turned out to be a wooden prop! After a few quick photographs of gladiatorial poses, he climbed up the 8 foot wall in a single bound – back to safety (and yes, he didn't forget to grab his rugby shirt!).

Our final destination in Nimes was a tower on a nearby hill above Nimes - 'the Tour Magne'. While on the way there we cycled through the Jardins de la Fontaine, stopping briefly to watch several groups of Frenchmen playing petanque – a major French leisure activity.They were all very skillful and amazingly accurate with their throws. Atop the Tour Magne, there was a grand view of Nimes. We were able to make out the ampitheatre and temple we had visited. After a beer at the bottom of the hill, we caught the train home. It had been a fantastic and memorable day, exploring Nimes with a good mate.

Next morning I got up early and flew home with fellow Kiwi-Londoner Andrew, to London. My five days in France had been great and had rejuvenated me a fair bit. However, now I was back home to more uncertainty– health and job-wise. Reality set in when I realised I had worsened my heel problem on the French trip. It had felt manageable while there – I guess the adrenalin and enjoyment of the time there masked it, but I in hindsight I should have made better use of the wheelchair we hired while there. I was kicking myself over all this.

I celebrated my 32nd birthday on Friday 2 November, at a bar in Willesden Green. It was great to see a whole lot of my London friends and have a few drinks with them.

By now I really needed a job. My recruitment agents finally got me an interview on 5 November, for a role with the Youth Justice Board. The interview went well, although I felt I could have answered a couple of questions better. But I obviously did alright because two days later I was offered the job! Relief! However, the next day it all fell apart and the offer got withdrawn. There had been a mis-understanding over the level of my security clearance. It would take me 6-8 weeks to get the required clearance, and they needed me to have clearance to start immediately. It was a bit of a setback - I thought I had finally cracked it. Still, I was relatively upbeat as I knew I had done well in the interview. I just have to keep trying.

So, that's what has been going down... As I look back on the last three months, it has certainly been a roller-coaster ride – with quite a few challenges. I have been mindful of holding my nerve and waiting patiently for the Lord. There is a definite sense He has used this time to reveal a lot of stuff to me, about all sorts of things. I have also had some fantastic support from some great friends, and have managed to keep busy at home - I am aware that being stuck at home over this time could have gone a lot worse than it actually has.

What next? I have several things to focus on up to Christmas. My knee operation on 7 December looms large– hopefully this will be straight forward and successful. I also have recently got some new orthotics (foot inserts) to try and start wearing – slowly building up the time spent wearing them each day. And I need to get a job – one possibility came through late last week, which will hopefully work out soon. Hopefully in the next five weeks these things will come together. I need them too! In September I booked (in faith!) Christmas flights to Barcelona with friends, so I obviously want to be able to make that trip and end 2007 on a high note.

That's all from me. I wish you health, peace and happiness this Christmas season. If you are going through some tough stuff, all I can say is keep fighting and don't give up!

Love from Dave :)

The Mr X factor 13: August 10, 2007
June - August '07

Canalling with M&D - Wendy & Murray's flying UK visit - tennis at Wimbledon - end of contract at CPS - Cycling tour of Holland - Harwich - Hoek van Holland - The Hague - Zandvoort - Haarlem - Amsterdam - Gouda - windmills at Kinderdijk - Willemstad - Kamperland - rest day! - Zeeland - knee injury :( - Belgium - Brugge - Brussels


For photos visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157601611799770/ (M&D's visit)http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157601650785774/ (W&M's visit)http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157601718489236/ (Cricket & tennis)http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157601779734626/ (Cycle tour - Holland & Belgium)

Hi all

The ‘Mr X-factor’ no. 13 comes to you from Belgium, where I am in a spot of bother. Have been on my cycling holiday since Sat July 28th, and it was a fantastic first week, but last Monday I strained my knee cycling into the wind, from Zeeland to Brugge. Fortunately I have been able to stay with family friends here, but I am not sure what to do from here as it is still pretty sore, 4 days later, & I guess I need a diagnosis before I decide what to do. Reasonably frustrated, to be honest, I have been in similar health situations, too many times in my life, and I hate each one.

Anyway, at least it is raining outside, & I can write this latest update. Also, I have set up a photo website, to balance all my writing! If you want to look at some of my travel pictures, head to: www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson It has photos from my cool trip home to NZ, in March/April. Hope you enjoy…More photos will be added in due time, I’m still learning the website – Paul Roper-Gee I have a few Qs for you!

Before the cycling trip goss, some cool things happened in June. I had a great week canal-boating in early June, with my parents. We were around Banbury-Oxford-Swindon, on the Oxford Canal and Upper Thames. I had forgotten how much fun it is, and obviously special to be with Mum & Dad for a week, given that I now live over here.

Then a week later it got even better, as our whole family was reunited, quite unexpectedly, for the first time in 2.5 years. My elder sister Wendy, is doing the married, mortgaged and Mummy thing in NZ. With no prospect of getting over here she entered and won a radio competition, the prize being, a trip for 2 to London. So Wendy and husband Murray made a fleeting visit to London, for 10 days in June, and on the 16th Wendy, Murray, Nicola and me, had an incredibly precious and special day altogether on the canal boat, down the River Thames, from Hampton Court to just past Richmond. Nicola’s boyfriend, Serge, also joined us in the evening. We were all in good form and had a great time together – lots of photos with big smiles and a dream come true for Wendy & Murray.



June 28th, I headed to Centre Court Wimbledon, for the day, with Nicola. I had got tickets in the public ballot for the first Thursday, and it was a completely dry day, unlike the weeks either side of the day I was there! I must say, I feel like a true Brit now, because I watched Tim Henman come from 2 sets down, to level at 2 sets all. It was shaping up to be a brilliant victory, until he lost the deciding set in a whimper! After that Nicola and I had some strawberries & wine, before heading back courtside to watch Sharapova & Nadal both demolish their opposition in straight sets. It was a great day out, but most early round games seem pretty one-sided, when a top seed is involved. I’ll be hoping for tickets to week 2, in next year’s ballot!
I worked through the rest of June & July. On July 27, I finally finished work with the CPS, after 2 years, which has been very interesting. My contract from November last year, was not renewed, so when I get back to London, I will be looking for new work, which I am excited about – will be interesting to see what happens and where I end up.


The big cycle trip began on Saturday July 28th. I took the train to Colchester in Essex with my mate Andy Baynes, whom I met over here in London – Wellington boy too, and joining me for the first week. We cycled a couple of hours to a campsite, pitched the tent, then had a nice meal in the campsite pub, excited about the week ahead & talking about all things cycle touring.

The next day we were to catch the ferry from Harwich to ‘Hoek van Holland’, and it was discussing this that we realised Andy had photocopied his passport at work, but left the original in the copier. All of a sudden we were in trouble – there seemed no way round this and it looked like Andy wouldn’t becoming to Holland with me. We went to sleep pretty glum. Next morning we fronted up to customs, with our booking refs, my passport and a photocopy of Andy’s, trying to see if they would let Andy across. Their main concern was that as Andy did not have a ticket booked back, he could be free to get anywhere round Europe once on the continent. After talking with the Dutch border control, they said he could go, as long as he returned to England via Hoek van Holland.


Ecstatic, we boarded the ship for the 6 hour trip across the channel, relieved and grateful. The rest of the first day consisted of a ride north, up the Dutch coastline. We were following the recommended ‘Noordzee route’, from a ‘cycling in Europe’ book, that my kiwi mate Angela gave me at Christmas. We headed up the coast, to Scheveningen, near Den Haag (the Hague). It was breezy and mild cycling behind the dunes and dykes, and we had regular stops for cheese snacks! Early evening we started campsite hunting, and, ran into a few problems finding the tourist info centre, let alone a campsite. Fortunately we were helped out by a man with a Tom-Tom GPS system, who directed us to one. We found our campsite (eventually, that is – difficulty locating campsites, would be a common theme of the trip).



Next day, we decided to have a look around the Hague, and it proved to be a good decision – it was an interesting day exploring, with highlights being the Binnehof & Mauritshuis – 2 of the city’s important buildings, the International Court of Justice, and Madurodam – 1/25 scale legoland-like theme park showing Holland’s key historical and infrastructural projects – really fun, interesting and a snapshot of what was ahead of us. Next day we were back into it, riding from Den Haag to Haarlem, west of Amsterdam. This was a great day, enjoying the brilliant Dutch cycle tracks, two-laned, carved through the dune system and busy with cyclists.


As we neared Zandvoort the sun came out and it got hotter, we decided to have lunch on the beach and found one that felt just like Waikanae beach. Parking our bikes on the beach, we enjoyed swimming in the surf, & catching some waves, before having a lovely cheese baguette lunch (with tomatoes, salami et. al. thrown in – yum!). We cycled on to Haarlem, and enjoyed a lovely meal at our campsite (once we had found it!), beside a beautiful canal.

The following day we had pancakes in Haarlem, before a leisurely 25km ride into Amsterdam – booking into an inner-city hostel, where our bikes would be safe. Andy went for a look around town on his bike and I enjoyed sitting outside a bar with a beer, writing my diary, some postcards, & reflecting on how much fun this whole ‘explore Europe by bike’- thing was. Andy & I went for a lovely Indonesian meal that night – part of the Dutch East Indies colonial-link.


By now, we had also got into an enjoyable chess rivalry, I had bought my small, magnetic set with me – the one that NZ boys in the ‘80s, played chess tournaments on! The score was 4-2 to me when Andy left, for London, but he is the form player at the moment - to be continued... lots of fun.

The next day was Day 6 (2nd August). We got thoroughly confused with the canals, heading out of Amsterdam, but found an asphalt cycle path and made quick time heading through some lovely Dutch countryside, to Gouda, south of Amsterdam - famous for cheese. We had done 80km when we arrived there, and headed to our campsite using our Lonely Planet guide and locals for direction - only to get well and truly lost by both. When we did a big U-turn and found the campsite, they didn’t take tents – only caravans and fixed-type house units - &!%?§ç!!!! We asked for directions from the owner but weren’t smiling on the inside! 6km later we found a site and had a welcome rest and shower – 80km had turned into 97km, and an unnecessary extra 90 minutes of cycling.



Fortunately, we soon forgot that, because we had a great evening at a small Italian pizzeria takeaway joint, eating lovely pasta for our carbo load, and talking about all sorts of things with the welcoming Turkish chefs, intrigued at what 2 Kiwis were doing cycling through Holland, far away from home. Unfortunately they do not deliver to London!!

Day 7, we kept heading south, to Willemstad. This time we did 98km – it’s long, but not as bad as you may think, when the terrain is totally flat! We lunched (more beautiful baguettes, this time with olives too!) at Kinderdijk, amongst 19 windmills – the highest concentration of them in Europe, and a great photo opportunity. Late in the day, we neared Zeeland, and crossed 2 mighty bridges, surrounded by with views of the sea, land and windmills. We were starting to encounter a number of Dutch engineering projects – each one pretty massive in scale, and quite inspiring. No campsite finding difficulties, for a change!





Day 8 was from Willemstad to Kamperland, in Noord Beveland. Andy left early to head back to Hoek van Holland, and his ferry home. We had had a great week exploring western Holland. This was my first solo day, and I had 80km to do. I knocked off 50km by 1.30pm, and noticed it was getting pretty hot – late 20s. After lunch I cycled across the ‘Zeelandbrug’ bridge, south of Zierikzee. After 1.5km of it I thought it was quite long, but it just kept going forever, partly because of the headwind; but mainly because it is 5km long in total! - a massive, straight, seemingly endless, bridge. The heat was taking its toll by now, I guess I was tired from the previous 2 days’ rides, and the final 12km seemed to take ages. It turned into 16km, with more campsite finding problems. Then the reception was closed for an hour, so I got an ice cream, sat and cooled down.


Then, a classic thing happened. I kid you not, but my 'Johnsonville Cycles' emblazoned bike shorts (bought from a Wellington bike shop, whilst I was home in March) came up trumps, when a Kiwi-Dutch guy recognised them in the camp reception as I was checking in. He asked me, ‘those aren’t from Johnsonville are they?’ in a Kiwi accent. I’m tempted now to say J’ville cycles are my sponsors! We got talking – Caspar was born in Holland, lived in the Hutt Valley (Wellington), from 10-19 years old, before returning to Holland, and now lives in Maastricht. He invited me to his BBQ that his mates - a social volleyball team - were having that night. They were a lovely bunch of Dutch people and welcome company at the end of my first solo day. I had decided to have a rest day the next day, so was really able to enjoy things. A classic, chance meeting, and I felt quite blessed by it all.
Sunday 5 August was a lovely rest day. The body needed it after 280km in 3 days - in pretty hot weather. I slept in, before heading to the ‘Neeltje Jans’ Dam exhibition profiling the massive flood control/dam projects constructed in Holland in the ‘60s & 70, as a result of the 1953 flood, which devastated much of Zeeland due to widespread dyke failure. This exhibition was 9km from the campsite, located on the final & most technological part of the project - a storm surge barrier, which can be raised in high seas & severe weather conditions to keep the sea out (could it keep out a passport-less Andy Baynes though!!?), and I found it very interesting. So far, it has prevented floods since its construction, and it was particularly interesting given global warming, sea level rises and floods seeming to occur more often. Holland in particular needs to be at the forefront of any planning, with about half of it below sea level.

I spent the afternoon sitting poolside in the campsite, in sun and 27 degrees, with the occasional swim & beer - very chuffed with how things were going, after only 9 days of this trip. The next day I think my body was still in relax/tired mode. As I headed for Belgium, I pushed into a headwind in the morning, my calves were tight & after an hour, I felt a mild 'pull' inside my left knee, and thought ‘gosh that might hurt a bit tonight’. I had to keep going, to reach Belgium & my destination of Brugge, which I entered in misty rain, traveling alongside a canal, lined with huge trees – felt like I was heading to a special city.




It was – Brugge was lovely on first impressions, as I cycled round trying to find the Information Centre – problem was every street looks very similar and those cobblestones are really bad for cycling! Found a campsite on the outskirts of town though and explored Brugge very slowly on my bike next day – having waffles in the market & sitting canal-side for several hours, as my knee was giving me grief by now.





On Wednesday I took the train from Brugge to Brussels, where I am now with family friends, waiting for my knee to get better and wondering what to do… Cycling trip is on hold for now, (after 581km). Writing about the glorious first 10 days of it, has me wishing I could continue right now. I had plans to get to Switzerland eventually. Will see if it gets any better in the next few days and make decisions from there. I so wish it wasn’t this way, but it is unfortunately. Life doesn’t always go one’s way – and that’s probably what helps us grow.

I will survive – hope you are going well.

To check out all my photos visit: www.flickr.com/davidhodgkinson

The Mr X factor 12: June 4, 2007

March - June '07, incl. trip home to New Zealand!

Family & friends - wonderful Wellington - clothes shopping with sister - South Island road trip - Mark & Rebekah's wedding - cycling Central Otago Rail Trail - North Island road trip - reflections on being home - Dave buys a house! - back in London - visit to Marsh Gibbon village - sister wins trip to UK - M&D in UK

For photos, visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157601486221330/ (NZ trip - North Island)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157601486193042/ (NZ trip - South Island)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157601519146796/ (Hong Kong)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157601595826666/ (Marsh Gibbon)

Hello everyone!

I have been back in the UK almost 6 weeks now, after THE most fantastic trip home to NZ in March/April - the first time home in almost 2 years. A completely fun & special time with friends & family, & some cool trips around a stunningly beautiful New Zealand. Also had fabulous weather for almost the whole time. My trip home is the main focus of 'The Mr X-factor', no.12. I've tried to keep it succinct, but failed miserably (again!)...

I had an excellent flight home on Air NZ & arrived at Wellington airport on 19 March, to some pretty cool family scenes – Mum & Dad, sister Wendy, with 2 of her 3 kids - felt like the Prodigal son returning home. Met my latest nephew – Ben – & was pretty quickly got some instant smiles – always good! My 3 year old niece, Amelia had long fiery red hair, quite a change from when I left. For the first few hours she was watchful & cautious with this strange Uncle Dave – soon changed though!

I spent the first two and a bit weeks at home, which was lovely – usually spending time at home, always a late breakfast (mmmm... Hubbards!!) then chilling out, interspersed with trips around town to deal with the various things I needed to sort in NZ. In the evenings my friends had finished work, so I would head out to catch up with them - via parties, quiz nights, BBQs, cafes (proper ones!), or just round at people's places.

I also managed to pop into Tawa College to see my ex-colleagues, watch my old cricket team in fine form at at Ngatitoa Domain one Saturday, & caught up with old school mates at our 500 cards tournament, dominating the round robin, but getting knocked out in the semi - my usual story! Heading back to church (Lifepoint in Newtown) was good, seeing my old Bible study group fora reunion picnic in the Botanic Gardens was great, & catching up with the remnants of my stunning 7th form Geography class from 2003, was lovely.

Another highlight was driving a car - for the first time since I left NZ in 2005. I also got my mountain bike out & cycled round Wellington quite a bit, when heading into town for various appointments (including my health 'Warrant of Fitness' – eye & dental appt!), and to meet up with people for lunch/dinner. Time spent on the wonderful waterfront & Oriental Bay was therapeutic – my favourite parts of Wellington - got some great photos. Obligatory swim at Oriental Bay in late March was chilly, but had to be done. Matty Berg, thanks for talking me into it!

A special highlight was a much needed shopping spree for some clothes. I did this with my sister Wendy – it was a big success & a pretty cool bro/sis bonding experience too! I had a long list of things to buy, so with better prices & customer service in NZ, not to mention my clothes & colour savvy 'Trinny & Susannah', in the form of Wendy, enthusiastically on hand to help (i.e. leading the way!), we were unstoppable!

One mid-week morning we left Mum happily baby-sitting Wendy’s kids & took off to a near empty Dress-Mart in Tawa. After almost 4 hours (I did need a pit-stop for coffee & a breather, half-way through) of mixing & matching, & trying lots of clothes on – shirts, trousers, ties, belts, vests... we emerged with several bags - I had just had the most successful & enjoyable shopping experience in my life - and this was even without bothering to calculate the 'number of items bought per hour' rate, surely a vital factor if any guy is going to enjoy his shopping! Big plug for my sister here, if anyone needs help with their clothes shopping, talk to my older sis! Thanks Wens.

After just over 2 weeks in Wellington, it was time to head for the South Island. The destination was Queenstown for Easter weekend, where good friend & ex-neighbour from growing up, Rebekah Dennison, was getting married to Mark Zwies. They have been (& are still) living in the UK for the last couple of years, so were returning home for the wedding too. It was the perfect excuse for a road trip, so M&D & I crossed the Cook Strait on the interisland ferry, then meandered southwards over 3 days, staying in Kaikoura, Geraldine & then 3 nights in Queenstown. The scenery while driving the South Island, particularly the Mackenzie Basin & into Central Otago - was breathtaking. Great to driving too!

Rebekah & Mark's wedding on Easter Saturday was pretty cool. It was a stunning day. Everything seemed to go to plan, bride & groom looking beautiful, & seeming to take it all in their stride. A great celebration for them, their families & friends. Lovely reception & some cool stories about Rebekah & Mark were told. Great to catch up with various friends of theirs, whom I knew, let alone to actually be at the wedding (I booked my ticket home last year, well before they got engaged, so perfect timing!) The next day they held a lovely BBQ/picnic at the Dennison's place near Lake Hayes - the weather was even bluer & warmer! It was so relaxing & chilled, one of those afternoons you think will last forever, when you have not a care in the world. Lovely, just sitting in the sun, enjoying a beer & post-wedding de-brief with other guests, as the afternoon, dusk, then evening, came and went. A great weekend, well done & congrats, Rebekah & Mark!

On Easter Monday I joined up with good friends Mark, James & Anita Edgecombe (all at the wedding too), & Anita's brother Ben - to cycle the Central Otago Rail Trail, from Clyde to Middlemarch. We did this over 3 days, cycling a total of 150km. We had swapped some emails before I hit NZ, about a post-wedding trip of some sort, & this came together perfectly.

Around mid-day on Easter Monday, we set off on hired bikes. James had driven ahead of us, dropped the car at our B&B, 50km ahead, & hitch-hiked back to meet us at Alexandra, where he had locked his bike. Cycling out of Alexandra, on an old & abandoned railway track felt a bit like we were heading out into the wild west- the scenery was rocky outcrop hills, a rugged, barren & dry landscape for miles, interspersed with vibrant yellow & green poplar & willow trees beside the rivers. As the afternoon sun headed towards the horizon the colours and shadows were really amplified, beautifully. I found myself jumping off my bike every 200 metres for photos, so I was always having to catch up with the others!

We reached Lauder at around 6pm, and realised we had booked into a pretty fancy B&B - I shared a very nice Speight's beer with Mark in the late afternoon sun (Pride of the South - nice!), before a lovely hot shower, & then we headed out to the local pub for a meal & reflections on/yarns about a stunning day.

Day 2 was the best day - it started with a cooked breakfast, & got better from there. After a couple of hours cycling, which included some bridges and tunnels, we arrived at the small town of Oturehua, where the famous old general store (established 1902) was surrounded by bikes from other cyclists doing the Trail - the Trail has become pretty popular. We had a look around, bought some snacks, mementos & postcards, before cycling for another half an hour to the 'Whiskery Bill' cafe, lovely name, classic old farmhouse cafe in the middle of nowhere. The bacon & egg pie I had was superb, as was the Fruju ice block - have missed them in the UK!

Soon after lunch, we crossed Latitude 45 degrees South - (exciting for any Geographer!) reached the summit of the trail (618m) and headed for Wedderburn - made famous by Graeme Sydney & his wonderful landscape paintings of Central Otago. The afternoon was awesome - we had a nice tail wind & a slight incline (the people heading the other way looked tired & unhappy!), so we clocked some big speeds, regularly cruising at around 40km/h, & hitting 50km/h when we really pushed it, after Ben & I had to stop to fix a puncture. The clouds were starting to make some cool patterns on the roof of the sky by now, the landscape was big, wide & open & we cruised through Ranfurly & onto Waipiata, where we had a beer at pub & then found our accommodation for the second night. We stayed with Anita's sister's mother-in-law (Tim Borrer's Mum) - she cooked us up the biggest lamb shanks ever & we debriefed on the day's ride over vanilla ice cream!

For the final day it was grey & breezy early on - a cold southerly was about to hit. After a coffee late-morning at the Hyde Cafe, we bunched up & cycled close together to minimise the drag into the wind, had a final pit-stop for a bite to eat in the trail-side shearing gang shed, then put our heads down for the final 13km through rain & hail, to the end of the line - Middlemarch! It was good to finish with a bit of a challenge into the wind - we were well cold, wet & hungry by now. Dropped off the bikes & headed to a cafe for the nicest soup & bread ever, before heading to our campsite cabin, where we grabbed a hot shower, some R&R, and then later, a celebratory meal at the Middlemarch pub.

The next day we got some photos outside Middlemarch station, before driving to Dunedin to drop Ben off. We had breakfast in a cafe & a final game of cards (Grass was the game - James is such a dodgy player!), then drove to Christchurch. We had a great time on the Otago Rail Trail - really interesting history & great scenery - definitely worth doing.

Had 3 days in Chch & caught up with various friends there - always good. Thanks to Mike & Helen for hosting a meal so I could see them all. Did a quick trip to Arthur's Pass to see Gerald, my uncle - first time I have seen him & his new AP life, having moved back to NZ from Brisbane a few years ago. I had a final 3 days at home in Wgtn, before relocating a hire-car to Auckland over 2 days, via Greytown (to see my Wgtn Coll mate Matt Morris), Mangakino (to stay with Bill Millward - ex-teaching colleague & mentor from Tawa College), then stayed with Jono Smith in Auckland (ta mate!), seeing Andy & Helen Saunders + whanau, as well as my godmother Cathy, who was flying in from Sydney, an hour before I flew out.

I was quite fortunate to meet Cathy at the airport, because I had to do a major repacking exercise at check-in, as I had far too much luggage. Got it down a fair bit (but still over the 'limit'), after which they let it go through without any charges. Relieved, I had a quick drink & photo slideshow with Cathy & gave her a large bag of stuff which I had taken out of my luggage. Thanks Cathy - don't know what I would have done otherwise!!

I left NZ on the evening of 20 April, & had 3 days in Hong Kong on the way back. I was based on the Kowloon Peninsula & managed to explore around the waterfront, fit in a tour to the New Territories, a number of cruises around/across Victoria Harbour, & catch the nightly skyscraper light show on the waterfront, where buildings on the HK Island cityscape light up the night sky - pretty cool.

My 2nd day there was the best - a day trip to the south side of HK Island - just a relief to find a slightly unbusy space. This included an amazing bus ride over the top of the island, a visit to Stanley Market, & walking & exploring around Stanley. Mid-afternoon I had a lovely swim at an almost Baywatch-like beach, at Repulse Bay (which had shark-proof nets, 100m off-shore), as massive container ships the size of small islands, edged across the bay in the distance. Then, late afternoon I had a cruise in a Sampan on busy & vibrant Aberdeen Harbour, a traditional old fishing village, before catching the bus & tube back to my hotel.

I also visited the Hong Kong Museum of History (v.good) on the 3rd morning, before making it up Victoria Peak in the afternoon. Initially I didn't think this would happen. The Peak had been shrouded in cloud for my first 2 days, but when I came out of the museum, it had cleared, so I headed across the harbour on the Star Ferry, walked through the CBD & its massive skyscrapers, & went up the famous 800m long Central-Mid-levels escalator (the longest in the world). Took a taxi from there to the Peak Tram, & clung on as it climbed the amazingly steep ascent to the top. I got there in time for some stunning photos in the daylight, & then in the dusk & dark that followed.

Visiting Victoria Peak was a great way to finish the trip. HK is such a dynamic & amazing place - full on, buzzing, amazing high rises, highways, bridges, infrastructure etc... just mind-blowing. I'll be going back for more, sometime, as I just scratched the surface of this amazing island city. Left Hong Kong early the next morning & arrived at London-Heathrow mid-afternoon on April 24.

Was met by Julia at the airport, which was a lovely surprise. I was back in London after a special & unforgettable trip home. Reflections on the trip? Well, it was much anticipated, & it turned out to be all that I hoped it would be. Being with family, & getting to be play the hero uncle role to my sweet nephews/niece, Adam (5), Amelia (3) & Ben (9 mths) was really special. Catching up with as many people as possible was also great (sorry if I missed you!).

Good to know also, that home is still home! As soon as I walked out of Wellington airport, felt the wind on my face, & drove around the waterfront via Evans & Oriental Bay, I knew I was home & it was like I hadn't left. All too brief though, for now. I didn't feel torn leaving NZ, to head back here – just satisfied I had had a great time & content in the knowledge that I'm sure I'll probably be back for good one day.

I was also excited about heading back to London - the solo drive up the North Island & 3 days in HK was a good way to re-orientate myself to heading back to the UK for the next stanza of my OE - 'Phase II'. Pretty exciting also, to arrive back here & have many things in place, which I didn't have when I first arrived here in 2005 – flat, job, church, friends, familiarity, contacts... nice. Julia & I have unfortunately split up recently :( but overall, things are pretty good.

Whilst home I also managed to buy a house, something I had been thinking about doing for a while. It was all pretty quick, exciting, & a bit nerve wracking (I don't recommend short conditional or settlement periods!) but in the end it went amazingly smoothly. The house is in Titahi Bay, home town of NZ's best golfer, Michael Campbell, & also where I used to teach coastal processes to my senior Geography students at Tawa College. It is 10 minutes drive from where my sister & bro-in-law live, & where I grew up, 20 minutes drive from M&D's place, & half an hour to Wellington City. I really like the Porirua Basin area of Wellington, with its familiarity to me & closeness to the coast. The house is a pretty standard 1960s weatherboard house, the likes of which many suburban Kiwis probably grew up in. Three bedrooms, great sun & just 10 minutes walk to Titahi Bay beach. I feel very grateful & excited with how it has worked out.

Since getting home (whoops! - I mean back to the UK) I have gone back to work in my old job at the CPS, although it's focus has changed a bit. I currently have work through to the end of July. After that, I am hoping to do some cycle touring on the continent during August (anyone keen to join me?) - Belgium/Holland & Switzerland/Austria. This has been a bit of a dream of mine for a while, so hopefully it will come together.

During the weekend of May 12-13, I visited Marsh Gibbon on the Bucks/Oxfordshire border, with my younger sister, Nicola. This was where my parents lived in the early '70s, before moving out to NZ. So it was nice to visit & explore (which didn't take long- was a very small town!). There are several friends still there from M&D's time, so we stayed with one of them & knocked on some doors to say hello to M&D's friends, & were welcomed in for a chat & a cup of tea - very friendly people, & great to finally make it to Marsh Gibbon.

We had been there before of course, in 1982, on a family holiday. And on 22 May 2007, it was 25 years to the day since we had left NZ on that trip. Quite out of the blue, I had received a text from M&D 11 days earlier, to say that my sister Wendy (doing the married, mortgaged & Mummy-thing, back in NZ) had won a trip for 2 to London! With Nics living here, M&D over here now for their bi-annual visit, & Wendy & Murray arriving next Saturday for a very quick visit, we will all be over here at the same time, just over 25 years on from 1982. Classic!!

Summer now feels pretty close in the UK. M&D have arrived & just started their month long canal trip, from Rugby to the Thames & back - tomorrow I join them for a week, between Banbury & Oxford, which will be lovely. The weather has just turned good, David Beckham is back in the England team, & Team New Zealand look odds on to win the Louis Vuitton Cup & take on Alinghi for the America's Cup. Go the black boat!!

All for now. Hope all is well with you. Would love to hear how it is with you.

To check out all my photos visit: www.flickr.com/davidhodgkinson