Fall

The clocks went back here last weekend, marking the end of the brief window where New Zealand is exactly 12 hours ahead of the UK. During this time, I relish listening to Radio 4 in the mornings, when the time-checks align perfectly … albeit at the opposite end of the day. This pleases me more than I can say. It also means “The Archers” now airs at 7:00 a.m., which does a great job of forcing me out of bed (urgh … Archers).

Now for the obligatory weather update: with the clocks changing, summer has officially bowed out. The winter clothing adverts have begun, and autumn is here. It’s not particularly cold yet (unless the southerly winds kick in), but the weather has grown more changeable—hot in the sun, decidedly not on cloudy days, and actually cool in the evenings. Riveting stuff, I know.

I caught another show at the New Zealand Festival recently: À Ố Làng Phố (the typeface might not do this justice, but accuracy wins out). It’s a stunning mix of clowning, acrobatics, dance, and music from Vietnam—far more elegant and beautiful than I’m making it sound. If you get the chance to see it (I believe they’re touring), I highly recommend it. Unfortunately, I missed Perfume Genius due to illness. While the man is undoubtedly a genius, reports suggest it wasn’t a great show anyway.

Having lived in Wellington for about 18 months now, we’re starting to see some of the city’s many festivals and events for a second time. People say familiarity breeds contempt, but in this case, it’s quite the opposite … there’s something comforting about revisiting these traditions.

Personally, I’m particularly excited for Wellington on a Plate this year—the food festival to end all food festivals, and the film festival, which completely passed us by last year (somehow).

And that’s about it .. no major updates for April so far. It’s just business as usual.