I'm a Kiwi at Heart

So I was exploring New Zealand's take on the world this morning, ever mindful that we're headed there in less than two weeks.  What I found reassured me yet again that this is a trip that will be both a revel and a revelation.  Surely, I'm discovering, I'm a Kiwi at heart.

It's reported there's been a drought in NZ with much less rain than anticipated in their summer months.  But, as we and Fall approach there's to be a change in the weather.  My thanks to the New Zealand Herald for their word that MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt says "pending grumpy fronts" show that rain is on the way.  Now I must wonder.  Does Bob know that we are coming or are his "grumpy fronts" just the weather kind?  Wouldn't hearing one of our meteorologists refer to "grumpy fronts" in a weathercast just make your day?

I can only hope that Kiwis reading reports from the States find us as colorfully different as I'm finding them.  Sure, they have the same news of scandals and crime that we do and their political snafus include the same combination of prurient interest in candidates not-so-private lives and those pesky budget investigations.  It's the way they see the world and their amazingly evocative use of the language that's uniquely theirs.

Even as I write this, my husband and I are laughing with amusement as I attempted to tell him how I seasoned the pork roast now simmering in the crockpot.  When I couldn't come up with the appropriate words for the minced garlic I'd used, I called it "garlic spickles."  It seemed fitting at the time.  Obviously, my love of language extends well beyond that which is correct (or even appropriate) into the realm of fantastical.  I'll always vote for the fun made-up word in favor of what's available in the dictionary.

While in  NZ, I must make it a point to consult a local dictionary, however.  I suspect it will give me hours of happiness.  Just doing my daily research into all things down under, I'm collecting such a treasure trove of words and sayings.

There is, for instance, a "bun-fight."  That's a social gathering with food.  Then there's "get off the grass," the Kiwi version of "stop pulling my leg."  My favorite for the day is "wop-wops."  This is loosely defined as an out of the way location, what we might call "the boondocks," or maybe "the back of beyond."  The phrase that comes to mind is one that's given me a chuckle when I've seen it on tee-shirts--"Paddle faster.  I hear banjo music."  I'm not sure what that means to people who've never seen "Deliverance," but those who have done so get the picture immediately.

As I pursue my online discoveries of Down Under culture, I think how much my father would enjoy exploring this with me.  He had a love of words, particularly colorful language, and a great sense of humor.  Somehow, although he died almost 25 years ago, I'll take him (or at least his spirit) with me on this trip.  We'll have fun.