2015年7月10日金曜日 - 
Candace: Summer in New Zealand part ２
Backyard barbecues are a ubiquitous part of Kiwi summers. You
invite your neighbors, coworkers and friends, and usually start mid-afternoon
and finish late at night. Typically we barbecue heaps of meat like sausages,
steak, lamb chops and chicken nibbles. There are also vegetables; corn on the cob is the most popular, but
also grilled tomatoes, slices of courgette, onion, asparagus, and mushrooms. There's usually fresh salad on the
side too. And don't forget the bread to make hot dogs, with Kiwi tomato sauce!
Of course there are drinks as well; New Zealand beers like Speights or Tui, and
a famous sweet lemon soda called L&P (Lemon and Paeroa), named for the town
in northern New Zealand where it's made.
And of course the best part of summer is
Christmas. It seems like magic, but every Christmas that I can remember has
been sunny. Rain is pretty common during New Zealand summer, but for some
reason Christmas Day always has amazing weather. People usually stop working
from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day, so we get more than a week off work.
We spend time with our families, and often travel to see them in different
cities. Some families spend their Christmas at the family bach, which
is a holiday home, usually shared by an extended family. Whether you are with your
entire family, or only one parent, or with friends, you are bound to spend some time sitting in
the backyard in the sunshine.
It's easy to take this lifestyle for granted when
you have lived in such a beautiful country your entire life. But as they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder and now I know that I'm lucky to have experienced New Zealand at its
best. If you are considering a holiday in the southern hemisphere, please don't
miss seeing New Zealand in the summertime! I promise you won't regret it.
ubiquitous：always present：どこにでもあるもの
nibbles：small pieces of legs and wings：手羽やモモ肉を小さく切ったもの
corn on the cob：corn cooked without slicing it from the stalk (the “cob”)：軸付きのトウモロコシ
courgette：zucchini：ズッキーニ
bach ：New Zealand holiday home：ニュージーランドの別荘
extended family：your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins：親戚を含む大家族
bound to：definitely：間違いなく
to take for granted：to be ungrateful or unappreciative for：当たり前だと思う
distance makes the heart grow fonder：when you are far away from something or someone, you
appreciate it more：離れてわかるありがたみ