Hi all, we are Kiwis living between our house in Auckland and France, during summers when in France we live in a small village, Grezels in the Lot valley (46).
My topic is of course in typical kiwi-aussi competitive fun, sadly after our yesterday’s cricket defeat by Australia, the title could be reversed!
Naturally the Christchurch earthquake will be on many peoples minds and it is truly a major disaster, my son and his family live in Christchurch and thankfully they are all fine, however they have lost their home to damage, a minor loss compared to so many.
In the true ANZAC spirit there is a major Australian team on the ground numbering now over 1,000 providing vital specialised search and rescue and includes over 300 Police who are fully active in both assistance and security efforts.
So a personal thank you to all Aussis, with a cold beer and a hot barbie on offer this summer when we are in France if you are passing our way.
Naturally all best mates bets are off later in the year during the Rugby World Cup 
Best Regards
Peter Baker
Love your post Peter! I silenced my own internal in-my-blood Kiwi vs Aussie angst (yes, I’ll call it an angst) by becoming a Kiwi Aussie. C’est simple! If you can’t beat them, join them (and let’s face it - mostly we can’t). I still feel a little unwell at supporting the Aussie cricketers, but strangely I can cope with giving the Wallabies some love. Go figure! The All Blacks are still my favourite though.
I have had some very teary moments this week seeing my birthplace in ruins. Earthquakes invoke such a profound fear in most Kiwis - unfortunately it’s never a case of if, but when. Sending much aroha to all my fellow countrymen, women, children and animals.