Last week a few Aussies I know came to AKLD; they were from Sydney and kindly brought some of that glorious Sydney weather with them! We had clear skies and sunshine for 3, maybe even four days.
In a row!!
And then the rain came back.
El Nino has been declared. Apparently, that means we’re in for a warmer, drier summer. after months of rain, I’m rather looking forward to that.
Also, the oceans will be warmer than normal - which I think is great. I’m all signed up and ready for a summer of open-water swimming sans wetsuit.
And yes, I realise that, in general, warmer oceans aren’t great, but while I acclimatise to open-water swimming without a wetsuit, I will enjoy the water temps. But they’re not here yet. Kohi - the beach where I will be swimming every week, currently is showing as 15C. Not exactly balmy.
And there has been a bit of a situation - a sewerage line in Parnell collapsed. It has caused a tomo (sinkhole), and a lot of raw sewerage is finding its way into Waitemata (Auckland) Harbour. So, people are being advised not to swim, fish, actually we’re being advised to steer clear of the water at all of the inner city beaches.
And apparently, it could take days to fix - considering that this thing is the size of half a tennis court, I don’t think ‘days’ is unreasonable at all. And in the meanwhile, the rain continues. I hope it is fixed, and that the beaches are deemed safe again because I’m all set for my first swim in 4 weeks.
In other news, Kate and I went to Nelson for a few days at the beginning of the school holidays. We went to see the Code Breakers exhibition - all about women in games. There are quite a few trailblazers. Kate had a great time.
From Code Breakers: Women in Games
The exhibition features 10 game makers, including: Lisy Kane, Producer at League of Geeks, co-founder of Girl Geek Academy and one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in the games category; Katharine Neil, independent Game Developer and director of the hugely controversial and influential game ‘Escape From Woomera’; Maru Nihoniho, Founder and Managing Director of Metia Interactive and recipient of a New Zealand Order of Merit for her service to the gaming industry; and Siobhan Reddy, Co-Founder and Studio Director of Media Molecule, named in Fortune's 10 most powerful women in gaming.
I recently joined a community for women looking for mentorship. There is plenty I need to learn, and this seems like a great community. I signed up for a ‘business brunch’ session. I’m not sure what I was expecting.
As it turns out, it was a great session - we reflected on September and what we have achieved, and then we set goals for October.
I’m one of those people who tend to look ahead at everything that still needs to happen, at everything I still want to do. I’m not so good at looking back at what I have (or have not) achieved.
This session gave me the opportunity to look back at the month of September and reflect on what we have achieved.
As it turns out, September has been a huge month.
We have our first PoC client ready to rock and roll. I am so excited about this! We’re working through the details - watch this space.
I went on my first-ever sales and relationship-building trip.
I connected with some truly amazing people and have a wonderful mentor who introduced me to more incredible people.
I attended Intersect23 - the FinTech Conference in this part of the world - where I met more awesome people doing extraordinary things.
We were accepted into Ministry of Awesome’s Founder Catalyst Programme.
I was invited to Speak at the ARCA Credit Summit, which is being held in Sydney this year - I’m SUPER excited about this!
I attended Blackbird’s Sunrise Aotearoa Festival - more amazing people doing extraordinary things. And so many thought-provoking conversations.
I’m investing in my speaking skills - working with Bonita Nuttall. She has a completely different way of thinking than I do - which means that I am learning an incredible amount!
Kate and I managed to escape to Nelson to see Code Breakers: Women in Games and catch up with a few friends.
No wonder I feel like I’ve been busy 🤩
Here’s to the final Quarter of 2023! Time to set up 2024 for success.
Kia kaha,