Clap for the Wolfman

More years ago than I really care to recall, I used to go , in company with a select group of friends, every Friday night at 11.00pm to one of the local movie houses. They used to screen "The Friday Night Horrors." We used to thoroughly enjoy them. lovely old moody black & whites with the emphasis on various & sundry creatures of the night in different combinations of rivalry, with a lot of Lon Chaney thrown in. There was always the good old Christopher Lee/Peter Cushing combo from the Hammer stable. And don't forget good old Vincent Price at his abominable best in the Dr. Phibes series & various others. Wonderful stuff to grow up with.

Herself & I went to the movies tonight. We went to see Wolf Man. I was sort of expecting a grand spectacle with the emphasis on special effects & not a great deal of story. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a damn good story with a good solid plot. Couple this with the intense acting we have come to expect from Anthony Hopkins ably supported by a very good cast. Yeah sure, there were the obligatory chiropracticly impossible bone stretching scenes that made you wince to watch, but then, they have been around in Wolf man movies ever since they were made. Good use was made of the quick glimpse that didn't really show you much followed by an incredibly swift taloned claw/hand dismembering the current victim.

Also notable was a spine chilling scene set in a Lunatic Asylum, complete with a bald cackling assistant, duckings into baths full of ice cold water, straight jackets, chains on the walls, the whole nine yards. So yeah, its clap for the Wolfman, as Guess Who recorded. Its a top movie, done with a lot of respect to the genre. We enjoyed it immensely. Go see it for yourself & see what I mean..

Autumn's golden gown

I love those words. They are a quote from the track "Forever Autumn," from Jeff Wayne's musical War of the Worlds. It's a track that for various reasons becomes more & more evocative as time passes. Look up the lyrics & you will see what I mean. Either that, or just watch this clip. This is Justin Hayward & the visuals are what we saw at the War of the Worlds stage show. It makes me cry every time i hear it.



But I do love Autumn. its a stately time of year. its a time when the air is cool enough & the ground is usually dry enough to get things done. I have been busy. I actually feel rested enough & confident enough to get things done. So far, I have rebuilt the front door & made a damn good start on the concreting that needs doing round the place. Ok, its not real major stuff, but its achieving goals that I have set myself & not has the self confidence to do, so they represent major steps forward for me, so i am proud of what I have done. here is the front door all finished.




















I have replaced the main lock with a new digital one that is much easier for Herself to manage & also a lever handle for the other one. Is a lot easier for her. Found a nice door knocker for a bit of contrast too. What do you think ?

P.S.

I think the following link says what needs to be said on this subject... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10633589 And thats all I'm going to say about that..

Editorial

I read with a certain amount of trepidation the verdict on a certain high profile trial here in good old New Zealand. last year 3 so called "protesters" cut through a mesh security fence & slashed a protective plastic inflatable dome over a radar installation at a place in the South Island called Waihopai. Conspiracy theorists would have us believe that the whole deal is a secret spy base for the Americans. I know, & it's fairly common knowledge that it is owned by the Americans, but just what theyu are actually spying on is open to conjecture. I mean, there isn't really a lot down here when you look at it. As for the possibility that the installation have some arcane & sinister purpose that endangers the average Kiwi, well I have my doubts. Lets just say I don't feel moved to make a pilgrimage to damage said installation.

Enter stage left our hirsute & rather unkempt trio of so called demonstrators, do gooders who took it upon themselves to represent the rest of New Zealand in what proved to be a protest that was pointless & destructive albeit extremely well publicised. The only thing that this twinky trio of refugee geriatric hippies had going for them was the fact that they freely admit to their guilt.

So guilty as charged on the counts of wilful damage & trespass huh ? Not so simple. You see, it was a jury trial. Guess what or 12 good men & true decided? Not a guilty verdict as you may think, but because they "honestly believed in what they were doing," they were found not guilty. Now it doesn't take much of a legal beagle to see the implications here. Even a worn out old stay at home trucky like myself can see it. Sure the admonition has been made not to see this as a possible precedent & the justice department is thinking about appealing the verdict, but the implications scare me.

Honestly believing in what you are doing opens all sorts of possibilities. lets face it. Hitler, Bin Laden, Mugabe, Saddam Hussein, even Attila the Hun for god sake, all believed in what they were & are doing. Can I now go get drunk & drive a motor vehicle because I honestly believe in what I am doing? I really don't fancy my chances much, do you ?

OTHER NEWS...

In other news, i think the herbal sleeping tablets are starting to kick in. I'm sleeping better & longer now & feeling like I can actually accomplish something worthwhile in my day. Herself had a lovely pamper treatment at the local beauty clinic yesterday & we both had a wonderful massage today. Have a good weekend & enjoy the cooler weather,

Someone left a Cake out..

OK, it wasn't raining & it wasn't Mac Arthur Park either, but someone definitely left a cake out. We found it when we got home yesterday. There it was in all its glory around the back of the garage. No idea who left it, or how long it had been there. An hour or so & a phone call later, the mystery was solved. You see, last weekend I did a favour for a friend. Her Mum had just been givena replacement video for her old one. She thinks watching TV in the afternoon is a little decadent, so she tapes all her favourite shows & watches them in the evenings when "there is nothing else on to watch." Go figure.

Anyway, the whole family is a bit technologically challenged, so me being an electronics genius ( stop laughing) I was asked if I would mind popping round & tuning the video & telly in with each other. I didn't mind. Maisy is one of those delightful people who just ooze goodness in a wonderful way & so is her daughter. We have been friends with her daughter a number of years. Herself first met Min through Keep Thames beautiful & they have stayed good friends since. So as I say, I didn't mind doing it. The whole family have been very supportive to us in tough times, so it was a small thing to do.

Anyway, as I said, I got a phone call. It was from Maisy. She had dropped the cake round just to say "thank you." She didn't have to & she knew full well that I didn't expect anything. That's just Maisy's nature. It was a lovely thing to do & much appreciated by us both.

Isn't it wonderful that there are still folk like this in the world. It's sad that their efforts go largely unheralded & unrecognised. I nearly said unrewarded, but changed my mind. Rewards, apart from spiritual, are the last thing on their minds when they do for others. We have endured the questionable antics of our wonderful "Bishop Brian" in the media lately. It's kind of difficult to get away from the allegations of avarice that spew forth from the media daily. Its very evident, to me anyway, that the only thing he is in it for is the money, quite happy to strip cash from families on low income. An EFTPOS machine in the church foyer ? Come on.

I watched Jamie Oliver's American Road trip with interest on Friday night . he was in the deep south, specifically Georgia. He stopped the night in a trailor park & went out to fraternise with the local rednecks that live there. Not exactly the deep end of the genetic pool. It shocked him deeply to find out that there are still folk down there that use the word "Nigger" & mean it. In contrast, he went to a service at one of the evangelical churches of the genre usually preferred by those of African American Heritage. Aside from the music, which I absolutely love, what a contrast. There the emphasis is all about helping those in the congregation more needy than yourself. And lets face it. If you are needy in the States, you are NEEDY. Unemployment benefit is a lot harder to get & there is no free health system. I am absolutely certain, & I know for a fact that there are, that there are churches here that have the same amount of love & concern for their congregation as the American ones do. It's just sad that their efforts at the moment are overshadowed by an avaricious, relentless megalomaniac.

Eight days a Week

Well, it hasn't really been 8 days, but in a lot of respects it feels like it has been so far. I am actually very proud of myself. The reaming out that I got from the doctor on Monday has made me very stubborn & determined. I am looking forward to the next time I go to see her. I intend to hand her back her prescription & the remaining Zopiclone tablets from the last lot. I haven't given in & taken one yet. Nor am I going to. The herbal capsules seem to be helping. I think that like anything herbal, they may take a while to kick in properly. There is the possibility that they may be having more psychological benefit at this point, but no matter. I have also given up my afternoon Nanna nap. But then , I don't actually feel that I need it now. Sitting down for an hour in the afternoon watching Star Trek is just as beneficial. Keeping busy is a big plus as well. All in all, I'm very proud of my efforts.

Herself has had a new lease of life as well. She has attacked the front garden in a manner that can only be likened to the actions of a cat with chronic diahorrea. I must admit that it is looking really great. has just about given me the incentive I need to breathe life into Morris the Mixer, (Remember Morris?) & actually get some concreting done. Now that its a bit cooler & my self confidence seems to be coming back, I actually feel that it might be feasible to do it. Herself would be happy to see it done. That is as much reason as anything to get it done as anything.

We had a lovely day today. One of Herself's cousins from Hastings came to see us. They are staying with friends in Whangamata for a week & thought it would be a nice idea to come see us. We thought it was a good idea too. We had a lovely time together & it was, as it always is for me when we have guests, a treat to do lunch other than my usual boring sandwich or noodles & yoghurt for Herself. It was also lovely to be able to sit at table & enjoy a good conversation with really lovely guests. Thanks Mike & Kaye, you really made our week for us.

Tomorrow, we will probably go out to Placemakers & sort out some beading to finish off the front door. I wasn't initially going to bother, but the more I look at the more I think it needs it just to finish it off. Monday, massage for herself, Tuesday, Respiratory Clinic for herself at Waikato, Friday Craft for Herself & massages for us both. Where did I ever find time to work ? All that & the calendar says its a good week for fishing as well.....

What ever gets you through the night.

Ever since Jude was diagnosed, I have been taking a sleeping tablet called Zopiclone. A succession of doctors at our medical clinic have been quite happy to prescribe it for me on a month by month basis. Right up until yesterday. You see, we have a new doctor, a lady doctor, not that I have anything against lady doctors you understand. This one is very good. And very strong willed. She has let me know in no uncertain terms that Zopiclone is only a short term quick fix get you over the hump sort of drug that shouldn't be taken any longer than 2 weeks at a time. She even went as far as to say that I would be doing myself less harm by getting drunk every night than to continue taking it. All sorts of possible nasty side effects which if you really want to know about are probably on the net somewhere.

Then we got to talking about why I have problems sleeping. Its a problem that I have had long before Jude got MND. It's just that I can cope a lot easier with stress if I have a good night's sleep. But she didn't want to hear that. She went off down a very murky path involving depression & Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I know I'm not depressed. I know depressed. I have been down that path & spent 2 years on anti depressants. When I finally weaned myself off them, I vowed that I wouldn't ever get into a situation where I needed them ever again. That still stands. As far as OCD is concerned, nobody that really knows me thinks I have it. Sometimes I just lay awake & worry about things. How strange. Our pharmacist doesn't think I'm depressed either. She has a similar thing. Like me, if she can get a good nights sleep she can cope.

The doctor gave me a weeks worth of Zopiclone & wants to see me again in a week. They have gone into my bedside drawer next to the anti depressants. I'll not take any more. I didn't take one last night. I didn't sleep all that terribly well, but I did sleep & the roof didn't cave in. I went back to the Pharmacist this morning & she has given me some herbal capsules. Hopefully they will help a bit. Even if they don't I am prepared to tough it out & get my head sorted sufficiently to sleep .

Gawd my legs are sore

Sharon & Chris came down to see their Mum yesterday & of course they brought Liam & Renee with them, our two grandchildren. Well, 2 out of 5 1/2 anyway. They are pretty active little tackers, so after a shopping blitz, lunch & a mad ramble through all the games in my puter, vague sounds of boredom began to be heard.

Stupid had a brainwave. Stupid bought a pushbike a while ago so that he could accompany Herself on rides to get a bit fitter for both of us, but it hasn't happened a lot. Herself's co ordination & muscle control is not what it used to be. Chris had the forsight to pack the kids bikes into the back of the wagon & bring them down. So after we established that the tyres on my bike had gone flat from disuse & inflated them, we went for a ride. Quite a long one actually. Well, not all that long really for a couple of young active kids, but quite far enough for an old fellow thats not particularly fit.

It was one of those golden moments that are to be stored away very carefully & brought out to enjoy all over again on a gloomy winters day, or nights when sleep is proving elusive. So yeah, my legs are sore today, but its a really good sort of a sore. I may well carry on doing it on a daily basis when Herself is having her afternoon nap. I could certainly do with the exercise.

Happy Kick in The Guts Day !!!!!!

I'm not sure if its stress, worry, or just the fact that we seem to have a lot of appointments these days, but somehow I seem to manage to get appointments confused a lot easier these days than I used to. Like today. I thought we had an appointment to see The White Rabbit for our customary 3 monthly appointment where we fill him in on what's been happening in the time since our last visit. I had fully resigned myself to exiting the hospital with Grace Slick echoing through my head, but no. We go to see The White Rabbit tomorrow. This morning, as we found out when we got there, we had our first consultation with a new guy. The health system has, in it's wisdom, decided to set up a consulting Neurologist that visits Thames Hospital once a month. A very nice young man that started at Waikato about the same time that Pat Simpson did, so naturally, the two of them get on really well & have a lot of respect for each other. It's the first time that Jude has been seen by a neurologist since she was diagnosed.

We actually like him because he doesn't beat about the bushes when he is laying things out to you. I like that, but sometimes it renders things a little hard to accept when they are stated so baldly. We were both under the impression that Jude's MND was going to be pretty much confined to her upper torso. We have found out today that this isn't so. It has already affected her legs to a large extent. We found this out when we asked him about the possibility of a knee replacement for her. He doesn't seem to think its a particularly good idea because of that. Also there is the prospect of 8 to 12 weeks of quite intense pain, very intensive physiotherapy & the possibility that she may well die under the anaesthetic anyway. I have tonight talked to someone whose stepmum has had both knees replaced & it hasn't even made her pain free at the end of it. All this & Jude is still looking at being in a wheel chair in 2 years time anyway. The analogy that he used was that it would be like putting a Rolls Royce engine in a rusty old Datsun body. not sure I agree with his choice of vehicle though. Jude is more like a Land Rover I think. It doesn't matter what life throws at her she hunkers down, digs her heels in & boxes on, where others would quit.

I haven't asked her yet what she intends to do. Her main concern is that she would like to get back to her gardening that she loves so much. I'm going to ask the physiotherapist if there is anything she can suggest to help. What ever she decides on, I will back & support her to the best of my ability. I know what my thoughts are on the subject, but its not up to me to say. I hope I know what she will decide. In any event, the Neuro is going to expedite Jude seeing a surgeon for her knee, so at least we will know what our options are. My next big challenge is to get through tomorrows appointment with the White Rabbit without giggling.

We've had rain......

Not an absolutely torrential downpour I will admit, but enough to wet the plants & the concrete down. Hopefully enough so that herself won't feel compelled to water the garden tonight. I always feel guilty when I look out the window & see columns of water waving indolently back & forth courtesy of the sprinkler. Herself loves to water by hand so she can commune with her plants, but lately the communion has taken back seat to winter olympics.

I must confess to feeling slightly guilty about the whole watering thing though. I keep expecting to see a row of little Ethiopians or something lining up with buckets to fill & carry 10 km back to their huts. I wonder if they got any rain to help put out the big fire in the Taiere Girge down Dunedin way...

Its nearly finished

Herself has been following the Winter Olympics with great enthusiasm. It really doesn't do a lot for me, but I'm not saying much as i don't know how many more she will get to see. I've been having natural healing lately. I don't think that you can really call it massage, because the lady that does it is incredibly gentle. What she does is very gentle manipulation coupled with light pressure. You just sort of float away while she is doing it. Regardless of effect, the pampering is wonderful. But you do get effect. You feel like absolute crap for a day or or two, but then you come right. Only a little bit at a time but the effects are tangible. I'm starting to feel better. Less tired.

We both had a session with her yesterday, so we didn't have much in the way of time to do anything much. It sort of ate up the whole day. Today was a different story though. We have had half a load of greenwaste on the trailor for a week or more. All Lorna's from next door. i've been promising myself that I would collect up enough stuff for a decent load. I have been promising myself to do it for a week or so. Anyway, today I did it. Ventured into the potting shed & emerged resplendent in leather gloves & armed with secateurs & attacked the rose bushes. For some reason, Herself rather likes the sort of rose that tends to grow like a Triffid. You know, great long shoots heading in all directions. Anyway, I managed to prune/mangle the bushes so they look relatively respectable, throw it all on the trailor & deliver it to the dump.

Not to be content with that, we then went out to the mill. You see, I have noticed that the days are getting shorter very quickly now & our firewood heap is looking quite sad, so between Herself & me we loaded up both Sherman & the trailor with nice dry firewood. Some of it is too long for our firebox so needs cutting up. I have emptied Sherman & put the long bits on the trailor, all set to be cut up in the morning.

All this doesn't really sound like a lot , I know, but coming from someone who has been finding it exhausting just to cut lawns lately, it's a significant improvement. Tomorrow, after I have dealt to the remainder of the firewood, I think I will have to get some groceries in. Herself will probably help with the wood. Thats if I can drag her away from the Winter Olympics I guess.

We went to Hamilton today

Herself is back on Her patchwork kick. She's making cushions out of some of the innumerable bits & pieces of patchwork that she has floating around in the end room. I'm happy about that. It will be nice to finally see some results of some of her work. The reason for the Hamilton trip ? Well, she just HAS to have foam rubber chip to stuff em with no common or garden Dacron for her. So nobody in Thames actually stocks foam chip. The nearest place was Para Rubber in Hamilton. I couldn't get through by phone for some reason yesterday, so I sent a slightly (For me) tongue in cheek email of enquiry. This elicited a reply of one pleasant email & 2 very nice phone calls.

So off we went. They were just as nice there in person & were very helpful. We asked them about somewhere nice for lunch, so, naturally enough, they directed us to a restaurant next door called Momento. It was a lovely place & whats more important, they actually had dishes on the menu that Jude could order from. Not just one dish but her choice of 3 or 4. Its nice to go somewhere like that. There is also a large area outside. I think the reason for the extension is to take the turn from Victoria street into Hood Street a little wide to stop trucks from hitting the veranda. For what ever reason, it makes for a very spacious area to sit & watch the world go by.

And go by it does. All sorts go past. Harried Mum's either carrying, walking or pushing in strollers their brood of little ones, office ladies of all shape & size, some looking at home & absolutely stunning in high heels, others looking very unhappy & awkward in 'em. Lady's a word of advice. I know a nice pair of heels tightens your calf & bum muscles up & makes your posture a lot better, but if you aint comfortable in 'em don't wear em. Nothing looks worse. Personally, I can't understand how they ever made a comeback. I have a nice pair of dress boots with Cuban heels a bit over an inch high. I love em to bits & have had em for years. Love wearing them, but God am I glad to get em off. How you ladies cope with 2 & three inch heels is beyond me. Madness. Still, I have to admit to being very partial to a well turned pair of legs in black stockings & stiletto heels, but maybe we should stop there & get on track again huh ? Lots of business men in long trousers, long sleeve shirts & ties coming in for their coffees & pre made sandwiches with folders in their hands & earnest looks on their faces. Was wonderful just to sit & watch it all unfold.

So we're home. Tomorrow is our grand daughter, Renee's 8th birthday. Happy Birthday my sweet. We will see you on Saturday. Have rearranged my baby Wharfedale speakers for a sweeter sound in the lounge. Herself , bless her, just sighed & rearranged her stuff around them. Vast improvement it is. Also gave me the oppotunity for this photo.
Beats the hell out of a little black & white dog staring into a gramaphone don't it ?

Happy Anniversary Baby

Got you on my mind, as the old song goes. It's round about 21 years ago that I plucked up enough courage to admit to my Mum & Dad that my first marriage was irrevocably over & that I had met someone new in my life. Valentines Day was the day that Jude & I climbed in our car & made what for us, was a very long & tense trip from Titirangi in Auckland to Thames to introduce her to my parents. It says a lot for my Mum & Dad, that only having been given about 24 hours notice of all this, that they welcomed Jude into the family with open arms.

A lot of years have passed since that day & a lot of things have happened one way & another. I do know this though. No matter what she has had to face up to since we have been together, she has done it head on without complaint. Thats something that she is still doing. I loved her then & I love her even more now. We may not have as much time together as we hoped, but we have had more than some & been happier so far than a lot of others. Each day now is a treasure. I love you Babe...

Shoes & Ships & digital cameras..

One of the disadvantages of my new digital camera is that it doesn't have an optical view finder, just the digital picture type. This is most disadvantageous when the sun is bright & you wear self tinting glasses. This is what the sea looked like where we were out fishing yesterday, about 7 kilometers off the coast. Looks inviting doesn't it? Almost looks good enough to swim in doesn't it ? I wouldn't though. What I was actually trying to take a picture of was a shark fin that sadly is just a little out of picture. Judging from the size of the fin & the distance between the dorsal & the tail fin, it would have to have been a good 10 foot at least. Like us, I think it was just enjoying the day on the water, although the shark would have been substantially cooler that we were. Damn it was hot. Even with the 5 to 10 knot sea breeze as forecast, it was still uncomfortably hot out there.

We weren't the only ones enjoying the day either. We must have seen at least 10 penguins puddling along doing their thing on the way out. Them & a nice little pod of Mr & Mrs Dolphin out for a stroll with junior quite made our day. I take my hat off to Auckland Coast guard though. Talk about busy ! Hundreds of trip reports & a variety of emergency calls ranging from a snagged anchor in the Rangitoto Channnel to a fire on board off Cleveland. A very busy day for them. Must have been about 200 boats out just from the ramp that we use.

One of the beautiful things about our gulf is that even with the amount of vessels on the water. we could still find our own little patch of water & catch enough fish to feed us & to give some away to friends. Both the cats gorged themselves to a standstill & Jude enjoyed two nice little fillets off a gurnard that I caught. I made up a butter & white wine sauce for it & she really enjoyed it. She enjoyed her day out too. That makes it all the more nicer for us both. Yet another day to treasure & remember.

Well, you wouldn't read about it....

We did the boat trip up the Waihou river today as far as the Puke road Bridge. We did in this boat, all 37 of us that went, the M.V. Kawhau. She was originally built in 1952 & rumbles along contentedly at round about 10 or 12 knots or so. Its a very leisurely way of seeing the sights. You have to go quite a distance out in the gulf so that you don't run aground on the mud banks. Even so, the trip can only be made on a spring tide, which limits the number of trips you can do in a year. Six days this year so far, & weather & seasons play a part as well.


This is Paul. He's the Skipper &, I suspect, the owner of the company. A really nice guy who provides a very knowledgeable commentary spiced with his own particular brand of humour. He has, by his own admission, does this trip 134 times







He is ably assisted by his partner, whom I suspect is his marital as well as his business partner, Cathy. She does the morning tea, lunch & afternoon tea & also brings the car down so that they can go home every day. She has only missed one trip, so they fit together like a comfortable pair of shoes.




This is the main reason we did the trip. So that we could see the bridge open. Its a tribute to the old timers engineering that the opening segment is that beautifully balanced that it has to be wedged closed otherwise a strong wind will actually blow it open.






Very awe inspiring. The whole thing only took about 5 minutes. The old boys really knew what they were doing as after quite extensive tests it was found that the only place they could build the new bridge was right alongside of the old one. Because The Waihou river is legally a seaway, Transit New Zealand have to provide passage for any boat that wishes to use the river. This means that the new bridge will have to be high enough to allow passage. The old bridge truly is amazing. Some of the pylons that support it go down 98 feet & still don't hit bedrock. All that holds them up is the friction in the mud, a scary thought.

From then on in, its a fair amount of this sort of scenery.


I've driven the roads through here, but it was interesting to work out where you are. This gave me time for a good old natter & wouldn't you know it. One guy I ended up talking to at great length was an ex Firefighter like myself, who is semi retired & living in Paeroa now. We didn't actually work together, although we both worked at Hamilton at different times. We had enough mutual acquaintances to pass a very pleasant hour or so chatting about this & that. As I said at the top. You wouldn't read about it. What would be the odds against two old Fireys in 35 people, let alone them discovering the common bond while talking. I do like a good old natter now & then. Jude & I used to talk a lot, & although we still communicate, I do so enjoy a bit of good old intelligent two way conversation.

Anyway, this is where we ended up. A little jetty by the Puke road bridge. From there, we were whisked back to the Thames wharf in the air conditioned comfort of one of Murphy's Buses. All in time to be home for the second part of a two part Star Trek, Next Generation tribute to Gene Roddenberry, featuring the inimitable Mr Spock working with Data. To quote MrSpock, "Interesting."




Tonight also saw the conclusion of a two part mini series, The Day of the Triffids. I have seen a few adaptations made for film & TV of John Wyndham's classic sci fi epic. This was a modernisation of the story & I'm usually sceptical of such things. In this case, however, I doff my hat. The producers have done a wonderful job on updating without losing the plot of the original. Full marks. Currently reading Stephen King's latest novel, The Dome. An intriguing plot. One that as per King, you have no idea where its going to end up. He still writes a very good story.

Tomorrow marks the start of Jude getting back into her routines. There is a morning tea at St. Johns that she has been invited to. I have been invited as well, but I think I will pass. They are, after all, her friends. It will give me some of the down time that I haven't had over the last month or so as well. Friday, she is back to patchwork. Don't want to go there either. Time to do a couple of little jobs that need doing on the boat I think...

We've got rain

Yes folks, we finally have precipitation. had to be in the middle of the long weekend though. Personally, I don't mind, cos we don't usually make a habit of going anywhere on long weekends anyway. Its not a lot of rain, just a gentle fall that is all being soaked up nicely into very thirsty soil. Its that dry here that the water isn't even making it to the end of the drain down the drive yet.

Meantime, I'm having a lovely time playing with my new toy. You know all those phone & power bills & bank statements that accumulate & you don't want to put out with the rubbish or recycling ? You KNOW how they tend to accumulate. Mine have accumulated for a number of years now. I bought a shredder yesterday & I've been having a lovely time. So far, I've cleaned out one tray of 4 filing baskets & have filled 2 black rubbish bags with shredded paper. It sorta grows when you shred it. later on today, I will take it down to the dump along with some other recyclables & the trailor load of organics that Lorna next door has accumulated. Thats if it stops raining of course....

Its a Boy !

My eldest son's wife has been pregnant for some time now & is due some time in July. They went for a scan yesterday & gave me some wonderful news. Sometime in July, they are having a boy. To say that I am delighted would be a mild understatement. I am absolutely over the moon

STOP PRESS !!!!!!

Yes folks, hold everything.. Flattie wants the front page. Why ? Because he has received permission to publish the pic of Flattie, Herself & the oh so beautiful & charming Michy..
Yes folks, that's her & she really is that nice. Thanks again for coming all that way to see us Michy. We really appreciated it. Was absolutely fantastic to finally meet you after all this time & we both look forward to seeing you again in September.

Home again home again, jiggety jog

Well, here we are safely home again. Had a lovely time we did in Dunedin. The flights down & back were good as well, thanks to the lovely lady at Virgin Blue in Auckland who upgraded us for both flights to 1st. class. The only slight fly in the ointment was the 3 dickheads in front of us who cranked their seats right back then proceeded to drink beer & visit the toilet with monotonous regularity, throwing themselves down when they returned. Oh well, boys will be boys I guess. Didn't see much either way as as it was cloudy, but as both trips were straight thru , it was relatively quick.

Our new grand daughter , Conaire is an absolute delight. see what I mean ?

This is us at the airport, me looking a bit down as we was about to leave. parting is such sweet sorrow as the Bard said once. Speaking of leaving, that wasn't without incident either. You see, Herself neglected to take a pair of scissors out of her carry on luggage, so in the end I had to race back down to check in with it. I mean honestly. What did she think she was gonna do ? Struggle her way out of her window seat, wrap her leg brace round a flight attendants neck, brandish the scissors & hold up her magnadoodle board with "This is a hijack! fly me to the nearest patchwork exhibition" written on it or something. Oh well, I suppose we should really be grateful that they care so much about our (& theirs) safety that they are so thorough.

There is something indescribably wonderful about being with family. Almost a sense of awe to sit down with both my sons, their wives & our two wonderful grandchildren, especially seeing Sean's wife, Susan, being very pregnant with the third one.

These are my boys with their two precious bundles. Not that Conaire is precocious or anything. Anna loves to ham it up for the camera as well....

Amazing what Poppie's hat & a camera will do....

We were also lucky enough to meet the lovely Michy & her two delightful daughters. I have a pic of us all together, but will wait until she says its OK before i publish it here. Anyway, all things considered, we had a wonderful time, but it is really great to be home though. The cats were actually pleased to see us , greeting us in the driveway with plaintiff "Where have you been?" meouws instead of their usual studied indifference. Nice to know that somebody missed us anyway.

Herself has been busy today taking down the Xmas decorations. I have been very busy catching up here & sleeping. Doubtless, my task for tomorrow will be putting the deccies away in the roof till next year. OK, thats it, nearly time for Star Trek, the next generation, so will catch you all later.

Greetings from the South Pole

Well, not quite, but nearly there. I mean Dunedin IS getting pretty far south isn't it? We are having a wonderful time. My boys have been looking after us in great style. So far since we have been here, we have met our new grand daughter, Conaire, aint she beautiful?

Also, Ian took us to see the new movie sensation, Avatar.Can't really sy an awful lot about it, because words sorta fail me just a little. Suffice it to say, that if you get the chance to go see it you gotta.

Next day, we did the Taiare Gorge railway trip. We have wanted to do it for some time now, & have finally gotten around to it.
It really is an amazing trip. I will probably do a separate post on it after we get home.















That fullah Arthur must have been a pretty busy sort of guy, because not only did he pass somewhere else in the South Island, He left a vital bit of his anatomy at the top of the Taiare Gorge, so you go figure.......












This is the other reason for our visit. Our first Southern Grand Daughter Anna, who has now just had her 2nd. birthday. She is growing up beautiful & seems to be developing a special bond with her Grammy, as you can see. Anyway, as the post card says, having a wonderful time, wish you was here.. LATER..