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Two of Three

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 Monday this week was the second of our three significant 2025 Mondays. MacOnSite, my computer support “business”, ceased trading at the end of the financial year. My self-employment has spanned a little over 27 years; 17 with MacOnSite and 10 with WKDS back in the UK. It has been both a rewarding and challenging experience. Though I do feel a little sense of loss, I have been looking forward to shutting up shop since moving to Whanganui. To mark the event, at the end of what was a busy day for both of us, we had a bottle of dessert wine. This was accompanied with a packet of luxury nuts and dried fruit while we sat on one of the benches on a green area just up the road overlooking the river. The day had been pleasant and sunny. I had done two sailings, and Nicky had cleaned at church, been to the hairdresser and had Louise over for lunch a Pastoral Care update. Tuesday and Wednesday were days off from sailing for me, as the season is starting to quieten. After doing the supermarke...
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One banana, two banana…

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 This week has been a little different with all my weekday sailings scheduled for 1pm departures. The later start to the working days has meant a little more time in bed and a few things (like grass cutting) done before going to work. The weather has been pretty good all week, with mainly dry and sunny days. This has enabled Nicky to do laundry and spend time weeding in the garden, when not occupied with her regular commitments. She saw Dr Rose on Monday for an update to all her regular prescriptions, and hosted home group on Tuesday. She staffed the Community Library on Thursday but only had one borrower. We came 9th at the quiz this week with 83 points, but enjoyed the event all the same. We have watched a NZ police drama series (The Gone) most evenings and are just waiting for the final episode to screen next week. It will also be the Great British Bake-Off final screening. This week’s semi-final was as good, as were the earlier rounds. Nicky’s church routine has been diff...
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Blowin' in the wind

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 Our week has again been routine and busy. Nicky’s sleep pattern is still suffering as it does after the news of a death. Nicky’s cousin Lynne in this case. She wasn’t feeling great on Monday morning so didn’t go to clean the church with Dale. Nicky had a sleep before Sue came over for lunch. The nice onion soup that Nicky prepared for her and Sue also did us for dinner along with the lovely focaccia. Her time was taken up on Tuesday morning stewing more apples before hosting and Leading Home Group in the afternoon. It was my day off from sailing, so I roasted a joint of pork for dinner. On Wednesday it was laundry, weeding and ironing. In the evening we helped our quiz team to 5th place with 88 points. On Thursday Nicky staffed the Aramoho Community library. My week has again been dominated by sailing every day, apart from Tuesday and today. The only really notable event of the week on the boat was a rope-handling disagreement with the skipper when we were tying up at Upokongaro. ...
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One of Three

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 No doubt you are already probably aware, Dear Reader, that 2025 is going to be a year of change for us. Three Mondays are a significant part of that change, and the first one of them was this week. After sailing in the morning I applied for my NZ Superannuation in the afternoon. This was done on-line, including undergoing a facial recognition stage to prove I am a real person! I now have to wait to see what the response is from WINZ. My week has again been dominated by sailing on six days. Yesterday was the longest with a 12hr+ shift river cruising three sailings. With the final one (A Country and Western themed cruise) we tied up when it was almost dark. The sunset had been wonderful to watch as we came down the river, which itself looked like a mill pond at times. It was not only a very good trip, but also probably my final evening sailing as a member of the Waimarie crew. I was very pleased to be joined by John from our quiz team. Tuesday was a busy day. We went to the cinema t...
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Pancakes!

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 Autumn has got into its stride and we have had a noticeable drop in temperates and a couple of brief periods of heavy rain. This has encouraged our tea drinking in the back garden to be undertaken in the afternoon and not the early evening. We are enjoying the new location for the Sentinel which Nicky and I moved recently: Nicky is hosting her home group this month. With Lent starting there was the usual drive-in-pancake event at Christ Church on Shrove Tuesday. The home group members went down after their meeting in convoy and Nicky returned with a bacon and cheese pancake for each of us. I followed this by making pancake stacks for dinner: pancake - bacon - pancake - banana and maple syrup - pancake. Lovely. Nicky cooked and pureed the last of the apples that we have been given on Wednesday and used them to make a crumble on Thursday for our Community Kai at the marae. She absented herself from the quiz night for an hour for the Ash Wednesday Ashing Service at Christ Church. We ...
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Well, that's summer over then

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 With yesterday being March 1st, we officially entered autumn as far as the meteorologists are concerned. We celebrated the change in season in the usual fashion in this household - new toothbrush heads!! We know how to live. The largely warm and sunny weather of late has continued this week, but the maximum temperatures are a little lower. Work on the boat is still hot and still six days a week. Our bosun is going to be on sick leave for a while, so I will be acting bosun for the same period. The main change for us is that I start half an hour earlier, so that I can unlock everything on the boat, enabling the rest of the deck crew to start their jobs when they arrive at 8.30a.m. We are taking advantage of the weather as much as possible with afternoon, or early evening pots of tea in the back garden. It is very pleasant. Nicky’s routine commitments have continued and a Vestry meeting was added on Thursday evening to discuss issues with property management. Gardening and laundry ha...
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New development

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 Liam, our new next door neighbour who bought Jacqui’s section, took delivery of his tiny home on wheels yesterday lunchtime. Unfortunately we were both out at the time so didn’t get to see it being delivered. It sits right at the front of the section and the back of it faces the road. The front is the most attractive side: We are looking forward to having a closer look. Our weather has been largely warm and sunny again this week, reaching 29º on Tuesday. I have been busy sailing six days, and on Monday did my 400th trip up and down the river. I think I know the way now. Also on Monday Nicky made carrot cakes for David’s and Frances’s birthdays, and I made steak and venison pie for us to share with them for dinner. We had a lovely evening following the pie and the Louisa plum crumble which Nicky had also made. Frances particularly enjoyed trying possible mother-of-the bride outfits on from Nicky’s wardrobe. Her daughter gets married in May, and wants her mum to wear yellow. We both...
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