Rick, Nicky and Claire in NZ

It has rained this week. Apparently, news of the deaths of the students and a staff member on a school outing has reached the UK. A key factor in this tragedy seems to have been that the height and flow of the river rose dramatically in just a few minutes. Some areas experienced a months' rainfall in a few hours. We all got wet at some point in the early part of the week, but survived. My new trousers worked very well. They will be put to a further test this week when they get exposed to the rain after being washed - will they work as well as before? I marvel at times at the scientific studies I undertake to expand the knowledge of men - first the handle orientation on the jug when microwaving porridge; now the water fastness of Kathmando trousers. Where will it end? This principle of empirical scientific testing has been taken up by Claire who is currently investigating taste quality and consistency of New Zealand Naturals ice cream at two different mall outlets. Anybody with a re...

Last Sunday morning we put our clocks back an our, marking the end of daylight saving, and possibly the official beginning of autumn. This now puts us just 11 hours ahead of the UK - the closest we ever get. The most obvious changes were going to work in daylight again, and the evenings darkening sooner. Walking to the station last Monday morning was light and pleasant and warm - I had removed my jumper by the time I got to the platform, even though it was only just after 7am! We have a temporary station at the moment while our new underground one is being constructed. This is a two year project which includes "dualing the line". There is a stretch of line where we are for 3 or 4kms which is only single track. With the projected increase in population in New Lynn and consequent rise in passenger numbers, this section of single track has become a major bottleneck. The view from the temporary platform, for the first time last Monday seen in daylight, offers a new perspective. T...

The weather forecasters have been telling us all week what a wonderful summer have had, and how it is going to be over any day now...... We are still getting into the low 20's but the nights are cooler, and now that we have put the clocks back it is getting dark earlier. It has been a tiring and stressful week. It started for me with a full day's modelling at Hungry Creek. This was very good, but it is the first time I have done two 3-hour sessions back-to-back. When I got home I was really tiered. Work at Ubertec has been busy, as ever, and on Thursday it was my fathers funeral. Even though we are hours ahead of the UK, it still preoccupied me during the day. Then on Saturday I did some more MacOnSite work, and bought hiking trousers in preparation for a wet winter. Nicky has been at work for some of every day this week, working 43 hours in total in four or five different libraries. Claire has had her usual week of museum, collecting Shani from school, cookery course and Whitc...