Rick, Nicky and Claire in NZ

It has been a quieter week for all of us this week. The library hasn't been as busy now that NZ Library Week is over which has been good for Nicky. Claire has been on half term and nobody has been wanting me to fix their Macs, so it has been an opportunity for some father/daughter time. I'm not sure who suffered the most. Nicky took a day off work on Tuesday (which was coincidentally a gorgeous day weather wise) for an induction course. She has joined an outreach group at church to minister at a women's prison. She and three others ladies went off together for the induction which lasted until early afternoon. Nicky and I had a quiet day at home on Saturday doing our usual duties. Nicky popped down to see June (a neighbour on Matata St) in the afternoon, and we went for a wallow in the hot pools at Parakai in the evening, which was very pleasant. On Sunday (today) Nicky and I participated in what I suspect is a bit of a Kiwi tradition - walking along new roads before they ar

Nicky has had a really hectic week this week at work. It has been NZ Library Week. She has spent a lot of time and put a great deal of effort into getting everything ready, along with quizzes, displays and preparing for talks. It has all gone well be she has been really tired. The week is also linked to the Storylines Festival, where she has been working as a volunteer today. Again she is tiered but has had a good day. So, with a little help from me she had a quiet and relaxing day yesterday. After she took Claire to work and we had breakfasted, we went down to the Community Centre in New Lynn to see an exhibition of the redevelopment plans for the next couple of years. The new transport centre for buses and trains is almost complete. The next phase of the development is a new half kilometre or so of road to take traffic away from the main retail area outside the mall, and the redevelopment of this retail area to be more pedestrian friendly and make better use of the public space. The

So, what's been happening with us this week? Well, the biggest news item is the sale of Claire Cottage, Nicky's mother's home. The family have accepted an offer subject to a land information management report (?). This is good news as the housing market is still quite depressed here and pundits are saying it could be a couple of years before it picks up. Nicky is very busy at work. In addition to all her usual duties, she is preparing for NZ Library Week which starts on Monday. Over the last few weeks she has prepared 17 quizzes for a range of age groups. This weekend she has spent most of her time putting together information for a display in the library. Claire has been studying and Whitcoullsing again; I have been house husbanding most of the week but did see a new customer on Friday. Today, Becky, and her Guernsey friend Helen came over for lunch, along with Steve and Ros. This was basically organised as an excuse to cook roast beef and Yorkshire pud (Becky being a bit

We started this week a little differently as Nicky needed to have an X-ray on her feet. I went over to Ranui mid-morning in the car, picked her up and drove over to Greenlane Clinical Centre. We were not there very long so we went back to Ranui and had lunch together at the Tea Tree Café which is in the Community Centre building which also houses the library. We sat on the veranda eating our smoked fish pies, scones and tea, with the warming winter sunshine. We haven't seen much sun since then. Tuesday was very wet and the rest of the week has been showery with low teens temperatures. This is only to be expected with is being mid-winter, but the mild temperatures are encouraging spring flowers and daffodils are already appearing. I have had a busier week work-wise, and Claire and Nicky have been as busy as usual. On Friday evening we went for a "works social" with Nicky's colleagues, but there turned out to be just a few of us. It was being hosted in Bethalls so I col

It's August already. July just seems to have flown by to me, probably because I have spent most of the month thinking it was still June. No idea why, other than they both start with a J, but I don't usually get them confused. Anyway, it has been an uneventful week. Claire has been at Uny, Nicky has been at work and I have been house husbanding. I had a shopping trip with Claire on Thursday - she was buying gifts for her and some of her friends at Whitcoulls to give one of the others in the team for her birthday. I haven't had a wander round the mall for ages, and I had a quick look at the progress with the new railway and bus stations in New Lynn. They are getting on well which is good as the official opening is in September. On Thursday morning we woke to a splendid fog that it took the morning to burn off. Other than that it has been a week of sunshine and showers. It is still cold at the beginnings and ends of the day, but it's not bitter, and no visible frost. The l