iOS makes a takeover bid
Much of this week has been routine. Nicky has worked four full days at New Lynn, Claire has ben busy with Uny and assignments, and I have had some Mac work, and quite a bit of technology management at home (see below).
Nicky has been having discussions about her future at work and the powers at be still don't want her to go back to Ranui. Instead they want her to stay in New Lynn taking over an existing role. The problem with this is that the hours are Sunday to Thursday, and she has been really looking forward to going back to Ranui. So, she has not been feeling very happy about the situation, but is pragmatic and not surprised.
Friday saw the arrival from Apple of the iPad 2. Nicky decided some months ago that the one "big thing" she wanted to buy with her money from the sale of Claire Cottage (her mother's home) was an iPad, but that she would wait for the 2nd generation to arrive. I have spent quite a bit of time organising a selection of our digital photos for her to have on the iPad, and transferring her data onto my laptop as my Mac is to old to run the software to manage the iPad - or so I thought. I have realised today that I can upgrade the OS on my Mac and then run the current version of iTunes! Hey-ho.
Anyway, she is now getting to grips with learning how to use the iPad, which is quite different from a Mac as it runs iOS. One of the most exciting bits is that she has also bought a bluetooth headset. This means that she can listen to music and audio books on the iPad without being connected to it. I am very impressed with the range of the device. I think if she leaves the iPad in the lounge she will be able go to anywhere in the house and still have a signal. Another development is that we now have the same number of devices which are regularly used which run iOS as we do Mac OS. Interesting.
Friday was also Ryan's birthday, so he came over for dinner (take-away pizza which was very good) and a pineapple upside-down cake which Claire made but which didn't turn out quite as expected. It was dangerously sweet from a recipe she has not used before.
Unlike the rest of the week which has been fine and sunny, the weekend has been quite wet. On Saturday morning Nicky went up to church first thing to slice and butter hot cross buns (800 in total) which were then given away to shoppers and residents in the Bay (I love the fact that we live in "the Bay"). When she got back we went over to Epsom to visit Dio, the school which Nicky attended from aged 5 to 18. They were having an open day to attract new students so we saw this as a good opportunity to have a look round as I had not been before and Nicky wanted to show me her school. Obviously much has changed since she left, but the ethos of the place is still the same, and quite inspirational. I was very pleased to learn they still blow things up in science (dropping sodium into a vat of water for example), which is no longer allowed in the UK as far as I am aware for health and safety reasons.
By the time we got back and had some lunch it was mid-afternoon and we were both feeling sufficiently jaded to really enjoy having some zed's. Nicky is sleeping better than last week though is not back to normal yet. As a result of this, we had dinner so late that we didn't go and wallow in the hot pools in Parakai as we had planned.
Today after church Nicky went into the prison with the outreach team, and I got to grips with the camera club newsletter and played with the iPad quite a bit. The weather has dried up a little this afternoon so I am hoping the improvement will continue for the next couple of days so that I can get the washing done. It looks like the temperatures are going to start dropping this week as autumn approaches. I don't mind too much as we have had some great weather for the last 4-5 months, and I know we will get some more next summer.
That's all for now. Take care,
Rick
Nicky has been having discussions about her future at work and the powers at be still don't want her to go back to Ranui. Instead they want her to stay in New Lynn taking over an existing role. The problem with this is that the hours are Sunday to Thursday, and she has been really looking forward to going back to Ranui. So, she has not been feeling very happy about the situation, but is pragmatic and not surprised.
Friday saw the arrival from Apple of the iPad 2. Nicky decided some months ago that the one "big thing" she wanted to buy with her money from the sale of Claire Cottage (her mother's home) was an iPad, but that she would wait for the 2nd generation to arrive. I have spent quite a bit of time organising a selection of our digital photos for her to have on the iPad, and transferring her data onto my laptop as my Mac is to old to run the software to manage the iPad - or so I thought. I have realised today that I can upgrade the OS on my Mac and then run the current version of iTunes! Hey-ho.
Anyway, she is now getting to grips with learning how to use the iPad, which is quite different from a Mac as it runs iOS. One of the most exciting bits is that she has also bought a bluetooth headset. This means that she can listen to music and audio books on the iPad without being connected to it. I am very impressed with the range of the device. I think if she leaves the iPad in the lounge she will be able go to anywhere in the house and still have a signal. Another development is that we now have the same number of devices which are regularly used which run iOS as we do Mac OS. Interesting.
Friday was also Ryan's birthday, so he came over for dinner (take-away pizza which was very good) and a pineapple upside-down cake which Claire made but which didn't turn out quite as expected. It was dangerously sweet from a recipe she has not used before.
Unlike the rest of the week which has been fine and sunny, the weekend has been quite wet. On Saturday morning Nicky went up to church first thing to slice and butter hot cross buns (800 in total) which were then given away to shoppers and residents in the Bay (I love the fact that we live in "the Bay"). When she got back we went over to Epsom to visit Dio, the school which Nicky attended from aged 5 to 18. They were having an open day to attract new students so we saw this as a good opportunity to have a look round as I had not been before and Nicky wanted to show me her school. Obviously much has changed since she left, but the ethos of the place is still the same, and quite inspirational. I was very pleased to learn they still blow things up in science (dropping sodium into a vat of water for example), which is no longer allowed in the UK as far as I am aware for health and safety reasons.
By the time we got back and had some lunch it was mid-afternoon and we were both feeling sufficiently jaded to really enjoy having some zed's. Nicky is sleeping better than last week though is not back to normal yet. As a result of this, we had dinner so late that we didn't go and wallow in the hot pools in Parakai as we had planned.
Today after church Nicky went into the prison with the outreach team, and I got to grips with the camera club newsletter and played with the iPad quite a bit. The weather has dried up a little this afternoon so I am hoping the improvement will continue for the next couple of days so that I can get the washing done. It looks like the temperatures are going to start dropping this week as autumn approaches. I don't mind too much as we have had some great weather for the last 4-5 months, and I know we will get some more next summer.
That's all for now. Take care,
Rick
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