Whitcoulls Survives
Claire was back at work this week and learned that all the Whitcoulls NZ stores should be staying open. It will be stores in Oz owned by the REDgroup which will be closing, so this is good news for Claire and her colleagues, but not good for the folks in Oz. Claire has had a very busy week with the new University semester starting this week too. She has done some hours in Bennetts, the book store on campus, which is owned by the same company as Whitcoulls and uses the same computer system. Her lecture and tutorial commitments have her on campus every day of the week this semester, so she will be doing more driving. With all the extra activity this week she has ended up being very tired.
Nicky has had a good week, working two full days and one half day at New Lynn. She seems to be getting used to the drugs now. On Thursday she went lunching and shopping in town with Stella, and had a very good time but came home very weary.
I have had some Mac work at home (trying to get old G4's going reliably) and out at customer sites. Tuesday was my one year anniversary of going for a 5km (approx) walk every weekday morning. The result of this has been the death of a pair of trainers (though I was thinking of throwing them away before we came to NZ anyway), feeling a little bit fitter, have got white bits again as on warm days I don't wear a shirt so get a better tan, and I have lost 8kgs. I would have liked to have lost more, but hey, I've enjoyed the cakes. I remember hearing Audrey Eyton (author of the F-Plan diet) on Radio 4 some years ago, saying that weight lots was 80% diet and 20% perspiration. On Friday I signed up with a modeling agency who are recruiting for "Spartacus, Blood and Sand series 2". Apparently they are running short of extra's who are willing to get their kit off. I doubt if anything will come of it, even though I have probably got Roman blood somewhere back in my ancestry.
Yesterday Nicky was out at a quilting day which she really enjoyed. It is the first meeting with the quilting ladies that she has got this year. I had some work in Grey Lynn, and then spent the afternoon emptying the airing cupboard and doing the ironing while the weather alternated between warm/threatening and torrential rain. The rain has eased off today and we have some good sunshine and got laundry dry, though a couple of showers arrived late pm. The weather has been warm all week but is changing this weekend, and next week looks a little cooler.
Steve has been over to play Scrabble today and Nicky has also sewn and made date scones for tea. I have been working on the monthly camera club newsletter which I now edit, and Claire has been at Ryan's.
Christchurch is still very much in the news and our thoughts at it deals with the aftermath of the earthquake. We wore red and black on Friday (the colours of the rugby team) to show our support. Some people have been allowed back into parts of the central district through the cordons for a few hours today and seen some of the worst devastation for the first time. I think it will be a few years before full normality returns, and they are estimating the cost of repair to be $15-$20 billion, with $5 billion loss of tax revenue due the impact on business.
Take care,
Rick
Nicky has had a good week, working two full days and one half day at New Lynn. She seems to be getting used to the drugs now. On Thursday she went lunching and shopping in town with Stella, and had a very good time but came home very weary.
I have had some Mac work at home (trying to get old G4's going reliably) and out at customer sites. Tuesday was my one year anniversary of going for a 5km (approx) walk every weekday morning. The result of this has been the death of a pair of trainers (though I was thinking of throwing them away before we came to NZ anyway), feeling a little bit fitter, have got white bits again as on warm days I don't wear a shirt so get a better tan, and I have lost 8kgs. I would have liked to have lost more, but hey, I've enjoyed the cakes. I remember hearing Audrey Eyton (author of the F-Plan diet) on Radio 4 some years ago, saying that weight lots was 80% diet and 20% perspiration. On Friday I signed up with a modeling agency who are recruiting for "Spartacus, Blood and Sand series 2". Apparently they are running short of extra's who are willing to get their kit off. I doubt if anything will come of it, even though I have probably got Roman blood somewhere back in my ancestry.
Yesterday Nicky was out at a quilting day which she really enjoyed. It is the first meeting with the quilting ladies that she has got this year. I had some work in Grey Lynn, and then spent the afternoon emptying the airing cupboard and doing the ironing while the weather alternated between warm/threatening and torrential rain. The rain has eased off today and we have some good sunshine and got laundry dry, though a couple of showers arrived late pm. The weather has been warm all week but is changing this weekend, and next week looks a little cooler.
Steve has been over to play Scrabble today and Nicky has also sewn and made date scones for tea. I have been working on the monthly camera club newsletter which I now edit, and Claire has been at Ryan's.
Christchurch is still very much in the news and our thoughts at it deals with the aftermath of the earthquake. We wore red and black on Friday (the colours of the rugby team) to show our support. Some people have been allowed back into parts of the central district through the cordons for a few hours today and seen some of the worst devastation for the first time. I think it will be a few years before full normality returns, and they are estimating the cost of repair to be $15-$20 billion, with $5 billion loss of tax revenue due the impact on business.
Take care,
Rick
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