Shopping, amongst other things.

Here we are again dear reader, back to the normal single post this week. It has been more of a normal week too. Things have quietened down for Nicky at work, and I have had just a couple of Mac jobs.

Lilly (our lovely little green VW Polo) had is 6-month service and WoF (Warrant of Fitness ≈ MoT) on Monday. We only needed a new number plate light bulb for the warrant, and they didn't ring me about anything on the service, so I am hoping the bill (which I haven't had yet) which be much smaller than last time.

On Tuesday I started the very exciting process of applying for NZ citizenship. The first step was to get some passport photos. This was much more fun that fiddling with a photo booth in Tescos. I went down to the New Lynn Post Shop (the NZ Post website having indicated that they have the equipment), and discovered they use a real camera! They have one of the teller stations set up just for taking passport photos. A curtain dropped down from the ceiling and a nice young India lady behind the counter proceeded to take a selection of pictures on the digital SLR. She then choose the most suitable (no smiling, not hat, no glasses, no headgear, no standing on one leg etc), and printed six for me (even though I only need two).

The next step was to download the application form and fill it in. This took awhile, but I got it finished on Wednesday, and booked an appointment to see a case officer next week.

Claire popped over on Wednesday to drop in a bit of technology for me, and a pair of jeans which she had bought cheaply on-line but were too big for her. So, Nicky now has a pair of size 6 jeans. Her first "brand new" pair in years. I am not allowed to accurately describe how good she looks in them because she would get embarrassed and therefore I would be in trouble (again).

Nicky has had a couple of prayer group meetings in the evenings this week, and has enjoyed sleeping at both of them. She was working a late night on Friday so I booked her an optician's appointment for first thing (don't want her languishing in bed all morning). She need some new glasses and they weren't as expensive as they could have been. Apparently her current problems are because her existing glasses (which we bought off a website) are not very good. Hey ho, you get what you pay for.

Yesterday we went shopping for an outdoor table and chairs. We had left our previous set in England because we thought we couldn't bring garden furniture and equipment into NZ. Turned out we could have but it was too late then. So, now that spring is on the way and we use the desk as often as we can, I decided to spend some of my savings. We found something very suitable in Danske Mobler, our favoured furniture store. They stock the Ekorness Stressless chairs which we have (and are now 27 years old, still very good but in need of recovering) and also supplied the dinning chairs which we are currently using to Nicky's parents in the 1960's. I hope the NZ made furniture we bought yesterday lasts as long. In the afternoon we watched Temple Grandin, a film about an autistic girl in the US which Nicky had brought home from the library on DVD. It was very good; moving, informative and entertaining.

Today we popped over to see Ruth after Nicky got back from church. She was looking her age. We then took our picnic lunch to Wai O Taika Bay and were kept company by two quiet but scavenging gulls.

(you can see the curvature of the Earth on this picture!)

The weather has been pretty good most of the week, with mainly sunny days with a cool breeze and cool nights. We are still needing the heaters first thing but it is getting warmer. Thus, clothes have been washed, dried and ironed, and shops have been raided for essentials and the odd goody.

I went up to the library in Friday afternoon to collect a pie book which I had reserved, and on the way I noticed this sign in the window of the better of out two local bakeries. It will let you guess the nationality of the proprietors:

Lots kisses too.

Take care,

Rick