Rick, Nicky and Claire in NZ

We started this week with a public holiday with it being Labour Day. The weather wasn't fantastic, but it didn't stop us having a late breakfast. We went to Pt Erin Park to have a walk and to try and find a view of the Harbour Bridge which we had seen in a film recently. We enjoyed the walk and found the view: The rest of the day was filled with Scrabbling and watching the tellybox. On Wednesday Nicky had an audiology appointment to have her hearing aids adjusted, so we had a quick trip over to the Botany office which was fun (we usually go to the Epsom one). Work has been very busy for Nicky at the library, and I have had quite a bit of Mac work too. Much laundry, ironing and cooking has been undertaken, with the weather gradually getting better and warmer. Friday was a properly warm day - the south side of the house was much warmer than it has been. Yesterday was gorgeous. Nicky was at a church cleaning working bee in the morning. In the afternoon she we

It has felt like a busy week, one way or another. Nicky has been very busy at work, what with the near permanent state of being short staffed, and the community role which the library plays which is way beyond just the lending of books. I have had quite a bit of Mac work, with telephone support at the beginning of the week and then on-site work at the end. This later commitment stuffed up my new laundry regime as I wasn't here on Thursday and Friday to keep running outside when it started to rain. This meant we ended up doing four loads of washing on Saturday as it was also a nice day, just leaving a small amount of whites in the basket. I also spent a significant chunk of the early part of the week typing out recipes from a pie book by a Kiwi chef who has a good reputation. The book was due back at the library this week and apparently there are 54 other borrowers waiting for it. Oh the burden of being married to someone who can find out these things! I was interrupted by

It isn't that this week has been busy in the conventional sense, but that a number of things which are not part of our usual routine have happened. First thing on Tuesday morning we went off to Epson to get Nicky's hearing aids fitted. It took about an hour to go through getting them set up and explaining how to use them and maintain them, and what Nicky might expect in getting used to them. I then took Nicky onto work. As I think anyone who uses hearing aids would agree, the world seems quite a different place at first. Nicky has been very good at persevering with her aids and she is starting to get used to them, but they are not a "fix all" solution. They do look very neat though. In the afternoon I nipped into town on the train (after leaving the car outside the library for Nicky) to have a tour of the organ at the Town Hall. I had mentioned to Nicky when we went for a free concert there a few weeks ago that I wouldn't mind a look round, and tours wer

With having changed the clocks last weekend we have been enjoying lighter evenings this week, but the corresponding darker mornings haven't been as much fun. Nicky has had another busy week at work. The school holidays always change the mix of people using the library and lead to a different range of incidents. I had a couple of jobs at the beginning of the week, but the remainder has been quiet. Nicky was at prison prayer group meeting on Monday, and was hosting the Wednesday evening life group as the usual hosts were away. I popped over to see Claire on Friday to deliver some post and pick up my drive, and went out for a drink in the evening. The sunshine and showers weather pattern has continued this week, making laundry a more taxing affair. On the days when we have had sun and a good breeze, it hasn't taken too long to dry, even if it has been refreshed by the odd shower. Our weekend has been dominated by the Heritage Festival. Yesterday we went to the Botany