A sunny end to January

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It is Sunday afternoon as I start to write this, and the forecast rain hasn't arrived - it's warm and sunny again so it is a good job Nicky watered the garden this morning. Maybe it will rain later.

"Life as usual" has been even more the case this week than last week. Nicky has moved from being busy at work to being hectic, i.e: the normal state of affairs now that the schools are back. I have also had work to do on three days this week, which has been good.

We started the week with a day off due to it being Auckland Anniversary day. We didn't do anything this year and just has a quiet day at home as I was still feeling a bit under the weather from my tooth extraction. The day started lovely and sunny so we had breakfast outside on "the terrace" as I am starting to think of it (well, "the Terrance" actually). I read "The 39 Steps" and Nicky sewed. Later she made an apple strudel, and I made a lasagne for us to have later in the week. Jancis called in around tea time so was plied with strudel.

On Wednesday evening we hosted the house group start of year social BBQ, our first use of the BBQ this summer. We had a very good evening with some lovely food (a kumera salad and a chocolate cake particularly stick in my mind, and probably on my waist). Like most evenings this week it was warm enough to eat on "the Terrance" and then relax with full tummy and a beverage until around 7.30, by which time the sun drops below the horizon and it is cool enough to encourage us to move inside. This is the first summer that we have had outdoor table and chairs and eating and relaxing al fresco is a very nice way to end the working day.

The days at the end of the week have started with some cloud, but this has usually gone by lunchtime giving us warm and sunny afternoons and evenings.

On Friday I popped over to see Claire and we went to a local café for coffee and cake and to use a voucher she had been given. This was such a pleasant experience is was well after lunchtime before I got home to make sure the washing was drying itself in the sun (sometimes I have to stand there and make it do it!). Nicky was working late again - she had swapped duties so that we can go to a music in park event down at the beach in a couple of weeks.

Yesterday started off with a chat with Katherine, Ben and Mini on Skype, which was great. We particularly enjoyed the tour of the house and it was fun seeing Tara (the hound) too.

Later in the morning we went off to Ponsonby to go to a jewellers to investigate getting a replacement eternity ring made for Nicky. Our investigations so far at buying one "off the shelf" have not been all that positive as we haven't been able to find anything which matches her engagement and wedding rings. However, Shaun at seventysix design was very helpful and we now feel more optimistic. He will hopefully have a sketched design to us early this week. We had a quiet afternoon at home with me sunbathing and Nicky pottering and hunting for books in the garage. Our TV viewing perked up in the evening. Nicky had borrowed "The Woman in Black" from the library because Daniel Radcliffe played the lead. We were pleased we watched it in daylight because it is quite scary. Then in the evening a series of "A Touch of Frost" with Sir David Jason as DI Frost (which was aired in the UK after we left) started.

Today has been warm again, cloudy this morning but sunny since lunchtime. Nicky was at church this morning, then went for a shared lunch with her prison outreach group before Scrabbeling. This evening we have the televisual pleasure of another "Lewis" (one which we haven't seen before as opposed to a repeat). As both Lewis and Frost are short series, we intend to enjoy them while we can.

My dental situation has slowly improved through out the week. I am still taking pain relief but am now down to a lower than "standard" dosage, so I feel that things are going in the right direction. Eating is still painful because my jaw doesn't want to open too far, and I have to be careful with the wound site, but things are much better than they were a week ago. And it's February. Already.

Take Care,
Rick

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