Steamin'

It’s been tropical again this week, with high humidity and temperatures, some sunshine and a couple of dull days in the middle of the week. On Tuesday afternoon, I had the ranch sliders open while giving Jancis a tutorial, and it was 27° in the lounge. I closed them for 25 minutes while I collected Nicky from work and it went up to 29°. We were very pleased to have cold smoked fish pie and salad on the Rattigan that evening.

Nicky’s penultimate week at New Lynn has been quite different, as the staffing changes are now coming into effect and there have generally been far fewer staff in the library. At times this has meant things have been quieter, because the members of staff who talked while they worked are no longer there. The borrowers are already noticing the changes and commenting.

I have had a busy week with Mac work - my busiest since last August, which is good. However, this has not prevented me from pressing buttons on the washing machine and pegging out the resulting damp but clean garments. Isn’t making ironing fun!

I had a very long work day (by my standards) on Friday, so our annual evening of music in the park down at BHB beach was most welcome. Jancis and Charmaine (visiting from the UK) joined us in buying fish and chips before walking down to the beach. We pitched ourselves quite a way form the stage so we could converse with relative ease, but I soon realised that the cicada’s in the trees behind us were just as loud as the band. We enjoyed the two support bands more than in previous years, and that the main act, Midge Marsden, wasn’t quite up to his usual form. As the sun started to go down we had coffee and hot chocolate, and were able to watch the stars coming out. I really is a very pleasant setting for such and evening, and it was a great way to end the working week.

Saturday started warm and damp, and almost rain moisture presented itself regularly throughout the day, and by the afternoon the sunny intervals were really hot. Nicky was attending a prayer event as a hostess in Aotea Square (though she didn’t end up doing any hostessing apparently), so I dropped her just after 10 and continued up to Long Bat for a swim. I didn’t enjoy the seaweed but I did enjoy the swim. Even though it was dull it was also warm, so I had a pleasant slot roll up and down the beach. We had learned that there was to be Whau Flotila (the Wahu River gives its name to our local council Board) so I went over to the Archibold Reserve in Avondale at the appointed time, and watched it while eating my lunch, and being lunch for various flying and biting things. It turn out the flotilla was more for the participants than an audience.

I nipped home for a shower and a cup of tea before driving back into town. We wanted to see the Dark Skies - White Nights exhibition at Silo 6 again before it closes, so I parked near by and then walked across town to me Nicky. We walked back down Queen Street and along the waterfront to Silo Park and enjoyed the exhibition again. It wasn’t as crowded as our last visit.

Today has been warm and mainly sunny, with a strong breeze. I started the ironing after breakfast and Nicky took over when she came back from church. After lunch she went to Stella’s for Scrabble and then over to see Ruth. I finished Harry Potter book 5 and started book 6.

Take care,

Rick