Rick, Nicky and Claire in NZ

As March comes to end, I am still marvelling at the weather, which is still relatively settled and dominated by high pressure. As a consequence, the washing of clothes and the making of ironing has continued in a well organised fashion, though I have to admin to not having got round to the ironing this weekend. A few weeks ago I received a phone call from a reporter on the NZ Herald, wanting to talk about Ladies Bay, one of the Auckland beaches used by naturists. It has gained a bad reputation over the years for people masquerading as naturists and using the beach for improper activities. Last Sunday the item appeared in the Herald, and the Free Beaches group (of which I am a member) was contacted by Radio Hauraki. As a result, I found myself setting off for the CBD at 7am Tuesday morning for a live interview on their breakfast show. I was quite nervous, not having done a live interview before, and not knowing what their approach would be. Fortunately it turned out OK, as the interv...

I have had another refreshingly busy week, and Nicky has started to feel that she is getting to grips with some of the things at BHB library. We have had a week of lovely weather, cool starts, hot afternoons, and warm evenings, with some beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and passed the autumn equinox. I had a filling replaced at the dentists on Monday, and Nicky had such a busy day at work that she felt too tired to go to Prison Prayer group in the evening. I had my lunch by the beach on Tamiki Drive while between jobs on Tuesday. On Wednesday we both went down to the new branch of Mexicali which is by the library in New Lynn. The current and recently ex-staff had decided to get together to see how things were going. It was a great venue to meet because we were easily able to move round the tables to talk to different people, and the food was prepared in front of us at the counter, so there were no heated discussions about who pays for what, or lengthy waits for everything to come tog...

I now have three regular callers whose opening gambit when I answer the phone is “it’s only me”. They are all female, so I have categorised them thus: Southerly it’s only me is number one daughter, Claire. A phone call while she commutes on Shanks’s Pony, usually at the end of the day. Northerly it’s only me in number one sister, Gill. These calls were more frequent while they were here in NZ. Management it’s only me is number one wife. These are usually calls requesting delivery of pertinent items to place of work, e.g.: hearing aids (see can’t see without ‘em). Such is the rich tapestry of my life dear reader. Nicky has started at Blockhouse Bay library this week. As you can imagine there is lots to learn, and new faces to associate with names. This is the first time Nicky has worked in one of the libraries that used to be in Auckland Central, and even though the libraries were all “amalgamated” with the formation of the supercity, the library systems and procedures are still a wo...

Our week has been shaped by two things: Nicky being on annual leave and ill; and all my Mac work has been dealing with email issues. The weather has been mainly warm and sunny, but we have had a few showers here and there, and the nights have been cooler, getting down to 14°C. People are already starting to talk of autumn - way too soon in my opinion. The mozzies still think its summer. Nicky booked the week off to give her a break between finishing at New Lynn and starting at Blockhouse Bay. She had already started with a sore throat at the weekend, and as the week progressed her cough was getting worse and she wasn’t getting any better. She managed a couple of days of reading and some sewing and getting her sewing machine fixed, but decided it was time to see the doctor on Thursday. He prescribed antibiotics and sent her for a chest X-ray. She started to perk up on Friday and has been considerably better over the weekend. Not right yet, but much less coughing and much more ener...

It has been a memorable week by our standards; my busiest week of Mac work since starting MacOnSite, and Nicky’s last week at New Lynn library. Nicky was moved from Ranui to New Lynn in 2011 after having her suspected TIA’s (which turned out to be atypical migraines caused by MSG). She started part time in early February and then when it was confirmed in the March that she would not been going back to Ranui, she went full time in early April. Even though Nicky found the transition difficult at first, she settled into New Lynn and has enjoyed being there. When the requirement for staffing changes were announced way back in 2013, she said that even though she didn’t want to move from New Lynn, she would do if she had to. So Friday was her last day, and she was one of the last members of staff who have been relocated from New Lynn to leave. She was unexpectedly presented with a very large bouquet of gorgeous flowers in oranges, reds, and yellows at lunchtime, and she had provided a sel...