400 and 7

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Well Dear Reader, today we have two significant events on the same day: this is post number 400, which I write and will post on the 7th anniversary exactly of our arrival in NZ. Isn’t that stunning! Seven years, 400 posts, and if you have read them all then you are very well informed.

On order to celebrate our seven year anniversary, Nicky and I did a tiki your up to Whangaparaoa today. We started out at Red Beach with a wander along the sand, though there wasn’t much with the tide being very high. The weather was fine but windy so we had our picnic English-style while watching a family and their dog playing in the waves, and enjoying the changing hues in the sea. Next stop was Duncansby Road to see that the new owners has done some major trimming to the bush (shrubbery). Then onto Te Haruhi Bay, which is at the end of the peninsula in Shakespear Regional Park. It was much windier there, with some rain too, but it was great to see wind surfers and kite-boarders out on the choppy sea. We returned to Luna just as the next batch of rain started, and headed off to see Clem and Pat, for a cup of tea and a catch-up. They both seemed well and after a good exchange of news we headed for home, via the BHB Primary School Art Silent Auction viewing. This was a display of various donations from local businesses, and artwork done by the pupils which was just brilliant and really well presented. We bid on a couple of items - the auction closes on Wednesday.

As to the rest of the week, I have been really enjoying the Naked Scotsman products which Claire sent me for Fathers Day; an onion chutney which (unsurprisingly) goes very well with cheese, and some plumb and port sauce which makes an interesting start to the day with porridge.

I have had a quiet week with Mac work. One job on Monday and then reading about the new Apple products later in the week has been it. The weather has been variable, so doing the laundry has required a little more planning, but I have had chance to book a couple of activities for our trip to Dunedin, and read the new Lee Child book in the Jack Reacher series. It was up to his usual standard.

Nicky’s week at work has been as busy, and at as times noisy, as ever. I took her over to Henderson on Monday straight after work for her election day training. While she was there I found a good Indian restaurant and had a very nice curry with the best peshwari naan that I have encountered. On Wednesday morning she nipped up to LabTests at 7am for her quarterly blood test, and was surprised to find no queue. When she saw Dr V on Saturday morning he said all her numbers were good, but he would like her to loose a little a weight. So, I took the books out of her bag and 15kgs went instantly!

Yesterday wasn’t quite as damp as we expected, even though it wasn’t dry all day. Nicky and I went off and voted (election day is next Saturday but there are advanced polling stations open now), and then she went off to play Scrabble at Stella’s, where they were joined and roundly beaten by Steve.

We were amused by an election item on the news on Friday. A farmer and ex-polling place manager for Wiakawa, deep in the south of the south island where there are just 60 registered voters was being interviewed. She explained why she wasn’t polling place manager this time, after having done the job for the last three elections, by asking “Who in their right mind calls an Election for the middle of lambing!!!!?” A very Kiwi comment. This time next week it should all be over.

Take care,

Rick

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