Rick, Nicky and Claire in NZ

The result of the EU membership referendum in the UK has been big news here, as I guess it has been elsewhere too. There has been both surprise and concern expressed here at the result, especially about the UK’s ability to be an “independent nation”. Strange, as that is just what New Zealand is, and yet is way smaller than the UK. I suspect many Kiwi’s don’t particularly differentiate between the UK and Europe in the same way that many Europeans don’t perceive any significant difference between New Zealand and Australia. Personally, I think the people of the UK have made a good and brave decision, and that ultimately the country will prosper and grow as a result. The other notable event of the week has been our 31st wedding anniversary. Nicky took the day off so that we could have the time together. Our “celebrations” sort of started the evening before with dinner at Bricklane with Nicky’s life group. As ever, we enjoyed the food (lamb ribs for N, smoked chicken for R) and the com...

As we approach the half-way point in the year I am feeling a bit of an element of surprise that we are there already. Next week we will have the shortest day and then start heading into the colder weather of July and August. The weather hasn’t been too bad this week, some sun and some showers, but I have got most of the washing dried outside. I have had a little more work than last week, but it has still been very quiet really. The discussion at my meet-up group was very good this week so that made for a very enjoyable evening. Nicky has had a busy week at the library, but the kites for the Matariki celebrations have been a source of frustration and annoyance despite all the positive effort she has devoted to them. She has had a couple of evenings out with a hair appointment and a prayer group. Our major viewing this week has been Wolf Hall on DVD. We got through all six episodes and really enjoyed the telling of the story from Thomas Cromwell’s perspective. I haven’t read...

It’s always good to start the week with a public holiday, though the Queen’s Birthday on Monday will be our last one until Labour Day at the end of October. We had an early start, going up Mt Roskill before dawn to look for Matariki, the constellation that rises at the beginning of the Maori New Year. We didn’t get to see it, but the sunrise was quite nice and we had a good breakfast when we got back home. Nicky spent much of the morning making kites for the Matariki events at the library and listening to Harry. In the afternoon we went down to Silo 6 in the Wynyard Quarter to have a look at some of the Photography Festival, but it wasn’t stunning. Blockhouse Bay library re-opened on Tuesday, and it was manic, particularly with book returns, which didn’t really get to more normal levels until Thursday. Nicky started with a sore throat on Thursday and was not too well on Friday so was sent home to have the afternoon off as sick leave. I also wasn’t feeling brilliant so we had a res...

Even though I could be accused of bias, I think the highlight of the week was my birthday on Thursday. The weather had started to improve on Wednesday, the first day of winter, as the skies cleared and the temperatures dropped due to a high pressure system taking up residence. Thursday was a gorgeous sunny day with almost cloudless blue sky, though the gentle southerly breeze was decidedly chilly. After opening presents in bed with our first pot of tea of the day, we breakfasted on porridge and packed up a picnic (Nicky had already put the finishing touches to my carrot cake). We headed off to Takapuna as Nicky was booked on an E-resources training course at the library there from 10-12. While Nicky was training (which was very good apparently) I had a lovely long stroll along the beach, and discovered Takapuna's Holiday Park and fossilised forrest, neither of which I had known existed. Nicky and I met up again in the library and decided to have our lunch in the sunshine at on...