The people have spoken, or ticked I suppose

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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 company. Bricklane is the first eatery we visited after moving to Blockhouse Bay (I think) so we have a bit of a soft spot for it, and the quality of the food has been consistently good over those 9 years.

The day itself started out stormy, and developed into very wet. We packed up a picnic and headed off to the Te Uru gallery in Titirangi. We didn’t know what was on, but as usual it was interesting, though not entirely the sort of art that we particularly like. We moved onto the Arataki Centre as we had not been for a few years and they had an exhibition of Maori weaving. We had some good conversations with the staff and were encourage to have our picnic there in their indoor food area, as they had brand new ottomans which had just arrived that morning! We complied, and enjoyed the view when we could see it as the mist and rain rolled in and out.

We came home for the afternoon and with a pot of tea settled down to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows parts 1 & 2 on DVD (which included a second pot of tea). After being thoroughly releived at Voldermort’s downfall again, we had dinner at the Mt Everest Kitchen, a Nepalese and Indian restaurant and take-away that opened up the road in the BHB shops a while ago. Though we didn’t feel the food was quite as good as the Indian restaurant on Lincoln Road in Henderson, we really enjoyed our meal and would happily go back again. It’s really nice to have somewhere good within walking distance.

The rest of the week has been pretty routine. Work for Nicky has got better as the week has worn on, while mine has again been quiet. I spent most of yesterday working on a customer’s machine here and making veg soup while Nicky sewed and Scrabbled. We have had a quiet day at home today, Nicky going to church this morning and me returning my customers Mac, followed by ironing and baking. Oh we have such exciting day’s at times!


Take care, Rick

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