Not quite beastly

November marches on. The weather is still a bit on the changeable side, with some lovely sunshine from time to time, and some heavy rain at other times. We have both had busy weeks, even though I haven’t earned a great deal, and we have each had a night out with prison prayer group (N) and Deep & Meaningful (R).

We have had a couple of technology upgrades this week. The 2-yearly service of there HRV ventilation system revealed that a new motor was required, and as part of the package we got a new control unit with niffty new graphics, and a dedicated Burnt Toast button (this now puts the system on full blast for two hours to remove the smell). In order to try and improve Nicky’s internet performance on her iPad, I have installed a PowerLine network system and moved one of our wifi access points into the lounge. So far things look promising.

Yesterday started dull, and didn’t get much brighter, along with drizzle on and off for most of the day. Nicky was quilting in the afternoon, and then in the evening we walked down to the Reading Cinema in Lynn Mall to see “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. The walk down wasn’t that much fun because even though the drizzle was light, after walking for half an hour we had got quite damp. The home, in the dry, was pleasant. We decided to see the film in the 3D Premium cinema, so big surround sound and big comfy seats with tables and adjustable foot rests - enough space to warrant taking of shoes and socks and curling up! The cinema experience was worth all of the $33 it cost for the two of us. With Fantastic Beasts being a reference book as opposed to another Harry Potter story, we arrived with the expectation of not having to be disappointed about what the film makes had changed, taken out of the book, or un-necessarily added. Some of the special effects were very good, and some of the new aspects of the magical world were great, but unfortunately JKR and Co managed to pull disappointment from the jaws of awesome without too much effort. Most of the characters are quite two-dimensional (even in 3D!), and the story is thin and lacks pace most of the time. Action and CGI do not replace missing plot quality. So, we enjoyed the cinema, but the film was so so.

I also have to mention the Reading Cinema Management. We actually went to see the film on Friday evening. A few minutes after taking our pre-booked seats another couple arrived with the same seat numbers. As they went to investigate what had occurred, Nicky just happened to mention the day. I realised I had incorrectly booked the tickets - we were 24 hours late. So, the other couple took our seats and we took over the conversation with the Management, who offered to rebook our seats for another showing (not Friday as they were fully booked) at no extra cost. I felt they had no obligation to do this as I suspected the mistake was mine. So, that’s two visits we have now had to our new Readings Cinema, and two very good experiences. I feel quite vindicated in our decision to stop using our FlyBuy Reward points to buy Event Cinema Movie Money (the last to FlyBuy points purchases have been six bottles of wine and a new hand-held food mixer!).

Today started out clearer, and has been fine all day with some warm sunshine tempered by a strong cool breeze. Nicky went off to prison first thing and I got a bus into town to have a look at the Navy ships that are part of the 75th Anniversary Celebrations. Along with Kiwi vessels, there were ships from South Korea, Singapore and Japan. I had a good wander round the wharfs but didn’t go on any of the ships as the queues were very long. 

With Nicky Scrabbling in Henderson in the afternoon I had decided to spend most of the day in town, so got a bus down to St. Heliers and walked along to Lady’s Bay. After a short swim (water somewhere between chilly and bracing), picnic lunch and a good chat with a fellow skinny-dipper, I walked back to St. Heliers and enjoyed a good cup of coffee while enjoying the view of Rangitoto across the water from a bench by the beach. Revived, I walked down Tamaki Drive to Kelly Tarlton’s where I caught a bus into town as I was getting a little jaded. Another bus brought me home, and a little while later Nicky return armed with some lovely fruit bread, which instantly became tea.

Take care, Rick