Rick, Nicky and Claire in NZ

A slightly earlier than usual post - call me Mr Spontaneous! It has been a busy week, and it has actually felt like summer. We have had dinner on the Rattigan every evening except for Thursday when I was out. The afternoons have been really hot but the humidity of last weekend has gone and we have been having cooler nights which makes sleeping much easier. I have had one of my busiest work weeks ever, leading to my best February ever, which is really good. Nicky has also had a busy and good week at work with management being absent. Her hospital appointment went well (treatment plan is under consideration) as did her Thursday evening at church. Washing has been done, food has been cooked, telly has been watched. Take care, Rick

A few days ago I came up with a nice pithy title for this week’s blog, didn’t write it down, and now of course I can’t remember it! So the one above, like the spicy cheese and corn muffins that Nicky is making for our tea, is fresh. We have had another 4-day working week by dint of Nicky taking Tuesday as annual leave. Not only was it the day that my niece Rachel returned to these shores, and Valentines Day, but it was also a birthday for our friend Jancis and we had arranged to take her to the Awhitu Lighthouse on South Head (at the entrance to the Manukau harbour). Rachels’ flight from San Fransisco was due in at 05.40hrs. So, as is our usual custom we checked on the airport website for an updated ETA, so that we could leave home about the same time as she landed. It takes us about half an hour to drive to the airport, park, and walk to the International Arrivals area. However, the flight came in half an hour early, and we didn’t leave until around 05.45hrs, and there was mo...

Our (my) weekday morning routines have gone out of the window this week, for various reasons. It wasn’t until Friday that I first did some tai chi, and then not until well after breakfast at quarter to ten. Not until this morning was the correct sequence of tai chi THEN porridge achieved. Monday was Waitangi Day, a public holiday, and who does exercises on a public holiday? We did exert ourselves after a fairly swift (for us) climb out of bed / pot of tea / race to the microwave for porridge pinging (though Nicky might have had Weetbix with some excuse about the weather being warm). Which is was. A high of 29°C and 42°C in the roof in the afternoon, which is why we wanted to leave for Long Bay Regional Park early. Not only did we want to find somewhere to park, but we planned to do the coast walk and have a swim and get back to the car before the heat of the day really arrived. We achieved this, had a great walk and a lovely swim at Pohutukawa Bay. It was the first time for me tha...

We have had our first of two consecutive four-day weeks this week, with Monday being Auckland Anniversary Day. We decided to avoid the crowds in town after last year so went out west after an excellent breakfast on the Rattigan. We couldn’t get parked at the Fairy Falls car parks again, so went onto Log Race Road and did the Mercer Bay Loop walk. Excellent views (pictures below) but most of the second half was up hill, so we had a quiet afternoon of reading and snoozing when we got home. Piha Whatipu in the distance Mercer Bay There has been much discussion and some meetings at work for Nicky regarding the upcoming changes. This has alleviated some concerns and improved understanding to a degree, but there is still considerable uncertainty. With the schools now starting their new academic year things haven’t been quite so manic, but still very busy. I have a good week for work with something on everyday, along with the usual laundry, shopping and cooking. W...