On The Map

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I noticed earlier in the week that the satellite image on Google Maps had been updated - finally. The previous one dated from 2013 or earlier as the Jubilee Hospital, which had been erected across the road from us could be seen. This new image would have been taken around November 2021:


Our home is the one which I have marked with a star, just in case you weren’t sure.


We have had quite a bit of rain this week, but nowhere near as much as other parts of the country. The Whanganui River has been looking very full, but we haven’t seen any flooding. We have had quite a few rainbows, but I only managed to capture this one on camera:



You can see how high the river is (the brown streak at the end of the rainbow, near where the pot of gold isn’t).


It has also been cold, so we haven’t been encouraged into the garden. Monday was Annual Pamper Day for Luna (service and Warrant of Fitness). Nicky had Life Group on Tuesday and a St John’s meeting with Joy and Peter on Wednesday morning. She finished the day with the first Alpha session of the season. Nicky is on kitchen duty this year.


On Thursday morning we received the sad news of the death of the husband of one of Nicky’s close friends in Blockhouse Bay. Tom had been in a hospice for two weeks. The funeral was yesterday. 


Nicky was at the Aramoho Community Library again on Thursday, but managed to squeeze in some preparation for another visit from Clem and Pat, on their way home from Wellington to Auckland. They had to look after themselves for dinner and found a good Thai restaurant in town. We were having an Aramoho community dinner at the Te Ao Hou marae, taking a 1.5kg pork pie and large banana cake with lemon curd filling. Both went down well, but the highlight of the evening was getting to meet neighbours that we didn’t know we had, along with all the other lovely food. There was a great deal of “musical chairs” during the meal as people moved round to talk to as many as possible. The kitchen where dishes were washed and dried by whoever was there, was also a popular conversation location. It was a very enjoyable evening and it looks though there will be more in the future.


We have finished watching a drama series call Years and Years, which I recorded at the turn of the year. Written by Russell T. Davis it follows a English family through the first 30 years of the 21st century, taking current issues (refugees, the Trump administration, Brexit, collapse of the banks, development of technology, fake news, etc) to not-impossible extremes. It was a thought provoking story of how we develop as a society, and the factors that can influence change. There was some amusing ideas, such as having to take an IQ test before being allowed to vote, explored and examined. It’s worth a watch if you get the chance.


We had a quiet day yesterday as we were both feeling quite jaded. The rain this morning has been the heaviest we have had this week, but by mid-afternoon we were enjoying blue skies and warmer temperatures as we started another jigsaw. It won’t stop us having the carrot and pumpkin soup which is thawing for tea.


Take care, Rick and Nicky.

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