Windy As…

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 It has been windy this week, and while the wind has brought some rain, much of the time it has been dry and sunny. Spring is now making its presence felt. We have arum lilies in flower:


The blossom on the flowering cherries and damson tree has really developed:



It has also been a quiet and routine week, with just a couple of notable events. For the first time in ages we came first at the quiz night. We tied for first place with 106 points but won the tiebreaker: “To the nearest year, when was Anne of Green Gables published.” Nicky, the team’s go-to on all things literary, guessed 1897. The other team guessed 1928. The correct answer was 1908.


We also celebrated our 16th anniversary of moving to Aotearoa. Nicky was staffing the Community Library and I (unusually) had some MacOnSite worked booked in town. I suggested we had pies for lunch from Butcharts, a local baker who has won many pie awards over the years. We hadn’t known of them until spotting an advert in the local paper. I discovered it was a very Kiwi-looking establishment, and well patronised:



I purchased a mince and cheese (N) and pulled pork and bacon (R) and then drove over to the library where we thoroughly enjoyed them. After a cuppa I returned home and then collected Nicky at the end of her duty.


In addition to her usual weekly activities, Nicky did her last session at Alpha as it has finished a week early. She has been sewing and gardening, had a blood test (bit low on Vit-D) and her ears de-waxed.


I have cleaned the fences, done some weeding in the haha, assisted with the laundry, and checked that the vacuum cleaner still works (not as well as when Nicky uses it, it would appear). I have squeezed in a few ambles but finished the week with a cold virus (not Covid) which came on during Thursday evening. As a consequence, I haven’t worked on the boat this weekend. I didn’t see it sailing today which doesn’t surprise me because of the strong winds.


We have both read and enjoyed Rachel Joyce’s “Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North” this week. It is the third (and last I think) of the Harold Fry series. I have also started reading and enjoying Holly Thorsby’s “Goodwood”. Nicky finished listening to the historic Philippa Gregory “Wideacre” audiobook series, which was as good as ever. Whilst sewing over the weekend, she has started listening to the Tournament of Shadows collection series by Tilly Wallace. A fantasy set in George III’s reign.


Nicky had a lunch planned with Fiona and Felicity on Friday, but due my ill health and concerns about passing the virus on, this was cancelled. In the afternoon Fiona called in with some bird of paradise flowers for me/us, presumably cut from her garden:



Take care, Rick and Nicky

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