Rick, Nicky and Claire in NZ

Another busy but fairly routine week comes to an end. Nicky has had a full 5-day week again. Things have been a little quieter at the library with the schools having gone back after the Easter holiday. Claire has been busy with Uni and Whitcoulls again. I have had a good week with three new Mac customers needing support. Socially we have had a very quiet week. Yesterday Nicky and I just pottered round the house doing the usual chores while Claire was at work, and then went up to Parakai for a wallow in the hot pools for the evening after dropping Claire at Ryan's. Today, Sunday, we have had a great day. While Nicky was at church I went to see a new (to me) life class tutor about doing some modelling. He was a very nice chap and it might lead to work in the future. Then Becky (Kendall) arrived and we made a picnic and the five of us (inc C & R) drove out to Waitipu. This is the southern most point of the Waitakere Regional Park, and is a vast expanse of black sand. We had our pi...

Another week draws to a close, and I write this while watching the text commentary of the Chinese Grand Prix on the BBC website. Nicky has been busy at work as usual, apart from Friday (see below). She has finished her Maori course now and probably won't continue to the next levels and they run on evenings where she already has commitments. I have had some Mac work which has been good again. Claire has been studying for a Psychology test which she has on her first day back (tomorrow). On Monday evening I joined the Eden-Roskill Camera Club as a paid up member. This means I can submit work for the regular competitions. On Tuesday Claire was of laser striking again, and on Wednesday she and Ryan to Mission Bay for diner and a film. On Friday Nicky was on annual leave. She had booked the day in order to go to a listening course in Hamilton which was due to run Friday to Sunday. Unfortunately, the course was cancelled, but she decided to have the day off anyway. She started out with a ...

The week started off the way all weeks should - with Monday being a holiday. Easter Monday here was fine and bright. Paul and Jenny invited us over for a BBQ in the evening, so we decided to take in a volcano on the way. It was Mt Wellington this year. We were aiming to be a P&J's by about 6 so we got to the volcano quite late in the day and the weather was past it's best, but it still gave us some new views of Auckland. The evening at P&J's, along with Doug, Naomi, Steve, Ros and Beccy was very good, and some of us ate to much as usual. Nicky was back at work on Tuesday for another busy week, and her final Maori class. Claire is on half-term at the moment, and has been relaxing, working on an assignment and did an extra duty at Whitcoulls. I did some Mac work on Friday and a modelling job yesterday. Other than that, it has been a quiet week. The weather has been clear and sunny since Thursday which has been lovely. On Saturday night we had Steve, Ros, Beccy and Jan...

April has started with a long weekend, changing the clocks, and a little rain. Work has been busy for all of us. Claire now has a couple of weeks holiday with a couple of assignments to keep her occupied. Nicky's Maori continues, and on Wednesday I met up with some of my fellow students from the massage college, for a pie and a pint, literally. On Tuesday I went to Hamilton to have a look at a backup system, which was a new experience - the going to Hamilton that it is, I've seen loads of backup systems. Apparently Hamilton is the city of the future. Possibly. I liked the museum (where the backup system was) and the coffee was good. We were hoping to go to the beach on Good Friday, but the weather had other ideas. So, we stayed home, did a jigsaw, watched a film and generally veged out. On Saturday Claire was working, and I had a modelling job for a portrait class, so Nicky visited Ruth and Mary. Both seemed to be doing pretty well. Today we have had another day at home trying ...

We have had a busy week. I have had a goodly amount of Mac work which has been good. Claire has done a couple of essays along with her usual timetable. Nicky has been busy as usual at the library. On Tuesday evening, Nicky was at Maori, Claire was laser striking, and I went to a massage meeting at the College in Newmarket. I took Claire to Ponsonby to meet her fellow laserists and had a BurgerFuel burger (very yum) before going off to Newmarket. Yesterday, as we are approaching Easter, Nicky was involved with the Church handing out over 500 free hot cross buns to the morning shoppers in Blockhouse Bay. Then in the afternoon Nicky and I went to a surprise 60th birthday party for Jan from Church. It was a surprise and we all enjoyed it. In the evening we dropped Claire off at Ryans on our way to wallow in the hot pools in Paraki. We won another bottle of cheap bubbly in the raffle. Today Claire made some Millionaire shortbread for Ryan as a birthday treat (last Thursday was the actual da...

The highlight of this week has been Claire's attendance at Ayesha's wedding as bridesmaid. Ayesha is one of Claire's work colleges, along with Olivia and Sue who were also bridesmaids. On Tuesday evening she and Nicky went to the mehindi night where Claire had a henna pattern applied to her arm. The main event was on Saturday, which ended up being a very long day for Claire. Nicky and I attended the evening celebrations and reception which we enjoyed, and then went back to Olivia's folks for hot beverages and a chat. Work has been much as usual for Nicky, and included Saturday morning standing in for a colleague who was off sick. I have had some modelling work and some Mac work which extended into the weekend with a troublesome laptop. The night time and early morning temperatures have dropped significantly as we are moving into autumn, but we are still getting into the mid-20's during the day. Rick

It is two and a half years ago today that we arrived in New Zealand, so we may celebrate with a bottle of wine this evening. It has been a fairly routine week for Nicky with work and Maori class, and for Claire with Uny, sofa testing and Whitcoulls. She had been asked to swap shifts this week and worked Friday instead of Thursday. I have had quite a busy week. The vicar's fiancé Murray runs an IT support company, most of their customers using PC's. However, they have a few with Macs and Murray asked if I would be available to do some Mac support for them. So, on Monday I went off to their office in Onehunga for induction into their systems and procedures. Then on Tuesday I went to see one of their customers with a couple of minor but irritating issues. On Wednesday I went with one of their existing staff to a couple of their sites which they visit every week, but there was nothing which needed my attention, so I spent some time rebuilding a Mac in their office. They have taken ...