Hi everyone,
I hope everyone is fit and well; Jan & I are fine here… and no spring colds as yet!
We went to a bonfire at Jimu’s place at the head of Roses Road on Saturday night, and were told that, according to Alan B, the last time it snowed in our area was 1963. So our snowfall was a once in 50-ish years event. Speaking of the bonfire though, we had a good catch up with some of our neighbours, and met Hugh and Jackie, who have taken over Alan and Dawn’s place. Kev & Suzie had some great roasted goat (Jan suspects that he may have nearly snaffled the lot as it was just to his taste).
All the gravel that had been in a pile on the north corner of the garage since the house was built from left-over back fill and drainage needed to be moved. We decided to spread it around the building platform to metal the surface. So Jan hired a digger from Ken R around in Sunrise Valley and moved it all into little piles which I raked out. Now there are hardly no patches of bare clay anywhere, and which removes the treacherous slipping risk in the rain. And just in time too – it rained on Sunday (which I think was our first rain since the snow fell in July).
My health seems to be cruising along; I am trying to walk every day with the dogs. I got all enthusiastic and got a pedometer to try to hit 10,000 steps per day, but after wearing it for a couple of weeks, on the weekend I lost the damn thing as I was raking gravel over the building site. I will have to go and buy another one!
Magda came to visit us on Saturday – and took away a little chest of drawers which had been languishing in the cellar. I would like to get a couple of old kitchen benches with cupboards underneath them at some stage to go around the cellar walls; but we need to get rid of another couple of old bits of furniture and the telly, all of which are still taking up space. Then the cellar will be functional at last.
Jan has had a promotion: he is now the Engineering Manager for Nelson Pine, looking after both electrical and mechanical engineering. He is getting a mechanical engineer and an electrical engineer to help him out, which will be a big relief. His mechanical engineer is due to start shortly, but he needs to start the selection process for his electrical person.
I have lots of marking coming up in the next couple of weeks – but my students appear to be working well and getting their projects completed to a good standard.
And here I am, STILL with half a Diploma in Career Guidance assignment to finish! I really need to get it done this week because I am getting edgier and edgier about it. I pre-empted the ghastly avoided assignment by sending off my one pager to my Master’s supervisor already. Of those two new case studies I told you about last time, one about Ray Anderson from Interface Inc is complete, and the other on Adidas’s perfect PR storm is half done. And I have some more in mind.
The ‘new’ laptop has a new battery from http://www.laptopbattery.co.nz – all for a very reasonable price and overnight delivery!
Our best wishes to Tina on her speedy recovery from surgery!!!
Right – I think that’s all for now, aside from wishing the birthday people a wonderful year ahead: Bob, Warren, Doug, Helen, Andreas, Leigh, Max & Karen, DJ, KT, Uta S, Robert dB, Jenny L & Bertie.
Catch you all again soon.
Alles liebe!
Jan Kuwilsky & Sam Young
