Peter Robinson's DI Banks Series

I have just discovered the books of Peter Robinson, in particular, those centring on Detective Inspector Banks. Yes, I am probably a little slow, as the man has been writing for over twenty years and until now, he hadn't appeared on my horizon at all.

However, I have enjoyed the books of his that I have read thus far immensely, both as talking books and in kindle format.

I do love a good crime/mystery - Agatha Christie, Aline Templeton, Ruth Rendell - and as a result these suit me well.

So, if you are looking for a good read this summer, have a think about a delve into a 'police procedural' as this genre is known. Find one second-hand or borrow from friends or the library :-D

Sam

Happy New Year!

Hi there friends & neighbours!

We are having a BBQ at home on New Year's eve to celebrate the coming of 2013, starting from 5pm (you can access the map from Nelson to here in our sidebar).

Casual. Come if you can, we would love your company in joining us to mark yet another turn of the year (and if you have people or family staying with you, bring them too!). Feel free to call in for a while on the way to the next thing on your NY celebrations list.

Bring a little something for the drinks table or some snacks. If you can join us to eat, BYO dead animals & vegebabels of choice and anything else you want to share. Aiming to eat around 6.30-ish.

Roses Road people - when having a chat with the locals, can you check that everyone on the road realises this is on & it is an open invite? And let Tony & Kelly, and anyone else on the Road who doesn’t know it is on, know?

Happy New Year ;-D

Jan & Sam

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Hi all,
We would like to wish all of our friends & family a merry Christmas & a happy New Year:

More news to come in the next couple of weeks. I popped a tendon on my wrist a couple of weeks ago which has held up my writing for a while.

Have a great summer!


Jan & Sam

Max Riley wins the Ernest Duncan Award!

Max Riley has just received the New Zealand national Ernest Duncan Award for 2013 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to in-class maths teaching. The award is conferred annually by the New Zealand Association of Mathematics Teachers.

It has gone to Max because of the work he has put into developing his school maths website, which is now used daily by maths teachers around the country under a creative commons licence, helping teachers chart a path through the bewildering maze of NCEA and curriculum standards. 

Go Max!

• Reference: Nelson Mail (5 December 2013). Maths Teaching Whiz Honoured by Peers. NZ: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 5 December 2013 from http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/9475068/Maths-teaching-whiz-honoured-by-peers

Sam

News from Nelson - November 2013

Hi all,
Wow, another few weeks have whizzed past, and here we are halfway through November already.

Amazingly green around here at the moment, and when I go outside first thing in the morning all you can smell is the bush - it takes me right back to my earliest tramping days in the third form. Just lovely! Had some late winter squalls come through in October, but they were very brief (as you can see - only lasted about ten minutes, then it was blue sky again, until the next one came through):

When I dropped Jan off to work a couple of weeks ago, I realised that Nelson Pine's gardens are maturing really nicely; the natives are looking very nice. I took a few quick photos and stitched them to remind me of what we are aiming for on our bank at Roses Road.

I managed to Skype with Jan a couple of times while he was in the US. He was looking pretty tired, but he managed to do the main task while he was in Chicago - buy Coco some more squeaky toys! Below is a shot of him at Streeters Bar in Chicago, with a couple of the other guys from New Zealand: and of course, they managed to find some women...

 And amazing what a screen dump will do; it has captured Mr Kuwilsky wearing a tie:

In the background behind me above is my colleague Nic J (if your eyes are good enough. Hah, now that's a test for us all, isn't it!).

Jan is halfway through his trip already, having arrived in Germany last Friday evening NZT. He was shattered, having only slept for a couple of hours of his 9 hour flight, but was picked up from the train by Holger, taken to visit Dieter and Gudrun, Anne, then off to Oma's overnight. On early Sunday NZT he travelled down to Ulm to Aunt Uta. Thomas, Bettina and Svenja are there, so he got to spend some time with them too - an unexpected bonus! He said it was great to see everyone, and that they were all in good health (and that Svenja has a gap-toothed smile as her adult teeth are coming in - man, she is six already). I so want to be there - but next time!

It was Dawn's birthday today, and I went to join the throng of celebrators at Jellyfish (where Flax used to be at the Mapua Wharf complex). I had some lovely tomato soup for lunch - a perfect pick as it clouded over as we lunched and was raining a little by the end. Not cold, but damp. Dawn has big news - she and Neil are getting married next year. He is such a nice man - I am so pleased for them both! (terrible photo quality as I was facing right into the light).

Doug & Morv are off to Auckland - a big change for them. At least it looks like the test-run / holiday is persuading Katie that a northward shift mightn't be all bad.

I have just finished marking my last student assignment for the year, but am halfway through an online course on Emotional Intelligence (yeah, yeah, I know: that AND my Masters - like there isn't already enough going on. All I can say is that it was an opportunity, OK?!).

Currently I am transcribing recordings. My supervisor thinks I may be trying to be a bit too accurate with it as 15 minutes of recording is taking about 4 hours to transcribe. I don't know how you can be roughly accurate with transcription; I think it is an either correct or incorrect transcription... isn't it? Never mind, back to the grind - and everyone talks about the hellhole that transcription is, so at least I am in good company! Every other researcher on the planet!

Speaking of my supervisor, Brad is changing Unis next year - going to return to Victoria Uni to head up the School of Government there. So for the last semester of my Masters I will have to have another supervisor acting as my Primary Supervisor. Luckily it will be someone whom I have already had some contact with, Liliana Erakovic, who teaches strategic management using the Harvard case method - which is a real bonus. And yes, for you Kiwis, the Erakovic name is indeed the same family: Liliana is Marina's mother.

I have become a Lorde junkie in the past few weeks: I keep listening to Lux 400, Royal, The Love Club, and Bravado over and over. Anyone would think I was sixteen. Also just finished reading the Two Brothers by Ben Elton (thanks for the loan, McLarins!). Great book, I really enjoyed it.

The one advantage of having lots of transcription to do is that other, horrible jobs suddenly look quite appealing. So I have also been spending an hour in our gully each day, pulling out pig fern. For those of you who don't know about pig fern, it is a fern that starts with a very small aspect, but if left untended for a couple of years, it turns into this giant bionic monster that covers your land with huge canopies and kills your grass. All I can say is that at least it doesn't have prickles, unlike gorse, supplejack and blackberry (other noxious pests our forefathers cunningly imported to our little South Pacific paradise).

Montrose Drive is going on the market again in December. I think we have decided that this time it goes: that the price drops until it is sold.

We are aiming to come to Wellington briefly at Christmas, but have so far not been able to get a house/dog sitter. Everyone has plans! How mean is that? I will keep trying... we might be able to get the dogs into the kennels, perhaps, but I no longer know any of the people who run the local ones. There is a place out in Wakefield, so I might go and visit them and see what they are like (at least I do know someone who took their dog there).

Happy birthday to Justine :-D

Right, I think that is all for now. Take care, and we will catch up with you all in due course!

Sam (and Jan)

News from Nelson - October 2 2013

Hi all,
I hope you are all fit and well - we seem to be boxing along here just fine. Jan has had a cold though - and spent three days off work with it, but amazingly I didn't catch it. There is a first time for everything!

We seem to have been busy here again for the past few weeks: again, I am not quite suire what has been filling our time, but we have been busy doing it.

We have had the orchard cut, our tenants are moving out at the end of November so we are looking at putting the Montrose Dr house on the market once more, and we have caught up with a few people around the country.

Jan has been to Wellington for the Naenae College reunion this weekend - and apparently many beers were imbibed! Jan went with Tina on the Friday night, and together they caught up with lots of old friends - particularly from Jan's year, as loads of his old compadrés turned up. On Saturday, Jan had brunch with Brigitte and John at Tina & Jeremy's.and caught up with Hartmut & Uta. On Saturday night Jan went to meet his year people for dinner at a Chinese Restaurant, and they finished up at Helen's mother's house in Kelson. He had a great time overall, and I am really sorry that I forgot to send him with a camera!

On Sunday, Gary & Sandra - who have been in Port Headland (Oz) for the past five years - were here on holiday, and picked up Jan from his flight home from Welly, and came to stay. Jan made a massive lasagne for dinner, which he had better freeze, because he is off to the US next week, and he will never eat 3/4s of a huge, deep lasagne dish full of pasta, mince, cheese and tomatoes, before he goes.

On Monday morning, Pat, Marjie & their brood called in for a waffle breakfast on their way home to Chch. The McLarin's drove up to Nelson on Friday, Pat flew to Welly on Friday night for the Naenae Reunion with Jan, came back on Saturday for brother Matt's 40th, then drove home Monday morning with a segue to our place for brekkie on the way. It was lovely to see them again so soon (Marjie is very trim & fit after doing a 20 week challenge. I don't envy her the effort, but it has been very worthwhile because she looks great).

The weekend before that we went to Christchurch, I went to my symposium & AGM, which was great. We stayed with Jen, Jan had lunch, morning tea & afternoon tea dates every day (including Bertie, visiting Meg, Mr Tunley and my Aunt Diana. He had a great time being a lady who lunches :-D ). We had dinner with Magda on Friday night, too.

We caught up with Jennie, Pat, Marjie, Megs (& Will), KB, Gary, Dan, Tori and all the short people. We had a great night at Pat & Marjie's, which was, of course, way too short.

  

 

We called in to see my sister on the way home - and to drop off her birthday present.

The weekend before that we had a lovely, quiet time at home, doing some tidying up and me prepping materials for the coming Career Symposium and AGM in Christchurch. We did a few jobs outside, but the weather wasn't that flash for getting out and about. We had a bit of rain and the fords were pretty full:

Dogs are well. Playing. Lying in the sun. Sleeping. All normal :-)

So, Jan is off to the US and Germany next Tuesday (5 November), and returns on 24 November. Just in time to talk at another Rotary Club about Rotary Youth Exchange with me about the two tours we have taken around the North Island.

Next concert (which Jan will miss) is Sibelius. Magda is coming to Nelson to stay though instead, so I will have the pleasure of her company instead:

That will do for now - I had better do some work!!

Jan & Sam

+++Out of Cheese Error +++

All of us are familiar with the oft-times incomprehensible messages from computers when they run into a glitch.

However, for those of you who read Terry Pratchett, you will be familiar with the Unseen University's thinking engine, Hex, and the entertaining bent that Sir P'Terry throws at error messages.

I was reminded of a few of these imaginative errors today when I went to comment on a friend's FB post but had no idea of who the person was my friend had commented on. I decided on "+++MELON MELON MELON+++ +++Divide By Cucumber Error. Please Reinstall Universe And Reboot +++" (Voice of Hex, Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times), but think I would rather have said “+++Out of Cheese Error +++ MELON MELON MELON +++ Redo From Start +++” (Voice of Hex, Terry Pratchett, Hogfather).

They make more sense than many of Microsoft's 'helpful' explanations.

References:

• LSpace (n.d.). Discworld & Terry Pratchett Wiki: Hex. Retrieved 9 October 2013 from http://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/index.php/Hex
• Pratchett, Terry (1996). Hogfather. UK: Victor Gollancz
• Pratchett, Terry (1994). Interesting Times. UK:  Victor Gollancz

Sam

News from Nelson - October 2013

Hi everyone,
Surprise! It seems like we have been pretty busy again these past weeks.

Jan has had a cold (and was off work for three days with it), but surprisingly I have managed to avoid catching the virus myself. That's two surprises in this catch up already.

Xavier from next door (at "The Warehouse" shed at the end of our pine trees) has mowed our orchard with his remote control mower, which means Jan doesn't have to stress about gorse control in the gully. Xavier cut the gorse two summers ago, which was so effective it lasted for two years. As the grass grows in thicker each year, the gorse is less and less able to get established, so means we can go longer between mows. While it is raining today, you can see how neatly the mower works below. It is a really safe - and non-toxic - way to control those nuisance exotic pest plants. And it is also one less thing for Jan to worry about not having time to get to :-D

You can also see that we have planted a few more fruit trees (apple, pears, nectarines & another walnut), protected by drums from the possums, rabbits and hares. The apple trees are still in blossom, while everything else is now in leaf. Everything in the garden is growing again, so needs to be protected from the other imported pests; the vegetarians who eat it!

Speaking of Jan having time, he is currently building plans for his trip to the US and Germany, so if he hasn't yet got in touch with you, it will be happening soon.

The Solo Spotlight concert was a great success: there was a storm of applause at the end, and got a preview in the local paper (http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/features/arts/9207635/Aspiring-young-musicians-go-solo). Jan is not playing in the next concert, so gets the last part of the year off.

We went to Max & Karen's birthday party a couple of weeks ago, and caught up with loads of old friends and made some new. A great night outside, despite it being a bit chilly still.

I am still working on transcribing the materials for my Master's study. Transcribing, transcribing, transcribing. I have just ordered Dragon, so instead of typing, I can just speak it. I am hoping that this will be easier (less vile), once I have 'trained' it to hear my accent, that is!

A couple of weeks ago I ordered a new phone from Telecom, as my contract was out, and I could get a free phone upgrade. I have stayed with Nokia, but gone to a Lumia. Am enjoying it a lot, but am also very conscious of the amount of $ you can gobble checking things on the web. At least it is hooked into the wireless at home, so doesn't cost here. Finally, an advantage of being in a rubbish mobile coverage area. And it takes pretty good photos.

As mentioned last time, Jan & I are going to be in Chch on 17, 18, 19 & going home on the 20th of October. I will be at a symposium at UC on Thursday (will catch a ride with Jenny L), and have the CDANZ AGM at CPIT on Friday. We have a shindig at Pat's on Saturday evening (sorta 4-ish kick-off...?). It would be good to catch up with everyone who can't make that at other times, so give us a shout & we will tee something up.

We are not sure if anyone in the family is doing anything for Christmas. If there are any great ideas, we would like to hear.

And some very sad - and unexpected - news. A former Sealord colleague, Julie Bryant, lost her husband Rob on the weekend. He had just completed a time-trial at a mountain bike event here in Nelson, and collapsed after the finish. He died soon afterwards. His funeral will be later this week.

Carpe that old diem.


Jan & Sam

News from Nelson - September 2013

Hi everyone,

Oh, no! It's too late! We let him in... Jan is now officially a Kiwi. We had the citizenship ceremony at the Tasman District Council buildings on 5 September, the day before Jan's birthday.

What was really cute was that Ian Morris from down the road was also doing his ceremony, as was another friend of ours, Mike Greenawalt. Very relaxed and friendly ceremony. I must admit that I would have preferred the Nelson version which is held on Wakatu Marae, but this was fine. Jan is going to apply for a Kiwi passport - then he can choose the shortest queue at whichever immigration line he is at (providing he remembers to leave and return to NZ on the same passport, that is).

We have been flat out here for the last wee while: blowed if I know what we have been doing, but we have been busy doing it. Planted some new fruit trees, transplanted some eucalypts, cut and moved some gorse, visited people, shared food and conversation (the best bits).

Jan is rehearsing for the Solo Spotlight concert at present: I have done the PR for it. Should be all good - though I still have to compile the programme.

Jan went out to Krauts for his birthday dinner, which was once again a great night. I had a child's portion which worked out to be just a perfect amount. Jan had Schweins Hax'n. He took half home for lunch the next day, and that worked out just perfectly too :-D

We have caught up with Jan & Renate Cools, Gary & Nicki, Suzie, Jo & Keiran in the last few weeks, and will catch up with Max & Karen this weekend coming for their birthday. Gary & Nicki have now moved into their new house in Marahau (Check out http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/8866551/Marahau-bach-wins-design-award). Jan helped them get the internet & PCs sorted this weekend just past. They sold their Nelson house through Susa on the first open home and had a two week settlement date, so it was a bit of a scramble for them. Of course, Nick was completely & utterly organised, but it was still pretty stressful for them, I think.

Jan & I are both well. I think that everyone else here is as well as can be expected.

Donna & Mike are deep in wedding plans for Raro next April. Jan & I have booked our tickets and I suppose I will have to buy new togs. I had some, but haven't seen them for ages. In fact, they may have got lost in our move, that is how long it has been since I wore them last!

Coco & Bonnie are well, though Coco managed to spike herself on some grass or something when she went running around the orchard with Bon dog a week ago when Jan planted some new fruit trees. She came up in a lump which has had to be treated with antibiotics, but it is resolving nicely.

Jan & I are going to be in Chch on 17, 18, 19 & going home on the 20th of October. I have a symposium to go to at UC on Thursday, and a CDANZ thing at CPIT on Friday. Jan will be free to meet anyone during those days, or to potter around as he sees fit. We have Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday breakfast time free to meet up, see houses, go and visit etc. So please let us know if you are available and when, because we would love to catch up with everyone.

Jan will be in Welly the next weekend for the Naenae reunion. I am not going, but will stay home & look after the dogs so we don't have to have a house-sitter two weekends in a row.

Then Jan is off to the US and Germany on 5 November, and returns on 24 November. 

Right, that is all I can think of for now, so I will leave it at that. Take care everyone, and Jan will be in touch with the German contingent to let you know when & where he will be in Germany. He keeps saying that he is going to get in touch, but it hasn't translated from talking about it to doing it yet!


Jan & Sam

News from Nelson - August 2 2013

Hi all,
We are both well - the temperatures are warming up, and we have had a good dollop of rain.

We have been busy transplanting more of our trees over the past couple of weeks - as I mentioned previously, we have loads of macrocarpa and eucalypt seedlings coming up where the sawmillers pulled our mature trees out five or more years ago, so we are moving them to places where will have room to grow - mainly around the hairpin bend on our driveway. Eucalypts on the inside of the bend, macrocarpas on the outside.

Jan has been having a great time using the hired digger to dig the holes for the trees!

Bonnie & Coco are both well, though Coco is still missing Fliss. She is quite tentative and very clingy with Jan.

Jan & I had dinner with Jax, last week, which was great, and Richard from NPIL. We went to a local Thai place in Richmond that proved very good. We also managed to have lunch with Jen the next day, as she was up seeing her folks, prior to starting her new job at UC. She has just had her first two days, which hopefully went well.

At the beginning of August we had a mid-winter Christmas with Kathleen, Frits and Amy. We had a lovely, relaxing weekend, and were amazed to find it 4pm on Sunday suddenly, with everyone needing to head home. I have no idea where the time went to.

Amy was - unexpectedly - our Father Christmas, and a damned fine one she was too! The dogs found it all rather scary to start of with but soon realised that there were doggy treats and became quite commercial about the whole costume thing.

The weekend after that we had the Children's Concert, which went well. Jan was in the paper in the lead-up to the event (an earlier post http://klinkehoffen.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/news-from-nelson-august-2013.html and http://klinkehoffen.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/beauty-and-bugs-real-treat-nelson-mail.html). 

Jen was up this last week again, and we managed to catch up for lunch in Richmond, which was great.

I have set up a new blog for my musings on leadership - and anything else that takes my fancy - at http://actsofleadership.blogspot.co.nz/.The Masters study is going well - my experiments on my students start next week. I can't believe how fast it has come around.

Next month Jan is off to Rotovegas to give his presentation at the WoodExpo. He has it all prepared already so he only now need practice it.

Also as previously mentioned, I will be in Christchurch four days in the middle of October - 17-20 - for a Careers Symposium and CDANZ AGM. Would be good if we could perhaps catch up with a pile of the Cantab people on the Saturday night? Let us know if you will be in town, because it would be great to see you all.

The weekend after Jan is in Welly for the Naenae Reunion. I am not going, but will stay home with the dogs.

Jan is off to the US in November, leaving on the 5th of November for the US, then taking a side trip to Germany on his way home. He will be in touch with the German family to tee up catching up with as many of you as he can on his train trip from Frankfurt to Ottobeuren (where the next piece of NPIL machinery is being made). He will only have a couple of days, but wants to see as many of you as can perhaps get to one place to say "Hi". He is aiming for a weekend arrival - he will get in to Frankfurt on Friday 16th of November but has to be Ottobeuren on the morning of Monday the 19th. I think he will go up to Oma Friedel's on the Friday, then take the train straight to Ulm on the Saturday. But, as I said, he will be in touch. Unfortunately he won't get back to NZ by our wedding anniversary, and he will also miss the next NSO concert. I am sure he probably won't miss either!

Right - there is nothing else that I can think of at the mo. More news later :-D

Jan & Sam

View from the office today

Hi all, 

View from the office today. Not bad for winter, eh.

 And, sure, Mr Key. We Kiwis certainly care more about Snapper quotas than about your US buddy-buddy spy bill. Sure we do. Yeah, right.

Sam

News from Nelson - August 2013

Hi all,
Hope life is well with everyone.

It was the children's concert on Saturday this weekend just gone. It went well. Loads of the little lovies were absolutely spellbound by the Emperor and the Nightingale, which was just wonderful... including many real tots in the 'terrible twos'. There were three performances, leaving Jan incredibly tired – even I was tired, just from selling programmes.

Mind you, I managed to fit in some shopping, as I ducked into town after the house doors had closed on two performances and bought two new pairs of jeans (on sale too, I might add!). My old favourites, the only pair I had left 'unholed' had finally collapsed into holes two weekends ago, and while I have cobbled them back together, they are definitely now home jeans, not 'out' jeans.

We came home, grabbed a bite, then rushed off to a quiz night at the Upper Moutere School picking up Zig & Lib from further down our road and meeting Glenys & Kevin from the Mudcastle. Zig warned us that he had a head cold and his brain had fallen out; Glenys got there and said she had never been to a quiz night before and would be rubbish; Jan & I were so tired we felt we needed to be stuck with pins to keep awake! Great team, eh. But after a few wines, we did OK, finishing about halfway through the field of 36. It was to raise funds for the Upper Moutere Recreation Centre, which has had two fires in the past twelve months. They think the fires have been caused by rats eating the wiring. Jan & I helped repaint after the first fire, the centre was about to reopen, and there was a second one.

Actually, too many wines in my case: I woke in the morning with a slight headache, despite having drunk lots of water. The first touch of a hangover I have had in a long time! Luckily it was raining yesterday, so I did lots of catch up jobs like dubbining all my boots and shoes, taking up my new jeans, making tomato soup, tidying the house, doing washing and then finishing the day in a long hot bubble bath reading a book, while Jan slept in until 10 then watched films. We took the dogs out at lunchtime for a walk - only about 3k, but nice for us all to get out, and the dogs played like lunatics. Raincoats and gumboots are definitely things to be thankful for... as is a good day's recuperation. I can also say whole-heartedly "thank goodness for the rain" :-)

Where we felled our full grown eucalyptus trees to be architraves and floorboards in our house, we now have loads of babies growing up - and all growing on the access road to fell the pines on the next crop rotation (granted, 20-ish years away, but also in the way for a pruning gang to get to the pines). The guy Jan hired the digger from said that Jan could keep the machine until he gets another hire booking. So last weekend Jan dug out some of the eucalyptus and macrocarpa seedlings which have sprung up, and we transplanted them to the hairpin bend on our road. There are still lots more, and as Ken hasn't yet said he needs the digger back, we will probably transplant some more this coming weekend. The eucalypts are a really straight growing variety which mills very well with low wastage, so we are keen to have some more coming on. 


We also need to get the slope mowing man back to munch some more of our gorse, and plant our new pear and nectarine trees. Better buy in another truck load of compost mix for that too - and some alpaca poo!

We went to the Boathouse AGM a couple of weeks ago, and as we were walking along Rocks Road, this was the sunset we had the pleasure to see:

Tomorrow night we pick up Magda from the airport, as she is coming to Nelson for a few days. It will be great to see her.

Jan's work is going well, though he still gets the itch for more hands on work. He is speaking at a conference in a few weeks in Rotovegas, so is working on his presentation at the moment as well.

Jenny L is a whiz on the sewing machine: she has sent me three new merino tops this winter. I must have ten or more of them now, and I have worn them this year since April for that extra layer under much lighter clothes. While it doesn't quite mean that I can wear summer clothes all year round, it is close to it. Brilliant - thanks Jen!

I saw a gorgeous 1900s PR post the other day on the horrors of "men caring for babies", trying to stop the vote for women. Check it out at http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/08/men-caring-for-babies-the-horror-visions-from-the-early-20th-century/278392/?goback=.gde_4174358_member_264882939. There are also a couple of short posts below this one of other things which have caught my fancy. 

Best wishes to Neil L, Erik, Gary B & Uta this month :-D

Right - more to come in a few weeks. Take care, everybody


Jan & Sam