Another month ticks around: I don't know where they all go. Here we are, a third of the way through the year already, and I can't understand where the last ninety days went!
All the health and family issues over the past year have been weighing heavily on me of late, especially with Tania not progressing in her treatment. It has been hard to make good progress on my research, or to do anything other than to simply get through each day's list of tasks. I have been losing my mojo. So I decided not to keep trying to soldier on, but to take a leave from my PhD for three months. Hopefully that will get me back on track and feeling like I have something constructive to say. I will keep working on slowly, but at my own pace and as I feel like writing.
This break has fallen alongside my supervisor being otherwise engaged (Commonwealth Games) and the start of a busy semester for me. The break also means that my next trip to the Gold Coast will be in September, rather than July. I will defend my proposal in September, I think, during the NMIT study break. What is also very interesting is that my Master's supervisor, Prof Brad Jackson, has moved to Griffith. My main supervisor, Graham, is thinking that Brad might like to come on as an associate supervisor, which might be good. It makes sense from Graham’s point of view: he doesn’t have the knowledge of Tangata Whenua or Pasifika that he needs to understand the context.
My mother and Sue came out for coffee. We were going to go to Michael McMillan’s sculpture gallery down Neudorf Road, but they weren't open, so we went to the Riverside Cafe instead. Then Sue and my mother both came back to our place for lunch afterward. It was a very enjoyable and relaxed afternoon.
With all the rain in spring last year, the neighbour had a number of his heifers die from magnesium deficiency. One of them dropped dead half in and half out of the offal pit, and bloated. Because it was so wet, he couldn't do anything much about disposing of the carcass, so it was left to rot for a while. And stink. I managed to keep both Boo and Bonnie away from it, but one of the neighbours' dogs hauled the head through the fence and it got covered up in the long grass. So this month, Boo was getting more and more sick over a weekend. We carted her off on Sunday afternoon to the vet, and various scans, x-rays and other things were done. Well, $1700 later we now know that Boo managed to eat the flaming eartag off the skull and get it lodged in the top of her stomach. We have the eartag as a fairly expensive trophy... and a dog with a nice neat row of healing stitches in her underbelly and a bald panel in her side for pain killer patches!
Finn is still growing. Almost getting to the gangly stage. He has also discovered pine cones in a big, crackly, satisfying, crunchy way.
We caught up with Sharon & Ian again, ahead of them heading off to Europe for a long break. I think they will have a wonderful time, as we head into winter.
Our courgettes, cucumbers and spinach have been growing well, and at last our tomatoes are starting to come through. They have been very late this year, I think with the early warmth, then the rain, the cold snap, the cyclones and now the warm again. Plants must be very confused! Our Granny Smith apples were ready early, so we have processed about 20 litres of apple juice and preserved it in 1 litre jars. All ready for Jan to drink over winter :-)
I have been going through my old clothes and shoes, and taking things that have not been used in a long time to the op shop. Jan decided to get rid of some stuff too. We had a shoe count-up: he was complaining that I had so many pairs of shoes that it was ridiculous. So we counted how many pairs we each had in the wardrobe. I had 19: he had 17. Yah boo sucks, Mr Kuwilsky! And yes, I did rub it in!
We had a great afternoon at Zig and Lib's place too: they are going to Europe for six months and wanted to introduce all the people on the road to their house-sitters (Rose and Russell). It was a good get-together for the rest of us too: Ian M; Hugh, Jackie, Logan & Lexi; Steve & Liz; Daniel & Diana. Didn’t see Ian B, Margot & Michel, Robert Coombes, Simon or anyone from Jimu’s old place. Hugh & Jackie are planning on having a mid-winter Christmas at their place sometime in June this year, which will also be fun.
The mornings are drawing in. Two shots below are from the sun just rising on our way to work towards the end of the month.
We caught up with Jenny this month: and she did more sewing for us. The woman is a genius! She picked up fabric on special at Spotlight as a throw for us on the couch, and brought it up with her on the plane. I picked her up, and we went to Tracey and H's for dinner. They planned their Heaphy tramp. Most entertaining! Jenny was here to keep an eye on her mama as she has been having cataract eye surgery while conscious (ugh!).
Jan's study is continuing, though he is finding it challenging. I think that is a good thing, because it means our mind is being changed! I go back to the office to carry on after dinner and a break, he tends to drift back in as well. Nothing like having regular time to throw at things to get them done.
Jan has being tutoring one of our neighbours' daughters in maths and physics, which has been interesting. There is so much which I have forgotten, to my shame! Jan & I did something else for the others on the road this month: we cleaned out the second ford which had been choked up with weed, gravel and flotsam after the two cyclones. Boy, that was a hard day's work.
My mother has to have an angiogram at some stage: we are waiting for the appointment to come through. I will go with her, and stay with her when the procedure is finished.
This month we have been watching a Swedish police crime series called Borderliner. Very good!
Sam (& Jan).
