News from Nelson - January 2018

Hi everyone!
We kicked off the New Year with our traditional New Year's Eve BBQ... which finished after 3am on the 1st of January 2018. We slept almost until midday after that! Even Boo and Bonnie didn't stir for breakfast at 7am. We had a fairly small turn-out this year, but the neighbours were total stayers, bless them! There wasn't much to clean up as before we hit the hay, I had had run the dishwasher once while I tidied the place up, got the recycling ready to go out, then loaded it again when we went to bed, and had the last load ready to go in when we got up. New Year's day was a lovely day too: we took the dogs for a nice long walk.

Murray and Leigh came around at 4pm on New Year's day for afternoon tea with Lexie and Isaac… they played pool, and we chatted for a couple of hours before they headed back to their rental to get ready for the return to Christchurch tomorrow. Nadine is currently staying at our place, and Nane is now taking the current tour with John.

Then on the 4th, we hopped in the car for our first road trip of the year, along with my Mum: heading off to Dunedin for my cousin Sarah's wedding. My Aunt from Christchurch and my sister both came as well, so it turned into a bit of a minor family reunion, which was really good. Nadine kindly house and dog-sat while we were away. We had a lovely trip down to Christchurch, and had lunch at the Nor’Wester Café in Amberley before going to visit Erik and Jacky and meeting our soon to be new puppy, Finn. After that we cruised in to stay with Jenny, who is in very good form. My Mum stayed with Diana. We caught up with Gary and Karen, and Jan caught up with an ex-DHB colleague in the cafe at Moeraki Beach on the way down. The trip the next day to Dunners was pretty uneventful, and we got to check out Warren's place, which is brilliant! He has done so much to the place already. It is light-years more organised than our place, and we have been here coming up eight years... <sigh>. Erica was staying, so we got to see her as well.

The wedding in Dunedin was great: though the weather was not very co-operative. The ceremony was held out at Wal's Plantland in Mosgiel, with the reception just on the other side of Mosgiel, in a local hall. Sarah and Allan's friends had done a great job of decorating the hall, with everyone doing a little, to share the work around and make the day easy for them.

 

We also got taken up in some wee two seater planes for a scenic flight from Taeiri Areoclub by Geoff and his mate Gerard. We had a blast, with Geoff trusting Jan enough to fly his baby. We went out over Port Otago and Larnach's Castle and it was wonderful.

And below you can see bits of our flight from Taeiri along the Otago Peninsular and back. It is almost ten minutes long as I made this for myself, so I remember it!

All in all a great trip. Except on our first night in Dunedin we got a call from Nadine to say that Bonnie was unable to put any weight on her hind leg, and didn't want to eat, move, or otherwise. John was away with his tour, we were at the other end of the country. We got Nadine to call the vet, and she contacted a good friend of John's who knows Bonnie well to go with her. The vet rang me after she had seen Bonnie, and said that she had broken her knee from the weight of the tumour on her hind leg. It was time. She was in her 13th year: not bad for a dog with a heart murmur and a very malignant tumour. And full of joy for all but the last day of her life. So very sad though. And terrible for all the main people in her life to be away, and to not be able to say a last goodbye.

Aside from that terrible news, Finn is doing well, and settling in with Boo. She began with a face like "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest" (Henry II 1133–89 about Thomas Becket, Ratcliffe, 2006) and has now shifted into resigned mode. Even sometimes now moving into running interference mode: when Finn is getting told off, she pushes in to protect him. She is such a nutter when considering the amount he hangs off her lips, ears and cheeks. She should, by rights, simply abandon him to his just desserts. 

Finn is not that conducive for good PhD writing (which is what I am supposed to be doing!), but he is a joy to have. He has certainly helped to fill in the huge gap left by Bonnie.

Jan is back at work, and I am trying to write. NMIT starts again at the end of February, and I want to get a lot more done before then. All my prep is complete, and my supervisory team is ready to go, so hopefully things won't be too difficult this year.

Our new couch arrived two and a half weeks early (thanks Smith's City) and so now we have it. The really strange thing is that the one we saw in the shop was less... 'bouffant' than this one. I guess from all the bums on seats the couch had packed down a bit, whereas our one is still pretty puffy. We need to apply some serious backsides to this to flatten it out to our expectations! I don't think I have ever said that before about something new...

We had a BBQ down at Miranda's at number 99 on the road, which was a lovely way to spend a glorious summer afternoon. We got a date for Cards Against Humanity out of that session, and found out about a huge eucalypt that had come down on Zig & Lib's place, which Jan could get enough wood out of to make an outdoor seat.

Erica, Tracey and H came around to dinner one night and brought Ollie. They got to eat the scraps of the BBQ, and even Finn got the hang of how to sit politely for Erica.

An ex-workmate of Jan's gave us some tomatoes that weren't quite ripe yet. I lay them out on the rug inside the sliding doors in the lounge to redden up, and once done, I bottled 22 litres of tomato puree. It was a race between me and the puppy, as the tomatoes just fitted nicely in his mouth, so, if not carefully watched, he kept stealing them and taking them outside to chew (obviously much nicer mouth feel than the actual toys we have lying everywhere!).  I need to find some more tomatoes as ours have hardly grown this year, and I do like tomato soup in winter.

Jan won second prize in the Sarau Festival jam competition this year, with another crack at blackcurrant and lime. But it was a bit too firm, and he knew that when he entered, but still got placed pretty well. We caught up with Jan and Renate, Killian and Sarah, spent lots of time with Sue, saw Gary and Nicki, had a brew with a few of the neighbours, and generally had a great time.

The sunsets and sunrises continue to give us much to be grateful for, even out of a zippy wee car on the way home from the fair.

Back to you all next month

Sam (& Jan)

• Ratcliffe, S. (2006). Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (5th ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Farewell, Uncle Eddie

My Uncle Eddie was always my favourite Uncle. He had some great gifts that I very much enjoyed: his sense of humour, his kindness and his ability to discuss almost anything, anywhere. I loved his passion for unearthing history, and his energy in putting time in to find out the smallest detail.

An absolute gentleman, in the truest sense of the word.

My Aunty Diana chose her husband very well :-)

He has a very special place in my heart and memory. My first boxer was named after him (our family always was weird ;-D).

I put together a video clip of him, as I did for my Aunty Jill (of my Uncle Tom), using a favourite piece of music for both of them at:



:-(

Sam

My Uncle Tom's Funeral

Hi all,
My Uncle Tom died in January this year, after having been in some rest homes and a hospital room at Oakwoods in Richmond for a wee while.

I learned at his funeral in Mapua that his favourite piece of music was Ivan Rebroff's Evening Bells, so I made a wee movie for my Aunty Jill, using some photos that I had, the funeral and a little of the music:


Aunty Jill seemed in reasonable health, and was well looked after by my cousin Gavin and his wife Estelle. Another of my aunts, Diana, came up from Christchurch (with a friend of hers), my parents and my brother and I went. It was very nice - despite the circumstances - to see everyone and to catch up.

Sam

News from Nelson - January 2014

Hi everyone,
Well, it has been a long time since I updated you all! We are both well here, and the new year seems to be getting into swing quite fast.

Sad news is that Jan's other grandmother, Oma Friedel, passed away on Saturday (18 January), three weeks short of her 99th birthday. After a short illness she died in hospital. Gerhard and Eberhard were regular visitors, and Brigitte went over as soon as she could get a flight. The funeral is on the 29th. Tina is heading to Germany on 1 February to help Brigitte with anything that needs doing.

Oma Friedel at Christmas 2013

Jan is very glad that he made the time to go and stay in November last year with her. So no 100th birthday in Germany in February 2015... however, they think they might organise a family get-together on 12 February where family members can share their memories of her.

Our next overseas trip will be to Rarotonga for Mike's wedding in April. Then we will be organising a trip to Brazil to see the Martins; we are not sure if this will be later this year or next year yet. June-July, anyway, regardless of the year.

Jan has just ordered the first of the lounge in-ceiling speakers. Yay! At last we will be able to get rid of some the dangly speaker wires. Once this pair has arrived and been installed, then Jan will order the next pair. We have to do a two stage process; order them online in the US and get them sent to a US address (Barb's boyfriend's sister, Patience, in this instance). Then Patience posts them to us. She is a saint who happens to love Whittakers L&P block so gets her thank yous in bars of white and fizzy chocolate :-)

I have discovered the books of Peter Robinson and am just reading the last of them. I have also read about seven Ruth Rendell Inspector Wexfords too. I have a new Kindle touch and am enjoying that immensely (also care of Patience). My old Kindle has gone to my Father, as he can read the screen just fine on that; but a book is too dense. 

We have rediscovered a long-lost cousin: my Uncle Ian's oldest daughter, Kim. I met her with her mum when she was just a wee dot, when I was about five. Kim lives in Dunedin with her family, and we hope that she will come up to Nelson for my father's 80th Birthday party on May 24th this year. I am hoping that we will be able to get all the remaining brothers and sisters together, and as many of the cousins as possible, to have a real family get together. It would be really great. We will see!

Kim & Brenda around 1967/8-ish

Kim & husband Geoff

Had Aunty Jill out for a visit to our place & Aunty Diana up from Christchurch (and how they both hate being called Aunty). It will be a rellie good year :-)

Peter, Joan, Jill & Jan at Roses Road, Jan 2013

 

Peter, Joan, me & Aunty Diana outside at Roses Road

Jan & Aunty Diana at Krauts, December 2013

Andreas's birthday in Germany looked like a very stylish high tea party! Simone sent us photos :-)

Andreas with his grandparents Karin & Ernst at his birthday tea

Jan has been cutting down trees - and cutting them up for firewood. Getting ready for winter when we haven't even hit our summer straps yet. But very prudent. There is a clip below of Jan felling a tree outside my office. Pesky thing was in my view :-)

Chainsawing, of couse :-)

Jan felling a pine tree outside my office

First meeting of the academic year is happening next Monday. Ouch. I am up in Auckland at a Leadership training session at AUT for two days next week, then Otto & Lara come down to stay for a few days with us. Building some of their own family memories :-)

Masters is going on: and will be in draft by 01 April (just in time to go to Raro for Mike & Donna's shindig).

Bonnie has the early stages of congestive heart failure, but is on meds, so will hopefully be OK for many more years to come (as she is only 7). John is planning on a return to Kiwiland later this year, and hopefully won't notice any changes in her. We have tried Skyping with Bonnie, but she cannot work out where the noise comes from...!

Bonnie looking intensely... intense

Bonnie & Coco trying to work out why the crazy woman is trying to get their attention

Caught up with Kevin & Sandra at Mapua recently and finished the evening at McKee Domain with the most fabulous moonrise over the bay

Moon over Tasman Bay, Jan 2014

Right, that will do for now. I know I have missed out heaps of news, but I have hit the end of my writing endurance!

Take care

Sam & 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