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

News from Nelson – July 2 2012

Hi all,
Here we are on the downhill run to August already; and Christmas is frighteningly close.

I have sent our “Deutschlandreise 2012” for printing, so two copies will be winging their way to Jan’s grandmothers within the next month. I am about to start putting together another book: one for the Martins (Ana Silvia & Camila’s family) as they leave today to return to Brazil.

We had a lovely time meeting Berto and Celia, hosting them at our place for a night. They travelled the North and South Islands, but spent a good chunk of their time in Nelson, being hosted by all the host families of the girls. Tina and Jeremy also had the whole family around for Raclette at the tail-end of their North Island tour. Celia says she feels like she has had a taste of the Rotary experience!

We all have lots of photos of them all, and they are a delightful family. Ana looks almost the same as she did when she left four years ago – and spent a lot of time at our place with the dogs.  

Anna & Phil G hosted a get-together at their place, as did Hugh & Julie B, and we had a couple of meals out with a big group at restaurants, including a farewell dinner at Café Affair last night. Murray & Yvonne B took them over to the Golden Bay, we took them to Kaiteriteri, Anna & Phil took them to Lake Rotoiti. They have seen a good chunk of Nelson. 

They fly out today at 10.30, and I think they have had a great time, and now will know all the things that the girls speak of, as they too have a personal connection. We plan on going to Brazil on our way either to or from Germany for the 100^th celebrations in 2015. 

It was great to hear from Hartmut that Karin & Ernst have been to Ulm to visit Oma Lieselotte and Uta. It sounds as though everything in Ulm is stable at the moment, but I will find out when I write shortly to Uta, to accompany the photobook and tell her how we all are.

Simone has written a lovely email, Achim has sent a quick email and Karin has emailed photos. Technology is a wonderful thing!

Last Saturday night we had dinner at Kathleen & Frits’ place but didn’t get to look at their trip photos, although we showed them ours!! I think that was a bit one-sided; we will have to put that right soon :-)

NMIT & AUT teaching is going well; I have sorted out all my courses and my semester's teaching is planned out. I have handed over Applied Management (L) to a new lecturer, and have set aside one full weekday for my Masters study (Mondays – NOTHING else is done on Mondays but Masters research).

It is my brother’s 40^th in a couple of weeks, so my family will be coming together for a party. That will be all good.

John appears settled in the UK for now, and has been posting regularly on Facebook; but he does miss Bonnie the Boxer. She is heartless and doesn’t seem to be pining in the slightest (by the way, John: she is registered & tagged in TDC to our address now. It was painless). But October will come soon, and John’s return with it, and then I am sure she will collapse in wiggles and smiles.

Speaking of October, Camila comes to us in October for the last three months of her Rotary exchange year. It will be wonderful to have her. We think we have sorted out the logistics of getting her in to Nelson College for Girls every weekday (car with Jan to Richmond & bus to Nelson on the days I don’t go in), and there are many offers of accommodation for her to overnight in Nelson if she needs to stay late, has soccer practice or wants to socialise.  

We have heard from Sandra & Gary, who are having a great time in WA; as usual, Sandra wrote a hilarious summary of all the happenings in their household. It sounds as though they are having a good time, and have managed to collect another dog. Number 3 canine and no children. Sounds like people we know…!

Andreas, Katrin & Christian are planning on being in New Zealand this coming Christmas and New Year, and we were thinking of finding out where they were going to be, and spending Christmas with them. We hope that Jan’s Welly family can join us, but can’t do any planning until Jan finds out what Andreas’ family plans are. It would be great to spend a Kiwi Xmas in the Bay of Islands!

Happy birthdays to Fleur, my brother, Kelly M, Moose, Merrill C, Julie C, Tracey P, Paul T, Tessa W, Erik dB, Neil L, Gary B, Uta S-K, and Coco! 

Right – I am sure that I have forgotten lots, but this will do for now. All the best to everyone :-)

Jan Kuwilsky & Sam Young