Hi
everyone,
I hope
things are going well with you all!
We have
just been away to Hanmer for the weekend, enjoying a few walks and quite a lot
of slothing about. The Heritage in Hanmer was pretty good to stay at - we had
some very nice breakfasts, taking more than an hour each day, leisurely reading
the papers, talking and having just one more coffee :-)
Two girl
babies have arrived within our circle of friends in the past few weeks; Fleur
& Neil have had Lani Catelyn; and Mo & Bean (that's Maria Geary) have
also had Amelia Jane. All seem to be pretty well and enjoying the adventure
that life is offering. Also Jenny & Andrew are three weeks off having their
new addition to their family.
Well,
after having said last time that Jan didn't feel that his Management Accounting
paper was going so well, he got his mark back for his first exam and got 94%.
However, he wanted me to be sure to say that he thinks half the class got in
the 90s as well.
My
lecturing is still going well. The head of school, Claire Dallison, has asked
me if I would be interested in lecturing the intro-level marketing paper next
year - I have said that I would be willing to discuss requirements. Claire is
away on leave for five weeks, so we will talk terms when she gets back. I have
officially registered for the Certificate in Adult Teaching (CAT) qualification
training for next year as well.
John
& Jo have given us another present for looking after Bonnie - a Zen mp3
player loaded with talking books. I am currently listening to "The God
Delusion" by Richard Dawkins, which is proving to be most
thought-provoking (Richard Dawkins is the 'Professor for the Public
Understanding of Science' at Oxford University). It was terribly generous of
them - especially considering Coco's blue latex squeaky cat present (still
"The Best Toy in the World").
We went
to "Go for Zucker" (Alles Auf Zucker) which was a hoot. If you
haven't seen it, make some time. We have Kathleen, Frits & John Hofman
coming around on Weds night for dinner and a movie (maybe Memoirs of a Geisha)
and to celebrate Jan's birthday. Then we are off to see a play on Saturday
night (Dangerous Liaisons) with John & Jo at the Suter Theatre.
We are
hosting a monthly Kiwi movie night once more - however, this time it is for members
of the Nelson Newcomers Network, a club run by the Nelson Multi-Ethnic Council,
on behalf of my Rotary club. We have ten people around to see a Kiwi film, talk
about it and have a bite to eat afterwards. We started with Goodbye Pork Pie,
went on to Stickmen last week, and will look at Came A Hot Friday in the last
week of September.
We have a
new pub in our area. This is a new venture set up by a local, boutique beer
brewer, Harrington's, aka the Tasman Brewing Company. They aim to buy old
single storey villas in the suburbs, near good fish & chippies, and convert
them into a local tavern. Branded as the 'Sprig and Fern', they sell excellent
local beers and wines, and you can order your fish & chips and eat them
outside with your beer (I love their "Wobbly Boot", a dark beer). Jan
& I met John, Jo, Kathleen & Frits there a couple of weeks ago and had
dinner and a quiet chat (well, the place was PACKED so I think it was more like
a shout than a chat). Great place, and we will definitely be popping back for
more. There are three pubs in the franchise so far, Blenheim, Richmond and
Nelson (http://sprigandfern.co.nz/thetaverns.aspx).
Our next
trip away is to Sydney for our wedding anniversary in November. We have put our
Wellington trip back to the first week in December, and will make that a good
family catch up.
Take
care, everyone. Alles liebe :-)
Sam & Jan
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