Hi all,
There has
been some pretty horridible weather around the country as we head into autumn,
but we appear to have missed the worst of it in Nelson, having just some light
rain - which is very good.
Just a
brief note this time - we haven't really been doing that much. Jan is busy at
work with the installation of the C Saw at Nelson Pine; he is working longer
hours to get keep the project on schedule. There has been a staff reshuffle
there, and an additional 60 line staff will be made redundant. Staff have
currently been offered voluntary redundancy; it is thought that some of the
staff who are close to retirement may possibly retire early. Also Sealord has
notified their Vickerman Street operation that 180 jobs will go; 30 of those
are from support, administration and management personnel. So it looks as
though Nelson's 2% unemployment rate is going to increase once those staff
return to the market... just in time for the grape, apple and stone fruit
picking season. Maybe this year we won't need to import people from the islands
for the harvest.
It was my
folk's 49th wedding anniversary this year (next February is the big one!) which
we celebrated with a dinner at the Saltwater Café on the waterfront. Tessa and
her girlfriend Helen were up from Christchurch, which was nice.
Since I
last updated you all we have spent a weekend in Kaikoura, which was very
restful, but were caught through Saturday for 24 hours in a vast rain dump -
practically wall to wall precipitation! Never mind, we had cards, a few wines
and plenty of chocolate so had a lovely time for that day away :-)
We are
reasonably focused on reducing discretionary spending this year. So simple
pleasures, close to home. We caught up with John & Jo Fitzwater for a curry
& a movie at home, which was very restful! We are doing breakfasts &
coffees at home with friends - thank goodness for the coffee machine is all I
can say!
We also
caught up with Glenys & Kevin Johnston from the Mudcastle on Sunday - I had
been given a voucher for Monterey House by a client for Christmas (as a thank
you), so we went out there for morning tea. I was glad of the voucher,
otherwise we wouldn't have gone. It was very nice - a lovely place, but quite
posh.
We have
also picked up a pile of Cox's Orange Pippin apples on the weekend for turning
into juice & cider. That is this week's project.
Our next
entertainments are likely to be using a voucher for Happy Valley (I won a $150
voucher over the summer) and a voucher for Wilson's Abel Tasman Experience;
maybe Jan & I might go and do a day sea kayak or something.
However,
Fiona Pears was in town a couple of weeks ago & we went to see her. Jan
really enjoyed the concert but I grew increasingly irritated by her manic stage
presence - she leaps about like a mad thing - and her "Little
Princess" act; so much so that I couldn't enjoy the music, despite sitting
there with my eyes shut. I think to ensure Jan's enjoyment, this will need to
be a pleasure that he attends on his own in future.
We have
been out to the land to peg out the site with Leigh on the weekend, ready for
the first phase of the earthworks. Noot, the digger driver, is coming out
sometime in the next week or so to realign the driveway, excavate the garage
& excavate for the water tanks. Then we do little more on the site until
September. The working drawings are nearly complete, so should be ready to go
into the council for approval this autumn and we can put the job out to some
builders for tender at the same time. Jan & I need to create a list of
exclusions from the contract (for whether we go fixed price or labour &
exclusions - we haven't decided yet) before that work can go out to tender, so
compiling an accurate list of exclusions will be our job for the next few
weeks.
We have
also taken delivery of a new fridge; we have a Gram - a low energy usage fridge
- from Denmark. It is very... umm.. austere looking! A severely plain,
rectangular, stainless steel box! However, it seems to work OK - we have an
internal light that works! - and we are hoping to see a difference in our power
bills going forward. Our old fridge was 19 years old, and getting very tired.
We have
been taking the dogs for a 5k run three times a week, as opposed to walking
with them while they run at the mudflats. I think the discipline is good for
Coco. We will have to see how long we can keep it up!
The 20
year Canterbury Uni anniversary is indeed a July get together - in a couple of
rented houses in Hanmer which should be great. We will be coming to Wllg at the
end of September (26th) for Otto's birthday, which will be our only Wllg trip
this year... so if there is a chance for a Huttie 40th birthday get-together
around then, let us know.
Right,
that's all for now. Take care & alles liebe!
Sam & Jan
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