News from Nelson – August 2011

Hi everyone,

Well, we have had snow since I talked to you all last – it only hung about for three days, but it was pretty surprising none-the-less. See photos below this posting for how pretty it was (nothing like knowing you won’t have to cope with it for long, it won’t be a mucky thaw and it won’t refreeze!).

I am recovering well from my surgery. I am back lecturing today, so the month off seemed to go pretty quickly. I go to see my specialist for my follow-up appointment tomorrow. Should be all OK – I feel good. Jan’s finger is slower to heal, but I think it is also doing as well as it should be. He keeps complaining about not being able to go to volleyball :-)

Over the past month I consumed about 15 books and 6 talking books. It was wonderful. I also got my papers for this semester pre-planned, all the materials printed and everything ready to start tomorrow. I have been in touch with a number of students, and will start to meet them all tomorrow too. I am ready to get back into it. However, I will make sure that my students carry all my printing for me.

Jan managed to get an old laptop through work that had died, and we swapped my crapped-out-laptop memory and hard drive into it, so I now have a laptop again. The next project is to get a new home PC, as this is one is four years old. Time for something newer & speedier; and I didn’t want to have to replace a PC and a laptop in the same year, really.

We missed Fleur & Neil’s party (significant birthday) because I didn’t think I would be able to do two hours over Takaka Hill to get there, then a few hours at the party, then two hours back again. Hopefully they all had a GREAT time. But we caught up with Kevin & Sandra for a LOVELY dinner at their place on the weekend. Jan was most impressed as he got to watch the Rugby (which he had completely forgotten about). All good all round.

Jan went with Kathleen, Frits & my Mum to the NSO a couple of weeks ago; they al really enjoyed the music.

Bonnie is great – all the dogs had baths and toenail-trims on Sunday, and she was so good. Fliss would have liked to have unscrewed her feet and have hidden them somewhere if at all possible, while Coco shrieked with every toenail we cut (wus). 

I am now on my last assignment for the DiCG. At last. So I have been taking a little break and doing some research for my Masters instead.

Speaking of Jan not being very motivated for his Certificate in Horticulture; he has decided to withdraw. He thought there would be a lot more practical show & tell stuff in it; he is not very interested in the theory. So he has gone to see the Programme Leader to explain. His brassicas seeds nearly all germinated though!

Happy birthdays in the next few weeks to Merrill, Moose, Julie C, Paul T, Mike W, Tessa W, Erik & Neil L.

Catch you all again soon.

Alles liebe!

Jan Kuwilsky & Sam Young