New Years Eve

IT IS NEW YEARS EVE

2008 IS ON ITS WAY

What a sensational year. The highlight was of course Kipp. But we also had a terrific tour of South Africa.

The very first to greet the New Year will be the people of Kahuitara Point on Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands. Kiwis will be the first people to greet 2008 as we are just to the left of the International Date Line. Most New Zealanders think we only have one time zone as the vast majority of us live in the North and South Islands which have the same time zone. We tend to forget about the Chathams, who are 30 minutes ahead and Pitt Island, which is another 15 minutes ahead again. The weather is a little overcast locally so the Police etc will be happy as bad weather tends to dampen the stupidity.

We will have our usual low celebration - that is nothing - although we are having the kids around for tea. The last time we really celebrated a New Year was the millennium changeover.

Eve reminds me of a pathetic Xmas joke - What did Adam say on the day before Xmas. "Its Christmas, Eve" Groan!!!!

The next blog will be another day, another year !

So we will end with some photos of the highlight of the year.

From first day until December 2007

However apart from the picture a couple of hours after Kipp's birth this is a champion

Umbrellas, words and dogs

A couple of days ago we noticed our outside umbrella was missing. It was a large green one with a metal stand that slotted into the outside table. Although it has been windy I couldn't believe it could have blown away. However, Christine thought that was the solution so we had a look over the fence but couldn't see anything. I thought it had been stolen.
She decided to email the neighbourhood through the Neighbourhood Support listing and got a reply from three houses away. I couldn't believe that such a large umbrella with a heavy metal stand could have been uplifted like that and taken such a distance.

She has now been right twice in a week!!! Good grief - what is the world coming to!!!

Am reading Bill Bryson's book "Mother Tongue" about the English language. Words have always interested me - maybe that is why I talk so much. A couple of words that I like that have, unfortunately, fallen into disuse are - slubberdegullion: 17th Century, meaning a slovenly fellow - ugsome: medieval, meaning loathsome. I will try to use them in conversation (if I can remember them) in the next week or two.

We got our dog Rhett 12 months ago this week. Like Kipp, is it amazing how much he has changed in that time - not so much in size as he is only a little bigger - but in looks, having lost his puppy look.

Rhett a year ago and a few weeks ago with Kipp in the hall

It could only happen in .....

CRICKET. India has the better of Australia at the end of day one; the Black Caps won; but the incredible result that could only happen in cricket was the local club championship.

Eastern were 4 down with only 10 runs to score to win against Naenae. The Naenae wicketkeeper asked the Captain if he could have a bowl. Thinking that it couldn't get worse he agreed. Taking the ball he proceeded to bowl them out so that Naenae won by 2 runs!! Not a game Americans (or many woman for that matter) can understand.

Been writing about the weather a bit. It has become so changeable with a sudden turn to cold and wet for a while and as I write sunshine again.

The day after the day before

We survived Xmas Day and it is now Boxing Day. Another holiday here in NZ. To the uninitiated Boxing Day (St. Stephens Day) is celebrated mainly in the UK, Canada, Australia, NZ and various other British Commonwelath countries.

In Oz it usually means the biggest Cricket match of the year at the Melbourne Cricket Gound and this year it is against India. Here it means what is now the biggest shopping day of the year as all the shops cut their prices. However people now realise that this is the day to buy which has meant an upsurge in Gift Vouchers.

The scene above is not us as once again the hot, sunny weather has returned.

Xmas Day we spent at my daughters. The rain only lasted for a short while, although it did turn a bit cold but by the late afternoon it was fine enough for us to take the four dogs for a walk -along with Kipp of course. A very nice day even though I was dismal at the Xmas Quiz.

Lots to eat, presents, Kipp, etc.

I suppose this cartoon sums it up for many.

Merry Xmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

It is Christmas day and we have rain. Unbelievable after nearly two months of almost solid sunshine. Finding a couple of Santa pictures that reflect our Southern Hemisphere hot rather than the northern cold is hard.

But .....we always give it a go.

A rocking and rolling Xmas continues

Still a few shakes being felt in Gisborne but thankfully not by us although as they say - a few small ones often is good. Amazingly, I read that this one was five times stronger than the 1987 Edgecumbe quake. Luckily the epicentre was at sea and deeper.


Xmas is almost upon us and the weather is perfect if no rain is what you want. The Charity Raffle I am involved with is going great guns with our sales passing last years on Friday night with 2 1/2 days to go. I would have thought that with the economy slowing and interest rates going up, money would have been tighter this year. Or is it because it is tighter that people gamble more??

I see Tony Blair has converted to catholicism but an interesting side fact I heard was that no British Prime Minister has ever been a Catholic. That seems incredible as we have had our share of the various Christian sects as well as no faiths as evidenced by our current PM. I think we are lucky in that religion plays little or no part in our political set up, unlike the USA where they seem to have more than their fair share of almost religious nuts trying to be President.

Earthquake!!

We really felt the earthquake that hit Gisborne last night.

Originally said to be 6.8 it has now been revised down to 6.6. The incredible statement was on TV1 last night when they advised anybody who was injured not go to the hospital but to contact their GP. Do we need further proof that we are unorganised in many places.

As I understand it only Lower Hutt has a permanent Civil Defence chief - in all the other Local Bodies the Mayor/Chief Executive doubles as the Civil Defence head.

Madness - amatuers doing a job that must be professional.