Marmalade
Yes, I am still alive. I have to apologise as usual for the late arrival of my blog posting. I am still here, my arms and legs are still attached (my left arm has regrown after I was savaged by a wild predator - see previous posting) and my computer is still functioning so there is little excuse for my inactivity. Apart from my state of mind, but that can't be helped.Anyway, team, back to the point of this posting - news.
Summer events were plentiful in Wellington and I had to keep alert for the latest news of interesting and enjoyable activities to do because soon they were over. I completely missed the 'Fringe' and a comedy festival apparently.
I have been working since early August last year and apart from the odd Stat Day off (Bank Holiday) I hadn't taken any time off partly because I like to save my holiday for significant stuff instead of just shopping or regrouting the bathroom tiles or whatever it is that people do on their days off. The other reason I haven't had time off is because in NZ you don't actually get time off in the first year of a job (well, officially anyway). It's seen that during your first year you're earning your time off, so after that year you are then entitled to take it. But my boss is a very nice lady and I'm sure she would probably let me take some time if I whinged enough!
So it was a very pleasant break when we went to the annual Womad festival in New Plymouth. Unfortunately Marguerite's husband, Alan couldn't come because he was starting a new job on the Monday morning so wouldn't have been back intime so I drove up with Marguerite and we stayed at her parent's home. I love music festivals. It gave me the chance to break out my tie-dyed green trousers I'd carefully brought over with me and stowed in a safe place. If I wore them in Wellington I'd probably get beaten up but if I didn't wear them or a sarong or a kaftan or something similar at Womad I'd have felt left out.
'If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...' - come on everyone, sing along...
It was just a shame my digeridoo is still back in England.
I enjoy taking candid shots of people absorbed in something-or-other. Here's a sweet one of a couple who were completely absorbed in - eachother!
But I'm not sure about the lady in the background looking at me, observing from behind 'covert surveillance' glasses. I'm sure I've see her before, always watching, waiting for me to slip up. She might not even be human at all.
I suspect she's one of ... 'them'.
After a slightly dodgy start to the cricket season (scoring only one run in about a dozen games!), I finished the season feeling a completely different man. I had never really played before so it was a lot to learn for someone who is by nature quite clumsy, uncoordinated and not the most aggressively or competetively minded. By anyone's standards I was quite poor back in September but now I am ever-so slightly less poor now due to the incredible patience and careful tutoring of my team-mates. And so it was with great surprise and to my utter delight that at the end of season prize giving dinner I was given our team prize for Most Improved Player for team 2C(B)! I was very excited - it may be just a small plastic award, but it means the World to me! (OK, a cynical person might say that for a cricketer as incompetent as I was, improving was the only possible direction I could go!)
I don't know why he's playing cricket while riding on a scateboard though.The other weekend I went out with the club on my first proper tramp in NZ since I was a hard-core outback adventurer back in 1999. We went to the Tararuas range and the photos can be seen at my new Picasa album site - http://picasaweb.google.com/colossusnz/
The chaps on the walk : Andrew, Paul, me, Alain, Craig.Work is going fine. Work is still going on with the new premises and I sometimes find myself being asked to stop designing books and to go out to unload piles of wood from the ute, hold plaster board onto a ceiling for Perry to power-screw it in place or even more exciting things. Last bank holiday I painted the outside of the building then put up fencing round the back of the building. Last week I worked 80 hours.
Here's me deconstructing a brick wall with the kango hammer. I also used it to cut through the tarmac so we could erect the fence posts. There was a slight incident when I discovered a drain pipe. However, I would like to state that there was no way of knowing that there was an 8inch storm drain where I was digging, the hole I bored through it was not all that large anyway, and the repair I made was, I'm sure, completely water tight, so there is no need for anyone to be concerned at all. :/ Especially the local council.End of.
My boss, Marguerite and Alan have adopted a greyhound. He's called Jack and is an impressive athlete. Most days I take him for a walk when we go out for a pee. Occasionally he does one too! It has been a bit funny, a couple of times when a delivery man or someone has come in and left the door open Jack has sneaked out and bounded down the street. No matter what deadlines are on, we stop everything and head off desperately searching the streets of Maungaraki trying to chase down a greyhound that's gone awol. Naturally it's a bit of a chase! Jack is a lovable dog. Really good natured and friendly. He gets excited when I take him for walks because I run with him. And he was born to run. This animal, I'm convinced was designed in a wind tunnel. He is a supremely sculpted creature, even down to his little ears, I'm sure the designer selected them above the other prototypes for their small size and swept back shape to minimise turbulence.
Autumn is now here and I'm pleased I bought a heater back in the height of the summer.
I do have some big news for this posting. My brother, Steve has just got engaged (congratulations Steve and Heather) and they are to be hitched this coming September. Therefore, I am currently planning a trip back home for an exciting holiday and reunion, so if anyone would like to see me, book early because I'll be having a very busy tour. (Well I like to think I would, it could be very quet if no-one's interested).
Recently I finished the last of the seville orange marmalade I'd brought from England. I was in a desperate state because I just can't bear supermarket marmalade because it's just sweet and tasteless - it just doesn't cut the mustard - so to speak! Anyway, I couldn't get seville oranges so I made a big vat of lime marmalade and even by my ludicrous marmalade standards it tastes extremely good - I gave a jar to my boss, but literally two days later she said her husband Alan had finished it and he'd asked if I had another jar! - He really likes it aparently!
posted by col @ 9:04 pm
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