If I leave here tomorrow would you still remember me? (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Wie geht's?

If you're following our pilgrim's progress towards the one way ticket to London's Heathrow on August 9, you will be keen to know that we are currently in Nu Zild's provincial heartland saying farewells to sundry in-laws.

First stop Taranaki - New Plymouth to be specific (pictured above), where conveniently most of SWMBO's close relatives reside, and onwards to Manawatu (Palmerston North): home to our youngest daughter (she wants me to tell you she's our favourite - which I've done but all my children are favourite something orruthers).

I haven't seen my in-laws for a while so I was amazed how good everyone looked. Really. Considering SWMBO's mum and dad are approaching their eighties, and given the lifestyle they have led, they are pretty hale and hearty! Looking good guys!

Her sister, Mabelle, is also fit as a fiddle and on fine form. As she eloquently and elegantly pointed out - my parents aren't around any more - so I should spend time with hers!

SWMBO, Jade and her bridesmaids (Carly and Georgia) are off bridal gown shopping today - my advice that no good decision survived a committee of four - went unheeded.

Never the mind. 

Home on Saturday and the count down of remaining school days begins in earnest from Monday.

Love and peace - Wozza

Running as fast as they can, Iron Man lives again (Black Sabbath)

Wie geht's?

While dismantling my mum's old iron wrought (an old in joke) table and chairs in a light drizzle this morning after a frosty start, my mind turned towards the vagaries of my sentimentality.

Some things, like this table and chair set mean a lot. Other things, like my grand mother's tapestry table...meh.

I can remember when we bought the iron wrought furniture and where we had them positioned outside the back door at 4 Ramelton Road. Outside my bedroom actually (the one my parents had sound proofed!).

Mum loved this table and chairs and we used them a lot in those late seventies Auckland summers. Expertly, she made some cushions for it (still being used incidentally).

It appears in photos from that era and, Zelig like, it has endured.

Time moved apace and dad had them outside but unused at his Maygrove Village semi-detached abode. When he passed away in 2009 I took custody of the set and we have used it in our various Nu Zild locations since then.

Unlike the concrete mixer we have found space in our lock up for the dismantled set. A few of the nuts and screws were a little rusted up but generally it was easy enough to dismantle.

A quick water blast and it's now safely tucked away for the meantime, for future unpacking and continued enjoyment. 

Love and peace - Wozza

They call me the breeze, I keep blowing down the road (JJ Cale)

Mid shake down

Wie geht's?

Well, it's started. The pack up/ storing phase has begun.

Hiring a space to lock-up our precious possessions was stage one, then with the help of a colleague (thanks Jeff), the transporting of records, books, bedroom furniture, fridge and John Lennon figurines began.

Scary watching your worldly possessions slowly taking up a 3 x 2 metre space and realising I should have been more ruthless with the CDs!

More than a jigsaw, my brain has gone into full on Tetris mode - slotting pieces into lock-up places.

We've rented a space at a National Mini Storage facility in Albany. It's huge! Filled with...who knows what!!

Stuff! Most probably stuff they don't need, or in all likeliheed, want.

People are strange.

We've aimed to avoid the traps we fell into last time - thinking things may come in handy later. So we've gone for a minimal approach.

And, it feels good.

Less is more.

But I can't help wondering about some of those CDs.

Love and peace - Wozza

And the craic was good (Van Morrison)

Glastonbury Tor in Somerset

Wie geht's?

A colleague recently posted about early morning rituals and routines. I don't see a distinction between the two myself but there you are. 

One of mine is to read each day's entry in Hsing Yun's 365 days of wisdom.

Today it said: being without worry is the best form of happiness; excessive desire is the greatest suffering.

Ironically, my desire is wanting to be a pilgrim; so much it hurts. I've conquered a few of the Beatle related pilgrimages (New Zealand to Abbey Road - tick) but a few,  more spiritual ones, remain slightly out of reach.

Heading off to live in England soon should help get over the tyranny of distance (Nu Zild is soooooo looooong away from anything).

For what it's worth, here's my want-to-do pilgrimage list:

The Camino de Santiago (a.k.a. The Way of Saint James)

Glastonbury Tor to Stonehenge

Wye to Canterbury

The Rydal Water Walk (a.k.a. the Wordsworth walk) in the Lake District

Downpatrick to Coney Island (as outlined in the Van Morrison song)

This last one was added following a reminder via Thom Hickey's wonderful blogpost on Van's song.

Watching this and especially listening to Van's delivery makes me yearn to get started!

Love and peace - Wozza

I'm feeling the heat, glad to be alive, I'm counting the beat, six-seven-eight-nine (The Swingers)

Wie geht's?

Me? Oh - I'm fine, thanks. Just sitting here enjoying that sunrise this morning after a frosty night and thinking.

Pondering really. While listening to a very old but really great and under appreciated Uriah Heep album (Salisbury) in my music room. Vinyl, of course.

In a rare moment of projecting forward, I'm pondering the next week at school and then the two weeks after that. 

Thoughts are increasingly turning to the future: I have a conversation each Wednesday with my new employers in England; there are many items we need to sell or store or pack in these next three weeks.

Those things are encroaching on my here and now. Just sayin'.

No room in my suitcase for Salisbury unfortunately. 

Love and peace - Wozza

WOW

Wie geht's?

Organic appreciation is a wonderful thing!

Recently, staff at school started a WOW board in the staff room (Words Of Warren) and it's being added to on a daily basis.

I have no idea who started it, but it's becoming a beast!

None of it is particularly original to me - we're talking catch phrases that I use regularly.

I love it!!

Love and peace - Wozza

I am the son and heir of nothing in particular (The Smiths)

Photo by Mikael Cho on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

In case you were going to ask me if I'm getting excited yet (with seven weeks to go before leaving NZ for the UK)...

'Sort of, not really' is my stock answer.

What gives, Wozza?

Wishing myself somewhere else runs counter to my 'be here now'. If I start thinking too much about what's to come, I'll neglect the here and now. Simple, huh!

In addition to that, the guilt sets in if I get too excited - SWMBO is always giving up more than I am during our moves. As she says, "I need a base", so she misses her possessions more than I do.

Instead, I subscribe to Hsing Yun's words: humans have to refrain from their external cravings in order to seek treasures of the inner mind.

So, during this stage of the move, I can appear to be  annoyingly glib about leaving possessions behind. 

A case in point: I was told off for my tractor post a while back. I loved the tractor but my practical brain told me I couldn't store it anywhere, I couldn't take it with me, it was going to need more and more TLC mechanically speaking and I just don't have the know-how. That didn't mean I didn't appreciate all of Brian's work. I really did!

The tractor's fate was sealed when we left Stratford really.

The family heirloom fits into that category too. Unfortunately Ross has decided his concrete making days are over so I have had to make a dispassionate decision, as I did with the tractor. 

Doesn't mean I don't love that concrete mixer to bits though!

Love and peace - Wozza