It's a family affair (Sly and the Family Stone)

Wie geht's?

Part two of some recent snaps from the whanau get together at Maple Grove, Palmerston North and Wellington. Special times with a special bunch of people. Warning - super cute geekids ahead!

Love and peace - WNP

Wear your love like heaven (Donovan)

Wie gehts?

We're back at Maple Grove after a week away, first in New Plymouth and then with the whanau in an Air BnB in Wellington, where all the grandkids (the cousin crew) turned up. Because we're all distributed in a variety of countries, these are special times and it's great to spend time with these remarkable people.

These days everyone has a phone, so, luckily, everyone has a camera to document these times. Here's a selection from the beauties taken during the week from a variety of people. They show some lovely family moments, captured forever.

Love and peace - Papa

Jade Purdy Day!

Mature, self-assured and happy

Jade by Jade

Wie geht's?

In our family tree, November 28 is Jade Purdy Day.

Jade Purdy Day started back in 1991 (you can read all about that special day here). Ever since that auspicious day, 34 years ago, I have instant flashbacks when November 28 arrives each year.

Not only that day each year, but every day - I am exceedingly proud of how JMP has developed into a confident, beautiful, intuitive, feisty, strong, very serious person.

 

Happy birthday DLG!

Love always and forever - dad

She's got style, she's got grace, she's a winner. She's a lady, Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady (Tom Jones)

Wie geht's?

It's a special day on Wozza's Place - enough to warrant two posts today.

First up - it's time to celebrate Jade's 33rd trip around the sun.

Hope the day at work and solid parenting goes well today DLG!

Love - dad

Back then long time ago when grass was green (George Harrison)

Wie geht's?

This fantastic book was a gift from Jade, Chris and Asher. Yes, I may be an easy person to buy for, but still...

Around this time of the year (end of September, start of Rocktober) I always manage to get some fabulous Fab related items.

Even though I don't have a Beatles inspired tattoo (never going to happen) the lure of The Beatles never fades (unlike a tattoo).

So, thanks for keeping the streak going Jade! Love the gift!!

The only other one I have related to the 1964 tour of New Zealand is Eight Days a Week by Graham Hutchins. When We Was Fab (an echo of George's hit - When We Was Fab) is a much bigger book and full of great photos and exhaustive commentary on the Australian/New Zealand part of the 1964 tour.

It goes top of the to-be-read pile!

Love and peace - dad

Happy birthday to you! (The Beatles)

Wie geht's?

Nineteen ninety-one is thirty-two years ago.

Here are a few important things that happened in 1991:

• The Soviet Union was dissolved
• The world wide web was launched
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the year's highest grossing film
• Metallica had the best selling album of the year
• The New York Giants were the Super Bowl champs, the Minnesota Twins won the World Series, Arsenal won the First Division title, Australia won the rugby world cup, and the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched the Stanley Cup.

Clearly overshadowing all of these things, though, was the November 28 arrival of Purdette # 4 - Jade Michelle Purdy!

I love that photo taken at Taupo - she was super cute in that bob, but now she's a stunningly beautiful 32 year old (she takes after her mother).

Happy birthday DLG!

Love - dad

Happy birthday to you (The Beatles)

Wie geht's?

Time to celebrate Jade's birth again this week - her 31st trip around the sun!

DLG was cute as a button as a caterpillar, but she's turned into a beautiful butterfly during those 31 years.

We celebrated her birthday with her yesterday in Palmy, but her real birthday is Monday 28th of November, 1991. Yes, 1991. I remember it well.

Have a great day today DLG!

If you want the back story you could revisit it here.

Love and peace - Dad

The world you see is different from the one I see, and it's mpossible to share your world with anyone else (Ichiro kishimi)

Photo by Andrew Charney on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Wabi Sabi is a phrase that Jacky is getting a tad tired of hearing as we repaint and decorate half of Maple Grove (we've now moved on to the bathrooms and back entrance hallways).

Wabi Sabi (subtitled - the wisdom in imperfection) by Nobuo Suzuki was a Christmas gift from Jade and it has provided some wisdom as we sand and paint.

Wabi Sabi is a phrase that encompasses the idea that everything is impermanent - everything is in a continual state of flux and if we go against the flow, we will suffer. So we need to accept it.

I am quite happy to enjoy the imperfections in the walls and windows - some of which date back 120 years. For me, they provide character and are a very visual reminder of wabi sabi.

Jacky, it's fair to say, does not embrace that attitude. At all. For her - only dead fish go with the flow.

Imperfect is not something she can bring herself to live with (although she does keep hanging out with me!). So, a lot of the time, she points out the shoddy job that others have done before us and she chaffs against the idea that she can't fix those imperfections. She suffers.

And she suffers even more when I say...wabi sabi.

Love and peace - Wozza

I've got a feeling, I think that everybody knows (The Beatles)

Happy 30th to DLG

Wie geht's?

Thanks to Peter Jackson and Jade Purdy the weekend was a super lovely one. 

We celebrated Jade's 30th birthday with her on Sunday. BTW I love that photo above - beautiful!

This means the Purdettes pictured below are all now in their thirties. As a mate said to me recently - who would have thought we'd have children in their thirties? Feels strange given I still feel 22 inside but there you go.  

And Peter Jackson? Well, there are no words of gratitude adequate enough.

I watched the three episodes of Get Back over three days with a permanent grin. The culmination of the rooftop concert makes even more sense as a climax now. Maybe even Macca will agree with that - at the time he was really unsure about the roof as a venue - he was aiming for a more conventional audience.

I loved it and I'll be watching it again.

That brings to an end, for now, celebrations of the original Let It Be album and film. Phew - records, book and the three Get Back episodes. 

Job done!

Love and peace - Warren Ono Purdy

If you ain't got the do re mi boys you ain't got the do re mi (Woody Guthrie)

Wie geht's?

Adam and Ashleigh have arrived at Maple Grove, as have Jade and Asher for a rare mini family reunion.

It hasn't been a catch up as such because the Sunday zooms keep us all up to date, more a 'remember when...' and a chance to play Monopoly Deal - a card based game without the board and dice of the real Monopoly game.

It's been fun, lots of good natured banter and ribbing. Honours were shared amongst us with Ashleigh cleaning us all out in the last game last night.

Board games/ card games have always been great for family times. Having some time to enjoy our adult children (and Ashleigh, Asher) is very precious.

Love and peace - WNP

Trigger (Trigger) and he pulled the fastest milkcart in the west (Benny Hill)

Trigger looks big here, but he only comes up to my waist.

Wie geht's?

Covid-19 lockdowns have had one very positive spin-off for our family: the weekly family zooms that we started a year ago (thanks to Adam's suggestion) during our alert level 3 and 4 lockdowns have continued long after the alert levels returned to 2 and then 1. And they are still going strong.

So, each Sunday evening Jade and Asher (in Palmerston North), Samantha (in LA or SF with Jesse),  Keegan (in Shanghai) and Adam and Ashleigh (in Melbourne) have joined up with Jacky and me (in Takapau) for a weekly catch up.

It's been great, and has certainly brought our far-flung little band of Purdettes a lot closer together, figuratively speaking.

Hot topic this weekend was Trigger - the little pony that Jacky and I have bought for Asher, nearly 2, to ride.

Trigger naturally suffers from little man syndrome

He's certainly got personality!

See - I told you - comes up to my waist, just!

On the search for more apples!

The kids maintain this is another très subtle attempt to interest her children/grand-children in horses, but Jacky disputes this. Natch. 

Wherever the truth may lie, Jacky has plans to find a cart for Trigger to pull around so that he can pay his way while Asher and I pick up pine cones for Trigger to pull back to the barn.

That should be a hoot! I can't wait.

Love and peace - Wozza

We gonna come together, we gonna celebrate, we gonna gather 'round, like it's your birthday (Kings Of Leon)

 

Wie geht's?

Name the year!

Here are your clues:

1. The first penalty shoot-out ever in the F.A. Cup took place (Rotherham v Scunthorpe in case you were wondering and Rotherham won 7-6)
2. Sir Robert Muldoon resigns from parliament
3. Eurythmics Greatest Hits was the year's top selling album
4. Jade Michelle Purdy was born

Yes, that's right, it was 1991, 29 years ago, when, on November 28, Jade popped along to add more joy to our lives.

OMG - she still looks like that when she's asleep

Happy birthday DLG!

Love from JFP and me

I want to get back to my city by the bay Ooh, Ooh (Journey)

Samantha always knows where the camera is!

Wie geht's?

This post is our final stop in the return to 2007 and our first trip to San Francisco.

In the wash up after the wedding dances we went to the zoo, the Hard Rock Cafe, a diner with everyone to watch the Golden State Warriors, and then it was back to New Zealand, leaving our hearts in San Francisco!

The sisters cutting a rug

Watching the Golden State Warriors

Jade was there! True fact!

Love and peace - Wozza