At a higher altitude with flag unfurled, we reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world (Pink Floyd)

Ollie Watkins goal against Netherlands

Wie geht's?

Some random moments:

• I yelled so much when Ollie Watkins scored his goal for England that I gave Jerry and Rey (sleeping in the lounge) a giant fright. What an amazing moment though. 
• Was reading more of Jenny Boyd's book of interviews - the one with Atticus Ross had him talking of the nineties as 'the golden age'. Ha! I think we all have a golden age for music - those key, usually teenage, years when we are fully immersed in the music of the day. Mine is obviously late sixties and seventies. Fair play: his being the nineties decade.
• Taupo visits last week were very fruitful for different reasons - we bought a car - not the one we had gone to see but a more sensible/ comfortable one (you can't always get what you want...). We also looked at some properties in Te Rangiita and decided they (and the location) were not for us. 
• We've listed Maple Grove with Property Brokers in Central Hawke's Bay (contact them if you decide a beautiful 120-year-old four-bedroom villa in nearly 3 acres of park like grounds/paddocks is your thing). I'll supply a link when it's up and running.

A big week.

Love and peace - Wozza

Music is love (David Crosby)

Wie geht's?

Icons Of Rock is a book by Jenny Boyd (yes, Pattie's sister). It's a collection of interviews conducted by her with a huge range of musicians and rock stars - mainly from the late eighties.

Someone I wasn't previously familiar with is British musician Francis 'Eg' White who started making music in the eighties and is still working currently.  

He makes some interesting comments about how songwriting and music has changed in this new, Spotify age.

During his interview he compares mid-sixties, seventies, early eighties to now.

Then, 'it wasn't just self-expression people were aiming for. I think people were genuinely trying to touch something, if not divine, then at least something transformational in themselves that they could then bring into the world. I think the aim was very high at that point'.

He calls the sixties to seventies period 'the golden age', and I agree with him.

Spotify only pays an artist if you listen to a song for 31 seconds. If people skip before then they pay nothing. Clearly a lot of people skip in the first 30 seconds - otherwise why make that the threshold?

Spotify has made music much more accessible, and disposable.

To hold an audience, artists have to capture their listener quickly, and hold them. This means modern pop music has changed a lot, and for me and Eg White - not for the better.

I like that he calls my initial years of collecting music, the golden period. I agree, and I'm very thankful that I was hearing all of those great sixties and seventies bands at first hand.

I also come from a time when we listened to not only whole songs, but, shock horror probe, whole albums! While we were hosting my sister-in-law and brother-in-law during Matariki weekend, Jacky was using Alexa to change songs quickly and it drove me bonkers. But only me.

Love and peace - Wozza

How can you lie there and think of England when you don't even know who's in the team? (Billy Bragg)

Wie geht's?

As readers know, currently, following the UEFA Euro 2024 competition in Germany is my daily routine.

Football! It's been a lifelong passion, and it is always going to be. 

That's sad news for Jacky because I dream about scoring goals, making key tackles or providing killer through balls to strikers.

Unfortunately, when I dream those things, my body is extremely active, and I end up kicking Jacky! And rather than being incredibly flattered that she has been cast as the opposing player or even the ball, she cries out as if she's been kicked (ouchy, which she has been).

I usually wake up at that point and apologise profusely, or else I have no recollection of the dream and action when I do eventually wake up.

We really need a bigger bed!

Love and peace (and sorry again JFP) - Wozza

We should take wandering outdoor walks (Seneca)

Wie geht's?

I'm with Seneca!

Walking is good for many things. When I walk I am more aware of my surroundings, and more conscious of my thoughts and my breathing.

Recently, we watched She Said - a movie on Netflix (highly recommended btw) about two New York Times reporters investigating Harvey Weinstein's sexual abuse of women, Woodward and Bernstein style. There is a lot of walking around involved and an important moment is when Ashley Judd (appearing as herself) makes a key decision after going for a run.

In the past, if I've felt stressed or overwhelmed, I've taken a walk. If I've had a tough problem to solve or a key decision to make, I've taken a walk (Nietzsche says that it is only ideas gained from walking that have any worth).

If I've needed to clear my head or had to make an important phone call, I've taken a walk.

Apart from that, it's about the only exercise I can do these days (running days are long gone), Jacky and I have good discussions on our walks, and I have found that it frees up my back pain quite well too.

I have certainly missed doing it on the painting days of late, and winter weather makes it a bit more difficult to be motivated to put on my walking shoes, but those are only barriers if I let them be.

Love and peace - Wozza

Taking different roads (Joy Division)

Photo by Mark König on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

It's been an interesting week of gardening, painting, water-blasting, after a morning ritual of watching the day's UEFA European Championship football games live.

I've also read a couple of books, listened to a heap of records (currently bingeing on Genesis albums).

I am a routine guy, remember. 

A recent post spoke of crossroads. Clearly, I have moved on from one particular crossroad by resigning from my job.

Where am I at currently?

Paulo Coelho in Maktub has an interesting view -

The master says:  

Whenever paths cross, two powerful energies coalesce - the path that will be chosen and the path that will be abandoned. Both become a single path, but only for a very brief period of time...the pilgrim must carry on and never think of the path not taken.

Great reminder!

Love and peace - Wozza

Look what midnight's done to me (Hammond Gamble)

Wie geht's?

Post resignation and it will take a little while to come down from the helter skelter brain heavy days that were my usual day to day. Also need to get used to the past tense, I almost wrote - are my usual day to day.

The UEFA Euro 2024 games are helping with the transition.

Three games a day in the morning is the current pool game schedule.

England won their first game against Serbia with a Jude Bellingham goal in the 13th minute. From then on they huffed and puffed but couldn't get a second and Serbia did okay but they don't have a Jude Bellingham.

Harry Kane may be knocking the ball in the net at Bayern Munich for fun, but he was a non-factor in this game.

Saka earned his spot with a great first half and Rice was dominant throughout. Arsenal F.C. By far the greatest team the world has ever seen.

So June and early July are sorted for early morning activities.

The rest of the day can then be devoted to a list of jobs that need doing to make Maple Grove attractive to buyers. We are planning to downsize and move to Taranaki - the siren call of the sea you see.

Love and peace - Wozza

There is no keeper but the key (up there is a wall of possibilities), except of one who seizes possibilities (Patti Smith)

Photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Warning! This post contains: Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautiful ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.

Nothing like a good build up is there? That one's from The Princess Bride in case you hadn't picked it.

Why the big build up? Coz I have BIG NEWS!

I resigned from my Principal position this week, without a safety net, so I'm experiencing a mixture of sadness (I really loved the people I worked with), guilt (leaving those great people behind), excitement (heading into the unknown), and anxiety (heading into the unknown). Those emotions have come in waves this week.

I've been at OneSchool Global for eight years, and this is my sixth year at the Hastings' campus. I'm conservative at heart, so resigning is a big step for me.  

That said, leaving a job without having secured a new position is something I've done three times before. Twice when contracts came to the end in the Middle East and thirdly returning from England early in 2019.

Each time, something happened, and I got back in the saddle. I am, like, so not ready to retire, so I'm super excited about what lies ahead.

I think a lot of that attitude comes from being a boomer. My Millennial children love to tease me and Jacky about being boomers, but we come from that post World War 2 generation that has a great can-do work ethic Gen X and Millennials often ignore. 

We grew up feeling there was a great new world out there to explore. The sixties and seventies were our years of possibility and expansion. There was revolution in the air, great mind expanding music, a world-is-your-oyster mindset and no limits, baby. 

Let me at 'em,  I'm not done yet!

Love and peace - Wozza (giz-a-job!)