Kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown; waiting for someone or something to show you the way (Pink Floyd)

 

 

Wie geht's?

It's been 50 years since I was in the graduating class of '76 at Mt Albert Grammar. That was a recent shock discovery. Fifty years. Holy fulele!!

All of the guys in that picture (one of two 7th form classes in 1976) have Gold Cards and none of us look the same anymore. I'm in the far right of the third row and I don't look like that youthful 18 year-old now. Another shock.

As I look at that photo I can't help wonder what happened to them all. I'm still in touch with a few of them via Facebook and I know about Nicky Singh's passing.

On one hand, fifty years ago seems like a long time, but in the scheme of things it's a brief moment in time.

Love and peace - Wozza

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make (The Beatles)

Happy MD to DM.

Wie geht's?

Happy Nu Zild Mothers' Day to Jacky, Jade, Ashleigh, and Samantha.

The quote on my calendar for today is one from Ann Landers. It reads:

In the end, it is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves.

Those influential years appear to be quite short - the independence streak hits pretty quickly in toddlerhood and just keeps on going. 

It's interesting watching that develop in our grandchildren. Pretty soon, once starting school, they'll come under the influence of others - friends, teachers, boyfriends, girlfriends...

In those young years, let's say in our first seven, all of the preparation and groundwork is laid for the rest of our lives and we are totally ignorant of it as children. 

For a parent, it's an awesome responsibility.

Love and peace - Papa

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like an apple.

May last year

Wie geht's?

Time flies. Just one year ago most of the Purdy clan were cloistered together in Denver Colorado for the wedding of 2025. So - a very happy one year anniversary to Andrew and Samantha Kalicki.

Crazy. That seems like yesterday. Here is a reminder:

And here's a repeat of my post America post:

The three weeks certainly had travel's usual mix, but I easily listed 26 moments from my travel diary that were mind-blowingly great. However, 26 rosy-tinted moments would be OTT, so - here are my top 10.

10) Celebrating our 41st Wedding anniversary and Jacky's birthday (twice as we crossed the international dateline).

9) Capitola - staying at The Inn at the Depot air B'n'B and dining down by the sea.

8) Babysitting/spending time with Poppy and Asher at 3236 Arapahoe St, Denver.

7) Finding Arsenal kit at the Soccer Warehouse in Anaheim.

6) S'mores at Fanfa/Drew's house with everyone (toasted marshmallow with chocolate inside a Graham cracker).

5) Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland with Jacky, Jade, Chris and Asher.

4) Best scenery - the Big Sur coastline and listening to two whales slapping the water with their fins.

3) Best finds - tough one to select but I've whittled it down to two. Both had that rush of can-I-believe-my eyes. First would be finding copies of three albums by The Cowsills. The best being a copy of Captain Sad for $6 in Wax Trax Records in Denver. Second would be finding a copy of Robert Bly's Iron John book in a secondhand tool store, also in Denver. Another big plus: loved my record shopping expedition with Adam, Ashleigh and Poppy - three generations of record lovers is special.

2) Best Meal - While in Sonoma we drove to Bodega Bay and the Armstrong Woods. Driving back to Petaluma via Highway 116 along the banks of Russian River, we stopped at a roadhouse for lunch - grabbed a pizza slice each and a House Coffee. OMG. It was amazingly good sitting it that almost empty roadhouse having that simple meal with Jacky.

1) A solo father-of-the-bride dance with Samantha to Bruce Cockburn's Wondering Where The Lions Are was my personal number 1 highlight. Some context: when the kids were little I'd wake them up by singing the opening lines to the song:

Sun's up, uuh huh, looks okay
the world survives into another day
and I'm thinking about eternity
some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me.

Samantha clearly remembered that and honoured that memory by choosing it for our dance. It's a moment of ecstasy that I will cherish forever.

 

 

There you go - some great memories. Glad I have this blog to retrace my steps in from time to time.

Love and peace - Wozza (May the 4th be with you, always)

Keep calm and carry on

Photo by Wolfgang Rottmann
on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Living in a 120 year old villa has its fair share of joys and frustrations. 

On ANZAC weekend I found myself locked out of my bathroom. Conveniently, we have two bathrooms - a 'his' and a 'hers'. Somehow the catch had fused into the locked position in the 'his' bathroom door and everything we (visitors joined in the attempt) attempted failed to open the door.

Problem solving suggestions were plentiful: shoulder barge the door (ha ha - yeah right) ; cut a hole in the door (yikes); remove the lock (we tried that without success); break the window (drastic); remove the whole window from outside. Okay.

Removing the window proved harder to do than anticipated but we got there with help from a crowbar after taking off the hinges. Luckily they were on the outside of the window.

Phew. what a mish.

Keeping calm and carrying on was the ticket to success in this case (and in so many others). That slogan from 1939 is a beauty.

Love and peace - Wozza

Happy anniversary baby, got you on my mind (Little River Band)

Happy birthday Dulcie! (Photo credit: Graham Purdy)

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Quite a few April anniversaries happen that need some commentary. 

There are plenty of happy occasions to celebrate. We've had my parents wedding anniversary (on the 18th in 1953), Jacky and my wedding anniversary (on the 21st in 1984), and mum's birthday (on the 23rd in 1930).

There are also two losses of life anniversaries in April: Lucy Adsett, a.k.a Ma (on the 3rd in 1974) and our dear friend - Margo Buchanan-Oliver (on the 25th in 2018).

I know these are just names and dates to the blogosphere, and that a lot of others celebrate their own anniversaries as they come up but clearly without Lucy and her daughter Dulcie Adsett and then her wedding to the strapping young pharmacist Graham Purdy, you would not be reading this, because I would not exist.

That's a huge debt of gratitude I owe all three.

That Earth-shattering event in 1984 also means that our four children exist and consequently, our four grandchildren also exist. So, I think you'll agree, that one is worth a massive celebration as well.

Love and peace - WNP

Have you heard the news? (Frank Zappa)

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Recent weeks have seen three big news stories in NZ: Cyclone Vaianu; the voyage of Artemis II; and the war in Iran.

Trying to get some objective news on all three has been difficult.

The NZ media sensationalised the approaching Cyclone (a.k.a. a hurricane if you live in some areas of the northern hemisphere) and with our memories of Cyclone Gabrielle still in our minds, we worried about it of course.

As to the other two stories - I've taken to buying The Guardian Weekly again for in depth coverage of major events.

Frinstance - the most recent edition gave a clear-eyed run down on the election in Hungary. I felt informed! A rare thing in these days of unrelenting biased social media feeds.

Lately, I have managed to get a copy each week from Paper Plus in Havelock North (a handy walk from school) or Whitcoulls in Hastings.

I love the Guardian Weekly. It has even had an upgrade in format since I bought it last. Wahoo! 

Love and peace - Wozza

They say it's your birthday (The Beatles)

Wie geht's?

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I'm mmmmm mmm? (The Beatles)

Four and a half years ago I used the same line for myself, now it's JFP's turn.

Join with me in a huge rendition of Happy Birthday to Jacky today from all the fandamly and friends around the planet.

Love and peace - Woz