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

Happy birthday Dulcie! (Photo credit: Graham Purdy)

Wie geht's?

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)

Wie geht's?

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

You caught me in the black light (The Pineapple Thief)

Photo by Toan Nguyen on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Autumn rain and the end of daylight saving in Nu Zild means winter is coming.

Preparations are on-going: thanks to Chris we now have two clean chimneys ready for Jacky to do her firestarter thing; the outside stereo system will soon be disconnected; the outside chairs and table need to be moved under cover; and the sails over the zen garden will need to be cleaned and stored ready for their return in November.

For the last two weekends I've been cutting up the logs that have been aging under the macrocarpas, stacking them in the woodshed, next to the pinecones we've been collecting. We still need another delivery of wood but so far so good.

The wood basket has been moved inside and the box of pinecones/ kindling will soon appear at the back door along with the large blue barrel that holds a couple of days supply of firewood.

Long range forecast for Takapau

Lately, we've had a taster with some colder temperatures, moody grey skies and rain. That also means the near future's outside walks will be weather permitting as my walking shoes won't hold up for long in the rain.

So, I've spent time today cleaning up the cross trainer that's been sitting in the workshop and I've moved it into my outside music room.

Welcome to April at Maple Grove.

Love and peace - Wozza

Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are and doing things as they ought to be done (Josh Billings)

Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

The end of this week sees the start of a study break. The last two weeks have been really challenging in terms of maintaining my energy levels.

That said, I did manage to go for my first lengthy walk during the last week. As I've been getting physio on my left Achilles for the last six months, any lengthy walk hasn't been part of my routine this term.

Over those six months, the lack of walking has had an effect on my fitness (physical and otherwise), so getting back into it just before the study break was huge for me. 

The fact that I can walk and let go of thinking while I'm at school allows me to sort things without effort. Katrina, a colleague at Woodford in 2013, suggested the walking at lunchtime idea to improve staff fitness. Walking out of the school gates and heading up a beautiful suburban street (Kopanga Rd) was definitely an awesome way to spend the odd lunchtime.

Now I find myself across the road from Woodford House, at Iona College, and freakishly, I can use that same walk again to get some fresh air and some non-thinking time.

In the meantime, I'll be beating a regular path to Takapau's Kintail honey factory for two weeks.

Love and peace - Wozza

Wow! Reality: What a concept! (Robin Williams)

Photo by Tobias Bjerknes on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

I managed to negotiate/navigate last week, the busiest week I've had for a while, by thinking about a few things. One was John Lennon's song One Day at a Time.

His message is pretty simple - 

One day at a time 

Is all we do
One day at a time
Is good for you

So, as I steeled myself for two flights to and from Auckland, and a Saturday workday (Open Day at school), I concentrated on not getting too ahead of myself.

As I've mentioned before, in weeks like these, I aim to keep in mind the following concept:

There is an old story about a man who came to see the Buddha because he had heard that the Buddha was a great teacher. He told the Buddha that he was a farmer. "I like farming," he said, "but sometimes it doesn't rain enough, and my crops fail. Last year we nearly starved. And sometimes it rains too much, so my yields aren't what I'd like them to be." The Buddha patiently listened to the man.

"I'm married too," said the man. "She's a good wife...I love her, in fact. But sometimes she nags me too much. And sometimes I get tired of her." The Buddha listened quietly.

"I have kids," said the man. "Good kids, too...but sometimes they don't show me enough respect. And sometimes..."

The man went on like this, laying out all his difficulties and worries. Finally he wound down and waited for the Buddha to say the words that would put everything right for him.

Instead the Buddha said, "I can't help you."

"What do you mean?" said the astonished man.

"Everybody's got problems," said the Buddha. "In fact, we've all got 83 problems, each one of us. Eighty-three problems, and there's nothing you can do about it. If you work really hard on one of them, maybe you can fix it - but if you do, another one will pop right into its place. For example you're going to lose your loved ones eventually. And you're going to die some day. Now there's a problem, and there's nothing you, or I, or anyone else can do about it."

The man became furious. "I thought you were a great teacher!" he shouted. "I thought you could help me! What good is your teaching then?"

The Buddha said, "Well, maybe it will help you with the eighty-fourth problem."

"The eighty-fourth problem," said the man. "what's the eighty-fourth problem?"

Said the Buddha, "You want to not have any problems."

Always good to be reminded of that, right? 

One of my 83 problems that I can't get rid of is around getting onboard a plane. However, it's a necessary act to support Jacky, so getting on a plane becomes a no-brainer and just another thing I need to do.

The days beforehand are managed by my mantra of 'I'm not flying today'. I relax easily when I use that mantra. When the actual day comes around, I'm somehow much calmer. 

I call it compartmentalising, you may give it another name like avoidance or the ostrich-in-the-sand syndrome. No matter - the effect is the same.

This week coming is the last week of the first term, ending with Good Friday.

It pleases me immensely, to be working in a special-character (a.k.a. faith based) school at such times. 

Have a good week, and maybe reflect on those problems you think you have.

Love and peace - Wozza

To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub (Hamlet)

Photo by Greg Pappas on Unsplash

Wie geht's? Sleeping okay? 

Lately I've been having some lurid dreams. The kind I need to write down in my diary when I wake because they are so vivid.

Sleep is on my mind because the nighttime temperatures have been wildly inconsistent at the start of autumn. We are struggling to manage the duvet situation - we're either too cold, or too hot! It's a dilly of a pickle.

There's a short story in Haruki Murakam's The Elephant Vanishes collection called Sleep, where Haruki makes some intriguing observations.

His protagonist is a young woman who stops sleeping altogether and instead lives her life fully awake*.

Murakami in the story says that, 'Sleep both calms and provides a discharge for thought circuits...Sleeping is an act that has been programmed, with karmic inevitability, into the human system, and no one can diverge from it, the person's very "ground of being" would be threatened'. 

He likens sleep to a motor and a lack of sleep is therefore like a motor that is running constantly. If you keep a motor running constantly it will eventually break down.

Arr yes. To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there's the rub.

Love and peace - Wozza

* BTW Murakami doesn't resolve anything in his story - the young woman is still leading a sleepless existence, although the implication is that she'll be killed by the men attacking her in her car at 3am.