Update 20

A week ago I was at Ross' place - we took an update photo of the Purdys and here it is:
Clearly we have a few people missing - Ross has the technology and promises to photoshop you all in!! You'll notice this is an attempt to recreate our 2003 Christmas photo but with Scott, Jacky, Keegan, Adam, Samantha and Jade missing it looks a tad sad. It's dark too - not sure why (taken with Ross' camera).

[This week - back in the 'naki]
The chance to take this and my other photo with dad came when I was in Auckland recently for the third residential in my first-time Principals course (for photo and rave up see my principal blog in my profile). I managed to ditch an afternoon for the family and have dinner with the Marbecks and a spot of shopping at Real Groovy (some more Dream Theater, and a Wishbone Ash DVD which is amazingly great!! Air guitar time aplenty).



Roger said I write a lot so I'll attempt to keep this post short so he'll read it! I'll also sneakily add a photo of him and Deirge with Guinness.

Congratulations to Greg Knowles who answered my profile question correctly (John Winston Lennon changed his name to John Ono Lennon). Means a new question!

Brief update - I've spent this week on holiday learning a mihi (speech) for a Ministry of Education Maori achievement launch next Friday, reading 'London' (by Edward Rutherfurd - great too - huge but I'm into it) and this week's Guardian Weekly, making a mounting block for Jade and Jacky to get on their horses and spent ages looking for a pair of fencing plyers!! Damned annoying - I had to buy a new pair. Of course now I'll bet I find the old pair.

Nature watch: we've had torrential rain for three days, then two days of fine dry weather, yesterday/today it's misty and drizzle (excellent!!).

Currently grooving (as I write this) to The Desotos (Rog gave me a copy of their CD - awesome NZ old style rock - reminded me of wide open spaces, mountains, the places where the long grass starts and endless NZ highways. Also (again) wallowing in the mandolins and throaty gusto of a Lindisfarne best of CD, and Muse live at Wembley - big meaty prog nonsense - I love it! Prompted by Leda's recommendation I bought Into the Wild by Eddie Vedder and she wasn't wrong - it helped that I watched the film when Adam was down last. He'd already seen it and recommended it so we watched it again and he wasn't wrong - I really enjoyed it as well - it's sad though and the melancholy comes through in the Vedder soundtrack.

Okay - I've written a lot again - sorry Rog - can't help myself. Time to go and enjoy the rest of the holidays.

Love and peace - W