Update 5

Hi family - we've had a busy old week and especially weekend. I need to
explain who Sallie and Biddy are for most of you before I tell you any
more: Jacky has one mother (Pat) and two stepmothers (Sallie and Bronwyn)
so I have three mothers in law. Ahem...Anyway Sallie was stepmother number
two and she lives in Waipukarau (pronounced why-pook-arr-ow) in the Hawkes
Bay (about 4 hours drive away going easterly direction from us, Taranaki's
on the west coast of the north island, Hawkes Bay is on the east coast) on
a 50 acre farm with her mum (Biddy) who is closing in on 100 years old.
Jacky and Sallie keep in contact a lot and Sallie helps us out with tons
of farming stuff so..this weekend just gone we loaded up our horsefloat
with three surplus to our needs rams and took them to Waipukarau. The
purpose was to swap our rams for some ewes that had been orphaned and were
destined for the works (yes - death!!). While we were there we (Jacky and
I) were taught how to crutch sheep by Sallie (Biddy cooked for us!).
Crutching sheep is new to me - I'm a city boy and getting that close to a
sheep's backside was a bit of a shock. The idea of crutching is to trim
off all the wool around the bits that leak excrement without nipping the
bits with the shears (not easy with a struggling sheep who is wondering
what the hell a city slicker is doing playing around with its bits!!).
This exercise is done so that the sheep doesn't get dags (stringy wool and
excrement combined which obviously attracts disease via flies). So we did
this, drafted out the ewes (and two additional new rams) and returned
home. All went well until Jacky cleaned out the float and threw a bucket
of water and damaged her shoulder (a rotator cusp or something) which
means two weeks off work. Exciting huh!

Thought I'd include two things from Adam and Keegan: Adam gave me a great
website to visit and place a Beatles memory on (I encourage you to add
your own - mine was watching the Ed Sullivan show in 1965 in the lounge at
18 Korma Rd., Royal Oak, Auckland, NZ). Here's the guff - "Hey dad, check
out
http://msn.nzherald.co.nz/section/1501119/story.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10497518&ref=rss,
then go to www.magicalmemorytour.com. It's interesting." It absolutely is
- go to the web site directly and add your memory to it!! and one from KW
- "if your looking for something new to listen to i can happiky recommend
'synchestra' by the devin townsend band. he (townsend) played with steve vais
band in the early 90's, he contributes a solo on one of the tracks. really
very good."

Okay that'll do it - this week should be exciting - Samantha and Adam both
able to return for Easter to say hello and make the place rock. Pity
Keegan you're working - but I'll go home now and find that thesis proposal
- promise.

Got hold of a Guardian last week - a weekly summary - joy o joy o joy!!
Read about spring coming and made me really homesick Christine. Enjoy the
daffies.

Currently grooving to some old Porcupine Tree and Tool albums - also had
som Trojan Reggae samplers on high rotate in the car over the Hawkes Bay.

Take care - love W (2 more photos for you as promised - a view of our
house and Jade with cash, maybe a dog or two in the shot too)