When it's time for leaving, I hope you'll understand - that I was born a ramblin' man (Allman Brothers Band)

A 'thanks' and a 'sorry' are overdue. Many whanau have called recently and opened with, "Oh - you're still here". Well, yes we are. So have a hearty, "thanks for the calls/emails, and sorry for the lack of information recently" back to y'all.

We've been waiting, you see, for our travel plans to become finalised and that has meant waiting for the people in the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) to approve my qualifications. That's now done and so we're off next Thursday (November 11). I have an orientation session in Mt Eden that day and we fly out after that.

Time has been spent saying toodles to the kids, seeing Adam graduate with Keegan (as you saw in the previous post), copying CDs onto the p-pod (nudging 15,000 songs now), loading up the kobo e-reader, visiting Sallie in the Hawke's Bay, watching Bones, reading books in old technology format (to avoid unnecessary luggage), sorting out the broken luggage from the Doha return, watching Arsenal/NFL and the San Francisco Giants win the world series, preventative visits to the dentists and generally listening to the birds and wandering around our gardens.

Now it's time for final preparations and packing up the cases.

Here are some recent snaps from our Wellington visit to see Dookie, Fanfa and Jesse's flat and from those garden wanders. Jesse's home made Giants shirt must have done the trick.





Love and peace - Wozza