If only you believe in miracles, baby, so would I (Jefferson Starship)

Twice a week at school we have chapel. The theme at the moment is miracles. Keep that in mind.

I blogged a while ago about the dire season Arsenal FC was having. It was a familiar feeling - we were alive in all four cups and okay in the league position but it was clear we were going to continue to struggle in games and that Bayern Munich would do us in the Champions league (they did), we would get knocked out of the League Cup (we did) and the FA Cup (yep - that happened too).

At the time Spurs (booooooo hissssss) were three hundred points ahead of us and I saw doom and depression everywhere.

I should have had more faith. I was a doubting Thomas and I apologise to Mr Wenger and the blokes. By some miracle (remember the theme?) we ended the season in 4th spot, above Spurs!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Sorry but if I was a Spurs supporter I would still be crying into my pint of London Pride. They must be shaking their heads and wondering how on earth they let a lead of three hundred points slip away...again!

Oh dear, how sad, never mind. Cry me a river. Wah waaar.

So in many ways it was Groundhog day - Arsenal finish without silverware but qualify for the Champions League. It's gratifying when the sun rises in the east, Arsenal finish above Spurs and Rochdale finish mid table in League two. Life is good!

Love and peace - Wozza

O it was a spring of fur leaves and cobalt flowers (Lawrence Ferlinghetti)

As promised - a catch up on the San Francisco experience from three weeks ago (the weeks are flying by at school):


SWMBO with her birthday cake (made by Fanfa and Jade)

Eating at Pelle's diner with Karin and her dad

At the ball game - Go Giants!

At the Hard Rock Cafe

Burgers and basketball at Bill's - Go Warriors!

Our tour directors

Before walking across the Golden gate Bridge

 At Alcatraz

 

 

 

 

I can see my life is in the hands of destiny (Natural Gas - yes that was really their name)

I landed firmly on earth after the highs of the wedding when SWMBO and I returned to Otane to find that my gmail account had been hacked and that the hackers used info to take out a large sum of money from my bank by fraudulent means.

What a shock! Our accounts have been frozen while the bogus emails and the bank actions are being investigated by the fraud office. We've had to close accounts and open others and I've, quite naturally, sent the gmail account into oblivion!

Today's drama has been a  telecom fault paralysing our phone lines and our water pump had a hissy and stopped working leaving us with no water!!

Eek!

Some days you eat the bear, some days the bear eats you.

Grizzly at San Francisco zoo a week ago.

Luckily all of this has been balanced  by SWMBO and me starting new jobs this week and the carpet and lino was laid in the A.R.T. room on Friday. The weekend has been solidly packed with school work and arranging the music DVD and book collection in Abbey Road Two.

Wonderful! All my vinyl is back on shelves and the room both looks great, feels great (mmmm new carpet) and is really warm now.

Okay - nuff of the news. The next post will get back to wrapping up the San Francisco experience.

Love and peace - Wozza

Yeah stick to me, just like glue yeah (Graham Parker)

I'm always good at stating the bleedin' obvious but...we met some amazing people in San Francisco. More than amazing!

Samantha long ago added a whole heap of new people to her extended family, but the San Francisco trip has meant we have too.

Although we knew many of the names before the wedding we had only met Mike and Karin's family before (minus Ian). We therefore met a lot of the SF crew for the first time including Jesse's mum and step dad - Cathy and Dan Kennedy, Jesse's brother and best man, Ian, and Jesse's step sisters Emily and Rebecca who joined Jade and Reb on the bridesmaid team .

We were amazed at their generosity and the family bonds that we have made feel real and long lasting.

Mike invited me on a mountain bike ride up Mt Tamalpais while the girls all had their wedding shower. It turned into one of the highlights of the trip.

We went up a fire road to a cabin for a brief spell and enjoyed lemonade and energy bars. Sweetest lemonade I've ever tasted. And a folksy band was playing sweet music on the porch. Very heaven.

Then we went back down through the redwood forest. I felt like Luke Skywalker on the forest moon of Endor riding his speederbike.

Fantastic views, great company, excellent lemonade (and band) and an exhilerating ride in the beautiful fresh Californian air above Mill Valley (B.J. Hunnicutt territory).

It was a glorious day, thanks to Mike.

Love and peace - Wozza

Love is all you need (The Beatles)

Jacky, Jade, Keegan and I returned to New Zealand a couple of days ago from San Francisco. Adam and Ashley return to Japan from San Francisco soon, the in laws return to Nu Zild during the next week.

We've all been there, as the blogosphere whanau knows, to celebrate Samantha and Jesse's wedding.

Basically - WOW!!

Wow for the wedding (SWMBO called it the best wedding she'd ever been to), wow for the great welcome and love from Jesse's families, wow for Keegan's dancing expertise, wow for Jade's maid of honour speech, wow for how good the Purdy whanau looked, wow for the Kennedy and Rowbotham homes, wow for Amoeba Records, wow for the San Francisco Giants and the Golden State Warriors, wow for Green Apple Books, wow for Mt Tamalpais, wow for Fred's and wow for Bill's diner, wow for the San Francisco metro service and the San Francisco Zoo, wow for Haight Street and the Golden Gate Bridge, wow for Alcatraz and last but by no means least, a big wow for the entire city of San Francisco.

We loved it all, and each deserve their own post which is what will follow in the week to come, inshallah.

Of course the ultimate moment for me was walking Samantha down the aisle and handing her over to Jesse. Both looked suitably stunning and blow me down if something didn't get into my eye during the ceremony.

As I sat and watched (father of the groom) Mike deliver his superb wedding ceremony words I thought about how important love and family always is.

Naturally I thought of my mother and my father, Samantha's grandparents, and I knew how proud they would have been to see Samantha standing there all grown up. Dad got to know all of his grandchildren but I am still sad to think that they never got to meet my mother. And I ached and missed them and was happy and proud all in a contrary mess of emotions.

The overarching emotion was a deep happiness that we could all be together in one place, if just for a few days, to share in Samantha and Jesse's joy.

Love and peace - Wozza (father of the bride)

(Want more photos? Try my facebook page!)