The hero knew what he had to do (David Crosby)

Currently, I'm gutted by all the negative reviews of the new Fantastic Four reboot.

Apparently the story line is a mess. Other stories/reviews have complained about the way the FF franchise has been treated over the years.

What a giant shame.

The promo looked so good too.

A reminder:



But everything I've read about it tells me the movie sucks.

I'm not sure why they can't get this story right. 

The comic holds a special place in Wozza's World. FF was my first favourite comic book...maybe.

Actually that's not true, come to think of it.

First there was Look and Learn and a comic series they featured called The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire. 

It. Was. Beyond. Awesome.

While I was trying on some trousers last weekend in Hastings' Hallensteins store I got a call on my mobile.

I didn't know what to do for a second. SWMBO was with me in the store and I could see her and she wasn't on her phone.

No one else ever calls me so I was confused.

I answered the call and it was a comic book shop in Wellington. I'd visited them months and months ago and left my number in case they ever got a lead on reprinted volumes of the Trigan Empire.

I've searched for years. Ever since my beautiful mother (bless her heart) threw all my Look and Learns away.

Devastated? Not even close!

So wherever in the world I've washed up and whenever I've spied a comic store I've asked (one in Brugge was OMG, humungous, but...no Trigan Empire).

No luck - out of print and other sad stories have been a constant...until that call last weekend.

The upshot: I may have a shot at the 12 volume set from Holland. It's expensive but I've waited nearly 50 years for this so...eff it.

Love and peace - Wozza

Look around me I can see my life before me (Crosby, Stills and Nash)

Time to treat the blogosphere to some pictures of Rochdene. The place we moved into seven or so weeks ago.

In truth I'd forgotten to do this but one of my chuldrun asked for some so here ya go Fanfa and everyone else.

Abbey Road Three, newly set up

B side of ART - Bazie so wants to come in

Front paddock and house

SWMBO's horse yard/Tack room paddock with guests

Those Wozza made horse yards

Dee and back two paddocks

Rochdene's house as you approach

Love and peace - Wozza

I feel lucky (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

My recent excursion to Tongariro National Park contained a flash of déjà vu.

We finished our traverse with the Year 12 Woodford House warriors and emerged from the gloom by the Chateau Tongariro's car park. The scene there of parked cars immediately took me back roughly 50 years to this photograph of our car (one in the middle) when we stayed at the Chateau as a family.

The other photos below from the Purdzilla archives are from various Tongariro adventures with my mum and dad and brother. Snazzy cap I'm wearing! Always setting cool as trends - even way back then!

Love and peace - Wozza

Walk on down a country road (James Taylor)

The return of nature watch: Rochdene has started showing the first tentative signs of spring: daffodils have started to appear at the front gate and blossom is just beginning to poke out from bare branches.

I checked online for the first dates of Spring and it appears we're still some way off. The actual date is in mid September and that month is generally regarded as the time Spring begins. Until then you'll all have to put up with the snowy scene I've used as a border to these posts to indicate winter (be patient Jade).

We finished lambing a while ago - you'll remember my story of Judy and Jean - both are VERY noisy youngsters now - about six weeks old and about to be weaned off the twice daily hand feeding. Given they regard me and SWMBO as mum and dad they haven't shown any indication of buddying up with the other lambs just yet.

They seem to regard Bazil as a big brother and the sheep as outrageous Visigoth interlopers on Rochdene rather than their own kin. That's the predictable outcome of hand bottle feeding them for six weeks I guess.

The most obvious sign of spring though? SWMBO is threatening to use the lawn mower for the first time since we moved in. Jeepers!

Love and peace - Wozza

It gets deeper, let me say, and it gets higher, day by day (Ike and Tina Turner)

Being away on Year 12 camp is one of the year's highlights, what with all that back to nature stuff, testing oneself against the elements stuff, and seeing how people react to adversity stuff going on.

Okay, so here we go:

New Principal Julie meets Purdzilla

It was cold!!

Wozza climbs the mountain high

My students show their love and respect!

Wozza takes one for the team.

Woodford House Year 12 + fans

Love and peace - Wozza

The miles are getting longer, it seems, the closer I get to you (Daughtry)

Adam posted a very poignant message on his Facebook page:

One year ago today I said BYEBYE to Japan. Every day I think about all the cool stuff I did there and all the people I met and all the horribly awkward and anxiety producing situations I dealt with inside and outside of work. I'm pretty sure Ive thought about my two years there every morning when I wake up and feel lucky that I was able to do it! Sounds tragic but part of my soul feels left behind there.

He's a deep thinker is our Adam. I know how he feels.

All of the photos of Adam when he's in Japan (like the one above) tell a story: one of happiness, fulfillingness, rightness...joy.

I feel exactly the same as he does about when I lived in England. I felt, for the first time in my life, that I belonged somewhere. That sounds like crazy talk. I was born in Auckland New Zealand, lived there until we moved to England in 2004 when I was all grown up. But I've always felt a disconnect with other Kiwis and with NZ.

I often think about that first visit to England and specifically Rochdale in 2003. That overpowering feeling of being comfortable, belonging, being home. It overwhelmed me then and my soul (like Adam's to Japan) connected to the place.

When we settled in Essex that feeling stayed with me until we left at the start of 2007.

I noticed someone on Adam's Facebook message wrote something along the lines of - go back there! But life is not always that easy, is it. For one thing there are other people to consider and for another there are financial considerations (pesky things called 'jobs').

Still...

Love and peace - Adam Lennon Purdy's dad

He say, "I know you, you know me." (The Beatles)

Wozza with Deedoo 1959 

Rochdene has been a hive of activity since we moved in a mere three weeks ago. Builders, plumbers, electricians, painters have been in to build Abbey Road Three (ART) which I started moving into a couple of days ago. 

First record on the turntable? Abbey Road of course! Track one, side one: Come Together. 

Apart from all that I've been concreting a floor for SWMBO's tack rooms and building a couple of horse yards (with SWMBO's help).

The family heirloom emerged from the layers of protective tarpaulins on Saturday and fifty of so wheelbarrow loads of concrete later was cleaned up and put away, ready for the next project (a lean to for the horse float).

Sunday was the horse yards' turn. For that I needed SWMBO's help.

No easy task. Helping me. I'm not a fun person to work with when I'm in building mode.

You see - I need to work things out in my head and think about what I'm doing. Building requires certain strategic thinking - about five moves ahead, and when my concentration goes I get grouchy. My default setting in that situation is not something I'm proud of.

When I was a kid I'd help my grandfather, Harry Purdy (Deedoo) and father in their building projects. I was pretty quiet and I watched and tried to predict their needs (a level, hammer, spade...) but mostly I was quiet. Especially  with my dad. 

Deedoo was a skilled craftsman who knew exactly what he was doing by instinct and long established routine. My dad, however, was a pharmacist so everything was precise and he needed to concentrate his powers on the task.

I'm much more like my dad.

Jacky knows this. And helps out anyway. Bless her.

Love and peace - Warren bin Graham