Interstellar overdrive (Pink Floyd)

Wie geht's?

Holidays are great times for projects. One of mine was to finish off my quasi zen garden outside Abbey Road Four (ARF).

Easy as: remove old clothesline; relay black plastic and stones; erect a couple of shade sails on posts; relocate a gate; put up some trellis; add seating courtesy of S Moore and my relocated Buddha; relocate raised beds and soil from a paddock; wack up some extra fencing; buy some shrubs and voila! as Dan the weather man would say!

Love and peace - Wozza

Pretty lights on the tree (Christmas) I'm watching them shine (Darlene Love)

Wie geht's?

Asher's first Christmas was special and I really appreciate being part of that. Thank you Jade and William for allowing us that honour.

The whole opening Christmas present ritual is different for each family.

Ross and I would wake early (probably about 5 o'clock), creep out to the glass dividing doors separating the lounge from the dining room and gaze at the tree and all our presents underneath it...and wait.

Nothing happened until mum and dad arrived.

Jacky and I replicated this with our children. Nothing happened until we were all present (Jacky was always the last to arrive btw).

The wonder and joy and expectation is all part of the experience.

Now we are looking forward to sharing as much of the Christmas experience as we are able to in the years to come: Jade's reading of The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve and the morning ritual of presents.

Love and peace and Merry Christmas listeners everywhere - WNP

Christmas, baby please come home (Darlene Love)

Wie geht's?

Jacky has never been one for having family photos in the house. Never.

So, to say I was perplexed when she bought one of those multi display frames in England during our recent stay, would be very low down in the proclamation stakes (erm, yes - an understatement).

Anyway, she did. I raised an eyebrow, but the deed was done.

For the last 8 months the display board has been hanging in the kitchen diner, in its original factory fresh state. 

Many times during those 8 months I inquired as to the purpose of said board. Jacky's repeated reply? She was going to download some recent pictures of the Purdettes from her phone.

This never happened. 

So - taking the bull by the horns (and btw - by using that expression I am IN NO WAY implying that the love of my life (LOML) should be considered either a bull or someone with bullish tendencies, intractable, feisty when riled or any of that sort of thing): I decided to test the waters and put some old(er) pictures of the family in the board and see what happened, in a light-the-touchpaper-and-stand-well-back kind of way.

My first cut was met with some grudging approval but LOML's complaint was that I'd included pictures of the Purdettes and herself but left me out.

So, here's the second cut: Keegan appears twice; Adam twice; Samantha twice; Jade three times; me, Asher and LOML once each.

No pictures were harmed in the construction (as per LOML conditions) and I think the whole thing looks super cool!

And it's only taken 35 years to get family pictures on display!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Love and peace - Wozza

Santa Claus is coming to town (James Taylor)

Santa replaced! Asher takes over!

Wie geht's?

Asher's first Christmas visit to Santa (and Santa's cave as pictured above) went well. No tears, no screams, no demands for presents!

No need, because he'll rightfully be the centre of attention on Christmas day from now on.

Santa did his bit - held Asher and smiled (only officially sanctioned pictures please, so they'll have to wait until another post).

It was great and Christmas was the winner on the day!

Love and peace - G'dad

P.S. Christmas bonus? You're welcome!

What I say is, a town isn't a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it's got a bookstore it knows it's not fooling a soul (Neil Gaiman)

Next few weeks (reading) matter from Little Red Book Shop and Whitcoulls

Wie geht's?

Bookshops. I'm a big fan. From long ago and far away, I've always loved bookshops. And libraries.

I can very distinctly remember visiting the Onehunga library when I was a wee nipper.

But especially really good bookshops (which means my local PaperPlus and Whitcoulls in Hawke's Bay no longer qualify). With that said, pleasingly, I picked up Patti Smith's Year Of The Monkey from the Palmerston North version of Whitcoulls.

And I especially love second hand bookshops, like my latest squeeze - the Little Red Book Shop in Hastings.

The lucky dip aspect appeals to me greatly. I can waltz in with nothing in mind and waltz out with a book or three very easily. As I did today.

I do miss trawling around The Piggery in Whangarei, but LRBS does me nicely, thank you very much.

Love and peace - Wozza

Fun fun fun 'til her daddy takes the T-bird away (The Beach Boys)

Wie geht's?

The second and final draft post that was found quietly residing in my blog's musty attic. Mysteriously, this flashback to 2011 was never posted!

Very strange, because, as you can tell from the post, I loved working with these people and John's farewell was a terrific get together.

Return with me, then to yesteryear:

This week has been about farewells. The Qatari leadership group, that I've been helping to present to, finishes on Thursday. So it's goodbye to them. 

It's also goodbye from him (my colleague John Lambert). Super Johnny (aka Sterling Moss for his driving ability) has been brill and I'll miss him heaps. He's funny, wise, got great stories, knows everything you need to know about Doha, and has forgotten more about leadership strategies than you've had hot dinners, if you know worrimean).

Without fear, he also belts out a mean version of Release Me to crowded rooms of Qataris!!

We had a farewell dinner for him at his favourite watering hole and recreational centre - the Doha golf club. Here we are in all our glory telling tall tales and true.

Yes that's the Woz on the left - Colin (Al Zaeem) - John (Sterling) - Karin (aka Barbie) - Lawrence (Larry). We're in the no smoking corner. Ha ha!

Love and peace - Wozza

46 steps

Wie geht's?

Recently, I somehow clicked onto a section of the blog and found a few really old drafts of posts that I had never finished!

Here's the first one: a poem of all things. Wohsers!!

Written about leaving Patrick Cameron and Randy Buckley's house in north London a few years ago. Enjoy.

The Shire

And then we finally left,

taking the 46 downward steps,

and leaving Ferntower north,

the house and it's occupants,in peace.

The shire settled back down,to its routines and obligations.

Mr Patel sold one less Guardian a day,

the Paradise fish bar sighed,

The Acoustic, the two hour dry cleaner, and the Tesco Express:

all waved adieu,

as the number 73 heaved itself towards King's Cross 

and the Piccadilly line
and the journey towards Heathrow.

Love and peace - Wozza