Don't look for love in faces, places. It's in you that's where you'll find kindness (Ray Lamontayne)

Photo by Maria Teneva on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

So, here we are in 2021. I wonder what's in store for us all this year.

Decades ago, future thinkers wondered about what life in 2020 would be like. Here's what they came up with. Mostly they were pretty close to our reality, although no one specifically predicted a global pandemic.

Whatever the outside world looks like, I plan to start each day in 2021 the way I've started each day for the last three years - with that day's reading from 366 Days With Wisdom (by Venerable Master Hsing Yun).

January 1 is headed with this advice - Each day one needs to speak kind and gentle words. Each day one needs to do what is beneficial.

He goes on to say:

Begin from today! That means not to procrastinate. This day is very precious. Everything is best done today. Allow yourself to ensure that you live unto the fullest this day. We need to eat satisfactorily and rest well. Also, we should not put off till tomorrow what should be done today. Let us seize any available opportunity and time we have today!

We all need reminders like that, don't we?

Love and peace - WNP

And lashings of Ginger Beer!

 

Five go exploring: Mabelle; Jacky;
G Brian; Gavy and Wozza

Wie geht's children?

Today's blogpost contains some highly classified excerpts from Five Go Mad in PekaPeka, by the popular children's writer Enyd Blyton (not to be confused with that other popular children's writer Enid Blyton).

Are you ready children?

  Earlier that day at Maple Grove -

Mabelle: Adventures? That's all we ever have! Always hearing secret conversations, digging up buried treasure, chasing people down tunnels. Why can't we just do something else for a change?
Wozza: Like what?
Mabelle: I don't know! Just... walking around a wetlands at PekaPeka.
Wozza: I'll pretend I didn't hear that!

Jacky: Steady on you two - the hols have only just started!

Later that day, at PekaPeka wetlands -

G Brian: Well, here we are at the PekaPeka wetlands. Who shall we have to lead us through this labyrinth of walkways?
Mabelle: Follow me everyone!
Wozza: Hey you lot! There's a map over there!
Mabelle: We don't a map Wozza! Follow me everyone!
Gavy: I don't like the sound of this Wozza!
Jacky: Neither do I Gavy!
Wozza: Let's go down the left hand walkway!
Mabelle: Follow me everyone (as she heads in the opposite direction)!
G Brian: I've got a damaged hand and I can't walk far.
Mabelle: Follow me everyone!

As Mabelle leads us successfully out of the wetlands -

Gavy: Thanks, Mabelle. You really are a proper little explorer. Not like Wozza, who wanted to go on the other walkway!
G Brian: Yes, thanks Mabelle. I wish I was an explorer too!
Gavy: Really, G Brian! You're only a boy! 
Wozza: Thanks Gavy! Well, that was exciting. Everyone! Let's go back to Maple Grove for some of Jacky's trifle and lashings of Ginger Beer. 

Jacky: [putting her hand on his arm] You seem so grown up, Wozza.

Love and peace - Wozza

Well, I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery (Ellen Griswold in Christmas Vacation)

Wie geht's?

Well, we're almost there. I'm referring to our annual run down of our favourite Christmas movies. Actually, Just Love Actually to go.

In case you want to catch up, our hardy perennials are: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation; Die Hard; About A Boy; Love Actually; It's A Wonderful Life.

We've branched out a little this year thanks to Asher, and added: The Grinch; Polar Express.

Recently, while Jade and Asher visited, we also tried The Vacation as a new addition (won't be adding it to the roster though).

A few others didn't get a viewing because of their lack of availability on Netflix or in my DVD collection: Scrooged; Die Hard 2.

Speaking of movies - Peter Jackson's recent sneak peek of The Beatles' Get Back means that 2021 will single-handedly eclipse our lingering memories of this year. No worries!

So anyway, Christmas eve/Christmas Day/Boxing Day are rapidly approaching and we have the outlaws arriving for a few days to help share the joy.  

Love and peace on earth (not forgetting the good will to all) - Wozza

I'm a boy, I'm a boy (The Who)

Keegan, minus 36 years

Wie geht's?

The 19th of December, which is coming up, is our oldest's birthday. Happy birthday Keegan! Here's a revisit to his origin story.

But really the day is more about me and Jacky, right?

That origin story misses out a crucial bit that tells you a lot about us, where, getting on dinner time on the 19th, Jacky - dozy with labour pain and then relaxed by epidural but mindful that Purdy's need regular food, said that I should go and have something to eat.

So I did. I hopped in the car, which was parked in the Taranaki Base Hospital carpark by maternity, and drove to McDonalds for a Big Mac combo; drove back to the maternity wing steps and ate my dinner there; walked up the stairs just in time to find Keegan was finally ready to launch himself on our world.

The rest is history.

Love and peace - Abu Keegan

It's a boy (The Who)

Wie geht's?

Early sighting of the Adam grin

Time to celebrate the birth of Adam Lennon Purdy (December 11, 1986).

We (Keegan, Jacky and I) were living in Windmill Avenue, Mt Eden at my grandfather's flat at the time, when Adam made his appearance, just in time for that year's Christmas celebrations.

It topped off a pretty good week for me - the summer holidays were starting (I was teaching at Macleans College), Arsenal were top of Division One (the Premiere League was a fair way off yet) on 38 points, and I was blessed with two sons.

It's a wonderful life.

Happy birthday Adam.

Love and peace - all of us

I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink. I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink (The Beatles)

Wie geht's?

John Lennon (born 9 October 1940, died 8 December 1980) knew a thing or two. For one, that sleep was important.

Jerry Seinfeld concurs! And so do I!

As Jerry would say - I'm on no sleep. That's thanks to either a cold or allergy (I think cold, Jacky says it's the pollens), the sudden heat producing muggy nights, or Rey barking endlessly at something - that was last night.

With three more days of school for the year, that all adds up me freaking out man!

Love and (looking forward to some) peace - Wozza

No time for a gentle rain, no time for my watch and chain (The Guess Who)

Photo by Kyle Head on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Jacky and I spent Sunday and Monday in New Plymouth this week. We were there, with a number of Jacky's whanau, for the funeral of Gavin O'Neill's mother (Gavin being our brother-in-law).

It was a lovely celebration of Ruth May O'Neill's life which included a lot of music. That's not unusual at a funeral but Ruth was a singer who performed with her sisters (The Bond Sisters) and later with choral groups in New Plymouth, so there was more music than normal and that was really cool.

While in New Plymouth, Gavin gave Jacky a tapestry and a heavy ornate frame and I borrowed an autobiography written by Gavin's brother, Paul. It is a short but powerful record of his life.

Paul, who passed away a couple of years ago from cancer, was the same age as me and he also loved music (curiously he never mentions his mother's musical background in his autobiography). Apart from that though, we have/had very different backgrounds.

A few thoughts having read it:

• It was a great way of understanding Gavin's background and personality (now I know where all the wisecracks come from).
• Writing an autobiography should be a task that everyone undertakes before they shuffle off this mortal coil.
• Life is short. 

Love and peace (rest in peace Paul, Danny, Terry, Allen, Ruth)

- Wozza