So the days float through my eyes but still the days seem the same (David Bowie)

Photo by Nick van den Berg on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

After my birthday posts to Keegan and Adam, Jacky casually remarked that I'd changed a lot.

"Huh? Really?" I said. "I don't think I've changed at all". To which she laughed. Almost hysterically.

I wanted to check so I commissioned her to retake the shot from 37 years ago.

Here they are together:

Hint - the one on the left was taken 37 years later, in case you were wondering.

Okay. Yeah. I've changed a bit on the outside - but same dude inside! And he's aged about 25.

Merry Christmas and hope you have a happy new year - Wozza

The future hides and the past just slides (Jackson Browne)

The Purdy men

Wie geht's?

Apologies to Adam Lennon Purdy (on the left) - I missed a birthday post last weekend. Mea culpa.

I guess I've established a tradition now and when there is a rip in the space-time continuum, a glitch in the matrix, a messing with the fabric of tradition, and I neglect my dad/blog duties I can expect to hear about it.

So - here it is - Adam's belated birthday post.

The origin story featured a few years ago and you can revisit it here.

Thirty-five years ago - on Dec 11. 1986, Adam joined the whanau. 

Life changed a little with a second child and there was suddenly a need to move from our two bed flat in Windmill Road, but basically two wasn't like double the work. We made the transition to two children and a bigger house pretty naturally.

He's now married and living in Melbourne and, as with Samantha and Keegan who also live outside of Nu Zild, we miss seeing him regularly. 

Merry Christmas to all of the whanau, spread as they are around the world. Jade, Jacky and I will have your share of the trifle, team, so don't worry - we have that covered!

Love and peace - dad  

You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today and then one day you find ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun (Pink Floyd)

Picture taken 37 years ago by Jacky

Wie geht's?

This is hardly an original thought, but doesn't life just speed away when you look backwards.

On the 18th of December 1984, our first born - Keegan Warren Purdy was safe and warm and quite comfortable where he was thank you. He was ten days late arriving and had to be encouraged to come out and face the world. 

Then - finally, on the 19th of December, he was born.

Thirty-seven years ago. 

I don't need to try very hard to remember 19/12/84 but some distinct flashbacks make me question how it can be that these things happened 37 years ago!

• New Plymouth Base Hospital's maternity wing.
• The epidural process.
• Jacky telling me to get something to eat because it was going to take a while.
• Eating a McDonalds' meal on the steps of the maternity wing. Getting back to the ward just as things started kicking off.
• The birth itself - and crying at the miracle I was witnessing.
• Jacky saying, "That wasn't too bad" about a minute after the all day labour.
• Holding Keegan in my hands as Jacky slept. Feeling about as content and proud and grateful as it's possible to feel.

All very vivid in my mind, 37 years after the fact.

Happy birthday Keegan.  

Love - dad

You move like water sweet baby (Lana Del Rey)

Wie geht's?

Apologies to all my fellow non-farmer Hawke's Bay-ites. It's my fault!

Roughly two months ago - in and around Labour weekend, I repaired all of the irrigation lines around Maple Grove (two years of summer droughts being my inspiration), put out the outdoor furniture and the two sails over the zen garden outside my music room.

And it's rained pretty much ever since.

Sorry.

Love and peace - Wozza

Headline news, headline news! Everybody say Extra, extra, read all about it (Edwin Starr)

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Welcome to the Maple Grove news broadcast. Here are your headlines:

• Television removed from music lounge in record time!
• Mystery continues as dead rat stinks up Wozza's music vault!
• Laney, the Cat, climbs Christmas tree!
• Contacts pose pupil problems for Mrs P!

Stay tuned hepcats - pictures at 11.00.

Love and peace - WNP 

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

Wie geht's?

Funny ain't it, how one job can lead to another job.

Job 1: put up the Christmas Tree.

Sounds simple? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!! Ha Ha!

The present Mrs. Purdy decided it needed to go where the television is placed in our lounge.

I've been married for nearly 40 years. I've learnt a few, okay - a couple. Right right. Sorry. I've learn one thing in those years.

Once she gets an idea in her head - there's no shifting it.

Now. Putting the tree in the corner where the television is usually situated meant Job 2: move the television.

Sounds simple? Mwahahahahahahaha!!! Ha ha!!

We (yes, we) decided it could go into the music lounge. There weren't too many other options to be fair.

Unfortunately when the previous owner left three years ago, he also took with him a device to split the satellite aerial cables between rooms. The cables are still there but the only one connected to the aerial is in the lounge. Up to now - no problem - one location for the TV was okay. Now - problem!

I now needed to solve that situation.

Job 3: after driving to Waipukarau and buying a splitter and three cable connectors, I had to put my knee pads on and crawl on my belly underneath the house with my torch, tools, and spider brush - it was like Indiana Jones' cave down there, and add a splitter to the cable from the lounge to the music lounge (three rooms away).

Unfortunately, when I crawled  back and checked the TV, it hadn't worked. Aarrgghhhhh!!

I rang the appliance store guy in Waipuk. After listening to me ask if it was a cable issue there was a silence on the phone, then he said, "I'm so sorry - I know the problem - I sold you the wrong splitter".

Back I go to Waipukarau. Back I go under the house with my torch, tools and spider brush to clear away the cobwebs.

This time: Fab - the right splitter works, but the cable comes through the floor at the opposite end to the room to where we (yes, we) now want it.

Job 4: I crawl back under the house with my torch, tools and spider brush and Jacky drills a hole in the right corner of the room. Sorted.

Slight distractions now with Job 5/6: hang a picture that Jacky has found in Waipukarau while I was getting the right splitter, move furniture around (various tables that were holding various things in the places we've moved the television from and to need to move - which in term means moving some garden furniture about).

Finally, we're back to Job 1: put up the Christmas tree. That means digging all the various decoration boxes and the tree out of storage. My traditional job is erecting the tree and putting on the lights. Jacky does the decoration. This separation of labour works well.

It looks great, too, I think you'll agree. Worth all the palaver.

Love and peace - Wozza