The pause that refreshes.

Wie geht's?

Each Christmas this tree in our back yard loses all of its leaves at the same time, and grows new ones at the same time (well - roughly - over the space of about two weeks).

I like this idiosyncratic tree - it has grown up with two trunks! Gotta have respect for its sense of adventure and originality.

The leaves thing has us flummoxed because we are in the summer season and consistently experiencing warm days (mid twenties).

What it does do is give us a visible symbol of renewal leading up to the new year.

Seneca in On Tranquility of Mind says:

The mind must be given relaxation - it will rise improved and sharper after a good break.

I think that's what our tree is doing. It clearly can't handle being in full leaf for the duration of the summer so it is taking a break, relaxing, and rising up again, with new leaves - improved and sharper after a good break.

I am having a relaxing Christmas break (with painting jobs added in, as previously indicated) and hope you are too, wherever you are in the blogosphere.

Love and peace - Wozza

A beacon of light shines all through the night just for me (Susan Cowsill)

Wie geht's?

Ron Howard and his brother, Clint Howard, have been a constant in my life.

I've just finished their Hollywood and family memoir The Boys and I felt again a real kinship to Ron as I read it.

[Although I also grew up watching Clint on Gentle Ben, I can't relate to him in the same way. I have never been drawn to excess, apart from record collecting, so his story of alcohol and drugs is completely alien to me].

But Ron, he's like my older brother (he is three years older than me and Clint is like my own brother - two years younger).

Although a world away in America there are some similarities:

• Loving parents who stayed together until our mothers passed away.
• The family dynamic is similar - Ronny and I are the older brother, with no other siblings.
• Ron and I have both sustained long marriages to one person, and we both have had families of four children.
• I even feel our personalities are similar - calm and even tempered, driven to succeed. but retaining our moral compass and values.

Of course, I've grown up with him as well thanks to the medium of Television.

My early memories of the sixties include watching The Andy Griffith Show on NZBC's one channel. Ronny Howard (as he was billed then) was my buddy - Opie Taylor. Or he would have been if he was real and lived in my Royal Oak neighbourhood.

My friends at Royal Oak Primary were all like me and Opie - friendly, quiet, generous with affection, funny, caring, sporty, respectful to our parents and adults in general, and not so clever at our schoolwork.

Then came American Graffiti (1973) and Happy Days when I was a teenager. I was a regular viewer of Richie, Potsy, Ralph and The Fonz.

Richie was again like me as I related to my friendship group: not the smartest tool in the shed, a bit vague and clueless but still like Opie grown into a teenager, battling all the things teenagers always battle. 

Reading The Boys, reminded me again how I am intertwined with other guys like Nick Hornby and Ron Howard - guys who I'll never meet, yet they feel like family.

Love and peace - Wozza

Fly me out the window somewhere far away, news on the radio, happy birthday (Concrete Blonde)

Wie geht's?

Adam Lennon Purdy (in Australia) and Keegan Warren Purdy (in China) had birthdays in the last week or so - ALP on the 11th and KWP on the 19th, so this is my customary birthday post for these two mischief makers, wascally wabbits and brothers-in-arms from the mid-eighties.

Happy birthdays to our special little guy (37) and his big brother (39)!

Love and peace - dad

I'm never really lonely in my excentrifugal forz (Frank Zappa)

Not that kind of painting, silly!

Wie geht's?

Holidays are here which means a chance to catch up on those jobs that have been on our list for a few years:

Sanding and painting the outside window frames; cleaning the verandah roof; water-blasting and painting the verandah - that kind of thing.

Thanks to shifting record boxes, I have had a sore back for a large part of the year (MRI coming in January) so I am very strategic about these jobs - anything that involves bending over is a no no. No chainsawing up logs for me for a while.

Instead, because standing straight is much more preferable to sitting down or bending, the windows are at a perfect height for attacking and so is the verandah stuff.

If anything, I think the exercise is improving my back, as well as the battery of exercises from the osteo guy that I do every second day. Cautiously optimistic I am.

Anyway, must dash - the sun is shining and I'm burning daylight.

Love and peace - Woz

What a dream I had, pressed in organdy, clothed in crinoline of smoky burgundy (Simon and Garfunkel)

Photo by Marcus Bellamy on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

A vivid dream that came to me a while ago has haunted me since.

Even more so since I found that scarily accurate picture above on Unsplash to accompany this post!!

Jacky and I were in her car, driving along a deserted road; I was driving. We crested the top of a hill and gazed down on a landscape exactly like that picture - jagged bronze-coloured rock formations leading down to water in the far distance.

We rounded a corner and the road tapered away to a dead end that was in the form of a school gate and wire fence (on the other side of which was lawn).

We stopped and I went to reverse but the road had developed a crater like hole behind us, so we were stuck!

Jacky went off to search for some car-jacks because we weirdly/illogically thought we'd be able to bridge the gap that way. I waited and waited for her return. She eventually turned up and so had a crowd of spectators who watched in silence as I jacked up the car. Then I woke up.

Feel free to have a field day analysing all that!

Love and peace - Wozza

Happy birthday to you! (The Beatles)

Wie geht's?

Nineteen ninety-one is thirty-two years ago.

Here are a few important things that happened in 1991:

• The Soviet Union was dissolved
• The world wide web was launched
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the year's highest grossing film
• Metallica had the best selling album of the year
• The New York Giants were the Super Bowl champs, the Minnesota Twins won the World Series, Arsenal won the First Division title, Australia won the rugby world cup, and the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched the Stanley Cup.

Clearly overshadowing all of these things, though, was the November 28 arrival of Purdette # 4 - Jade Michelle Purdy!

I love that photo taken at Taupo - she was super cute in that bob, but now she's a stunningly beautiful 32 year old (she takes after her mother).

Happy birthday DLG!

Love - dad

Bodhisattva, would you take me by the hand? (Steely Dan)

Photo by Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Today's word is 'Prohairesis'. Roughly, it means - our capacity for reasoned choice.

For example: if a person says something critical to us, that is not bad; or, if something complimentary is said, that is not good, because such things are externals and not in our power to control. 

By exerting the power of choice, it is possible to maintain equanimity in the face of either criticism and praise, which is a moral good. On the other hand, when people become troubled by criticism, or elated by praise, that is a moral evil because they have misjudged impressions by thinking that things not in their power (such as criticism or praise) have value, and by doing that they place a measure of control of their own life in the hands of others.

This makes a lot of sense to me and helps explain my aversion to flattery.

I'm a bit like Karl Pilkington when confronted by the Great Wall of China - I'll decide if it's great or not thanks.

Similarly, this helps with taking negative feedback from others. Maybe you don't agree with something I've written. All good. Being troubled by the feedback is unnecessary and wasteful, because it places a measure of control in the hands of others.

Love and peace - Wozza

Yes, we have no bonanza (The Three Stooges)

 

L to R - Seymour, Luxon, Peters

Wie geht's?

In case you missed the big news - in their wisdom NZ voters recently went for a historic triple act coalition for their next government. Sigh.

The leaders (Larry, Curly and Moe - pictured below) ironed out an agreement recently called 'Plane Nuts', and have now retreated to the Beehive to enjoy 'Beer and Pretzels' while leaving us all 'Punch Drunks'.

Nu Zild is likely to spend many future 'Restless Knights' wondering how these 'Three Dumb Clucks' came to power.

What a farce.

Love and peace - Wozza

As I'm fated for the material world, get frustrated in the material world (George Harrison)

KW's records are pictured in the middle.

Wie geht's?

A recent discussion with Keegan got me thinking again about the lure of material possessions.

Keegan doesn't live an ascetic life but he does aim to limit the amount of material items he accumulates. He's a bit like Jack Reacher in that regard, although he has a bit more than a credit card and a toothbrush.

We all make decisions, justifications, rationalised choices about such matters. His attitude to his records especially interests me.

While he's living offshore, his record collection remains in my possession and although he tells me he is happy to donate them to Adam, he can also tell me where and when he bought each album. So, he's invested, to a point.

This hankering after, and continued possession of items that have a sentimental value is complicated.

I can see what he's after, but I'm much more wedded to my precious possessions because they bring me joy on a daily basis. I'm thinking about items like my father's spoon (which I've written about before) and my records. 

Plus, I've had longer to accumulate them. Therefore, I've lived with them longer. He may feel different when he's older. Part of me hopes so. 

If he does, they are here, waiting for him.

Love and peace - Abu Keegan

No man steps in the same river twice (Heraclitus)

Photo by Darya Ivanchuk on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Life is a constant state of change. That river just keeps on flowing. From second to second my mind is in a constant state of change.

I realise that I don't need to embrace a change necessarily, or fight a change, because another change is coming.

To get upset at a change in my life, is to wrongly assume that the change will last.

Jacky and I were talking about this last night. She correctly pointed out that being upset at a change, or agitating for a change is the wrong perspective.

This was interesting coming from her, as she's usually of the opinion that only dead fish go with the flow. But in this instance she was encouraging me to think about taking time for the universe to realign a change. 

Because, who knows what's next. And who knows what's good or bad.

Love and peace - Jacky's husband

I feel like letting go (Paul McCartney)

Wie geht's?

James Clear was on fire this week and this quote summed up my feeling exactly at the end of a difficult week.

"At some point, you will have to learn to let go.

There is an endless list of obligations and expectations, desires and ambitions, and worries and fears that will always be ready to insert themselves between you and the feeling of peace.

If you never learn to let them go, there will never be enough."

Love and peace - Wozza

It's nice to be nice, as my mother once said (Pugwash)

Wie geht's?

As you know, I start each day with a couple of readings. One is from 266 Days With Wisdom by Venerable master Hsing Yun, and the other is from The Daily Stoic (subtitled 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living).

Increasingly, I have come to realise that my parents taped into mindfulness and stoic philosophies for their messages to me and my brother. 

Whether they did so consciously I'm not sure. But I like to think they did, as they had wisdom beyond their years.

One of my mother's favourite sayings was 'two wrongs don't make a right'. As I listened to Pugwash's Two Wrongs song on my commute this week, I realised how deeply that saying has affected me and my approach to others. 

I still use it when the need arises - and it's interesting how often it arises.

I'm picking my mother had heard this phrase from her own mother and passed it on to me, as I have maybe passed it on to my own children.

It's a good one. Within it is the idea of treating others as you'd like to be treated, reflecting on your actions, thinking of the consequences of your actions. Those ripples create your own karma and affect the karma of others.

One of my father's favourites was 'if a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing right'. Mindfulness, right there.

Concentrate on the moment. Be present. Take pride in your work. 

It's all there.

Love and peace - Wozza

I''m not thinking straight, why did I have that wine cooler last month? (Ned Flanders)

Metal band - Okilly Dokilly

Wie geht's?

James Acaster's second book, Perfect Sound Whatever, is a treasure trove of obscure and, by me at least, unheard music.

Brief context: James broke up with his partner in 2017 and found solace in the music of the previous year when things were fine. He eventually became obsessed with collecting a huge number of albums that were released in 2016. He writes about them, and his life at that time in Perfect Sound Whatever.

Okilly Dokilly is a metalcore band (pictured above) and their 2016 album was Howdilly Doodilly. Yes, if you didn't already get it from the picture, the band name and the record - this is a group dedicated to celebrating all things Ned Flanders from The Simpsons.

When I had a listen to it on Spotify I was very pleasantly surprised. What a great racket!

That's the tip of the Acaster iceberg as he explores the music of 2016, what he decides is THE GREATEST YEAR FOR MUSIC OF ALL TIME.

His book manages to walk the tightrope of hugely private disclosures by a person who feels suicidal at times, and hilarious stories of that same person's misadventures, plus his wonderful summaries of the pivotal albums of 2016.

Took me about 1.75 seconds to decide to buy it in a Melbourne book shop a few weeks ago, and I haven't been disappointed.

Love and peace - Wozza

I wish I was in Wellington - the bureaucracy, the suits and the briefcases along Lambton Quay; the harbour city capital, the lights beside the sea (The Muttonbirds)

Wie geht's?

Jacky and I had a terrific four day weekend in Wellington recently (Hawke's Bay Anniversary plus Labour Day).

I managed to grab a few hours in Slow Boat Records in Cuba Street and came away with a clutch of vital additions to the collection. The Goo Goo G'Joob blog will have the details in due course.

Wellington is a big city by NZ standards, and big cities have more of everything. Yes, record shops (three) but also more food outlets, more stark contrasts (I rode in a lift with some Hooray Henrys posing as HSBC bank heavies -  and then saw a number of homeless outside when I exited the building), more sirens, more nice people, and more crazies wandering the Cuba Mall.

Some highlights that aren't Slow Boat related: burrito at a Mexican food stand underneath Willis Street; walking along the harbour; Unity Books has great displays and an excellent selection; helpful shop assistant when Jacky bought some shoes; quirky little magazine store when we got slightly lost on a walk that still had large numbers of back issues of Mojos and other music mags.

Some lowlights: being overcharged by the crazy Mexican; the  churro I bought on the harbour walk; over-priced books at Arty Bees.

All in all - a great couple of days to unwind and get some retail therapy.

Love and peace - Wozza

In your night light, burning brightly (Masters Of Reality)

Wie geht's?

Recently, while we were in Melbourne I was keen to buy Asher a toy from David Jones' toy department.

When my brother and I were young (starting from when we were about 7 and 9 respectively) we went on a few trips to Sydney with mum and dad. I guess dad would be having business meetings sometimes, but we'd all get the train into the city centre from Kings' Cross and David Jones was a prime destination for us. Even when I was a teenager.

Yes, people dressed like that to shop in the sixties.

The Auckland CBD had Farmers, Rendells and George Courts in 1966, but that was chump change compared to Sydney's David Jones.

We started with hot wheels and matchbox cars and by the time I was a teenager, records! Some great memories, and so I was keen to tap into that experience and get something for Asher.

We settled on the kitset dinosaur for age 7+ for him to put together. Asher (4 and a half), with some key directions for his mum, ended up with this beauty. Looks great, Asher!

Love and peace - Papa

Well, the hardest work that ever I done Is plowin' a field of rye; the easiest work that ever I done was eatin' chicken pie (Ry Cooder)

Photo by Jessica Kantak Bailey on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

This one's about being a pollotarian (poultry but no fish or meat) or a pollo-pescetarian (poultry and/or fish but no meat).

Jacky has been a pollotarian for a long time. 

After a discussion with my sister-in-law I decided to give up meat. But I can't yet give up fish or chicken. Samantha's fully committed example is an inspiration, and Geezer Butler's book contributed to my decision. 

And, it's not a great hardship, I'd have to say. I used to love hamburgers but I don't actually miss them. I loved pepperoni pizzas and I do miss them but hey ho.

What's next? Well I could easily go full pescetarian but that wouldn't be fair on Jacky so this middle way will suffice for now.

Love and peace - Wozza

Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true (Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs)

Wie geht's?

September second will be a hard to forget day for both Adam and Ashleigh in the years to come.

Purdy babies turn out to be cute as all get out and Poppy Mae, in the flesh, fulfils that maxim to a T. 

She clearly combines features of both of her parents - lovely long fingers and nail beds (well done Ashleigh) and Adam's blue eyes. Also thanks to Ashleigh, Poppy dodged the Purdy nose.

We've now returned home safely to Nu Zild with some great memories of Melbourne, of Adam and Ashleigh's lovely home in Sunbury, and of the beautiful Poppy. It was also great to catch up with fellow grandparents - Trish and Linnie, and, as an added bonus, I now have some new vinyl to play!

Quite the trip.

Love and peace - Papa

People so busy, make me feel dizzy (The Kinks)

Wie geht's?

After driving to Wellington, getting a plane to Auckland and then a flight over the ditch, I'm beaming in to you from Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria. 

Jacky and I are visiting to see our new grandchild - Poppy who lives in Sunbury with her lucky parents. While here, we're staying at a hotel in the CBD by Flinders Street Station with a lovely view of the Yarra river (a kind of a mini Thames).

Like all big cities it has its good and bad. We got an Uber from the airport to the CBD and it reminded me of driving in LA with Fanfa, or even Auckland's motorway. The many homeless and signs of urban graffiti are sad to see, as they are in all big cities.

But then you have the vibrancy and energy of big cities - the sights, sounds, and (yes) smells that come from large congregations of people and buildings.

We took a walk yesterday around the streets and across the river and enjoyed the stark contrast of our quieter life in Central Hawke's Bay. 

There was a beautiful sunset over the Yarra River, and a stillness in the air as we ended our first day of the trip. Good signs those.

Love and peace - Wozza

Hard act to follow, you're a hard act to follow (Split Enz)

Wie geht's?

These days, given two amigos live in Auckland and I'm in Central Hawke's Bay, it takes something special to reunite the three amigos in a non-virtual world. Our love and affection for Tim Finn and his songs is one such reason to get the band back together.

Auckland's Civic Theatre holds special memories for us growing up. I've seen more movies than I can count in that wonderful location. The effort and expense to maintain this glorious picture palace is well worth it.

That was the venue for Tim and his band on the final concert on his six city tour, and it was well worth all the effort (and expense) on our part to get to it.

Two amigos (GK was downstairs with his brother)

The Split Enz songs were great opening crowd pleasers - I mean, how can you go wrong opening with the one-two punch of My Mistake and I See Red?

The band and the song selections were mostly on point (although I could have done without Ghost Girl) and Tim's voice was mostly the force it has always been, albeit a bit more ravaged by time (especially so on I Hope I Never).

The reviews I've read have been really positive. My slight quibble would be that I'd have liked some more solo Tim Finn songs but that's just me.

We left the scene happy campers. Kevy secured a signed poster for us both and GK's brother risked life and limb to grab a set list. 

Overall, this great Civic experience added a new selection to the memory banks.

Love and peace - Wozza

P.S. thanks to K and AM for hosting us, and thanks to JFP for the great photos.

We're captive on the carousel of time, we can't return, we can only look behind from where we came and go 'round and 'round and 'round In the circle game (Joni Mitchell)

 

Wie geht's?

Repositing this entry from July 28 2022 as dad passed away on September 21, 2009

This post is dedicated to Graham Purdy (26 July 1928 - 21 September 2009) because without Graham's world there would be no Wozza's world.   Funny how time passes. It's been an unbelievable 43 years since John Lennon was murdered. It's been 40 years since my mother passed away. It's now been 14 years without dad and those moments remain raw wounds. Rather than settle into a depressed mood, though, I'd prefer to be upbeat. As Groucho Marx said,

"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."

So I'd rather commemorate Sept 21 with a celebration of a great life via some pictures of father and son(s) and grandad (or as he signed himself - Deedoo II) for our children. First though - some context:

This was Graham's world as four generations of Purdy are captured here by dad's clever organisation and automatic shutter release in the 1960s. Left to right - William Nugent Purdy (his grandfather), Graham Nugent Purdy himself, Christina Amelia Purdy (his mother), Warren Nugent Purdy (his first son), Harry Purdy [a.k.a. Deedoo] (his father), Dulcie Mary Purdy (his wife), Ross Graham Purdy (his second son). We are pictured on the steps at his parents' house in Reimers Ave, Auckland (a.k.a Rochdene).

Dad with 'the boys'. This was taken, also by automatic shutter release, on a holiday in Tutakaka, east of Whangarei (which is north of Auckland).

GNP and WNP. We often stopped off for lunch in Hamilton Gardens (Purdys love routine - we were taught by a master), at a great spot by the Waikato River. Clearly we were well organised - picnic lunch with thermos of tea.

As a teenager I often attended family holidays to Te Rangiita (Taupo). This was taken on one of our last fishing trips together as a family. Pretty soon I would outgrow them and start some family routines of my own with Jacky.

Deedoo II and the gee-kids (L to R: Adam; Samantha; Jade; Keegan) in the nineties at Mickey D's in Auckland.

One of the last father/son photos I have. Thirty years apart - we were so very different, yet so very alike.

Dad loved the Marx brothers so here's a parting thought from Groucho:

The first thing which I can record concerning myself is, that I was born. These are wonderful words. This life, to which neither time nor eternity can bring diminution - this everlasting living soul, began. My mind loses itself in these depths.

Love and peace - WNP 

Maybe down in Lonesome Town I can learn to forget (Ricky Nelson)

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Me? You find me unwell. Sore throat, runny nose unwell. Two days and a half off work unwell. I've taken three covid tests and it's not covid but it sure feels like the first time I had it - febrile, sore throat, runny nose, no energy.

Full disclosure: I am not a good patient. I go downhill and take a while to bounce back.

There's something about being sick at home that takes me back to childhood. You're not really supposed to get sick when you're an adult, it feels surreal being off work. But when you're a kid it goes with the territory. And it happens a lot.

I especially hate sore throats. I hate that feeling of knowing it's going to be painful the next time I swallow. Yes, when unwell, I'm basically a baby.

The only advantage I can think off is having naps in the middle of the day and reading books (as a kid it was comics - I haven't changed much).

During the current bout I've finished two and started three more.

So, there's that.

Love and peace - Wozza

The thing is these days there is too much choice. When I was younger, you were grateful with what you were given (Arthur Pepper)

Wie geht's?

The 'charms' in the clever title of this book refer to some items on a charm bracelet that Arthur Pepper finds in his late wife's shoes.

The pictures on the cover are of the charms - a tiger, an elephant, a heart and so on.

Basically, by deciding to track down where the charms have come from, Arthur heads off on a series of unlikely adventures to find out more about his wife's past before he met her about 40 years ago (Arthur is about my age).

That period before you meet your spouse is an interesting one and it's ripe for intrigue and mystery.

Phaedra Patrick writes well, which is a welcome thing after the sometimes clunkily written rock autobiographies I've been reading lately.

But what I really wanted to focus on here is the array of covers for this book. I'm always been a keen student of the various graphic designs chosen for later editions. 

The one pictured up top is the orange cover of the edition I'm reading which cost $3 from The Little Red Bookstore. 

They've tried various colours (like the blue/greeny one below)  but I like the orange. The choice of font is a key aspect and, again, I prefer the one I'm reading.

Here are a few of the other ways they've tried to catch the buyer's eye:

 

The live action one doesn't work for me. Not only is Arthur bizarrely cut in two on a weird sofa, but the picture frames and images inside them are too obtuse.

The travel luggage one is slightly incongruous to the story (it gives the impression that it's a bit of travel writing) but I like the colours and the vague sense of adventure.

The one with the landmarks indicating India, Paris and London correctly hint at exotic locations that figure in the narrative, but again - travelogue rather than fiction is the impression I'm left with.

So I'll stick to the top image - even if the cartoon Arthur is not how I picture him.

Love and peace - Wozza

Oh, my old man's an All Black, he wears the silver fern (The Howard Morrison Quartet)

Don Clarke, All Black legend.

Wie geht's?

I don't write much about rugby or the All Blacks on Wozza's Place, do I?

Truth is, although supporting our national team is in our DNA, I'm just not a fan of rugby. 

When I was a toddler, I was in awe of the ruggedly handsome, manly, Don Clarke, and told everyone that I wanted to kick a ball like him. I guess he reminded me a bit of my uncles who I adored, so hero worship landed early. But it didn't last.

Instead, I took myself off to Seymour Park and joined the Eden Football Club, aged 4.

At Primary school I was a normal sporty Kiwi kid, playing football and rugby, But the rugby didn't last.

Now days, I don't watch any rugby games on TV apart from when the AB's play and even then, I'm not going to make a special effort to tune in. 

There are just too many weird rules, too many interruptions. Nothing flows. All glaringly obvious after watching the high tempo, highly skilled, FIFA Women's World Cup.

But now New Zealand's attention has turned to the latest edition of the rugby world cup, happening in France.

We (of course 'we') lost to the French team this morning in the opening game. France, as hosts, will be a team expected to do well, but so are the AB's.

I happened to draw France in our office sweepstake so I'll be keen for them to go all the way. NZ will still qualify for the knock out stages, but on this morning's showing, I wouldn't expect them to necessarily make the final. Too many mistakes and too little dominance of the opposition. They don't strike fear in an opposition like they did in Don Clarke's day.

A France v New Zealand final would be super cool though. We shall see.

Love and peace - Wozza

Love is promise, love is a souvenir, once given, never forgotten, never let it disappear (Tears For Fears)

Asher, a happy footballer this weekend!

Wie geht's?

A special birthday post and welcome to the world to our second grandchild!

September 2, 2023 arrived and so did our new granddaughter - Poppy Mae. 

A daughter for Adam and Ashleigh in Melbourne, Australia, is a momentous occasion. In a few years time she may be curious about where we all were and what the Purdy side of her family was doing when she joined the whanau.

So, here's the skinny...

For a start, Poppy, your mum and dad were up all night and pretty busy dealing with your immanent arrival in Melbourne. Like all new parents, they were understandably exhausted, elated, emotionally drained, excited beyond belief, nervous, and worried, while dealing with headaches and the post birth situation.

Your paternal grandparents (Jacky and me) had a fitful sleep in Takapau, New Zealand, with our phones beside us, waiting for news. We woke to the great message from your dad - 'it's done!'

Uncle Keegan, meanwhile, was in China, not sleeping, like Adam, but messaging through the night, waiting for news.

Aunty Samantha was in Nevada's Black Rock desert, finishing up attending the Burning Man Festival and sitting out a big storm that hit the desert. At the moment she's stuck there with Andrew - waiting for the all clear to leave.

Aunty Jade and your cousin Asher were tucked into their Palmerston North beds, dreaming of football (last 'game' of the season was waiting for him when he woke up), and their new niece.

When your dad and uncle/aunties were born I liked to document what was happening elsewhere in the world - important stuff like what Arsenal were up to, movies that were showing, music chart action and so on.

These days the internet takes care of that, and by the time you are interested in this stuff, who knows what technology will be available to you.

But, for old times' sake - indulge me as I do a brief run down:

• In world news, apart from that big storm in Nevada: the war between Russia and Ukraine continues with a counter-offensive by Ukraine; the Pope visits Mongolia; a typhoon hits Hong Kong; and in New Zealand, we are in election mode with the usual political jabs and feints being played out. 
• Arsenal weren't in action over the weekend, but they are currently unbeaten at the start of the new English Premier League season after four games having beaten Manchester United this morning 3-1.
• Oppenheimer and Barbie are the big movies playing at the moment (Barbie just finished her run), Oppenheimer is ending today in Waipukarau.
• Music charts don't actually exist like they did in 1986 when your dad came along but Kylie Minogue releases new music this week and Royal Blood are top of the album charts.

So there you go, Poppy - welcome to the world little one! 

And, by the way - 'love is promise...once given never forgotten' as Tears For Fears sing in Advice For The Young At Heart. You're special, and one of the lucky ones, because you will be loved unconditionally for the rest of your life by all members of the Hope and Purdy families.

Love and peace - WNP

Rocket engines burning fuel so fast, up into the night sky, they blast (Black Sabbath)

Wie geht's?

Reading Geezer Butler's autobiography (Into The Void) reminded me again of that 10,000 hours idea.

Malcolm Gladwell theory was that world class expertise was gained, to a large extent, by practising for a total of at least 10,000 hours.   

Geezer is of course the bassist/lyricist in Black Sabbath - who provided my soundtrack to teenage-hood in 1970 and 1971 via their second and third albums (Paranoid, Master Of Reality).

He tells of how, pre fame and pre their first album, the band (called Earth in those times) performed marathon sets in Hamburg at The Star-Club (one of The Beatles' venues from their Hamburg days during their own 10,000 hours).

Geezer says they 'blossomed in Hamburg' while doing seven 45 minute sets every day. That means playing music for about five and a half hours every day. If you do that enough times you rack up a lot of practice.

With that experience and all the gigging they were doing in the late sixties, the members of Earth accrued those 10,000 hours.

Those 10,000 hours also equate to approximately the first eight years for full time teachers. My first two schools (from 1983 to 1990) were my equivalent years of practising my craft.

By 2023 I have accrued nearly 50,000 hours of teaching, leading, managing, coaching, advising in a variety of contexts.

Phew. No wonder I'm a bit tired.

Love and peace - Wozza

Take the trip, eat the cake, buy the vinyl.

Wie geht's?

Before leaving for work this morning I told Jacky that I was expecting a couple of packages today.

She knows that means records and she knows (because she told me) that I buy records on-line when I'm stressed. Actually, her words were - when you're stressed you buy records. I think that's a direct quote.

Stressed = buy records.

It's a tricky one, because I buy vinyl when I'm not stressed as well.

So, not stressed = buy records.

In this instance though, she's spot on.

It's practice exam time at school, my Office Administrator is on leave, which means I need to scan exam scripts back to teachers for marking, which is okay if the scanner is working.

Yesterday it wasn't. 

There's always a work around. It's just stressful sometimes going through the search for one that works.

So, looking forward to those records!

Love and peace - Wozza

Champions!

Wie geht's?

The FIFA Women's World Cup has reached its conclusion and football was definitely the winner on the day.

I love world cups, and the women's 2023 version was no exception. The twists and turns of tournament football are like no other.

This one has seen the rest of the world catch up to and surpass the acknowledged and deserved champions of women's football - The United States of America. It wasn't so much their worst world cup ever - it was more that many other countries - Spain (crowned world champions above), England, Sweden, Australia and others now have the talent, the desire, the skills, and the strategic nous to compete with them.

Many of my colleagues have told me how much they've loved watching these games - people who wouldn't normally watch sport, let alone football. They've been won over by the general lack of histrionics in the women's game, the drama, and the brilliant individual skills on display.

Only four more years until the next one. It'll be a doozie!

Love and peace - Wozza.