Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel (The Doors)

Photo by Klara Kulikova on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

School is back in session for Term 2, and it's crazy busy with a headlong rush. At the moment I'm doing my job plus another's for this first week, so the blog has fallen behind.

Yesterday, I couldn't resist temptation and kicked a football, hard, into the goal while the boys set up for a game of indoor football. Felt good at the time, but, was a bad move as it turned out. My back has been in a precarious state since moving all my records last June (MRI, bone scan shows potential need for surgery).

So, last night was a painful one.

Marcus Aurelius can always be relied upon for a sense of perspective during such times.

Enough of this miserable, whining life. Stop monkeying around! Why are you troubled? What’s new here? What’s so confounding? The one responsible? Take a good look. Or just the matter itself? Then look at that. There’s nothing else to look at. And as far as the gods go, by now you could try being more straightforward and kind. It’s the same, whether you’ve examined these things for a hundred years, or only three.

Love and peace - Wozza.

So precious (all the things you can't live without) (Tim Finn)

Wie geht's?

I manage to sneak in a couple of Netflix sports' documentaries while Jacky is otherwise engaged. Recently - Johnny Football, about Johnny Manziel, a quarterback at Texas A&M, who flamed out, the other - season 3 of Sunderland 'Til I Die.

Both focus on the passionate culture around sport. In each case, whether it be American Football or football, the local team is a huge part of the town's identity. The title for each says it all - Johnny Football - the boy/man becomes indistinguishable from the game and Sunderland 'Til I Die sums up the allegiance and commitment Mackem's have for their team. 

That made me think about growing up and playing football for one club in Auckland. 

Although I had the commitment, taking myself off to Seymour Park age 4 to play for Eden A.F.C., and I heard loads of English and Scottish voices from dads and coaches, I didn't experience the same blind devotion to the club, from either myself or others.

The eagle eyed will find two other club stalwarts in both pictures - Grant King and his dad, Bob. 

I stayed with the club until the late eighties, as the above photo shows, but then drifted away from playing. I'm fond of Eden A.F.C, but it didn't take over my whole life, as it does for Mackems. 

I have watched rugby in NZ for many years and the parochial passion for a local team is tepid compared to my experiences supporting Arsenal in the UK.

I miss that passion.

I put it down to the laid-back Kiwi classless persona and our adherence to equity and fair play. We're more English than the English in this regard. The desperate win at all costs attitude of Aussies is not for us. We still remember the underarm bowling incident and Andy Haden's shameful action attempting to win a penalty against Wales.

So, unless it's the All Blacks, when it comes to supporting 'our' team we shrug if we lose (with an All Black loss the country wrings its hands and is depressed en masse, at least it used to be - even that has changed I feel).

When we win we shake hands stoically and don't get big headed.

Our population and geographical splits have something to do with it too. NZ is so spread out and thinly populated. In stark contrast, North London rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur is super intense. I've taught in North London and the red half of the school loved me, but the white half got stuck in on a daily basis! Again, I do miss that.

Was good to be reminded of that passion while watching those documentaries.

Love and peace - NZ Gooner Woz (come on Arsenal!)

Further on in the game, waiting up till the children came. Place your bets, no regrets. We got married (Paul McCartney)

Nearly twenty years ago (2007)

Wie geht's?

Part one ended at April 21st, 2004. From then until 2007 we lived in Leigh-on-sea, an old picturesque fishing village in Essex. Victoria Road holds many memories: foxes destroying rubbish bags at night; Jade inconsolable when Adam returned to NZ; Jacky and the girls dancing in the snow; walking to the train station; walks to Rayleigh Castle; the 30 second walk to the Broadway for Costcutters, Fives, and the pet store. I loved Victoria Road.  

At the start of 2007 we returned to NZ, in time for me to start at Stratford High School, while Jacky worked at Taranaki Base Hospital.

Having lived, worked, and had many adventures in Qatar, The UAE, and China, we were, by April 21st, 2014 back living again in Hawke's Bay - Otane to be specific. I was working at Woodford House, Jacky was at Hastings' Hospital.

Keegan, Adam, Samantha, and Jade were now in their twenties and all grown up. Yes - we were now empty nesters! It's a strange feeling. We'd spent twenty years as a family of six living together, and now the kids were no longer kids. They were now busy living their own lives, without needing us in the same way. As I said, it's a strange feeling.

The photo from that time, taken during a tour of The Emirates stadium, implies we were still in the UK but we'd flown back for a holiday while living in Otane.

OngaOnga, April 2024.

That brings us bang up to date - April 21st, 2024. After a stint in Maungaturoto and Caterham (Surrey), we now find ourselves living in Central Hawke's Bay. I work for OneSchool Global and Jacky is at Hastings' Hospital again.

As for the rock steady Purdy crew: Keegan lives in China; Adam lives in Melbourne with his wife Ashleigh and their daughter - Poppy; Samantha is in Los Angeles with her partner, Andrew;  Jade is in Palmerston North with her son Asher and her partner Chris.

Living their lives.

Jacky and I head into our 5th decade together with an eye for fresh adventures. Things like retirement will eventually have to be considered. But not yet.

Love and peace - Wozza/WNP/dad/Abu Keegan/El Presidente (Greg and Kev will understand)

I would like you to dance (The Beatles)

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

A brief pause before I get to our second twenty years together, a quick post to celebrate Jacky's birthday this week (even though she didn't want one, it has to be done).

No embarrassing photos, no gushy sentimentality, I promise.

Instead, a short clip from The Beatles!

Love, now and forever - W

Just as well love was all we ever wanted, It was all we ever had (Paul McCartney)

Off on our mystery ride, 1984.

Wie gehts?

Welcome to the first of a two-parter to commemorate our ruby wedding anniversary. First part takes in the first 20 years from 1984 to 2004.

April 21, 1984 has been the subject of a few posts over the years. Brief summary - the two of us lived at 31C Lorna Street in New Plymouth. There were no children yet. Doesn't seem real in many ways.

I was into my second year of teaching at New Plymouth Boys' High School, Jacky was modelling and working for Whites Department Store in New Plymouth.

Our first decade saw us up to our elbows in dirty nappies - literally. It was one after another until four sproglettes invaded our space. So, it was a decade of sleepless nights, single income struggles, cloth nappy rotation (if disposal nappies were around we never used them - crazy but our belts were tight. Good thing we were both skinny to start with), and vehicle upgrades.

When I first met Jacky, I drove an orange Mini. We'd moved from that to inheriting mum's Chevette, then buying a station wagon and by 1994 we needed a white Ford van. We had bench seats fitted so that we could fit our family of six aboard. This was also useful when we added Annette Sivak and her two kids to the car-pool into work while living in Wakefield.

Second decade, still smiling!

Our second decade April 21st, 1994 - 2004 and our four millennials had joined us in Wakefield, in the South Island of NZ: Keegan 9; Adam 7; Samantha nearly 5; Jade 2.

During that first decade I'd gained a promotion after working at Macleans College in Auckland. So, we'd moved to Nelson for me to work at Waimea College. After ten years of babies, babies, and more babies Jacky was thinking about retraining as a nurse. Fair enough! We'd soon be on the move - back to Auckland.

We had made some great friends in Nelson and had some terrific holidays with them and our old Auckland friends. In terms of parenting, we were all flying the plane while building it. The kids were about to turn into teenagers - were we prepared? Were we eck as like!

Embarking on our third decade in the UK, 2004

On our 20th anniversary, April 21st, 2004, we were living at Alpha St in Cambridge, but after our trip to Edinburgh in 2003 we were keen to move to the UK. Leigh-on-sea in England (Victoria Road to be precise) would become our home by the end of 2004. Keegan was now studying at Waikato University, Adam and Samantha were at Cambridge High School, Jade was about to start secondary school.

So, at the time, it seemed an ideal opportunity for a gigantic upheaval. We sold up pretty much everything and set sail for blighty with a suitcase each. I soon found that shedding a skin is a fine abstract idea but it gets messy in practical terms.

As soon as we landed, half the family wanted to go 'back home'.

In the UK I began work at The King John School in Benfleet and Jacky was a nurse at a variety of London hospitals.

Our third decade ahead had plenty of challenges but we managed our way through them together. Somehow.

Next up - the second part taking in 2004 to 2024.

Love and peace - Wozza

I should have known you'd always keep me waiting for those wedding bells (Godley and Creme)

Wie geht's?

The next couple of posts will be about weddings. You have been warned!

Poppy Mae is 7 months old and has attended three weddings thus far. This prompted a good question from Adam - did he attend any weddings before Michelle and Gavin's? That one was 20 years ago.

Sidebar - memorable wedding that one - in that I remember it well. It ended up being very romantic: Gavin's singing at the lovely little Taranaki church, the reception during the storm that created a power outage, and the subsequent use of candlelight are all distinctive memories from February 14, 2004.

So, that got me thinking about our family and friends' weddings between 1986 (when Adam was born) and 2004.

Four years after mum passed away, dad remarried, to Nita, on Oct 3, 1987, and we used our neighbours (Rodney and Di) to babysit Keegan age 3, and Adam roughly Poppy's age. I doubt Keegan remembers much about life at Dornwell Rd., Three Kings and you were a baby.

It was a nice wedding. As best man, I gave a speech at the reception. Nita had been mum's bridesmaid and was Ross' Godmother, so she already had strong links to the family. 

A second family wedding was when Ross married Lynda, April 9, 1988, and we attended, but again - Keegan age 4 and Adam age 2 - were home, still Dornwell Road, with the same friends babysitting. 

That's it for family weddings during that time. 

As for friends, they were either married already and having babies, like us, or else overseas.

There you go Adam. Hope that answers your question.

Love and peace - dad

Every day a little sadder, a little madder, someone get me a ladder (Emerson Lake & Palmer)

PJ, Wozza and Annette on Jackett's Island, Motueka, 1994

Wie geht's?

Recently, I learnt of Peter Joyce's death in early March, from Annette.

PJ and I became friends when I joined the staff at Waimea College in 1990. I became Head of English the same year, and PJ was one of the teachers in the English department.

An accidental but excellent English teacher (he accidentally got into the wrong recruiting line at University), he was extremely quick witted and funny, quietly spoken, principled, extremely bright, a sceptic, an enthusiastic tennis player (we'd play on weekends sometimes and every Friday after school with two of his Nayland College mates), and...well, we just got on and enjoyed each other's company, really.

Together we produced the school's end of year magazine for four years, were part of an all-conquering pub quiz team, aimed to outdo each other's Tetris scores (he always beat my latest high score), laughed at all sorts of crazy things, and we discussed grammar issues and music endlessly.

He suffered from tinnitus, and one day I forgot that when he was complaining in the staff room about the loudness of a visiting rock band, I jokingly and ill-advisedly, said, "Lighten up, PJ". He wasn't impressed and told me so.

It would became an in-joke but I've never forgotten that lesson.

After I left Waimea College to go back to Auckland to work, we kept in touch. He set me up for a job in China in 2012 that saved our bacon and we often discussed the absurd case that was brought against him. PJ wrote a book about it - very Peter, that response.

Even though I've not visited Nelson in many years, I find it hard to grasp that he's passed away.

So, PJ - I'll play Jack Bruce's Songs For A Tailor album, and Emerson Lake And Palmer's Still...You Turn Me On for you today (we often puzzled over the nonsense lyric that I've quoted above), and give thanks for having met you. 

As with all of the students you taught, my life is the richer for it.

Love and peace to Nida and Ken - WNP