Kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown; waiting for someone or something to show you the way (Pink Floyd)

 

 

Wie geht's?

It's been 50 years since I was in the graduating class of '76 at Mt Albert Grammar. That was a recent shock discovery. Fifty years. Holy fulele!!

All of the guys in that picture (one of two 7th form classes in 1976) have Gold Cards and none of us look the same anymore. I'm in the far right of the third row and I don't look like that youthful 18 year-old now. Another shock.

As I look at that photo I can't help wonder what happened to them all. I'm still in touch with a few of them via Facebook and I know about Nicky Singh's passing.

On one hand, fifty years ago seems like a long time, but in the scheme of things it's a brief moment in time.

Love and peace - Wozza

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make (The Beatles)

Happy MD to DM.

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Happy Nu Zild Mothers' Day to Jacky, Jade, Ashleigh, and Samantha.

The quote on my calendar for today is one from Ann Landers. It reads:

In the end, it is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves.

Those influential years appear to be quite short - the independence streak hits pretty quickly in toddlerhood and just keeps on going. 

It's interesting watching that develop in our grandchildren. Pretty soon, once starting school, they'll come under the influence of others - friends, teachers, boyfriends, girlfriends...

In those young years, let's say in our first seven, all of the preparation and groundwork is laid for the rest of our lives and we are totally ignorant of it as children. 

For a parent, it's an awesome responsibility.

Love and peace - Papa

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like an apple.

May last year

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Time flies. Just one year ago most of the Purdy clan were cloistered together in Denver Colorado for the wedding of 2025. So - a very happy one year anniversary to Andrew and Samantha Kalicki.

Crazy. That seems like yesterday. Here is a reminder:

And here's a repeat of my post America post:

The three weeks certainly had travel's usual mix, but I easily listed 26 moments from my travel diary that were mind-blowingly great. However, 26 rosy-tinted moments would be OTT, so - here are my top 10.

10) Celebrating our 41st Wedding anniversary and Jacky's birthday (twice as we crossed the international dateline).

9) Capitola - staying at The Inn at the Depot air B'n'B and dining down by the sea.

8) Babysitting/spending time with Poppy and Asher at 3236 Arapahoe St, Denver.

7) Finding Arsenal kit at the Soccer Warehouse in Anaheim.

6) S'mores at Fanfa/Drew's house with everyone (toasted marshmallow with chocolate inside a Graham cracker).

5) Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland with Jacky, Jade, Chris and Asher.

4) Best scenery - the Big Sur coastline and listening to two whales slapping the water with their fins.

3) Best finds - tough one to select but I've whittled it down to two. Both had that rush of can-I-believe-my eyes. First would be finding copies of three albums by The Cowsills. The best being a copy of Captain Sad for $6 in Wax Trax Records in Denver. Second would be finding a copy of Robert Bly's Iron John book in a secondhand tool store, also in Denver. Another big plus: loved my record shopping expedition with Adam, Ashleigh and Poppy - three generations of record lovers is special.

2) Best Meal - While in Sonoma we drove to Bodega Bay and the Armstrong Woods. Driving back to Petaluma via Highway 116 along the banks of Russian River, we stopped at a roadhouse for lunch - grabbed a pizza slice each and a House Coffee. OMG. It was amazingly good sitting it that almost empty roadhouse having that simple meal with Jacky.

1) A solo father-of-the-bride dance with Samantha to Bruce Cockburn's Wondering Where The Lions Are was my personal number 1 highlight. Some context: when the kids were little I'd wake them up by singing the opening lines to the song:

Sun's up, uuh huh, looks okay
the world survives into another day
and I'm thinking about eternity
some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me.

Samantha clearly remembered that and honoured that memory by choosing it for our dance. It's a moment of ecstasy that I will cherish forever.

 

 

There you go - some great memories. Glad I have this blog to retrace my steps in from time to time.

Love and peace - Wozza (May the 4th be with you, always)

Keep calm and carry on

Photo by Wolfgang Rottmann
on Unsplash

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Living in a 120 year old villa has its fair share of joys and frustrations. 

On ANZAC weekend I found myself locked out of my bathroom. Conveniently, we have two bathrooms - a 'his' and a 'hers'. Somehow the catch had fused into the locked position in the 'his' bathroom door and everything we (visitors joined in the attempt) attempted failed to open the door.

Problem solving suggestions were plentiful: shoulder barge the door (ha ha - yeah right) ; cut a hole in the door (yikes); remove the lock (we tried that without success); break the window (drastic); remove the whole window from outside. Okay.

Removing the window proved harder to do than anticipated but we got there with help from a crowbar after taking off the hinges. Luckily they were on the outside of the window.

Phew. what a mish.

Keeping calm and carrying on was the ticket to success in this case (and in so many others). That slogan from 1939 is a beauty.

Love and peace - Wozza

Happy anniversary baby, got you on my mind (Little River Band)

Happy birthday Dulcie! (Photo credit: Graham Purdy)

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Quite a few April anniversaries happen that need some commentary. 

There are plenty of happy occasions to celebrate. We've had my parents wedding anniversary (on the 18th in 1953), Jacky and my wedding anniversary (on the 21st in 1984), and mum's birthday (on the 23rd in 1930).

There are also two losses of life anniversaries in April: Lucy Adsett, a.k.a Ma (on the 3rd in 1974) and our dear friend - Margo Buchanan-Oliver (on the 25th in 2018).

I know these are just names and dates to the blogosphere, and that a lot of others celebrate their own anniversaries as they come up but clearly without Lucy and her daughter Dulcie Adsett and then her wedding to the strapping young pharmacist Graham Purdy, you would not be reading this, because I would not exist.

That's a huge debt of gratitude I owe all three.

That Earth-shattering event in 1984 also means that our four children exist and consequently, our four grandchildren also exist. So, I think you'll agree, that one is worth a massive celebration as well.

Love and peace - WNP

Have you heard the news? (Frank Zappa)

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Recent weeks have seen three big news stories in NZ: Cyclone Vaianu; the voyage of Artemis II; and the war in Iran.

Trying to get some objective news on all three has been difficult.

The NZ media sensationalised the approaching Cyclone (a.k.a. a hurricane if you live in some areas of the northern hemisphere) and with our memories of Cyclone Gabrielle still in our minds, we worried about it of course.

As to the other two stories - I've taken to buying The Guardian Weekly again for in depth coverage of major events.

Frinstance - the most recent edition gave a clear-eyed run down on the election in Hungary. I felt informed! A rare thing in these days of unrelenting biased social media feeds.

Lately, I have managed to get a copy each week from Paper Plus in Havelock North (a handy walk from school) or Whitcoulls in Hastings.

I love the Guardian Weekly. It has even had an upgrade in format since I bought it last. Wahoo! 

Love and peace - Wozza

They say it's your birthday (The Beatles)

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Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I'm mmmmm mmm? (The Beatles)

Four and a half years ago I used the same line for myself, now it's JFP's turn.

Join with me in a huge rendition of Happy Birthday to Jacky today from all the fandamly and friends around the planet.

Love and peace - Woz

You caught me in the black light (The Pineapple Thief)

Photo by Toan Nguyen on Unsplash

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Autumn rain and the end of daylight saving in Nu Zild means winter is coming.

Preparations are on-going: thanks to Chris we now have two clean chimneys ready for Jacky to do her firestarter thing; the outside stereo system will soon be disconnected; the outside chairs and table need to be moved under cover; and the sails over the zen garden will need to be cleaned and stored ready for their return in November.

For the last two weekends I've been cutting up the logs that have been aging under the macrocarpas, stacking them in the woodshed, next to the pinecones we've been collecting. We still need another delivery of wood but so far so good.

The wood basket has been moved inside and the box of pinecones/ kindling will soon appear at the back door along with the large blue barrel that holds a couple of days supply of firewood.

Long range forecast for Takapau

Lately, we've had a taster with some colder temperatures, moody grey skies and rain. That also means the near future's outside walks will be weather permitting as my walking shoes won't hold up for long in the rain.

So, I've spent time today cleaning up the cross trainer that's been sitting in the workshop and I've moved it into my outside music room.

Welcome to April at Maple Grove.

Love and peace - Wozza

Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are and doing things as they ought to be done (Josh Billings)

Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash

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The end of this week sees the start of a study break. The last two weeks have been really challenging in terms of maintaining my energy levels.

That said, I did manage to go for my first lengthy walk during the last week. As I've been getting physio on my left Achilles for the last six months, any lengthy walk hasn't been part of my routine this term.

Over those six months, the lack of walking has had an effect on my fitness (physical and otherwise), so getting back into it just before the study break was huge for me. 

The fact that I can walk and let go of thinking while I'm at school allows me to sort things without effort. Katrina, a colleague at Woodford in 2013, suggested the walking at lunchtime idea to improve staff fitness. Walking out of the school gates and heading up a beautiful suburban street (Kopanga Rd) was definitely an awesome way to spend the odd lunchtime.

Now I find myself across the road from Woodford House, at Iona College, and freakishly, I can use that same walk again to get some fresh air and some non-thinking time.

In the meantime, I'll be beating a regular path to Takapau's Kintail honey factory for two weeks.

Love and peace - Wozza

Wow! Reality: What a concept! (Robin Williams)

Photo by Tobias Bjerknes on Unsplash

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I managed to negotiate/navigate last week, the busiest week I've had for a while, by thinking about a few things. One was John Lennon's song One Day at a Time.

His message is pretty simple - 

One day at a time 

Is all we do
One day at a time
Is good for you

So, as I steeled myself for two flights to and from Auckland, and a Saturday workday (Open Day at school), I concentrated on not getting too ahead of myself.

As I've mentioned before, in weeks like these, I aim to keep in mind the following concept:

There is an old story about a man who came to see the Buddha because he had heard that the Buddha was a great teacher. He told the Buddha that he was a farmer. "I like farming," he said, "but sometimes it doesn't rain enough, and my crops fail. Last year we nearly starved. And sometimes it rains too much, so my yields aren't what I'd like them to be." The Buddha patiently listened to the man.

"I'm married too," said the man. "She's a good wife...I love her, in fact. But sometimes she nags me too much. And sometimes I get tired of her." The Buddha listened quietly.

"I have kids," said the man. "Good kids, too...but sometimes they don't show me enough respect. And sometimes..."

The man went on like this, laying out all his difficulties and worries. Finally he wound down and waited for the Buddha to say the words that would put everything right for him.

Instead the Buddha said, "I can't help you."

"What do you mean?" said the astonished man.

"Everybody's got problems," said the Buddha. "In fact, we've all got 83 problems, each one of us. Eighty-three problems, and there's nothing you can do about it. If you work really hard on one of them, maybe you can fix it - but if you do, another one will pop right into its place. For example you're going to lose your loved ones eventually. And you're going to die some day. Now there's a problem, and there's nothing you, or I, or anyone else can do about it."

The man became furious. "I thought you were a great teacher!" he shouted. "I thought you could help me! What good is your teaching then?"

The Buddha said, "Well, maybe it will help you with the eighty-fourth problem."

"The eighty-fourth problem," said the man. "what's the eighty-fourth problem?"

Said the Buddha, "You want to not have any problems."

Always good to be reminded of that, right? 

One of my 83 problems that I can't get rid of is around getting onboard a plane. However, it's a necessary act to support Jacky, so getting on a plane becomes a no-brainer and just another thing I need to do.

The days beforehand are managed by my mantra of 'I'm not flying today'. I relax easily when I use that mantra. When the actual day comes around, I'm somehow much calmer. 

I call it compartmentalising, you may give it another name like avoidance or the ostrich-in-the-sand syndrome. No matter - the effect is the same.

This week coming is the last week of the first term, ending with Good Friday.

It pleases me immensely, to be working in a special-character (a.k.a. faith based) school at such times. 

Have a good week, and maybe reflect on those problems you think you have.

Love and peace - Wozza

To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub (Hamlet)

Photo by Greg Pappas on Unsplash

Wie geht's? Sleeping okay? 

Lately I've been having some lurid dreams. The kind I need to write down in my diary when I wake because they are so vivid.

Sleep is on my mind because the nighttime temperatures have been wildly inconsistent at the start of autumn. We are struggling to manage the duvet situation - we're either too cold, or too hot! It's a dilly of a pickle.

There's a short story in Haruki Murakam's The Elephant Vanishes collection called Sleep, where Haruki makes some intriguing observations.

His protagonist is a young woman who stops sleeping altogether and instead lives her life fully awake*.

Murakami in the story says that, 'Sleep both calms and provides a discharge for thought circuits...Sleeping is an act that has been programmed, with karmic inevitability, into the human system, and no one can diverge from it, the person's very "ground of being" would be threatened'. 

He likens sleep to a motor and a lack of sleep is therefore like a motor that is running constantly. If you keep a motor running constantly it will eventually break down.

Arr yes. To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there's the rub.

Love and peace - Wozza

* BTW Murakami doesn't resolve anything in his story - the young woman is still leading a sleepless existence, although the implication is that she'll be killed by the men attacking her in her car at 3am.

Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin' through the jasmine in my mind (Seals & Crofts)

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As I type this, I'm listening to the three amigo's latest playlist - songs with weather features in the title.

Riders on the Storm by The Doors has just come on - one of my selections as it happens, and I'm instantly sitting in mum's mini, waiting for her outside an antiques' store in Remuera, Auckland.

I've heard the song countless times, but I'll never forget that first time in the car. Gobsmacked, is the appropriate term, as I drum my fingers on the dash (then and now).

Many, many songs do that to me - instantly take me back to a time and a place. Gypsy by Uriah Heep and Wings' Uncle Albert/ Admiral Halsey instantly transport me back to my bedroom at 18 Korma Ave.

Speaking of which - I wrote a piece about my childhood home in my Year 13 class recently. The task I set them was to use a memory of a place from their past and revisit it as they are today.

Here's my effort:

Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

My childhood home was in Auckland’s Royal Oak area – 18 Korma Ave. to be precise. Royal Oak is a central area of Auckland.

From the age of two in 1959 until 1973, this was my safe place. The place where my brother and I lived with our mum and dad. The place I returned to each day from Royal Oak Primary School, and Manukau Intermediate (a short walk in the opposite direction to the primary school), and Mount Albert Grammar School. Going to M.A.G.S. as an out of zone student meant I had to get a bus to Mt Albert. That’s as far as I’d had to travel from home to that point.

We moved away from Korma Ave. during my first year doing School Certificate and I kind of knew there was no going back. Our next-door neighbour was doing bizarre, vindictive things like pouring oil into our swimming pool. So my parents decided to move. They would buy a section and build a new house in Mt Roskill South, but that's a different story.

As a child, the area around Royal Oak was my whole world. I’d gone to a kindergarten in Greenwoods Corner run by Mrs. Bridges from our first house in Oak Street. We lived there while our house in Korma Ave. was being built. It was only a few streets away from Royal Oak Primary where I’d eventually go and only a short walk to the Royal Oak shops and to Korma Ave. I grew up in a tight knot of streets – I was even born nearby in Cornwall Park/ One Tree Hill. An American field hospital had been set up there during World War II and was still operating before National Women’s Hospital was opened in 1959 (my younger brother was born there). So, my mountain was quite literally Maungakiekie (the real name for One Tree Hill).

--------------------------------

On a trip back to Auckland a few years ago, I took Jacky on a little tour of the neighbourhood where I grew up in; where I played tennis (a short bike ride from home); where I did school patrol while at Royal Oak Primary; Seymour Park where I played football for Eden F.C. (a one minute jog from home). Finally, we turned down Korma Ave. with the Mormon Church still occupying the right-hand side of the street. I was excited to share this nostalgic trip with her – events like this are always richer when they are shared, I’ve found.

We drove down the street. There was the Brethren Church on the left-hand corner, the familiar block of flats where I used to collect money for paper deliveries (why oh why did they trust this task to small boys? No way would this happen in 2026), then…nothing. A vacant section where the solid brick and tile house stood.

A complex set of emotions overwhelmed me. For a start my brain couldn’t really decode what my eyes were telling me. The place I’d grown up in had been demolished and in its place was newly sown grass.

Flashes of memories replaced the fogginess: the willow tree; the swimming pool in the back yard; the air vent I’d called a toadstool and painted as a two year old; Christmas mornings spent waiting by the glass sliding doors to the lounge for mum and dad to wake up; my bedroom where my love of music hatched and developed; the kitchen which was my mother’s territory (all those meals, all those cakes and tins of biscuits; all those birthday parties)…

The memories overwhelmed me as I sat in the car, next to Jacky.

Then I realised - the only solace was that all those old memories were still inside me, and always would be. Plus, now, as I sped away from 18 Korma Ave., I knew I could continue to make new memories with Jacky.

Yes, I thought - I could have my cake and eat it too.

Love and peace - Wozza 

One nil to the Arsenal

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The continual sour grapes criticism of how Arsenal are winning games is getting on my wick. It seems that if we score a goal from a set play, like a corner or a free kick, it is not worth as much as a screamer hit from 30 yards out.

Bunkum!

Sure the screamer gives the viewer a vicarious thrill but a goal is a goal is a goal.

Every other team scores goals from set pieces and celebrates as if they've won the World Cup - why not Arsenal? On the same day that we scored from two corners, Man City scored their second goal versus Nottingham Forest from a corner. Good on them. But no one was crying about that fact - that only happens if it's Arsenal F.C and only if we're leading the English Premiership.

Generally, winning a corner means you are on the attack; during which the ball comes off a defender. Allow me to repeat: You. Are. Attacking. 

You don't get a corner, generally, if you are playing tiki-taka in your own half. By the way tiki-taka was popularised by Barcelona under Pep Guardiola, who manages Man City these days.

I liken a corner kick to a cross in open play where the attacking team's heading technique and desire to score are the two key ingredients to success (measured by a goal).

The other aspect I've heard some whining about is time wasting when in the lead. 

Bunkum!

Name me one team who doesn't do this....Crickets and tumbleweeds. It's only annoying when it's your team who is chasing the game and desperately needs a goal. Usually, the other team are being seen as professionals who are 'seeing the game out'. Unless it's Arsenal F.C and only if we're leading the English Premiership.

As an Arsenal supporter of long standing (Charlie George's heroics during 1971 sealed the deal), I've heard these accusations and moans plenty of times over the years. Chants like Boring Boring Arsenal and One-Nil To The Arsenal are part of our shared Arsenal culture. Now a bizarre badge of honour.

In the meantime, I'm doing my best to follow Tay Tay's advice:

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off.

Love and peace - Wozza

Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

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This week has been difficult. It was a week in which Irene Purdy passed away at the age of 104 at her home in greater Manchester.

Irene Gaunt, born in 1921, married Tom Purdy in 1942 and together they had two children, David (1945) and Christine (1954). Tragically, Tom passed away at an early age and Irene never remarried. 

She lived a full life, however, and was able to see her children flourish and then see her children's children and her children's children's children.

I will cling to my memories of Irene forever. When I met her for the first time, it felt like I'd known her all my life. In some ways she felt like a mother substitute for me in the early 2000s. Each visit since that first face to face was a delight and a special occasion. 

Jacky and I were lucky enough to be at her 90th birthday celebration at Christine's home. Although covid prevented us from being there for her 100th, we made it back for a post-covid visit as soon as we could.

Irene was such an easy person to talk to. She had a bright, keen wit, a sharp intelligence and such a strong life force. Every time I met her, her face lit up with such joy of being in the moment. Her rich Lancashire accent will stay with me. She was a strong link back to my grandfather, and great grandfather.

Of course, no one survives life and even though she was at such an advanced age, her passing still came as a bit of a shock, if not a surprise. 

She had always been there and had lived through such momentous times. The sheer volume of things she had experienced and the events she'd observed boggles my mind. 

I am so fortunate to her met her, and shared times with her since 2003. I will never forget her.

Until we meet again, Irene, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Love and peace - Warren

Baby love, my baby love (The Supremes)

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Us? Exciting news!

Our fourth grandchild, third granddaughter, arrived safely on the 20th of February in Denver, Colorado. Billie Jade Kalicki! A huge blogosphere welcome to the world and to the whanau, little lady! 

She joins our amazing three g-kids already pressing their brilliantly vibrant personalities upon the world. Take a bow Asher, Ivy and Poppy!! 

Billie is again the perfect name (being a derivative of William - my great-grandfather was a William). Billie can be interpreted as 'resolute protector' or 'strong-willed guardian', capturing qualities of strength and determination. Resilience and determination are key qualities in life! 

Jade is, of course, named after our youngest Purdette. We're biased because we chose her name, so the combo is awesome.

Significance of February 20:

• It's recognised globally as the world day of social justice.

Three famous others born on that date:

• Rihanna
• Ivana Trump
• Kurt Cobain

Key events:

• 1872 New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art opens
• 1895 Congress authorises a U.S. mint at Denver, Colorado
• 1949 First International Pancake Race is held in Liberal, Kansas
• 1959 Jimi Hendrix (16), rock and roll guitarist, plays his first gig in the Temple De Hirsch synagogue basement, Seattle.

Some current hits:

• Bad Bunny's DtMF
• Ella Langely's Choosin' Texas
• Olivia Dean's Man I Need
• Taylor Swift's The Fate of Ophelia

Big movies right now:

• The True Myth 
• Mavka 
• Wuthering Heights* 

Billie, her mum and dad are setting into parenthood and babyhood nicely. At this age, it's all about feeds and sleep and recovering from the birth. Having said that, Samantha has revealed that Billie's college fund has already clicked into gear!

This is Billie's first appearance on the blog. Like Poppy, Ivy and Asher, she's set to become a regular feature as we watch her grow and develop. She's mos def going to have hiking boots before very long, be climbing out of her crib and up walls, and become a general badass, if Andrew and Fanfa have anything to do with it, which they do!

Love and peace - Papa 

* Fun fact for Billie - Mema and Papa had bought tickets for a special screening of Wuthering Heights for the 20th but then your mum was taking a while to deliver you, so we donated our tickets. We went and saw the movie a week later - knowing that you were safe and sound.

I dreamed of two blue orchids (Glenn Miller)

Photo by Kseniia Ilinykh on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Joan Didion in her essay, Quiet Days in Malibu, profiles a Californian orchid breeder called Amando Vazquez. Along the way she describes his beautiful greenhouses as having, "the most aqueous filtered light, the softest tropical air, the most silent clouds of flowers".

Reading that reminded me of growing up in Auckland.

My mother had a more modest greenhouse/ shade house that housed her orchid collection. Built for her by my dad, it had three sides of benches above the ground. On them were rows of orchids in large terracotta pots with maiden hair ferns underneath. 

It was always slightly damp and fragrant in the greenhouse.

It was always a peaceful place to go, to look at the orchids, to talk to mum.  

Love and peace - Woz.

I call your name but you're not there. Was I to blame? (The Beatles)

Wie geht's?

Names are interesting things, right? A name quickly becomes synonymous with the person, and quickly fits the personality, or is it, the personality fits the name?

Choosing names for our children is a key moment in our lives, because that name becomes the person and the person becomes the name. For life. Unless the person dislikes it and changes it in some way officially, or otherwise.

Some people change the emphasis to their middle name (never an option for me).

As far as our children go:

• Keegan came from a book of names. Jacky liked it and I thought it was unusual, so - cool. Keegan it was.
• Adam was a name both of us liked.
• We had no girl names sorted before Samantha came along. We were convinced the baby was going to be another boy, so Ethan was on the list. It took a while to settle on Samantha - I wanted a three-syllable name or a one-syllable name.  
• Jade was a one-syllable name that was inspired by our friend Liz. Her stepson was Jade. We loved the name. 

I can't envisage any alternative names for our children.

Jacky suits Jacky (even though her name is Jacqueline), and I guess I suit Warren, but I don't have any distance on it. Whatever, I do like my name.

I'm thinking about names because I'm trying to remember about 120 names that my new female students have in my classes at Iona College, plus about 30 staff. That's not easy.

Some of the girls walk up to me and say, with a mischievous glint in their eye, "What's my name?" 

I'm getting there. It takes constant repetition for the name to match their personalities and lodge in my brain. Certainly, if they are in my classroom, it's easier, but if I come across them away from that context, I tend to make noises like a blocked drain.

Which they obviously think is hilarious.

There are also many girls with the same name, or a close relative like the Ellas, Ellies, Evas. Girls that look similar are also problematic. I always get them switched around for a while.

Then there are the tricky ones to pronounce. I got Farah wrong on Friday which brought hoots of laughter from the class. It's Far - rah, not Fair - rah, she pointed out. 

As I said, names are important, so I need to lock in and get it right.

Love and peace - Wozza

Well, there's them that do and them that don't; them that will and them that won't (The Hollies)

Wie geht's?

My post on The Purdzilla Show yesterday has had me thinking today as I had that root canal procedure in Palmerston North.

Yes, two hours lying on my back staring at the roof while my endodontist does his thing will do that to me.

In case you missed it - I highlighted a passage where Mrs. Marsh shares some advice to her daughters in Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women:

Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life becomes a beautiful success, in spite of poverty. 

It's a challenge employing your time well in such circumstances which is exactly the point. The assistant asked me what playlist I'd like to listen to so I chose WTWMC - Fresh finds and settled back to think about all the meds I'd been taking for the last 10 days to manage that pesky tooth (Prednisone, Codeine, Amoxicillin, and Panadol).

I also thought about Samantha and Irene, football, school stuff, and a colleague's comment at lunch one day that my words were slurry thanks to being hopped up on Codeine.

When I mentioned it to Jacky, she agreed!! What the...

So, I've appeared as a Codeine addict at school for the last two weeks? Sheesh. I had no idea.

The two hours drifted by, my back got sore, my mouth ended up so numb Jade told me afterwards amidst guffaws that I looked like a stroke victim.

But this morning, my smile was back, no codeine, and I ate my three Weet-bix with cold milk for the first time in two months. Huzzah!!

Love and peace - Wozza

You know you'll have to pay it all. You'll pay today or pay tomorrow. You fasten up your beaded gown, then you try to tie me down (Steely Dan)

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Dental work. As a colleague said to me this week - hard to know what hurts most - the actual dental work or the bill.

I liken dentists to hair stylists, as in I can't cut my own hair, nor can I perform complicated dental procedures on myself. Asher recently took great delight in removing one of his wiggly teeth to assist the tooth fairy, but he's much more adventurous than his papa.

So - off to a variety of specialists I go for a root canal on a complicated molar that is dying a painful death. First was the consulation and fancy as scans. Twenty minutes work costing $400.

I lay back and thought of England.

Love and peace - Wozza

Now the darkness only stays at nighttime. In the morning, it will fade away. Daylight is good at arriving at the right time, it's not always gonna be this grey (George Harrison)

Wie geht's?

The Truman biography remains a fascinating experience, (I'm up to page 558) and it is inevitable that I would compare Henry S. Truman with the present incumbent in The White House. 

Truman was an exemplary leader. He showed exceptional diligence in his job. He was, according to those who worked for him in The White House, 'an extremely thoughtful, courteous, considerate man' who 'spent virtually every waking moment working at being president'. 

The staff was continually amazed by the President's knowledge of the country.

Truman would say sitting in the Oval Office, "It is ignorance that causes most mistakes. The man who sits here ought to know his American history, at least".

Check out this clip from Jimmy Fallon.

If ever there was a "clean break from all that had gone before," Truman would say, the result would be chaos.

That's certainly the reality of now. Screeds have been written about Donald Trump. A lot by him on social media. He thinks he's great. This is known as Figjam. He thinks he's the least racist President of all time. This is known as denial.

He has a pathological need to sow chaos and dominate the headlines. He is at the opposite end of the Presidential continuum to Harry S. Truman - who was a principled, hardworking man with integrity. Everyone who ever knew Truman said he was a man of great character.

In comparison, Trump is a Shakespearian villain like Edmund in King Lear. A bastard and a schemer, wreaking destruction upon virtually all of the other characters.

At the moment we all have to live through Trump's frippery and chaos, but, as George Harrison says: All things must pass away.

Pretty soon he will go the way of all things; history will have its say on the Trump Presidencies, and he will slip into the past like everyone else. No longer relevant. No longer a stain. His name will live in infamy, while Truman's will continue to grow in stature,

Back to the book. It really is a tonic!

Love and peace - Wozza

Camp is very entertaining, and they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining (Allan Sherman)

Photo by Fredrik Öhlander
on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Life has got hectic again with last week's return to work. Normal routines have yet to re-establish themselves to boot, and that adds to the hectic-ness of life. I need to guard against impatience at such times.

Next week will be even more disrupted, as I head off to Year 9 Camp with other staff and about 60 Year 9 girls. That will mean a few days without my daily blogging regime. I shall cope.

Some of my fondest memories have been on over-night school camps, but I haven't been on one for about a decade. I think the last one was while at Woodford House. 

Funny having to pack up gear again and heading off into the relatively unknown for challenging experiences.

Should be fun, I'll report back next week.

Love and peace - Wozza

What is not brought to consciousness, comes to us as fate (C. G. Jung)

Wie geht's?

This post's title was the quote for the weekend just gone. I've been puzzling it over since then.

It's made a lot more enigmatic by the fact that it's half a quote.

The full quote is:

“That which you do not bring to consciousness comes to you as your Fate, that which you do bring to consciousness, whether it was what you thought you wanted or not, is your destiny.”

This suggests that our unconscious thoughts and feelings can become predetermined outcomes, often beyond our awareness (we haven't consciously thought of them).

Jung believed that our unconscious selves play a significant part in shaping our experiences and decisions. Because of this, our perception is that fate is at work, rather than free will.

In a recent post I wrote about my need for ongoing challenges. These are part of my conscious decision making - like moving to a new school. It is part of my destiny.

Darth Vader tries to impress upon his son a conscious thought and he labels it 'destiny'. Luke decides against this course of action - he hasn't thought of this previously, so his repudiation of his father's idea becomes his fate.

Here's a personal example.

In this blog I have previously explained how it was fate that led me to my first teaching job in New Plymouth and then meeting my future wife within weeks of moving there. 

The circumstances of meeting Jacky were unconscious on my part - a move to New Plymouth, flatting with two girls, a chance meeting at a fancy-dress party after a birthday dinner for one of my flat mates. I just went along with everything and, zappo - love at first sight. 

Fate (according to Jung - it was predetermined). 

Over the next few days in late February 1983, my consciousness kicked in big time, and I had to meet her again somehow.

Destiny (according to Jung).

Love and peace - Wozza

Forward

Photo by Danka & Peter on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

I'm off to an induction day today. I start a new job next week so this is my first opportunity to note down the important things I need to know as I transition to a new place of work (Harry S. Truman's advice to 'shut up, watch, and learn' is key).

This is exciting, but I know plenty of people in my whanau that wouldn't be thrilled with this prospect. Change and disruption to routines are things I need from time to time. No one who knows me is surprised that I have moved from one thing, which I enjoyed, to another, which comes with risk.

Standing still, and avoiding the need for fresh challenges is not part of my make-up.

What I learned from today will feature on my next Baggy Trousers' post.

Love and peace - Wozza

I was meant to know the plot, but all I knew was what I saw (Joan Didion)

Photo by Mounish Raja on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Reading Joan Didion's The White Album has been informative. Within the opening pages, she uses a sobering phrase 'what would probably be the middle of my life' and I realise a few things. 

In my late sixties, the middle part is done and I am heading towards the later part of my life, but I am still 'a competent enough member of some community or another' (as Joan puts it). Partly the reason why I don't want to retire any time soon. That said, I do realise I am at the pre-retirement stage of my career.

The further realisation is that I am at a unique time in my life. Still employable! I'm about to start a new job - was that an attempt to prove to myself that I still could, you may ask. Not consciously, would be my answer. However, I am no longer frequently named. As in: I no longer have (or need) a fancy title. 

Many people asked me what title I would have at my new school and they were a bit nonplussed when I said that my senior management/leadership years were behind me. Never say never, but, like Winston Peters, I am happy to be where I am at.

The later part of life also means our nest has been empty for a long time now. Our children, who live in four different countries, are brilliant human beings, living their lives. We have three grandchildren, soon to be four. This year marks our 42nd wedding anniversary. 

I look around at my record collection and realise I will soon need to do what fellow collectors of my age are thinking of doing - downsizing it. 

These days, I know I am much more careful about buying new records (but not books). On a recent mini-break to Wellington I bought 5 records and 5 books. In the past I would have bought 10 records and 2 books.

Partly the reason for posting about my collection on my Goo Goo G'Joob blog was to establish a list of albums that are meh (i.e. 2 stars) in my reviewing criteria. The idea was that would quickly sort the wheat from the chaff. A cull is coming!

Back to Joan for a final thought: 'We live entirely...by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the "ideas" with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience'.

Life, it seems to me, is about making sense and then peace with the ever-shifting phantasmagoria as we go. At least, that's what I attempt to do.

Love and peace - Wozza