Maple leaf, falling down, showing front, showing back (Ryokan, Soto Zen monk)

Wie geht's?

Autumn in Maple Grove is pretty cool. As regular readers know, I love autumn - dark, misty days, beautiful colours et al. Why wouldn't you love autumn?

Maple Grove is well named - we have quite a few maple trees on our 3 acres! As regular readers know, I love maple trees and maple leaves.

So here's a selection starring Gracie (playing the horse), and Jerry (as the dog):

Shade sails are stored away until summer

And it's goodbye from Jerry...

...and goodbye from Grace.

Love and peace - Wozza (as himself)

Okay, I'm gonna take the suit, and the shoes, and the hat (Kramer)

Wie geht's?

Meet Ray. 

He was a character from Seinfeld's The Statue episode. You remember - the psycho cleaner, boyfriend of the kooky Russian writer, Rava, who kinda steals the statue that Kramer has to get back by pretending to be a old school cop.

Got it?

Ray is also the name I gave to Jerry's would be canine companion. An Aussie cattle dog. But then Ray, true to Seinfeld namesake and Aussie battler stereotype, went all batshit psycho and attacked two other dogs at the vets (after having a spat with Jerry and being put in his place) so Ray has been returned to the dog ranger, from whence he came originally.

Poor Jerry.

The search for a companion goes on.

Love and peace - Woz 

Start by discarding (Marie Kondo)

Desert Road in autumn, NZ

Iiiiiiiiiit's holiday time! 

The Light Of My Life and I have just returned from Hawke's Bay (delivering horses and horse float to LOML's step mum - Grace and Beetlebaum are wintering in Waipukurau). Plus, I squeezed in a trip to Havelock North for a coffee with my buddy, Toni. 

From there we travelled south along the yellow brick road to Palmerston North (A.K.A. Palmy) to help Jade and William with some house renos (A.K.A. renovations).

Some random notes for y'all: 

Great wedding anniversary day on the 21st - dinner (Italian fare at Pompeii) and a show with the kids (Black Panther)...excellent coffee with Toni at Bay Espresso (complete with Woodford parents!), even though the Espresso crew had changed...Havelock North resplendent in autumn colours...Thor Ragnarok on Jade/William's fancy TV was awesome...lunch in Taihape...put up guttering for Jade/William - first time ever, attached boards and door handles, trimmed the hedge as well...enjoyed watching William play football, even though the team lost 4-1...Jerry travelled so well - long drive with horses - about 10 hours via Napier Taupo highway and then a 9 hour trip home via Hunterville/Taihape. As soon as we arrived home he immediately wanted to play ball - which we did for 20 minutes!...beautiful farmers wives' gardens around Hunterville, spreading trees over driveways in elaborate designs...helicopters whisking owners to flash homes around Cambridge...great brooding autumn scenes along the Desert Road with Ruapehu and Mordor, erm, Ngarahoehoe as a backdrop...finished a book - One More Day (Mitch Albom) and discarded it on Jade/William's bookshelf, and started on Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying...I could go on but I best get to it - starting with my clothes!

Love and peace - Wozza

Summer, Buddy Holly, the working folly, Good golly, Miss Molly and boats, Hammersmith Palais, the Bolshoi Ballet, Jump back in the alley and nanny goats (Ian Dury)

Photo by Erick Tang on Unsplash

50 Reasons to be cheerful in 2017:

• Looking forward, each week, to James Whatley's Five Things on a Friday 
• Christmas visits from the family (Jade, Adam, Samantha)
• Blacklist binges on Netflix
• Reading my newspaper The Walrus Gumboot - courtesy of Paper.li
• Medium.com stories - usually a few gems with each edition, although the message that I'd exceeded my monthly quota was annoying
• Seeing Jerry Seinfeld with Jade
• Morning feel good quotes for/from the staff at morning briefings
• Vox sentences
• Watching Dunkirk with Jacky
• Thomas Oppong's articles via Medium.com
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi 
• Austin Kleon's newsletter that comes into my inbox regularly
• Lunchtime walks with my coach, Liz
• Paul McCartney on December 16 at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
• Lindsay Hope's CD collection will be giving pleasure for a long time to come
• Seth Godin's blog, which comes every day, regularly provides food for thought 
• November trip to Keri Keri for a weekend thanks to the kids
• Dan Rockwell's advice, again every day, has pearls of regular wisdom
• Whatsapp - the vehicle for hilarious fandamily interactions
• Netflix has provided great viewing throughout the year
• The Arsenal victory over Spurs was a tonic in an otherwise forgettable season, again
• Greg Knowles' Seventies Music blog provides a shedload of memories
• Daily writing on my blogs
• Visiting Universal Studios at the start of the year with Samantha
• Regular visits to Real Groovy in Auckland for vinyl 
• Marbeck's Records and JB Hi-Fi are still providing CD fixes
• Messages and videos from Noel Forth via Messenger
• Facebook hilarity from mates Greg Knowles and Kevin Simms
• Driving with Samantha and Jacky from San Francisco to LA along the Pacific coast
• Disneyland with Jacky - the happiest place on earth for us
• IHOP Anaheim and blueberry pancakes
• The view from the top of the Brynderwyn Hills looking towards Whangarei
• Autumn, every year
• Card for my 60th birthday from my staff
• Playing backyard cricket with the kids again
• 366 Days With Wisdom by Venerable Master Hsing Yun
• The Hard Rock Cafes in London and San Francisco
• Finding the new copy of West Bruce and Laing's Whatever Turns You On
• Reading 50 books in the year and fulfilling a goal
• Our new Border Collie, Jerry, and his surviving Parvo
• Seeing Jeanette Thomas at the Macca concert
• The organic Whole Life Cafe in Maungaturoto is a life saver
• Taking the ferry to Russell
• The drive from Russell to Whangarei that takes in the Helena Bay Hill Gallery and Cafe (great, great gardens)
• The spectacular tree outside my ART room
• Seeing Keegan happy and purposeful in China
• The view from our lounge towards the Bryderwyns
• Building the horse yards for Grace and Beetlebaum
• Playing ball chase games with Jerry
• Browsing in Amoeba Records, San Francisco
• Mocha at the Beach Cafe Ruakaka (my cup runneth over - this being #51)

Love and peace and into 2018 we go...Wozza

I wanna be your dog (The Stooges)

I used to be a cat man. Never a dog man.

Then I met Jacky and it's been a story of loyal dogs ever since - Wynton, Bazil and Jerry (with two memorable miss-steps along the way - Tori and Dukie).

But cats? Another story entirely. We can't seem to get it right with cats.

Cats can be evil (Ben) or stoopid (Scraps). They can suddenly disappear on us (Waffles/Rocky) or get bowled by cars (Scraps). They can catch diseases (Kramer/Flower and Scooter) or they can hate dogs with an extraordinary passion (Seven). 

Lewis and, to a lesser extent, Persia were pretty cool for cats but we had to give them away to lives of luxury when we went to live in England.

Latest in the line of cats was (yes, past tense) Sensei/Tom. You remember him. He featured in the previous post.

All was going well until he attacked Jerry for no reason and peed on Jacky's curtains (I thought I was part owner until she yelled out - 'he's peed on my curtains' while we had dinner).

So it's back to the SPCA for Sensei/Tom. No more cats!

Jerry is mightily relieved!

Love and peace - Wozza

I get high on music (Headband)

Introducing another new member to the menagerie. After a brilliant weekend away in Keri Keri (the kids shouted us two nights away for my birthday) we cruised past the SPCA in Whangarei to pick up a tabby SWMBO had found a week or so ago. 

Original name - Sensei. We're flirting with a new name - Tom, for obvious reasons.

Homeward we pootled, delivered Tom back to Roch-dene, and I picked up Jerry from 'Auntie' Mandy's place. She and Winston kindly dog sat for us - where Jerry and Winston formed an instant bond!

Tired, Jerry spent the rest of the afternoon freaking out Sensei/Tom, pining for Winston, and catching up on some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz in ART.

SWMBO and I had a great restful weekend in Keri Keri - visiting the Stone Store and its surrounds, wandering around the town, fine dining at Cafe Jerusalem, eating bacon and pancakes for breakfast and shopping!

There's a pretty cool music shop (no vinyl though) in the main street so I whiled away an hour (or so) in there. Along with a few CDs, I picked up a Rory Gallagher DVD I hadn't seen before - Live in Cork!

While 'laxing in Keri Keri, I also finished book #44 (end of week 42) - The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde: good detective whodunnit story.

Six books to go before reaching my goal of 50 books in 52 weeks.


So, now it's down to six books in ten weeks. Should be easy peesy.

Currently, I'm onto #45 (now week 43) - J.B. Ballard's High Rise which I picked up from Molly's Little Book Shop in Keri Keri.

I'm keen to reread the Gormenghast Trilogy as my last three - as the ten weeks takes in the Christmas holidays I feel that's doable.

Love and peace - Wozza

Nowhere man, the world is at your command (The Fabs)

Jerry Update:

Jerry has bounced back from his Parvo scare and is smelling the flowers (and, ah, digging them out) again. 

Sail update: I've moved onto the sails over the deck to the front entrance of Roch-dene.

Reading update: week 40 book 43 was Gregg Hurwitz' sequel to Orphan X - an excellent thriller in the Matthew Reilly style. 

Love and peace - Wozza

Along the rivers of your mind I saw the ever changing plants and trees (The Rumour)

Zen garden number 3 is now pretty much completed.

This time we've gone for a zen stroke patio stroke dining stroke relaxing area - combining garden furniture, Buddha, potted plants, sail, paving, cap cod chairs and screens.

All sitting happily outside ART (Abbey Road Three) and bathing in the luxuriant soundssssssss.

View from ART

SWMBO water blasted and painted the screens we found by the potting shed, we put up the sail, moved garden furniture around and tried various combinations of plants.

Jerry wants to say he 'helped' too.

It all looks pretty cool but even better that that it works. I spent an hour today in Zen 3's shade while listening to a Brian Wilson album playing in ART, and reading Mojo. 

Bliss.

Love and peace - Wozza

Jerry, I just don't know sometimes...(Marlene)

Jerry meets Beetle (Grace was playing hard to get) while Tango rides shotgun

Roch-dene is slowing filling up with animals. As I knew it would.

At the moment it's a bit of an ark - two horses, two wild turkeys, and two dogs (the six canaries kind of ruin the effect but what the hey).

Tango, Jerry and Wozza's
world famous legs.

Yes, Jerry has arrived. Jerry is a wee pedigree Border Collie puppy and cute as a button. 

In addition, we have Tango lodging with us to help socialise Jerry and for us to look after while William and Jade holiday in Bali.

This last weekend felt like we had a new toddler on the property - door barrier, chewy toys, fencing the back yard and fencing the front yard!

All to no avail because Jerry is also a Harry Houdini who just wanted to be with me or SWMBO.

Let the fun begin!

Love and peace - Wozza