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

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops (Henry Adams) *

*An awesome quote by Henry Adams (the handsome dude pictured left when he was at Harvard) used in a book I've just finished reading - another of Mitch Albom's efforts called Tuesdays with Morrie.

I've been thinking about teachers a bit lately as you know from an earlier post (come on - pay attention in the back). 

I am a teacher. Lately I have been teaching the teachers - doing professional development work in Al Ain and before that, Doha.

It occurs to me that I'd like to get back to teaching students after this contract ends in July next year. Maybe not the full-time stuff of 5 or 6 classes, but definitely teaching students again.

The Morrie in the title was one of Mitch Albom's favourite teachers/mentors. The book's a celebration of Morrie's life and life itself. It's good. Emotional; it had me going a couple of times. Words hold great power when used skillfully.

Got me thinking about the mentors I've had in my life outside of my parents, who are an automatic inclusion.

Mentors? Who or what are they?

The burb on the back of the book says:

Maybe it was a grandparent, a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and impassioned, helped you to see the world as a more profound place, and gave you sound advice to guide your way through it.

I have been lucky enough to have had one in each category.

My mother's mother (Lucy Constance Adsett), called Ma by me and Ross, was my first mentor. Luckily I have some of her calm, common sense DNA about me. She was tough too - having to bring up her sons and daughter on her own, and she was independent. She lived on her own, in her own home until her death in 1974.

The second was a teacher at Mt Albert Grammar (Warwick Gibbs). I'm not sure what Warwick has as a teacher but whatever it is, it should be bottled and sold online. He has become a mentor to countless generations of boys.

And the third was a colleague - the Principal at my second school as a teacher (Colin Prentice). He is simply the most (maybe only) charismatic leader I've had the good fortune to work for/with. An inspiration in both his professional and private life.

The best influence they've had on me is the recurring thought, "What would (insert name) do in this situation?"

For the most part I've kept in touch with them (they are in the whanau list down the margin).


Wozza, Ma, her son Jack, Ross, her daughter Dulcie (our mum).



Colin taking a leaf out of his own book!

Warwick (right) at a MAGS sports award dinner.

 I'm lucky in that I've thanked them many times for their guidance and inspiration. What about you? Have you thanked those special mentors in your life?

Love and peace - Wozza

Maybe it was a grandparent, a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and impassioned, helped you to see the world as a more profound place, and gave you sound advice to guide your way through it.