Well, I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery (Ellen Griswold in Christmas Vacation)

Wie geht's?

Well, we're almost there. I'm referring to our annual run down of our favourite Christmas movies. Actually, Just Love Actually to go.

In case you want to catch up, our hardy perennials are: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation; Die Hard; About A Boy; Love Actually; It's A Wonderful Life.

We've branched out a little this year thanks to Asher, and added: The Grinch; Polar Express.

Recently, while Jade and Asher visited, we also tried The Vacation as a new addition (won't be adding it to the roster though).

A few others didn't get a viewing because of their lack of availability on Netflix or in my DVD collection: Scrooged; Die Hard 2.

Speaking of movies - Peter Jackson's recent sneak peek of The Beatles' Get Back means that 2021 will single-handedly eclipse our lingering memories of this year. No worries!

So anyway, Christmas eve/Christmas Day/Boxing Day are rapidly approaching and we have the outlaws arriving for a few days to help share the joy.  

Love and peace on earth (not forgetting the good will to all) - Wozza

I'm a boy, I'm a boy (The Who)

Keegan, minus 36 years

Wie geht's?

The 19th of December, which is coming up, is our oldest's birthday. Happy birthday Keegan! Here's a revisit to his origin story.

But really the day is more about me and Jacky, right?

That origin story misses out a crucial bit that tells you a lot about us, where, getting on dinner time on the 19th, Jacky - dozy with labour pain and then relaxed by epidural but mindful that Purdy's need regular food, said that I should go and have something to eat.

So I did. I hopped in the car, which was parked in the Taranaki Base Hospital carpark by maternity, and drove to McDonalds for a Big Mac combo; drove back to the maternity wing steps and ate my dinner there; walked up the stairs just in time to find Keegan was finally ready to launch himself on our world.

The rest is history.

Love and peace - Abu Keegan

It's a boy (The Who)

Wie geht's?

Early sighting of the Adam grin

Time to celebrate the birth of Adam Lennon Purdy (December 11, 1986).

We (Keegan, Jacky and I) were living in Windmill Avenue, Mt Eden at my grandfather's flat at the time, when Adam made his appearance, just in time for that year's Christmas celebrations.

It topped off a pretty good week for me - the summer holidays were starting (I was teaching at Macleans College), Arsenal were top of Division One (the Premiere League was a fair way off yet) on 38 points, and I was blessed with two sons.

It's a wonderful life.

Happy birthday Adam.

Love and peace - all of us

I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink. I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink (The Beatles)

Wie geht's?

John Lennon (born 9 October 1940, died 8 December 1980) knew a thing or two. For one, that sleep was important.

Jerry Seinfeld concurs! And so do I!

As Jerry would say - I'm on no sleep. That's thanks to either a cold or allergy (I think cold, Jacky says it's the pollens), the sudden heat producing muggy nights, or Rey barking endlessly at something - that was last night.

With three more days of school for the year, that all adds up me freaking out man!

Love and (looking forward to some) peace - Wozza

No time for a gentle rain, no time for my watch and chain (The Guess Who)

Photo by Kyle Head on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Jacky and I spent Sunday and Monday in New Plymouth this week. We were there, with a number of Jacky's whanau, for the funeral of Gavin O'Neill's mother (Gavin being our brother-in-law).

It was a lovely celebration of Ruth May O'Neill's life which included a lot of music. That's not unusual at a funeral but Ruth was a singer who performed with her sisters (The Bond Sisters) and later with choral groups in New Plymouth, so there was more music than normal and that was really cool.

While in New Plymouth, Gavin gave Jacky a tapestry and a heavy ornate frame and I borrowed an autobiography written by Gavin's brother, Paul. It is a short but powerful record of his life.

Paul, who passed away a couple of years ago from cancer, was the same age as me and he also loved music (curiously he never mentions his mother's musical background in his autobiography). Apart from that though, we have/had very different backgrounds.

A few thoughts having read it:

• It was a great way of understanding Gavin's background and personality (now I know where all the wisecracks come from).
• Writing an autobiography should be a task that everyone undertakes before they shuffle off this mortal coil.
• Life is short. 

Love and peace (rest in peace Paul, Danny, Terry, Allen, Ruth)

- Wozza

We gonna come together, we gonna celebrate, we gonna gather 'round, like it's your birthday (Kings Of Leon)

 

Wie geht's?

Name the year!

Here are your clues:

1. The first penalty shoot-out ever in the F.A. Cup took place (Rotherham v Scunthorpe in case you were wondering and Rotherham won 7-6)
2. Sir Robert Muldoon resigns from parliament
3. Eurythmics Greatest Hits was the year's top selling album
4. Jade Michelle Purdy was born

Yes, that's right, it was 1991, 29 years ago, when, on November 28, Jade popped along to add more joy to our lives.

OMG - she still looks like that when she's asleep

Happy birthday DLG!

Love from JFP and me

Ooh, when it gets through to me, it's always new to me - my double vision gets the best of me (Foreigner)

Photo by Camila Quintero Franco on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Me? Well, last weekend was a write off.

The first sign I'm getting a migraine used to be tingling fingers, then my vision altering by jagged lines and then a blazing all consuming headache hitting and pounding away for 24 hours.

Saturday's one was different - started with the jagged lines and changed vision, but after I took Jacky's migraine medication and retreated to a dark room to wait it out, the headache didn't cripple me as before. Now it's just a dull ache above my affected eye (or eyes as was the case on Saturday because for the first time ever my vision was affected twice - first my right eye, then, two hours later, the other one).

The two days afterwards haven't changed though - two days of lingering aftermath that Jacky and I know as 'eggshells'. 

Fellow migraine sufferers know the drill.

My triggers have remained the same over the years - some dehydration, lack of sleep, and some stress. Mix those three together and hey presto.

Unfortunately that was the recipe for Thursday and Friday last week.

My father used to say that only intelligent people get migraines. Now that could have been a bald-faced lie given to lessen the blow to a teenage me but it always made me feel slightly better.

Love and peace - Wozza