And on the seventh day God rested - Yeah right!

Off duty. A chance to relax, or so I thought! Then Gina sat me down to watch Al Gore's lecture, An Inconvenient Truth. It disturbed me, not because of anything It said but because I'd learned along time ago that it's not the things I know I don't know that get me into trouble, but the things I don't know that I don't know.
One of he things I didn't know I didn't know was the serious effects that Global Warming is having on our climate till we visited southern Nepal last September and were horrified at the extent of the flooding we saw there and in northern India. Oh, it made world headlines, for a day or two, but the story vanished from public view much more quickly, it would seem, that the devastating effects of the flood waters. We had come to Nepal following an overland journey from Asia minor which took us through Uzbekistan. A tragic country where man's clumbsy intervention in nature through weapons testing, industrial projects and fertilizer runoffs both before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, had all but dried up what was the worlds 4th largest inland lake, the Aral Sea.

The other thing I didn't know that I didn't know, and this was never explicitly suggested in the lecture, was that the Gore/Bush battle for the Whitehouse in 2000 was a battle of such apocalyptic proportions. The battle of the oil barons vs greens campaigner. I wonder how the Oil Barrons won?

Some day off, my head is spinning. Oh for a simple mind numbing day with the baby again. Roll on Monday.

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We're on a roll!

Another big day for little Miss Milestone and a perfect one weather wise. Blue skys, no wind and temperatures in the mid 20's. Sujin's new found fascination with the hands continue with their use now extending to gaining ones attention. A gentle tug at the collar or a poke in the arm lets you know, in no uncertain terms, that your mind (or gaze) has wandered and that she no longer has your full and undivided attention. Language is also beginning to play a part in the process too with much more vocal activity than before. These certainly are exciting times and it's not only baby whose learning new skills. My own internal time clock has slowed down and no longer races onto the next thing on my list. I'm beginning to see the world around me differently and am enjoying doing things at her pace rather than mine.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks!

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Sometines being helpful just isn't

Isn't is funny. From day one we strive to encourage children to become independent then, as soon as they are, we wish they weren't. Today Sujin learnt all about helping granddad. First she learned to help granddad put the spoon in her mouth - along with her hand and very often, her bib as well. Not helpful. With this new epiphany about the use and purpose of hands she also learned how to help by smearing rusk all over her face and by spilling Tommee Tippee (the water cup) all over her front. I can't wait till she learns how to wipe her face & hands, clean up the floor and wash her own sweater.

Now that would be helpful!

PS - at 14:48 NZ standard time Sujin also learnt how to roll over. From her front onto her back. Well done Sujin, a milestone day in so many ways!

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And you Sir, are. . . ?

With the increasing tendency in our society to marry and have children much later in life - then to re marry (or not) and start again, it's often difficult to know the father from the grandfather. It seams this problem perplexes others two but till today, I've never been too sure how to find out with out sounding impertinent. However, a lady who seemingly also wondered simply popped her head into Su-Jins pram during our afternoon walk today and asked me, ", , , and what does this little beauty call you?" So totally PC for an older lady, not a hint of assumed gender of the child, or of my part in his/her progeny. Totally disarmed I simply said, 'Granddad" The big smile that followed suggested I'd given the answer she hoped for.

Dam - I thought I looked much younger than that!

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Because I'm special

Just like the Grandfather in the Werthers Originals add, today I introduced my grand daughter to a slice of my past. Something I remember, made me feel special as a child. Rusks! However, unlike the Grandfather in the add, I wasn't moves by generosity, love and a sweet tooth, but rather by the fact that Su-jin has begun teething! It's another change to take into the daily mix and naturally, she loves them and I imagine they are now a regular part of her diet. At least for the next few years.

During our afternoon walk I cut through the boulevard of mature trees (not sure what kind but they're big old and leafy) that line the boundary of the Hutt Recreation grounds and stopped to watch a group of secondary school children enjoying their annual sports day. The event that caught my eye was the 20 aside 'Tug of War'. It was a very serious moment. the supervising teacher tied the traditional hankie n the middle of the rope, positioned the teams and said,'take the strain.' Both teams repositioned their footing, leaned back to take the strain on the rope, then SNAP! The rope broke and all 40 aspiring athletes fell to a tangled mess of legs, arms and uncontrollable giggling and laughing. I'm sure they will all remember the occasion as much as Su-jin will remember her first Rusk.

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A hard day at the nursery

My first day as full time care giver is over and I'm exhausted.
I feel I've never done so little or, at the same time, worked so hard. Babies don't seem to do much but when you're not attending to their immediate needs (and there are plenty of them) you're racing to clean up and put away after them to get ready for then next session before they wake up. It's all go. The new thing in the daily mix today (babies needs change daily as they grow) was to learn to drink water from a cup. And we did! Tommee Tippee is now greeted with chubby out stretched arms and goldfish like gestures of the mouth. We can pick him up but as yet, can't work out how to dock with the mother ship! I guess it will only be time and practice that make that link for her.

A calm clear day again, weather wise, and at a personal level I discovered Bach's Leipzig Chorale Preludes. So intricately structures yet at the same time, so simple and so restful. Just what I need after a hard day at the nursery.

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At the bay

I arrived a few minutes early just to renewed my long standing acquaintance with The Bay. Where once small wooden houses and beach front stores lined the street, cafe's tumbled out onto the pavement and casually clad patrons enjoyed the summer sun and the Marlborough Riesling. Even though Catherine Mansfield would have scarcely recognised the social landscape of Days Bay, the soft curve of the 'Crescent Bay', the bush clad hills behind it and the sparkle of sunlight on the water were unmistakable. I breathed in the warm salt air, crossed the road to van Halgan's studios for a suitable birthday gift, then walked the few meters to the corner to meet friends for lunch at the Cobar. It was Robyn's 55th birthday. Her first since her husband Timmy died suddenly last June and we all wanted to share it with her, here in this special spot. And so we did!
As you will have gathered (from my loquacious pros) it was once again a 'cracker day'. No cloud, no wind and not too hot either: I notice things like that at my age. I was pleased too with the gift I chose. A small ceramic Koru. A nice symbol of hope for someone stepping out into a new life and a especially fitting reminder of Tim's Maori heritage.

Fine wine, good food and warm friendships and a day at the bay, An unbeatable combination.

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NZ Newspapers shares sky rocket

Today the readership of the Auckland Herald incremented by one: at 16:00 NZ standard time, Sujin Olivia Lee (age 5 1/2 months) browsed the property supplement, crumpled the sporting section and eat her way through the weekend magazine supplement. Otherwise, Saturday 24th March was in all respects, an eventless yet pleasant enough day. Another perfect late summers day, cloudless and windless so after a late 'Full English' and a browse of the BBC web-page I applied 4 coats of low sheen sealer to the front steps, reloaded some operational programs onto my Mac (see yesterday's blog) and wondered if I will now have to by a daily copy of the Herald for our young avid reader.

PS - Discovered the local supermarket stocks Tetley's (Smooth) English Ale. Just like the brew I so enjoyed regularly at The Bell, Maidenhead. Cheers lads!

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And in the middle of the garden was a tree. . . .

The apple looked so tempting, juicy even, and it came with a FREE 12 month worldwide parts and labour warrantee, How could I refuse. But if Adam had have bitten into my apple (mac) today he would have discovered, like me, that its rosy exterior was just a front for the cancor and worm that lay beneath. Sure the parts and labour were free, but Magnum mac here in Wellington NZ (God's own) laced the transaction with an analysis fee,a data retrieval fee and a re installation charge bringing the total cost of a FREE replacement (faulty) hard drive to $NZ300. Mind you, they were kind enough to reduce their padded charges by $60 down to $240 following my righteous tirade. Like Adam, I discovered all that glitters in not gold, and like Adam, may they discover the eternal consequences of their sin. Bastards!

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Morning came, the second day

And on the second day, man toiled in the garden. . . .again!
Another extraordinary autumn day. Clear skies, no wind and remarkable warm so the day began with a homage to the water blaster and a fierce attack on the fences (covered in mold), under the eves and all the exterior walls of the house. North, south, east and west, which ever way you look,the house is pristine and I'm ahead of my target to be free of all outdoor jobs by the end of the week. There is still the 'monster' rose to thrash into shape and some pruning and transplanting in the front garden, but all that can wait till winter and a long weekend.
Exhausted but board, I treated my self to another dose of Hugh Grant in Music & Lyrics. It wasn't the same as seeing it with the Pixie - but I enjoyed it. As did the other three people in the theater!

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In the begining

God might very well have created the world, and all that dwelt there in, in a mere seven days but simply getting the house in shape convinces me that He and I are not in the same league!
Since Anthea left just under a month ago I've spent most of most of my days on the wrong end of a paint brush. However, the decking is now mould free, dirt free and stained with a preservative oil. The windows have been thoroughly sanded, scraped primed, under and top coated and everything is in order for the winter. Next week I begin my one on one training as 'Supa Gran'caring for Su-Jin in tandum with Ciara before my solo debut when she returns to work on Monday 2nd April.
I'm happy (though feeling very dis connected with Anthea so far away) and enjoying the extraordinary bout of good (fine and calm) weather we have had for the last 7 weeks. Perhaps climate change is not all bad!

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