Life as we know it, has changed. We have pets again. Diana and I haven't had a kitten in the house since Trouble about 17 years ago. It's more exciting than Christmas, because it happens much less often.
LOCAL NEWS
Local and Mobile number portability featured in an article in the Dominion this week. It is what I have been working on, and helped craft some of the replies to questions from the reporter. I was not quoted, and did not wish to be.
Weather has been having a huge impact on the country. A forty-year flood in the lower North Island. A gas pipeline across the North Island has been cut off closing factories in Napier. People have been away from their homes for days. One woman made it to the riverbank by clutching a cow. Old 536 deserves to be known as Daisy and given a good retirement. The impact of the flooding has been quite big.
Minister Lianne Dalziell has resigned as a result of leaking a not particularly confidential document to the press. Whilst I am not sure I agree with her actions, I am surprised she resigned. I suspect it has more to do with her "misleading" the public about the circumstances of the leak than the leak itself.
After vast amounts of controversy and debate, the Halberg Sports Awards happened on Thursday night. Although the traitor Coutts had every right to be a finalist under the rules, I think Halberg would have got into a grave and turned over in it, if Coutts had won. A sportsman who craps on his country can't expect to win accolades from it for taking away the America's Cup. Lot's of analogies were drawn and I firmly believe that he had every right to win based on the rules, but it would have made a mockery of the spirit of the thing. The netballers got female player of the year (Irene Van Dyk), team of the year, and the supreme award for their efforts winning the World Cup.
A new poll has National closing in on Labour. It seems the honeymoon might be over for Ms Clark.
WORLD NEWS
Hell, I don't even know what's happening overseas. Bombs and stuff as usual and GW had to have Spot put down. If it wasn't for all the gay marriages in San Francisco the World news would be very dull. I don't really understand why the land of the free has such a problem with gay marriages. Wouldn't it be funny if they had to go to a country like China or Russia to do it?
SPORT
The Black Caps had a convincing win against South Africa on Tuesday. Fleming scored a ton. Won by five wickets with nearly five overs spare.
Then the Black Caps had a rain-shortened match on Friday, batted first and went mad in the last ten overs scoring 83 or so. The Safs were slowly drifting further and further back until they needed 27 off the last over, and they bloody near got it. Pollock hit three sixes and they needed a six off the last ball but didn't get it (much to the relief of Kyle Mills who was bowling). This takes the Black Caps to a 2-1 lead that nobody would have predicted.
The Super12 started this weekend. There were ideas that the Blues would go unbeaten this year and then they lost their first game to the Brumbies, which is funny (or would be if I wasn't a Blues supporter, not that I watch the games). Highlanders beat Reds, Cats beat Stormers, Waratahs beat the Crusaders, Chiefs beat the Hurricanes and the Sharks beat the Bulls. Not the best opener for the New Zealand teams with only one win over a non-New Zealand team.
Portsmouth beat Liverpool in the FA Cup replay. They'll be annoyed, Liverpool, not Portsmouth.
MY SAD LIFE
As usual, forgot many things that should have been in last week's mail. Jim's awning thing blew over on Sunday night and I helped straighten it up on Monday. Went to see "Lost in translation" with Diana, Allan, and Jacqui, it was okay but not a must-see (I still don't think Bill Murray was acting, too often they just be themselves and say the lines). Diana said that Rory is trying out for sports teams to get out of school time (I should say that this is a motivator for most kids, was for me). Rory upgraded his rollerblades last week, as well, to size 10/11 ones. Has been rollerblading a lot, weather permitting.
Funny story. Diana went to a gym to see what it was like, they weighed her and she was 10Kg over what she expected. She said it was wrong, they said "It's a weight balancing one, it can't be wrong" (one of those old ones where you slide the weights). Anyway, they finally agreed to weigh someone else and that person noticed something was hanging off one end of the scale. Diana was pretty annoyed. She sent her experience in to the Herald for a section called "sideswipe" and it was published on Friday, naming the gym. Diana felt much better.
Excitement has been building all week over the pending arrival of the kittens. Sleeps have been counted. Play toys have been purchased. Rory has been hugely entertained by a pull string vibrating mouse. He can't understand why it doesn't need batteries (modern kids don't get springs and clockwork, it's just foreign). Names have been considered. I drew up a contract for them to sign (based on a real contract) which includes their responsibilities and ours (like who cleans up spew, etc). Hannah read it through and negotiated one section (we are worried she's going to be a lawyer).
Dead funny on Friday night. Rory about to go off with Gavin to play warhammer at St Lukes. Diana says "You want me to save some lasagne for you?". The lip quivered, the decisiveness crumbled, the internal conflict was rushing across his face like a neon share price index. Finally he resolved to go, on the condition that there would be some left when he returned for second dinner. Even Gavin's lip quivered a bit with the conflict (just wait for Warhammer versus Lasagne, the movie).
Rory and Gavin returned triumphant. Gavin vanquished second on the ladder to move him up to second, Rory vanquished the topmost person to move himself to fourth and Gavin to first. Rory has become the spotty-faced assassin (baby-faced would sound better, but just wouldn't be accurate).
Hannah got a maths test result back this week and she got the top mark, along with a couple of year sixes (she's a five). Rory has been working hard on timestable drills and cracked the target 2m:30s for 100 multiplication. I got 1m:32, which is less than one a second, I was pretty pleased. Rory also played in the interschool softball tournament on Thursday. Although he played well, others didn't and the team didn't win any games. Neither Diana or I could be there, which was a real shame (we're both very busy with work).
The Goodins have been very low profile, Ross skiving off in Rotorua then the whole family in Wellington on a junket.
Having not heard from Koos since he returned home, I am wondering if he actually made it. I've spoken to Paul like three times since he went home and he only left about two weeks ago (and there have been a few emails).
Got a really nice email from someone who has read my book. Nice to get that now and again. Negotiations are proceeding to have a regular monthly slot on the radio with Alice. We shall see, not sure if I mind either way.
Saturday was a landmark day. The trip to the SPCA was very exciting but hugely sad. Over 40 kittens there, and we could only take two. Rory and I really bonded with the one Rory got. Hannah's pretty happy with hers, a little younger than Rory's. They are now named Pandora and Ollie. We all got a lot of sleep on the first night, which I would not have predicted. The second night, Pandora played on our bed all night, which was a huge disappointment after the first quiet night. She's a troublemaker. These two kitties have done very well for themselves and I think we have too. It's funny, but the house feels back to normal with the pets, I never really stopped looking for Amber at the back door and now that's changed over to the kittens.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Can we get a kitten every weekend?" - Rory after Hannah made him a hot chocolate on Saturday morning without being asked. Hannah has been very well behaved this last week, since the kitten announcement.
WORD FOR THE WEEK
(I know, been very irregular, technically word for the year)
Procellous: an adjective meaning stormy. Like "It has been quite procellous weather lately in New Zealand."
Well, off for a quick walk then nose to the grindstone.
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