Updating the diary on 10th September listening to a special Kim Hill Saturday programme hosted by Kim of English descent and Susie Ferguson of Scottish descent on the Queen's death.
It's been a busy two months and it may be the long tail of Covid or just life but I have nearly let the blog go. I've been wondering how to print it so I have a hard copy, including photos. A big job which I'll commit to when the seniors leave. I feel I could lose it if I leave it solely in the ether. How do we archive our lives and documents in this electronic age?
In the meantime, here is the week at the end of term two. I made it. Always a sense of getting over the line following ten weeks' teaching. This winter term more than ever with so much sickness. People, students and teachers in and out, never know who will be on deck daily. It's called survival....I plod on feeling generally ok tireder of an evening and in bed earlier. In the dark and gloom.
Kahu has a paricularly cold game of rugby, the wind driving across the park into our legs and into the faces of the mud splattered players. The managers brought a shelter and the players on the bench wrestled it up in the wind. Kahu's plays a blinder of a game throwing himself at oppositions legs and into rucks. I cross fingers in gloves but he makes it off the field limping slightly, exhausted but otherwise in one piece.
Dinner at Nicky's on Friday night, first function in the new house as Nicky gets more confident to open her doors in Covid times without her 86 year old mother to protect and without John, the control freak, Brent's 60th birthday, Saturday night, and pick up of Nicola, my sister.
We drive south in wintry weather, snow on the side of the road from Burke's Pass and all through the Mackenzie Country to Lindis Country. And rain damage to the road from a string of winter storms. We get to Mark and Dianne's house at the bottom of the airport hill on Springvale Road, just after four. Nikolei and his wife are waiting for us and hand over a warm house. Night falls and we settle in.
We meet the real estate agent and property manager at our new place in the morning. As we pull up I see a delightful private garden tucked at the rear. A beautiful weeping cherry tree and bare rose bushes with a cabbage and other well established trees over the fence. It doesn't matter what thehouse is like when there's such an inviting space to sit outside. There are snow flakes and the house is understandably freezing but it's tidy, compact and the old lady has left the appliances. Blue carpet will have to go, later. There's only venting fans to install in order to tenant. An old lady with a small dog is interested and as we chat another old lady comes to the door.
"I'd heard Tui and Lionel's daughters had bought the place," she booms. I pause. "You were one of our teachers at school, Girls' High." And indeed she was, PE teacher, Yvonne Latham. She's direct, still loud, at 88, and hospitable. Do we need to borrow anything? As with many old people, she loves socialising and has got the time for it.
The real estate agent, Andrew Little, gives us a thank you bag of comestibles. Nic's time is limited and we have jobs to do. She's all business which is good because I'm too tired to think. When we go to the movies, though, I have to step up as the Toyota won't start. Stopping to look at Mt Cook on the way down it did this, and times before around Christchurch, so I put the hood up to wriggle the battery connections. It doesn't work so we call for help. I don't have my phone so Nic rings Donna, Tui and Lionel's real estate agent and a family friend. It's 8pm, rainy, dark but they drive from Alex with jumper leads. No luck. They drop us home. I realise this is it and find out I don't have roadside assistance having changed insurers to the Automobile Association without specifying cover for breakdowns.
I get on the phone next morning.....AA, Maxine to borrow a car, and Lionel's mechanic, Russell. Lucky to have local connections. When Kari arrives to take us to coffee she suggests we try to start the car. It turns over. I drive it to Russell's then back to Maxine's to pick up her car. I've got legs back, stress relieved.
The rest of the week is spent doing jobs, dinner with Lynette, visit to John and Glenda where I call out racism, and driving Nic to Queenstown to fly home. With a visit to Owen. I go to Maxine's to stay....old house, one heater, no electric blanket....the coldest I've been in years. I feel like I'm going to freeze to death in bed.
