And another one!

Maybe it's as you get older and nearer to the point yourself that deaths have more effect on you. Last night we heard that one of Jill's relations had died after a stroke . I'd never met the 77 year old and Jill only remembers him from her teenage years, but somehow it gets more personal than, say , the death of Michael Jackson or Farrah Fawcett, with all due respect to them, it's not family. No matter how extended, it's not 'whanau', to use a very useful Maori word.

Yep! I was right!

My neighbours' son did die a few days back. As they say, no parent should have to bury their children. Burying is the children's job.
Peppy the ridgeback fell down and couldn't get up last night. I had to help him up and lead him to bed. It was so sad! All that night we checked on him and planned a vet call in the morning, but when we got up his was quite perky. So we deferred it again.
Today I repacked our emergency kit. No earthquake yet but you never can tell- better to be prepared. Food, water , sleeping bags- enough for 3 days the govt advise. I must say, I wouldn't like to be outside at this time of year, it's bloody cold out there. Maybe it'll come in the summer!
Jill's gone out to a Jewellery party, a bit like a tupperware party, but jewels! Fancy leaving me in charge!

Exercise?

I don't think I'm getting enough exercise! I don't mean stuff like walking- I do plenty of that. Not long ago I walked the Woodville rail & tunnel track. A once a year thing run by the Woodville Lions as a fundraiser , walks through 3 tunnels and 8km long. Not steep, of course, because trains don't like steep, but still it was no problem. I went with eldest son Stephen in case I needed a 'carry' but no problem. No, what I mean is anaerobic activity. Stuff that makes me puff, so I jumped on Jill's exercycle which has an onboard computer that tells you how far you've gone, what your heart rate is , what speed you're going and how many calories you have consumed . I thought I'd concentrate on distance! Only one kilometer but I started of on 2min 45 secs. Next day was 2min 34secs and today 1min 54sec. I don't think that is a world record but it's a start- and it did make me puff!

Sacred images

I've just heard that somebody else has found an image of the Virgin Mary in a puddle or a damp patch! I've already informed one of my contacts that I have an image of Jesus, Mary Magdelene and all their children, in the freshly dug soil of my vegetable garden. Unfortunately it is obscured by the fact that all the surrounding dirt is exactly the same colour!

More sadness!

As the depressingly grey weather continues, I see an ambulance back into my neighbour's driveway. I don't know her well as she moved in after we arrived here and she keeps largely to herself but we know she has a son with terminal cancer so I guess an ambulance can't be considered good news. Some aspect of life always seems to be sad. It's a pity!

Rain, Rain!

Just keeps on coming! I heard on the radio news that Cook's Strait is now down to 9 metre swell! Was 14 metres yesterday! That is a big wave! That's about 40 feet high! Surfers would love that but a bit cold I suspect. My old naval dad said the Cook's Strait was the nastiest piece of sea he ever encountered on the days that it decided to be a bitch. Otherwise it can be very pretty. The rivers are rising and rain in the hills won't reach us down here for a day or two. Well, I suppose it's winter and that's what happens in winter.

Sad isn't it?

When your mate who'se been a sidekick for 14 years starts to show signs that he might not be with you much longer. No longer leaping fences with a single bound but now I have to lift his back end into the Suzuki to go for 'sniffings' down by the river. To splash and play in the water and chase enormous sticks, (more logs really) and pretend that he's not going to give them back to me to throw again. Now he hops his front legs up into the back of the car and waits patiently for me to give him a lift. Stares at me with his big brown eyes and asks the question of me. 'Why don't I work properly?' Don't worry Peppy, I ask myself the same question , but it seems that life is like that.