I love this time of year - Spring. The oranges in the shop are wonderful at the moment, better than last year I think and about $1.50/kg (25-30p/lb) and asparagus has just come into season. We buy from a farm locally for $5/kg which goes down to $3/kg (50-60p/lb) later in the season. Consequently we eat it about 3 times a week at the moment. Supper tonight was a wonderful fettucine with cream, fresh herbs and asparagus - absolutely divine (and from your book Robyn - Thank You!) Yes, I know, I shouldn't need a recipe for such a simple dish. Spring would be perfect if someone had told the sun - pouring with rain today!!
Stan has just phoned and Alice is regalling him all about horseriding as I speak. She loves her lessons and I guess it will be a riding hat for Xmas. She desparately wants to do a holiday course so I have told her that she needs to ask for money at Xmas to pay for this!!
Harriette is still being nice. Not only did she wash up, in hot soapy water this evening but she wiped the work surfaces down as well. Very strange! Oh, come to think of it she did actually ask why she should wash up!!!!!!!
Eric enjoyed his First Aid training day yesterday. The tutor sounded like good fun and had some interesting stories to relay. He has put the Safari back on the road and has collected plasterbaord today for my office. Progress continues. He will be going into mourning soon at missing another Old Boys over Rememberance Weekend!
I had lunch yesterday with a solicitor friend Jo whom I used to work with. I think I have already said this. I returned a pile of books of hers that Eric had borrowed and she signed a heap of forms for me for Mom and Daddy's immigration application. (in the post tomorrow, I want to see if I can send them recorded delivery M and D). They only have to wait another few weeks and they can put their application in. Juliet's parents applied in August and have been accepted already. I thought applications for the oldies would take months as they would not be in a hurry to get them out here. The Immigration Service in the UK is obviously on top of things.
Is the Pitcairn trial big news in the UK? I heard an interview with Linda Clark a few days ago with a women who lived their for a few months under the guise of doing some research for the Royal Mail (it was a few years ago). She wrote a book, which I must try and get, and was very interesting. She went their imagining paradise and found that all the things she thought would be wonderful (no traffic, the remoteness, tight knit community, 3000km from the nearest supermarket etc etc) actually contributed to a hellish lifestyle. She talks of it being a prison and how the inhabitants had no choices, no choice in career, life partner, religion, food, friends etc etc. And they don't have diseases, or much resistence to disease. Facinating stuff.
Here the abuse of cadets at a, now disbanded, army camp has been big news for a few days. Eric fell about laughing when reading the paper yesterday, one of the officers mentions in the article was a Major Wayne Anker!!!!!!! Boys humour me thinks!
Had an email from Juliet recently. They are very down as Kev is making no progress towards employment and he stormed out of WINZ (Work and Income NZ, ie the DSS) recently as they were so unhelpful! He is going bonkers being at home all day and is not a happy badger. I just wish we could do something to help. We are going up on Sat after going in to Hamilton to look at a piano and will take a food parcel and goodies.
The piano? Well Harriette is working quite concientiously these days at her practice and our piano is seriously old. There is no middle C and middle B is almost non existent. We always said that we would replace it if she stuck at her lessons and we have really got to that stage. I have been keeping my eye open at a piano store in Hamilton. Well they had one yesterday which was a really good price. I spoke to Eric in the evening and as they do 0% finance and have a sale at the moment we decided to go for it. I drew some of my meagre savings and went in to do the deal only to find that it was sold. We are now looking at a slightly more expensive one that sounded good to my music ignorant ears.
(Interuption to speak to Stan)
I was supposed to be on Annual Leave tomorrow so I could attend Ag Day at school and watch Alice but now obviously don't need the day off! As the weather looks awful and I have about a weeks worth of paperwork today I will work, for at least part of the day anyway.
Plan to curl up with my book now. Night night.
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