Sunday morning and the first weekend of the duck shooting season. As I type, Eric is bemoaning the change from lead to steel shot, as has been required by law (which meant he had to purchase a new shotgun). The change happened 2 years ago, and the shotgun was a birthday present from me. But this is the first year he has gone duck shooting for awhile. He has the shooting rights on the ponds on Richard and Robyn’s farm and so was out there at 6am yesterday morning. It followed a late night and so he has opted for a lie in this morning and plans to go out again this evening (hopefully while I catch up with Robyn). He came home with a pair of ducks yesterday. A married pair I hope. I am not delighted with the idea of duck shooting but if Eric is going to kill them then I may as well eat them (I do love duck)!! I believe that ducks pair for life, which is why I try and encourage Eric to shoot pairs. Harriette is interested in shooting and is going out with Eric this evening. (He’s reading Hunting and Fishing and still moaning about shot – the price this time!!)
Friday evening’s late night was because we went out for a meal and to the movies. We were looking for a suitable family movie. The girls had already seen the St Trinians one, separately with girl friends during the school holidays. We opted for ‘3.10 to Yuma’. When the girls asked what it was about and I said a western it then occurred to me that they had never seen a western!!! I grew up on them and we were rather incredulous at the idea. I guess not having a TV does deprive them of some aspects of their education, although how many young people watch westerns these days? Anyway, we decided to go the Redoubt for an early supper then The Regent (the olde worlde cinema I have described previously) both at Te Awamutu. When we arrived at the Redoubt it was smaller than the one in Matamata and very crowded so we decided to give it a miss. It was hosing down with rain and we drove around TA looking for another eatery, feeling that the evening was turning out badly. Well we found Elevations was open. It was a nice place, and I had a $30 discount Entertainment voucher for it, which was a bonus. The meal was very pleasant and we planned to come back after the movie for cheesecake. (We didn’t as it was closed, after all this is rural NZ and it was later than 9.30pm!!) At the Regent we bought tickets and I headed for the loo, only to be stopped by Alice pointing out a sign on the door and saying “No Mom, it’s for Cinema Patrons Only” Duh!!! Alice has come out with some beauts lately asking Harriette why having 5 aces in poker does not beat 4 kings (when they were discussing how to play poker) and during a conversation about needing maths when shopping to calculate how much you get off clothes with certain % discounts, Alice said 20% of $100 was $5. And Harriette is the blonde one!!!!
Anyway, Alice spent her time watching the movie with her fingers in her ears (it was very loud) “too much shooting Mom” or her hands (almost) covering her eyes. Knowing Alice she was probably more worried about the horses than the people. It was a good movie, which both girls really enjoyed. Having said it was good I think it was OK most of the way through with a great ending. Certainly a good one for initiating the girls to westerns.
The temperatures have dropped this week. Our morning temps have gone down into single figures. I ran in 21 degrees C one day late last week (at 7am). I was so hot when I got back that I contemplated a swim but was put off when the thermometer said 15 degrees C. My absolute bottom limit is 16. We have had some good downpours and the paddocks are certainly looking better. I hope this cold spell does not set in as we need the daytime warmth to keep the soil temperatures up and keep the grass growing.
In the veg plot I have picked the last of the courgettes, sweetpeas and kentucky beans. I still get the odd few strawberry’s. I eat them straight off the plant – not enough to bring up and share!! The pumpkins are ready to be bought up. I planted 2 varieties and seem to have 3. One is a pale yellow gourd I have never seen before! I have extended one of the beds a bit and that is planted up now with seedlings. I now have to tackle the large strawberry plot, which has been taken over by a particular weed that I am yet to identify.
It was Daddy’s birthday yesterday. We had them over for a meal and bought Daddy tickets to a local production of Foxtrot Flats for later in the month and a book of the cartoon character. I got the tickets for the night before they head off to Tahiti (with Ann and Mike) but will have to change them as their flight is early and they are staying in Auckland the night before!
Apparently my cousin Bruce is coming over to see his family in Australia in Dec/Jan and so we might take the opportunity to go over there. It falls in with Eric’s long stretch of annual leave and our air miles will need using up.
Work is really busy at the moment. The national immunisation schedule has changed and we have the contract for all the training, I am doing a load of teaching in pharmacies at the moment and the government announced this week the funding of the HPV vaccine from September this year. On Monday I am doing a session which will be digitally recorded and put on to PHO websites!
I may have previously mentioned that Paul Offit, a leading paediatrician in the area of immunisation, is coming to NZ in June. Paul is my hero and I am very excited at hosting him for a lunchtime presentation in Hamilton. I was asked this week if I would be available to drive him to Rotorua afterwards and am looking forward to the prospect of having Paul’s company all to my self for an hour!
Our week at work has been tinged with sadness as an Auckland colleague died suddenly on Wednesday afternoon. Virginia apparently fell at home. She as not particularly healthy and I am wondering if it was a stroke or something that cased the fall. Virginia was one of the few remaining founding members of IMAC and we only saw her 2 weeks ago at a DIF meeting. I was planning to go up to the North Shore (Auckland) for her funeral but I gather it is on Tuesday and I am chairing a meeting that morning that Pat Tuouy, the MoH’s Well Child champion, is coming to Waikato to explain the immunisation targets the Ministry have set for us. I just would not be able to get out of that.
Well I have lit the fire and so it should be a bit warmer now. My hands are freezing sticking out the bed typing so I am going to get dressed, move around and try and get warm!
