FPS WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

Well they did it. Harriette, Lance, Kylie and Beth won the Global Future Problem Solving Competition - Senior Division. They beat 58 teams from around the world (a large number from the States). We are so proud of them, in fact the whole of Matamata is rapt!! Everytime we go out someone says to us 'Didn't Harriette do well' or words to that effect. Alice is not impressed at have a world class geek for a sister :-)

The 3 sets of parents (Kylie went back to Japan where she is on a year long exchange) went to the airport at 5.30am (!!) to form a reception committee and in the afternoon the team was welcomed back to the school at a school assembly where the kids gave them raptuous applause. Again the parents all went to watch.






We let Harriette bask in the limelight for a week but told her last night that life gets back to normal now and she can start but by stacking the woodpile which is severely depleted!!! To add to her success she got her final philosophy essay back this week - A+!!! That's an A-, an A and an A+ for the 3 assignments. I think it's safe to say she passed the paper. Not bad for a 16 yr old. Oh, and the mooting finals did not go Matamata College's way, they came second but the advantage is that the 2nd prize is book vouchers. First prise was scholarships to do law at Waikato uni - which none of the 3 team members was planning to do.




Alice's life is, of course, domintated by her hectic social life. She is off to Kent's school ball tonight. I have been trying to get hold of our local seamstress but I think she has gone away so I am going to have to make some alterations to her dress today. It just needs some darts putting in as she does not have the assets to fill the top of the dress :-)

The turbo on the Mistral went last week which means Eric has had his head buried under the bonnet for 2 weekends now so the second coat of paint in the kitchen is on hold. Harriette is not impressed as she uses that car. We sooo need to replace the Mistral but just cannot afford to at the moment. Actually putting food on the table is becoming a struggle but everyone assumes that if you are a law firm partner you must be well off. So, sods law says if you have no money everything breaks. The turbo, the water pump on the bore last weekend (a 5 hour call-out on a Sunday afternoon!!), the kettle died and, you should see the bill from the plumbers. They seem to think we are going to pay for the installation of each of the 3 water cylinders! They are in for a surprise. I may even have to discuss with my lawyer.

We've had a busy week and next week will be the same. Alice had her year 11 dance evening. The classes have to put on a dance as part of phys ed. It forms part of their assessments. As they do so much preparation the school has them perform for the parents and public. It was a good evening with a variety of skill levels on show. Needless to say the music was too modern for the grumpy old man I took with me. Alices class got second place, only 3 marks off first. She really enjoyed dance and I would encourage her to take it up but she is so busy with her music stuff.

We also had WYMA special general meeting last night (I chair and Eric is secretary) and next week we have our formal Rotary changeover (I am MC-ing and have been very involved in organising) and I have a Victim Support meeting.

I have a new challenge at work. Our organisation provides a newsletter to professionals on a quarterly basis and I have been asked to be the editor. Although only a small publication the articles have to be exactly right and everything goes through 3 layers of checking and proofing. I am really enjoying it. It is very time consuming at the moment as I am setting up project management stuff that was lacking.

May news

Another particularly hectic few weeks. First, and saddest is that Rust did not improve. In fact the following day Eric put him down. He was so miserable it was aweful to watch. He constantly had a dazed look on his face and wimpered a lot. Managing a paralysed dog of Rust's size is also very hard. I had recently bought a pohutakawa tree but not got to planting it so we dug a bigger hole and planted Rust under it. It's on the edge of the orchard so when it grows we will be able to see it from the living room. Inca obviously was locked up while all this was going on so does not know where Rust went but when we walk near the orchard Inca's nose is in the air and he sniffs intently! I wonder what he understands of it all. Inca's life on the other hand has improved in quality a 1000-fold. He is now a spoilt house hound. He still sleeps outside (which the other 3 residents of the house complain about bitterly) but spends much of the day indoors, lying in front of the Rayburn (another story) and generally being fussed over!! In fact as he does not disappear off for hours rabbiting in ours and neighbouring paddocks now (obviously Rust was the instigator of such sojourns) I am even taking him for walks!! Inca must think he is the one who has died and definitely gone to heaven!!


On a happier note MagillEarl had their sign changed when Eric became a partner. His office is the one over the big sign.


The saga of the rayburns goes on. In mid-April we had the ceremonial lightening of the newly installed Rayburn. It was not right, the noises coming from it has hot water did not do what it was meant to. It sounded like it was going to explode, or take off! Anyway, the plumbers came back, discussed with their suppliers, and decided that the suppliers had sent the wrong tank. Anyway, a new tank (tank number 3!!) was ordered. About 10 days later I chased the plumbers, who chased their suppliers. They had not placed the order (so we are told!). Anyway, the tank was ordered and finally arrived,at about the same time as the area was hit with an incredible amount of rain over a few days. The plumbers were then up to their eyeballs in emergency calls!! Anyway, finally, last Tuesday the 3rd tank was installed and we lit the Rayburn!!! It's great, taking a bit of getting used to but the water heats brilliantly ("nice" hot water as Eric said????) and I am doing as much cooking as I can on it. I have also got the camping kettle out so we have constant hot water for tea/coffee etc. The only problem at the moment is that the wood we have at the moment is not great for burning, in that it burns too quickly, so we are going through wood quickly. Luckily we are not short of wood.

As part of the Rayburn's installation we decided we should paint the kitchen. In fact the whole house needs doing. I decided on this colour (see piccie), everyone else hates it. What do you think? It doesn't matter as I DO like it and it's my kitchen.


Life in this place seems centred around Harriette at the moment. She is on a bit of a role at the moment. She has put 2 assignments in for her university paper (philosophy -she'd 16 still!!) and has got 75% and 83%. She is in the schools senior mooting team and came home the other day saying they had got through to the semi-finals. She looked down so I commented that that was good - wasn't it? "No" she declared, when are we going to have time to prepare!!! They are up to their eyeballs in assignments and Harriette has been preparing for the FPS competition and having to get her school and uni. assignments in early as she'll be off for 2 weeks.

The semifinals were last Tuesday. We were not going to be able to go as we were going out with Robyn for her birthday.Anyway, that went by the wayside as Robyn's father took acutely ill that day and was admintted to hospital. They still do not know what is wrong but Robyn has not gone to Australia as planned. Richard and the girls have gone on their own. She is so disappointed. Anyway, we were then able to watch Harriette, Izzy and Sophie moot at the District Court in Hamilton. Well I was blown away! The girls basically present a case to judges. They act as solicitor, junior and senior counsel and get grilled by the judges who constantly asked about precedents in previous cases and why this and that. They really have to have done their research. they are all real cases. There is no way I would have had the courgae to go through it. They all went in with the intent of NOT getting into the finals as they are when Harriette is away. Guess what? They failed!! They have got through so Izzy and Sophie have to present alond. Harriette is gutted but has tried to help out this week with the research.

As for Future Problem Solving, I am taking Harriette, Lance and his mom Christine to the airport on Sunday. They fly Auckland-San Fransisco where they meet Kylie flying in from Japan and Sue their teacher who is already there visiting her sister - Chicago where they stay a night then Lacrosse where they are billetted with an American family for 2 nights. They then go to the Univerisity of Wisconsin - La Crosse for the FPS Global Competition/Conference. When that is is finished it is home via a few days stopover in Chicago. She is sooo excited!

Alice is at Kent's place in Hamilton again. They spend at least some of every weekend together. Rather longer this weekend as she went to his from band practice last night and is staying until I pick her up on the way back from Auckland Sunday evening. Luckily it is a long weekend (Queens birthday) so she can catch up with homework etc on Monday. Their sports interfere with the weekend as Alice and Kent both have band practice on Friday nights in Hmailton but Kent can't come back as he has rugby, and ALice can't stay there as she has netball in Matamata!! Someone therefore has to do the run aagain on Sat then Sunday! Luckily Kent is on the verge of getting a car and, although he cannot take Alice as a passenger, he can at least drive himself out here.

Harriette is actually a bit jealous of Alice who is going to 4 school balls this year, including the Matamata College ball, which Harriette is missing. Admittedly she is only waitressing at that one but at least she'll be there! She is going to Hamilton Boys ball with Kent, of course, maybe the Air Corps ball with her friend Tim (well she's hoping to, she went last year) and she and Kent have been invited to one in Auckland with a friend of their's from Hamilton. I hope she doesn't want 3 separate ball gowns!!! We are sooooo broke this year that spending is down to absolute essentials only.

A few weeks ago Waikato Schools Symphonic Band (Harriette's band) and Waikato Youth Symphonic Band (Alice and Kent) participated in the Matamata Festival of Msuic competition. Schools got a gold award and Youth Band got Gold plus!!!! Not bad eh!

Finally, my running and cycling are on hold. In the aforementioned rain I slipped on the deck on the cottage and fell landing on a step. I landed on my left buttock and have the most incredible bruising!! That was nearly 2 weeks ago and I still cannot sit on that side. If I do a)it hurts and b)I feel like I'm balancing on top of a large ball! I almost passed out with the pain when it happened and felt ill all day. Everyone had just left so I had to cope on my own. Needless to say my family were totally supportive. For example, Alice burst out laughing when she saw the bruise a few days later.