For Marion!

I Skyped with Marion and Simon for the first time this week. (Marion and I worked together for 9 years when I ran the HDU at Buckland Hospital in the 80's. They have retired to Spain.) Marion commented that I had not posted since 'Miss Saigon' so I have added some blogs that were in my Drafts folder and am adding one for good measure. I am working until about 11pm tonight teaching in Rotorua and then have to take Helen home so I am starting late today. I plan to blog and then attempt to cycle to the end of Taotaoroa Rd and back. Only 28km but seriously hilly so some stretches are very slow going. Stunningly beautiful though!!

I have recently go back on my bike after doing almost nothing since Taupo last November when I did half of the 160km course. My fitness has dropped back hugely and my bum needs to toughen up again! The time in the saddle is as big a challenge as the energy and power to actually ride! I did 55km 2 weeks ago so am getting there. I am doing Taupo again this month but only 40km. I have opted to do leg 4 which includes Haitapi Hill. I blogged about that 2 years ago.Last weekend we had a pot-luck evening with the cycle club - Matamata Peddlers. The club is big for such a small town and very vibrant. It was started by our friends Dale and Sheryl Ertel. Sheryl is a fellow Rotarian (which is how we met). At the pot-luck I had enough wine to feel it but not enough to be drunk. A perfect balance that is a pleasure and does not leave one suffering the next day.

Running is getting easier after the winter lull. With the clocks changing it is easier to get up in the summer, and we have had some beautiful mornings lately. I am just waiting for the pool to be cleaned up. It should be swim-able by the end of the weekend.

We need to work on tidying the place up a bit. I have started working on the garden and drive and we plan to paint the outside of the house this summer. I have also go sowing in the veg plot and with no plans to holiday away this summer I should be able to grow plenty this year. Alice and I spent much of the recent school holidays repainting her room. It has a very high ceiling and we painted it black, and bought the paint down the walls about 50cm. the difference is amazing. I knew what we had done but really had to look hard to see where the ceiling started and the wall finished. We just need to do the curtains now. I have not been able to find any the right colour and was going to make some but have decided to dye some IKEA ones we bought with us that are still in their packets. Problem now is finding the time to do the dye-ing!

I joined Matamata's Women's Club earlier this year. The club meets once a month. It is an excuse to dress up, have dinner and socialise. It is a good size with about 90 attending last night. No committee's or fund raising and they have a speaker. I really enjoy it. Yesterday I presented a 'pen sketch' on my life. One person does one each month. I got lots of nice comments afterwards with 2 people saying I should be a professional speaker :-). How nice is that!

We are coming up to that really busy time of year. Harriette's leavers dinner is next week. She only has a few days left at school then exams and that's it until late Feb! She MUST get a job over the summer. I can't have her hanging around the house for 3 months - much as I'm sure she'd love to!

Rotary has kept us busy lately. There is big fund raiser on for Polio Plus which I am involved in. I spent last Sunday up in the Kaimais at a RYPEN camp. RYPEN is a youth enrichment programme aimed at middle of the road youth who demonstrate positive characteristics. The kids absolutely loved it and developed real camaraderie over the weekend. This weekend we are providing security at a home for the Matamata Home and Garden's Show on Saturday morning. We are also hosting 6 people for Guess Who's coming to Dinner on Friday evening. This is a social event our Rotary club runs a few times a year. We know we are cooking for 6 guests but do not know who they are until they arrive. We do the main course and others bring desert, starter, wine etc. It's usually a very pleasant evening.

Matamata-Piako has a business awards evening in October and this year Eric's firm, Magill Earl, was in the finals for the customer satisfaction category. They did not win but it was still a great achievement, and good publicity. The dinner was very enjoyable and the guest speaker, Marcus Akuhata-Brownm was amazing. Marcus is a Maori guy who went from growing up on the East Coast in a house with no electricity to the world stage meeting Mandela, Tutu, Prince Charles and President Obama in his capacity as a youth leader. His speech was one of the best I have ever heard. A great communicator and motivator for youth.


Well it's 9am now and rush hour will be over so I am going to head out on the bike. I will probably be passed by about 6 cars in 2 hours now. If I went earlier it would have been nearer 20!!! I LOVE New Zealand!