Getting into gear

A wet and cold day today it's back to the wintry Wellie scene, and everyone is rugged up including me. After all, we all know the weather is an integral part of the charm of this wild and wooly city, making you very aware that life is to be lived to the full, no good  worrying about the next earthquake.

I go into Memphis and have  a good coffee with Anita who is always a source of some tid-bit of news. Today it is her visit to Auckland for the Cold Play concert. She had bought a ticket for her partner Andy  for his his birthday, and also managed to get two cheap return flights in a deal offerd by Air NZ. They have an interesting and good relationship - she with her chronic fatigue looks after him as best she can while doing volunteer work in Victims' Support to fill her day and help others in a similar situation.

This is the true historyof the Pakeha - Maori wars which everyone should know

Morning at Memphis...

The old guard goes out withpomp and circumstance

Finally a Wellie Cat Café, about time!

Kiwis punchedabove their weight in the Games, as always.

Gideon has gone crazy and shaved hisbeautiful blond locks in winter!

Two great Kiwi sports champs...

Serious floods in Louisianabrings out Obama

A new AB hero in the making!

This wonderful home of learning,Wellington City Library

...and its ever popular café upstairs where I often see someone I know and today was no exception.

Tonight a welcome return to my swimming session at the great Kilbirnie pool. I love it because it is twenty-five metres which perfect for me. Also our coach Gareth, an ex-London Olympics swimmer, is exceptional. So after a good one hour session I finish some shopping at the Kilbirnie Pak'n Save and get home for a good night's sleep. I fear tomorrow, which is day one of the Noho at Island Bay Marae, may not offer me an equivalent opportunity, but it should be a great experience gathering with all my Tiwhanawhana friends to sing Waiata and practise the poi. I am staying one night not two, finishing late on Saturday night which I think will do me fine.

Today I also wrote to give my apologies to the Interfaith executve as I won't be attending their AGM on Sunday. It has been quite a learning experience with Wellington Interfaith but I'm afraid,  frankly, they were not at all what I expected and Eckankar will no longer be represented on their Board when I leave for Australia. Things are just done very differently here in New Zealand in the area of religion.