Broadband

After more than 2 weeks waiting for connection & a frustrating few hours of installing I'm happy to say that we now have broadband. Yesterday was my last day at work for this term, so I'm going to have more time to check out my favourite internet sites. Now I'm able to view the Greek language videos without them stopping & starting all the time. Pretty pleased about that.

Visiting Friends

On Saturday we drove over to Tauranga to visit our friend Snow who has been in hospital for around 6 weeks now. Unfortunately he was having a bad day. He had had a procedure done the day before which knocked him about, but he had his radio on & was able to have a go at guessing some of the old songs from his better days. It was very sad to see him in such a bad way. Later we went to lunch with Maureen at one of the cafes in the Gate Pa shopping centre. Maureen had...,Bunny had...& I had.....No need to know that, but the waiter was pretty tasty. While there I checked out the Culinary Council, a fab shop selling cooking equipment & imported foodstuffs. That's one place I'll be shopping at when I've made my millions. Later we drove out to Julie's & Andy's new property out Pyes's Pa. They had just taken it over, but they have to have some trees felled, & some fencing done before they move in. Julie was happy to show us around the place, & was full of plans for their outdoor living area, including an outdoor oven. I know that it will be the scene of many memorable happenings. Never thought to take our binoculars, as they have a great (though distant)view down to Katikati & the Aldermans.

Schoolboy Rugby Update

Tawhai appears to be having a very successful sporting year at Hato Paora. Not only was he selected for the under 18 Manawatu rugby side for the Hurricanes tournament, but he was also made captain of the team. His mum, Kerry, will be heading to Wanganui at the end of term as manager of the East Cape under 16 team. Good luck to all of them.

More Signs of Spring

Today I checked out the magnolia in our bush, & Leigh appeared just in time for this shot. Our broadband modem arrived today, but we're still waiting for someone to drop off the loop before we can connect. It's a bummer.

Scary Stuff

Today I ventured into Wiki territory for the first time. I was full of confidence in the light of day, but now that it's getting dark I'm not so sure. Everything's a bit random at the moment, but I guess I just have to find my way around this new territory. And if all else fails I can always bail out. I've put a link on the sidebar, plus I've added the Followers gadget as well. Now that is scary - maybe I won't get any. Also I made the big decision to sign up for broadband today, even though I know we're unable to get top class speed in this area. I got the phone call to say that I would have to wait, but maybe I'll be lucky like Maurie, & get connected pronto.

Welcome Home at Marg's

Last night we had a very pleasant evening at Marg's place, where we enjoyed a pot luck dinner in good company. The occasion was a welcome home to Maurie & Leigh. Andrew looks right chuffed with his Italian football cap.

Picasa 3 New Feature

I downloaded the latest version of Picasa a couple of days ago, & today I tried the new feature that appealed to me - uploading photos to Picasaweb via email. This was the first one I found in my email programme. Lucy & her catch early January this year. She's certainly had a growth spurt since then. This feature is designed to facilitate uploading from mobile phones & other such devices, so I'll give it a go with my phone when I've set up my email function in it. Where's Sam when we need him!! If you click on the pics you should see a bigger picture, plus access my pics on my Picasa Web Albums.

A Man & his Dog

I was trying to think of something deep & meaningful to write, then I came across this. How's that for loyalty! I forgot that I had taken this pic the night of Maurie & Leigh's return home.

Kereru

At last I managed to get a pic of the Kereru near our house. The bonus was discovering two of them above our deck. Not a good idea to sit out there while they're perched above us.

Travellers Return

It was great to see the sun shining again today. We drove over to Whakatane to pick up Maurie & Leigh after their fantastic trip. True to form we saw a couple of the locals at the airport, Kay & Hari, who were seeing family off. Also good to see Maurie & Leigh looking so relaxed. We then headed off to The Bean for a coffee hit. They hadn't had a decent coffee since Rome. I feel for them! I enjoyed listening to some of their experiences, & maybe I'll include Italy in my next trip.