Our beloved cat

Death is so cold. It is odd how we humanise pets but we've had two cats for almost as long as we've been married and now we are down to one. We were married in 1995 and rented in a few places before we bought our first house in West Sussex in 1996. Within days of moving in we adopted two stray kittens that were born at the bottom of a garden not far away and were destined to be wild cats. We named them Harley (Davidson) and Gizmo; the former on account of his large size and loud purr and the latter due to ridiculous ears and a natural terror of everything on account of being fairly crazy.

Harley adapted well to being a pet and has been a loving companion for the past 11 years. Gizmo never quite got over his fears and has been a loving but skittish pet so desperately wanting to be cuddled but always looking for an exit, just in case. Both would always be together and Gizmo clearly needed Harley. They survived the trip from the UK well and Harley, as expected, adjusted nicely to life in New Zealand and Gizmo remained crazed.

We moved lots here and every time, the two cats settled into a new house and enjoyed the lifestyle as much as we did. When we moved into this house as our permanent home, they both took to it immediately; the decks, the log fires, the sun and the quiet location made it perfect for us and them.

Sadly today, I walked out onto the deck and said hello to Harley who appeared to be sleeping and got no response. His usual style was to come running and nuzzle but today nothing. He had been fine when I went off into town at around 10:30am today so I went closer and patted him. He was still warm but had clearly died in his sleep and was not breathing. I called Mrs R and we had a cry as he had been with us since the beginning of our lives together.

I know he was just a cat, but he was such a part of our lives and meant so much to us. There is nothing we have done over the last 11 years where we haven't considered the cats and now poor old Gizmo is all alone. Funnily enough, last night they slept against the safety guard by the log fire, slowly cooking, and Mrs R took this final picture of them. Harley, as usual, stretched out and his little brother nestled against him and almost on top of him, just in case.....

We will miss him and know that Gizmo will miss him more.

If this doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you have a heart of stone

I think I'm hooked on this show. If this 6 year old girl doesn't make you cry....



Kind of proof of reincarnation I think; how can someone so young do what this kid does without having lived before?!! Incredible.

Simon Cowell Smiles

This guy makes even cold hearted Simon smile. Taken from the new show "Britain's Got Talent" which is a spin on Pop Idol; incredible voice and a likely winner of the show.



Boy, is he in the wrong job.

Recipe for Disaster

An easy recipe to follow. Simply leave two 5 year olds alone in a tidy room with a ball of wool or two. Mix and leave for an hour and return after ominous silence. And voila, this is what you get:



There is audio on the clip, it is just that I can't speak and end up staring out the window wishing I was at the airport.....I didn't even dare to turn the television off in case I got trapped and was found hanged three days later with the cats nibbling my extremities.....

Most Scenic Playground in the World

We went to the playground today but not the usual place where we go over at Nairnville. This time Mrs R suggested the park just down the road that was recently cleaned up. I'd never been there and had no idea what a treat it would be on such a beautiful Wellington day.

I'm fairly sure that this has to be the most scenic playground in the world. The kids ignored the view but the bench pictured below is perfectly positioned to watch the harbour. You could even enjoy the view as you bounce up and down on the see-saw.




Being a nervous parent, we kept the ball games away from the rather unsettling cliff edge; not sure whether it is too smart to build a playground on top of a cliff and not put up a barrier of sorts but the views sure are great.....

Tana Umaga says Goodbye to the Hurricanes

I'm not gonna mention the game except to say it was a good crowd and a great farewell to Tana.



Also, it was the last game for Lome Fa'atau who is still electric when (if) he gets the ball.



Miss R came along too and also waved goodbye to Tana, something to tell the grandkids; he is one of the greats.

Lots more pictures on my Flickr page.

The House That Jack Built

Finished. It arrived a few weeks back and sat idle leaning against the side of the house whilst I got up the courage to build it. I must admit to being a bit scared, being a Pom and all that. I know that Kiwis are genetically programmed to build houses and to be honest, this was a house. "Play" house just didn't do it; this thing had a freakin' deck and windows that opened.

The base was seriously heavy and at over 2.5ms was hard as hell to lift. I had prepared an area for it but the instructions warned (in bold type no less) to make sure that the ground was level else things would be nasty. Not a good idea to ignore bold type; I had done that before and I can still remember the screams....

I plodded off to the hardware store, bought some posts and cement, fired up the laser level that I'd used once before to put up a border, and off I went, all Kiwi bloke like. I used real Kiwi words like bugger, YehNoYeh and Damn these are my best pants and after a day had a great looking set of foundations fit for a palace.

The next day, Mrs R and I through sheer will power managed to move the base into place and I couldn't really believe that it actually fitted perfectly. Construction began in earnest and to be honest the instructions were real simple and once we had two walls in place, Mrs R left me and my hammer to it.

A few hours later and....



Since this photo was taken, armed with a renewed sense of manliness, I put in three more posts and a railway sleeper step at the front, and then a fence. The little R's now have their very own Bach and I will eventually get a Sauna......

Highly recommend Woodworx and this product. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard work 'cause it was but it wasn't hard to put together and everything was well labelled with every nail and bolt included; good instructions, an accurate hammer arm and away you go. I got a few cuts and bruises but there is nothing like the feeling of building your own house!

Bad Day at the Office

Ever thought you had a bad day at the office? Well I bet it is nothing like the day that these guys had judging by this sequence of 4 photos, courtesy of Worksafe Victoria. An archive of other dodgy workers can be found at Shockers of the Week.

Photo One shows a typical foundation excavation with a small water leak (kindly highlighted with a big yellow arrow):


Photo Two shows a bit more water but don't worry lads, we've got a pump, soon be nice and dry in there:


In Photo Three the extent of the leak becomes clear and it is anchors away:


And finally in Photo Four, a lovely new recreational lake, just don't get you fishing line caught on the crane.....

Matt's Back.....Soon

I first saw the Where The Hell Is Matt video a few months back on YouTube. It is brilliant in its simplicity and the music sets off the whole thing beautifully. He's not claiming to save the world, he's not even out there spreading the word of God, he's traveling the world (something most Kiwis are genetically programmed to do) and he is accidentally raising issues of importance in his journal.



He is on the move again and he'll hit New Zealand sometime this year. His web site is tracking his every move and his journal is great reading and well written. It is through his writing last year that you get a sense of what is really going on in the world as he is not jumping from 5 star hotels but really travelling, the hard way, with a budget, and walking places. He was in Mali two days ago but the map now shows him in Ethiopia, a country with a tragic past and I suspect the ongoing trauma of that country will come across when he writes.

I think those fine folks over at Wellingtonista Towers could organise a great Blogfest welcome for Matt if he gets to Wellington; a mass dance at the top of Mt Kaukau maybe? Go on, register on his site and get him to our fine city; he doesn't mention us once in his NZ journal so we need him here. Maybe he could dance with Queen Helen......

Petrol Head? Nah, I ain't that smart.

I drive an Audi and I like my car. I'm not a petrol head as I know very little about engines but I know what I like. I like reliability and power and I kind of get both from my car. It always starts but I do often get little flashing lights which seem to suck money straight from my bank account. I dread to think how much I have spent over the last 5 years since it arrived in a container from the UK.

It was a car we bought pre-children when we lived in a nice country town in West Sussex and is not very sensible these days having only two seats but I could not part with it. It took part in a daring 3am fog smothered rush to Worthing hospital in the winter of 2001 when Mrs R was in labour and has some fun memories.

These days, it isn't financially viable to sell it as it has depreciated to a level that it will probably sit at for another 10 years or so with little movement. A lot of the problems I've had relate to the salt corrosion from the UK roads even though it only spent one winter there and I suspect that the car dealers secretly love this little UK anomaly. The last bill was for over $2k because once the corrosion sets in, it is hard to stop, nevertheless, it is great fun and makes me smile on my drive to work, all 8 minutes of it....

Anyway, there is a famous love hate relationship between Audi drivers and BMW drivers. Audi drivers believe they are real drivers and like to feel the car on the road and become part of the car; they feel that BMW drivers are simply sitting in the car and moving from A to B. BMW drivers look at Audi drivers as "nearly made it" and "couldn't stretch to a Beemer, huh?". The rivalry was probably ignited further with these ads that I got e-mailed today [cheers Nic G].

First up, the BMW dig at Audi:


And the response from Audi:


Not to be outdone, the bling boys got in with:


And, not sure if this is genuine, a car with real class comes up the rear as it were:


Ouch.

I know nothing

The older my kids become, the dumber they think I am. I am now regularly chastised for my simplistic nature and lack of understanding of the world around me. By the time Miss R is 6 and Little Ms R is 4 (both this year) I will have regressed to the intelligence of an amoeba; it will be unlikely that I'll be able to spell amoeba by then let alone write on this blog.

I'll be alright though 'cause Lil' Ms R can turn on the PC, sign-in and launch IE7 and maybe I can dictate to her; I will be a proud Dad once she works out that Firefox is more superior browser and can navigate to anywhere but Nick Jr or Disney......

Dropping by to see Martha

Well it was a windy old day here in Wellington, just the kind of day you are glad you are not flying in a small coffin shaped chunk of metal.....

We were at Te Papa, it being wet and windy. My cellphone rang and a friend, who happens to hold a pilots licence, lets me know that the weather is due to clear up and he'll see me at 2pm at the Wellington Aeroclub. He says it might be a bit rough but she'll be all right...

He was right. It was an interesting take-off, a bumpy ride and a great landing (although every landing when you touch down on the wheels and not in a ball of flame is a good one). We flew over Marthas home town of Petone and waved; not sure if you were in but we waved anyway! There were some boats in the harbour and we got a great view of the South Island but it was hard to hold the camera steady by that point.

I'm trying to post the video from You-Tube but it might defeat me this evening....it'll appear below if I can get it working......



Damn, Wellington is a neat city even if it is windy.

Bravery Beads

Check out the fund raising website, www.braverybeads.org.nz.

2007 Child Cancer Foundation Appeal

Those who have followed this blog over the years (jeez, doesn't time fly) know that I have an association with the Child Cancer Foundation. The foundation is gearing up for the annual street appeal in a few weeks time (23rd March in Welly) and I have just had a preview of this years Television advertising. Now, you'll probably remember the Lexi dancing commercial of 2005 for its beautiful simplicity, and the Fight the Monster of 2006 for its use of animation and web advertising.

Interestingly, the Fight the Monster was loved or hated and I think this years will be the same but it isn't an easy message to tell and there ain't no niceness about cancer. This years is less fluffy and will punch people in the stomach. Be prepared. It is extremely simple but sends a very powerful message about the journey that a child and their family go through when undergoing treatment. The harsh reality that is cancer treatment is startlingly brutal and unless you happen to be a health professional or have had to sadly deal with this yourself, it is hard to understand just how long a journey it is and just how many needles and tests the poor kids go through.

I haven't been down this journey personally, for which I am so relieved, and I am constantly amazed at the strength of the kids and parents who face down the horror. CCF are there to provide support wherever needed and I am privileged to be able to help even if in only a small way. My life is hectic, busy and crazy and I struggle to balance my own family and my work along with the commitment to CCF but there are some things you cannot ignore. For some it is animals, for some it is poverty; for me it is families and the kids and whilst I am tired, others are in a far worse place.

This years face of the appeal is Sam Turnwald and her story is here.

Look out for me in Lambton Quay on 23rd by Whitcoulls with some of my work collegues and if you're a fan of local community radio, you'll catch me on Access Radio (783AM) at 4:30pm on Tuesday 13th March on Youth Zone being interviewed about the CCF and this years appeal.

I'd be real interested in your view of this years TV advertisements. They kick off on Wednesday and if you hate it or have any comment, please let me know but be prepared, it is pretty intense.

New Template and Life

'bout time I changed my template. Alan's done it, Martha's done it, so I thought I'd best get on board.

Haven't written for a long time owing to "other commitments", oh and a shit load of work. My every waking hour (and some of my sleeping) have been spent trying to keep on top of things whether they be work, house, family, garden, mother, and the general business that is life. I will try and be better into the rest of 2007 but I can't promise. The only constant in my life has been Mojo where I can be found at least once every day.....

Holy Cow

"What did you learn on your second day of school?", I asked.
"Urrmm, The Father", she touches her forehead.
"The Son", she touches her chest.
"The Holy Spirit", she touches her shoulders.
"How Many". She smiles triumphantly.

"Errr, what did you say?", I ask.
"How Many", she replied.
"How many what?", I asked.
"It's what you say after The Holy Spirit. You know, How Many", she said.
"Oh", I say. Amen is not a word used in our house, obviously; never been one for religion me.

Lost Again

Just watched the first episode of Season 3 of Lost. Think I'll change my name to Henry and just stare at people. Bless the Gods of Torrent....oh, and we are just about to get into Season 2 of Prison Break - we've had episodes 21 and 22 for a few months but have been sooo busy (which explains the big gaps in time between entries on this blog), just haven't watched it. Watched 21 tonight (before Lost, kids in bed early!) and it was great. 22 tomorrow and then a marathon session next weekend I think.

Let them eat cake....

We are just recovering from Miss R's 5th Birthday Party. A resounding success if noise is any measure to go by. We had the very talented Fairy Trina to entertain the kids and I, erhmm, enjoyed her performance too; nice bone structure for a fairy. This years cake was a bit easier than previous years with a severed Barbie serving as the topping. Mrs R hired a cake tin from Golding Handcrafts for a few bucks which made the whole thing pretty straightforward.



It was certainly easier than the effort for Little Miss R a few months ago when this creation was nearly an all-nighter. An interesting choice for a 3 year old girl but she was adamant and who are we to impose our views on her!



5 is an interesting age. Miss R seems to know so much and I am now feeling mortal. There was a time when 21 seemed a long way away for me and now I'm worrying about her 21st when I'll be the wrong side of 50. Shit and double shit. At least I still have my own hair.

Good Samaritan or Dirty Fuckwit

If you remember back to the start of this Blog and its sole purpose...to highlight the dangers of dealing with building developers and in particular the developer Paul Hewitt and his one time partner Andrew (David) Monro...I have an interesting update for you.

First a recap.
Met Hewitt & Monro courtesy of LJ Hooker. Got fucked by all.
Met Lombard Finance. Got screwed again.
Met Tommy Heptinstall of Tommys Real Estate. White Knight and bloody good bloke and all round hero. Personally helped us out and enabled us to rebuild our future in the lovely house that we now live in. Best Real Estate company in Wellington in our view.

We lost a packet because of LJ Hooker, Hewitt, Monro and Lombard either through stupidity but in absolutely no way related to fraud, greed, lying cheating bastards, bent real estate deal, tax dodge, dubious practises, outright theft, stuff the New Zealand public, let me bend you over and take you for a ride, who's your Daddy?

And here we are today.

We just got a letter from Mr Monro. He has another company. This one is called Nicholson Road Developments Limited. He's had it a while and whilst he is still a director of the company that is in liquidation after our disastrous deal (Beyond the Obvious), he is also a director of this one. He wants to give us some money. Great you think. He wants to repay us back 2 1/2 cents for every dollar that we lost. That works out at $1,950 in exchange for the $78,000 sunk into the house pictured below. Not looking so hot these days, ay? Nice view still though and great indoor outdoor flow.....landscaping is nice, good use of natural grasses I think.



Not a bad deal considering that the original company has absolutely no assets and the liquidators report (kindly reproduced for us by Monro) states that "there are no monies available for unsecured creditors from the company". Whilst not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why oh why would he do this? He doesn't have to pay anything and it sure as hell ain't because he's a nice guy. So tell me, what does he have to gain by effectively buying the debt of a company in liquidation? Is it:

a) He can't sleep at night owing to guilt and is worried about burning in hell;
b) He's an all round fine fellow and just wants to do the right thing;
c) He's looking for a tax fiddle and this is the only way to get it;
d) He has been having fantasies about me and is looking for my undying love;

What do you think? It makes no sense....

The Real Value of Money

I don't really know a lot about my family history. I believe my Grandad went some way back into the family tree on my fathers side but I have never seen it and he died before I was old enough to be interested. On my mothers side I have a copy of the tree going back to 1781 but by far the most interesting aspect is that one of my great great (great...) grandparents was a Miss Venus. There are some great names and it is weird to think that I have a Patience Bumstead in my line (born in 1800 and who lived to the incredible age of 84 years at a time before central heating and modern drugs).

I have been given a whole pile of old coins from my mother who has had them in a box for years. They span back through the family and include a Queen Victoria One Penny dated 1897, through Edward V, George V and VI, some African coins from my heritage, and some coins so aged as to almost illegible but certainly early 1800's. One particularly odd one is an American Indian Head Nickel which is so worn I cannot read the date but it is between 1913 and 1938, according to Wikipedia.



I have no idea where it came from and my guess would be either during the First World War but sadly I cannot ask. I see these things trade at reasonable prices with collectors looking for mint examples in vacuum sealed cases but I think the value is in the story attached to such a coin. I'll imagine that a young relative travelled on a great journey and brought this back as a memento. Certainly something to hand down to my grandchildren one day.....who'll probably pawn it and dance on my grave!

Either way, hopefully they'll wonder at the 1968 Kenya Ten cents and the Tanzania Five Shillings from 1972 and be curious about my life; they might also wonder at the New Zealand 1962 One Florin (that I got in my change the other day) which feels like real money (unlike the new coins). After all, those loose coins in the back of your drawer are like a piece of personal history recounting the places you've been and things you've seen. I guess plastic will take over the world eventually but until then the real value of money is in the journey made to get it.