Thought that most everyone wouldn't know the intricacies of our status here as Permanent Residents of New Zealand. The USA doesn't generally allow for dual citizenship; so we can't become NZ citizens without giving up our US status and we aren't about to do that. So in our passports we have a visa which says we can live here until we leave; and a second visa which says we can leave as often as we wish and be allowed back in and be given a new visa which again allows us to live here as a "Permanent Resident". The re-entry visa is only good for four years, and we have pay for new ones. Our passports expire every ten years (five for the kids). Well, this was the year that all four of our passports expired together. So, it was photos one day ($80), then new two trips to get new passports ($500) and finally a visit to the immigration offices for visa to be put into the new passports ($100). Still kinda cheap for the right to live here and in the States. Be the last time that I have to foot the bill. David and Renee can handle their own when the passports next expire.

I had a traumatic experience when I had to chop up my desk. It was a kitset desk that my father and I built way back when I was 10 or so. We picked it up from my Mom back in 1980 and it has done a lot of service since. But it wasn't being used as a desk anymore and so I sawed off the drawer section to make them into a file cabinet and the other end is being used as a bookshelf/printer stand. So it is still with me, but not as the desk I built so many years ago.

During the May school holidays we did our usual switch, with Ne going to Whites and Matthew coming to stay with us. I told him to bring along a good set of clothes in case we went out. Well, I took the family to Valentine's which is a flashy restaurant that serves a bang-up smorgasboard (buffet here). We went at lunch time when the prices are a bit cheaper. Anyway, Matthew had no socks so I kept ribbing him about his idea of fancy dress - M. is 11. It was his first time to a real restaurant. He thought he had died and gone to heaven. ..all this food and he could take as much as he wanted. He tried everything and we were in much amazement that he could handle so much food. There were 23 desserts and he attempted half. Being a child his didn't cost as much as our meals. I told the management that they didn't make a profit on our party thanks to Matthew. I guess to this day he still talks about his meal - especially since none of his family have been to Valentine's.

I am a rock 'n roll fanatic and it really burns my butt when djs give out incorrect information - usually they get the year wrong. The 60's station had a #1's weekend and they were getting every one wrong. I let it pass but when they had another #1's weekend I couldn't control myself and I called the station and explained to the dj that they were quoting the number of weeks the record had been on the chart instead of the number of weeks at #1 and since they were using the same book that I have I told them which pages to use. They had been making claims like #1 for 21 weeks, 17 weeks etc... Anyone who thought about it would realize that there weren't enough weeks in a year to handle their claims. Plus until recently the record for #1 had been only 11 weeks. I felt much better having straightened them out. They in turn made no mention of their error, but from the next song onwards the weeks dropped dramatically to 3, 4, even 1. Just a couple days ago I heard another station make the same mistake, so I feel a call coming on.

Gail got tired of waiting for the kitchen cupboards and we bought a new stove. I had wanted to buy one a couple years ago - we sure needed one as the other just did function properly. We have burnt a few things getting used to the extra power this one has in comparison. Nothing fancy. Just a basic range.

We had a bad two weeks in June when we lost our cat, Ginger, and the guinea pig. We had known that Ginger had kidney problems for about a year. Still when he was looking and acting so sickly it was a surprize. I knew it was the end when Gail and Ne took him to the vet. He was put to sleep and there were many tears in the house. He was a lovely cat and a part of the family. Jellybean, on the other hand, was just a thing in cage out in the yard. Led a very lonely life. I would feed her each day with the off cuts from my veggie lunch. Her highlight happened when Gail came home from school. Cabbie would then charge the cage and bark up a storm. Sometimes Chardie joined in by circling the cage while yapping. JB seemed to enjoy the attention. She just died one day - old age??? No disease, no sign of suffering.

I don't know why, but mid-year Christmas has grown and grown in this country. Not to the gift giving stage yet, but restaurants in particular get all decked out and have traditional Xmas fare on the menu. It is a social thing where groups book an evening out. So this year, for the first time, we joined in. Gail and I went with our Trivial Pursuit Club to a Greek restaurant. It was an evening to remember. A set menu which allowed us to sample many Greek dishes. Before, during and between the courses, the owner and family provided traditional songs and dances...and encouraged the diners to join. There was a TV personality in attendance and poor thing was the first one to be dragged up each time. At the end of dessert we each took our plate and smashed it into the fireplace. When in Rome...