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23rd	24th	25th
1970	Last day of classes. Painted the flats that were still wet for the evening's performance in chapel. Boys thoroughly enjoyed Qoriniasi as the fool and Jimione as a woman in The Inspector General.
1972	Alipate dug up a 6 pound casava root in garden. Susi, Roko, Cagi, Boela played basketball. I reffed and Dick was score keeper. No defence after the pass in, but they shoot better than the boys.
1976	Kevin dumped a pile of sand at back door and Te spent the day playing in it even though it was raining. Built a sandbox by deck.
1979	T - After school Doug got me to help him carry a new chair up to the surgery. We managed to spill hydraulic fluid again (as we did two years earlier), only this time Doug slipped in it and smashed his wrists.
1981	F - Paul said he would buy me an ice cream cone if he didn't have to display the skunk. I used the word "alacrity" in front of Tim and he didn't know it, so Tom and I gave him a hard time about his lack of education. Tim brought me upstairs to find out about Data Dictionary for our Misc Med System. I said it helps to play dumb, so people will want to help you. So he said: "Okay, you be the stupid one". I said: "You mean I shouldn't use any words you don't know?"
1984	T - Had 60 holes drilled into my back for allergy testing. That took two hours so I went to work with a sore back.
1985	W - Tracy walked us down to the bus stop and we went to Suva (65¢). Kids loved the open windows. There was a crazy Indian woman who kept talking and gestculating the whole trip as if in a trance. Bus went the back roads through Tamavua, so they were able to see typical jungle scenery. Got sulu (sarong) material for Ne, a patch for David, a Goofy badge for me and a top for Gail. Got a truck for Macu. Stopped to see Rogorogo who is now a minister after 3 years in jail, but he is no longer in Suva. Couldn't find Jas' father's place either. Did get to see Luisa Tomasi (Rotuman) who is now manager at Desai's main store. At first she didn't recognize me, and confused me with Ian. But then she put 2 and 2 together. Last time she had seen David he was a year old. She gave the kids peanuts and a generous discount for the items we bought. Had lunch in at Darlinghurst Deelites Cafe run by Ram Narayan - curry for me and Gail, fish 'n chips for the kids. So it was nothing fancy but was real good. Curry dumped on a plate eat it with your fingers. To market to get supplies to make our own curry. Bought a piece of Fiji tobacco rope, pineapples and duruka. Crafts are no longer sold in the market and have their own building now. We were looking a lali (drum carved out of a tree trunk) - found a few but not exactly right; still many interesting sales pitches. Bought Ne a hula skirt and gave Tracy her Hawaiian one. Ran across tabua (whale's tooth) for sale and almost got one at $45 (but it is still illegal to remove them from the country, so I didn't). A boy gave Gail a lei and then asked for a donation for his school. I asked which school. He said LBS (Lacacu Bay), so I asked him who the head master was. He hesistated awhile and said: "a Fijian fellow". Pressed him for a name, more stalling then "Taniela"; Taniela who? Rabarabalevu. So then I switched into Fijian and told him: "Sa!!! Taniela Rabalevu???? I think it's Jo Roqica". Gave him back the lei and told that if he was a student of LBS then he should be in class. Was he glad to get away from me! Took the 3PM bus which was filled with 50 Hindi school kids in uniform sitting 4 to a seat, so it took an hour. Picked up 2 bottles of beer at the shop and walked up to Whites. We looked at NZ slides. Mountain Dew now in Fiji. So are Gala apples from NZ (gala means "penis" in Fijiian)!!!	ACS Ne - ACS Tamavua yaqona on bus pea vendor harbor cafe
1988	Under house to fix squeaky floorboards in bedrooms. Aldies to return the trestles and plank. Met by a band playing and singing "This is the way we play the drums when Mallies come". Had a good time catching up on the past few weeks (video), then downstairs for some snooker and wine (Matua Valley '87 Pinot Noir Blanc).
1990	Peter and I went to the Sheraton for lunch with Essentially Software (Gary McNabb, John Haber and Jeff Griffin). Then over to their building for a meeting with staff.
1991	Joyce called to say that Dick passed away at 10PM on 23rd.	Last pic
1992	Aldies (with Richard Appleby) followed us to Whites and then to Awhitu Environmental Camp. Lui dropped Tima and Mario off. Aldies and all the boys in the lower rooms, girls in top house and the rest of us in the main rooms. Aldies to bed early. Ian and Susi on porch finishing off a bottle of gin. So much so that Ian got mushy in his speech about our friendship. We managed to get him off to bed. Chatted with Susi for another hour.	Trish-Rich
1997	Th - Spraggs to buy a Panasonic Video camera ($1199). Opoutere with Yuki, Chi and Ve. Set the Japanese girls up in the garage, Ve in the barn, Gail in second caravan and me in the main one. After lunch we walked to the spit, letting Ernie Rhini know that we were staying at Nick's. Walked along beach on way back and also checked in with Ernie Evans. After supper we played Chinese Checkers and Mad card game. When the two Japanese girls went to bed (they kept the lights on all night) we played Scrabble with Ve.
1998	F - Trish visited and I sent her home with a bookcase. David upgraded Internet computer to Win 95 and I worked in B2. TP at Bev's. Watched Kiwis out muscle Kangaroos 26 - 16 in the best league game ever(watch it).
2003	Out of the cabins by 10AM. Stopped to do a Hillary Kiwi Walk along the Waikato River. Regrouped at the info centre in Tirau and decided to head on out to the spring. We drove to the end of Te Waihou trail which gave us a shorter walk (too short and we didn't get to see the waterfall and gorge - so looks like we will return one day and do it from the other end). Took a photo but since the viewfinder had been set for non-glasses things looked blury so I figured I left my glasses somewhere in van - only to be told I was wearing them! After a picnic we strolled along the stream - there was a plaque commemorating Prime Minister Helen Clark opening the pumping station in 1991 (60% of NZ bottled water comes from the spring). Drove onto Arapuni to cross the swing bridge and back again (52m above the river). Ian and mini-Whites headed home while Susi went with us to Mangakino. Bill arrived as we were resting to check on who was in the place. Each lady had a room and I slept in the van.	3 tramps Arapuni Info Centre its BLUE!!
2008	Gail got David from airport early in the morning. He brought us red licorices (strawberry and cherry), a Minnesota quarter, Helen's game CD and Oberg's yearbook pages. I recognized a few guys and very few girls. Sleep caught up with David around 5PM, so we ate without him.
2009	Ne didn't feel well, so I brought her to Dr Jane Henrys in Papakura who sent her to Middlemore. Got there around 3PM and Ne was seen immediately. Then it was 3 hours before we were told that she would stay overnight and have an MRI tomorrow. During that stretch a nurse, Sarah, got Ne a tea and sandwiches. We waited until 9:30PM. I finally told them that I could have Ne home and into bed in an hour, and if they couldn't guarantee a bed within that hour we wanted to be discharged. The receptionist saw a nurse, that nurse said see another nurse, that nurse told us to see the one we had just seen. So I demanded the self-discharge form. Before that showed up we were told a bed is ready. So off we went to "short stay", who weren't expecting us. But they had plenty of beds. Got Ne into one and left the hospital 7 hours after we arrived - 6 of which were just sitting and waiting to be assigned a bed! Guess who Ne's doctor was - Teddy Wu. I told him that Gail had been to his wedding and that I had met him at Frier-Rasher's the day after the "Bride of the Year" contest. While I was away a European couple asked Gail if they could have a couple lemons and offered $5. She declined the money. Sure enough there are only a few left.
2010	Sa - Brought Gail to airport to go to her mother's bedside.
2012	T - Gail and I went to Colleen's for a drink then Cafe Hasan Baba which now has European fare. I had an Arab Orange (Orange and yoghurt drink). Had the best pita bread ever. Also had my first rib steak (ribeye with bone attached).
2013	W - Petanque with Anna, Gail and David. Alhambra with David.
2017	M - Gail and I went to Waiuku (stopping at McD at Bombay). Not much changewise aside from two new round-abouts. After a coffee (Nespresso Arpeggio) and some catching up Ian let me ride his electric bike and we went up to check out the Colombo place (very overgrown everywhere). Ian and I were partners at bridge and did well (Ian kept going on about "New Cards"). Then it was a curry supper with a dry Pepperjack 2013 cabsav. Susi and I held our own until 9:30PM when it was time to leave.
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