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10th	11th	12th
1961	High = 42°F. School - I gave my speech "Brother Fidelis' Rules of PRONUNCIATION in the English Language" and even with the personalized book cover he only gave me 89. However, he did take the book to show it off.
1969	My only time out ice fishing. Lake Milacs with the Johnsons - Darrell, his dad, Wally, and his cousin. The others fished outside and I stayed in an ice house with Hayley's (the coffee man) son. Later we got our own place and we played poker until 9:30PM. I froze my toes and lost $2.77. Picked up a migraine on the long hot ride home.
1970	Honolulu, Hawaii: Details in Peace Corps Journal.
1972	Gail and I had supper with Don, Dolly and Nana in Waseca. We were joined by Art and Nita Sjorberg and I showed them Fiji slides and films. Blizzard; we got about 2 miles out of town and we decided to turn around and go back. Gail ended up in a ditch. I was able to push her out. So we spent the night with the Fishers. I slept with Don and Gail with Dolly.
1974	Train from Christchurch to the Southern Alps with John and Sean Murphy. Stopped at Springfield for a mad dash to get a lunch. I slept most of the way through 16 tunnels. Got off at Bealy Bridge. Tramped back down the highway to Klondyke Corner where we entered the beech forest on a gravel road which ended at the river. Map Followed a trail up the Waimakariri River that took us across it four times. Cut our way through Turkey Flat, filled with thorny bushes. Went slowly and had many breaks, referring to the map and compass. The peaks are Mt Bealey at 5980', Mt Stewart at 6340' and Mt Davie at 7525'. Took us five hours to get to the Anti-Crow Forestry hut at 6PM. Inside were 6 bunks, table, mirror and fireplace. Murph made a stew while I chopped firewood and built a fire. After dinner we went for a hike along a trail through the woods and carried firewood back. Went to bed at 9PM. A couple who didn't say a word aside from asking how many there were of us, arrived at 10:15PM. I replied: "We've got you surrounded".	Mt Stewart Mt Davie
1976	Simon stopped in with the kids and Unger. Aldies brought our furniture and stereo system to King Edward place.
1977	Eye exam and doctor wants me to go to a specialist because of a spot on the left eye. Fears over for a meal - they are from Cornwall, England. Mike told me about surfing there. Te had a good time with Phillip.
1978	Tried to get tickets for Star Wars, but can only buy them on the day. Mom bought 4-piece sheepskin rug. Had lunch at Campbell's High Court. Ice cream at the Strand and then home. Picked up kids and poor Te was loaded with flea bites. Had a beer with Mike. An evening at Aldies' with Pat's parents, Dot & Russel Murray. After a meal we played Po-Ke-No until Te had a fit and we had to leave.
1979	Th - Bruce Benson helped me paint house flashing (he bravely hung over the edge near the peaks and did the parts I couldn't reach from the ladder).
1980	F - Doug had a look at David's teeth and then worked on Gail's. Kathy and Lia visited. Gail and I played tennis in the trees at Totara park. Aldersons showed up and got us into the pool, for a few minutes before it closed. Had chow under the tree. Frisbee with a couple Māori boys joining in. Doug and I went for a walk with kids. David afraid of bridges.
1982	M - Roads blown over in spots and Larry had to plow through the drifts. Floor 2 was only 48°F. Paul skunked Curt and I won the ice cream cone for round 4. David went to his first "Sunday" school class and really liked it.
1984	W - On ride home from work I turned on the defroster and all windows immediately frosted up? Only doing 40mph so pulled off road and scraped the windows. David is writing his own "Which Way" adventure story. [ed. - Which Way books.]
1985	F - Picked up Apple IIc and luckily Sawatzky showed up to help me carry it back to work. Long haul to the car with it all - I had parked for the first time in the American Linen lot. Saw Dr. Wedul who spent two hours checking my eyes over and he came up with almost the same prescription as Dr. Post (no prism and weaker). Current lenses were not centered!
1986	Sa - First time to Karioitahi, a black sand surf beach too rough for a boat. So we got the flutter board out and went surfing. Ne frightened at first but soon got into it. Manukau City McDonald's so Gail could try a pineapple burger and Ne could get a free cone (via calender coupon that Benson's gave her).
1987	Today David and I climbed Table Mountain. See the photos and read about it click
1988	Ne, Gail and I went to airport at 8AM where we saw a new motorway being built. T&K finally made it out at 10AM. Stopped at Cable-Price Toyota and had a look at an 1986 Hi-Ace automatic for $24,000. Home to do a tour of yard and eat fresh fruit from trees. Lamorna stopped in with Thomas who won first in breed. Mom sent along cookies and photos. They gave us Twins stuff. Chatted over a very good Kiwfruit Wine. Tape.
1989	Paid AA car insurance and was given a rear window stop-light. Bought a Morrison 2 in 1 lawn mower ($539). Played badmitton with Ne's new colored birdies.
1991	Bought a large picnic basket for $14 at Briscoes (tossed in 2022). We went to Waiomanu beach with Whites and Kaitanis. Ne and I went out for a long paddle. Most everyone had a turn in the kayak. Granny and Lui wandered down from the trees to the water. Met Billy and Ponky (Susi babysits them).
1993	Dropped dogs off at Altmark ($18/night). Missed turn and ended up at Tairua, so we got to Broken Hills at noon. Had the place to ourselves. Back to Tairua to look for Aldies. Not at their motel (Blue Water), not at beach. Climbed to top of Puka summit for some great views. On way down came across a couple 17 year old poodles and chatted with the owner. Into town to buy fuel-lite, a Tairua badge and ice cream cones. Found Aldies back at their place. James and I had a water pistol fight. Girls went for a swim in the river. Ne in small tent, Gail in van, David and I in the big tent.	Puka Point View
1996	Th - Surfing with Jackie and Matthew. Gentle straight waves. Whites: new gas cylinder doesn't fit barbeque (it did), Ian putting ashes around plants. Had the Grand Prix awards ceremony and celebrated with a Penfold Hyland Brut. After supper we played bridge.
1999	M - Mike C called from Waiheke where he was with Robyn (FM Country DJ) and her husband a jingle writer. He asked me about the Everglades TV show ("Everglades", duh). He then had a couple "Who sang it?" Impressed his hosts with his ability to call someone and get immediate answers. Went to Needham's place high on a hill with spectacular views of harbour on one side and ocean on the other. Met Bob's nephew Roger Simpson and his wife Rosemary, just moved up from Invercargill (daughters will go to Rosehill). After a meal with an excellent '97 Selaks Cab Sav Bob showed me the Ford GT that he built.
2001	Went to see Dr. Harris who confirmed that I have an ear canal infection and prescribed drops. Drove past 62 Beach and now the entry, washroom and my old room have been demolished.
2002	F - Susi back from Fiji and Nauru. They came over for a meal and some Fiji-made overproof rum, Bounty. She hired a bus to transport the mourners to her father's grave site. Normally this would be a long drawn out affair well into the night. But the Indian driver insisted that they head back for Suva before it got dark (fearful of unrest in area). We now have a better idea of what Nauru and Kiribati. She also had a copy of the Nauru opposition party newsletter, The Visionary - which is a litany of complaints about the corrupt government. Steve bought an airconditioner for Susi's visit, only to have no electricity to run it (any power available used for the Afghan refugee camp). Locals upset because the refugees have better houses, food and services. Ian sent photos of our Hamilton Gardens visit to Nauru. Susi says there was a big cheer when there was finally a photo including Gail - all the others being trees. Watched Chris Harris and the Black Caps in a rare defeat of the mighty Aussies.
2003	White mob over for a swim and we said our farewells to Domo, Liti and kids.
2005	Airport in David's smelly car (had washed mats and they didn't dry properly). Fellow at Treasure Island Golf said: "That's 3 adults and one...." and he could tell from our looks that all of us must be adults. Did the Capt Kidd's Course first (which takes you onto a ship) and David won with a 44. Gail cut her heel on a brick edge, but carried on. Blackbeard's Course (through a cave) proved easier for us with hole-in-one by each of us except David. I made par and won the round.
2008	Couple hours at Graeme's on his computer and who shows up to cook supper for him - Maitel. Emery's where Ann H joined us for chat and to hear about the Murray River trip. They gave me a wine box with implements.
2009	email from Cheryl with photo from Joyce's 80th.
2011	T - Gail and I drove to Atmores, stopping for lunch at McDonalds in Matamata. Afternoon and evening spent visiting. Almost everyone (this time Colleen) who hugs me comments on the growth on my back. So I had Gail take photos. My doctor says that it is harmless. Ken a bit slow because of the pain in his left leg from the cancer in his hip.
2012	W - Ne baked a chocolate mud cake for us. Kathy and Mike arrived around 5:30PM. Did a tour of the place and then had drinks in conservatory (very sweet Black Tower '06 pinot grigio). Then it was a late supper with a Shingle Peak '11 Sauvignon Blanc.
2018	Th - Got a Twins calendar from Newsy. Kathy and Mike arrived around 4PM. Lovely visit, a light meal with white bubbly grape. More chat and a Brancott 2015 Gewurtz that was excellent.
2020	Sa - Gail got Colleen and Dave from the beach and after chit-chat we forced Dave into playing Catan a couple times. He looks great despite his very long battle with cancer. Back to the cruise boat at 4PM. Apparently, food selection limited to prevent Asians "steal - loading up" certain items.
2021	M - Walked (60 min) to cache - found a second one. Biked to 34OC for an hour's hard labour. Gym, pool (tied last year's record at 8 lengths) and stairs. All-time low blood glucose reading of 3.7.
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