20 November, 2008
Movember!
My badge of pride for sponsoring Kunal and David!
(Really just wanted to see if the link worked)
Stardate: 85885.86
Stardate: 85629.98 
So what other choice did we have but to walk in the other direction! Longer walk for Buster, but a nuisance for me…
18 August, 2008
The State of the Footpath
Well, with the weather being as awful as it has been of late, and the constant upheaval of the road works outside our house, taking poor Buster for a walk has become a mammoth task. However, it was made slightly more daunting the other day when greeted with the following dilemma - see pic below!
Our Street - leading onto Glenfield Road - Click on pic to enlarge
So what other choice did we have but to walk in the other direction! Longer walk for Buster, but a nuisance for me…
Stardate: 85332.04 
01 May, 2008
Why?
Hmmmm… Been thinking. Yes, I know that this is a dangerous thing for me to do, but sometimes I just have this need to exercise a couple of brain cells.
It’s this bloody menopause thing. I just can’t seem to figure out why we women put on weight during Menopause. I mean, it is just not logical.
For example, take the hot flushes and night sweats thing. Surely to goodness that while I am overheating to the point of bursting, face and body going bright red and perspiration oozing from every single pore in my overweight body, some calories must be being burned! – Well, it stands to reason. My body is burning up and I look like I have jogged round the block nine times. But noooooo, body says: “Hot flushes don’t count.”
Darn. Why not? I would be a really slim by the time the big “M” was over as I have at least 76 flushes in a day!
It’s just not fair!
Oh, and then there is the bit about how we are meant to lose our appetites as we grow older and therefore eat less. Who said this??? They LIED!!!
Stardate: 85288.49
15 April, 2008
Foodtown - Progressive Enterprises Suck!
Well, it has been the LAST bloody straw! I am totally SICK and TIRED of dragging my butt up to the mall to go shopping at Foodtown and finding the shelves bare. We are NOT in a Third World country, we are NOT being rationed for some reason of shortages and we ARE paying over-the-top for basic food items, so WHY are the shelves bare at Foodtown Glenfield????
The following is an email I have sent to Progressive Enterprises who own the Foodtown chain. I wonder if I will get a reply?
After weeks of bare shelves, I am finally compelled to bring to your attention the disgraceful state of Glenfield Foodtown.
I have just returned from shopping there for a few items - milk, eggs and butter.Firstly there were no hand baskets available (as usual).
Secondly, no size 7 eggs to be found, only free range ones - the shelves were bare!
Thirdly, no 1 litre Yellow Top milk except for 2 almost out-of-date cartons of CalciTrim.
Lastly, there was none of the cheap butter for $3.59 for which there is ALWAYS a shelf strip, but NEVER any stock!
The final straw was when the Express Lane had 3 checkouts open, but with at least 20 people in the queue, one of them closed! Admittedly, it opened again pretty fast, but by this time I was furious.
I spoke to the deputy manager who summoned the person in charge of the eggs, milk and butter. A muttered excuse about “new system” was given which I find totally unacceptable. These are everyday STAPLE foodstuffs, not obscure products that usually are ordered in minimal quantities. If my local Dairy can cope with the supply of these basic items, why can’t Foodtown?
The deputy manager (who was very apologetic) asked the person who is supposed to keep these shelves stocked to get me some of the milk I required – apparently there was some “out the back”. When also asked about the butter, he rolled his eyes as if to say, “what next?” Needless to say, this incensed me even further. The deputy manager went after him and returned with a litre of Anchor Yellow Top and 500g of butter. She gave them to me at no chare for which I was very grateful.
However that would really only compensate me for the overcharge that I had on the 9th April when I was charged $6.82 for Spring Onions! I still have the till slip and had forgotten to take it with me today.
This has been going on for weeks that shelves are bare, and service is terrible.
I would appreciate your comments.
Hmmmmm…. Watch this space.
Stardate: 85192.2
11 March, 2008
Santana Concert
Yes, I know… Done it again, been slack with the blog thingy 
Well, R and I went to see Santana a week ago on the 4th March and it was an awesome concert. We were 3rd row front, center. Amazing!
Here are my clips taken with the Nokia N95
Hope you enjoy them… Please rate and leave comments if you do!
Stardate: 85069.99
25 January, 2008
The Police in Auckland - January 2008
Oh dear….
Didn’t realise that it had been so long since I posted to my Blog. Pathetic really…
Any hoo, Richard and I went to see the Police with Andrea and Lane at the weekend (19th January 2008). Some of you were there too I guess - some I know about, others I don’t, but I thought I would share some of my videos that I took with my new very cool Nokia N95 phone that Ross gave me for Christmas.
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Roxanne (Look out for Andrea, Lane and Richard at the end)
It was an absolutely brilliant concert, but a shame that they closed the bars at 8:30 and left us all dry! There were only two bar areas to serve 30,000 people… Bloody disgusting!
The Police were even better than when we saw them in 1983 at the Apollo in Glasgow with Karen and Mike!
Stardate: 84932.27
07 December, 2007
Microsoft disabled Santa on Tuesday - Bah Humbug!!!
Apparently Microsoft now also “own” Santa! 
Murray sent me this today… Another Microsoft blunder!!!
Microsoft shuts down Santa for talking dirty
Microsoft Corp. quickly shut down Santa Claus’ Web privileges after it found out the automated elf it created for kids to instant message with was talking naughty, not nice.
Santa Disabled by Microsoft
Stardate: 84929.42
06 December, 2007
Danny McCann Band
In my previous post I mentioned the VERY talented Danny McCrum & Ben Jurisich. I joined the band’s mailing list and received the following plea. Please help get this band the recognition they deserve.
Danny McCrum Band requests your help.
This is the time when the band needs your support more than ever. On the 10th of November we released our debut album ‘Awake & Restless’ to selected stores around the country. We’re working extensively to promote the band and the album and have been making good progress. But we are competing with the biggest artists in the world and their marketing budgets, as their CDs sit on the shelf next to ours. This is why we need your support.
In short, we need people to go to stores and buy our CD and if the stores don’t have it, we need people to ask them about it. (Many people are buying the album for Christmas presents) Nationwide the CD & DVD Stores and Real Groovy are our biggest supporters and most likely to be holding stock.
Please forward this email on to everyone you think might be interested. Friends, family, colleagues, enemies, whoever…. and ask them to forward the email on to their friends too. Thanks in advance for your support!
On another note, Graham Reid is one of the countries leading journalist and is widely known for his work with The Herald. He has reviewed ‘Awake & Restless’ on the music page of www.elsewhere.co.nz Check it out!
Good Luck guys! 
You deserve to get recognition…
Stardate: 84924.27
04 December, 2007
Bryan Ferry with Joan Armatrading at the Logan Campbell Centre Auckland - 3 December 2007 - A Review
Was Bryan Ferry short of cash? Is this the reason that he embarked on a tour? It must have been, because it was pretty obvious that neither he nor his band, wanted to be on the satge at the Logan Campbell Centre last night.
The lack lustre performance from him and his band was just pitiful! All of the plonkers on stage looked like they were bored to tears and just going thru the motions – Richard even saw one of them YAWNING!!! They managed to play for just over an hour, which I think was just pathetic. Mr Ferry managed to change his outfit in this time, but couldn’t manage to drag himself back on stage for an encore. I have NEVER seen that happen at a concert! Did he deem the audience “not worthy”?
Can you tell that I am miffed????
Their sound system was crap too.
But onto better brighter things…
Thank goodness for the “warm up” act (Danny McCrum Band) and “Support” act the BRILLIANT Joan Armatrading!
Danny McCrum and Ben Jurisich walked on stage and produced their own brand of acoustic magic. They were brilliant – so good that I went out at interval and bought their CD, which I am listening to as I am writing this. Pure pleasure to listen to and boy, what talented guys they are! Here is a sample of their stuff . AND they wanted to be there. AND they let the audience know it. Thanks Guys!
Then of course, the darling Joan Armatrading entertained us – for over an hour! Now here was a lady and her band that let the audience know that they were having fun and enjoying every minute of being on the stage and playing together. The mix of old and new stuff was just right and every song was powerfully delivered in Ms Armatrading’s inimitable style. Her voice is just beautiful and the way she handles her guitar is amazing. I would love to see her and Chrissie Hind jamming together! The sound quality on her set was brill – so why was the Ferry Band’s sound so crap???
AND she did an encore! Go Girl!
Oh and we had great seats too front row, centre.
I suppose I better tell you about my embarrassing moment too…. Yes, I have this knack for just getting myself into a jam!
I was standing in the queue at the bar during the break between Joan and Bryan when I noticed the guy standing next to me. I recognised him! After a conversation where I started talking to him about his friend Phil Dunn, the poor guy told me he didn’t even know who Phil was. I was adamant – “of course you know Phil!” says me… But then I suddenly realised that this guy was NOT Jonathan Coleman (our local MP whom I vaguely know and IS a friend of Phil’s) – the guy next to me was John Key – current Leader of the National Party and hopefully our next Prime Minister. Oh boy, did I need the earth to open up and swallow me???? I was mortified! I apologised profusely and thank goodness it was my turn to order at the bar…
Whew!
Stardate: 84913.04
30 November, 2007
Comings and Goings!
Wolfgang, one of our previous students from Germany is currently visiting us - he arrived last Thursday.
I was just thinking this morning about how weird our family is with all the ‘comings and goings’ that happen in our home. No one ever seems to be home for dinner at a ‘proper’ time and sometimes there is no reason to cook dinner as nobody will be home! Poor Wolfgang! He just ‘goes with the flow’, but this has been such a hectic week for all of us that he must feel like we are worse than usual!
It is Financial Year End for Richard (yes, crazy time to have FYE in November, but the legal industry all do it at this time) and as a result, he has been late home every night this week. Blair is on his 3pm to 11pm shift this week - so he’s not home before 11.30pm. I have been out 2 nights so far this week, Tuesday - a visit to Lesley that had us finishing a bottle of bubbles before I returned home to cook dinner! and Thursday - the Lionel Richie concert.
Last night and this morning have been the most disruptive tho… This was the time line…
6.00pm - I finish work and start to cook the dinner for all of us.
7.30pm - No one home, so I decide to have my dinner.
9.00pm - Wolfgang comes back and I feed him dinner.
10.30pm - Richard phones - he got taken out to dinner by the partners and didn’t get a chance to call me… His dinner gets covered and put in the fridge…
11.10pm - I go to bed - Wolfgang retires too.
11.25pm - Richard comes home and puts the rubbish out (I had already bagged it all up)
11.30pm - Blair arrives home with his friend Kurt who is staying the night and they talk loudly outside my bedroom window to Richard.
Midnight - Richard comes to bed… Blair and Kurt still having dinner….
4.30am - I wake Blair up as they have to fetch a friend from the airport.
5.00am - Richard, Blair and Kurt all get up at the same time - mad dashes for the shower and grumpy words are said!!!
5.30am - I am given a coffee - (Did I WANT a coffee???? NO! I just wanted to sleep!!!)
5.35am - Blair and Kurt leave.
5.40am - I give up and get up…
5.55am - Richard leaves
6.00am - I’m bidding on stuff on Ebay!!!
8.27am - I am now typing this.
No sign of Wolfgang, but he must be exhausted after having his sleep disturbed so many times as his room is right by the front door!!!
And tonight we are out again! It is 10 pin prizegiving and party. I will go with Murray and Mags - Richard will join us later as he has to close everything off as it is the 30th - but if it doesn’t go well, we may not see him!
But I would rather have it like this as it makes life all the more intresting 
