Much to do when you turn 65

There is much to do when I turned 65, I can tell you. 

1:  Apply for the Government Superannuation.  This small amount paid into our bank account each fortnight keeps the wolf from the door.  And allowed me to do number 2 on this list.

2:  Stop work.  Yippee!

3:  Apply for my Gold Card.  My wonderful little card gives me free rides on buses and trains between off-peak hours.  Up on the Cable Car too, and the East-West Ferry which runs between Wellington, Soames Island, and Eastbourne.  And next time I take a trip to Auckland, I can take a free ride joining all the other oldies who enjoy a ferry ride over to Waiheke Island to partake a latte in one of those trendy cafes.  (The ride is free, not the lattes).

My “ticket to ride”

3:   Apply for my new driver’s licence.  This first necessitated a trip to the the Eye Specialist for an eye test.  Take this along to AA with the form filled in and pay over a large sum of money.  Remind the young girl behind the counter that I had actually paid for a “Lifetime Licence” way back in 1970 with an expiry date of 2016, so why do the rules keep getting changing?  (She had heard it all before from other drivers and wasn’t really interested). 

4:  Go to the doctor for my 65 year old tetanus vaccination -  I kid you not, the doctor sent me a letter.  I asked some recently retired people and no one had heard of this.  Being the kind of person who always does what I am told, I went along and got my tetanus jab.  According to the Health Department Guidelines: “To ensure protection continues, a TB booster is offered at 45 and 65 years of age. The vaccine is free but you will need to pay a small administration fee.”

As you can see, it has been all go lately.  Just as well that I don’t have to go to work everyday, as I wouldn’t have been able to fit everything in!

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Summertime, when the convertibles are out

Driving along in the sunshine, with the wind in their hair, were these two, enjoying the journey in their red convertible.  The fleece on the white sheep skin cars seats was ruffled by the breeze, and a pair of red fluffy dice hung off the mirror.  The car was set off with a personalised licence plate.  Robin told me he used to have one of these Ford Mark 1 Zephyr's in his younger years, although his one was not a convertible.  No doubt he wished that he had kept it, as these cars are classics now.

Enjoying the sun

Pets Galore

Although the weekend rally at Koputaroa School, near Levin, was advertised as the Guy Fawkes Rally, it could have equally been called the Pet Friendly Rally.  These NZMCA rallies allow, and even encourage, campers to bring their pets along.  Of course, the usual house-keeping rules apply – all dogs on leads, and dog owners to pick up after their pets.  We decided not to take Muffy along this time, as she was badly frightened on our last visit here.  Not so much by the crackers going off, but by the freight trains rumbling past on the main trunk line which runs adjacent to the school ground.  The sound of the trains are obviously at a pitch that Muffy finds terrifying, as every time a train went past, she huddled miserably under the bed.  So she stayed home safely contained in her custom built apartment.  Chloe, a Mandarin (red) Burmese, didn’t seem in the least put out by those noisy trains.   We saw her sitting on the grass, watching the world go by.  Her owners told us that Chloe never goes outside without her harness and lead, and is well used to taking walks around the retirement complex where they live.

Chloe the Burmese

The rather raucous squawking let us know there was some type of parrot nearby, so we went to see what was making all this noise.  Buddy is an eleven month old Rainbow Lorikeet who lives with his owners full time in their bus.  Buddy has lovely bright colours and certainly attracted a lot of attention.

Buddy, the Rainbow Lorikeet, outside in his cage

Robin has always liked parrots so he wasn’t going to walk past without giving Buddy a nice long scratch on his head.  I’m not sure who was enjoying it more, Robin or the bird!

Who's a pretty boy, then?

My knowledge of dog breeds was spot on when I asked if this particular one sitting in the doorway was a West Highland White.  Three year old Beau was a rescue dog, his owner told us, and was sadly abused by his original owners.  Although he is well adjusted now, it took some time for him to recover from his ordeal.  I asked if I could pat him, as I was curious to see if his coat felt as coarse as it looked.  This breed has a soft undercoat too, I was told, as the owner parted the coat to show me.  These sturdy little dogs were originally bred to dig out foxes and badgers.  Beau is obviously a greatly loved little dog and gives his owner a lot of joy.  But drat, where has my photo gone?  Here is one to show what the breed looks like.

West Highland White Terrier

We were delighted by the antics of two little balls of fluff which spent the entire weekend playing together.  Meg, a black Pekinese cross, and Chloe, a pretty little Bichon Frise, live in different households but love to meet up at rallies.  They were so cute and the girls loved taking them on walks together.  The owners told us that by the end of the day, the two little dogs are absolutely worn out after their time spent playing together.

Meg and Chloe with their puppy walkers

After our own pet-free weekend, we were pleased to get back home to check on Muffy.  Cats always like to put you in your place, and although happy to see us, she likes to let us know that no, we shouldn’t have really left her home alone.  But it wasn’t too long till we were forgiven, and everything was alright in her world.

Anniversary Dinner

Home from our weekend away in the wilds of rural Levin, we decided to go out to dinner tonight for a slightly belated Anniversary Dinner.  Our little local restaurant offer Sunday Roasts for a very reasonable cost, so we invited our friend Kathryn to join us.  Roast pork and all the trimmings, followed by ice-cream sundaes for them, and a light berry pannacota for me,  yum!  It was a delicious meal, and nice and close to home. 

Anniversary Dinner

Penny for the Guy

The Guy Fawkes Rally at Koputaroa School, in rural Levin,  is always enjoyable, and this year was no exception.  We arrived about 4:30pm to find the playing fields adjacent to the school filling up rapidly.  The total on site for the weekend were sixty nine assorted motor homes and caravans, with about twenty children in attendance.

Lots of motor homes and Romany Rambler just to the right of the goal post

The children were busy on Saturday morning making their guys.  These were judged in the afternoon.  “What about that poor Santa Guy?”, I asked the kids, “I don’t think he should get burnt up”.  “It’s OK”, they assured me, “he’s a Bad Santa”.  Well, I thought to myself, I had never heard of a Bad Santa!

The children with their Guys

With daylight saving in place, darkness is a long time coming.  A couple of excited little boys ran around knocking on all the doors to tell us all that it was finally time for the bonfire and the fireworks to be lit.  We joined the crowd and watched the poor old guys burn up to nothing on the fiercely burning bonfire.

The blazing bonfire

The watching crowd was safely over the fence from where all that action was, but that didn’t stop a few sparks and cinders blowing into the crowd.  A bit of deft stamping soon put them out, but it was a warning not to be too complacent.  Whoosh, went the skyrockets, as they soared up high, then burst into lots of little stars overhead.

  Skyrocket in the sky

There were hisses, bangs, flares and flashes as the fireworks were lit one after another.  The little children were enthralled with the colourful sight, and lots of the adults were oohing and aahing too.  Several had their cameras out, trying to capture that special picture.   

 

 

 

 

 

Fireworks in action

 

Soon it was all over, and time to head back to the caravan for a hot drink to warm us up.  It was another very enjoyable Guy Fawkes celebration.

Happy Anniversary to us

It’s our anniversary today.  Robin doesn’t have any trouble remembering the date as we were married on Guy Fawkes Day.  How many years was it?  One of us got the number wrong, but after a little bit of arithmetic we decided that 27 years was the correct answer.  Wow, that’s certainly a long time.  But we have to say, it’s been 27 happy years, and they have gone by in a flash. So, happy anniversary to us, and may we have many more!

Twenty seven years wed today

Our Hi-tech Library Reopens

After being closed for two weeks, the Upper Hutt Library has reopened it’s doors with a “by invitation only”  function.   Invitations were sent to the “Top 100” borrowers, and volunteers who help with the running of the library.  I was one of the lucky ones who went along to the official opening last week.  Guess they know a keen library user when they see one.

My invitation

The opening started with a bit of mix and mingle.   I had met up with a lady I knew from going to Writing Group several years ago, so we were happy to sit and chat on one of the posh new couches.  A delicious morning tea was provided and we sipped our coffees and nibbled on a scone while we waited for the festivities to begin.

The table laden with morning tea

Library manager Debbie Duncan spoke about how the changes all came about.  The library space was too small for current usage, and there was talk of building a brand new library.  However, costs for this would be prohibitive, and tenders were let to enlarge the existing library by “squaring up” the floor plan, and re-roofing the whole structure.  The overall space has increased by 30% and the children’s library is now 75% larger.  A lounge area with comfortable couches entice people to sit, relax, and read awhile, and even buy a hot drink from the newly installed coffee machine.  This lounge area will be used for the various monthly groups which meet, such as the Book Discussion Group which I now attend.

Library manager Debbie still bubbling after the official opening

New innovations include a microchip embedded in all books, (radio frequency identification) allowing users to check their own books in and out.  A bit like self scanning groceries at the supermarket.  Twelve more computers have been installed for low cost usage, and free WIFI is available for people who take their own lap tops to the library.  Much of the the library shelving has been lowered, and changes made with books of similar interest now grouped together.  The librarians explained how the new systems worked, and even took me on a “behind the scenes” look at the library.  My big question was, “where to find my favourite sort of novels about serial killers?”  “Right here”, she said, pointing out exactly which shelving units they were on.  Thank goodness, I don’t want to be getting withdrawal symptoms now, do I?

New frontage on the library