Lovely Evening

It is 20 past 8 on Sunday evening. The sun has just disappeared behind the hills. The birdies are twittering madly and music from a Christmas Carols concert down in the Botanic Gardens is wafting up the hill to me.

No rain or wind, is comfortably warm. All the windows and the front door are wide open. I'm wearing shorts and a teeshirt. And my neighbour isn't playing his electric guitar!

Tonight we have a truely Lovely Evening. It is officially Summer here from tomorrow.

Not Impressed

Okay m'dears,

So it isn't even Summer here. And right now at 12.42 am on the 25th on Nov it is 19 degrees C with 97% humidity here in Wellywood.

Way, way too early, shouldn't be here until late January (as was always in the past, just in time for my birthday).

Raining heaps and windy outside. Where is the nasty cold southerly that is bringing snow to the South Island right now, Huh?

Dear Blog Friends in the Northern Hemisphere, please send some of your snow. Wouldn't alter the humidity, but at least would be cooler.

Rain is still persisting down.

Hurrrr...umph... and ...... .breathe ..... hope you all have a happy Tuesday, with a chillier start than mine.

Huggles from Mickle, silent sleeping from Zebby-Cat

Back to Normal

First a wee correction - Aussie made 214 runs. Turns out this was a good score.

Normality has resumed - today NZ were all out for 156. Aussie are batting again - and it is only day 2 of the test match.

"First Day Honours to the Black Caps"

Wah....

The EN ZED blokes cricket team (the Black Caps) has dismissed the Aussie blokes cricket team for 114 runs on the very first day of the test match, today. Astounding.

Coo, the black caps had better not do a "calypso collapso" with their batting today (is 12.10 am on Friday the twenty oneth here).

And I can't watch it on tv - all good sport here is only available on "pay to view" sky tellingvision. Mutter, mutter.

Will get chance to view this come Xmas visit to the long suffering parents. Dear Dad only watches the cricket - yes he mutes the sound so he can really enjoy the action.

You don't "get" cricket?... never mind, I'll still care about you.

Whoops.....Ouch?

My dear lad was snuggled on our cosy bed late this afternoon. Only he does often snuggle really close to the edge. Too close today - the daft darling fell off the bed,

No, he didn't land on his feet.

Has since been spooked for most of the evening, then finally settled down - right where he fell off from. Mickle intervened and moved him inwards a bit. Now have the other bedtime hassle -

"Hey Diddle Diddle, Zeb's in the Middle"

Just as well I love and adore my daft lad. And yes, Zebby-cat is now snoring once more!!!

Light Relief

"A Palmerston North road is blocked and police are warning of delays after a truck carrying a load of bananas overturned.

The spilt bananas are being picked-up from the road by hand, which police say may take some time."

Polling places in odd spaces

See - the booth is made from cardboard.

Come over to NZ and you can have them in your own home!

"Polling booths can be found in the most incongruous of places. Charmaine and Dave Hammond's house is a polling booth in Kaikoura.

The couple's Marama Rd home is one of 70 polling stations in the Kaikoura electorate. People have voted there, on and off, for about 50 years. Voters will collect their papers at the kitchen table before making their choice behind screens in the lounge."

I'm off now to weild the orange marker pen.

Postscript: there were 2 orange marker pens tied to the booth I used - one for each vote?

The children's artwork was excellent, included a whole wall where each had drawn a picture of a big vase of flowers, all to welcome a returning teacher

Capital hit by over 100 lightning strikes in hour

Well, that was nice.
Wellington was hit by thunder, lightning and hail after a sudden storm broke over the city this afternoon. The thunder was right overhead and incredibly LOUD and the hail was thunderous. Then it sleeted and rained.

A crispy frost is now forming for tomorrow. Has been snow down to sea level in the South Island, with vineyards there using helicopters overnight to prevent frost settling and attacking the young shoots and leaves.

Is Summer next month!

Up in Tauranga the parents are already eating strawberries from their garden, so I guess there is some hope............

And tomorrow I'll just crunch through the frost and any ice to the polling station, ready to make my 2 ORANGE ticks. At least it will be sunny, no rain, light winds, just a bit nippy.

(Yes - cat was scared by thunder, was given loving hugs etc - Zebster is fine now)

Huggles and purr-rumbles from us

Septic Truck Sign

With our own general elction still to come on Saturday, I guess I'm politically weary.

Living in our capital city since age 4, having worked in the public service, and now for a private company but for a Govt contract, Mickle is also very cynical.

I come across the politicians on the street, see some of them out jogging, or in my supermarket.

Walked through Parliament Grounds to get to High School, and now to get to Supermarket, view said place when I look up from my desk at work.

Don't worry - I will definately be voting come Saturday. Is way to close to predict results.

Never mind - thanks Dear Dad for sending me this funny photo. Has me laughing a lot.

And yep - Zebby-cat is snoring once more!

Guy Fawkes

It all went bang, many times. This is a shot of the public display here in Wellington Harbour. There is a great view from the posh part of my street. Being a responsible cat owner I stayed home as Zebby-cat is scared by loud noises. Only when it all started Zeb was snuggled up beside me, sound asleep and snoring. He didn't even notice the enormous booms!

This Week's Important Events

A wee reminder to remember:

Tuesday the fourth - Australia comes to a standstill for THE MELBOURNE CUP.

Wednesday the fifth - UK and NZ go "Bang" for Guy Fawkes

Saturday the eighth - Dear Sylvie's Birthday. Our Sylv (http://sylvssilverspoon.blogspot.com/)
heads to London to celebrate in style.

Do have a wonderful time, Sylv, huggles from Mickle and Zebby-cat.

Oh - there are a couple of national elections happening too.

Voting Kiwi Style

Just watched the final of a Brit tv series I enjoyed, thinking "I wonder what we'll get next Saturday?"

Silly me, is only the general election results.

Now voting in NZ is very high tech. I'll line up at my nearest polling station (a local school) already for them to look up my name in electoral register. Once found they write my line reference onto my voting papers and note the ref in relation to the voting paper number, and draw a line through my name on the printed register.

Next I wander over to the voting booth - made of corrugated cardboard so can be flat packed between elections - and get to weild a bright ORANGE mini marker pen and make my two ORANGE ticks. Only ticks are acceptable.

Two votes - yes one for the my choice of electorate mp (out of 14 candidates) and the other for my party vote (from a choice of 19 parties).

The ORANGE mini marker is attached to the cardboard voting booth by a length of knotted string. String colour may vary.

The votes get placed in a cardboard box which has plastic tie thingies on the corners for security.

(The school is only a 5 minute walk from my home, and always has great artwork from the kids on display.)