Christchurch Pettys in October 2012

A moment at 130 Arapuni St after church

This was a more interesting month than September was. Jonathan got into Jazz School and we went to the Temple and Putaturu.

Jonathan did really well at his audition for Jazz School at CPIT on the 2nd of October and on the 23^rd October it was confirmed that he has a place there next year. He will study part-time for a Bachelor’s Degree. The first year will be mainly performance, individual and in an ensemble. He will also do a paper in the history of pop music to 1960. I’m going along with him, and I’m looking forward to learning stuff too. They are not going to make him use braille music, but rather will provide the music as an audio file. So much quicker for all concerned! Any text he can receive as a text file or Word file. All the classes are in the same building, which is purpose-built, so that will make his life much simpler. The people are very nice. It is a great relief for Mark and me, and I think Jonathan is pretty excited, though a bit nervous.

We watched a movie called “Oranges and Sunshine”, which is about the forced deportation of children from Britain to Australia. It is a really good movie, and I’m told the book is even better. 

I spent the first week of October with a cold, which was followed by wisdom tooth pain, so that I spent my time up north taking painkillers. But soon after we got back I had the pesky thing pulled out and the main pain was to my bank account.

An interesting object d'art at the Botanic
Gardens in Auckland constructed of shovels!

We flew up to Auckland and rented a car and had lunch (Sumo Salad) at the Botanic Gardens. We took the 1B to Cambridge and then down to Putaruru for a couple of days. On the Saturday we went for a walk along the Waikato River, including Jonathan, followed by a very enjoyable lunch at Rhubarb, a rather trendy café in Arapuni. (Believe it or not!) We went to church in Tokoroa, and I enjoyed going to Sunday School. Anne Silva gave a lovely lesson, and included Jonathan well. That was the day I read online about the change in age for missionaries to be allowed to serve. I find it very exciting, and think that it will have some big effects. On Monday we drove gently up to Hamilton, stopping to look around Putaruru (and chatting with Ray’s friend in the Putaruru Visitor Centre) and Tirau, and having lunch there. 

Taking a break beside the Waikato River
on the walkway

It was our Stake Temple week and there were 415 people from our Stake there for some or all of the week.  I found it quite unnerving to start with to see people I know at the temple. Once I got used to it, I liked it a lot. We didn’t stay out at Templeview, but in a motel in town so that Jonathan could have TV. Some people stayed in the dorms, which are pretty primitive and not very clean. Jonathan did baptisms with the youth and YSAs. Because we had so many people there they had continuous baptisms going all day. We broke the record for ordinances in a week, by quite a considerable margin. The Templeview people helped, but they would agree it was mainly Christchurch stake. It has left us feeling invigorated, and closer as a community.

We had to leave on Thursday as Mark was helping out at the national Goalball tournament in Christchurch, starting that evening. My tooth stopped hurting after a good night’s rest in my own bed, but I had it pulled out anyway.

We had the Conference videos that weekend, and Jonathan and I listened to some at home, and I read a whole lot. I felt energised and inspired and happy in my Primary calling, with lots of ideas of things to do to improve.

I hand addressed about 150 envelopes to the largest high schools in New Zealand, in the hope that we would get some takers for our website. Our website crashed, though, and we had to get another provider for it.

Other very exciting news is that Jessica was granted temporary residency. Once she has been here another two years she can apply for permanent residency. This is great news as she can now get access to healthcare and education without paying exorbitant amounts.

One morning Mark had to work on Jonathan’s gym day, so we went for a walk instead. We dropped in at Anna’s classroom to give them some boxes I had saved up. 

Nicola doing one of her favourite things
at a water sculpture in Cambridge,
clearing drains.

Mark and I went to a community fair near my mother’s place. Got lots of cheap books! We also went to “LuxCity” a display of light installations just north of the central red zone. I wonder how many people realise that we still do not have access to the centre of our city. There are still quite a few buildings to come down. There were HEAPS of people and at one point there was a bit of a bottle-neck, but everyone was very pleasant. There is a wonderful spirit of comradeship in Christchurch these days as a result of what we have gone through and continue to go through.

A less delightful aspect of the earthquakes is the road works which are like a plague. Journeys can take three times as long as expected because of dead-ends, detours and congestion. My mother doesn’t like to drive much, and I don’t blame her. 

On the Sunday after our break I had one teacher out of seven turned up at Primary. Fortunately I knew that some of them would be away. We survived, and I got to teach the seven-year-olds, who are the most challenging class. I really like them even though they are hard work. I got Finn to be class leader, and he did a really good job of keeping everything in order. There was a new family in our ward again. This is pretty common as people arrive to help with the Rebuild. We invited them around for dinner on the Monday, which was Labour Day. They come from the UK/SouthAfrica/ Australia. Very nice people.

After fluffing around for a couple of months I have buckled down at weightwatchers and I’m seeing results. If you do it properly it gives good results. It is that simple! If you don’t do it properly you don’t get results. I reward myself with a LEGO minifigure if I do well. Mark is not able to keep up his fitness as the gym he and Jonathan went to is broken and he hasn’t joined the new one with Jonathan yet.

Jonathan and I went to an hour-long concert by the Garden City Big Band. It was wonderful. I love the multi-layered sound of a big band in full swing. 

I went to the Gluten-free and Allergy fair and learned some useful things about IBS, which I have had for years, and which has been getting worse with age. It is still pretty mild compared to a lot of people. I also got some nice freebies which pretty much covered my entry fee.

Micah Brown and Finn McCluskey

Micah Brown and Finn McCluskey got baptised. It was a really lovely little baptism. Both the boys are small for their age, so it was nice for both of them to be with someone else of similar size for once. They are both interesting young lads. At church the following day, Finn was an angel. He said it was because he had the Holy Ghost to help him. 

I was asked on Sunday night to give a talk in the General Session of Stake Conference. I was gratified to be asked and have been reading and pondering about what to say. The topic is The strength of Relief Society and Womanhood. I found that a bit cryptic to start with, but I am enjoying the preparation. You will have to wait until next month to hear how it goes. Then on the Thursday morning Mark told me we had an appointment to see the Stake President for an interview that evening. I will leave it until next month to tell you the outcome of that one. 

And that is it for my news.

Jessica and William seem nicely settled, and of course Jessica is greatly relieved to have that paperwork hurdle over with. 

Jonathan has been following the American Presidential election closely, and counting down until the voting day.

My mother is enjoying her new place, and has lots of people to talk to, and do things with. I am so pleased.

Mark is working a few days a week, and doing his stake calling. He is excited that our sales of the statistics app are gradually increasing.

That’s about it really. Watch this space!

Nicola, Mark and Jonathan.

Our twenty year old Oak bonsai coming to life again. 

We have grown it from an acorn from Little Hagley Park