A few things

Once again it has been a great while. Things have been busy with me moving in to a new job.

I recently entered the South Island Masters Games in 3 different events and came away with 3 medals. I entered the 3km race walk which I underestimated the pain of. Wow- I could barely walk for several days after from my soreness after having had to land with a straight knee. I threw a discus for the first time in about 15 years and I seem to think I came about 10 m less than I used to. And finally I did a 5km road race and came up with a really good time for me and a bronze medal. A friend and I also attended one of the events: the Harbour cruise. Too bad it was rainy and overcast that day- I'd loved to have seen the view of the Nelson from the Harbour. It was a great event- a 97 year old man competed in the 5km road walk and won a gold medal. I think he really showed a lot about the benefits of staying active.

It's into garden and flower planting season here and I've been going a little crazy. Many different plants planted... Stay tuned for how they turn out and grow.

I really enjoyed watching the Amazing Race Australia which just finished. It was the first season and the Aussies were racing for $250K. My favourite- the cowboys only made it to the final 4 where they were eliminated after a challenging sewing task. I think they picked the Aussie host based on how much he looked like Phil K from the normal American Race. I wish they'd do an Amazing Race NZ! :)

to Canada and back again

I've been rather silent. I was in Canada mid July through mid August.
My flight Auckland to Vancouver was delayed. I arrived at Vancouver airport about an hour and a quarter before my connecting flight. After clearing customs I RAN through to the domestic transfer desk, got my boarding pass, went through security and then RAN to my gate where my aircraft was boarding. I am thankful the security person didn't select me- from the time he was spending on the person a number in front of me, I think I would have missed my flight. I arrived in sunny and HOT Regina later that evening and had a few days in the Regina area catching up with friends. I then took STC bus up to Glaslyn where I was picked up by mom and dad. I had nearly a week with them. Next on the holiday trail was some time camping in the Meadow Lake Provincial Park. In small Saskatchewan fashion, after selecting Mistohay Lake to camp at, we met our neighbour who turned out to be related to my uncle and aunt. We also spotted a bear at the neighbouring camp site just across the road. Thankfully the neighbours boxer dog scared him away later that night for the duration of our trip. We had quite a wild thunderstorm during the first night there- it was amazing how the tent lit up, lightning flash after lightning flash. Thankfully we didn't get the big hail some of the other campsites just up the road did. Next on the holiday trail came a half day shopping at West Edmonton Mall. This was done en route to Kelowna where we had a few days visiting with mom/ dad/ my brother and sis in law/ my first niece and my other brother and his girlfriend. That was all good family time. And then we flew to Vancouver Island and had 4 1/2 days there, before we had to transit back to Vancouver and return home. I could never live in Tofino with its summer cloud and fog cover, but it was a beautiful place to visit. We had an amazing encouter with 2 humpback whales when we went on the hot spring boat tour. I don't think I've ever been so amazed and so afraid all at once. It was sad to see the end of holidays, but it was definitely a good break. We returned to quite the cold snap with many flights cancelled the day we arrived. Thankfully, ours was only bumped back a couple of hours. Welcome back to winter- which in Nelson thankfully consists of a lot of sun.

Of referendums and Political Party ads

Received in the post this week: my address check and information for the upcoming election and referendum on 26th November. The questions on the voting system are as follows:

1) The first is whether you think New Zealand should keep MMP (the current system) or change to another voting system.

2) The second question asks which of the 4 other voting systems you would choose if New Zealand decides to change from MMP: first past the post, preferential voting, single transferable vote, or supplementary member. You can read more about them at www.elections.co.nz

My answer on the first question will be simple. I've not been overjoyed to see how the NZ MMP system has worked to date. (A brief precis- there are currently 120 members- 70 come from electorate districts and 50 from the list. We all get 2 votes- one for a local candidate and also a party vote. The party vote is used to determine the total portion of members a party will get in the house- more or less. To get a member either an electorate must be won, or a minimum of 5% support must be obtained.) This pretty much guarantees coalition governments are the norm. Voters are not quite sure who will coalesce with who- and what the government will look like. I support a system which allows the voters to know what they will get should the party they vote for come into power- and also which will allow the government the mandate to govern and take decisive action in the manner that was supported by many voters.

The answer to the second is more difficult- I'll need to do more homework.


This week I also received a brochure from the Labour party in the post box. The front shows a basket of groceries and says "Prices are rising faster than wages, a 20% increase in just 8 months". On the back it has Labour's plan- which is to take GST off fresh fruit and veges, to make the first $100 of income tax free, to have a tax system where everyone pays their fair share of tax, and to keep kiwi assets like power companies and help keep power prices under control. They've contrasted their view of National's policy- to sell assets, borrow for tax cuts, put the GST up, and cut kiwisaver.

This is one of the most interesting brochures I've seen in a very long time- certainly during in my time in NZ. Almost every single item could be discussed in great detail. Re: the GST on veg & fruits comment: the price of fruit and vege in NZ varies dramatically based on seasonality. I pay a fortune for tomatoes year round because I want to keep eating them- the grocery stores aren't afraid to shoot their prices up in winter and people like me continue to pay. We had a recent GST rise from 12.5% to 15%. I see I am purchasing my peppers for $1.99 each now. I can't recall that they were a fraction less prior to the GST rise. It appears to me the grocery store set their prices. Labour seems of the view that grocery prices are set in stone and will not be impacted by government action. They seem to believe in good faith the grocery stores will not take the 15% cut into their own pockets. I'm more skeptical. I can not support this policy to reduce government revenues without any guaranteed benefit to consumers. On the second front, New Zealand currently has a wonderfully simple GST system to administer compared to other countries like Canada and Australia as GST is applied to a broad base of transactions without the exceptions other systems use that make tax accountants lots of money but which cause the general business owner confusion . Labour clearly supports increased administration. I could not support this policy- whether it is a money maker for accountants, or not.

That's just a comment on one of their comments. I'd love to hear yours...
Let me know what you think on the MMP issue, as well.

Torrents and figures

Well- we've sure been getting rain and rain and rain and rain. This has translated into green grass for my horsey Oscar- which has translated into him being rather hyper and naughty. Now we've gotten into longer nights of darkness so I'm only riding on the weekend. He could use a lot more work.

Work has been a tad bit busy. This accountant is awfully tired of the old thing called "year end!"

I've got a holiday coming up mid July through mid August in Canada- I can't wait!

I'm pleased to hear about the Canadian majority government. We've got an election coming up later in the year. PM Key annouced it months ago - with some stability to come in advance of Rugby World Cup. I'd love to see a majority here- it's rather tricky with the proportional representation.

In the news

I subscribe to the local paper the Nelson Mail: A couple of the newstories today: 1) "Quake recovery agency settled"- the earthquake support subsidies go until April 18th and then stop- for employers the $500 a week payment for each full time employee goes down to $375 a week, then $250 a week. For employees the job loss cover payment would be replaced with a top up payment for those still out of work ($50 /week for a single person to $110 per week for a couple with kids) 2) 6 in 10 kiwis hate their jobs- or can't be bothered with them according to a Leadership Management Australasia survey. Apparently almost one in five of these are at the business leader or senior manager level, and 20% of the work force is actively looking for a different role. My comments- the Christchurch earthquake is not in the news much anymore, but its impacts are far from over. We'll hear more in the May budget about government reactions. Its tentacles will go far from insurance changes to rebuilding efforts to the already introduced interest rate cuts. It probably also helped more of us get our emergency kits together. Re: the job survey, I'm not surprised about the result. A lot of people are working to live, not living to work. But it's a shame to have to dislike something where you spend so large a portion of your time. Outside the news, it's starting to feel like winter is approaching with some much cooler mornings of late. Our clocks change this coming weekend. I'm not looking forward to winter... It will start to make horseback riding after work a challenge- and things won't get better for another 6 months. Percy B. Shelley penned "O wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind". I think its easier to find encouragement in that pearl of wisdom a few months from now heading out of winter, instead of into it.

Time marches on...

Wow, only a couple of weeks away until the time changes. Already the days seem to be getting so short!

Prince William is in NZ today. He visited Christchurch and then flew to the Coast to meet with the families of the Pike River miners. I SO would not want to be in his shoes with all the duty in the world. Not to mention the horrible challenge of growing up under the spotlight with cameras always on him. The news reported that his visit was very much appreciated by all, and that having had tragedy in his own life, he was able to show much empathy. Well done to him for encouraging people who truly need it.

Much has been said about "Rocky" the rock. Rocky crashed through a home in Christchurch and was purchased for the sum of $50,000 with proceeds to Earthquake Relief. People at work were commenting how impressed they were by the owner of the rock- his home smashed- but he managed to create a lot of fun & good for others in the situation. Applause to him, cheering people in a difficult time.
Read about the Rocky auction here: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Outdoor-garden-conservatory/Landscaping-materials/Stones-rocks/auction-357989041.htm
I'm pretty sure it will make Trademe's next book of "most popular" auctions.

I continue to enjoy Oscar the horse. I've resorted back mostly to western riding. He just seems to prefer it. I also managed to introduce another option into our outings. I found a "Best friend" bareback pad for a great price on trademe and tried that out with him last week. It was easy and light. Plus it's aways good fun trotting along to a bouncy standardbred trot almost bareback. :) I think I am truly geared up now on the horse front without much further capital expenditure required. Whew! Not a cheap activity to take up, once you factor in the costs of feed, shoes, etc.

The cat across the road keeps causing me sleep issues. The other night it was him climbing over the fence into my yard with some other cat to have a cat fight at 4am. I know it was him as when I opened the window to yell at them, I heard his distinctively loud collar bell jingle jangle! This follows a day or two before that when I didn't notice him sneak into my house- and I shut the door locking him in my house for some time. He was freaked out when I finally noticed him and let him out, but it didn't prevent him from sneaking back in this morning to steal food from my cats dishes. How to stop a burmese cat from being a bold fellow, I wonder.

Of earthquakes & stray cats...

First on the stray cat business. Probably 6 or even 8 weeks ago I spotted my cat Allie chasing another cat in my yard. I saw it jump onto the fence, and I assumed it returned to its own home. This process repeated a couple of times over another few days. Still- I assumed it was being a persistent annoying neighbour- like Charlie the Burmese cat from across the road. I have a water glass out on the deck for my cats and wondered why it was disappearing at a rapid pace. I often saw my cats peering into the bushes in the evening. Finally connecting the dots one evening- I found Straw the stray cat sleeping in the bushes in my yard. I got a wee bit of my cats food to see if she seemed hungry. She was ravenous. It seemed clear she had been sleeping in the bushes for days. I still wondered if she had an owner (although I would have been unimpressed by how little they were feeding her- she was skinny). I put a collar on her with a note looking for her owner and started feeding her regularly. Within a week she was looking much better and I had not heard from anyone. She was getting more comfortable in my yard, even sneaking in the house when the door was open. I took her to the vet about 2 or 3 weeks ago to get her checked out. It turned out she had an abscess which I had treated. Part of the treatment involved me squeezing the yucky stuff out- a painful process. She was forgiving and would return for a pet shortly after. She began to display her extreme affection for people. She would follow me out to the street or mailbox if I went there. If I sat on the couch she would try and sneak in to sit on my lap. When I let my cats out, she would sneak in to sleep on my bed. I started to really enjoy her and her personality- but as she got more comfortable my cats got more jealous. Originally they stopped chasing her in the yard, but as she invaded the house they would be very jealous. Allie would sometimes not eat and I wondered if it was related. Jasper would swat and chase her- even though the glass deck doors. I had them away for a weekend in the Marlborough Sounds and they were very happy. It became clear upon their return and non normal behaviour they weren't adapting well. It became time to find a home for Straw the stray (so called because she would drain the glass with water so low it looked like she had used a straw). Last weekend a work mate came to see her, but today told me she had decided against a long haired cat. But thanks to my friend Jill- she told me about a fellow who was looking for a cat. Him and his daughter came and visited Straw tonight & took her to her new home. I'm delighted she has found a home where she can be the centre of attention and where she'll be loved. I do feel a little sad to say goodbye to such a wonderful, friendly cat and hope she settles in well at her new home.

In other news, Tuesday was a dark day in New Zealand. I was to attend the More FM Winery Tour that evening (Midnight Youth, Opshop & Brooke Fraser), and at work in the morning we looked at the paper and saw raindrops covering almost the whole of the South Island in the papers weather map. Just after 1 a colleague had been reading the stuff news and announced about the earthquake. As the info started to roll in, the mood dropped. A few of my workmates were also due to the concert in the evening. We all went, but the crowd was rather subdued, the rain suited the mood of the day. A big one, a shallow one, with a big impact on the old CBD- at mid day with many people at work in tall buildings. Not good. It is interesting how such an event brings out the best and the worst in people. There are the people who help random strangers doing whatever they can. There are the search and rescue teams from NZ and many from abroad. There are the doctors, engineers, courier companies and others doing their bit. There is a resolute mayor standing firm in a difficult situation and displaying his leadership skills. And then there are the looters, the rioters, those who try to take advantage of the disadvantaged when the order that is maintained in a normal society is interrupted. Like many, my heart and thoughts are with the people of Canterbury.

Here are a few websites where people can get information:
http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/
http://police.govt.nz/christchurch-earthquake
To donate to the NZ Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.nz/donate