Roy Tomkinson: LOG ELEVEN from New Zealand from the 27th to the 30th of December 2009

(Sunday 27th December)
The barbecue last night was brilliant, they were load of people there and plenty of food, but I drank a little too much wine. They had a set of drums there that linked into the television, and a prompt on the screen for when you are to hit the drums according to the song on screen, so I gave it a go. I thought it was brilliant – most impressed with it. I got home at 11pm, tired, tipsy, but happy.
Woke at 5am and I couldn’t go back to sleep, had a few glasses of water and read for a while, and lazed about for the rest of the morning.

(1pm) Feeling tired now - dehydrated, will lay off the alcohol for a few days. I’m still reading, actually, in and out reading, a few pages at a time, the biography of “Karl Marx. I’m having an easy day, refocusing and taking it slow – I feel like the weather today, cloudy and warm with a haze in my eyes. I won’t be walking far today – worth it though, I had a great night. I need to eat something now, I’m about to make a cheese and onion sandwich with a few cups of tea.
(4.30pm) Feeling better and went out for a walk, my head is clear now, well almost, I’m just back to normal. The outside air has really sorted me out, and the shower afterwards; and to top it off, the weather has brightened up somewhat.
(7.10pm), Nanny McPHee, Emma Thompson, has just started on the television, Channel Three, (I only have three free channels) I think I’ve seen it before, can’t remember where, but I know I really enjoyed it, very much so, therefore, I’ll watch it again, and then I’ll have something to eat. I have a large potato in the oven and I’ll have some beans, which I will enrich with some curry powder, and I’ll tip them over the baked potato, I’m not cooking for anyone today, thank goodness, after last night.
A number of pilot whales, over sixty in total, were stranded today on a beach in New Zealand, unfortunately, twenty have died while on the beach, but it looks as if the rest has been successfully rescued and directed out to sea. The beach was full of people, locals, and holidaymakers, all in the water helping the whales to keep cool while awaiting the return of the incoming tide. I’m off to bed, (11.45).
(Monday 27th December)
Woke up at 8.20am feeling really rough, I had a headache and my stomach was unset. At first, I thought it was a residual hangover from the barbecue Saturday night, but I was so tired and sick that couldn’t be the reason.
Somehow, I must have caught a bug, but it may be a change is the weather that’s to blame, it rained last night and it is still raining now (3.10pm) and I feel no better. I have an allergy to temperature change in the atmosphere, and perhaps I am affected by that.
I’ve been in bed all day, and feel as weak as a newborn kitten, and can’t eat anything, if I do it comes straight back up. Perhaps it’s my body just shutting down for awhile to make me stop, but I hope I’ll feel better tomorrow, goodness knows, it’s been a bad illness day for me today. I’m not complaining: what life throws at you is but part of living life in the fast lane, but that doesn’t mean to say you shouldn’t fight back, but tomorrow is another day, so it’s always pays to be positive.
I have my grandchild here at the moment and thank goodness, there is someone here to look after him, but he is spending a large proportion of his time jumping on me in bed and asking when I’m getting up. It’s his way of looking after me. Hope I feel better tomorrow, in bed by 10.30, well actually, I’d been in bed on and off for most of the day.
(Tuesday 29th December)
Wake at 9.20am feeling a lot better, the tiredness I had felt yesterday no longer clung as if superglue. I think that perhaps it was my body telling me to take a rest, now I feel as if I’ve been rejuvenated, but I intend to take it easy this morning, no gym today, I think.
Last night it rained heavily for most of the night and this morning - fine now, (11.08) but it’s still very warm 24 Deg and cloudy. My son brought my grandson down at 10.20, he needs to go and look for a car, his other car has now packed in, so he’s not a happy bunny – two cars gone to the happy hunting ground in a matter of a few weeks.

That’s what he does, he buys an old car, if the price is right, and runs it into the ground, and then he purchases another one, but he wasn’t expecting the both cars irrevocably to break down so quickly.
I’ll read and play with my grandson until my son returns, hopefully, with another car, and this time he’ll look after it a little better than the other two cars, which are now only good for scrap, but somehow I doubt it.
I’m reading another novel in between the others I studying: studying a novel or a piece of writing I find is different from just reading a novel for entertainment, but often, the line is blurred on occasions, to such an extent it is difficult the make the demarcation line that distinct – but it’s not that important to me
If I find a piece of writing interesting, I almost unconsciously end up studying it. The novel is “The Darling,” by Russell Banks ISBN: 3 3374 00147927 8, should anyone be interested, this is the first book I’ve read by this author, in bed by 11.10pm.
(Wednesday 30th December)
Up at 7am this morning, feeling a lot better, but I do have a dry throat, but with the tiredness has gone. My grandson turned up at 7.30am, I’m having him for the day. The sky is blue today so the weather will be sunny and warm
I haven’t been food shopping for over a week and I don’t have a lot of food left to eat. I have a few frozen meals in the fridge, but out of milk and teabags, but I do have some bread etc, need to do a food shop shortly, the plus is, I’ve spent very little over the last ten days. I’ll do my expenditure up to date today, but know I’m in budget. I did over spend a little to set up the house etc, but since then I’ve spent very little. Indeed, I’ve even included in the budget the amount I have spent on bonds, $500+$150+50 which I’ll get back. Best to be caution over expenditure, I’m really good at budgeting, but from now on, I’m not expecting to spend a lot over the next few weeks other than on food. Until I start to travel round the county.
Just completed my daily budget up to week six and I’m over budget by $1005, (Ouch!) but that included the setting up costs of the house and the deposits ($700) which I’ll get back and the end of the period.

So the true `over-budget expenditure variance’ is: $305, which I must make back over the next few weeks, but looks worse that what it is due to the house setting up costs and with Christmas expenditure included as well.
So the next few weeks will see me getting back into budget – when I plan something I always like to see it work out, but of course, if other variables are included there may have to be alternations, but I don't like my plans going wrong. I’ll just have to seeThe $305 figure divided by the 6 weeks I’ve been here up to 26th of December represents an overspend of: $50 per week, about £23 per week – which there should be no problem making back over the next few weeks, after that is, I get the bonds returned for the various guarantees.
After my grandson went home around 6pm I read for most of the night, didn’t go out all day, in fact, for the last three days, in bed by 12..05am, later than I normally go to bed. But at least I'm now back to normal.

I know there is still a day to New Year, but still: A good New Year to you All, and may your wishes come true. Ch-aw for now. See you in the New Year.

Roy Tomkinson: Log Ten From New Zealand from the 24th to the 26th of December 2009

(Thursday 24th December)

Up at 6.40 with my grandson and out after breakfast at 7.50am to take my daughter in law to work and to drop off my grandson at school. It’s breaking up at 5pm today for Christmas, and his potato plant, which he planted earlier in the year; he’ll be allowed to take the plant home this afternoon. So there should be new potatoes for Christmas dinner. Before I left this morning, I phoned home and spoke to my eldest grandson and to my son, it was good to hear their voices.
(9am) Just got back from the gym, did mostly weights this morning, 45 minutes is enough, I over did it yesterday trained for over an hour and a half – too long and I should have drunk more water – I didn’t make that mistake today. But sometimes even though you know something, now and again, it still slips your mind, does with me anyway.
Seems strange, out here in the Sun (it’ll be really hot today) and it’ll be Christmas Day tomorrow: WOW! and so far away from home, I can hardly believe it – I’ll glad in one way, and yet, there is a foreboding in me when I look at it from another angle, strange, very strange indeed are my mixed feelings. I can’t explain them because I can’t explain them to myself, let alone to anyone else. I may go down the lake later for a snorkel, but first, I’ll have a coffee with a piece of toast with Tuna fish on to the top, and I’ll read for a little while.
I’ve given up writing over the Christmas period, and will start in January. I do intent to go travelling sometime around the Island for a few weeks, and I’ll probably camp out The weather is ideal for it – besides, there is something magical about being near to nature, but there again, we’ll see, I may well change my mind, and end up in a four star hotel – male prerogative and all that.
Coming back home, just as I was pulling in to my drive, the phone went my friend “A” from the UK phoned to see how I was getting on with New Zealand. I explaining the day is warm and sunny if somewhat strange. He said his car was holed up for a few days in his drive because the weather has been bad. How different it is here!
For lunch, a tuna salad and I bought some honey yogurt, and I had a large helping and settled down to read for the rest of the afternoon, daily paper first, and then my book which I finished almost immediately, “Popes and Phantoms”
(6pm) I think I’ve mentioned it before, but wasn’t quite sure of it then, but I still hold my view of the characters being away from the creator, but the writing is superb: I am rereading the book, and making it a study. It is worth more than a casual read. Even more important than going down the lake for a swim, which I did promise myself this morning.
John Whitbourn has a way of constructing words, which you don’t see that often, and well worth further investigation. I’ll get hold of his other writings and delve deep into his multiplicity of meanings – his writings want me to go and read Shakespeare; not of course, that he writes likes the Bard: it’s just a feeling I have inside of me, I shall be with this novel for a while.
Listing to the news now, sun blazing down outside. It’s Christmas Eve, Wow! Seems strange, all around me are trees, green, full of early summer bloom, green leaves shimmering in the light wind.

I’m sitting my shorts and my vest at me computer, may go out tonight into town, seems strange being away from almost everyone I know on Christmas – mixed emotions really, but I do have a few members of family out here, but it would be nice if everyone was altogether.
I know they’ll all be down my house back in Wales for Christmas dinner, they will all be there Christmas Eve and wake in my house Christmas Morning,. I’ll definitely phone them, we are twelve hours in front of them.
Watched a little television and went (9pm) out, but I came back after one drink, felt a little sick, I think I’ve eaten something that doesn’t agree with me. I was back in the house before ten thirty. It’s funny, most places were empty; they don’t seem to celebrate Christmas the same way out here.
Perhaps it is because most people work on Christmas Day, that’s what I was told. Taupo is a holiday place and most of the population in one way or another work in tourism or are in some way connected with the trade. And they are far more prone to stay at home and invite friends around for a meal, normally outside on the patio. Anyway, the time now as I write this in my log is 7 minutes to twelve, and I’ll off to bed – a good Christmas to all.
(Christmas Day 25th December, Friday)

Slept good, zonked in fact, I woke at 7.45am, no sooner up from bed, and the phone rings. My son asking if he can bring my grandson down for a few hours because he as a few things to do, his wife is working this morning until around 5pm. Then the presents will be opened, Christmas Dinner will be around 6pm this evening. It seems strange having Christmas Dinner this late in the day, can’t ever recall me having it this late before, but were need must... just one of those things.
Yesterday I bought some honey and some pro-biotic yogurt with bush honey yogurt and I had some this morning over muesli – the taste is brilliant. Also, I’ve made a large boiled cake using tea and some red wine, filled with fruit, and the taste is fantastic, I must be careful not to eat too much – but what the hell it’s Christmas, I think I’ll have a piece now.
(8.35am) The weather today is hot with not a cloud in the sky. I am writing this log drinking a cut of tea wearing a small sweatshirt with a pair of shorts feeling really fit. I should be: what - with all the walking and gym, I feel, I am, know so, in good shape.
Over the last few weeks, my body has really tightened up, even if my feet sting a little from all the walking and training. I train in bare feet in the gym, I didn’t bring my training shoes with me, so my feet are hardening to the treatment I inflict upon them, but they are not too happy about it, and need first to experience a few blisters before they succumb to the hardness, but my feet's’ complaints goes unnoticed by myself.
(9.10am) My grandson is watching the television, “Sponge Ball with Patrick.” I can never work out how they manage to sunbath under the sea, and why they need an umbrella when it rains, but perhaps I’m being too politically correct and should cut a little leeway with the programme. Still, it’s hard to swallow, but the kids (to be honest I also enjoy watching it) love the programme, so I go with the flow – no choice really: Shucks! The twists and turns that life throws at us, the best way is to smile and accept and get on with it.
12.30pm) My son came down and asked if I’d like to go down to the lake for a swim and off we went. I was in the water for over an hour, fins wetsuit, snorkel the lot, at first the water was a bit cold but after the initial immersion if was great, but I need to be careful of the speedboats and the jet skies, a real fun time.

Then back to his house for Christmas Lunch, well dinner really, after he fetched his wife from work. When she arrived, we opened our Christmas Presents and had Christmas Dinner outside in the sun on the patio with a few glassed of wine.
Later, we went visiting a friend of his; I had met him before down the gym but not his wife who was from Neath South Wales, a fluent Welsh Speaker, working as an English teacher in the local school. More food, with Punch, really good, had a few glasses, and then he opened a bottle of vintage port: Oh, I do like a good port and then they dropped me off around 8.30, I watched a little television and phoned home and spoke to my daughter, son, and grandchildren. They were all at my house, I think I’ve said before they’d be there on Christmas Day preparing the meal, and we had a good chat, in bed by 11.45pm feeling really tired.
(Saturday 26th of December Boxing Day)

I don’t think I moved all night, woke at 7.45 feeling a little stiff, a few light exercises to loosen me up and then I had breakfast, the usual, honey with muesli, with of course two cups of tea. I intend to take an easy day today and read, but there again, it could change later, I’ll just have to see how I feel.
I’ve been keeping abreast of the climate summit of World Leader and it was as I expected, not a lot of agreement. There were factions there that didn’t want an agreement on carbon emissions, but it won’t go away. We need to do something and fast if we are to reverse the trend.
We are not far off the precipice. Perhaps already we’ve passed it, but politicians are proving a hard nut to crack, especially when faced against large business interests, and other interests pressing down on them.

But they are living in a fool’s paradise, and I am amazed that they have on this occasion advanced the frontiers of blithering ineptitude to hitherto inconceivable limits with their intransigence when it comes to global warming, and they need to face up to its reality, as does large businesses, and quickly.
(10.30am) My son turned up with my grandchild and dropped him off, we played, and I made him one of my “special smoothie:” we played with his toy fire engine, we did a puzzle on the alphabet, and he was picked at 12.30pm.
I had lunch, beans on toast and listened to Susan Boyle’s CD, “I Dreamed a Dream,” very good it is to, and then I read, but I couldn’t get the Susan Boyle’s CD out of my mind, for some reason, the title intrigued me, and then it dawn on me, if I changed the “Dreamed” to “Dreamt.” It was in my face.
“I Dreamt a Dream,” the only word in the English language to end in “mt” (I had mentioned earlier in this log) the words come from Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (Act 1 Scene IV) spoken by Romeo to Mercutio when on their way to the pageant at the Capulet’s house. Funny how things stick in your mind, and something often unrelated springs something, and there you have it staring at you as bold as brass.
I reading now - rereading actually, I’m studying the novel by John Whitbourn, it’s a treasure of sayings. I’ll give you a flavour.
The year is 1492: the main character, SLOVO is praying on his knees. Listen to his prayer.

“Almighty Lord, on the reasonable assumption that you exist and that your wishes for Mankind are actually as related by the various revelations honoured by my time and culture, please forgive me of the things I have done, and will do. Generally speaking I mean well – except when I mean ill: which is probably too often. Please keep my melancholia within acceptable bounds. Overlook my ambivalent attitude to Judaism: conversion is not, you’ll surely agree, a practical course of action at present. Look kindly on my adherence to Pagan Stoicism: I mean no disrespect. Bless my wife, I suppose, wherever she is. I’m not sorry about the people I killed this year...
A confident tap on his shoulder interrupted Admiral Slovo’s prayers. He turned swiftly, his thumb poised over the spring release blade-loaded opal signet ring, to see that a long-haired young man was standing behind him.
`No thank you, whispered the Admiral, remaining on his knees.’
`To what?’ replied the elegant youth, puzzled.
`To whatever you are selling: yourself, your sister, choice sweetmeats, or indulgences. Whatever it may be, I’m not interested.’
`You are being offensive,’ said the youth; more hazarding a guess than making an accusation.
`And you are interrupting my prayers,’ said Slovo. `I will have to go back to the beginning now.’
`So?’ the young man replied. `Each moment spent in proximity to a Christian place of worship costs me dear. Even this brief conversation will have shortened my lifespan by perhaps one hundred of your years. Another five minutes so close to consecrated ground and I will die.’”

And a few paragraphs later when Slovo is talking with the King of the Elves, who tells him someone will shortly make contact with him: Slovo asks:

`The same youth as before, Your Majesty?’

(The King replies) `No: his visit to your... church, imparted his health; therefore he was killed.’

The King spoke these words as if it was nothing – a throwaway line, but quite frightening in its delivery.
The prayer followed by the light conversation, on the face of it, the passage appears quite innocuous, but look at the deeper meaning! There is a message there hidden in the prose – if you are able see it, please, let me know.
The novel is full of ambivalence, studying it on a deeper level; I find gives one a judicious tingling inside the mind to look into the writer’s meaning, even if you are not in accord to what he is saying.
(Dam, [3pm]the electric has gone off – it’s affecting the whole area, wonder what’s wrong, not to worry, it’ll come back when it’s ready, running my computer off the battery now and I have 18 minutes left – it’s just come back on [3.45pm] thank goodness.).
Listening to Clare de Lune, Debussy, playing the piano just now, and off to a barbecues this evening, being picked up around 5.30pm.

Roy Tomkinson: LOG NINE FROM NEW ZEALAND FROM 21st TO THE 23rd OF DECEMBER

(Monday 21st of December, time 8 am I woke)
The meal last evening went really well, my home made garlic bread, not a piece was left in the dish, they left and I was in bed my 10.30pm last night, but the programme I watched first about obese people made quite an impression on me.

I just can’t understand how parents can be so stupid.
The remedy is simple: if you eat more food that you burn up in calories, period, you gain weight - simple. The trouble is half the parents themselves were as fat as pigs, and the food they stuff down themselves and their kids, well, half don’t deserve to have kids.
It’s all about life style and discipline, and from what I could see they were crap at it. To make wholesome nutritional food is not expensive. For what they pay for two packets of crisps and a packet of biscuits: I, anyone, could make a healthy meal for four people with dessert. They blame anything and everything, except themselves, some examples:
“It’s my child’s genes.”
“We’re a big bones family.”
“My boy cried for more food.”
“I don’t think he eats that much.”
“He/She will not eat that type of food, I’ve tried.”
The lot is a load of nonsense, remedy, cut down on portions and learn to say no, and give them only healthy foods. If they don’t eat it let them starve, believe me, they’ll soon come round, and stop buying crisps and biscuits, and read what’s on the label before you buy food.
In the nursery school my grandson goes to, if crisps or cake, anything, that they consider or classify as not healthy food, the food is sent back to the parent with a note. And they are not allowed to eat it when at nursery – and good on them I say.

Their philosophy: if the parents don’t like it, they tell them they can’t accept the child. It so annoys me to see parents, most I will admit, with good intentions, ruining their children’s lives with bad parenting. And their own lives as well I may add.
My grandson gets little no sweets, a treat for him is a piece of fruit, and he thrives on his diet, I say it’s down, totally, to the parents and not the child. So if anyone is fat who is reading this, just stop eating and take more exercise, and stop-stop-stop, making excuses for being overweight, because frankly, there is no excuse: you are fat because you eat too much – simple as.
(2,14pm) Just got back in the house, been down the gym and then down to the library to post my log and shoot off a few emails, I’m not doing a lot of writing, only just keeping up with my target, but there again, it is Christmas so I’m not that worried, I've made a few weeks allowance for that in any event.
The weather is gorgeous out with just that little wind to make it pleasant, and it's not too hot. I’m having beans on toast for lunch and will get a portion of chicken curry out of the freezer for dinner tonight with rice mixed with nuts and a chopped raw onion.
These are the type of meals a friend of mine, who I haven’t see for a while, would really enjoy – it is so easy to lose contact with people with whom you value.
Also, I miss my other grandchildren, the eldest especially; we have such a close loving relationship, my son and daughter again, I miss, and their families. My daughter has just become engaged, I think this is the one, I really like him, and importantly, he cares for her and she’s happy: that’s all that matters to me for her to be happy, she’s turned into a really balanced young lady, she just needs to learn to cook now.
I’m listening to Abba, “Dancing Queen,” and dancing with myself, (perhaps this sun is stronger that I think, I did go out without a cap this morning and it may have addled my brain: Dam!) and their other songs, these songs will endure, have endured, they speak out to you: always there is a message in their songs.

The one I’m listening to now is, “I believe in Angels, I have a Dream, the other has finished but a moment ago.”
Reading a novel by John Whitbourn, “Popes and Phantoms,” medieval, around the time of the Borges, they behaved like devils, perhaps this dynasty were... I don’t know what they were, but I do know they weren’t in any way Christian.
I find the writing distance, as if the writer is afraid to bring the characters close to him. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is first class, but somewhat I feel that is not enough, they appear unreal to me. A little to precise to make the characters believable – I’m half way through the novel now, hopefully, I’ll finish it today but I can’t see me changing my mind.
(5.50pm) I went out after into town again, just got back, purchased a pair of aqua shoes to wear when in the water, and some Christmas paper to wrap a few presents. Decided to have a baked potato for dinner instead of rice, should be ready around 7pm. I’ll watch the news until then, I may have a glass of wine, feeling a little tired now, I’m getting a lot of exercise out here, a lot more than back home.
The meal I really enjoyed, and then I watched the second episode of, “Lost in Austin.” I watched the first episode yesterday and the other episode was on this evening. I admit, I was sceptical at first, but after watching it, I found it quite amusing.
Miss Price, an invented character, goes into the book of “Pride and Prejudice” and meets Mr Darcy, and the other characters in the book, quite amusing; Bingley turns out to be a drunkard, Wickham turns out to be an OK guy.
With a few other twists and turns. I was particularly amusing when Miss Price says,

“Jane Austin will be spinning in her grave like a cat in a spin dryer.”

When Bingley elopes with one of the Bennett daughters, not as in the book, it was Wickham, but all works out in the end.
Elizabeth going back to our present time in Hammersmith, and she comes back to a right cock up with the characters. In the end, Miss Price goes to be with Darcy, with Elizabeth going back to our current time – a rather strange ending, but well worth watching, a good laugh, bed by 11pm., must read the book again sometime.
(Tuesday 22nd December)

(6.20pm) Up at 8 this morning, a good day, but feeling rather tired, I had intended to down the gym but stayed at home and read. Did go down town to the library around 11am, posted my log and looked at Facebook.
Back for lunch, tuna with salad, and for the rest of the afternoon read and did a little cooking, a few old bananas were getting rather `manky’ so I made a banana cake. If you want the recipe let me know, it’s really easy and cheap to make, but it doesn’t keep well, must be eaten within a few days of making.
Listening to the news now, there is still chaos in Europe and in the UK with Euro Star. The weather is quite frightening; already across Europe, they are talking in terms of nearly a 100 people dead, with parts of America not doing that much better.
The temperature here today is 22 Deg, with a little warmer tomorrow – that’s it for today, may go out later for a beer.
(Wednesday 23nd December)

Up and out a 7am to go to the gym and I trained for a good hour and a half mainly with weights, and I didn’t drink any liquids. As I was coming out my son turned up and asked if I could take him to work and fetch the boy from nursery at 5pm and for him to stay the night, and to take him to nursery tomorrow morning.

I was quite delighted about it. I didn’t go out last night after, watched some television and read a little, in bed by 11pm after a glass of wine.

(9.40am) I’ll have breakfast now, peaches in juice with a cup of coffee.
(10am) It’s funny, sheets and pillowcases out here are called “Manchester:” Why? I have no idea. I’ll try to find out. I’ll go shopping later now that I have my son’s car today, not sure yet if I’ll be fetching my daughter in law from work, I expect she’s let me know later.
Read for most of the morning and then I took a hot shower – silly really. Afterwards, I felt a little light headed, giddy even, my mind felt as if it were moving far away from me, and I had to take a rest and refocus. I have a slight headache, so I drank a few glasses of water.
I worked out hard in the gym this morning and I didn’t drink anything, (silly me) and I think I became a little dehydrated: I need to be careful and make sure I drink plenty of water during and after training, it was a particularly heavy session in the gym, one and a half hours.
I’m still not feeling totally right even now (12.20pm), still feeling a little lightheaded, but I’m coming round slowly. I’ve just had a few more glassed of water, and I’ll have something to eat and I’ll rest for a little while.
Right, I’m back to normal, just eaten a tuna sandwich, soy and linseed bread, with a quarter of an onion and a few crisps, and a piece of boiled fruitcake cooked yesterday. I must say, the cake is `fandabidosie,’ I think that’s how the word is spelt anyway. In fact, I think I’ll have another piece.
After I picked up my grandson and brought him home, I made food: sausages with potato wedges, which I cooked in the oven and sprinkled some Cajun spices over, it turned out exceptionally yummy. Later we went and fed the ducks and he was in bed my 7.20pm. I watched a little television, silly really, “The Clash of the Santas” to a glass of wine and a few pieces of chocolate, read a little and in bed by 10.45pm.

Roy Tomkinson: FROM NEW ZEALAND DAILY STEPS WALKED UP TO THE 18TH OF DECEMBER 2009

NOVEMBER, NUMBER OF STEPS WALKED PER DAY IN NEW ZEALAND

10,000 steps at my pace, 24 inches, represent a distance of 3.80 miles.
A thousand steps represent 33% of the mile. 3,000 Steps just over one mile.
Number of steps per:
Day to the nearest 100 steps
Satuday, day of arrival: First period is 8 days, includes 2 Saturdays;

Week One
14th 21,000
15th 22,700
16th 15,500
17th 17,500
18th 26,000
19th 37,000
20th 27,500
21st 14,800
Week Two
Sunday 22nd
22st 1,700
23rd 14,000
24th 13,900
25th 16,200
26th 15,200
27th 25,500
28th 20,800
Week Three

Sunday 29th
29th 15,400
30th 10,100
December
1st 5,100
2nd 5,200
3rd 17,100
4th 7,200
5th 7,200

Week Four
Sunday 6th
6th 8,300
7th 19,200
8th 24,200
9th 17,200
10th 22,500
11th 17,200
12th 19,000

Week Five
13th 13,500
14th 19,200
15th 14,600
16th 7,500
17th 7,800
18th 21,600
19th 30,300

Roy Tomkinson: LOG EIGHT FROM NEW ZEALAND SUNDAY 20th DECEMBER, ONE DAY LOG

(Sunday 20th December)

Up at 7am, was going up my son’s house but didn’t have to in the end, so I stayed in the house, I’m having my grandson this afternoon, so it looks as if the ducks will be having another feast. The sky is blue, there are a few clouds, but the day looks to be fine.

We really do live in a wonderful world.

(11.27) I’d better get dressed and take a shower, my grandson should be here shortly.
(11.50am) He’s arrived, my grandson, a little play and he went to sleep until 2pm, a piece of toast with cheese, a little play again, and we went down to feed the ducks, his mother turned up around (3.30pm,) now I'll waiting for my son to arrive, he’s working, when he arrives I'll put pasta spirals into the hot water.

The dessert is in the fridge, all done.

It’s sunny out with a few white clouds, but it’s rather windy outside just now. Having an easy day today, reading, talking, listening and watching the television, and of course, playing with my grandson, and slowly, I’m becoming worn out – but it’s fun.
A dessert tip: if you use pineapple and kiwi fruit in jelly it doesn’t set that well, I know, I did it earlier today, but by placing it in the freezer for a little while it has done the trick, and by covering the top with strawberries. Also, I’ll placed a few slices of peaches on top, and I'll it serve with fresh cream – job done.
(6pm) Watching the news, and I see Europe and America are having a rough time with the weather, snow, rain, and general mayhem, glad I’m out here enjoying the mild weather. I know the UK has also had a difficult time with the weather, even the Channel Rail connection with France is finding it difficult to stay in operation, not a good omen for the future.
I’ll be having the evening meal shortly. My son will be late tonight, so I’ll have the evening meal now and he can have his when he gets here.

Meal over, they stayed a while and left to put the boy to bed, then I watch the television, there was a programme on about obese children. Wow, Christmas is creeping closer and closer, how strange I find it, normally it's cooking and planning, but not this year.

Roy Tomkinson: LOG SEVEN FROM NEW ZEALAND: 19th of December, ONE DAY ONLY LOG

(Saturday 19th December)

Up at 8.10, didn’t go for the Indian meal after, cancelled – didn’t feel in the mood to eat and talk, but I did go into town later, 9.30pm I left the house and back by 11.30pm and had a few beers, Tai blond, is BEER I like best. Tired this morning, I did a lot of exercise yesterday, gym, swimming, and I walked 30,300 steps, around 12 miles. Will take it a little easier today, perhaps I’ll do a little cooking later.

Invented a great receipt, I’ll share my idea with you; I’ve called it:-
Scrumptious Tomkinson Casserole (I'm vain in case you were wondering)

Ingredients:

1. one packet of sausage, remove casings, (good quality sausage, beer or pork)
2. ½ cup of chopped shallots
3. 3 garlic cloves, minced or shopped fine
4. ½ cut of chopped drained oil-packed sun dried tomatoes (any dried tomatoes will do)
5. Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
6. 5 to 6 eggs according to size
7. 3 egg yolks
8. 1 cup of milk, full fat milk
9. 1 cup of whipping cream
10. Two cups grated mozzarella cheese, cheddar is just as good (tried both)
11. ½ teaspoon of salt (don’t over salt, be careful more can be added later)

Method:
Preheat oven to 1800 C Butter a (about) 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish. Sauté the sausage in a medium non-stick pan over a medium heat until brown and cooked through (don’t rush this) breaking the sausage with a folk into small pieces.
Later, add the chopped shallots and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and 2Tbsp. Parsley. Spread the mixture from the pan in the prepared dish and the first part is complete. I do this a day before I need it and keep in it in the refrigerator – don’t forget to cover the top.
Stage Two:
Whisk eggs, plus egg yolks, and half the whipping cream (1/2 a cup) with three quarters of the grated cheese, add the salt into the bowl and blend well (important, the lightness makes the disk so mixing well will pay dividends) and pour the mix over the sausage mixture which you prepared earlier.
Sprinkle remaining ½ cut of cheese and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley over the top. Bake, don’t cover the top, until top of casserole is golden brown (tip: insert a knife into the centre and if it comes out clean, the dish is cooked). Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.
I make a great winter warmer dish, or can be a scrumptious breakfast disk with fresh wholemeal bread.
Try it; it’s easy to make.

(11am) off out now.
I got back from town at 1.30 had lunch and read a paper which I had bought, together with a few other food items mainly fresh fruit, but I did buy a few packets of lean mince. It really is quite inexpensive to live out here.
The weather is glorious outside, as I write I can hear the birds singing. I just melted some butter, a few cloves of crushed garlic and a little bit of fresh mint: the mint I planted in a pot outside just after I moved into the house and it is flourishing, as is the basil I planted at the same time. I’ll use it to make garlic bread tomorrow, I only have four for dinner tomorrow, two can’t make it, no worries.

MY OBSERVATION
Walking around the area, taking notice of nature, seeing its beauty, listening to its sounds and rhythms, started me to wonder just how the picture is put together with such symmetry... Coming home last night the sky was full of stars, and it set me to wonder about its randomness, and how many people would have us believe it is just a set number of random acts without reason, logic, or coherence – nothing but an accident. Everything is thrown into the pot – “toil and trouble, bubble, bubble” - by the three witches from Macbeth, and out of which comes this wonder symmetrical universe.
A random act the atheist would have us believe, this is the modern world, science is now the new KING: “there is no God. Grow up, get real, it’s not cool anymore,” they shout, the modern world has no room for silly mentality, and superstitious mumbo-jumbo.
Any yet, when I wrote my last manuscript I did a lot of research into Tran humanism and the structure of our universe, and our place in it.
STICK WITH ME; DON’T TURNED YOURSELF OFF JUST NOW.
If I get a little over technical please forgive me my immoderation. What I write next you may have to read a few time before the message actually sinks in; it took me months of research to find the answer. Keep an open mind, so here goes. This is what I found out.
My view used to be, enjoy your life, it’s the only one you’ll ever likely to have; there is probably no God, this short life is all we ever get. My stubborn mind, like most, demands absolute proof: if there is more, you must show me! For me: I demand incontrovertible unequivocal proof there is a hand at work within Creation.
But the rub is raw for me; there is an irreconcilability that gnaws inside of my mind, and won’t be stilled: how can I account for the physical universe, the biological world, the nature of humankind, without remedy to a Creator?
What is the likelihood of us being here merely by chance?
I’ll use Probability Theory and science to answer my own question. For the first time, in our enlightened age of science, I can quantify part of the answer in problematic mathematical terms.
The result of this logic on me, I find, is quite profound.
PLEASE, YOU MUST STAY WITH ME. DON’T JUMP SHIP JUST YET.
I’ll start with the physical universe; cosmology informs us that the universe is sophisticated and extremely finely balanced. Its density, back just before the first moment before the big bang was critically balanced to better that one part in one billion billion billion billion – in other words, an impossibility it could be BUT a random act. The whole of what we call the universe started as an atom of minute size and is still expanding over distances our minds are incapable of comprehending.
If it were just a fraction denser, the whole lot would have collapsed again back into nothing: a fraction less dense and the lot would have evaporated into nothing – no planets, no stars, no earth: nothing - a blank page.
Therefore, all the known forces of nature are finely balanced relative to each other, a little this, or that way, no protons, and, a little the other, no neutrons. Tweak another way and there are no particles. A little to either side and we are left with only hydrogen. What I’m saying: This balance is all but perfect.
Now the crux: if the universe were truly random, that fine balance would not happen – it is formed as a symphony is written in the mind of the composer, one bar at a time – there is no randomness, and the ear is exposed to a beautiful sound. The music would sound chaotic without a planned structure. No one would dare say that Beethoven’s Symphony was but a random sound! Any yet, some believe something infinitely more complex (more complex to the squared power of a million millions) in structure is but random.
The only way round this, for the sceptically minded, is for them to postulate that a vast number of other universes exist, and our earth randomly came into existence, somehow, just on a whim. It pulsated into existence out of chaos, and ours is the only one, which has the right value combination for molecules to sustain life and for humans to evolve. All the rest are structures of chaos and random actions, which is clearly not the case. Just looking at the stars will tell you that is not so. Everything has a finite life span, from us humans to the stars themselves, they are born, live out their lives, and die seemingly in chaos, but it is not so, for out of this seeming chaos the destruction itself stimulates new birth, nothing random there.
Ah, you say, Darwin, there the answer lies, but the more we find out the less that proves to be the case. The biological world is constructed around amazingly complex molecules like proteins, DNA, RNA etc.
Each structure reads as if a sentence from a novel, one leading neatly to the other, from sentence to paragraph, to page, chapter, book, volume, library, and the evolution can be traced back billions of years to its origin. So the sceptic says, case proven, the comparison is clear: wait long enough and the precursor to a protein would naturally self assemble, as if my magic! The magic dragon goes puff and there it is!
Let’s look at probability theory and go into mathematics to see if the theory can be substantiated.
It is said, give enough monkey enough typewriters and eventually you’ll have another Shakespeare. Yet, our euro lottery, with just seven numbers, has odds of around 100 million to one. So extrapolating these odds, by adding only one other number, the odds increase by a factor of ten.
Take the words “The Encyclopedia Britannica” 25 words with three capitals and two spaces. The odds of randomly typing these words correctly are incalcable. Not even if a billion monkeys typing on a billion typewriters for the life time of the universe’s existence would they come up the these three words in the above order. Yet, this problem is dwarfed by that of constructing, by random chance, a single protein like nitrogenise.
Nitrogenise is the catalyst that splits the bonds in a nitrogen gas molecule to make soluble nitrates. It is the only known route that the plant world has discovered to `fix’ nitrogen without which, they could not exist.
It comprises 25.000 atoms with around 2000 amino acid residues. These represent the letters, “The Encyclopedia Britannica” in the above example. The random probability for that protein to exist is - one part to 10: raised to the power of 2,600 – an impossibility, and we are talking here of just one variable. Even if every cubic millimetre of the entire universe were crammed with the essential components, one of these molecules could not self-assemble randomly over the life of the universe – not even in a vast number of universes, and that is just one protein.
Now the shocker: the human body uses about 100,000 proteins, (Do you get the picture? And I’m using tried and tested mathematical formulae to show the odds). Notwithstanding, the mechanism needed to make these proteins are themselves unbelievably complex. The human ribosomes, which does just a part of that process, consists of more than 80 different proteins.
The template for each protein is a gene structure encoded in DNA, a code that transforms and translates genes to protein. A vast number of codes are possible, but a computer simulation will show that this code (DNA) is apparently the least error prone code of them all, at the very least, the symmetry is better than one in 100 million. In other words, inversely, the perfected odds are those of winning the lottery every time you buy a ticket, hardly random, in fact, an impossibility.
PLEASE, ALMOST THERE - STICK WITH ME.
DNA itself uses machinery to replicate and is reliant on protein to do the job and to protect it from decomposition. The cell in turn is a marvel of complexity – a miniature city, (worlds within worlds come to mind) with information systems, power systems, transportation systems, refuse collection factories, ambulances, police and gatekeepers (get the picture!)
Each human cell has half a million ribosomes, and to pick just one of the 100,000 proteins: haemoglobin is produced by ribosomes in bone marrow at a rate of 100 million million-protein molecules every second, hope you caught that, `every second.’
The biological world is one improbability after another, like the physical universe, it is unbelievably finely balances and we have no idea how even the simplest elements came into existence, and by calculating probabilities, it can be shown, there is no randomness – so what is really out there?
THERE, I HOPE THAT WASN’T TOO PAINFUL FOR YOU – LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! I’ve been battling for the answer for years.
Went out last night and had my Indian Meal just two of us – couldn’t really put it off any longer, no wine, I wasn’t in the mood in the restaurant, the meal was exceptional, and paid for. But I drank water, but I was back in the house by 10pm, didn’t wish to go out on the town, no offence to anyone, and I walked home admiring the stars.

Read a little and watched a film (I don’t usually do that) on my laptop, “Journey to the Centre of the Earth,” with Brendon Frazer. I borrowed it from the library, and it was in 3D, glasses supplied, with a chilled glass of white wine: New Zealand Pinot Gris from the North Island, Hawkes Bay, Montana, a good wine, this wine, the Pinot Gris part, brings back good memories, 12.10am in bed.

ONE DAY LOG

Roy Tomkinson: LOG SIX FROM NEW ZEALAND: from 16th of December to Friday 18th of December

(Wednesday 16th December)

Up at 7am, gave my grandson breakfast and dropped him off at nursery at 8am, then down the gym until 9am, back, had breakfast, the usual, and a shower.
A few clouds are about this moring, lingering as if waiting for friends – hope not - but it’s quite warm. It should turn out to be a warm day. Read a little, and for the rest of the morning I drafted an email, which took me most of the morning, it was critical for me to get this one right. There were quite a few attachments and all had to be checked before I could press the send button. I hope something comes of it, I will know in a few weeks.

Didn’t have the time to go snorkelling, also, I had intended to attend an evening class as well, where does all the time go? Honestly, I really don’t know.
The afternoon I posted my blog and brought a few things up to date, and shot off a few email, almost up to date there for the present, but still need a few sent to America. I’ll definitely do them this week, and it was time to fetch my grandson from nursery.
I took him home and walked back to my house. The evening I read and watched the television, in bed by 9.30pm; feeling tired tonight. Need to write tomorrow morning, set the clock of 7am to go to the gym first, been three times this week.
(Thursday 17th December)

Up at 8pm, alarm didn’t go off, was going down the gym but I felt stiff and gave it a miss, read for a while and went out for a walk along the Waikato River. Weather good this morning, no clouds, but there is a cold wind, back home for lunch, (12.30) salad with rice beans with chopped onion, a boiled egg with a little cheese and a piece of soy and linseed bread – most enjoyable.
Then I had a walk into town, found a mobile phone on the road, rang, and found out to whom it belongs and I returned it to where he works, Pizza Hut, Taupo. I walked around town for a little while and I bought a bottle of wine and a bar of chocolate. I haven’t had an alcoholic drink for over a week, will have a glass or two of wine tonight and take in easy, in bed by 10.45, a little read and straight to sleep.
(Friday 18th December)

Up and out at 8am to the gym, back in house at 9.30am for breakfast, feeling really good, did training with weights today but also did a little cardio vascular exercises as well. The weather is sunny today, blue sky with little to no wind.
Need to shop today for food, for Sunday I’m doing spaghetti bolognaise: desert, a fresh fruit in a jelly sauce, the key to New Zealand is to buy fruit and vegetables when in season, strawberries are in plentiful supply and relatively cheap to purchase as are bananas, not sure yet how many people for dinner yet on Sunday.
Today may be the day when I go in the lake. I’ve been promising myself all the week I’ll go – I’ll see later; need to do some writing first. But before that, a few more, `did you know conundrums:'
A `jiffy’ is an actual unit of time of 1/100th of a second, and nothing to do with lemons.
A shark is the only fish (according to current knowledge) that can blink with both eyes.
A snail can sleep for three years. (A few people who I know seem to be permanently asleep)
Almonds are a member of the peach family.
An ostrich’s eye is bigger that its brain. (Funny that: I know a few guys and girls like that, whose eyes are a lot bigger, peas brains comes into my mind.)
Anyway, that is all for now.
(1pm) I have finally done it, just just come back, been snorkelling in the lake, a little cold at first when you get in but afterwards, not a problem. There’s not a lot to see, didn’t even see a fish, not a single one, but that’s to be expected, trout are notoriously shy and stay hidden.

The visibility was rather good, but there was a wind coming off the lake creating waves, small ones granted, but nevertheless, they were waves. There were quite a number of small sailing boats out today, looked to be some kind of race.
Just had lunch, cold tin of tomatoes with salt, pepper and lot of vinegar with soy and linseed bread, most enjoyable and light on the digestion. Been invited out tonight to an Indian Restaurant, been fancying it for a while, but not sure yet where I’ll go, will give a decision after 5.30pm, I should know by then if I’ll babysitting, much prefer to have my grandson than go out on the town.

Will take a little rest now before I go shopping in town.
(6pm) Just got back from shopping, tired; it’s been an energetic day, will rest a little, I think I’ll cancel going out tonight, will listen to the news and then make a final decision, I have till 7pm to decide.

I’m not having my grandchild tonight so I can’t give myself that excuse. Listening to the news, there is an argument which has been raging apparently for years over the name on a place whether it should by spelt:

Wanganui

or

Whanganui.

Today the matter has been settled by the council subject to ratification by the Parliament. The both name are to be used, so now it is official, the both names are correct - a lot of fuss over nothing if you ask me, but I makes for interest.

Roy Tomkinson: Log Five: New Zealand from the 10the of December to the 15th of December 2009

(10th December time, 7.15am)

The sun is out, the birds are singing, there is a slight wind with not a cloud in the sky, a good start to the day, woke at 7am. Read until 8.30am, then my son phoned and ask if I could take him to work and fetch his son from nursery at 5pm this afternoon. Will spend the morning in the library. I walked a lot yesterday so I’ll take it a little easier today.
A morning conundrum:
“Stewardesses” is the longest word typed with using only the left hand.
“Lollipop” is the longest word typed with your right hand.
Silly I know, but interesting nevertheless, if you find two others words which are longer, (English language of course) I’ll send you a free copy of my novel.
(11.55am) Just got back from the library in town, my pedometer states I have walked just over 6000 steps, and it is registering healthy and it’s only lunch time, called in the gym on the way back and obtained an application form to join.

With a little bartering I’m paying $99 for three-month membership, and that will take to me to the 12th of March, which will do me just fine, the full price is $189, so I had a good deal. I think I bamboozled the girl on reception, I don’t think she is used to bartering, but it worked – will fill the application and return it tomorrow at 10am, the time she agreed.
The amount of junk I receive everyday in my postbox is way over the top, today is the worse, over twenty pieces of advertising, no matter, it’ll help light the log stove. Will have beans on toast for lunch (Watties Beans: I tried the value ones, but they are not good, but these are exceptionally good) one of my favourite meals.
Been to town, at last I have the meat, silverside, for $6, will make beef in red wine. Read for most of the afternoon and then picked up the boy, and took him home and put him to bed at 7.15, left his house when his father turned up after work, home now (9.30pm) will have food and to bed, walked a lot again today, 22,000 steps.
A shop in town sells professional fins and goggles with snorkels, and they are on offering 15% off until Sunday, they are top quality, and were not expensive to start with, will buy them tomorrow, made up my mind straight away, but will sleep on it first, best to be sure. And will snorkel in the lake. I’ve heard there are caves somewhere and I’ll explore them, the water is warming up every day – today it’s been 25 deg, with a slight wind this morning but it dies off in the afternoon.
When I remember, just read in the daily paper: the Mayor of Kabul continues to run Afghanistan’s capital despite being sentenced to four years in jail for corruption charges. Mayor Abdul Ahad Sehabi who is 63 years old, was found guilty last Monday of awarding a contract for a city project without placing the contract out to competition. A court sentenced him to four years in jail, yet, he is still in office. What a country! As I said a little earlier, it is a corrupt country: how is it possible for someone to remain in office after what has happened! The culture is amnesia to us in the West, and our solidiers are dying for that, disgraceful.

(Friday 11th of December, time 6.20am)

The early bird chorus woke me this morning at 5.45, I lay a little, but couldn’t go back to sleep, so here I am, and will do a few hours writing, the weather will be good today and I don’t want to be in doors if I can help it.
(8.15am) A good morning, been writing for almost two hours and I’ve completed 1,600 words, a good start. I will have breakfast now: Apricots, plums, a banana topped with Greek yogurt and eat as I work.

(9.15am) I have had a good morning writing, the words flowed out of my fingers onto the screen, completed two thousand words so far, will stop now and change from out my night clothes, and get ready to go to the gym later.

I’m expecting my daughter-in-law down shortly so can’t leave until then, she is dropping the car off and I’ve taking her to work. I’m fetching my grandson from school and he’s spending the night with me, so I need the car. Later, when I go into town, I need to get my swimming stuff and then into the lake for a long swim.
Went to town, and joined the gym for three months, spoke to a really nice woman, Sara, when I gave her my completed application form I had to state what I did. When she noticed I was a writer, she was right interested in my work and we had a little chat. I didn’t stay for a work out, I may go back after lunch, or even tomorrow, we'll have to see. It opens a 6am every day, but the weather forecast is not that good tomorrow.
I did intend to go swimming, and was in the shop ready to purchase what I need and the phone rings, my son was in town, I met up with him and his wife and we went for lunch in Acacia Bay about 10 - 15 minutes drive from Taupo town centre.
It’s really nice over there; spectacular in fact, quite up market, really enjoyed the afternoon lunch, back in house now (1.30pm). I’ll purchase the gear later today or tomorrow. I have until Sunday before the price goes back up and my son will lend me his surfing boots, may need a wet suite, will see after my first swim.

The weather has turned rather cloudy, but it’s still warm and I’m fetching my grandson a 5pm from nursery; he’s spending the night, and I’ve collected loads of bread for him to feed the ducks in the Waikato River just down the hill from my house.
I notice they have quite a few tracks of land for sale in Acadia Bay: 4 acres, (I hectare) for around $160,000, and you build your own house. That's enough land for a horse, a few chickens and cattle, and a pig or two if you like the life style, right near the lake, good value if our £ wasn’t so darn weak.

It used to be $3 to the £, now it around $2.2 to Sterling and their currency seems to be hardening against other European currencies and the American Dollar.
A right mess our government has made of things, we are the only Western economy still in recession when measures against GDP, despite the amount of money the government has pumped into the economy under the fancy heading of Quantitive Easing over the last 18 month, together with funding the banks against their toxic debt. And yet, we are still show negative economic growth for the last quarter.
But on the news last night, a New Zealand economist stated their $ was overprices in comparison to other currencies, so it might well weaken a little, the strong New Zealand $ will make exports that much no expensive, vis-a-vis against other currencies. But we’ll have to see, so there could be opportunities for the brave hearted to buy Sterling and sit on it. Then, if the £ strengths and goes to $3, there will be a third gain, but of course, that is only my opinion, and there is risk, the $ could become even stronger, and there would be a loss by holding Sterling.
Just finished cutting up the beef, over here that cut is called, “corned silverside” and is salted, so I will let it soak in cold water and change in every few hours and run in under the cold tap to get the salt out.

But the value astounds me, £3 for 1.77 kilos, will cook it in a red wine sauce and glazed onions, use a little celery with selected herbs: a real slow cook is needed for this dish. Remember to seal the beef first using a hot frying pan with a little oil with a clove or two of crushed garlic mixed into the oil first. If you want the full recipe drop me a line and I’m email it to you with a few tips I’ve learned on the way.
(5.15pm) I collected my grandson from nursery and made him a special smoothie, an ordinary smooth is just using fruit, but I’ve invented “a special smoothie” which includes an ice cream as well, with blackberry juice. Later, we went to feed the ducks, a light supper, a shower, and then he’s to bed.
I read and watched television until 10pm and I went to bed really tired.
(Saturday 12th December)

Up 6.15, my grandson’s time to rise, we watched a few cartoon together and I read, breakfast at 8 and then we went down to feed the ducks. I then cut and sealed the beer and made the sauce in readiness for tomorrow.
The weather is wet this morning; the forecast did predict it yesterday so it’s no surprise. Stayed in the house reading and playing with my grandson until 12.30 when I prepared lunch.
If the day was sunny I intended to go and have a swim in the lake, but that’s now out of the question, need go and look for a wet suite later, and to do a little shopping.
Other than 2 small bottles of beer at the barbecues last Tuesday, I haven’t had an alcoholic drink in over a week, was thinking of going into town tonight, but with the overcast sky and more rain forecasted, I can’t see it happening.

The novel by Euanie MacDonald, which I’ve almost finished, is a well written piece of fiction. The plot and characterisation blend perfectly, pity she’s only written the one novel – to my knowledge anyway.
Well, I wouldn’t have believed it, the weather this afternoon changed, the sky turned blue, the sun came out, rain gone. This weather takes some getting used to. Went to town after I dropped my grandson off at 5pm, and I now have a wet suite, 2.5mm, thickness, knee length, a lot cheaper than back home. I’m ready now for the water to snorkel and canoe.

Back home now warming a lamb curry, also, the meal tomorrow night is slow cooking in the oven. If I’m not too tired, I might go out tonight, up so early this morning, perhaps not. Tomorrow there are carols in park at 6pm, would like to go, but not sure yet what time the evening meal will be, two of my guests are working and not sure what time they’ll finish, I’ll know around 4pm tomorrow.

(Sunday 13th of December)

I did go out after last night into town at 9pm, I felt tired earlier on, lounged, read, but around 8.30pm, I felt invigorated and so the town it was. I got back just after 11.30, in bed by 12am read a little. Woke at 8.30, I slept like a log. Found a new lager I like, Tui Blond, really smooth, had four drinks, a glass is about three quarters of a pint, will try to buy some from the supermarkets next time I shop.
The weather is fairly clouds this morning, just eaten a bowl of muesli plus a banana topped with Greek yogurt and semi skimmed milk. If I carry on eating this yogurt, I’ll be speaking Latin in no time, I think I’m developing an addiction to the stuff.
Christmas is less than two weeks away, seems funny being in warm weather, seeing Santa in the sun, actually there are loads of them around. Some on skies, why not reindeers – that’s a mystery to me bearing in mind the amount of deer they have out here.
Anyway, a few more pieces of did you know conundrums, pretty useless in themselves, but nevertheless worth knowing:
No word in the English language rhymes with orange, silver, or purple.
Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters `mt.’
Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing, (No sure why that is so, anyone, any answers?).
The sentence: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog’ uses every letter on the key board.
The words `racecar, kayak,’ and `level’ are the same whether they are read from left to right.
There are only four words which end in `dous:’ tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.’

If you find any more let me know, but I doubt it. I’ve searched for hours when I was told that, and I failed. Anyway, that’s enough for now will read for a while and then decide what I’m doing for the rest of the day.
Read for the morning, for lunch, rice with onion, cheese and two hard-boiled eggs with a tomato salad. Afterwards finished reading the novel (1.50pm) by Euanie MacDonald, I’d recommend anyone that can got hold of a copy to read it, a most enjoying novel, indeed, very much so.
The sun is out but it’s not as warm as yesterday, so I may stay in for the afternoon and read, that's all day reading I suppose until the meal tonight – I can hear the birds chattering and chirping away outside my window.

I'll not be making, “Carols in the Park” tonight, startes at 6 o clock, and I’d have liked to gone, but the meal is set, chucks, never mind, there’ll be other times.
(Evening 6pm) Haven’t been over the door today, read for most of the afternoon, James Patterson with Andrew Gross, “The 3rd Degree,” the chapters are really small, some less than one page long, also in-between, had a little sleep.
The evening meal is ready for 6.30pm; beef is red wine etc, with glazed carrots, boiled potatoes, peas, and green beans. No starters this time: dessert is a lemon cake base (left from last week) topped with chopped strawberries in a red jelly let to set harden in fridge, with custard, (not the custard I bought last week, that was terrible, this is a more expensive brand) and topped with cream. If it tastes as good as it looks, it’ll go down a treat.
Meal put back to 7.30pm, two guests are working late, not a problem, everything is in the oven ready to serve.

Meal (9.10) went well, they’ve just gone, feeling quite tired, being collected at 8am tomorrow to go down the gym. I haven’ walked a lot today, only around 4,000 steps.
Also, I learned there are caves around the lake, lava holes about two metres down and I can swim through and come out the other end in a cave, apparently, not many people know of the caves – well worse an explore.
Now I’m watching, `The Thirty Nine Steps’ by John Buchanan and then to bed. Oh no, the film has a woman in it as a main character: there is no woman in the book. Why do they do that? They should stick to the story in the book, but I suspect to brings a romantic sexual element into the story.

Gone off the film now, I’ll have a read instead, in bed by 10.30.

(Monday 13th December)

Up at 7.30am and straight down the gym. It’s third of a mile from my house to the gym, had a good work out, cardio and weights, back home by 9.20am to shower, feeling invigorated. Breakfast, muesli, banana and Greek yogurt, saw my son down there, the gym was quite full, and we walked back together.

He lives quite a way from the gym; at least a 30 minute walk from my house. The weather is cloudy this morning and it belted down with rain for most of the night. Since I have been here there has been a lot of rain, but I was told that in November it was the driest month on record, so I expect there’s something of a catch up.
I haven’t checked my emails for a few days, may do so later. If the sum comes out, I'll go down the lake for a snorkel.

(9.55) I’ll write now for a while, and take the rest of the day as manãna, I feel lazy today.
(12.50) Just finished writing for the day, lunch: rice with raw onion, mixed, lettuce and tomato salad, tuna fish and wholemeal bread, with a trifle left from yesterday, then I’m going into town, the weather is overcast so I’ll not be going snorkelling in the lake today.
(3.0pm) Just got back in the house, went down to the library, there is a waiting list for the internet, school has broken up last Friday for the holidays. This is their main summer holiday, ours is in July and August, not to worry. I’ll go down by 9am tomorrow when it opens, OK then, the girl informed me with a smile, “The little darlings are out of school,” were her words, will go training first at 7.30am spend a hour in the gym, and then to the library.
Later, if the sun is out, I may finally get into the lake and snorkel, there are still clouds about, but it’s rather warm now. Think I’ll have a coffee and read for a while, bought a large bar of chocolate, but I haven’t opened it yet, I’ll have a few squares tonight, the chocolate out here is a lot nicer. For dinner I’m having sausages with the vegetables left over from yesterday, there’s just enough left for a tidy meal. Read for the rest of the night, in bed my 10pm.

Tuesday 15th December)

Up at 7am and straight out to the gym, worked out into 8.45, and then I went to the library, it opens a 9am and updated my blog. I was going to check my email but didn’t have the time, I had research to conduct and it was gone 10am before I had finished (You’re only allowed the Internet for an hour at a time and by 10am there were a few waiting.
I had a walk about town then home (11.05am). I was thinking of going down the lake but the weather is rather windy with a few clouds, so it may be this afternoon. I’ll get there some time. I’ll have an early lunch, missed breakfast this morning, unusual for me. I’ll read a little and do some writing. It should get quite warm later; it is funny spending Christmas, hearing bells, seeing Santa, when the sun is out, takes a bit of getting used to.
More did you know fact:-
Two words in the English Language have all five vowels in order:
Abstemious = self-denying, moderate, self-disciplined, sober.
Facetious = teasing, tongue in cheek.
TYPEWRITER is the only longest word that can be made using only the letter on one row of the keyboard.
Did you know? A cat has 32 muscles in each ear – weird, but true, honest!

(2.50) Just finished the novel by James Patterson, “The 3rd Degree” He is easy to read, short cutting paragraphs, he knows how to keep the interest, he pulls you in and then holding you, I’ll read a few more of his book over the next few weeks.
I’ve just started another book. This time a complete change of tempo: A political Biography by Fritz J. Raddatz, of “Karl Marx," and from what I’ve read so far, he wasn’t a particularly nice person, but it’s early days as yet, will let you know more after I’ve ploughed through it. It’s a rather hefty read and it should keep me occupied for quite a while. I’ll not be reading it all at once, but dipping in and out over the next few weeks while reading a few other novels in-between.
Fetch my grandson from school, he’s staying the night, I made spaghetti bolognaise for dinner, and latter we went down to the river, only a few steps away, and fed the ducks and he was in bed asleep by 7.15. I read and watched television until 10.30pm and went to bed.

Fourth Log New Zealand from Monday 7th of December to 9th of December 2009

(Monday 7th December)

Up 4pm, still dark - couldn't sleep, read for a few hours. At the start of the day, as the light broke, it is a little cloudy, but it brightened up around 9am, and the morning turned out to be warm.

(10am) Went for a walk, needed a long walk (writing will have to wait a day or so) along the Waikato River up as far as the Huka Falls, and onward to the Kayak Centre to compare prices. I intend to spend a day on the lake Kayaking, will go with an organised party first. I haven’t used a Kayak for quite a while and I need a little retraining. Later, I’ll probably hire one for a few weeks to explore the lake and river, but will go with a party whenever possible, but I don’t mind if I’m alone, it give one time to think.

Arrived back late afternoon, the sun is hot and I need to be careful, stopped to watch a few people Bungee Jump. I did intend to go down the library but I felt too tired, I was totally drained and needed to rest, on the plus side, I can feel myself getting fitter, so there is a positive.

Sometimes I push myself too hard, today was one of those times, so I stayed in the house, watched television, and read for the rest of the time, in bed by 11.30 circa, a little read and to sleep.

(Tuesday 8th December) Slept well last night, woke at 9am, late for me, so I must have been tired. I’m not feeling that grand this morning, a headache, I'll drink a lot of water this morning, perhaps I’m a little dehydrated, who can tell, but I did drink a lot yesterday when walking, but I suspect not enough, will have to watch that in future.

Will spend to morning in the library, need to do emails, have a few to answer, three to American, and walk this afternoon, but will rest more.

This in indeed novel for me! I intend to downgrade my writing to 1000 words per day, 5,000 per week, for me, a mere walk in the park! This is such a wonderful country and I love being outdoors, but I am here to complete my next manuscript and that is what I'll do, but in my own time. My manic writing days are over, proportionality, from now on, I have a friend back home who has always said that to me, and for me to not push myself so hard - a bit late I knew, but if that person happens to be reading this, take note. I'm listening to the message.

(2pm) Didn’t call in the library after, went around town down and to the harbour, some nice boats down there, went past the yacht club, looks a really impressive building, will call in there sometime and make myself know.

Found out Rotary meets there 6.30 every Monday evening, will definitely go to a meeting sometime, will ring the President and tell him I wish to attend one of his meeting, and when there, I’ll volunteer to be one of their speaks at a later date about my writing, normally, Rotarian's are always looks for speaker, it'll be fun.

My feet are hurting, walked a lot today; the weather is gorgeous, very warm, I'm covered in sunblock. Definitely I will need to shower before bed tonight.

I notice Woolworth has an offer on beef, (its a supermarket) it is selling silver side at $3.90 a kilo, I will get some. That’s Sunday sorted. I did intend to go to a night class on Wednesday, but that has gone by the wayside. There is so much to do and see out here, but I’m settling in slowly and will attend at some time over the next few weeks and get started.

Just bought a police car and fire engine for Christmas for my grandson, (toys of course) and I’ve just been invited to a barbecues tonight, being picked up at around 5 this afternoon. I’ll read now for a little while and relax – I do like it out here. I also like living in Wales, but not so much as I used to last year, but I won't share that with you, personal to me.

(8.45) Back after the barbecue, enjoyable, only had two small bottle of beer, I was feeling a little tired and needed an early night, but I’ve learned something really interesting. I thought that the longest word in the world came from the Welsh Language, which was always a good brag. That is now dead in the water. The longest word is not from Wales, but from a place name in Hawkes Bay, most will know the place, its famous for its wins.

Compare:

Welsh Word:

Llanfairpwllgwyngllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Maori Word:

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuaktanatahu

The first word is a railway station in North Wales, in the United Kingdom, and we brag how long the word is, real proud we are in thinking it the longest word anyone knows: but now, no longer!

The second word is a shortened version, yes shortened! And means:

“The brow of the hill where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed, and swallowed mountains, known as Land Eater, played his flute to his lover.”

Tamatea Pokaiwhenua (Land Eater) was a Maori Chief so famous for his long travels across the North Island that it was said, he ate (pokai) up the land (whenua) as he walked. There are also other names in the region of Hawkes Bay attributed to this ancient chief, will search them out.

What a name, that is a real party stopper. The Welsh is 57 words log: the Maori has 84 words, quite a difference, I think you’ll agree. Will go there later and see for myself and will read a bit of the history.

(Wednesday 9th December)

Woke at 8.30am, slept well, but I did do a lot of walking yesterday, if as if I’m searching for something, and yet, I don’t know what it is. The weather is grand this morning, not a cloud in the sky. Intend to go early to the library and upgrade my log on the Internet, and have a walk around lake. I’ll take a few rolls with tuna and a banana with me, always, I travel with a rucksack on my back with something to eat and a bottle of water, instead of buying something to eat and drink when out. I save a lot of money that way, and I know what I am eating, that’s important, the wrong food can really cause me grief.
(4.30Pm) I haven’t written a lot this week, but will do the 5,000 I’ve set myself. Just got back from my walk and the library, posted my third log, and later walked around the lake, done well today, walked 22,000 already, nearly 9 miles. Feeling a little tired, the weather today is hot, 24 Deg, I used plenty of sun block, factor 30, and still needed to be careful. The water is the lake is crystal clear, many were bathing, and I had lunch.

A tomato and lettuce salad with white rise with basaltic vinaigrette, tuna in a roll, and a slice of the lemon cake I made Sunday, ate in the shade, watching the water and feeding the birds – taking in the ambiance and watching the world go by- a most pleasurable experience. Oh yes, the Waikato River is back to its normal depth, the gates controlling the flow from the lake were full open when I passed.
Also, I have borrowed a book from the library: Maori History and Place Names of Hawkes Bay, by J.D.H. Buckanan, edited by D.R Simmons, first published in 1973.

The ISBN should anyone be interested is, 0-7900-0971-4. Looks on the face of it to be a most interesting read, will let you know later what I think, but will finish the novel I’m currently reading by Euanie MacDonald, “Steelworkers Row” about Scotland, the hatred that exists just before the Second World War between the Catholics and Protestants in Scotland, the story seems somewhat familiar to me.
(10.10pm) I’m watching the news: Iraq, just heard on the news, over 150 killed, hundreds injured, and it’s only today that the country announced its election date. This country, like Afghanistan, is ungovernable, politicians, the police force, the culture, are corruptly inept.

What is wrong with these people? I’m at a loss, and I suspect many others see it the same way: I just can’t see an answer. I know more troops are going into Afghanistan, America alone is sending another 30,000 troops and the UK around 500 with other countries doing the same.
Unless the cultures in these counties change, I see no hope for the future in these two countries. I have written a manuscript, yet to be published, about two counties, one calls API the other ANION, where I bring a lot of these out into the open and I look at it from both sides of the divide – the hate has to stop before there is progress.
There is a saying, `when you lose a loved one, irrespective where you are in the spectrum of life, the feeling is the same.’ God, I hope we learn, killing each other hasn’t worked throughout history, it creates bitterness and a wish for revenge, and it won’t work now. My advice for what’s it worth, LET THE HATE GO, anyway it’s my bed time, 11.05pm.

Next blog from the 10th of December onward.

Roy Tomkinson: Log Three New Zealand 1st of December to the 7th of December 2009

(Tuesday, 1st of December)

Time 9.15am, the weather outside is chucking it down, The first day of summer, sure is a rough day outside, when it rains out here is sure rains – can’t see me going out a lot today if this weather keeps up – definitely no sun block today.
Wrote for most of the morning, at 1pm went into town in the car, bought a load of herbs and mince, plus a few other things I need to cook in bulk, and later, called in the library for a few books, (time 3.40pm).
Wonder of wonders, the weather has turned good, still quite cloudy, but warm. I would never have thought it possible looking out my window this morning. The forecast after tomorrow is sunny and warm, the reason there is rain, a high and low press in the heavens are fighting each other for supremacy over the country, and it’ll take a few days for it to clear and for the warm air to win the battle.
Need to do research on Hamilton at some time, in a few weeks perhaps, and to study Maori traditions and compare them to Welsh traditions, doing a lot more research now than I did for my early manuscripts, but my last two manuscripts were heavily researched in fairness to me. I

It just seems so when you are in the thick of it, but that’s to be expected as my work grows ever deeper, and new set of values seem to take over. I have a message to impart, what it is, well I’m not actually sure, but it’s there somewhere inside my mind, and when it’s ready it will come out in words. And old friend said it would when I am ready, and that person is normally right.
Back home for the day now, will have a cooking day tomorrow, I now have all I need, I'm rather self-sufficient I suppose, but there’ll be a few hours of writing first. Listening to the Treorchy Male Voice Choir as I write this log, my old school friend from Cwmparc is in it, Brian, the song: Lest We Forget.”
They say you can take the man out of the Rhondda, but never the Rhondda out of the man – must be getting nostalgic as I get older – funny really, I’m as far away from Wales as anyone can get on this planet.
Emailed my daughter yesterday, and my eldest grandson, also my friend `A.’ I have heard from my daughter, via text, stated she has replied, very quick, next time I’m on line I will log and read. I hope she can make it out here in February.
(Evening) Watched a show about a circus family who had excess hair on face and body, in fact, their face was covered with hair, in one case a two year old child was paraded around a circus ring for the audience to gawk at.

They were called Wolf People, it was obvious they didn’t like it, but as one of the mothers said, “It’s the only way are able to make a living.” Sad to see people exploited in that way – in bed by 11,20pm and read for a while.
(Wednesday 2nd December) Woke at 9pm, sleeping well, I was later than usual in bed last night, and I read for quite a while. Cloudy this morning, not cold, the good weather should start to come in tomorrow or Friday. Intend to cook later, but first will start to write.
My son and his wife called around about 12am and stayed for twenty minutes, write a little after they left, only 10 minutes, (12.30pm) been plot planning for most of the morning and going over what I’ve already written. Slowly, I am getting the main character inside my head, I need to feel as he feels, and that takes quite number of days, not quite there yet, but by the end of the week I should be near the mark. In not, over t he next few weeks almost definately, but no worried, I'm not as manic as I used to be when I wrote, I take things slower than I used to do.
Just come back from the Salvation Army Charity Shop, purchased few more plates: 30c each, four for a dollar, really cheap, a masher, a set of weighing scales, and of course, free bread – would have preferred wholemeal, but can hardly complain.
It’s only now stopped raining, it has been chucking it down all morning, the sky is covered in dark grey low clouds, the high and the low pressures are still battling it out in the atmosphere. I said it too soon, the rain has just started again, I can see it on the window (1.10pm), but it’s warm, which makes a change when it rains back home. For lunch, I’m having salad, coleslaw, black olives, and tasty cheese with a bread role: `yummy!’
May light the log fire later, not for warmth, but the room is real cosy with the log fire going. Finished writing for the day: now, I intend to do the cooking, and later read, I’m picking up my grandson from nursery at 5pm and I’ll take him back to my house.

My son will fetch him around 6.30pm. It’s indoors for the rest of the night, no walking for me today, will try to get to bed earlier tonight – hopefully! I’ll be cooking for seven again on Sunday, haven’t decided on the menu yet, but it will be three courses, perhaps even four like last Sunday, but there’s plenty of time for me to decide.
(3pm) Having a little rest from cooking, sealed the beef mince, used one kilo of mince, grated a few carrots, three tins of red kidney beans, mushrooms, and garlic, also used garlic stouts, I haven’t used them before: black pepper, chilli powder, a little salt, a large tin of tomatoes – chopped, tomato puree – bought a few large tins.

Have two large dishes of chilli – into the over at 150 for a hour, and let it go cold – I’ll reheat it tomorrow for another hour, let it go cold, and place it in pots for freezing (after tasting of course – to determine its strength). There will be enough chilli for at least ten meals, all for very little work, and indeed cost.
The lamb I have left from Sunday, I cut off the meal from leg, I will use to make lamb curry, padded out with grated carrots and chopped mushrooms, a few tomatoes, onions with garlic, a little curry power – value variety (I’m trying it out. Sometimes value products are what they say on the packet, good value, but I haven’t always found that to be the case). A small bit of chilli, a pinch of cumin, a little Garam Musala – could use cayenne pepper, but don’t have any, it should make little difference, and in the oven. I will have enough for four meals with rice – will test for taste, and then freeze.
The lamb bone is slow boiling with the peelings from the vegetables that I peeled, and that’ll make a taste lamb stock after staining - waste nothing that's my motto. (4.45pm) Oven full on, three big pots inside, this cooker is far bigger that the one I have back home; cooking for today complete; will do Chicken Masala tomorrow – perhaps!

It’s almost time to fetch my grandson from nursery school, and to boot, it has just started to rain again – big time. The smell coming for the kitchen is quite delightful, when I light the logs in the fire later, the house will be delightful tonight.
(Thursday 3rd December) Despite yesterday being wet, the night was warm, so I didn’t light the log fire, no need, mainly watch TV and read, had two glasses of wine and in bed by 10.30pm. I woke at 7.45 this morning, a light breakfast of muesli, a large strawberry cut up with semi skimmed milk, and two cups of tea.
The wind is blowing a bit this morning, but there is a blue sky, there are a few white clouds, but not too many. I haven’t walked a lot the last few days, I feel the need to be outdoors today walking.

I am fetching my grandson from nursery school at 5pm this afternoon, and, this I am looking forward to, his is spending the night with me and I will drop him off at his nursery at 8am tomorrow, that is his time from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon, five days a week. He really is an independent little soul, love him to bits.
Will go out this morning and devote a few hours to writing this afternoon – normally I use the morning for writing, but not today. I intend to take up Kayaking at some time – really fancy that on the lake and rivers, my son has agreed to come with my but after Christmas, so I suppose I’ll have to wait – may not, I might just go right ahead and do it myself – I’ll make an initial enquiry as to cost sometime today.

Didn’t do a lot of writing today, but will meet my target of 10,000 per week, hopefully, if not so what! But I need to complete manuscript before I leave New Zealand,

Been walking and then to town, spent a few hours in the library on the internet and reading.
I did originally want a mobile internet connection but the cheapest I could find was for a $100 to purchase the connection and $30 per month thereafter – pre-paid, and you can’t carry the $30 over to the next month if you don’t use up the 5Mb limit. So I joined the library, for $60 total cost for 4 month – and I get $40 back when I resign my membership, and I have full access to the internet. A lot cheaper service and I can take out films, CDs, magazines and books.
For the first month, the limit is any 2 books out at any time for the first 4 weeks, and 10 thereafter – good value by any standard.

Had Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner, also my grandson had the same to eat – he ate all I placed on his plate – he went to bed by 7pm. When he came home from school, I made him a fresh fruit smoothie, banana, two strawberries, two tablespoonfuls of yogurt, with a few spoonfuls of semi skimmed fresh milk; he finished the lot.

Watched television for the rest of the night – read the daily paper. I’m starting to understand what are the main topics in the country – one thing I find rather novel, you haven’t got to have car insurance to drive a car on the road, a 16 year old can drive any car without insurance and it has caused quite a few problems for the police with boy racers, in bed my 10.30.

(Friday 4th December) Took my grandson to school, the start is 8am, he woke at 4am to go to the toilet and went straight back to sleep, woke again at 6am – wakes really early does my grandson. It’s raining again today, and cold, grey clouds abound, so I lit the log fire.
“A” phoned me this morning, we are to communicate via Skype. Wrote for the rest of the morning. I’m 5,000 words into my manuscript, should be 10,000 (I still have Saturday and Sunday, my week starts on Monday). I’ve spent considerable time on research this week, in addition to writing, but I still have a few gaps in the script, which I need to fill after I get the information, but that can come at any time, the main criteria now is character and plot formation.

I am into the main character, starting to get really to know him and his motivations.

The chilli and curry, I will now place in plastic pots and place in the freeze, having chilli tonight for a meal, and will give a few pots to my son and his wife, they really are a close couple, he’s done well there, and my grandson, (Wow! I’m so lucky), fetching him from school later.
My daughter replied to my email – what a surprise I had! I needed a beer afterwards, if I had whiskey it would have been a large one, neat – but our correspondents are not for public consumption. It is a special daughter and father relationship, and totally private – but I will tell you: she’s a very wonderful caring daughter – and she deserves the best.
Still waiting to hear from my eldest grandson via email, but that’ll come in the next day or so, and from my son – I didn’t check my email yesterday.
This afternoon I’ll make a chicken curry, and finish my book “Once Upon America – Hard Times, a story of the Great Depression in the 1920s, by Nancy Antle.
(2pm) Just finished making two large dishes of chicken curry, normally I use only breasts, cut into chunks, with skins removed, and seal in frying pan, and then I add the spices, place in dish and into the oven, but chicken out here is very expensive – all are free range. A good thing in one way, but it does bump the price up quite a lot. My friend would think it strange that I never eat chicken on the bone We use to laugh over it - referring to me as eccentric – always straight was my friend with me.
So, for this particular curry I have used chicken pieces, with skin left on the meat: legs, breasts, wings, bones and all, the lot, – you do get a better flavour when the skins are left on and by using the bones, but the fat content is greater. (will sort fat later). I’ve grated a few carrots, chopped onions, two green phkchoi –fresh- mushrooms, garlic shoots, a few garlic cloves, with also a few peas thrown into the dish, bulked out it goes a lot further, and the benefit is not just cost, but extra vitamins.
I lightly fry each of the vegetables separately, and add the individual herbs: Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Garam Masala, a small pinch of Fennel, Star Anise, Cassia, Ginger, and a Clove. I haven’t a Bay Leave or I would have added that. I set the oven to 180 for around 30 minutes and turn in down to 1500 until cooked.
Normally, I add the spices one at a time: in this case, when I sauntered down the onions I used a little oil canola oil with garlic and added Garam Masala before adding them to the cooking pots. Did the same with the grated carrots, but used a little chilli power with a little Cayenne pepper.
I am rather fussy about eating chicken on the bone, weird I know, but that’s my quirk, so will remove the chicken off the bones when cooked, and discard the skins. Let it cool and remove any fat and re heat – add a few chopped tomatoes, a little tomato puree, the fresh green phkchoi, and set the dish to my palette before freezing.
I intended going out walking later afternoon, but it rains yet again – it is summer time here, so where is the sun? Will stay and read now until it’s time to pick up my grandson from nursery.
Just looked at my curry, it’s bubbling away nicely, smells very nice, I may have to strengthen with a few more extra herbs later.
I’m listening to Cat Stevens, “Moon Shadow” I like his songs. Also, wrote another 1000 words, so now I have only 4,000 to do over the weekend, (4.10), nearly time to fetch my grandson.
The room is filled with the aroma of herbs, just taken the curry out of the oven and will leave to cool before I commence the second stage.
Took my grandson home at 6.30 and stayed in for the rest of the night, was intending to read, but instead watched the television, in bed my 10.45pm.

(Saturday 5th of December) Woke at 8.15am, I am sleeping well, the weather this morning is cloudy and damp, looks as if there is going to be more rain. I had cornflakes with Greek yogurt for breakfast. And started work on my writing straight after.
I need to go into town later to get a few things and to re-heat my curry and late freeze it. (10.15) Weather has taken a turn for the better; birds are singing outside my window, the grey clouds are showing patches of blue sky, and it is warm outside. Will be attending my grandson’s Christmas party later, sometime this afternoon, will take a camera, it’ll be fun – now to town, will walk in, only walked 7,200 steps yesterday – still haven’t sourced out a gym.
(3pm) Just back from my grandson’s Christmas party and town, bought a real nice 1.5 Kg piece of pork (it’s quite inexpensive out here, chicken is far more expensive) will cook it tomorrow. I’m doing, Crumbly-Topped Spanish Pork, it’s really easy to prepare.:
A piece of pork boned, I’ll be leaving the skin on, and I'll place thin slices of garlic underneath
3 cloves of garlic cut into thin slivers
2 onions, chopped
Small grated carrot
3 sticks of celery, chopped
100 g: 4 oz of blanched almonds chopped
150 g: 6 oz of wholemeal breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Garnish with silver-beet roughly chopped.
If you want to know how to do it, let me know under comments, and I’ll give you the full instruction.
The starter is unusual: lean bacon cut in strips and wrapped round a small banana.
Season, and place under grill turning as needed until the bacon is sizzling, and serve immediately with an apple tangy sauce. This started is simple and really yummy.
Desert, a lemon cake, and apple crumble. Use the zest of two and juice lemons in the flour mix – if you need the full instructions let me know. The apple crumble I’m making with Granny Smith apples, cooking apples are not in season and are hard to come by, and expensive.

Also made a cottage pie with the last of the mince I bought a few days ago – I’ll eat some tonight and I’ll freeze the rest. Babysitting tonight – my grandson is staying with me all night. I have emailed my other grandson in the UK, I hope he has received it – I do miss him a lot, and my other one but he is too young to understand. I was intending to walk a lot today, but as they say: the best laid plans of men and mice... or something like that. Anyway,

I'll read now for a while until my grandson turns up to spend the time night.

(Sunday, 6th December) Up a 7am, weather cloudy, took a long time this morning to come to life, later, I did a few hours writing and then shopping. I spent the afternoon reading an Agatha Christie’s novel “Five Little Pigs.” Early evening my grandson turned up to spend the night, I play with him until it was his bedtime, and finished the Christie novel. I bed by 10 am. All in all ,a good day

(Monday 7th December) Up at 6.30, the time my grandson wakes, playing with him in the morning and afternoon and then did the cooking, my grandson helped, it was fun, but I needed to clean the floor afterwards. Seven for dinner, it went well, bed by 10pm, really tired, but I did finish my book by Christie’s “Five Little Pigs”

I can see how they say she in the master of the detective story. Reading another one now by the same author: “The Labours of Hercules,” twelve short stories about her famous detective, Hercule Poirot. In total, she wrote 80 novels, will read a lot more of her novels over the next few months. The poem in the front of the novel from "Labours Love..."made me smile. I will share it with you.
I’ve travelled the world twice over,
Met the famous: saints and sinners,
Poets and artists, kings and queens,
Old stars and hopeful beginners,
I’ve been where no-one’s been before,
Learned secrets from writers and cooks,
All with one library ticket
To the wonderful world of books.
By: Janice James

Next Log in a Few Days, thanks for taking to time to read, please leave comments.