June is flying along

Hello all

I had one email from a member of our email list checking that she had not been excommunicated from the cyberchurch! No - the good news is that we are all still alive and kicking, to use an old phrase. I have been busy and also sick for the last 3 weeks on and off.

The school term is three weeks from completion which is quite scary. Our 6 month stay in this house has grown to 10 months which is tricky seeing that we did not unpack things on account of the planned short stay. Ha Ha. So we will have winter here. The gas fire in the lounge keeps that part of the house warm while electric heaters are needed in all the other rooms. It is a pleasant reasonably priced rental with one son in the study and the other living in the dining room.

Will be visiting in Melbourne in September at an IB conference and Sheilagh will come with to shop in what is the Kiwi shopping destination of choice. She will enjoy what is a beautiful city. In the July hols we will visit Sydney. There are lovely destinations in Australia as a holiday place - time for a good break!

On a personal note I finished part 1 of the MA Tesol course and have asked for an interim Hons BA to be awarded in July. I will not make it to Pretoria for the graduation but after 5 years of study I am relieved that something concrete (paper...) will come of it. In the future I may well teach English in some exotic place.

Great news from South Africa is that my niece Joanne is pregnant. Well done Dene and Joanne! So I am due to be a great Uncle!! This is the first of that generation and the family is really delighted. The Gellings are all doing well in Johannesburg. Congrats to my sister Anne, her husband John , and sister Kerry as well.

Sheilagh's mum is in Heidelberg in Gauteng and planning to visit at some stage. Her dad and Rosemary are now in Tauranga with Jenny and Lionel. Di and Noel and their family in Brisbane are all excelling - Kelvin and Brigitte are doing very well at school, and Brett now lives on the Gold Coast and works as a financial advisor.

Back in Port Shepstone two of our dear old friends Betty Messina and Maddie McDouall have passed away after becoming very frail. We remember them fondly. The Presby church there is still limping along, aided by Stella Donald who has returned from the UK, thankfully. She is great in the office prodding away and keeping people looking forward.

So we approach our 3rd winter and I must say it isn't that intimidating. There was snow recently and the ski fields have opened I believe. No - I will not be propelling myself down any of those volcanoes. At school shortly we will have our first EARTHQUAKE drill. Drop, cover and hold is the simple way forward.I can imagine my year nines holding on to their desks on the floor with great glee and propelling them around the room while teacher braces in the doorway like Sampson of old. Actually one has to drop and brace... Let's pray that we don't ever get the big one that Wellington is expected to receive. We think of those tens of thousands dead in China - especially the kids in the classrooms. We remember the countless bereaved.

A cheerful thought - some jokes to make your June move along happily:

Teacher: Billy, name two pronouns. Billy: Who, me?
Teacher: Very good!

The child comes home from his first day at school.
Mother asks, "What did you learn today?"
The kid replies, "Not enough. I have to go back tomorrow."

The following notes from parents excusing their children
from attending school have been around a while but if you
haven't seen them, I'm sure you will get a kick out of them:
"Please excuse Freddie from being away yesterday because he had the fuel."
"Please accuse Michael from being absent on January 30 because he was aleing."
"George was absent yesterday because of a sore trout."
"Please excuse Betsey from being absent. She was sick and I had her shot."
"Joseph has been absent becuz he had two teeth taken off his face."
"My son is under doctor's care and should not take fisical education. Please execute him."
"Please excuse Ralph from school on Friday. He had very loose vowels."

Blessings and love

Robin