2026 XMAS LETTER
December/January
Visited daughter Janet in Saint Arnaud New Zealand including a week babysitting two dogs in Nelson. One was a fanatic ball chaser who ran himself, and Bob, ragged.
January
Extracted Misty (our Subaru Forester) from its tight fit in the garage and a monumental tidyup, back to weekly M1 motorway trip to Bli Bli for Joyce's recorder group, golf for Bob (9-holes Mon & Fri at dawn), walks and bird-watching in the local park.
Our local park
February
Bob was forced to get a new mobile phone (old faithful 3G no longer good with changes to 4G and new 000) and still struggling to sort out the world of apps (and it has no Bird Book app). New eye doctor and financial advisor changes no help either AND a new lounge (same brand as Janet, lounge admittedly larger and more comfortable).
March – April – May
Well settled into routine with Joyce involved in choirs, singing groups, recorders and labyrinth and Bob in golf, hydroponic (Mr Stacky) feeding updates, and transferal of our golf group finances from C/SQL to spreadsheet so I can more readily hand them over. A joint project to put an "invisible" door in the front fence into a tarpaulin/frame-based waterproof home for the bicycles. And then there is the world of jigsaws to keep us looking and thinking.
June - July
Bob cleaned out Anna's fish pond (recorder friend in Bli Bli) and set up a waterproof shelter over it so he could give it a few coats of black pool paint a week between each coat. Bob's regular eye check showed left eye pressure too high so new medicines and an S on his driving license, latter requiring fancy $766 "driving glasses" (part tinting and part long distance focus). His regular "computer" glasses are short-distance focus.
August
Highlight was of course a family internet get-together to celebrate the 3rd (Craig's BD, Joyce and Bob's anniversary and later on the 20th for Bob's BD. Daesim get-together was lunch at "The Jetty" with Wilkey and Cameron families.
September - October
Bob agreed to add xmas adhesive-vinyl text to two banners for Bicycle User Group. That required a re-learn of the Brother SDX-1200 scan-and-cut cutter and chasing up green and red vinyl as the previous supplier no longer exists. It was also the season for a few paddles in our Oru folding kayak (interesting use of corflute - thought it was just for election signs). Also the season for the Bribie Nature Festival – two talks Fri (csiro research and restocking species), one Saturday (echidnas) and one Sunday (whales, dugongs, dolphins) and a few less interesting ones we passed on.
On the water in our Oru and back to the passage
Our back garden pond now 23 years old and home to lots of small fish and eastern dwarf tree frogs (up to 2 cm length)
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| Pumicestone passage at sunset |
November
Two days in the local rainforest hills was a welcome break from the annual golf competition (Bob trying not to be last). Finally packing for another xmas in New Zealand.
Craig (51) and Karen are still happily based in Toronto and enjoying very simply except for Craig's tiny airplane which is based at a nearby airport.
Janet (46) is just completing her 8th year as a National Parks Ranger in charge of threatened plants in St Arnaud at the north of the South Island in New Zealand.
We are still enjoying providing a home for Joyce's musical friend Zac (31) who has lived with us for over 4 years now - though unfortunately the busyness of life and decreasing energy has caught up with us, and we no longer get out for walks or play music together as much as we would like.
May next year be fewer wars between nations and an end to paranoid leaders (vain hope?).
Bob and Joyce
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