Train timetable

The Wairarapa train time table has been amended on Friday nights. This means the "late" train no longer departs at 9.55pm. It departs at 10.25pm scheduled to arrive at my destination at 11.44pm. This is now ingrained in my mind. I catch the "late" train a lot less frequently than I used to, but last night I did. Only just. You see I thought the new late train departed at 10.30. I said goodbye to the people I was with at the Thistle, strolled over to the railway station and through late night entry which is suppose to detect Friday night drunks. This is always a msytery to me becasue the security guards seem quite haphazard and I would question their ability should ever there be real Friday night commotion.

So at 10.25 I walk though the secruity clearance and ask what platform the Wairarapa train is on. The security guards grunt at each other and then one says "you better be quick - its just about to go on platform 8". So I move quickly to platform 8 and wave. The guard looks as if he is going to ignore me, so I keep walking towards him.

The fricken train is parked half way up the platform and there is one of the bozodozo guards on. Anywway he holds the trains. I puff. As soon as get through the doors he gets on, and the train departs.

This is train adrenalin. Its a strange and weird thing one only expereicnces if one is relaint on public transport and a fixed timetable. Its that feeling, like, yes, I just defeated the fixed timetable.

As Obama would say "Yes I can"

Beans and other things

My blog has become a bit like my garden. Extremely dry and infrequent postings. I've been musing over whether to keep it, and if so what direction to take it. Make it a garden blog, an escape from the buracracy blog, a self journey blog or a combination of the three. It will probably continue being a bit of all three. I'm not ready to kill it off yet. It still has some work to do.


Since I moved to the Wairarapa I've grown tomato crops every year that have kept me through winter until the next crop. But not this year. I am not sure why that is. I barely have enough to pick. I do though have a good bean crop - enough to freeze. My fruit trees are fruiting and I've learnt that if I pick the nectarines not quite ripe from the old tree i can at least eat them rather than see them rot on the ground. I have about 15 pears, 10 granny smiths, 10 galas. I also have grapes (or will have grapes) for the first time in 4 years. So, i guess its a matter of swings and round abouts - although the tomato thing is puzzling. I do though have tomatos that have self sown in my rose garden through the compost. I'm leaving them there now I've reached a spray free state in that area.



Each time this year I start going to the gym, eating better, reassessing things. That is the state I am in. It feels different this time. Like there is a lot more at stake on a number of levels. I'm not going to get a personal trainer. I know what to do and I have the motivation to do it.



I'm thinking of creating a photo journal for 2009 as an alternative to like weighing myself everyweek. I tend to avoid photos of myself becasue I am self consious. But I am warming to have a photo journal - to record not only change over 2009 but good experiences and sharing my life with other people.

My list of 101 things might become 11 things over the next 11 months. If I achieve 11 things then that would be good.

oh, and my "show has been cancelled" to use a term from one of my favourite tv shows. Design star on Living channel. That is my work programme will be reoientated - this all seems rather puzzling on how to reframe my work programme under Ministerial - reduce the bureacracy directive. There is I concede a certain sense of schaudenfreude I have it about it all.

And so this is 2009

The first entry of 2009 is written from the Kwila writing table. That is, the table on my back porch. It is the stillest of nights as I write this and quite light. This is an excellent writing space. There is only one drawback and that is the sandfly things that keep biting my feet. Possibly there is another drawback and that is that the machine is quite slow because it is some distance from the telcom connection. Or that could be I just need to update my virus protection. I can hear a bird chirping and my neighbour redoing her brick pathway that she laid last summer.

She coughs occassionaly and listens to Nationional Radio. These are things we have in common and could talk about if we talked.

The neighbour on the East wing has just put his car away. Luckily I managed to chop my side of his trees down further whiole he was away. The bamboo I planted on our border is growing and I am hoping that next year I wont see into his property and can perhaps suggest he cuts the confiers down completely.

As for my plans for 2009 - well first up is to write my list - I'm not that great at lists, goals etc - last year I was too ambitious. But I am not going to be deterred by the past.

So given its the 7th January I'll start with 7 things in no particular order:

1. Attend the wedding of two of the most awesome people I know.
2. Make sure I have some nice homegrown flowers for these awesome people
3. Swim more - at least in 5 different places this year
4. Have at least 2 decent holidays this year of 5 days duration
5. Be careful with my money
6. Respect and love myself and be positive
7. Get the rotten boards on my house quoted for and fixed - at a reasonable price by a qualified and and excellent builder