Yup - I started the draft on 2 November 2020 - then set it aside for corrections, spelling etc. and to be completed and included in the 15 Calendars we usually post out pre Dec. N e x t day we were informed that Michael is back into the Hospital for a test and yup - they confirmed his leukemia has returned. Thus the rest of our time since then, was consumed with trips to and from the Hospital and many things got - shall we say - re-prioritized!!! We spent Christmas day in his private hospital room!!
The draft never got corrected - so here it is in its full faulty glory....
23 Oldwood St
Christchurch 8053
New Zealand
2 Nov 2020
Ooooooh is it this time of the year again – already???? Seems only like yesterday when I scribbled the last news letter together! So here it goes.
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Another eventful year for us but one with more highs than lows for which we are truly grateful. Trusting that you have all had some success in 2019 and wishing you all the best for a peaceful 2020!
Humpf – this was the opening and closing line from our 2019 letter. I F only we had known then what 2020 would bring!!!!! As I type we hear that Europe is going for yet another lockdown thanks to the Virus ex-China!! It would be really weird if Christmas is being canccelled, already a number of Christkindl markets are not happening!! Sighs – where to begin ? ? ? ?
Yes; we had our fair share of the Virus– and thanks to the large moat around our little paradise island we have escaped most of the drama! We too had a 4 week strict lockdown around March / April – then eased off afterwards. Our borders are still closed to returning Kiwis only (and “essential other workers”) - and any incoming persons have to be in a “managed” facility for 2 weeks – AND pay some NZ $ 3000!!! hmmmmm enough of this – lets try and be positive!
We did manage to get away again for a few weekends in our Bear-mobile – including a chilly midwinter camp and a long week round trip that included two nights at Ross!! We give thanks for this ability as it is acting as a mental circuit breaker from all the bad news in 2020! We feel like being seasoned campers now, and are looking to take “our trainerwheels” off eg – selling it, and do an upgrade in the near future – a permanent bed would be nice! One of the downstream effects from this Virus-Year has been less, or no international tourists and at the same time an increase in Kiwis touring in their own country – so there is less then normal tourist traffic and still enough to make things busy!
Reinhold has gone nuts and bought on the cheap a few dilapidated and severely neglected Rimu (nz native timber) coffee tables and then spend some of his lock-down time restoring them. He has sold 2 back, making some small gains in $$ - which will go towards buying a new power tool to complete the woodworking setup. His other creations involved making a few crosses (pics as always on FB) many of which have found new homes! Yes Margit – yours will be here waiting for you to take home – I am not posting it!!! Two other major woodworking projects were: making a very special Rimu coffee table and a larger CD book case for us; oh - and a special stepping-stool for MB so she can reach the upper shelves in the kitchen!!
Pam has been very busy working from home during the lock-down (which brought it’s own marital challenges) and then back at work. Her workplace bought a new accounting software and its implementation is as long and as tedious as Tooth-extractions! She certainly has and is working LONG hours! Her reward for this is a brand new (it had only 5km on the clock) company car!
A black shiny new set of wheels!! She is also very happy having splashed out in January for a new couch – one she found that would let her sit down on it and her feet touching the floor (turns out – it is the ONLY one in NZ that will let her do that) – and – due to virus and lock-downs it took 6 months for delivery!
Michael continues his journey in Hanmer working as a sales person in a hardware store. He is more or less medically speaking on the good side – fingers crossed! Jonno of course lost his job at Milford and had to be here for lock-down – then went to a limited job in Queenstown for the ski season. He now plans to do the Te Araroa walk (https://www.teararoa.org.nz/) - all of 3000km down the spine of NZ (from the very top of the north to the bottom of the south)! Mid winter we said goodbye to our cat who had deteriorated and was not happy! Her ashes are now with Max’s ashes and awaiting interring as I type. Thus we are pet-free at the moment!
