When One Blog Closes...

... another opens in its place!

So, followers of Nev's blog who are wondering what has happened to the Kiwi, fear no more!

Basically, he lost his password and what-have-you for posting here, so his blog has been regenerated (to borrow one of his Doctor Who terms) and you can join him here:

Shootin' The Breeze

The layout and colour scheme might get the odd little cosmetic tweak here and there, but the above address will be its new and permanent home.

Welcome back to the Blogging World, Neville!

Heat Wave!!

Time again to flog the Blog. MAN it is hot!! Reminds me of some lines from Good Morning, Vietnam - "Fool, why it's HOT, I told you again!!! What were you born on the SUN? It's DANG hot!" "What's the weather like right now?" "You got a window? Open it." Hot, hot, hot....I've had three cans of pop; three bottles of lager; I've startin' on the Scotch.....I might de-tox over the Weekend......we'll see...

Today, I drove the local Model T Railcar for the first time, with my own passengers, since 2005!!! Has it really been that long?! I only had 6 passengers over the whole day, but they were attentive & interesting! Tomorrow, I plan to get snapped in LOADS of t-shirts, for a new online photo album. AND - maybe a little Auditioning!

Cheeseburger Thursday

Tonight, I made Cheeseburgers from scratch, while wearing my McDonalds top. I bought this many years ago; it looks like I'm on the McDonalds crew! ...which I was, of course, back in the early '90s. However, I'll admit, I couldn't stand the heat in the kitchen! - so I got out, to work elsewhere in the building.

I've been really missing my sister today. I played her music on her old Radio/CD player; and posted a framed photo of her to my brother. There are reminders of her everywhere here, of course; since we got quite a few things from her house. Also, if I haven't mentioned it before, I bought a couple of CDs by The Hollies in memory of Gwen; to get one particular song. Surprisingly, of the 20 or so CDs they have available on t'internet, only one has the song I wanted!!!

Health Update

Well, my blood pressure has been monitored by my wife over the past couple of weeks; and yesterday, I saw my Doctor (about my knee). She checked my BP; it concerned her that it's so high, so she reviewed my meds...now I'm on 7.5mg of Inhibace, and she's doubled my dose of Felodipine to combat my high BP.

My Left Knee
When we lived on the Isle of Wight, my right knee became twisted, while I worked at McD's. Now, 11 years later, I've knocked my LEFT knee! It was X-Rayed last Thursday week; the bones are fine, but the ligaments and cartilage are suspect. She wants me to see an Orthopod.
I'll keep you posted.....

Mail Update

OK, so some of my friends may be aware...I keep a keen eye out for Val, our Postie - for the letters, packets & parcels she brings! Last Saturday, my patience (or lack thereof) was rewarded...I got TWO CDs in the mail, plus 1 Dalek t-shirt for Zoe! OK, it's not Pink, like I thought it was...it's White...so I'll dye it Pink for her. Then, I had to wait 'til yesterday, to get more...another CD, and another t-shirt; this time for little Ben! I could see one packet sticking out of the Mailbox from the kitchen window, and I was pretty confident there would be another, so I took Ben with me to carry them in...he enjoys that kind of thing... Okay it wasn't quite as exciting as when the Talking Dalek Hot Water Bottle Cover arrived two weeks ago, but hey, I love getting parcels!!!

There are still about 7 things due in the Mail...more CDs, an Alex Borstein DVD - Drop Dead Gorgeous, in a Down To Earth Kind of Way - two more t-shirts, and a Christmas present!

Freaky Friday!!!

OK, so why is today Freaky Friday? It's 'cos, like, I was in the shower this morning, and I got thinking about yesterday....

So, I walked into this shop to buy some socks for my brother (and some for me). And floating down from the mezzanine floor, I hear the words, "Dr.Who.....Daleks...." So I called up to the floor above, "Did I hear the words, "Doctor Who?"...and this man looks down and says, "what" & I repeated the Q., and he says, "Aww g'day! We were just talking about you and your Dr.Who collection!!" *** I don't know these people...so I was surprised to hear this!! OK, I did bring in my talking Dalek slippers, to get some Possum Fur insoles; maybe that was it....

Anyway, the upshot is, now they want me to bring in my Dalek Hot Water Bottle, so I can get her to talk to them. Funny old world, innit!

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Naturally, I've been keeping an eye on the Money Markets. The $US has fallen by more than 23 cents against the $NZ since August, which is not good. It'll be quite a while before I buy another big box of Dr. Who goodies from the USA! The Pound, on the other hand, is looking much better.

Thirsty Thursday

Well, yesterday came & went; and not one CD was found in our Mailbox... :-( However, one WAS found in it today - the musical soundtrack of Dr.Who, Series 4! Hoorah! I'll play it on our way to see my Mum on Saturday; it's a drive of about 150 mins.

Today, I got my knee X-rayed; I'm hoping to find out what's wrong with it soon!

Wacky Wednesday!

I'm feeling a little Wacky on this sunny summer Wednesday!! I've come to realise that I'll have to delve into my savings account to pay my credit card bill this month; more's the pity...good thing I haven't ordered much this month! I'd planned on ordering Zoe a Sonic Lipstick in addition to the stuff I've already got her for Christmas, but that'll have to wait now.

I have high hopes for the Mail today! No less than six Dr.Who CDs are on their way, from Sendit.com and eBay; so there's a lot coming to enjoy!! Two are stories read by ex-companions - Liz Shaw and Romana II, respectively; two more are Paul McGann & Sheridan Smith audiop plays; one is a classic story featuring Jamie, Zoe and the 2nd Doctor; and finally...the music from Series 4!!! YUMMY, SCRUMMY!!!! ;-p

I got something in the mail yesterday from the University, but it was only a newsletter from the Department of History & Philosophy.

My Exam....

...my first for 12 years!!! :-o

How'd it go?? Well Ally (and any other readers), I got there, finally having found out precisely where the local Poly is; and found the right lecture block. I asked "What happens if I wanna go to the loo?" The lady said, "Well...you can't! Can you go now?" I did; then (shortly later) it was time for the Blockbusters and Biopics Exam to start! There were two sections: (1) Short Answers - choose 10 questions of 30 and answer 'em quick!, and (2) - Short Essays. The Short Answers were easy questions like, "Who directed Doctor Strangelove?" and "Who played the Queen in Elizabeth?" Then I moved onto the three Short Essay questions. I wrote a lot about Mississippi Burning; and not quite so much about Elizabeth and Saving Private Ryan - but I think I may have passed!

After my Exam, I went to have my first-ever lunch in the Poly Cafe. I saw a huge dog there, on a lead, with a young woman - honestly, this canine would make a great sofa for a coupla 3-year-olds! I went up to pat him, but I stopped short when I saw the patches on his jacket that said, "Don't Pat Me, I'm Working." Fair enough, mate - you're doing a good job! I wonder how much the doggie makes b4 Tax....in case you're wondering, he was a Psychiatric Services Dog.

49 Hours To Go

Just 49 hours to go; then I'll sit my first exam in over 12 years! I'm nervous, and a little excited. I feel like I'll get my life back in the afternoon of the 29th October!!! To prepare, I've watched Doctor Strangelove (for the sixth time, at least); Vera Drake (a really well-done '50s Brit drama); and Elizabeth - The Golden Years (a beautiful, if rather misleading film about the later years of the "Virgin Queen's" reign). I've also read about "the Royals in the Movies", and found out something fascinating...movies about the Royals are heavily influenced by the times! Obvious, one would think; but I've never thought of movies about Royalty like that. For example, The Madness of King George and Mrs. Brown were made in the 90s; they reflect royal scandal (or the hint of one), and the 90s were rife with scandal in the House of Windsor.

On Saturday, we went to the wedding of Brad & Joanne; Brad had asked me to come in my Dr.Who costume. One friend asked, "What makes it Dr Who?" So, I showed her my 35th Anniversary Gold-plated pocket watch; my TARDIS tie; and of course, the Tom Baker scarf (how could she miss it?).

A Bad Cold!

Past coupla days, I've had a worsening cold....going through hankies & tissues like nobody's business...my ears have been blocked, I have a croaky voice....if I didn't have to study for my exam, I'd spend all of today in bed....!

A Visitor

The last couple of days have been very pleasant; an old friend has come to visit! I met Jack about 28 years ago. He drove up from my home town of Dunedin. On Monday, he had lunch here, and we watched the pilot of The Sarah Jane Adventures. In the evening, I took him to meet some local friends of mine; we watched the DVD of Mississippi Burning, which is part of my course work. Then yesterday, we went out to the Shearers' Quarters, a nice little cafe in the country. It was good to catch up with Jack!

Pleasant Valley Sunday

Nice day, today...went to a combined service, in the city, this morning....parked outside Toyworld. It began at 10am. I commented to the woman behind us, whose kids have often babysat for us: "I'm not looking forward to getting up early, for 9am services next year...it'll be difficult..." After the service, she said: "It's alright for you Townies..." she stopped herself just in time from saying "You don't have lives," but carried on: "We got up early anyway, being country folk, so it's no problem to us!" We live right on the edge on town; they are 1/2 a mile further out.

This arvo, our Russian/Ukrainan friends came round; it was good to see them. I talked with Sergei, and drank his home brew, while our children played on our trampoline. A lovely afternoon.

Saturday in Timaru

We have a new Minister coming to our Church soon; and so today, I mowed the lawn around the Church Manse. It was the first time I've done this. I commented to Don, the bloke who introduced me to the Manse mower, "It's a good thing I don't have arthritis, so I can crouch down as I mow under the tree!" :) It only took half an hour; and the blustery wind had lessened a bit by the time I started, at 10:05am.

This afternoon, we went to visit a little old lady in town, who's like an honorary Grandma for me. The kids like her, and her little dog! She wasn't quite with it today. I noticed how stale the air was in her house, and decided to comment on it: "You might want to get some fresh air in here," I quipped, shortly before leaving. "Why?" she chirped, "Did you fart?" Honestly! The old people these today..... :-D

Back to School :)

What did I Do Today....I wrote to my Mum; watched an episode of Dr Who with the commentary on; made meself a cut lunch, and went to School to have lunch with my Children! Ben looked really chuffed to see me! It was lovely, sitting there on the grass at their School, nibbling on me peanut-butter-and-cheese sarnies (37 years & still lovin' 'em!). It was the Parents & Grandparents, Join Your Kids for Lunch day at the School. I only noticed 8 or so other parents, but I guess with a lot of families, both parents work. After a few minutes, Margaret joined us, so that was neat!

As Arkwright Said....

"It's been a funny day," as old Arkwright said. (for those who don't know, it's from Open All Hours, a venerable BBC telly programme, about a stuttering Yorkshire shopkeeper). I had a headache off & on today; it's off now. Didn't get any study done! I'll do some tomorrow; definite.

I haven't done any Dalek building for ages....wifey & I will do more on our Dalek project, after my exam (29th Oct).

Meanwhile, the traders are still doing the Wall Street Shuffle (10cc song). Surprisingly, the US Dollar held firm during the last 24 hours; only dropping 0.06c. This, despite the markets all doing their impression of Olympic synchronised diving!!! I googled "Economic Deflation" today; it didn't make good reading!

I'm doing well at selling excess goods; sold 3 more items this week :) Ah well, bedtime....

US Dollar Recovering...

I've been meaning to write about this for a while...the shaky US Dollar gave me a heck of a fright last week, when it fell 3 cents in one day!! As a small-time importer, I was concerned...well, after all, the more their dollar falls, the more it costs me! I ordered more US goods two days later, before it fell much further! I think it was at about NZ 64c.

Well, the goods arrived TODAY....fantastic! There were a LOT of things for other people, who are paying me to get them Dr.Who gear. Also, toys that are gonna be Christmas presents for my kids!

Meanwhile, on the US share markets are starting to bounce back. I cannot believe, that Hank Paulson isn't unemployed yet! I don't usually get political on here, but, man alive - the guy started this whole world-wide financial meltdown, and he's STILL the US Treasury Secretary!
Well, I hope the Bird of Paradise flies up HIS nose.....

Family Bereavement

I'm still in shock...my brother just rang to let me know, my Sister died Today. I can't believe it... she wasn't even 60. We don't know yet why she passed away. If it was lack of exercise, I'd better get moving! I haven't exactly been a ball of fire lately. We often argued, my sister & me....but on the bright side, our last visit to Dunedin (where most of my family lives) was very pleasant. Gwen & I parted on good terms. Just the other day, I took photos of the kids for her; when they were on little horses at the Racetrack....