Easter Egg Hunt

Save Our Auckland Flights

I went to the rally at Paraparaumu Airport today to protest Air New Zealand cutting flights to the Kapiti Coast and to show support for Air Chathams to fill the void. I am usually a great supporter/customer of Air New Zealand but felt very disappointed in the way they dealt with the suspension of the Kapiti-Auckland flights. Not only did they make the announcement just five days after a big open day at the airport attended by over 1000 people but they only gave the community four weeks notice. The airport is only five minutes away from my house so even if I have to pay a bit more for an airfare it still works out cheaper and/or more convenient than traveling to Wellington Airport. 
Boo Air NZ; Go Air Chathams.

 

Park to Path Fun Walk

The sun was shining this morning and Zak had agreed to walk 6km with Nisa, Rayna and I. The Park to Path event was organised by the Kapiti Coast District Council and there were even participant numbers containing electronic tags so everyone's time could be recorded. The four of us started off at a walk but only three of us walked the whole way.  Within a few metres of the start line Zak strode off ahead off us and then I saw him running up the only hill on the course and disappearing off into the distance. About 25 minutes later he passed us as he returned along the trail to the finish line. Zak took only 33 mins to complete the 6k while Nisa, Rayna and I strolled over the finish line in 1h5m. He was very pleased when the times were posted and he saw that he was a top ten finisher.

 

Ticket to Ride

A great way to both give and receive is to give a game as a gift and then join in the fun of playing it. I gave Zak & Alison the game Ticket to Ride Europe for Christmas and have played a few games with them.  It's a great strategy game and Zak, 12 turned 13, picked it up quickly and understands how it works. We had a game on Sunday as I've started supervising him alternate Sundays while Alison works. First we had a game of squash then a game of Ticket to Ride and it was a fun way to hang out with him. 

 

Wind, Rain and Painting

Wind and rain hasn't spoiled my annual leave this week because I've been painting the kitchen cabinets. I may have been tempted to be out and about if the sun was shining but ex-cyclone Gita's visit kept me on task in the kitchen. 

 

Fire and Fury

Published with great fanfare and an effort by President Trump to block its publication I had to see for myself what all the fuss is about. It was a fascinating read, a great overview of many well known events and an insight into not only Trump's distinctive actions and reactions (including some bizarre speeches and downright nasty personal attacks) but also into the chaos and infighting among the lead players in the White House. 

However the writing style used by Michael Wolff rather detracted from the overall effectiveness of the book. Some of the sentences were laboured and the style rather convoluted. However what bothered me most was the assumptions the author made about the lead players' motivations, emotions and opinions. Although he states that he had access to multiple sources in the White House he's not a mind reader and I thought it would have been more effective to focus on their words and actions that were (and still are) quite astonishing on their own. 

 

Once in a Super Blue Blood Moon

It was cloudy and there was no sign of a moon when I went to bed last night so I didn't bother to set my alarm.  But I woke during the night, glanced at the clock radio, saw it was 2.32am and decided to take a peek out the bedroom window.  And there it was, the super blue blood moon. 

It was the first time in 35 years around the world - and since 1866 in New Zealand - a blue moon has synced up with a supermoon and a total lunar eclipse, or blood moon because of its red hue. 

The second full moon in a calendar month is a blue moon. This one also happened to be an especially close and bright moon, or supermoon. Add a total eclipse, known as a blood moon for its red tint, occurs when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon.

I took a photo but the moon looked like a small dot on my phone and it was taken through my bedroom window.  The photo below from Beach FM Facebook was taken locally so it's just as I saw it for a couple of minutes before it became mostly obscured by cloud again.