Sunday, 20th June, 2021

 I mentioned in my last post that it might be time to consider a holiday.  Since we retired in 2010, we always seemed to be on holiday, or were planning a trip somewhere.  But something happened in the middle of 2016 that made us apply the brakes.  Our last overseas holiday was a cruise around Papua-New Guinea.  I recall it was a belated celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary, and it was great.  We had a cruise around Thailand for our 40th anniversary in 2006, we sailed around the top of Australia and ended up in Perth for our 45th and had another cruise in 2016 for our 50th.  So, there has been nothing since then apart from a few trips to Wollongong.

Our 55th Anniversary passed us by, almost unacknowledged, in January this year but it would be great to celebrate this milestone, even if it is somewhat belated.  We will probably never go on another cruise: the Covid pandemic has highlighted severe flaws in the cleanliness routines of most ships.  With the best will in the world, ships crews can't ensure that everything on the ship is germ-free.  Passengers are people, with all the dirty habits that people everywhere share.  When we were younger and healthier, we coped but in this new Covid world, it's not worth it to take the chance.

New Zealand beckons.  It has dealt with the Covid pandemic better than most countries, it's only a few hours flight away and the native speak English (of a sort).  I looked at some options.  There are lots of coach tours but that's not for us; there are drive-yourself deals but car-hire firms don't like renting to 78-year olds.  We could fly to one of the big cities and go on excursions from there or we could make use of the wonderful trains and enjoy the scenery for the comfort of a warm carriage.

Tentatively, I've mapped out an itinerary: fly into Christchurch for two or three days, take a train to Picton and a ferry to Wellington.  After a few days there, take the train to Auckland.  After a few days there, we would fly home, probably via Sydney.  The next problem is when we can fit it in.  We're booked to work at the census between July and September, We always help with Exam supervision during November, and the pundits are suggesting we might have an election this year, if the PM thinks he might have a chance of winning.

So, I have only  three possible dates: October 7th, November 25th or January 6th.  And, if Sco-mo calls a snap election, we would have to think again.

Wednesday, June 16

 As Jamie and Nera are both at work each day, we've got into the habit of driving to Hadspen each morning to pick up Archie the Chihuahua so he can spend the day with us.  We've decided he will get lonely and fret if he doesn't have company, and then he might start attacking the furniture in his frustration.  I don't know what happens to every other dog in the world whose owners leave them at home when they go to work but that's not our concern.  Maybe we're being too fussy but if dog loneliness weren't a real thing there would be no call for Doggy Day Care Centres and they're popping up everywhere.

Clearly, Archie enjoys it.  When we arrive, he rushes to the car, hops into the back seat and waits for us to put on his safety chain.  He responds to every turn we take on the trip and, by the time we're in our street, he's bouncing up and down with excitement.  It's nice to be appreciated.

Browsing the TV channels for something to watch we stumbled across a British show called the Masked Dancer.  I vaguely recall a show called the Masked Singer a while ago but we didn't watch it.  However, with nothing better to do, we sat down to see what it was about - and were immediately hooked.  It's crazy, there's nothing in the show to recommend it and the production seems aimed at 12-year olds, but something about the presenters is compelling.  Maybe it's senility kicking in.

We received an email a few weeks ago inviting us to apply for jobs at the upcoming census, and we're always looking for interesting things to do and the extra dollars will always come in handy.  There was a follow-up asking us to apply for a Police Check so the wheels are turning.  In November, we have the Exam Supervision and there's a chance there might be an election soon. Any cash we can accumulate will be put towards a holiday.  It seems so long since we were able to leave the state and we can't wait for the chance to do it all again