2011 - That Was The Year That Was
Looking back the year seems to have been marked by deaths, book-ended by disasters, interspersed with the relief of a World Cup win, a predictable election result, and family life as usual, but with a wedding as it's centre-piece.
Christmas is family time in our household - well sort of. Because for Christmas 2010 we were joined by Gareth Thompson, a friend of Charlotte's from the UK - more of whom later. It was nice to be able to share our family traditions with someone outside the family.
The year's start was marred by the passing of a popular cousin of Desiree's, Patricia Knox or Sister Dominica as she was more widely known. An indomitable woman of integrity, natural curiosity and a steely core, Dom had become something of an institution to our family. And her passing left a gap in our lives, and many others. Just over a month later, her sister Molly passed away. To finish off the year, in early January 2012, we farewelled another of the same generation, Heather Knox.
It didn't take long for the 'disasters' to strike. Christchurch had already been shaken, but in February it was torn asunder by a particularly damaging earthquake, that left those of us safe out of harm's way, grateful for that, in awe of the scale of the damage, and moved to help in whatever way we could. And then at the end of the year it happened all over again!
While not quite a 'disaster' (actually we were thrilled and excited by the event!) August saw unusual weather visit the Wellington region, dropping a record amount of snow all over the southern North Island. Keep in mind, that NZ has a temperate maritime climate, and that our part of the country is at sea level, which makes the weather 'bomb' all the more memorable. In addition to sparkling landscapes and the unusual sight of snowflakes drifting past the windows of my office building in downtown Wellington, Jayne & Desiree delighted in a snowball fight in our back-yard!
Desiree continues to teach at Taita College, although the definition of 'teach' is typically somewhat stretched, as her role encompasses being a Dean, organising the publication of the magazine, and sundry other side-lines. One of the bigger 'side-lines' for the last 2 years finally came to fruition in the middle of the year, as all the fund-raising saw her and a group of colleagues and senior students embark on a 2-week trip to Vienam. For some kids it was their first overseas trip; for others their first airplane trip! And it was to an 'exotic' location, all stemming from a topic in the Year 11 history course on the Vietnam War. Desiree certainly enjoyed the trip, and the 'differentness' of Vietnam, and (especially?) the shopping!
2011 was a big year for Charlotte. She turned 23 and got married! Actually, that makes it sound it happened at the same time and it didn't.
The 23 is important because Charlotte 'missed' the traditional 21st events by being in Greece at the time! So I took the opportunity to pull together a few photos of her, and to note how quickly the time seems to have slipped by. But getting married was a much more significant 'life-event' for her, for us, and for Gareth (Yes, the lad who joined us for the previous Christmas). The weather was typically inclement for a Wellington June (cold and wet) but it was still a lovely day. Things got underway with the photos (better light earlier in the afternoon) on the Jetty at Petone. The wedding service was brief and typically off-beat, and held in our lounge! And then we repaired to a Cafe overlooking the Harbour for the celebration. And great fun it was too! I got to talk, of course, as I'm wont to do, and so did a few others, including a delightful 'lesson' for the new couple from Sarah Rose.
And that has lead to further 'publishing' ventures. In addition to some of the video ("uncut" raw video - please excuse the dodgy beginning - it does improve, I promise!):
the photographer took a terrific range of photos. So I have created a photobook using a selection of them. And now it has arrived, it looks terrific, so that means I will be doing more of them in future.
I had already put together another photobook for the Irish Society's 50th birthday. It was a series of photos from various people taken over the years. I also put together a video of many of the stills and some 'home movie' footage a member sent in.
There are also short video clips of people speaking at the Birthday weekend, with some hilarious stories of 'yester-year'. And I have another book in the works, as it were, of photos taken during the weekend of people who attended.
If that sounds like the Irish Society still takes a lot our time - you're right! In addition to the above, I am still involved in the Rose of Tralee event (in fact I am co-ordinating the 2012 National Final which we're hosting - again) and Desiree has a small group of kids she helps with public speaking, poetry, and performing. The kids and Desiree even put together (with a little help from Jayne) a short video story instead of a 'Christmas' play! Needless to say, that will be online in the not-too-distant future as well!
Speaking of Jayne, she has finished a successful second year at University, focussing on art history and English literature. We continue to assure her we are delighted at how well she's doing, and that her results are better than ours were!
Sarah Rose & Craig moved from the suburban house they had been in for a couple of years to a mid-city apartment and are now planning further travel to Europe.
Desiree & I managed to get away during the year, spending a week in Golden Bay in the South Island. A lovely couple of days pottering about Nelson, and then a visit to Takaka and Collingwood. It is nearly 40 years since we were there last, and not only did it remind us what a lovely part of the world it is, but we could see how much it has changed in that time.
Cats have always been a key part of our household & family. Two cats - Goldie & Tiffany - have been with us since Jayne was about 2, so that's 18 odd years. Goldie was cantankerous, inquisitive, sociable, scruffy, and nosy. As she could be somewhat unpredictable, and would let you know if she didn't like what was going on, the others treated her a little warily. It often seemed she was 'my' cat as I didn't mind her occasional outbursts. She died in August.
The Rugby World Cup dominated the thinking of a lot of Kiwis during this year. NZ claims it is the top rugby nation (certainly we have top 'brand' in The All Blacks), and had centred its pitch for the right to host the Cup on a putative 'stadium of 4 million people'. So I was lucky enough to have a surfeit of top-rate international rugby to watch, capped off with the nail-biting finale won by the All Blacks.
What was also notable, was that the family also took an interest. The girls and Desiree have never taken any interest in rugby in the past; but the World Cup grabbed their attention, and they began to be able to identify players, and I even had to buy them t-shirts for the occasion!
Delayed by the World Cup hoopla, the election proved to be interesting on several levels - innovative advertising campaign by Labour, whether National could 'sleep-walk' to victory, how large would the be the Greens presence in the House, the extent to which Harawira had gutted the Maori Party vote, the demise of Act, and then the unexpected re-emergence of NZ First and Winston Peters. In the end, in my view, NZ got a 'good' result. A diverse House, with a clear vote for National that nonetheless wasn't big enough to make them over-confident or able to dominate the agenda or impose their whims on the country.
Drinking beer, in our family, has long been left to me. Craig occasionally will have a small bottle or two, and now Gareth will also join me for a quiet drink when the family gathers for our regular dinners. But during this year, however, the others have also begun to imbibe. So now we take delight in finding and sampling 'boutique' or craft beers produced by small independent brewers. NZ has a flourishing new industry of such brewers, and outlets serving their products, so there is a good range to try, and lots of interesting places to visit when we're on holiday!
We started the year with Christmas and a funeral. We finished the year with Christmas and a funeral. Christmas 2011 was one of the best I can remember, with all the family gathered, the weather superb, and plenty of time to relax.
So that sums up the year: a cycle of renewal, death, celebration, and family routines.
We hope 2012 brings you all peace, prosperity and contentment.