Nico's Journal

Two bills passed into law in NZ this week, to my amazement considering our National (conservative) government.

Same-sex marriage is now law, passed by an good majority (77 to 44) since MPs were free to vote as they wished. Apparently Australian couples are already booking wedding trips here.

And at last we have Mondayisation of two of our holidays, Waitangi and ANZAC days, so that if they happen to fall on a weekend, people get Monday off. As votes were by party, this one was a much more narrow margin, miserly National being outvoted by the other parties.

I did actually do some more writing in the weekend but then I worked till 10:30 last night (another international webinar which had a few technical glitches like the internet connection when it was about to start (I rebooted the router), a German participant being unable to connect (she managed on another computer) and my colleague's mike not working (luckily mine picked up everything she said) but oy.

So tonight I just watched OUaT (of course!) and QI and tried to catch up with the interwebs (and failed).

Anyway. In the weekend we went to test-drive a Jazz but Greg decided to buy the long-lusted-after hybrid, an Insight. I have to say it's an amazing car with an info-rich dash that makes mine look barren, lots of cool features, and about a third the fuel consumption. OK, the newest Jazzes are hybrids too but very few people here can afford new cars; they're a major item here, after a house. It's a very cool blue too, called cerulean, a definite change from the all-too-common silver.

Yes, Marmageddon (as they named it) is over! Marmite returned to the supermarket shelved last night and went on sale today - daiseechain, rejoice! Countdown offered a free jar to anyone who spent more than $50 there today, but we had a large almost full jar when production stopped over a year ago and still have some left. I thought I'd let the deprived addicts at it.

I've actually managed to write a trope story but haven't posted it yet because I'm so terribly behind and haven't yet done the Pasifika or the funnel-headed cat one. I'm finding it hard enough just staying up with reading, let alone commenting and actually posting. I've even thought up a couple more; I'll have to get them down and also make a start on the unconventionalcourtship one. [worries]

Thank you everyone for the kind comments about the accident. You guys are great! The car has been written off (so sad; it was a great car) but Greg's planning on getting a newer one, probably a Jazz (a Fit in the US). Some people asked about the old guy who was driving the vintage Cadillac. He was still in the ambulance when we left because his blood pressure was up, but he wasn't injured, just shocked (as were we). He rang Greg up this week and was terribly apologetic. The Caddy was a 1979 model he had 'classic car insurance' for meaning that it was only meant to be driven occasionally and he usually only took it out on weekends and to car shows. He almost didn't last Saturday because of the rain; I wish he'd decided not to. As I had also suspected, it was a left-hand drive car which would have made it even harder in those conditions when it fish-tailed (since we drive on the left here). Greg was very kind and said to him not to worry about it, things sometimes just go wrong. Ah well, if it hadn't been us he'd hit with that solid car, it might have been worse for someone else, who knows.

It's hardly rained this year. but it did today (and it's greatly needed). However Greg and I were over on the North Shore taking the bicycle he's had for a month back for an adjustment (which is often needed) when it started raining fairly heavily. We were driving down a hill and I was about to say that the road would be really slippery after such a long draught when BANG!

An old guy in a Cadillac coming the other way had oversteered coming round the corner, lost control, crossed the road, hit us on the driver side, and spun us round so we were on the other side of the road facing uphill. I thought someone else would hit us but the people behind the old chap acted quickly and drove between us--and were kind enough to stay till the police arrived and act as witnesses. There was also an ambulance though Greg and I were just shaken; the old guy was still in it when we left. His big heavy car was hardly damaged--just a slightly damaged bumper, not even a light broken--but he was pretty shocked. He also admitted losing control and we both have the same insurance company so that's good, but...

The whole driver's side of Greg's car is smashed in and the window shattered, putting glass right over on my side; though I didn't feel any hitting me, it must have. I'm grateful modern glass shatters into little bits rather than shards. So that's the second car Greg's had written off (as I suspect this one is) after someone else ran into him. I'm not sure he's going to replace it yet, probably continuing to bike to work, which he's been doing, or taking a bus.

Anyway the tow guy dropped us and the bike off at the cycle place and I tested a couple of cycles there though I was still feeing a bit shaky. I'm meant to get tax back next month so I may order one then, a smaller one than the model Greg has, then I can bike to work too, buses not being an option.

Then we got a taxi back, driven by a very nice Macedonian guy who used to be in IT; Greg and he had a great East European convo.

Man, I still feel a bit odd. It was all so sudden.

It's the 15th here but it might still by pi day (in US dates) somewhere. Damn. I could have planned to bake a tarte tartin!

I only seem to bake for festivals these days so I'm a bit out of practice. As a teenager I used to bake every week for my mother who entertained a lot, but it's probably just as well I don't now as I sample the dough and of course am tempted by the finished product.


These have seriously strong vintage Oxford marmalade and Nutella as fillings--separately, I assure you. I'm taking at least half of them to work tomorrow. And so far I've only eaten one! I did eat some dough while I was rolling them out though. I may have a couple with tea after dinner.

Thank you all for your lovely sympathetic comments.

I got Jasmin after work, poor little thing. She has a drain in the abscess and of course the dreaded Elizabethan collar, and when I released her from the Sleepypod, she leapt and backed around the room trying to get away from it. It was both funny and very sad. The swelling's right down though and she looks relatively normal now except for the period outfit. ;-) She's certainly feeling well enough to have got up on shelves and knocked things off.

Ah, but such good timing, Jaz! It's a really hot long weekend and we can't have windows open more than a crack unless she gets out, and we only have aircon on the bottom level (this place has four staggered levels).

She's now locked in the top level (main bedroom, two bathrooms) and I'll sleep in the spare room allowing the other two cats night-time cuddles and free run of the rest of the place including the now-unlocked cat door.

So much for a relaxed three days, and I was really looking forward to it. Oh well, it's good from Jasmin's POV that we'll be here.

Enjoy your weekend, all of you!