Mowing down challenges

I mowed the back lawn today. When I began, my watch said it was 22 degrees in my part of Kirikiriroa-Hamilton, and when I finished some 25 minute later, it said it was 24 (71.6F and 75.2F, respectively). The MetService App said the humidity was 70%. It certainly felt like both the temperature and humidity were higher (the projected high for today was 27, which is 80.6F, something it hit, apparently briefly, later in the afternoon).

The back lawn usually grows faster than the front, probably due to the fact that the type of plants that make up the two areas of “lawn” are different. This means that the back looked absolutely terrible—and also kinda pretty and meadow-like with the weeds’ flowers blooming and gently swaying in the light breeze. Still, suburban necessity demanded I chop it all down, but I’m sure Leo will appreciate being able to walk over the entire area without the weeds’ flower stalks tickling his nether regions.

Tomorrow, the front lawn is being mowed by the contractor I hired, mid-to-late morning, probably. I’d hoped to mow it last week so the guy would have a fresh start, but high temperatures (and me “feelin’ poorly” a couple days) meant it was already this week before I even could mow, and, well, I didn’t do it. The lawn needed to be mowed when I talked to the guy last week, and now it really needs it, but, like the back did, it looks worse than it is due to lots of weeds’ flower stalks, though unlike the back, few are actually blooming.

I’m the type of person who absolutely would clean before someone was coming to clean the house (something I inherited from my mother…) so that the job facing them wouldn’t be as big. I had the same impulse with the mowers. These days, though, I have a bit more of the “it is what it is” fatalism that so many others seem to have naturally, and that I now understand how sometimes that attitude can be really helpful, and even important, for our well-being.

So, the back lawn is done, and the (despite everything I just said, nevertheless embarrassing) front lawn will be done tomorrow. Doing only the back lawn left me hot and tired when I was finished, of course, but my recovery time was short, with a glass of cool (not cold) water, a towel to wipe the sweat, and then a rest in my chair for a bit being all I needed to be ready for Part 2 of my day. Mowing the back lawn, my watch tells me, meant walking a bit more than 2km (around 1.25 miles), and my average heart rate was a healthy 128bpm (peak was 139bpm), meaning it was a decent workout, though not dangerous for me. Mowing both lawns often pushed me a little too far in all respects.

This afternoon, I went on a shopping expedition to Mitre 10 Mega. They were having a promotion offer double Air Points for folks (like me) with an Air New Zealand Air Point card, a loyalty/rewards programme I mentioned almost a year ago. I’m also a member of Mire 10’s programme, and their card is in my Apple Wallet on my phone, which is handy. And then, too, I presented my Senior Gold Card for my 65+ discount. I mainly went for a cleaner to use on the cement patio when I clear it in preparation for the patio cover to be installed, and also to use on some of the outdoor furniture that’s so dirty that I won’t keep them if I can’t clean them. Stay tuned.

I also wanted to get a new clothesline to replace the one I last attempted to repair back in 2022 (and it broke again not long after). Back in my battles with the clothesline, I worked out that the problem was that it had been mounted to fence panels, and not the posts (as I thought they should be). So, before I headed out this afternoon, I measured the distance between all the fence posts in suitable areasm, and in all but one pair, they were space a little over 2 metres apart. At Mitre 10, I discovered that that all the models are either 2.4 meteres apart or 1.4 metres. Clearnly more research was needed, and I wouldn’t get the double Air Points for that kinda large purchase. Oh, well. It runs out I still got a discount of $7.06 (the till receipt didn’t say what gave me that discount…).

I think the solution may be to install boards horizontally between two sets of posts, and then affix the clothesline supports to that. If I do that, I’ll talk about it after the fact. If not, I’ll talk about whatever solution I come up with. The thing is, I used to use clotheslines all the time at our last two houses, and even here, too, until the Collapsing Clothesline Era began, and I’d like to do so again. But it’s also true that Kiwis generally expect a clothesline, and installing one will help with the eventual sale of my house.

So, today was a big day. I’m already glad I’ve hired someone else to do the front lawn—though I still wish I’d mowed the front lawn last week. Somethings don’t change. Including my clothesline, apparently.

Doing the annual inquisition AAAgain?

As the year draws to a close, most people are concentrating on holiday preparations, but for me it’s also included my end of year series of “Ask Arthur” blog posts. It’s something I’ve done since 2012, but over the years the number of questions have declined, so much so that I seriously considered not doing it anymore. Still, this annual series been around awhile, and I generally don’t like just abandoning something like this without saying something first—maybe I just did? We'll see.

“Traditional” blogs like this one have steadily declined in readership over the years, the rise of subscription-based platforms like Substack or Patreon notwithstanding. Actually, maybe the rise of paid options helped the decloine of free generalist blogs? Maybe paying for something brings connections that free options don’t. To me, offering something for a fee implies I’m an expert on something, or can plausibly present myself as one, when I’m not even an expert on being myself. Besides, charging a fee carries possible tax burdens in two countries, so it could well end up costing me money (that’s also true for podcasts, YouTube videos, etc).

As I said last year, “I’m sure that there will come a time when there won’t be any questions,” and I added, “I’m quite relaxed about whether I get any questions or not. Everything changes, and nothing lasts forever, after all.” All of which is still true.

To ask a question , simply leave a comment on this post (anonymous comments are allowed). Or, you can email me your question. Whatever method you choose, you can tell me to keep your name secret, although, why not pick a nom du question?). You can also ask questions on the AmeriNZ Facebook page, however, please keep in mind that all Facebook Pages are public, just like this blog, and anyone can read what you wrote. If you want to avoid being public in any way, the best solution is to email me.

Finally, as always, I have an obligation as the gracious thief blogger that I am, to note that this idea is stolen from inspired by Roger Green’s “Ask Roger Anything” (“ARA”) posts. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of thievery flattery.

So, over to you: Ask your question whatever way works best for you, and I’ll do my best to answer. And if you don’t want to ask anything, don't worry: We’re still good.

All posts in this series will be tagged “AAA-25”. All previous posts from every “Ask Arthur” series are tagged, appropriately enough, ”Ask Arthur”.

Previously:

What do you want to know? (December 2012)
Ask Arthur (July 2013)
Ask Arthur – Again (December 2013)
Ask Arthur Again, again (December 2014)
Ask Arthur yet again (July 2015)
It’s that time again (December 2015)
It’s ‘Ask Arthur’ time again (December 2016)
Let the 2017 asking begin (November 2017)
Let the 2018 asking begin (November 2018)
There was no “Ask Arthur” series in 2019.
Sure, why not ask again? (December 2020)
Yes, ask again (November 2021)
AAA 2022: A decade-long inquisition (November 2022)
Let the annual inquisition begin (November 2023)
Let the annual inquisition begin for 2024 (November 2024)

Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 25

This week's song is the penultimate in this year’s series, though there will be a wrap-up post after the the last song post. This week in 1985, December 7, 1985, the new Number One hit on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100” was "Broken Wings" (video up top), by American pop rock band Mr. Mister Released in June 1985, the song was the lead single from the band’s 1985 Album Welcome to the Real World. The song was the band’s first Number One.

This is another song from that era that seemed to be everywhere at the time. I never bought the song or album, nor any other by Mr. Mister, however, I do have the song one at least one comilation CD bought some years later. I didn’t mind the song, and the sound was nice, but I did think that the lyrics were kind of banal. Even so, I didn’t hold that against it, mainly because that’s true for a lot of hit songs. Maybe the lyrics of this song weren’t banal enough?

I didn’t pay all that much attention to the music video for the song, thoug I didn’t mind it. either—I mean, I didn’t love it, but that’s not that unusual, actually. Still, when researching this post I read at the link that “lead vocalist/bassist Richard Page driving through the desert in a classic Ford Thunderbird” was “the first allusion to birds”. Okay, then. That was far too subtle for me to notice, though I seldom paid that much attention to any video, so there’s that.

"Broken Wings"reached Number 4 in Australia, Number One in Canada (Gold), Number 29 in New Zealand, Number 4 in the UK (Gold), as well as Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100”, Number 3 on their “Adult Contemporary” Chart and Number 4 on their “Mainstream Rock” Chart. The song was also Number One on the Cash Box “Top 100 Singles” Chart.

The Welcome to the Real World album reached Number 17 in Australia, Number 2 in Canada (3x Platinum), Number 21 in New Zealand, Number 6 in the UK (Gold), and Number 1 on the USA’s “Billboard 200” chart. The album was certified Platinum in the USA.

This series will return in two weeks (December 21) with the last Number One in this series. The final post in this series will be after that post.

Previously in the “Weekend Diversion – 1985” series:

Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 1 – February 2, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 2 – February 16, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 3 – March 12, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 4 – March 30, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 5 – April 13, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 6 – May 11, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 7 – May 18, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 8 – June 1, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 9 – June 8, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 10 – June 22, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 11 – July 6, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 12 – July 13, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 13 – July 27, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 14 – August 3, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 15 – August 24, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 16 – September 7, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 17 – September 21, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 18 – October 12, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 19 – October 19, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 20 – October 26, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 21 – November 2, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 22 – November 9, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 23 – November 16, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 24 – November 16, 2025

Memories can trip us

Facebook “Memories” pop up every day, of course, and most I ignore. But this week has been filled with “Memories” about the trip Nigel and I took to Australia for his sister’s surprise birthday party. This particular series has aspects I didn’t mention at the time, and lessons I couldn’t comprehend back then.

The “Memory” at left mentions that norovirus “hitched a ride”. While Nigel and some other family members got quite sick, neither I nor Nigel’s mum were sick at all. That’s probably because we’d both had norovirus in December 2015 (caught at a different family gathering…), and that ordinarily gives one at least some immunity to the same strain for 6-18 months (or even for several years). However, Nigel didn’t get sick earlier, or maybe just mildly, but in Australia he was utterly miserable for the first 24 hours.

We couldn’t fly for 48 hours, but, fortunately, we had travel insurance, However, Nigel had to get a medical certificate in order to file the claim, and he managed all of that in the second 24 hours. The arranged details were arranged, the replacement flight booked, and and we flew home two days later, arriving in the evening.

Sunny and Jake (Leo wasn’t part of the family yet) were being looked after by Nigel’s cousin in Hamilton, and we could have driven down to pick them up the next day, but Nigel loved our babies, so we drove down immediately after we arrived. Nigel perked up noticeably when we did that, but we got back to our house in south Auckland pretty late that night.

That as the last big trip Nigel and I ever had together, though we did go to more family gatherings here in New Zealand. Fortunately, norovirus was not invited to any of them.

Three years later, in 2020, I went to Queenstown with some of the family, and much as I enjoyed the trip, it was challenging for me, to say the least, because it was the first time I’d travelled anywhere since Nigel died, roughly 14 months earlier, and it was also around three years after we all went to Australia. All of that was on my mind at the time.

In January 2024, a bit more than four years after the Queenstown trip, and just over six years after the Australia trip, I went with even more family on a trip to Fiji. That trip had challenging moments for me, because Nigel wasn’t there, and it was my 65th birthday. Even so, by then the bigger challenge came from discovering that, in fact, there IS such a thing as weather that’s “too hot” (and humid) for me. Nigel’s sister Carolyn was on the trip, and we lost her a bit more than a year later.

My last post in Australia in 2017.

The moral of this travelogue through space and time is really this: Everything we do, everywhere we go, we bring memories with us. Good or bad, they always come along. In 2020, as a still-new widower, I had every reason to not go on the trip to Queenstown, but I went anyway, felt what I needed to feel, and enjoyed what I wanted to enjoy. The Fiji trip was similar, though for me the challenge on that one really was more about the tropical heat—but memories of that the trip now carry some pathos of their own because of losing Carolyn a bot more than a year later.

The trick, I think, is to accept that sometimes painful memories will come forward no matter what we do, and even in the midst of good times. Because of that, I think it’s important that, if we’re able, we need to push through the pain, and not let it hold us back—and I know all too well how damn hard that can be! I also know firsthand that emotional pain can keep us from fully experiencing good times—but not necessarily keep them away entirely, maybe just dull them a little.

All of that has been on my mind this week as I saw one Facebook “Memory” after another about that trip and the trip to Queenstown, which was around the same time of year. It’ll happen again next year, but I don’t mind at all. I’d rather feel pain because I loved, than to feel nothing at all. Honestly, that’s a huge gift.

I think it’s time

The die is cast: Today, I went out front to put a plastic bottle in the recycling wheelie bin (because it hadn’t been emptied yet), and I saw the guy mowing the nextdoor neighbours’ lawns was there, so I asked him if they could take on mowing my front lawn, too. I think it’s time.

I’ve been thinking more and more that this is the time: Mowing the front is extremely hard on me physically, which I think is mainly because the land gently slopes down from my house to the footpath, and because parts are thick with kikuyu, which is quite difficult to push the mower through. Also, the front lawn is the only one anyone sees, so it’s important it’s always tidy—but making sure it’s tidy puts pressure on me that isn’t helpful.

I’ll still do the back lawn myself for now. It’s is easier on me despite being roughly twice the area, possibly because it’s flat. Also, I plan to make physical changes to the back of the property after the pergola is installed over the patio (after it is, I can actually see the whole space I have to work with), and that’ll affect what routine maintenance I’ll need done. At this point, I expect to keep doing the back until my mower battery stops accepting a charge.

Friends and family will be glad about this news, probably mainly because I’ll finally stop moaning about how hard it is on me to mow the front lawn (LOL. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of other things to moan about). I’ll be really glad to no longer have to do a routine job I’ve grown to pretty much loathe, but if I’m truly honest, it’s kind of hard to accept that I need to make allowances for a body that can no longer do all the physical work it once could, and also that this won’t be the last time I have to do that.

Still, given the realities of aging, it makes sense to use my physical energy and strength for things I actually want to do or enjoy (even gardening, sometimes), and not force myself to do things I loathe but must do anyway, and that’s especially true when I can hire people to do it for me.

I got a text this evening that they’ll start this coming Friday (December 12), and it’ll be $30 each time (every week right now, every other week at other times of year). That’s a lower cost than a typical mowing costs because it’s only the front lawm, but it seems perfectly reasonable to me. Sure, I could probably do it “cheaper” if you consider my time as worth minimum wage, hpwever, when one takes into account how much the mowing wrecks me, the price is bot fair and a bargain.

So, progress. But, yeah, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of other things to moan about.

The photo up top is from a 2022 post—about mowing, oddly enough.

Shopping opportunities

Tomorrow is a big day for (some) folks in New Zealand: The first IKEA store is finally about to open in New Zealand. There are plenty of people who couldn’t possibly care less about that, and some who are probably even angry about it, for whatever reason, but I’m not one of them. In fact, I’ve been excited about it ever since it was announced. There are a lot of reasons for that.

I’m not sure whether I’d even heard of IKEA before I moved to New Zealand, but I know that when I arrived here Nigel had some things he bought at IKEA while he lived in Australia. In fact, I still have some of them. After Nigel died, and after I was living in Hamilton, I began watching various YouTube Channels of folks (especially in the UK) who went to or got things from IKEA, and I became more an more intrigued.

However, there was no way for me to visit one unless I boarded a flight to Australia or somewhere else that had stores, so, to this day I’ve never been in side of a store. In 2021, I ordered some Billy bookcases from an Auckland company that imported them from Australia. A December 2021 update at the end of the linked post mentioned that IKEA had announced it was coming to New Zealand for real. That first-ever store for IKEA New Zealand opens tomorrow.

I won’t be going to the store opening tomorrow. Among other things, people were warned about traffic chaos on the all the roads leading to and around IKEA. Related to that, area businesses are ”preparing for mayhem”. I can’t stand crowds, and dealing with awful traffic, but, that aside, I also have a lot on this week.

However, I’ve been getting ready for IKEA’s arrival at every opportunity. I followed the Instagram account for IKEA New Zealand as soon as I knew it was there, signed up for their email marketing (so I’d know about things like when it would open), When IKEA Family (their loyaly/rewards programme) was launched in New Zealand, I immediately signed up for it. Then, when they announced their phone App for IKEA New Zealand could be pre-ordered, I did so, and I’m pretty sure it was the first time I’ve ever done that. The App was ready for download today, and it’s now on my phone.

Much as I’m looking forward to visiting IKEA for the first time ever (after the hoopla subsides…), I’ve always assumed that I’d probably mostly order online rather than buy things in person. The App and having IKEA Family are both good for both, but very useful when ordering online.

One thing I’ve been curious about is how pricing here compares with Australia, and TVNZ’s i1News compared prices. It turns out that many of the prices are comparable, which isn’t really a surprise for them.

Through that price comparison, I discovered that IKEA NZ sells the Billy bookcases that I bought through an Auckland importer aare sold by IKEA around $25 less than what I paid, however, I don’t know how much IKEA charges for shipping for bigger/heavier things like the Billy bookcases. Actually, I also don’t if I’ll order any bigger/heavier things, so maybe those charges won’t matter?

Many people seem to intensely dislike the very idea of IKEA, for different reasons, b ut one of them is that they perceive of the famous flatpack furniture to be cheaply made. While my only experience with their flatpack furniture was the Billy book cases, and I thought their quality was exceptional—in fact, better than any similar shelves I’ve ever bought.assembled. That doesn’t mean I think everything there is as good, but their pricing on nearly everything is extremely affordable.

A more specific complaint is about how it may negatively affect New Zealand retailers, because a big international retailer entering the NZ market is always a potential risk. However, I’m not convinced it will be quite as disruptive as some people worry it will. There’s been a lot of talk about how it could negatively affect NZ-chain The Warehouse, which sells categpries of things that IKEA sells, like flatpack furniture and homewares, for examle, but they sell clothing, sports equpiment, tools, automotive and gardening supplies, etc. Their more direct competition is Australian retailer Kmart, which sells the same sorts of things.

I also think that having only one store may blunt its impact, just as having one Costco hasn’t caused disaster for the two supermarket companies in New Zealand. Costco, like IKEA, is unique in its segment of the retail market. Both are shopping destinations, and not the sort of place one pops into on the way home to pick up something. What’s different between the two is that IKEA is attractive to all sorts of people, while Costco is more suitable for large families than, say, a one-person household.

For me, both stores are a long drive: Up to a couple hours to IKEA and up another hour to get to Costco (though Costco plans a second location in South Auckland, whichh will be maybe an hour and a half drive from here, though it would still be of dubious value for my one-human household). Even so, I also plan on going to Costco some day, too, because I’m also curious about what its like.

So, I like IKEA’s product lines, I think I’ll like their store, and I’m not convinced it’ll be as disruptive as some people fear. While the store and online shopping both open tomorrow, my first-ever trip to an IKEA will probably be several weeks from now, maybe in January or February. It’s always nice to have something new to do, especially when it’s something I’ve been curious about for years.

Things are happening

This week, I have progress on both of the remaining projects I accepted quotes for, plus an add-on project related to one that’s already completed. And, I’ll soon add a new project, but that’s a story for another day. So, here are this week’s developments:

The patio cover: Folks from the company providing my patio cover are coming tomorrow afternoon to do a “site measure”, the precise measurements they need to proceed. Then, the parts will be fabricated (here in Hamilton), then powder coated (in Tauranga), then assembled/installed here. I might be given a rough estimate of when the installation will happen, but I’m not counting on it (it’ll probably be mid-January, possibly earlier). All I really want to know is how many days notice I’ll get so I can clear everything off the patio and onto the lawn. I don’t want it all sitting there for days on end, and I’d also like to clean the patio’s concrete before the installation.

Fly screens: After a raging debate inside my head, I finally accepted the quote for the fly screens (aka window screens), but I decided they should all be the same, the magnetic version. That means the folks need to come back to measure three windows that were originally quoted for an entirely different option, and they’re doing that at 8am (😳) Thursday. I don’t yet have even an approximate installation date, but I’m not in any hurry, so possibly not until next year.

The add-on project:: On Friday afternoon, the company that installed my ducted air conditioning is coming back to remove the heat pump that served the living area. The exterior unit is broken, but I no longer need it, anyway. Also, it’s right in the middle of the patio, so removing it will free-up space there, which will be awesome. The guy is going to convert what was the power line for the outside unit into an outdoor power point (electrical outlet), giving me power on the patio for the first time, which is even awesomer.

The projects that I’m doing myself are also about to begin, but that, like the soon-to-be-added project, is among the stories for another day. The main thing this week is that existing projects are one step closer to completion, and that's important.

Summer is here—finally

Today, Summer officially began here today. The graphic up top is what I shared on my personal Facebook on this date in 2021, and I used it again today. I’d forgotten about the goofy avatar cartoon thingees Facebook used to offer, but the fact I’d forgotten means I clearly haven’t missed them.

But I have missed summer, my favourite season.

The long range forecast for this summer is one of wet and humid weather for the top of New Zealand, and the southern parts may be hotter. I’m particularly glad that the ducted air conditioning is installed.

As it happens, it’s already been hot in parts of New Zealand (including at my house). November produced some record breaking temperatures. In fact, Auckland had the hottest day in November ever recorded. That’s not a good sign.

December is also the last month of the year, of course. Maybe that doesn’t really matter, since the way we measure time—months and years—are kind of arbitrary, but it’s seen as the end of the year by most of us on this planet, and, for me, that means starting to plan for next year, and that first means seeing what this year was like—basically, “not all that great”.

As I’ve made clear, part of how I judge my year is this blog, mainly because I’ve been doing it longer than pretty much anything else—and that includes longer than any paid job I ever had. So, at the moment, 2025 may turn out to be my least productive full year. November was tied for first with October for the most posts in the month, but I’d expected it to be my most-productive month. It wasn’t to be.

This reality is why I’m pessimistic about how (relatively) unproductive this year may end up being. However, the word may is doing a lot of work there, because I have a lot to finish up this month. For example, I have several projects still underway that will wrap up this month, and I know I’ll be documenting them all. I also have series of posts this month, and some leftover posts that I haven’t gotten around to, but still want to do. So, there’s a potential that my pessimism may be unjustified. Or, I may be correct.

In any case, summer is hear, and my whole house is now comfortable. That alone may change everything.