Twelve years married

Today is another anniversary of the date Nigel and I were finally legally married, on October 31, 2013, and it’s the seventh that Nigel didn’t get to celebrate. We picked that date because it was the closest we could get to the date we always thought of as our anniversary, November 2. The fact that our original anniversary and our wedding anniversary were just two days apart means that now I spend several days thinking about—well, everything. It’s also a time that’s often both sad and happy for me: Sad for what’s gone and what could’ve been, and happy for what we did have together.

Every year since Nigel died I’ve had mixed feelings about these few days, but each year I’ve also focused on what I need to do for daily life, or maybe even what I what to do for my future. Because of all that, it’d be surprising if I didn’t have mixed feelings.

This year, the weather today was beautiful—stunning, even—and I used it to start some of my outside chores. It turned out to be a nice way to focus mostly on getting some things done. Tomorrow and Sunday are also predicted to be beautiful, sunny days, too, which should help me get more done, despite every reason to not do so.

The events of twelve years ago today (and November 2) are both the reason I still struggle, and also the reason I nevertheless persevere and progress. Like I said: Both happy and sad.

I was forever changed by my life with Nigel, and that I got to marry him, and because of him and our life, I’m still changing. That’s reason enough to always remember and treasure this anniverary.

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart. I love you. Always.

Previously
Eleven years married (2024)
Ten years married (2023)
Nine years married (2022)
Eight years married (2021)
It’s still seven years married (2020)
Mixed feelings day (2019)
Fifth Anniversary (2018)
Fourth Anniversary (2017)
Third Anniversary (2016)
Second Anniversary (2015)
Still married (2014)

Related
To be married
Husband and husband
Just one more

The house projects are moving forward

Progress continues for “Operation Re-invent My House”, with all but one quote now dealt with, and one project about to be completed. This means that my part in all this will soon switch from planning and finding people to do the work I can’t do, to me doing the decorating things that I’ll do myself. Exciting times? Well, yeah, but it’s been pretty exhausting getting to this point.

A couple weeks ago, I talked about the patio cover I’m having installed. I received an update from the company that the production is scheduled, and they’ll have it installed by mid-January (which would be in time for my birthday…), but, if possible, they’ll try to get it installed in December. I’m actually fine with either, but it would be nice to have it finished earlier so I can use it for more of this summer.

This week I got a call from the company that’s installing the blinds in the toilet (room, not throne), bathroom, and en suite. They’re ready and will be installed on Tuesday, so tonight I made the final payment (they require it two days before installation, they have to be receive it by tomorrow).

Finally, tonight I finally accepted a quote for ducted air conditioning and paid the deposit. Both companies quoted on the same system, but the first company I met with also quoted on two others. In the end, I accepted the lowest quote from the first company because that system had the best warranty (six years), and it also had excellent reviews—though all the proposed systems had good reviews. The warranty decided matters for me mainly because the current split unit for the living area failed in its sixth year—after its warranty expired. There wasn’t a huge price difference between the system I chose and the mid-priced option, but the better warranty gives me a bit of reassurance for what is nevertheless an expensive thing. The most expensive system was considerably more expensive and also had the lowest heating capacity of the three systems, so I ruled that option out early on.

That leaves only one quote I haven’t accepted or rejected: The window screens. I’m still torn about whether I want to do it or not. The pull is that I could open the windows in nice weather and not let the flies in, but the push is that they’re not common in New Zealand, and so, it’d just be something for me. Do I really want to spend the money? I still have a couple weeks to decide before the quote expires.

A friend betrayed me

A friend betrayed me the other night, and not for the first time. Every time it happens, I don’t see it happening until after the fact. Getting old is weird.

The friend I’m talking about is one of my oldest and dearest friends, coffee—not the one in the photo, but its fraternal twin. The coffee in the photo is decaffeinated, and the one that betrayed me was not, and that’s the problem, Actually, it’s become a problem only as I got older.

There as a time when I drank a lot of coffee, especially in the time leading up to getting my stent, and again when I was having so much trouble with severe fatigue while I was on betablockers. The caffeine didn’t actually help, but at the time it felt like I was at least trying to do something about the problem when doctors didn’t seem to want to.

And this is where aging comes into it. At some point I noticed it was taking me longer to fall asleep if I had coffee “too late”. At some point I made 4pm my arbitrary cut-off time, but the problem returned. So, I moved the time back to 3pm with the same result. In the past couple years or so I moved it back to 2pm for the same reason. However, there have been times when I had coffee later in the day, like if I knew I was getting together with family and knew I needed to be awake enough to drive back home (as I’ve said several times before, if I drive anywhere I never drink alcohol, so this is about keeping me awake and alert at a time when I’m usually winding down for the night). That doesn’t usually cause me a problem.

Late Saturday afternoon, I decided I wanted a coffee, but I was out of decaffeinated. So, I made a real one. It doesn’t usually cause me any problem, so, why not? Because sometimes it does cause problems. If only I’d remember that.

What usually happens is that in the evening I feel “unwell”—nothing necessarily ver specific, but at it’s worst, I can feel incredibly anxious. Then, when I go to bed, I don’t fall deeply asleep, but instead it’s more like dozing, usually on and off. This makes me feel even worse, even that something’s wrong with my heart. But the very worst thing about all this? Every single time I forget that it happens whenever I have real coffee “too late”—yes, I forget it every single time.

To be fair to me, this problem it’s pretty rare, because I don’t ordinarily have a coffee after 2pm, bute especially because I usually now have only one cup of real coffee per day, and that’s first thing in the morning. It’s probably no wonder, then, that I keep forgetting about the consequences of having real coffee “too late” in the day.

However, the bigger issue is that I nvew used to have this problem at all until after I was nearing 60. What other fun changes are awaiting me on this ageing journey? I’ve “joked” in recent years that getting older is an ongoing series of new aches and pains in parts on the body we never realised could have aches and pains, that and foods that never bothered us now causing issues (literal or figurative…). This coffee thing is an example of the second type.

It may seem pointless to blog about something that I’m already dealing with as well as possible. For bloggers, sometimes (well, all the time for me…) some content is better than no content. However, the logevity of this blog means it has evolved into a repository of a whole bunch of my experiences and challenges, so I’m hoping that maybe by this will help me remember this issue the next time it comes up—though it probably won’t, of course.

This time, the only real thing it did to me, apart from making me feel bad at the time, was to leave me feeling utterly wiped out the next day. But, really, this is just another in a series of things to get used to. Getting old is weird.

Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 20

On October 26 1985, yet another song hit Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100” for one week only: Forty years ago this week, “Saving All My Love for You” (video up top) by American singer Whitney Houston reached the top. The song was the second single from her debut album, Whitney Houston, and was her first Number One on the “Hot 100”.

It’s almost hard to remember a time before Whitney, but it’s also difficult to think of her without thinking of the tragedy her life became. However, there’s still the music, and this song was the first time many of us ever heard anything by Whitney Houston, and so many of us thought something along the lines of, “that voice!” Whitney’s range was incredible, and her command of songs was clear (including the songs I wasn’t keen on…). Back in the day, I liked this song, though I never bought it as a single nor any of her albums.

I didn’t know until I researched this post that the song was originally recorded by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. for their 1978 album, Marilyn & Billy (Side note: Wikipedia doesn’t have an article for their album, which is unusual, but I’ve encountered that before). I’ve never heard their version.

What I also didn’t know before my research is that this song’s video was the first of hers to be broadcast by MTV. The channel rejected her debut single, “You Give Good Love” because they thought it was “too R&B”. MTV did play the video for “Saving All My Love For You”, because, ya know, Number One and all. As an aside, MTV is switching off their music channels at the end of the year, beginning in the UK and Ireland.

“Saving All My Love for You” reached Number 20 in Australia, Number 8 in Canada, Number 5 in New Zealand (Platinum), Number One in the UK (Gold), as well as Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100”, and a;so on its “Hot Black Singles”, and “Adult Contemporary” charts. It was also Number 5 on Cash Box “Top 100 Singles” and Number One on their “Top Black Contemporary Singles” charts.
The song was 2x Platinum on the USA.
The album Whitney Houston reached Number One in Australia (5x Platinum), Number One in Canada (Diamond), Number 3 in New Zealand (2x Platinum), Number 2 in the UK (4x Platinum), and Number One on the USA’s “Billboard 200”. The album was certified 14x Platinum in the USA.

This series will return next week (November 2) with the next Number One in this series, the fourth of five one-week Number One hits from this period in 1985. November 2 is also a very significant date in my life, but that’s its own story.

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

I made more sunshine

Everyone knows that to make electricity, solar panels (often formally called “photovoltaic”, or “PV” panels) need to have daylight, ideally full sun. This is why solar panels don’t produce much electricity on cloudy days—and none at all at night. The number of daylight hours matters, too, which is why the panels make more electricity in the summer than in winter. And, of course, bright sunny days are the absolute best days for solar power. But, what if the amount of sunshine, whatever it is, is shielded? I just took steps to increase the amount of sunshine hitting my panels, and so, the amount of electricity they make.

Not for the first time, I learned about the existence of something through Facebook ads. In this case, it was about the importance of having solar panels cleaned in order to maximise the amount of electricity the panels create. Last week, I had a specialist company clean my panels, and yes, it was worth it.

The company also cleans large banks of panels for commercial operations, so I had confidence they knew what they were doing—though the reviews I checked were also all positive. They do a thorough check of the system, for example, making sure none of the glass is cracked, that the mounts are secure, and that the inverter (which converts the DC power from the panels into AC power used by the house or sent to the grid) is functioning properly.

The specific thing that caught my attention in the ads was about removing lichen—something I’d never considered. A few weeks ago, I looked at my panels and realised they had lichen growing on them, which is like little pads of shade all over the panels. I also noticed they were dirty.

At first, I thought about getting an extra long-handled washing brush, the type typically used for washing windows on upper floors while standing on the ground. I realised, though, that I’d probably still have to climb a ladder, something everyone in the family thought was a bad idea. Hiring someone was the alternative.

The Before and After photos up top are part of what I posted to social media, and the ones at the bottom of this post were taken by the person who cleaned the panels, looking down the roof toward the ground, an angle I’d never seen before. The whole process took a couple hours or so, and I didn’t need to be at home for them to do it.

And, yes, it was worth it.

I looked at the information my inverter logs to see of there was an obvious difference in electricity production, but I needed to figure out the best way to compare, given that this is Spring, and the weather is so changeable. So, I just looked at the four highest-production days before the cleaning and the four highest afterward—but not including the day they were cleaned—and averaged them for both periods. After cleaning, the panels were producing just under 20% more power than before they were cleaned, which is quite significant. Before the panels were cleaned, the highest production day made 26.30 kWh of electricity, and the highest after they were cleaned was 31.51 kWh.

The more power that’s generated, the bigger the potential financial benefit—obviously. I benefit mainly from getting free electricity to used in the daytime, and anything I don’t use is sent to the grid, earning me credits to reduce the amount I pay for electricity thre rest of the time. This is where the inverter stats became unreliable—but still interesting.

The inverter tracks all the electricity I produce, of course, and the software estimates my “savings”, which is an estimate of the amount of money I’ve saved from using the solar power myself and from the credit I get for the power I send to the grid. However, to be accurate, they need to use an accurate rate—called a “tariff”—to make the calculations, and I don’t know whether the rates are accurate or not. So, with that rather huge caveat, the estimate on the fourth post-cleaning day was that from the date the system went live three years ago until the fourth day after cleaning, my savings totalled $5,955.30, of which $1,121.57 was just for 2025 to that date (and October’s savings to that date were $87.53). While I doubt those numbers are accurate, if they were, it would mean that the savings have recovered nearly half of what I paid to install the system. Regardless, the free power I use on sunny days does save me a lot of money.

I clearly take all the information about savings with a huge grain of salt. I plan to try to work out how accurate their calculations are, but that’s a project for future me. In the meantime, I just think it’s interesting.

The bottom line—literally—is that keeping the panels clean means more electricity generated, and that, in turn, means more savings for me (whatever the amount is…). Most importantly, all this also means that I don’t “waste” any electricity I use in the daytime, which was really the main thing I wanted, because it achieves my goal of treading more lightly on the planet. Everybody wins—including the planet.

Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 19

Well, this is more like it: This week’s song from 1985 is one I DO remember, and very, very well at that. In fact, at the time it was one of my favourite songs.

On October 19 1985, “Take On Me” (video up top) by Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha reached Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100”. The song was the first single from their debut album, Hunting High and Low—well, technically it was the second single: The first was released in Norway.

Continuing the theme, the 1985 hit was actually the second version of the song, with the unsuccessful original version released in October 1984. In fact, even the 1985 version was released twice, and it was the second release that led to the song becoming a hit.

An important factor in it becoming a hit was the famous music video—well, the second (of course?) music video, actually: The first video was for the original version of the song. MTV played the well-known video (the version up top) in heavy rotation, and that definitely helped the song rise in the charts. Like a lot of people, I’d never heard of rotoscoping, and I can’t recall ever seeing anything using the technique before that video.

As I’ve said previously (in a 2019 post talking about some songs I liked at the time, including the Weezer cover of this song, among others), back in the day I owned the album Hunting High and Low on vinyl, though I couldn’t bring it with me. Since then, I’ve acquired the song several times on various compilation CDs. This song, then, still pops up my music rotation.

“Take On Me” reached Number One in Australia, Number 2 in Canada, Number 7 in New Zealand, Number 2 in the UK (Gold for physical sales), as well as Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100”, and it was also Number One on Cash Box “Top 100 Singles”.

The album Hunting High and Low reached Number 15 in Australia (Gold), Number 8 in Canada, Number One in New Zealand (Platinum), Number 2 in the UK (3x Platinum), and Number 15 on the USA’s “Billboard 200”. The album was certified Platinum in the USA.

This series will return next week (October 26) with the next Number One in this series, the third of five one-week Number One hits from this period in 1985.

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

Closer to the cool

The first step in my “Operation Re-invent My House” is now underway. On Friday, I formally accepted the quote for the pergola over my patio and paid the initial deposit. The installation will probably be in January, but it’s nevertheless under way.

I chose a New Zealand company called Sunvue, and their premium model, “Galaxy” (their website’s page for the model has photos of several installations of the model, and it gives an idea of what my pergola will look like, along with a video with more information about it).

What I liked about the “Galaxy” model was its clean, visually uncluttered look, and also its monopitch roof (meaning it’s not arched and doesn;t have a peak, neither of which would look right with my house). The framing is aluminium and cast right here in Hamilton from raw metal smelted in the South Island. The powder coating paint will be done in Tauranga, and will match the house’s existing aluminium joinery (windows, stacker doors, and the framing the manufacturer mounted them in).

The company is NZ-owned and uses their own staff to install the finished pergola. That means that I’ll be contributing to the New Zealand economy.

When I did my due diligence, the only common negative reaction I saw was that their pergolas are expensive, and they are, however, they’re around half what I was budgeting—though that was mainly because I originally wanted a pergola with motorised louvres, probably the most expensive option. I changed direction because I realised I wanted a fixed roof (not openable) because I want to be able to have my patio furniture uncovered so I’ll actually use it. I also realised I wanted a roof that lets light through because the stacker doors are the main source of daylight in the living area (louvres would’ve made the space really dark whenever they were closed).

The roof will be 6mm thick glass-like acrylic, and it’s strong enough for a person to walk on using the cross beams, making it stronger than the commonly-used polycarbonate roofing. In fact, the roof is so strong that it doesn’t need as much support underneath as polycarbonate does.

They offer the acrylic panels in clear (which, understandably, few people want…), an opaque white, and a light gray colour. The second two block 99% of UV rays, which is very important in NZ. I was told that the retirement villages they supply pergolas to require the opaque version, but the gray is by far the most popular overall, and it’s what I want because it creates a small amount of shade, but just enough to make it comfortable while still being able to see the sky—and we all know how much I loves me some sky!

When the guy came to do the quote, he said it’d probably be January before they could do the installation due to demand. The next step is that they’ll schedule a time to come round to do precise measurement, though I know it will cover 30 square metres, the maximum coverage one can have without gaining permission from the city, and the perfect size for the space. They’ll also do colour matching of the joinery so that the pergola is as close as possible to what’s already there.

There is one further aspect to this story: I got only the one quote, and I was instantly taken with what they could do, for all the reasons I mentioned above. However, I felt I “should” ask for more quotes, but in researching other prominent companies in anticipation of asking for quotes, there were things I didn’t like about them. For example, one uses powder-coated galvanised steel, but all steel eventually rusts, unlike aluminium. Some companies didn’t say where their materials come from (New Zealand or overseas), who does the installation (the company or contractors), or in some cases I just didn’t like the designs, or, at least, not as much as the Galaxy range.

In thinking more about this, I realised that the choice is more like buying a house than buying something like an appliance or a car. A house has to have the right feel, and since the pergola will effectively be an exterior room, it, too, has to have the right feel. The various companies don’t do precisely the same thing in precisely the same way, so it’s not like shopping around for the exact same thing at the best price. Because I knew my choice felt right, and I wasn’t second-guessing myself about that (only about how I “should” get other quotes), I realised I should just follow my gut instinct. And I did.

Air conditioning is the other big project, but I’m not yet ready to move forward on that one because I have second quote still to come. My sense is that either of the two companies I talked to would be fine, and the dollar amounts will likely be comparable. But this one isn’t about style or living space or whatever, it’s basically about hidden infrastructure that visitors will probably never even know is there, much less think about it.

So, the first of the two big projects is now underway, and since I’M not doing it, it’ll actually get done (well, it’s true…). More updates to come—at some point.

Before everything changed

There’s only one thing in the Facebook “Memory” at right that’s still the same: That barely-in-the-photo black cabinet at the top of the photo is what the TV sat on, and still does. The obvious changes are that Bella and Jake are both gone, but the footstool in front of me wore out after I moved to Kirikiriroa-Hamilton, my jeans are now cleaning rags, and whatever shoes I had on are probably long gone, too. Even the midday news I mentioned was cancelled by TVNZ in a “cost cutting” move (must’ve been more than a year ago now). And, of course, that scene happened in our last house together, nearly 8 months after we’d all shifted into it.

For me, this simple photo represents all the massive losses that began in early 2019, however, as is always true in life, it wasn’t nothing but bad news and sorrow after this photo: So MUCH good stuff happened after this photo, too!

Later that year Nigel and I went to Australia with the family to surprise his eldest sister for her birthday, and we visited Brisbane for the first time. Leo joined the family the following year, we made cool changes to the house (well, Nigel did the cool ones… I did the more ordinary-but-nice ones), Nigel had successes and recognition at work, and, as always, we had a LOT of fun times, sometimes with the wider family, sometimes with the fur babies, and even many adventures with just the two of us.

2019 was, of course, when everything started changing, and so much of what made us a happy family started to end. But even now, good things still happen, and that fact is how I managed to survive all the horrible stuff.

I still have a very long way to go, both in healing and in life in general, but the important thing is that my adventure continues. My former wonderful life travels with me everywhere and forms the foundation of the life I’m trying to build.

So, yeah, nearly everything in that photo from eight years ago has changed, including me, but my adventure continues. I hope you’ll continue to follow along to see what happens next.

I blogged about this at the time, and that post provided more background, as well as including the other photo I took, moments after the one in the FV “Memory”.

Screening an idea

The process of obtaining quotes for my “Operation Re-invent My House” continued today, making it fly screen (aka window screen) day. Tomorrow I have a consultation with a company that provides battery banks for solar electricity systems, and that’s the last visit for quote for this week. However, on Thursday a company that specialises in cleaning solar panels is coming round to clean mine and to remove the lichen that’s started growing on my solar panels. So, the week continues to be busy.

I originally wanted fly screens that are hinged at the top because they work well with the style of windows in my house. I knew about the screens because the house Nigel had when I arrived in New Zealand had them, and it turns out they were put in by the couple he bought the house from: A Kiwi guy and his partner, an American guy who wanted the screens. No wonder that house felt so comfortable from the beginning…

Today, however, the guy pointed out that the bedroom windows have thick blinds (which, you may recall, I had installed in my house back in 2020, shortly after I shifted into my house), and the blinds don’t leave enough clearance. So, I’m getting quotes for less expensive magnetic screens on most windows, which has its own sub-story: All the joinery in my house is aluminium (“joinery” means windows and the frames they're in, though framing around the whole window is wood, like the framing around doors or at the floor level). This is true for most Kiwi houses, especially ones built over the past 40-50 years. So, they install magnetic tape onto the window frame, and then attach tape with the other magnetic pole to the screens themselves. I'm familiar with this because Nigel and I did something similar with plexiglass to add faux double pane layers to windows at our house on Auckland's North Shore. Because this method secures the entire circumference of the screen, it has an excellent seal—however, it’s not what I originally wanted.

In the main bedroom (mine), I’m also getting a quote for the most-expensive option, where rigid screens slide along a track, but I’m just not sure. I know that whatever I chose, the total cost would be lower than I originally expected, and that’s something, however, I need to think about this whole idea some more.

As I’ve said, window screens are rare in New Zealand, so this whole thing is mostly about me and what I want, but: Would it really make that much difference to me for the, what, four or five months that the temps are pleasant enough to leave the windows open? And, if I can’t have what I want, should I then pivot and want something just because it’s what I can have?

Still a lot to think about, and it’s utterly exhausting. I was thinking late this afternoon that at first, all the planning and considering various changes to my house was kind of invigorating and even exciting. But as this process has gone on, the gloss has worn off. I’m tired of having to decide every single thing by myself, not because there aren’t folks to consult, because the family is more than willing. Rather, it’s because for 24 years Nigel and I decided everything together, and now I have to decide every damn thing on my own. Advice and feedback is great—absolutely!—but it pales in comparison to weighing options with one’s life partner who has a stake in the outcome.

Put another way, as I said last July, when I quoted myself saying in 2019 “This isn’t fun any more.” Still, once this evaluation and research stage is over and the changes actually begin, I know it’ll get exciting again—at least, for awhile.

And related to that future me, there are developments to what’s happened so far. Last week I had visits from two companies, and there are updates. First, I got an email telling me that the order for the blinds I ordered for the toilet (room, not throne), bathroom, and en suite has been sent to their factory in Christchurch for fabrication. They’ll let me know when they’re ready to be installed.

Also, I got the quote for the patio pergola and it was substantially lower than I was expecting—almost 50% less, actually, and more than 50% less than I’d budgeted (because I originally wanted a louvred roof, which is much more expensive). I know I “should” get quotes from other suppliers, but I admit I’m torn about that: I really like what they offer, I know the company well, a long-established company with a good reputation, I like that they use cast aluminium rather than steel (because steel inevitably rusts), and I like that the parts are manufactured in New Zealand. And, their price is good. I’ve researched other providers online only, and wasn’t persuaded to ask for a quote, but I’ll manage to force myself to do that.

And that’s where this story is as for today. More to come—I guess…

Warm and cool, eventually…

It’s a busy week here at the mansion, with folks coming every day (except Friday—so far?) so they can give me their quotes. Today turned out to be air conditioning day, with visits from two different companies. The second of three expensive possible changes to my house.

This morning’s first appointment was with the first company to contact me after the Home Show, and the second was actually the last, oddly enough. I asked both to quote on a whole-house ducted system, and also on split systems for the two bedrooms that currently have no heating or cooling (I’d leave my bedroom and the living area with their own units). This means that each bedroom would have its own wall mounted unit, but the two newly added ones might share one exterior heat pump—or not, because sometimes it’s cheaper to have two outdoor units.

The advantages of adding split units is that it’s cheaper (obviously), but also that the two bedrooms could be individually controlled, so if someone’s staying in the guest room, they can set the temperature to what they like, not necessarily what I like (for example, they might feel cold or hot when I’m feeling the opposite).

The disadvantage of adding wall units is that I’d have to remember to run the one in the guest room from time to time (the room’s seldom used), and that could even be true for my office. More importantly, despite how efficient heat pumps are, running maybe four separate split systems at once would most likely use more power than a ducted system.

The advantage of a ducted system is that the entire house would be comfortable, and it uses one outdoor unit, and even though it’d be quite powerful, it would probably still use less power than four separate smaller units would—possibly (there are a LOT of variables).

The only real disadvantage to a ducted system (in my opinion) is that it may not add value at resale. However, rising house prices should still cover whatever I spend. Even so, as climate change gives us hotter summers and colder winters, having whole-house comfort could actually become a selling point.

If I go with ducted, I’d have the two existing heat pumps removed (they wouldn’t be used anymore, obviously), and the companies can take care of that for me as part of the deal.

And that’s where things are at the moment with that particular change on my list. This is the first thing on my list where I’ve had more than one quote, mainly because there weren’t as many exhibitors at the Home Show this year. That means I have to find and contact providers on my own.

One thing I’m asking people giving me quotes is, “do you do the installation yourself, or do you use contractors?” The reason this matters is that if anything goes wrong, the company and the contractor might get bogged down in a fight over who’s responsible for fixing the problem, but if the company installs it themselves, it’s up to them to fix the problem. Not a guarantee of a perfect outcome, obviously, but the odds are better.

Tomorrow is “screens day”, with a company coming to measure to quote on installing fly screens (also known as “window screens”) on most—all?—of the windows in the house, something that’s extremely unusual for houses in New Zealand. I’ll see what they say tomorrow.

Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 18

It probably had to happen at some point: This week’s song is one I don’t remember—at all. If I did hear it at some point when it was on the charts 40 years ago, it certainly didn’t make enough of an impression on me for me to remember anything about it.

Be that as it may, on October 12 1985, “Oh Sheila” (video up top) by American R&B band Ready for the World reached Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100”. It was the band’s only Number One on the “Hot 100”, though they have a later Number One R&B Hit. The song was the third single from their debut album, Ready for the World.

When I watched the video in preparation for this post, I wondered if the band was British, but they're not. According to the Wikipedia article on the song (linked above), “singer Melvin Riley Jr… said ‘I like that kind of accent, so I thought I'd use that sound’." Next, I thought it sounded an awful lot like a Prince song from that era, and that same article said that was a common “misattribution” due to similarties. In fact, it specifically reminded me of a song by Sheila E., and the article says that another reason people thought this was a Prince song was because they thought the title referred to Sheila E. I’m relieved that even after hearing this song 40 years after it was a hit, I still had the same thoughts that many people back in the day thought, too—maybe it’s true that I really didn’t miss anything?

I really have nothing more to say about this song: It’s okay, I guess, but I don’t think I would’ve liked it if I’d heard it back in 1985—though I wouldn’t have hated it, either. There are plenty of pop songs I’ve been similarly neutral about, so this isn’t an even remotely unusual thing for me. Well, finding a song I don’t remember at all hit Number One in an era where I paid very close attention to the charts IS unusual, so there’s that, I guess.

“Oh Sheila” reached Number 14 in Australia, Number One in Canada, Number 24 in New Zealand, Number 50 in the UK, as well as Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100” and also on their “Hot Black Singles”, and “Hot Dance/Disco Club Play” charts, and it was also Number One on Cash Box. Apparently, the song’s sales weren’t certified in any of these countries.

The album Ready for the World reached Number 17 on the USA’s “Billboard 200”, and Number 3 on their “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums” chart. The album was certified Platinum in the USA. There’s no reported chart position or sales certifications for the album in any of the other countries I write about.

This series will return next week (October 19) with the next Number One in this series. That song will be the second of five one-week Number One hits from this period in 1985, and one of my personal favourites from that time.

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

Not just a chair

That photo at right? It’s just a chair, right? Kinda. On other hand, there aren’t many things in my life that don’t have some sort of story, often a personal one. That chair is no different.

My mother-in-law recently downsized to a much smaller place, and no longer had a use for a lot of what she had, including some furniture. Her kids (my in-laws) organised to distribute that excess stuff among her grandkids, and some of us "oldies" took things, too. I was given the side chair and cushion in the photo.

My practical use for the chair is that it’s lightweight, which makes it ideal to move when I have several people around at once, like when I have the family around for dinner. I planned to use it to replace a less comfortable chair that I planned to put elsewhere. That was the practical reason—but there was another one.

My mother-in-law bought the chair one day when her late daughter Carolyn was visiting. So, that chair makes me remember my mother-in-law’s old place and the good times there with family (including Nigel), as well as my much-missed sister-in-law. As a rule, I’m not particularly sentimental about things, however, there are exceptions, and that chair’s definitely one.

In the photo above, the chair is in the spot the to-be-replaced chair had been occupying, but the new chair blocked my line of sight from my usual chair to the stacker door Leo gets let out of, and that meant if he was asking to go outside, I wouldn’t be able to see him. I un-replaced the original chair and put it back where it had been, then put the new one in the TV area of the living space. I realise that this explanation doesn't make a lot of sense, but there will eventually be photos once I get into the decorating stage of my “Operation Re-invent My House” project.

Nearly everything I do follows a lot of thought (some might say too much thinking…), but this wasn’t one of those times. While someone else in the family would’ve taken that chair, I actually wanted it for it’s usefulness, sure, but especially for the memories around it. In other words, the chair whent to a good home.

There aren’t many things in my life that don’t have some sort of story, often a personal one. That chair is no different. Of course.

The cushion came with the chair, and in real life the reddish colour it’s more of a vibrant electric deep red/maroon sort of colour. My mother-in-law frequently changed such cushions, and I almost never do, mainly because I never know what I want. I think that, in real life, that cushion goes well with the chair.

Operation Re-invent My House is finally beginning

There’s finally some progress on my changes to my house—small prpgress, but progress nevertheless. Today I had the first two folks come to my house to give me quotes I asked for at the Home Show last Saturday. Next week, I have two more scheduled, one on Monday, and the second on Wednesday.

The first quote today was originally going to be for a motorised awning for the patio, but I’d already decided that option wasn’t going to work for me because I want the patio covered so I don’t have to keep my table and chairs under a cover all the time. The past 5+ years living here have taught me that I know I won’t use the table if it’s too hard to access, and taking the cover off the table and chairs is a huge hassle. So, I decided I need a fixed roof over the patio.

So, I told the booking person I’d changed my mind, but added that instead I was interested in getting a quote for blinds for three windows—the toilet (room, not throne), bathroom, and en suite. One issue for all three is that in winter those three rooms get very cold at night (they don’t have heating), so I close the doors in the evening. I think the blinds (wood-look thick white PVC slats) could be just enough insulation that I don’t have to do that, or, at least, not for the en suite. I’m certain, though, that it’ll keep the hot afternoon summer sun out of the en suite. I went with them because Nigel and I had the same company install blinds on nearly all our windows at our house on Auckland’s North Shore, and they were excellent. I accepted the quote, and paid a deposit, so that’s underway.

The second quote today was for a fixed roof system for the patio using aluminium framing and clear or tinted roof panels (acrylic or polycarbonate). I’ve known about the company for years, and one of the things that’s always appealed to me about them is that they use New Zealand-made components, rather than imported (much of it is made right here in Hamilton, actually). However, the solid acrylic panels are made by a company that manufactures them in New Zealand and also South Africa, and they export back and forth depending on their business’s needs. The solid acrylic panels are substantially stronger than polycarbonate, and can supposedly can be walked on. The polycarbonate option, while cheaper, requires more support underneath, which means a more cluttered look. I don’t have the actual quote yet, but I do know the earliest installation would be January, if I do accept the quote.

At the show, I talked to a company that installs a louvred patio cover system (apparently also made in NZ) which can be opened, however, as I said, I want a fixed roof system so I can use patio furniture without uncovering it first, which would mean leaving the louvres closed. However, when the louvres are closed, it doesn’t let light through, which isn’t ideal, especially when the two sets of stacker doors are the main source of daylight for the living area. The company sent me an email saying they had a huge backlog of quote requests, which I don’t doubt. I think I may not proceed with a quote for that, though, because I don’t think it meets my needs.

However, those were the only two patio cover companies I talked to at the Show, so I need to research and get quotes from other companies, too, because it’s too expensive to just get one quote.

The quote on Monday is for ducted air conditioning, the first of those—I hope? I haven’t yet been contacted by the other company I spoke to at the show, and the company that installed my ducted ventilation-only system (whichI talked to at the Show) didn’t note I wanted a quote to upgrade their system to full HVAC (a term seldom used in NZ, actually…), and they haven’t yet contacted me again about a quote for the upgrade.

Today I received a call from the company I spoke with about adding a battery bank to my solar electricity system. I need to dig up power bills so they can work out whether the ROI (return on investment) would justify the big cost, however, one factor I thought of recently is that having a complete solar power system would probably be more attractive to potential buyers of my house. So, this is still in progress, though I’ll know more one Wednesday next week when the guy comes to talk to me about it. If I do go with them, though, the battery bank will not be from Tesla.

Also, and not related to the show, I contacted a specialist company that cleans solar panels to get a quote. I know better than to climb up on a roof at my advanced age, so I can’t clean them myself. However, the main reason I need specialists is because lichen is growing on some panels, and they’d know how to clean the panels without damaging them. The comapny sent through the quote late this afternoon, and I accepted it this evening.

Earlier this week I ordered some storage solutions for my pantry, and they arrived yesterday. I last organised my pantry two years ago, and while that was a huge improvement, I knew it wasn’t quite right. My new solutions should help, but I also have more (and much bigger) solutions that I’m still planning. As always, I’ll document all those changes.

In summary, then, Operation Re-invent My House is definitely underway! Now, I just have to focus more on the various projects I’ll work on myself. Sometimes focusing is a job in itself.

An unexpected truth

Ever had anyone say something to you that’s so profound it momentarily stops your breathing? That happened to me today.

I have a relatively new friend I’ve been chatting with lately, the wife of a woman I’ve known through social media for years. They’re a binational couple like Nigel and I were, and that’s something that always catches my attention (of course…). We shared our stories, and I told her my story of love and loss, of the life that Nigel and I shared, how I’d married into an awesome family, and how utterly improbable all of that was.

Today, she said, “Nigel brought you home”, and I instantly realised she’d got it exactly right! I have no idea why I never realised a fact that I now see as obvious.

If Nigel and I had never met, I still would’ve visited New Zealand as as tourist like I’d planned, but I’d have had no reason to move here. Because we met and fell in love, we formed our family and built a life together. Back in those days, me moving to New Zealand was the only way we could be together, and so, Nigel really did bring me home, even though I never saw it that way before today.

There’s that old expression, “home is where the heart is,” something I know I’ve said plenty of times throughout my life. But today, thanks to my friend, I truly understand what it means.

Oh, look! It’s NOT raining!

This afternoon, I shared the photo above on my personal Facebook page and Instagram, and the headline of this post is how I captioned the photo. It shows, of course, the tree on my street that stars in so many of my photos. It’s still putting on its summer clothes, and I’m so very ready for it. The weather has been pretty awful lately, so I also said: “But first, back to our regularly scheduled Spring programming: Rain and more rain.” I wasn’t kidding about that.

It rains a lot during New Zealand’s Spring, though not necessarily every single day, of course. Lately, however, we’ve had a lot of rainy days that included heavy downpours (including yesterday, when I went to the Waikato Home & Garden Show). That;s not going to change any time soon. Take for example today’s 10-day forecast:

Despite how it looks, right now only Wednesday and Friday are expected to not have at least some rain. Actually, aside from those two days, right now there’s expected to be rain at least part of every day from tonight through to Tuesday, October 14. Oh, well—I guess it’ll give me time to get some inside stuff done.

Show time again

Yesterday, I went to the Waikato Home & Garden Show with my cousin-in-law, and it was the first time we’ve gone there in a couple years. The weather was awful, but the show itself was good. Naturally, there’s more to the story.

It wasn’t as crowded as in past years, and that may well have been because the terrible weather kept people away (there were heavy downpours in the mix…). However, there also weren’t as many exhibitors as usual—maybe that was because of the poor state of New Zealand’s economy? Dunno.

In any case, I was still able to request quotes for several different things I want done to, which was part of what I wanted to go to the show, so, mission accomplished. Even then, however, the fact that there weren’t as many exhibitors meant also meant there were fewer opportunities to arrange for quotes. So, I’ll have to arrange more quotes through research than I’d expected.

First and foremost, I arranged for three quotes for a cover (pergola) for the patio. As I’ve said many times, in summer the patio is way too hot to use from around midday onward, and in winter it rains too much to use it when the weather’s warm enough (which it often is). Because Kiwis love outdoor living, the cover ought to add enough value to the house to pay for itself—as long as I don’t go nuts, of course. I’ll have more to say about the options later, after I’ve made my decision.

The second thing I wanted quotes for was having a ducted heating/cooling (heat pump) system installed, something I’ve wanted to do since I bought the house. Again, I was able to request quotes from three companies. Doing this won’t add value as such, but it will should with re-sale because anyone who’s lived with ducted heating/cooling will prefer a house that has it—or, at least that was true for me.

Unexpectedly, I also decided to get a quote to get fitted window screens (usually called “fly screens” in New Zealand). For some reason, the vast majority of NZ homes I’ve been in don’t have screens, and this one doesn’t. It’s not cheap to add screens, but it could make a big difference to how I live in the house: Being able to leave my windows open in nice weather, without having any of Hamilton’s legendary flies coming inside for a visit. From time to time I’ve thought about doing this, but until yesterday I’d never seen anyone offering the sort of solution I wanted. Besides, I was focused on the patio and ducted system. I’ll comment more on this if anything comes of it.

Finally, I said I was considering possibly adding a battery bank to my solar electricity system. I say “possibly” because it’s very expensive to do, and I’m not likely to be in this house long enough to get a decent return on the investment. I may be better off to buy a (MUCH cheaper) portable back-up battery bank that I can recharge on mains power to use in the event a severe storm knocks out the power, as happened with the cyclone a couple years ago, and a deliberate temporary blackout the year before (this is mainly about keeping my fridge running). Still much research to do on that one.

Meanwhile, I still have those relatively minor decorating changes inside the house to do, but none of that will be affected by the things I’m going to have others do. If anything, much of it could give me something to do while I have to be home as they do their work—assuming I go ahead with any of the quotes, obviously.

After leaving the Show, my cousin-in-law and I went out for lunch, which was really nice (I don’t do that as much as I used, for no reason, really). I arrived home to a very happy Leo, as always, and a big rest from all that activity.

There’ll be more to this story, of course. In a sense, this was just the first chapter.

A new month with old (and new) things

October means the middle of Spring, and that means it’s time to plan for summer. New Zealanders love living outside, even if it’s just in their own yards—maybe even especially then. That’s true for me, too, but I’ve never really been able to do that at this house. October is where that begins to change.

The Waikato Home & Garden Show is on this week (Thursday through Sunday), and I bought my ticket online last night, so I’m ready to go. I didn’t go last year because at that point I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with/about my house, and so, I didn’t see any point in going. This year it’s completely different.

The point of the show is to see all sorts of new and/or interesting products and services for the home and garden—which is kind of obvious, yes, but it’s a very general category that includes stuff for the house (like renovations, garden sheds, patio covers, landscaping products, ventilation systems, even spa pools and swimming pools), stuff to eat and drink (food ingredients, spices, gin, delivered meal kits, craft beer, various kitchen gadgets), and, well, other stuff, like miracle gadgets, vacuums, etc.

I’ve always thought shows like that are really interesting, and over the years I’ve gone to various versions both in Auckland with Nigel, and now here in Hamilton. In every case, I’ve kept my eyes open for products or services that would be useful for various projects, and this year is no different—in fact, I’m going back to my mission during my early years in this house: I’m looking for providers of stuff I want for the house.

First and foremost, I’m interested primarily in two things: Patio covers/roofs and whole-house ducted air conditioning. Companies that do those things will be at the show, and they often offer “show specials”, a price discount or some sort of perk, for people who attend the show. There may be providers of batteries for solar power systems, but I kind of doubt it, and it may not matter because I’m wavering on whether that’s a good idea or not (once I decide, I’ll definitely talk about whatever I decide and why).

There also may be decorating ideas/products/services that could be useful to me inside the house, which would be nice. There will definitely be other things I’ll think are interesting, too, but whether I buy anything or not—who knows?

There’s one last bit of business left from last month: September is now my new Number One, “most-blogged” month of 2025 (by one post…). Because this is now into the weeds of statistics and data, I realised that if I achieved 183 posts this year, it would amount to one post every other day, on average. While that’s still not as good in previous years, it’d be better than both 2024 and 2022, but, is it even possible? If I did an average of only one post per day for the rest of the year, it would amount to 173—better than 2022, but fewer than 2024. Good, bad, or indifferent? I don’t know. Still, if I managed to add just four more posts over those three months, the total would beat 2024, too, which is something—ignoring every other year since 2018, of course.

So, here we are: Nearing the midpoint of Spring, and I’m on the verge of launching into my various projects for my house. This year, for the first time, I think I may actually be ready for summer when it arrives, and that’s something I’m very happy about. And, for the record, wherever my blogging output lands will be fine with me.