This little elephant was gorgeous

Hi there


I was going through some past photos.  Here are some elephants that I photographed at Melbourne  Zoo a few years ago.  How cute can a little elephant be?

When I was a child we got to ride the elephant at Wellington Zoo.  He later  died and there was a huge collection from the people of Wellington to buy a new elephant.  I wonder whatever happened to that money because we never did get that elephant?

Computers? Love 'em? Or Hate 'em?

Hi there

I remember way back when computers first came into the office where I worked. I took to them like a duck to water.  The word-processing package was my forte.  I made that computer sing.

Now?  Now, I've regressed.  My brilliant-ness is gone, faded away in the mists of time.  I wouldn't know how to do a simple grid if my life depended on it, let alone an organisation chart - the CEO used to came to me for advice on typing them.  Praise was thrown at me, like rose petals!

I like to think that my now lacklustre performance on a computer is because the keyboard has changed in some way.  Extra keys have been added, or changed, or a bad wizard  has hexed me; this has to be the explanation because I'm danged if I can even type the quick born fix..
the click brown fix jumps over the laxy ..  the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (hoo-ray!).

I give up ...


###

...and the internal workings of my laptop are playing up (sigh).  I might have to take it into the repair shop.

Maupuia Walkway Wellington

Hi there

 Just above the suburb of Miramar in Wellington is the hill suburb of Maupuia where there's a lovely safe flat track that gives magnificent views of the inner harbour.  It's only maybe 40 minutes return and that includes taking your time petting dogs, sitting on seats, stopping and ohhhing and ahhhing over the view,  happily talking to strangers, etc.  Houses are higher up on the hill above you on one side of the track,  and the sea is way down on the other side of you.

The walkway was my first excursion out after my eye surgery ) and now I've been told the cataract in my other eye is bad and I need surgery on that - oh, no, not another round of 13 eyedrops a day!).  It was a beautiful day last week when I walked the track.  I talked to half a dozen dogs and their owners.

If a person is going to the walkway by number 2  bus from town, get off at the stop after the Miramar Cutting, climb the hill (about ten minutes and with a proper pavement) until you see a sort of (pathetic) little clearing ahead of you that's used for parking.  This is the start of the track.  Or ..catch no 24  bus from town, ask driver to put you off at the start of Maupuia Walkway.

above: looking down on the suburb of Miramar from near the Maupuia Walkway

above:  taken from Maupuia Walkway.  Hataitai Beach, where I swim, is across the water.

PS:  The Young One, J, and I went swimming at Hataitai Beach today.  I wore wrap-around sunglasses and was extremely careful.  The swim was fantastic. And, yes, it was very cold!

Buying sunglasses

Hi

I'm having trouble with the light on my eyes so I popped into the optician's to ask about wrap around sunglasses.

"I go through sunglasses like other people go through chocolate," I explained.  "My sunglasses break often.  I blame those thin cloth bags that the shop people give us to keep our sunglasses in.  Within a day of scrabbling around in my handbag looking for something I can rarely find, my sunglasses usually get broken.  Are there rubber sunglass frames?"

"We can do better," said the optician.  "We have ... " He paused theatrically -  "flexible frames!  They won't break."

Wow.  Show-me-show-me-

He picked out a pair of sunglasses and flexed the arms.  This way.  That way.  Pulling.  Pushing.  Shaking.  Forcing backwards ... forcing forwar-

Oops.  The sunglasses broke with a loud snap!    Right where the nose piece was.

"Um ... "   I'll think about it," I said diplomatically.

I exited the premises, chortling.  I did tell the red-faced guy that it was too good a story not to share with the world but to save him further future embarrassment I'd keep secret the name of the shop....