1st December
Well the 1st of December ..... a new month and near Christmas .... wahooooo.

4th December
Well December is going fast, and yet again I am weeping at a tear-jurking advert on TV - yea I am a bloody sook.

Well I have had a great few days - why? Well I have been speaking to Sunflower.  I miss her now - phone is in use. I cannot wait till we speak again.  I guess that could be what love is - when they are not around u miss them.

What else have I been doing? Well, I have been emailing Rae (from MSN) again. She has email at work. She is a really great friend ... can see straight through my crap and is not afraid to tell me exactly what she thinks.  Yet, she is able to say it carnally, yet bluntly.  A real friend.

I went to the Santa parade on Sunday .... was a hot, sunny day and not to bad I guess ... hope to have some company for my next one :)

What else, well; got my official results (Uni.). Same marks as b4.  Ummm .... I had something to say about Uni. That's right, I went had a yack to the Dean of Comf.  You see, I had the choice of applying for post.grad in theology, doing some part-time study and part-time work, or full-time Uni.  He suggested I go to uni full time and take 5 law papers ... I am hoping that I will be able to sit ... Family Law, Psychiatry and Law, Treaty of Waitangi and Law, Sentencing and Criminal Justice.  There was some talk about an agreement between the Comf and the law faculties.  Would love to be able to get my teeth into law again :)

What else? have I mentioned I am missing Sunflower???  Well I do aye ... I can not wait to meet her in real life on the 27th ..... yea to be honest I am a but nervous, but I am so looking forward to meeting her.

I am truly thankful for all those kind emails about my exam results. Yea, I was showing off a bit - but I have never had a A+ or a A_ before.  My previously highest mark had been a B+.  Some of you might have clicked with 3 words and now forgotten about it ... but it mean a lot that you took the effort to write. Thank you :)

5 December
Those people who visit my site often will start to notice some changes,  Someone commented that it was annoying to have to keep going back to the index when they were reading my journal.  I guess I never expected people to read it, let alone want to start from the beginning and go all the way through!!!  Well hopefully I have enabled that to happen easier. I also changed the button to go to my site index and not the home page below that.  Seemed to make more sense.

Other changes IO intend to do is cut down the graphics on my front page, investigate using pull down menu's for my links page (if I keep it online); and generally tidy it up.  If anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them.  Just leave a note in my guest book or email me.

Well it is another hot and sunny day outside. I am waiting for people to return my phone calls - prob impossible as I am online though :)  I had the thrill of my life today - ... Sunflower rang me from work :)  Sad news, she is working nights. ;o(

I still cannot decide the colour of text for here - I am not happy with many. Even black doesn't show up to well. Maybe I will need to tone down the background or something.

Well enough dribble for now ... cya all

Well I have brightened the back, well lightwise to make the writing stand out a bit. Well I will leave it at red at the moment.

Well back again.  I will soon be heading off to a uni friends farewell party .. well a class thing as I do not know him that well ... had a couple of lectures with him.  Starts around 8 - should be fun.  But I will miss my phone call with Sunflower :o(.  I hope to get back in time to ring her. If not, I'll ring her tomorrow morning ..... early.

Well guess I better get ready ...

6 December
Well, the day after the party. .... wasn't that good to tell you the truth.  Ended up being several groups sticking to people they knew.  Well, hay - mr shy wasn't going to do anything about it.  Guess also, not being able to get more than 2 drinks made it dull, but being a sober  amongst loads of drunk ppl was fun!!!

Problem was I missed my phone call with Sunflower :(  It will be so good to ring her. Guess who just ICQed me :))))

7 December
Well mowed the lawns, did some gardening - still loads to do.  Just having a rest and my 2nd coffee for the day ... not bad for 2pm!!

I have been thinking of writing a book ... what do u think???  If I do I will do it online so you can all read it as I attempt it - causal and critical criticism would be grateful appreciated.  Like ... if you publish that I will have to get copies for all my relatives!!! tee hee

So what for the rest of the day?  Well, I am unsure. Might do some more gardening if it doesn't rain.  At least i can see a bit more of the path :) ..... what else. Well I will be ringing Sunflower after I do the DARE course.

Money this Xmas will be slim ... I have rates of some $300 to pay and a phone bill of $160. One is due on the 15th, the other is the 16th.  Then there is $25 for the bus to ChCh ... Sunflower - I might need a little loan while I'm in ChCh ... or will I ... I do get money on the 27th ... hmmm ... forget about the need for a loan ... family will just be getting late Christmas presents.

Well Sunflowers present should be delivered by tomorrow - that is the 10 days.  Hope it arrives soon!!!  Hope she likes it!!!

Well, enough for now .....

9 December

 

After a battle with a heart condition Rev'd Canon John Wilkinson died peacefully in the Otago Community Hospice during the past night, strengthened for his journey by the sacraments of the church and the presence of his family.   May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Well like Forest Gump ... I walked, and I walked and I walked ... well getting home some 6 hours after I started.  For those who know Dunedin, that means walking up hills and down valleys. The next morning I was so sore, when I rang Sunflower at 10am I rolled over and grabbed the phone. I could hardly move.  After a hot bath, I started to come right.

Well, it is Monday and I am waiting for the post. Sunflowers Christmas present arrived on Saturday - or was it Friday. well, it needs to be rapped anyways.  Need to get Mum something next week.  I will be heading into town this afternoon - damm graduation ... gggrrr. Well it is Sat., but have stacks to do - forms to fill in etc. Also a blood test. Joy of all joys.

13 December
Well it is Wednesday.  Over the last 2 days I have been tidying up the garden .... unless you knew, you would have no idea what I have done, but for those who do ... I have cleaned up half the driveway. Oe problem, they are the weeds I poisoned a few weeks ago, and they are irritating my skin.  So I need to be more careful.

I went with Rev'd Helene Mann to visit John today. He looked good ... at peace with his maker.  Thank you Helene for inviting me to come with you, it was something  needed to do.

Well Saturday is my graduation day and 27th I need Sunflower - wahooo!!.. For Sunflower that is. I can not get excited over my graduation at all.

I will prob not type a lot over the next few weeks. Graduation, Christmas, and Sunflower coming down.  I'll see.

14 December
Well another hot day - have mowed one of the lawns - have the back one to do.  Was 31 cel yesterday - that is hot for December in Dunedin.  Could mean in Jan or Feb. we could be getting over 35 cel ... yuck.  I can think of nothing nicer than a ice cold bed ... maybe I need to freeze water bottles and stick em in my bed - lol.

Well lets see, some more gardening and mowing of lawns - then I hope it rains sometime to stop me.

Tomorrow will be busy. 9:30 coffee with TotallyAddicted and Bourbon, pick up my graduation gear, pay the rates, John's funeral .. and I am sure there was other things to do. Then Saturday, graduation starting with morning tea at 11am.

Well, enough for now.

15 December
Today is a sad day - I said farewell to a friend.  It was John's funeral today.  I am graduating tomorrow, and the last time I did in 1995 John popped it in congratulate me. I will miss him more than I realize at the moment.

I had coffee with Bourbon and TotallyAdicted today. Great bunch of people.  I managed to clarify a few things - which was good. After that I went and got my garb for tomorrow, did some shopping, and went to say farewell to John.

Later tonight I will be tidying the front room, and heading off earlish tomorrow for my graduation.

16 December
Well the day is here and in 12 hours it will be all over ... well grduaion atound 5pm/  Yea, guess I am sort-of looking forward  to it, but would have perferred to have collected them all in one go in 2 years time.

I note that the Bain deciion will be anounced 'early next week" so I guess Monday or Tuesday.  Wonder what the result will be. I do not intend to speculate ... and will be making no comment to anyone about it - so do not ask!!!

Well, time to have some breakfast, a shower and all .... might write some more around 9pm.

18 December
Ok, back again. No my absence is not due to a hangover, but I have had other priorities ... gardening, talking to Sunflower, cutting trees etc. Even getting the odd photo taken. I will leave it to you to decide if it is a odd photo or a photo of a odd person :)/

Before I comment about the graduation itself, a lot of which will be taken from the University booklets, I note that the Petition got a pardon for David Bain is going to the Cabinet for discussion.  I will keep you informed. This is part of the process for David's application for the Governor General to use his progrotive for mercy. There are several options, grant David a pardon (equates to being not guilty); refer the case, or aspects of it to the Appeals Court, order a retiral or nothing.

OK . my graduatio(number 2 that is - did it 1st 5 August 1995). Well, At 9:50am Mum and I got the  buss and did some window shopping as we made out way to the university. We went to a morning tea, which was provided by the Consumer and Applied Sciences Department. This was very pleasent. I met the Assistant Vice-Chancellor of this devision, met the head of my department, and other friends ... introducing them all to mum.  We left there just before midday and I got a coke - reason will eb obverse latter.

I guess I should describe the weather - it was a hot, sunny day ... blue sky ... really nice.

OK ... at 12:30pm, I went off to the Graduation service. To my surprise I guess there were some 200 people there. The service was only 30 minutes long, but was very relaxed and a time to pause and reflect on the past 5 years and give thanks.

At 1pm I made my way, with friends, to the beginning of the procession, which left at 1:30pm.  Dunedin is a University town and during graduations, we process down the main street ... past the main shops.  Never had so many people staring at me for ages - lol.   Unfortunitely we are also a scottih town, so they have bagpipes moaning away.  Like most things, this went wrong and they forgot to turn down the correct road. So we went to far!! LOL.  After that, we all get sheppherd into a car part,  and marshalled into rows. I was number 71 ... that is out of some 650 people.  We stayed there for some 30 minutes and I managed to chat to loads of new people during this time.

After thisd, and still staying  in out well constructed lines, we moved to the town hall, and said goodbye to the last of the fresh air I would breath for some 2 hopurs.

OK, the graduation itself started at 3pm.  It is a very formal occasion presided by the Chancellor.  I note you do not receive a degree, but as the certificates say, " ... admitted by the university to the degree of ...".There is a copy of my 3 certificates on my CV.

OK, at 3pm again the wining of pagpipes starts up and the officials march in. First the pipes, then the university mace, Assistant Lecrturers, Lecturers, Chaplains, Wardens, Seniior Lecturers, Assistiate Professors, Professors, Deams, Assistant Vice-Chancellors, Secretary to the Council and Registrar, Members of the Council, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the Maori Orator, the Public Orator, The Mayor, The Vice-Chancellor, The Pro-Chancellor, The Hionorary Grduands, The Chancellor.  They are all in their robes and capes etc. Very colourful. I was sitting there deciding where I would get my next degree from solely based on the nicest colour robe.

To start with we were given a Speech of welcome from the Chancellor and a Maori welcome from a representative of  Ngai Tahu. We then sang the National Anthem in English and Maori.Then the Public Otator presended the two canditates for Honorary Degrees.  ^The Vice-Chancellopr presided for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and the Assistant Vice-Chancellors and Deans presented candidates for other degrees and diplomas.

The 2 honourary Doctorates was on in Divinity and one in Science.  One of whom gave thje address ... more on this later. We then had the over 600 confrtmrny of degrees and prwesentations of diplomas by the Chancellor. This took over a hour. During this time I was 'Capped' and was admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Arts and awarded a Diploma for Graduates.

After this, we had some singers and then the Graduation address by Graham Stanton, who had just received the Hon. Doctorate of Divinity.  I found this extremelty interesting. Graham compaired the traditional teaching to a world where knowledge was "readily availavle" at the click of a computer.  He commented on a University education being "Added Value" and thaat it "should set people on a path of knowledge and - nmore important still - on the trial of wisdom".

The motto og Otago University is Sapere aude - dare to me wise.  Graham noted that this suggests doing something "difficult, off-beat, even subversive".  He noted it says dare to be wise, and not be wise. Graham challenged graduates to turn knowledge into wisdom.This reminded me of Dead Poet Society ... the film weith Robin Williams.

After this we all sang Gaudeamus.  And out to fresh air, and some wine and cheese and food provided by the university.  I can now stick my certificates on my 'Wall of Debt".

Well from there we came home. Mum had invited her friends - lol.  I am friends with one of the past Registrar of the University. He commented that Graduation is more for the parents than the person graduating ... so true.

If I have not bored you yet, I will comment a bit about the history of the graduation and other information.I might even type the words to some of the songs we sang. LOL.

Well the ceremony took its present form in the 1920's, with the Maori ceremony being introduced in 1995.  This has been discribed above, so I will not go into it again.

The black gowns warn at Otago are the same ones as warn at the University of Cambridge,  The hoods are different xcolours depending on your degree, and graduates wear a black trencher. The exception being Doctorate graduates, whom wear maroon or scarlet gowns, a silk hood, and a velvet cap as warn by doctors of Scottish universities.

The colour of the hoods at the University of Otago - I can lagitimately wear 2 of them. What colour should I do next.
 

Well I am having trouble getting on line, so while I wait I will do some typing. I first have to say - I love u Sunflower and am so looking forward to meeting you on the 27tth :)

22nd December
Well 2 days till Be's 21st birthday, 3 days till Christmas Day and some 5 days till I meet Sunflower in ChCh.

26th December - Boxing Day
What a busy and yes enjoyable time I have had over the past few days - where to start. Hmmmm .... well 23rd ... a Saturday ... I went into town ... did some shopping ... got mum her Beatles CD (which seems to be on all the time). Yesterday, and I am not joking, mum asked if she had to turn the CD over or if the player did that :) tee hee. Anyways, came home, watched TV.  Some other issues arose which I will not go into.

Christmas Eve, Be's birthday ..... hmmm felt strange celebrating a 21st birthday without the person around. Well lets see this was sunday ... I stayed in bed ... got up around 11 and spoke to Sunflower ... ummm guess I was online. Around 8:30pm I rang Be up .... mum had made her a bday cake and got some champers ... so we drank and eat as we were speaking to her .... crazy aye.  Oh, I rang Sunflower up again.

Christmas Day ... started nice and early with church at 9am ... 1at time in some 67 months. was good to see Cushla fit and well again ... damm good sermon, short, to the point and relivant.  Came home around 10:30 and got picked up aand went to the Beresfords around midday ... really great day down there - tks guys!!!. In fact they might actually be reading this as I interoduced them to my bad gramma and spelling and rambleings.  Well got some great presses from them ... a piggy bank ... a scratchie card (made $4), some dice, a picture frame and ummmm ... as my mind goes blank - a candle and a candle stick/   Thank you :)

As usual the food and wine and whisky were all top class. Talking about Whiskey, how is he??  Left there around 10pm ... after meeting Katherine's new boyfriend - ....... seems a really nice guy - although ppl did say that about the yourshire ripper also ... :).  Pity we didn't get to show him that video aye Katherine!!! Anyways, got home around 10:40 ... fed the cats and dog, went online ... decided not to ring sunflower due to the time.

Today ... well managed to mow the back lawn b4 it started toain ... I rang Sunflower up.  Just think ... in 26 hours we will be meeting for the 1st time in real life!! I remember when it was over 2 months and it seemed such a long time.  Also, my birthday on the 2nd - hint hint .... and I start Summer School on the 3ed of Jan.  Seemed a good idea in the winter ... but with the sun - well when the sun does stream in .... does not seem that good. Looks a lot of fun though - a good mixture of fun and study and with only some 700 students - I should make some friends.

About all to type so far ... just hope everyone had a great Christmas, and remembered the real reason and spirit for it.