Thanks to all, and to all a goodnight

Hello my dears
Thanks to all who've sent me virtual hugs on dad's passing - he took the exit to a better place last week.

I have a big, close family, and we ran the ceremony, sending dad off to Herb Alpert & Elvis, in a decorated eco cardboard coffin that his six kids carried to a white Cadillac. Much laughing and crying, all at dad's expense - there was an abundance of raw material to do that, thanks to the old man's personality. He would have liked his funeral.

Mum's well and doing ok. Am glad I'm here.

Our balmy autumn has ended today; yesterday Mish and I were paddling at the beach under blue skies. The sun so blazingly hot it felt like someone had a magnifying glass on us. Tonight, well ... it's 10.30 and we're sitting here in a howling freezing southerly. It's snowing down south and there are 160kph winds up north - Wellington is copping it in both directions. The house is ashakin' and things are banging and clanging around outside. One of the windiest nights we've had up here, magnified by not having had much wind at all since last spring. Gusting to about 100kph tonight, with squalls! The airport has reopened and both of us are very glad we're not in the plane that we just heard go over.
Months and months of warm, calm, priceless days.
Clunk.