8^th April 2000

Well, here it is, the first update since about four months ago.  I have made a pretty hard decision that there are a few pages that I have started that are never going to get finished in their entirety now so I have posted what I have -  I don't like doing a job incompletely but I figure at this stage, what is there is better than nothing.  So, what pages are new?

Well, many of you may have seen a small snippet of our three weeks in Italy.  I have finally posted the bulk of what I wrote with a few more of my favourite photographs.  Italy can be found in the archives under May 1999.  It is a bit patchy in places so please 'read between the lines'.  I found it  very hard to be on the go from 6am till midnight every day and write at the same time for three weeks running.

We traveled home to New Zealand at the end of November last year via Singapore which was fantastic.  We were so, so busy that sadly much of what I wanted to write about what it was like being home never got done at all.  There is however a little bit about our time in Singapore in the archives under December 1999.  While in New Zealand, Claire and Rob, two of our English friends came to visit us and we had a whirlwind trip of the North Island with them for a week and Claire put together a very comprehensive account of it all.  This can be found in the archives under December 1999 - New Zealand through Claire's eyes.  So, read and enjoy.

What's New on 8^th April?

Life goes on at an ever blinding pace.  When we arrived back from skiing in France at the end of January, I got offered another three month contract with the London Fire and Civil Defense Authority.  I was so stoked to get another contract because I really enjoy it there and am getting a lot out of it.  I think for the first time in my life I am really happy at work!!

Louise finished a two year contract with LucasVarity about a month ago and is now working for GlaxoWellcome.  The only drawback to her job is that she works near Heathrow which means traveling three hours every day.  As a result, she leaves home at 7.30am and usually gets home between 8pm and occasionally 10.30pm.  Long days...

Our flat that we have occupied for exactly two years has been sold by our landlord.  We have found a nice place about 5 minutes walk around the corner that is a bit bigger, on a quiet street, has a proper kitchen and a dishwasher.  Excellent.  We will be moving on the 15th of April so I will let you all know our new address when we are there so you know where to send all my birthday presents to... on the 16th ;-)

Well, if you've got this far, it is now May 6th.  Where did the last 4 weeks go and my good intentions to upload all of this?  Well, work has been very busy... I even knocked out one 25 hour day which was an experience!!  I am really enjoying work and have just had my contract extended for another 13 weeks.  Last weekend Louise and I spent a very laid back weekend in Copenhagen (That's Denmark for the geographically challenged ones out there - like myself!!).  The weekend before that we spent on a canal boat over Easter with friends on the waterways between Rugby and Warwick.  This weekend is the first settled weekend we have had at home in our new flat, so we are now finally catching up with putting everything in a home.

My birthday was celebrated on the 14th with friends, visiting a couple of All Bar One's in London and dinner at Hi Sushi... although Daren thought it was Yo Sushi and completely missed us... but hit something else!!  Pictures below...

So, true to my word this time I am going to upload all of this and hope it fits in my web space... my 10 MB limit is fast approaching.  I am hoping to get an ADSL line into the house soon (high speed full time connection to the Internet, so hopefully, I will soon be hosting my own web site on my own server... no more limits or restrictions.

Anyway, hope this finds everyone well...

Rich and Louise 

Ramblings...

I left work a little late tonight - about ten minutes to eight in the evening. Stepping out of the Brigade Headquarters onto the street, there was a bitter wind and the dark sky was spitting large drops of rain. I realised I had left my umbrella up on the fifth floor but I couldn't be bothered going back to get it so I zipped my jacket up high in a somewhat vain attempt to keep the night out.

There were no buses in sight for the full length of the road, so I decided to walk along the Thames across from Parliament House to Waterloo Station. The rain was starting to burn my face so I dug into my bag, pulled out my beanie and gloves and slipped them on. I also managed to pull out the sleeve for my umbrella which caught the wind and saw me chasing it down the waterfront trying to stop it. Every time I bent down to pick it up, the wind teased me and whipped it away again. Meanwhile, the number 77 bus had crept up behind me and zipped past the bus stop only twenty meters away. Shit!

So, I walked. Ten minutes later as I climbed the stairs to cross Waterloo bridge I overheard two people asking a gentleman for directions. His body language seemed to imply that he wasn't too interested in helping, perhaps he just didn't know. Either way he never stopped walking and disappeared quickly into the distance. For whatever reason I'm unsure, but I stopped and asked one of the people if they were lost? They were looking for Vauxhall bridge. I thought it was two bridges up the river, but I wasn't certain. So I got my map out to check. It was indeed two bridges down, and two people left very happy that they now weren't lost.

It's times like this that I wonder, did I miss my bus for a reason? Did my umbrella sleeve tease me just so many times for a reason? Was I meant to help these people? Was this event meant to happen?

A young man drove to church early one winters morning. It was cold and grey outside, dawn still hadn't really woken. Suddenly, on a piece of road traveled many times before, a young child appeared out of nowhere. Dad had gone out to fetch fire wood, the door behind him didn't quite latch. Thud... Getting out of the car, feelings I could never imagine or imagine to wish on anyone, the small child lay lifeless. Hands were laid on the small child's chest, prayers were spoken. Nothing else could be done immediately. A car up ahead turned around - the driver had moments before just missed the child. He was member of an ambulance team.

The child survived. How could this be meant to happen? Are bad things meant to happen to good people? I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. Perhaps at the time, I just don't know what that reason is. I do however find it difficult to resolve bad things, or what we perceive as being bad happening for a reason.
Perhaps I'm reading too much into it or perhaps is it just as Forest Gump put it "It happens"?