How NZ celebrates religious holidays

by screening Vicar of Dibley

this is not a complaint you understand

I'm thrilled with any screening of Vicar of Dibley, absolutely delirious about it.

Can I get a no, no, no, no, yes and know you mean it?

Meanwhile I apologise for my laziness over the last week. My obsession with making it to Easter was all consuming and here I am, equilibrium returned, clean undies, cupcakes baked and three DVDs watched - watching DVDs features is an ambition of mine every Easter, often unachieved and according to NCEA that means I just try again. This year I get a big, fat achieved. Brava me.

Anyway last weekend was huge and here is my foggy recall of events

On Saturday we had our annual nationwide Mormon Helping Hands service project.

This year I was the on site manager so 150 odd people (Mormons are peculiarly not odd, just to clarify) turned up to the Glenelg Health Camp to dig out bark from the school playground and then replace it all with new, clean bark.

The brethren made it all into a game and had crazy dust making races to fill the barrows to cart the bark across the playground.
Not the only job to be done, there was window cleaning, kitchen painting, gardening, path weeding and sweeping, wood panelling to be polished and kids to be watched. Oh and no Mormon event could possibly be complete without food so there was sandwich making and nasty cordial mixing.


Then everyone gathered together to eat and drink and listen to the presentation from our Public Affairs Director Melanie (she and I got the fab hi-vis vests to wear instead of the regular yellow vests cause we were playing she-who-will-be-obeyed)


Plus we had real actual VIPs there. That's one in the blue right there, yes you know who she is, go on you do know who she is, yeah, yeah she's Nicky Wagner list MP for National! See I told you we had VIPs, ok singular. She's very nice, she told me all about how the Aussies pay $150 to parents to get their kids vaccinated and how she didn't think that would be a good idea here because it would set a precedent of paying parents to do the right thing. The thought flitted quickly through my mind that her concept of what was right was questionable but it hardly seemed the place to argue about that particular subject just then. Besides I'd already shared some of my peppermint chocolate with her and you know the bond that creates.

Did you see him? All the while Mel was speaking her wee Manu was wrestling with her legs. Gosh he is adorable and into everything with not a word missed by the awesome Mel.

he is well adored

Helen who is in the centre below with the cap was the wonderful, hard working woman from Glenelg Health Camp who helped us plan and work all day. She truly is a woman of virtue, giving everything to her underprivileged kids including working on her day off to help us out.

the brilliant and wonderful end to our day was the presentation of the sculpture below called Family and Community (actually I'm not sure if that is it's name but it sounds good doesn't it), President MacDonald presented it to Glenelg Health Camp with a wee speech and a tonne of breakfast food for the poor wee kiddies.

Then after all this I went with Emz to see Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Anniston and Gerard Butler - it was like an 80's style movie and all Hardy Boys mystery like, I wouldn't even raise the thumb to rate it. That Gerry Butler was not even that hot in it. Maybe that's why I rented The Ugly Truth last night to see if he got hotter, ahh I think it's that American accent that's ruining him.

Of course that night was Earth Hour so me and Mel and Sam and poor old Emz went into Lincoln to observe the passing of that great event. My goodness Earth Hour is the most meaningless event in the environmentally calendar. The carbon emissions we emitted to drive 20 minutes to have coffee (sic) by candlelight totally negated any remote good done by having some lights out. It didn't even have a feel good quality about it. Bah humbug!