January

01 Marcin and Agnieszka at Pieninsky Narodny Park in the mountains.

02 Marcin and Agnieszka celebrate new arrival at a friend's place.

03 Pictures on a wall, arranged like the view out a window.

04 More of same, but different date ...

07 Great Barrier Island: after the fishing trip: cat, dog and chickens get their share, then pickled and smoked fish. A carved post outside the lodge.

09 The island: Vanessa, Kahu, Katie and others, then concert at the Curragh.

10 The island: Susannah and friend.

11 Meal out, Kasjusz and Agnieszka (with original hair).

12 Southall, Kasjusz and Agnieszka, partway through renovations. The island, pictures at the tree farm.

14 The island: golf course, and what happens if you don't keep the garden under control!

15 Flight over Kaitoke.

18 Return to the island: Waiheke, Tryphena and over Kaitoke.

28 Weymouth: Snowy encouraging Aleksandra along the beach.

29 Auckland waterfront. Aleksandra looking at the seafood at Kelly Tarleton's Underwater Adventure: I think the sefood is also looking at her ... The Wintergardens at the Domain. Felice and Aleksandra.

30 Snowy and Aleksandra on Weymouth beach, the Manukau Harbour. Some of the pictures from the Domain Museum. Off to Piha on the west coast, with Lion Rock.

31 Trip south. The Huka Falls, giving swimming lessons to my pet rock in Lake Taupo, then reconnaisance on Ruapehu, up to Top-o'the-Bruce.

February

01 Ngauruhoe from the Chateau carpark. Breakfast at the Chateau Tongariro. Travel up the Bruce Road to "Top-o'-the-Bruce", Iwikau Vliiage, at 1600 metres. From there by two stages of chairlift to a café at 2000 metres altitude, with a view all the way to the Bay of Plenty. Notice the fresh scoria, laid down during the 1995 and 1996 eruptions. More views of Ngauruhoe. Travel south, past the Makohine Viaduct (over 300 metres high), to the coast south of Wellington, near Owhiro Bay, The "Devil's Gateway", that eats cars, so we walked through. The wind turbine generator with the greatest sustained output for its size in the world, near Brooklyn, Wellington. At Malcolm's place, Titahi Bay.

02 Marcin and Agnieszka survey dwor sites, prospects for their weeding celebration to come. Aleksandra and I head north again, via the Paekakariki Hill Road, then the Desert Road, to Tokaanu, where we take in the hot baths and view the thermal pools. Late afternoon, near the Whakamaru Hydro-Electric dam. The Waikato is almost completely utilised.

03 Flight to Claris, Great Barrier Island.

04 Ditto: Dates?

05 The Crossroads Lodge. The Claris Texas Café. Kaitoke Beach: the rock pool at the south end is home to tiny fish and shrimps that will graze on your legs if you stand still, picking off loose skin and detritus. Tickles. Aleksandra took up a second career as "beach bunny": heading there every chance. I would go to pick her up late in the day: and see one tiny person sitting in the middle of 7.5 kilometres of sparkling white sand looking out to the Pacific Ocean ...

06 At the Lodge again. Evening dinner at the Curragh, with Bruce, Shane and Vanessa as well.

07 Early morning at the Curragh. Okiwi and Whangapoua. Shae, Jade and friends go surfing. Introducing Aleksandra to real Mangroves trees, which she's never seen before. Was going to go up to Hirakimata, but clouds closed in ...

08 Walk around on the Tree Farm at the top of Medland's Valley. Aleksandra looking apprehensive about getting lost in the temperate rainforest. Bamboo grows quite well in the valley. Medland's Beach.

09 At Claris again.

10 Bruce's pictures from the plane ont he way to town. On the new causeway with Aleksandra and Vanessa, going to the hot pools. Tipi and Bob's restaurant for dinner.

12 Bruce flies back to the island. Aleksandra takes to the beach again, with determination and enthusiasm ...

13 At the Curragh for another dinner. Terence O'Toole.

14 Claris Airfield.

15 Fly GBA Claris to Auckland, in the Nomad. Ideal aircraft, but a bit expensive to run. Visit Mum at Middlemore. Train to town and back to Manurewa. See Katie and Susannah at Mairangi Bay.

16 Mairangi Bay.

17 Air New Zealand, back to London. Sigh ...

18 Over central Asia.

24 Kasjusz harasses the geese at the urban farm. Browsing through the British Museum: exhibition of Japanese illuminated paper sculptures. Agnieszka and Kasjusz in the great hall with the geodesic roof.

March

16 Breakfast in Southall, before any work done on the kitchen, dining room or loft.

26 Motorcycle parking at Ealing Hospital. I was going there for diagnosis of the cause of my high blood pressure.

30 Walk with Kasjusz through the forest plantation near our place in Prabuty, Pomorskie, Poland.

31 Agnieszka takes Kasjusz visiting friends in Prabuty.

April

01 Aleksandra, Witold and Kasjusz in the kitchen in Prabuty. Walk in the forest with Aleksandra and Kasjusz.

02 Dinner in a restaurant in Bydgoszcz with Aleksandra, Marcin and Agnieszka.

03 Passport-style photographs of Aleksandra, with what I call the "Polish smile". Sigh ...

04 Rail transport in Poland. Prabuty?

05 Kasjusz the Alchemist ...

20 Aleksandra, Agnieszka and Kasjusz in Calais.

30 Another pub lunch with the ILS team.

May

June

04 Visiting at a barbeque at one of the local homes. Aleksandra was prospecting for work.

July

04 Bed and breakfast near Chipping Sodbury. Contract at Hansons. The worst style of support work, where fixing symptoms is more important than fixing problems.

11 Hares and rabbits in the carpark.

19 TransAlp parked at Heathrow. On my way to a wedding.

20 Marcin and Agnieszka get married in the church in Prabuty, then we go to a dwor for the celebration dinner. The wedding photos are on film.

21 The party continues. Much later, the burned-out husks return to normal life ...

24 Wheat farming near Chipping Sodbury. Subsidy farming at its pinnacle!

August

03 The original "stingray" connection for BT ADSL.

05 The physiotherapy centre gym at the infirmary of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

07 A large gathering outside the gym at the RHC.

08 Training equipment at the gym.

17 Krysz and family at Southall.

18 Pictures around the back yard, kitchen annex and the loft bed at Southall.

21 Chipping Sodbury, Hansons.

24 Kasjusz practices strawberry demolition. Visit to the Natural History Museum.

25 Outdoors at Southall. Fun fair down the road.

31 Sunflowers, with drip irrigation.

September  

01 Southall, walk along the canal picking blackberries.

07 The sunflowers playing at "Day of the Triffids".

13 The crew at the call centre at Hansons.

15 Sunlight, soil and water: and stand back ...

29 Sunflowers do pretty well on the basics.

30 Entrance to the gym at the RHC.

October

03 Gym and office at the RHC.

06 Back yard at Southall, Agnieszka demolishes pistachios, taking Kasjusz for a walk.

10 The bedrooms on the first floor, Southall.

12 Barbeque at Branislav and Davorka's new place.

26 Dana's place in Nottingham, Aleksandra, Dana and Ewa. Housewarming at Katia and Mariusz' place.

27 New wheels for Ewa.

November

03 For a parting gift when I finished at HP, everyone got together and bought us two tickets to a meal on "The Wealden Pullman" operated on the Kent & East Sussex Railway. Typical English autumn day, with nice food and some interesting things to see.

07 Watching the dancing at the Apollo.

23 Kasjusz pondering at Woolworths, Southall.

25 More puzzles in PC's ...

December

04 Celebration at the RHC.

07 Malcolm's holiday break.

11 The Cake Ceremony at the RHC. The cake is provided by the Australian RSL.

12 More of the approach to Christmas at the RHC.

16 Jenny Sopcak, just before she went to Canada. Agnieszka (Marcin's wife) at Southall.

17 Showing off the new stove in the kitchen annex in Southall. Malcolm back from the hospital.

18 Malcolm's repaired leg.

21 Get together at Agnieszka's flat. Tired Kasjusz and energetic Kitek.

22 Energetic Kasjusz, tired Kitek.

23 Kitek explores.

25 Christmas at Southall. An old friend discovered (30-year old vernier callipers).

31 New Year's Eve at Southall. Kasjusz discovers fireworks.