A piece of family history

Upon a recent visit to my Aunty's place at Waikuku, I was shown the photo below.

This is my Great Grandfather, William Plaskett in September 1927, driving his Hart Parr Tractor. My mother has fond memories of her Grandfather driving his tractor wearing the hat pictured. The Plaskett family farm was between Oxford & Fernside on what is now called Plaskett Rd.

The End of an Era - Dynamic Controls.

Well after 12 years I have found another job, and resigned from Dynamic Controls.

My last day is January 26, 2007.

I will start work at Aucom Electronics on February 5. It is with some regret that I leave Dynamic, with happy memories and some good friends; however, the time has come to move on to new challenges and a better working environment.

Kelv 28.12.06

December Ahoy!!

Well December is upon us... recently the Kelvinator has acquired a Mountain Bike ex Lil' Sis in Queenstown who is on another OE, this time USA.

Let the cycle adventures begin, one might say. So far Spudly, Laz & Kelv have checked out Bottle Lake with further outings to come.

Kelv 11.12.06

Movember

Movember, Movember, a month the remember.

The facial hair it did grow. What's the outcome?
Do you know?

Who is this guy? Some did ask.
Is that a mo or some kind of mask?

A different look the mo did give.
Good, bad or otherwise,it could be short lived.

Kelv 30.11.06

Rally NZ 2006

Well, it was dusty but wet & muddy instead, but still an awesome experience.

The pics say it all....



Mr Solberg



Mr Gronholm



Mr Rossi

Exams Ahoy!!

Well the Exams came & went, the lead-up was pretty full-on.
Plenty of cramming, restless nights and two 3 hour stints of full-on
writing. Ahhh the joy of it all.

In the end it will be nice to have a Diploma, 2009 hopefully.

Kelv 15.11.06

Crikey!

Here are some more pics from the Aussie Tour, this time some wildlife pics...

A Kangaroo eating

Tasmanian Devil

Fresh Water Croc

American Alligator


Kelv 06.11.06

Some scenes from Melbourne

While in Melbourne we decided to check out the view from the tallest building, the view from Floor 55 was awesome (see below):

Aussie Roadie 2006

Well the Aussie trip was a blast, it all started in Melbourne where the Homeboy Spud and I got agmonst the thriving population. Checked out the sights and sounds and even got kicked off a train which had issues.

The Aquarium and Old Melbourne Gaol (Jail) were a couple of the hi-lights. I also managed to gain 2 free beers & some $$ off our accomodation by helping helping out the Hotel guy with his PC.

After picking up the rental car, which turned out to be a Toyota Camry 2005 model we hit the road. It was pretty easy going, after staying the night in Warrnabool Spud & I came across a couple of hitchikers (Helene from Canada & Jean (John) from France). They joined us for the remainder of our trip to Adelaide. We had some great laughs and learnt some new drinking games, it was all good.

The weather in Adelaide was hot, we were both thankful of the Hotel Swimming Pool, just watch out for aging Germans in Budgee Smugglers.

Kelv 24.10.06

Up and coming Kelvinator events

What's coming up for the Kelvinator in 2006???

Oct 16 - 29 : Aussie Roadie

Nov 13 & 14 : Exams (yikes)

Nov 17 - 19 : Rally NZ (it'll be dusty)

Project Okuti

Some of you in recent times may have wondered where Kelv has been, and what he's been up to.

Well, I've been part of Project Okuti, which has involved helping Spud to renovate the Stephens farm house at Okuti. This has involved Re-wiring the lighting, Installing a Shower & Gas Water Heater as well as a new Kitchen unit. The photos show some of what has been done so far.

G is for Grace

Amazing Grace, so the song says;
Is something found within the human soul.

It comes from the heart of a friend, neighbour or stranger.
A helping hand when required or in the face of impending danger.

Right from the start it is offered, received
Reaching out, helping someone in need, not to forfil greed.
Not for money, joy or fun, just to lend a hand, make sure the job is done.

A random act of kindness, not asked for or requested
Done with blindness to the consequences, for one who is un-rested.
Knowing, seeing it was needed; it wasn't pleaded.

Grace is something you see, it's not found in the mirror,
but in the hearts and actions of others... maybe a lesson they learnt from their mothers.

It's least expected but comes as a relief whether or not you have a belief.

Kelv 03.09.06

A word on friends

"What is a friend?" I hear you ask.
When you think it out, it's quite a task.

A friend will be there for you in your hour of need.
Whether if it's in sorrow or if you bleed.

True friends will turn up when you need them the most, no matter the scenario,
they won't boast.

They will offer you advice, which hopefully leads to something nice.

Great friends will stick around, even if the day drags on. Provide guidance, a helping hand,
try and fix things if they go wrong.

If you are blue, they'll help you through. Make you laugh, cheer things up...
help you out if you're stuck.

When you're down, you feel such a clown.
But never fear a good friend is bound to appear.

Kelv 02.08.06

Thought for the day: July 22 , 2006

2006 seems to be flying by, I certainly have been busy, especially in recent times.

So far I have written 6 Poems, all of which should appear here on my blog. They have received mixed ractions, mostly good. But as we all know every artists has critics. They may not appeal to the masses; however, are based on my thoughts and things I've been through in my life.

Certainly my recent Poem "The Storm of life", is based on events of June / July, observations & experiences.

Life's funny, at times we carry on with our eyes half shut and ears partly closed to our friends. It's only when our eyes are open & we listen that the lesson is learnt they were right all along.

Kelv 22.07.06

The storms of life

Things are well, blue sky, sunshine... Life goes on as if in a song.

Suddenly, clouds roll in, this look grim.
Thunder roars, lightning flashes, the wind picks up as rain lashes.

Waves crash on the beach, nature is unleashed.
Out at sea, is not the place to be. Boats bob about, sailors can't hear each other, even if they shout.

The elements are un-constrained as things are washed down the drain.

A dreary sky, I think you'll find, will lead to a depressed state of mind.

The storms of life, cause nothing but trouble & strife.
They test us out, with such a clout.
It makes one wonder... "have I blundered?".

Finally the storm clears, blue sky, sunshine
brings with it a cheer.

Kelv 16.07.06

St John Charity Event June 23, 2006

The afternoon of Friday June 23 saw me attend a Charity Auction for the order of St John. This came completely by surprise as the supplier who invited 2 of my colleagues wasn't one that I deal with; however, due to my manager Karen being otherwise engaged I was offered the opportunity to attend.

The quest speaker at the event was Mark Inglis who gave a presentation on his life so far and the recent ascent of Mt Everest. It was interesting to learn of Mark's experiences, trials, goals etc...

What struck me however was the work he has been involved in with people who suffer from similar disabilities in less fortunate parts of the world. For example this one guy in Napal who 23 years ago lost both of his legs below the knees due to frostbite. Since the operation he has walked around on the stumps of his legs with bits of old car tires sown onto his trousers. With the help of Mark & others a pair of prosthetic legs were smuggled into Napal (people are too poor in Napal to afford such technology). For the first time in 23 years this guy has now been able to stand up at the same height as others and walked around.

What a remarkable act of kindness.

Kelv 23.06.06

A Winter Chill...

There's a winter chill in the air, one can feel it anywhere.

Inside or outside, it remains, cooler than normal that's what we know.
Clouds drift over, rain, hail or snow.
As nature pays a call, the temperature it will fall.

Whilst inside we try to keep warm, heaters etc... they are the norm.

Hot drinks, a cozey bed at night we seek.
"What's that I feel at my feet?" It's Jack Frost, he's paying us a visit.

Kelv 13/06/06

Spud's Heavy Haul

Recently Spud & I have been on a few Firewood / Pruning Trees type missions. On one of these we had trouble getting up the track with the Trailer on board, it had to be abandoned. In the end we used an old Honda City, which is over at Okuti to ferry loads of wood down to the trailer. It was suprising how much wood we could fit in such a small car (the Honda). It only took 2 loads to fill the trailer, a top effort.

Kelv 28/05/06

An Ode to Okuti

Okuti, Okuti with such beauty,
of rocks, hills and plains, the driving rain?

A place to rest, take time to digest.

We might sit by the stream and day dream.

On the other hand work could be the caper, pruning tress, cutting wood... it's all good.

The Pile of wood grows smaller as we load Spud's heavy Hauler.

Once we've had our fun & the job is done,
it will be off to Chirstchurch we'll go albeit it slightly slow.

Kelv 27/05/06

The death of Orac

What's or who is Orac I hear you ask, well if you were ever a fan of the old Sci Fi series Balkes 7 you would know that it was a computer.





My home PC died on May 4, and I have finally got it up and running again. This is after replacing the Motherboard, CPU, as well as installing a new Video Card & 1 Gb of RAM it is all systems go again. In addiotn to this a new Hard Drive had to be procured due to Win XP not liking all the new Hardware I'd installed. What a mission....

Kelv 21.05.06

Work

Work work, what a lurk...

I wake with a start, the alarm blares, it thinks its smart.

Up one must get, that's enough of a rest.
Off to work I must go, and do my best.

The daily grind, what a bind.

It's all about the money.
Isn't that funny?

Kelv 03.04.06

Anzac Day

The rain fell down and hit the step,
on this fateful day where we least forget.

As I sit here, ponder, wonder what it would've been like...

Battles won, mates lost, all at great cost.

Anger brought to bare, dead bodies laying everywhere.
Not just the soldiers, the unaware.
Parents, children, the elderly, no-one misses out;
as the tragedy comes about.

Was it all worth it one may think...

Surely those in power know what they're doing,
as anxious Soldiers sit there stewing.

At the end of the day, does anyone win?
Only an absolute nutter would look at war and grin.

Kelv 25/04/06

Gimme a txt

I sent a txt to a mate,
"Will they answer?" I had to wait.

Where are you mate? What have I done?
We usually hang out and have such fun.

These questions and more knocked at my door.

Whilst I pondered, it made me wonder.
Is this a friend in need or a friend indeed?

You feel down when there's no one around...

Then suddenly there's a call,
a true friend exists after all.

Kelv 19/04/06

The Arrow and the Song

I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, who has sight so keen and strong
That it can follow the flight of a song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Kelvinator

There once was a guy called Kelvin, who after time was referred to as "The Kelvinator". Was this due to the fact he was cool or because he kept cool under pressure??