If you live in New Zealand, you will know that the All-Blacks are the rugby union team known for their all-black uniforms. You will also know that they won Ireland last week in the quarter-finals for the Rugby World Cup (three of the members of the Ireland team are from New Zealand) and hammered Argentina this week in the semi-finals, 44-6.
They are kind of scary
This is my All Blacks shopping bag because, well, why not.
Next week the All-Blacks play the winner of the South Africa/England semi-final game for the World Cup Final, their fifth so far, a world record.
Also in the news this past week was the October 14 election of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of the National Party, to replace Jacinta Ardern's successor Chris Hipkins of the Labour Party. The election was a rout across the country.
This Rotorua Daily Post cover is about Rotorua's newly elected Member of Parliament Todd McClay of the National Party
We had a fun visit with the Smiths and the Woolfs, senior Member-Leader Support missionaries serving in Thames, on the coast of the Firth of Thames southeast of Auckland, and Tamauranui, about an hour west of Lake Taupo. They got to know each other in the Missionary Training Center and are taking a day out seeing the sights of Rotorua. They went on the Redwood Tree Walk and had a hangi dinner at the Marae Mitai Village in Fairy Springs.
I was counting how much New Zealand cash I had so I took a picture. There are no $1 bills or pennies, but there are coins worth one New Zealand dollar, two dollars, fifty cents, twenty cents, and ten cents. These are confusing to me so I don't spend them and have a big pile of them. The bills are in different sizes and colors.
Mr. Fabulous, giving us a visit
Elder Rooks repairing his $5 golf club, which did not hold up long, unsurprisingly. He glued it with epoxy and it is still in one piece.
Elder Rooks was asked to give one of the elders a blessing. This elder has had many health challenges and still has a good attitude about missionary work. This is where four elders live in Koutu.
They have a nice view overlooking the lake. One set of elders is on bicycles, so they are glad the weather has been good.
Monday night we went to dinner at Pres. Winiata's house. Sis. Pancheri on the left is always upbeat and faithful. She has a gift for teaching those interested the restored Gospel. The man on the right is a Tongan member who is bringing his girlfriend to church.
A view from the Winiata's house, in Pomare, off Pukehangi Road
I could smell something so sweet and delightful, which is not the usual state of affairs when you live next to Kuirau Thermal Park. It was our neighbor's wisteria, which are blooming profusely. I don't know what the gnarly red tree is in the foreground
Elder Rooks planted some sprouting potatoes in the dirt he dug with a pitchfork and a hatchet, and they seem to be growing. Potatoes in New Zealand are quite good.
While digging we keep coming across rusty farm implements like this one
I haven't seen this tree before, but I am pretty sure it is a horse chestnut
The apple trees are in bloom
We walked to Mary's house and saw gorse growing wild. One of the mothers in church was telling us about trying to cut these down with a chainsaw.
Mary's gutter repair is holding up just fine
I realized Mary had a back yard planting of Harakeke, New Zealand Flax, so I asked if I could cut some, and she said I could, so Elder Rooks got to carry them home in a shopping bag.
This is a vacant lot where a new housing development is planned
Beside the Utuhina Stream I could smell this yards and yards away, strong and very sweet. I think it is jasmine.
Here I have split, scraped and boiled the flax leaves. The straight shorter green ones haven't been scraped yet and are beginning to curl. I used the back of a butter knife. You do it like curling ribbon. This breaks up the tough cells, makes the strips more flexible, and allows moisture to escape. The strings of fiber are stronger than thread and not easy to break. I am watching YouTube videos on weaving a kete, a Harakeke bag.
I'm putting this picture in because my three sons are working on framing my oldest son's basement, which was recently dug out and cement walls and floor poured. They borrowed Elder Rooks' miter saw and nail gun, which have come in handy. I love these boys.
Mr. Pukeko, who has been lying low, is stepping out now.
I heard some plaintive shrieking from Mrs. Pukeko and found the reason I hadn't seen them lately: two fluffy black white-beaked chicks. Swamp hens usually have four to six chicks, so something may have happened to this hatch.
Mama Pukeko kept track of her chick,
but Papa Pukeko lost track of his. The one on the right looked around for his papa, didn't see him, and took off running for the hidden nest near the thermal stream.
I imagine this is Papa Pukeko apologizing. At least, he is feeding worms to his baby.
