Birthday

It's my 50th birthday today. I received this fantastic gift (NZ Greenstone) from my wonderful wife and children. I used to have one very similar about 15 years ago but it was stolen when I was rock climbing in the UK.

I'm very lucky to have this now.

And another gift I received today - an internet connection! Long story, which i won't bore you with, but we are in our second temporary rental house while our home is undergoing earthquake repairs. It took a week and a half to get the internet connected. It's a sign of the times to discover just how difficult life is without it. Crazy - we all used to live comfortably without being constantly connected, but we have rearranged the way we do things to depend on the internet. Then when it's taken away - ouch. Reminds me of the updated version of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.