Hello readers. No I have not forgotten  nor lost interest. But let me tell you that my family have had a horrible end to 2015. And whilist I have said this blog is about reporting on local governance issues, in particular Local Govt, I feel it is necesary to tell you why I have been absent.

Our son badly broke his leg at the end of August, way the other side of Tolaga Bay. Opproximately 500km away. My wife and I had to whisk off over there at the drop of the phone, meaning 2 big days, seeing him, talking to doctors, and then arranging to and collecting his fencing equipment.

He was stablised in Gisbourne Hospital, leg put in a frame to hold all in place and flown to Waikato Hospital. So another trip on to there , next day and many more to follow. The up shot of it all was, he is a very very lucky young man to . 1. still be alive, as he could easily have bled to death by puncturing the main artery, given that he was moved 2x,s before the medics could get to him. Then.2. infection set in and he spent 3 weeks in and out of theater, as Docters tried to stop the infection from spreading thus the loss of his lower leg.

Well they succeeded much to all our relief. Once that was achieved Doctors operated again and carried out a bone graft. They took the little bone from the outside of his good leg , not all of it but a few inches and quite litterally shoved it in the vacant space between that what was created as a consequence of the infection between the good sections of the big bone on the other leg. Gruesum huh. I refused to look at the photos, to much for me. The Doctors tell us that the little bone will grow to be of similar if not the same size as the original bone it replaced. 90-100%. Of course it will take time and he will not be back at work for 12 months. Through this my father died as I reported last post, and I had a farm to run. To be honest I do not know how I achieved it, but I got all the shearing done, 4000 plus sheep, the docking ,calving, which means heaps of electric single wire fencing ,moving them every day. I include weaning the lambs, and crutching and jetting the 22th ewes before the fly got to them, and getting the bulls out. ALL before Xmas.

In early December our  very pregnant daughter sent out a SOS, and we thought we were going to have a very premature baby on our hands. Good god what next we wondered. It was 2 weeks before Sharron could get over there ,meaning ,yes our daughter lives in Brisbane. So Sharron was gone as soon as school finished, more days off getting her to the plane.

Thus as Dan is limited in what he can do around the house, No weight bearing on his injured leg, I am now the chief cook and bottle washer, plus house keeper, and run the farm. By the time the last plate is in the dish washer around 9.00pm at nite that is it for me guys.

Dan and I spent Xmas here in NZ and Sharron, our daughter, grandson and son in law enjoyed Xmas together in Brisbane. Of course Sharron is complaining bitterly about the heat, and I see she has taken to wearing a dress, I am sure she would be complaining just the same if she was still here. Man the heat was dreadful between Xmas and New yr . Like I mean I went from jeans before Xmas to shorts straight after, and it was hot ,too hot,too quick. A fisherman friend of ours tells me that the wind is predominately from the north west, thus a bad brought is unlikely. I hope he is right.

Well Sharron is getting quality time with our family in Brisbane, and Dan and I are getting on pretty good here, in fact I am really enjoying his company, and as you recognise that once he is back at work he will be gone, thus it becomes all that more speacial.

Have saved up heaps of good news to comment on in my next post, and alot is happening to support my view. Murial Newman and her NZ Herald adverts, TV 1 reporting on Maoridoms involvement in the Auckland Super City resource consent process, the Meat Industries Reform Groups awakening to the fact that there are the wrong people getting into the wrong governance positions, and that Federated Farmers and Beef and Lamb are not representing Farmers. Just who are they working for?

The media know that I am sitting on alot of explosive stuff, and that I have been badly treated in the High Court. For the time being they are content to throw trivial stuff at their mate, John Keys Government. But one day that will change.

Shocked to see Judith Collins back in cabinet. Thought she was a gone burger.

Bye for now and I hope the New Yr treats you all well.