All Gooey !!

Hi,although attendees are a dying breed the Devonport Razza’s Christmas do is a must for all veterans and their mates who have survived another year! This years event was no exception with the keenly contested ‘housie’ session setting the scene for a rousing Christmas lunch with all the trimmings and customary refreshments flowing as the guests sat down to a sumptuous feast. My normal favourites,the succulent ham on the bone and the delicious rich, moist, tasty christmas pud garnished with warm gooey custard were there once again in enough abundance for seconds J

Apart from these gastronomic delights the other highlights for us included the appearance of Fletcher James Jones at his first official Razza engagement and an important one it was too as he was able to help his Grandmother Ngaire celebrate her ‘life membership’ award presented after dinner prior to the live band entertainment and all important drawing of the christmas raffles. Yes another cracking time was had by all and most were home tucked up in bed before afternoon tea…..God Bless Devo Razza!!

We took the opportunity to stroll along the Devonport waterfront with Fletcher and enjoy a cold Monteiths lager outside the grand old Masonic Tavern as we wiled away a beautiful sunny Auckland Day. Its days like these that make us truly grateful for what we have and where we live.

It was a timely reminder to us that you don’t have to go far or spend zillions to get out and enjoy the many places that are the jewels in the crown of our neighbourhoods throughout our country. Where ever you are this Christmas make a point of getting out and enjoying it with whoever you are with, life is for living not wondering. On behalf of Christine, Fletcher, Harry and the Hendersons I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe happy New Year. We have loved sharing our good,bad and ugly experiences with you this year and thank you all for your objective, honest and frank feedback. We look forward to linking up again with you from Monday 21^st January 2013 , have an awesome fun week and take care……….Cheers Jonesey!

Harry and the Hendersons reckon it would be ‘Scooby Doo’ if you all adopted a dog or two in the New Year. They have plenty of buds looking for homes….apply within woof woof!!!

“In each of these companies I do whatever needs to be done, whether it`s ideas, testing, marketing, catalog copy-writing, or dishes.” Amy Cameron Farmer

Every company I have worked in or ever been in the cafeteria of seems to have a problem getting people to wash their own dishes after a drink or eating something at work? (sound familiar?)

Does everyone do that at their homes as well?.....probably not in most cases so why when they get to work do thay have a major problem cleaning up after themselves??

Does everyone think if they dump and run that eventually all the clean dishes will run out and some unlucky soul will have to wash some if not all the dishes so they can use them !!! I am laughing as I write but it is so true…….now Ive started,what about those people who come along and use the last hot water in the jug or milk in the bottle to make their drink and then disappear so that the next person (seems its always me !!) comes along, has to fill the jug and either go without milk or go down the road to get some  aaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!. I can see the majority of you reading this nodding your heads with smiles on your faces !!!! Inconsiderate lot arnt we !!! well at least that’s what I used to think until one day last week……….just when I was about to give up……..

We had some VIP guests and treated them to luscious date scones and bottomless cups of real coffee which impressed them greatly and left a pile of dishes a mile high afterwards!! I bit the bullet and got stuck into cleaning them to find that our Managing Director grabbed a tea towel and dried them!! I will never complain about doing dishes again and believe this simple act did more to inspire,motivate and lead than anything planned or premeditated. So pick up a dish cloth and join the revolution!!

 “Wishes won't wash dishes” The Boss

Boris the cat June-1996- Dec 2012

Hi, its been a sad old time as we have finally had to say goodbye to Boris the last of our four cats. He was a cool dude and had a good life. Unfortunately after being badly injured 15 months ago he had been confined to our ‘departure lounge’ where life was comfortable but never the same. Animals are a huge part of any family and we have felt the loss of Boris accutely in the last few days with more than a tear or two shed as we remembered what an affectionate character he was. There is no doubt he is in a better place now with his four brothers stretching out on a big sofa with endless cat treats in cat heaven where there are no dogs !! R.I.P. Bozza the cat :(

On a brighter note the festive season is upon us with the Pohutukawas resplendantly bursting into bright red flower signalling the start of the silly season. We got another real tree from the pick and chop man locally it was the perfect size for the car and the house. There is a beautiful pine smell throughout the house (and the car !!) .The decorations and the lights fascinate Fletcher and his Father night after night!  It’s a magical time of year especially for the kids and spending time with family. The secret is to try not to let the madness engulf you in the mall and on the roads, try to take some time out to ensure you do relax and enjoy what is a traditionally happy time.I know its not always easy depending on each of our own circumstances however if we all go in with honest and best intentions we might just surprise ourselves how much we do enjoy it……worth a crack !!

I hope you had a great weekend in the sun having fun recharging your batteries for the penultimate week before Christmas,time to bring the year successfully to a close and look forward to a new one !!

 Have a great week…………..Cheers Jonesey!

Harry and the Hendersons had a minute silence and a few beers to remember Boris !

“My fitness goals are different than most peoples. Most people want to lose enough weight so they look good in a bathing suit or they want to lower their cholesterol. I just want to lose enough so my stomach doesn't jiggle when I brush my teeth.” Kevin James

As you know we have talked about the importance of exercise to your on going well being and state of mind. No where does this matter more than in the work place.

Your confidence and your self esteem are boosted if you can fit into that stunning outfit or look good whatever you wear.

After doing over 1000 sit ups and associated central core exercises weekly (over 50,000 between summers!) you would hope that you could take your shirt off down the beach with a degree of confidence or wear a fitting shirt to work?!!….but no, still a bit more work to do yet Im afraid!!!

The problem my friends is my diet not my exercise, you see exercising daily is fine but Im afraid it doesn’t then give me license to eat whatever I want ! This is a lesson I struggle to learn. I cant help it if the cafes close to me make the best orange/date scones and ginger slice in the land !

After a weekend of following my own advice and relaxing with family and friends it is impossible to wear a fitting shirt to work on Monday !, so the not so fitting version gets rolled out (again). Progressively through the week the more I exercise the more fitting the shirt gets and the higher the confidence level! My success level in sales depends largely on what belt hole I am riding in on the day!!! There is no point in calling on customers or doing presentations with the ‘muffin’ tummy over belt effect going on. The less muffin the more power and confidence, the more muffin the less breath and ability (mobility) to handle any situation…..aint that the truth! :)

No matter how hard we exercise it will never do us any good if we don’t watch our diet. A timely message for us all as the tempatations of the festive season loom. Enjoy the moment but don’t lose sight of your exercise program and how you want that to make you feel…..invincible !!

“I am a better person when I have less on my plate.” Elizabeth Gilbert

Random acts !!

Edition 167  Monday 3rd December 2012

Hi,I never used to like getting a haircut as a kid, mainly because Dad fancied himself as a bit of  a barber. He even went to the expense of kitting himself out with some clippers! Knowing Dad they were picked up second hand and probably ex a South Island sheep station!! They certainly cut (or pulled) like they had been well used in a previous life. Needless to say my brother and I were not keen on getting herded into the kitchen on a Sunday night to be experimented on by Dad who seemed to get an inordinate amount of pleasure from the ritual. I am unsure if it was the fear in our eyes and the pitch of our voices or the finished styley result(not) that gave him the most pleasure!!

I am pleased to say those days are over and after plenty of therapy I have my hair cut with a modern set of clippers designed specifically for humans by Christine every Sunday! There is something about starting every week with a fresh haircut that gives me an extra spring in my step !!

A couple of random acts of kindness got me thinking this week about how much pleasure is generated by both the giving and receiving of such simple things. A guy pulling out of a city pay and display car park gave me his ticket that still had 40 minutes on it. We gave a friend a small gift recently on the spur of the moment and left it for her to discover as a surprise. Both were random simple acts of kindness that didn’t have to happen for any reason but both generated an amazing amount of pleasure and goodwill for givers and receivers.  Simple small random acts can and do often have more impact than stuff that is elaborate, expensive and planned to the last detail. The moral of this little story folks is Christmas couldnt be a better time for you to see for yourself how much impact a simple, thoughtful act of kindness can have….knock yourself out,have a great week.

 Cheers Jonesey!

Harry and the Hendersons steered clear of the lounge while the ruggers was on Sundee!

Love the smell of the Chrissy tree Dad hmmmmm pine forest !Scooby Dooby Doo!!

We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity.More than cleverness,we need kindness and gentleness.”Charlie Chaplin Comedic Actor, Filmmaker,Writer.

Continuing with the theme of random acts of kindness,they are simple small things that can and do also benefit us hugely in business and private. Some examples I have observed lately are hearing complete strangers compliment each other on clothing they are wearing and hairstyles in a lift. Guys letting ladies get into and out of the the same lift first! Guys opening office and car doors for ladies, even just the simple act of saying please and thank you can have an impact in a world today where these words are used less and less.

I often make a habit of picking up rubbish I see on the beach or blowing around a work premises. This has a noticeable effect on people you are with at the time. I was walking up our driveway last week with our Managing Director and key shareholder and picked up a number of pieces of loose rubbish that were blowing around. Here is a guy who has just invested $millions in a new venture, how do you think he would have felt about that. He appreciated it and said so, small things make a BIG impact.

I reckon the exciting part about these random acts is you can do them anytime to anyone it is so totally up to you. The other cool thing is that they are infectious and one kind thing you do can cause others to do the same for someone else because your act motivated them so positively to do so.

Your mission should you decide to accept it is to perform a random act of kindness daily,carpe diem!

 “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” Diana Spencer,Princess Of Wales.