Well, it seems that Elise has her 2nd molars coming through as well as her canines. So she can be a little grumpy at the moment.

 

Onto the funny stuff. She has mastered buttons, well undoing them anyway. I collected her from her cot yesterday and she had undone her safety sleep, removed her pants and undone her pajama top and was standing in the cot chatting away happily.

 

She has figured out the running around naked slapping your belly can be a real hoot too.

 

I caught up with Paula the other day in Hamilton hospital waiting for their new daughter to arrive. Matt says she has improved and is happy to be back at home. Good luck, hopefully she pops out soon! 

Well, I've handed in my notice this afternoon.

 

And accepted a National role with www.chnewzealand.com Starting early October.

 

Bob gets back from Korea on Sunday, so we are all down in the Mount for a week. I'm flat out visiting customers. They're relaxing and enjoying themselves.

 

A really impressive view of the Lunar Eclipse last night. Not a cloud in the sky.

 

I'll get back to the CHC story soon. 

     

 

OK, I really should get down to it.

 

We flew down on Wednesday evening and Dad met us at the airport with Al's Civic. We figured out how to attached the car seat anchor. He bussed home (as we had a little luggage) and we departed for Chapman Hall. Greg & Carmen were there having dinner and it was great to catch up with them. If I didn't know Greg had lost his leg in a bike accident, I wouldn't have guessed as he was fully mobile on his new one. We got to meet Corrado too (Den & Deb's new Italian exchange student) and see all the Chapman's. Luckily Deb had kept their old travel cot as Post Haste couldn't find their house and ours hadn't arrived. Elise gave it a good wobbling and it withstood it. She slept fine in it.

 

Thursday was a relaxing start and tracking down the cot. We collected it from the depot and headed out to do a bit of shopping for the stuff we didn't bring (baby food, etc). Then we decided to go to Enatel and have lunch, catch up with a few people and sit down. From here a quick stop at Riccarton Mall (I can't remember why) and then back to the house.

 

......

Here is the link from TVNZ of Angus' funeral.

 

A massive turnout.

 

 

Some very nice tributes to Angus. 

 

And yesterday, Sir Robertson Stewart (PDL) died also.

 

Here is a write up on Angus from the Press.

 

Inspirational industrialist

By MIKE CREAN - The Press | Wednesday, 8 August 2007

Sir Angus Tait shrugged off his fame. When people drew attention to him, he dismissed it with wry humour dressed in a winning smile.

His listing by an investment magazine 20 years ago among New Zealand's richest men, and as the second richest in Christchurch, drew the remark that he was thinking of suing the publishers for damages caused when he fell off his chair laughing.

About the only thing the world-renowned industrialist and founder of technology firm Tait Electronics liked to show off was his red sports car. He drove it to and from work every day for many years.

The car will not be seen in the company carpark any more. Tait died in Christchurch yesterday, aged 88.

He said in 2003 that he loved his work so much "they are going to have to carry me out with my boots on". And they nearly had to. Illness caused his move to a nursing home just months ago.

The establishment of Tait Electronics set Christchurch up as New Zealand's home of hi-tech industry. The firm, with an estimated turnover of $170 million a year and which employs nearly 1000 people and exports electronic items to the world, is a byword for ordinary New Zealanders' ability to do anything and an inspiration to the country.

It all began with schoolboy Tait fiddling with crystal sets and valve radios when he should have been doing his homework in his hometown of Oamaru.

He was brought up by his mother, without state welfare assistance, after his father died in the 1918 flu epidemic, before Tait was born.

He left Waitaki Boys' High School at 17 without any qualifications, and went to work as a serviceman in an Oamaru radio shop.

Three years later, World War 2 broke out. Tait enlisted in the air force, which, noting his skill with radio equipment, trained him in communications at Wigram.

He then studied at radar school in Scotland before working on radar in England as a technician and teacher until 1946.

While in England he met and married Hazel, his wife of more than 60 years. They had two daughters and a son.

Tait worked for the Post Office on his return to New Zealand, before setting up his own business, A. M. Tait Ltd, in Christchurch in 1948.

During the 1950s, many firms were installing mobile radio sets in vehicles for communication, and Tait soon led the field in their manufacture. He even moved into making television sets.

However, his energy and expertise in electronics was not matched by business acumen and planning. The company failed in the late 1960s.

As he once told The Press: "I ran out of money."

Partly through loyalty to staff and partly through personal conviction that he could succeed, he mortgaged his house and started again.

This time there was no stopping him. He established Tait Electronics with staff members who opted to stick with him, and soon paid back all his creditors.

The firm grew steadily, helped by Tait's golden rule, which was to invest money from good years into research and development. His encouragement of innovation allowed his firm to ride the wave of new electronic gadgets and equipment that began sweeping the Western world at that time.

Major achievements included getting exports into the United States, where he also set up subsidiary companies.

Many awards came Tait's way, at home and abroad. But just as fame meant nothing to him, neither did the accolades. Knighted in 1999, he preferred to be called Angus, rather than Sir Angus.

He was happy to think the awards recognised his company's work, rather than his own efforts.

Neither was money the spur. He often said his motivation for working was a dream of building up a successful company and manufacturing excellent products.

He gave away huge amounts of money and led a simple life, away from Christchurch's social whirl. He was happier in his garden (his main hobby) than at a cocktail party.

Much of his generosity was to educational institutions, with the University of Canterbury's engineering school being a notable beneficiary. He also served on the university council and received an honorary doctorate from there.

When he was 75, Tait put his shares in Tait Electronics into a trust. The move limited his personal wealth while ensuring the company could not be taken over and boosting its ability to continue employing Canterbury workers.

Tait was a man of firm opinions. While politicians courted him, he never spared them his views.

He was critical of the lack of government support for industrial research and development. He opposed the sale of New Zealand companies to foreign buyers.

Perhaps he summed up his philosophy best in 2003, saying a company does not build itself on one person's efforts but on the work of many people, so the benefits should remain with those people.

Sir Angus McMillan Tait, born Oamaru, 1919; died Christchurch, August 7, 2007. Survived by wife Hazel, daughters Deborah and Geraldine, son Jonathan and granddaughter Ella.

 

Well, we're off to visit the Southern relatives this afternoon.

 

Stuff.co.nz had an article on word spurts last week. It appears that Elise has reached one of them. She is hilarious at the moment.

 

So, far, you can get her to say "teet, teet" (those pesky 'w') is what a bird does. "woo, woo" (it's the 'f' this time) for a dog. "Rao" goes the cat. Lots of grunting for a pig, a big roar for a lion or tiger. She doesn't have any concept of possession yet. But she knows where a nose is. Even on Pooh Bear.

 

Anyway, better go and finish packing. Keep well.

 

More on Angus.

 

 

Sir Angus Tait has passed away today.

 

His name was as synonomous with NZ Radio's as Sir Ed's is with Mountaineering. He will be sorely missed in the industry and a great loss for NZ.

 

His attitude and success have spawned many a company to go on and become successful too. Integrity and a desire to do the best thing for the New Zealand economy and local industry. At their peaks, Tait Electronics and Swichtec employed over 1 in 500 people in Christchurch alone. With all the supporting companies, it was a far greater input to Canterbury and New Zealand's growth in the Electronic sector.

 

News links attached.

 

 

 

That's all.

 

"We aren't doing anything extraordinary. We're only demonstrating what can be done. New Zealand lacks believers." Sir Angus Tait 1997

Well the visit to Starship yesterday went well.

 

Elise had her ultrasound and got the all clear from the doctors on whether she had a problem with her kidneys. Phew. She started off lying perfectly still, but after about 10 minutes soon got over the novelty of having some strange lady smear goo on her belly. After that it was a bit like WWF wrestling to keep her still for the rest of it. She was good though.

 

The Radiology department has some great paintings, murals and even a huge Robot that flashes and looks very interesting. All the random children in there got a snuggle from her. Whether they wanted it or not!

 

On other notes, I called home the other day and talked to Deb and she stopped for a minute as she could see Elise walking backwards and forwards in the kitchen alcove quietly. She peeked around and Elise was taking the pegs from the Clothes basket (as Deb had rushed the clothes in before the rain) and putting them in the peg basket. She is such a cutie. She does like to clean up after herself (good girl).

 

That's all I have for now. Happy 1st Birthday to Alissa (as we aren't getting down there).

Pretty good effort!  

 

Enjoy.

Well Elise seems to have swallowed a High Power amplifier. She has gotten sooo much more vocal. She is as loud as a 747 it seems. 

 

As Molly is staying in the Mount for a few weeks while we go to Christchurch for a holiday. Edmund has been coming into the house and sleeping in the lounge. She thinks he's great! I don't know that the feeling is mutual. Ed is being very tolerant of her, he takes a nice patting and gets the odd snuggle if he's too slow. Elise picked him up under the shoulders the other day and tried to carry him down the hall. He didn't struggle, but was keen to get clear as soon as possible. He is also not loving the screams of joy when she sees him.

 

I've been away again in Waihi and the Mount for the last 2 days. Pete (Newmont Gold), whanau and I went out to dinner, in Paeroa. Seemed a little strange to go to another town for dinner, but I guess, it's about the same as driving into town for us. A nice Indian meal at Kumars (not at #42), so the next time you spend a night in Paeroa, stop by. Then back to Waihi for a few beers with the miners.

 

Tomorrow we've got Elise's ultrasonic scan at Starship to see if she has urinary reflux. Fingers crossed.

 

She still has no fear and is now climbing up on anything she can (& can't), the couches and coffee tables are great starting points for a game of 'look how much I can wobble up here' and see how long Mum can watch me before coming to get me down.

 

We're off to Christchurch next week. Hoping for snow!