Flattery and other stuff..

Exercise report
Today was my day off. I cut a hedge, I fixed things on the car, I cut some wood, I fixed a little light gadget, I played with my router (not the internet thingy... a wood working tool) I trimmed a bush, and generally mucked around. In spite of drizzle I decided I would dash up the mountain tonight as exercise. I went up the Organ pipe Track to the top, turned around and came straight back down. 41.5 minutes up, 28 minutes down, which I didn't think was too bad. I jogged much of the way down and I must admit my knee hurts a little. I did a mountain walk Saturday, a run Sunday and a walk today... all noted on my calendar... I want to create a habit of daily exercise... we'll see.
Thumbs up for initiative
When I arrived at the car park for my walk I encountered a lovely Maori guy. He had obviously been hunting possums. He told me his story. He had been made redundant from his work and had set himself up as a possum trapper. He did jobs for people who were troubled by possums eating their garden. He got DOC permits for various areas and was catching possums to pluck. He reckoned he made at least $400 a week. "Better than sittin' at home waitin' for a job to come up." he said. "I don't want to go on the dole, save the money for the old people. I'm doing OK." He reckoned 12 - 14 possums gave him enough for a Kg of possum fur. I have forgotten what he said he got per kg. He was a nice friendly natured guy and I admired his initiative. Possums cause untold damage here in NZ so he's doing something valuable for the environment.
Oh you flatter me....! 
I got this email which reads like this.... "Dear Dave, Sustainable Dunedin City invites you, as one of Dunedin's leading doers and thinkers, to help map... etc." Wow! Don't I sound important? I wonder how many people they said that to as they invited them to their program?  It reminded me of a man on our Night Shelter Committee. He is a professional fund raiser for a social work agency in town. He and I were working out part of the recent street appeal. We had to ring a lady neither one of us knew, to ask her to collect for us. I told him he had the gift of the gab, so he should make the phone call. He rang her and I listened in to the conversation. Just the way he related he made her feel the most important person in the world. He certainly could word things nicely. I tend to be shy and a bit blunt. There are people good at such things... these sustainable Dunedin people make me out to be a "leading doer and thinker"! They just might suck me in to their plan. It's not just the flattery, I like what they are trying to do.
Speaking on Sustainable thinking...
I saw this on Facebook and pass it on. I like it. Can never figure people's anti-wind-power feelings. It seems to be a great option to me.