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Hello Leon,

It was so very good to hear from you and  to know that you are keeping well and enjoying your life with friends. Life is good for me here too.

October has been a significant month for me. It is nine months now since I arrived back in New Zealand . Since then I have redecorated inside nearly all my small house, had new            carpet and curtains put in and a new ceiling in the lounge area.

I have spent a lot of time in my garden removing things that have grown too prolifically     over the years I was away. I have constructed another patch of garden for vegetables and      now the Spring is well established I have planted most of it in potatoes, beans, green                vegetables, carrots, onions and other root crops. I have also cut out quite a lot of the trees      and shrubs to allow others to grow and to plant more. It has been a pleasure to have plants   given to me from friends that will always remind me of them. Don't be tempted to send any       from China though as they will be confiscated on entry.

I had a boarder to sleep in my outside room. He is from India and works in the local            hospitality industry. He has returned to India at this time and plans to come back next month. This has provided me with some company and a little extra income.  

I have been tutoring new New Zealanders to improve their English. I have been working    with a woman from Brazil and I am soon to work with a family group from Samoa.

My niece, Hilary and her partner, Ken have returned from overseas and moved into their   own home. They live close by so I see them very regularly. They are very good friends and     very supportive.

I have had my month and therefore have become eligible for the   government pension. I  will not try to get any paid employment now. The pension and money from boarders should   be sufficient.

At the beginning of October I was in Wellington looking after the eight and nine year old   granddaughters. I came back for a short time and then flew back to Wellington again, to stay with some other friends and to attend the party of a long time friend who is four days younger than I am.

I was home from that for a few days when I went to my brother's home to stay for four       days. It is in a very remote area, we went there by car for 11/2 hours then across in a boat for  15 minutes. It was windy with a rough sea and I got a lot of sea water splashing over me. Half way across we slowed down and went close to where a seal was sunning itself on the rocks.

Because I have been away so much I have not seen much of my son or grandson so I       hope I can see them more often this month, although my son has had to be away in Auckland for a week last month and again this week as part of his work.

In any spare time I have I have been reading the biography of Mao Tse Tung which is        giving me a better understanding of recent Chinese history. If you would like to see any          photos of these events let me know and I could send them to you.  

I hope you continue to enjoy your time and life keeps you busy and you are continuing to learn a lot.

Best wishes from

Evin.