Rich has been complaining a lot this week, so I decided to post the famous quote of unimpressed John Cleese.  "If you want to kill yourself but lack the courage, I think a visit to Palmerston North will do the trick."  The town responded by naming the local rubbish dump after him.  I personally think that the city gets a bum rap, and it is actually a nice place (despite the freezing uncomfortable house).  It was 46 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the back bedroom this AM.

Time for a food post.  Anyone eaten jaffas?  I'll plagiarize from Wikipedia: 
Jaffas is the registered trademark for a small round sweet consisting of a soft chocolate centre with a hard covering of orange flavoured, red coloured confectionery. The name derives from the Jaffa orange. The sweet is part of Australian and New Zealand cultural folklore.^[1] Jaffas have often been sold in cinemas and have gained iconic status because of the noise made when they are dropped (accidentally or deliberately) and rolled down sloping wooden floors.^[2] Through association with this sweet, Jaffa is sometimes used to describe a chocolate-orange flavour.
James Stedman-Henderson's Sweets Ltd released Jaffas onto the Australian and New Zealand markets in 1931.^[3] The confectionery is currently made in Australia by Allen's Sweets, a division of Nestle and in New Zealand by Cadbury. The Cadbury Jaffas are also exported to Australia.
The orange coating on Jaffas was developed by a Sweetacres food chemist, Tom Colston Coggan. He experimented with many syrups before settling on the flavour that is unique to Jaffas. His original experimental syrups were stored in his home refrigerator and used as topping on ice cream up till the death of his wife in 1985.^{[citation needed]}
A number of Australian and New Zealand amateur sporting groups use Jaffas as a team name. In Dunedin, New Zealand every year a vast sum of Jaffas are raced down Baldwin Street—the World's Steepest Street, as part of the Cadbury Chocolate carnival, which is held in conjunction with the New Zealand International Science Festival.^[4][5] The initial number of 20,000 Jaffas has now been increased to 30,000 Jaffas.
I got the above Jaffas at the MAS (Medical Assurance Society) booth in the exhibit hall at the GP meeting.
When we went to Vanja's house, we were served a classic kiwi meal; we had roast lamb, roasted kumara, roasted pumpkin, and peas; with pavlova for desert.  This Sunday is our office Christmas party equivalent.  It is a pot luck.  I already see pavlova on the sign-up sheet.  I think we'll bring "Dad's noodles".  Expression of the day:  fob you off (blow you off).

I'm starting with this picture because we just came back from a part of the country that has a lot of Maori culture; but maybe I should have started with a picture of a geyser because of all the thermal activity in the central North island.  I'll start the narration with dropping off the dogs to board with Kelly.  We have a gem with this dog sitter.  Not only does she have a great house and yard, she does great pet care (www.cosycats.co.nz)  She leaves messages daily.  Here's a phone text from last night:
Hi mum and dad we have had a good day and have settled in well.  We have explored, rested, walked (encountered sheep cattle and horses so quite exciting but we kept it together) and ate:). We hope you are enjoying Rotorua.  Love officer K and Rx XXXX    An e-mail the next day read "Great to hear the meeting is going well!! Have you got used to the smell yet?  Rx & Kaylee fab. They were perfect last night & didn’t make a sound. Rx has a very ‘hearty’ appetite & almost vacuumed up his dinner last night!! They have had a walk today & been out investigating on the big front lawn area. Are inside now having a laze. Am off to do my PM feeds in a wee while, then we are going for a PM walk up in the bush that’s about a 5 min drive from here.
We drove up north and hit the Desert Road mid morning.  Not a true desert (it rains everywhere in NZ), but the area is kept arid by the free-draining blanket of volcanic ash and pumice.  The sun came out for us as Lake Taupo came into view.  Lake Taupo is the biggest lake in australasia.  It's known for its fantastic trout fishing.  We had lunch in the town, and then continued north stopping to visit Huka Falls, Craters of the Moon, and a bubbling mud pool.  In the evening, we went to a Maori cultural event.  At the hangi, we were seated next to someone that looked familiar.  It was one of the jazz musicians (and his mother) that we saw in PN at the concert last week.  Check out Theo Jackson on the web.  On Friday and Saturday, I attended the conference, while Rich walked around and checked out Rotorua.  The city does have a sulfur smell.  I had information overload going to lectures on general medical topics, as well as learning information specific to practicing in NZ.  The meeting was structured very much like the AAFP Annual Assembly.  The exhibits were like it used to be for us with drug rep treats and prizes.  The program was well run, and I learned a lot.  My favorite part was the dinner Saturday night where we met interesting and friendly docs from around the country.  There was also a presentation from a doc that went to Antarctica.  He had great pictures of penguins, sea lions, seals, and the albatross.  Great commentary as well.  Check out http://www.ourfarsouth.org/  As I wait for the pictures to download, I'll write some terms heard this week:  one off - one time,  query (eg pneumonia) - R/O, possible, biscuits are cookies, wait in a long queue, GTN - glyceryl tri nitrate - NTG, the lead maternity care giver (midwife in this case), operating theatre, my grandmother is very unwell, 2/52 (needs 2 weeks of supplementary O2), MEDA - med clearance form on Air NZ, PAX - passengers.  See all the weekend pictures at https://picasaweb.google.com/115133267095590644390/Rotorua?authuser=0&feat=directlink
We took a long winding way home, driving back on the west side of the lake and park; and we got to see some of the Tongariro National Park.  The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of the most popular of the major tramps in the region.   The ski areas open next week.  I didn't get good pictures of the sheep and cows and beautiful vistas.  It was either too overcast or rainy, or the road was too narrow and winding to stop.  

Chief complaint:  "I'm crooked".  Heard on the news that Prince Phillip
"went into hospital because he was feeling unwell".

Recent purchases at the market included persimmons, capsicum, courgettes, and kumara.
When parents bring their children in for a well child check and immunizations, they say they're in for their jabs.  A woman deciding on a contraceptive choice was wondering about the pill vs the jab.  I was asked via doc-net:  Vivian, what are you doing in New Zealand?      
and I responded:  I'm doing a six month international locums in a small GP "surgery".
.....and seeing lots of sheep and green rolling hills.
abbreviations used in medical prescriptions:
at home I use UAD for use as directed
here I see to be used as directed written mdu (more dicto utendus)
Tomorrow I'm going to a GP peer review held at

Whakapai Hauora

www.whakapaihauora.maori.nz/

The manawhenua health, disability support and social service arm of Tanenuiarangi Manawatu Inc.  More on that later.  Sorry no pictures on this post.  Wish I had my camera this AM when we checked out the place where we'll be boarding the dogs this upcoming weekend.  A gorgeous piece of property south of town in an awesome setting.  Our previous house sitter broke up with his girlfriend (extra eyes and hands for multiple dog care), got his own puppy, and is interviewing for a job in Hastings.  We have to have a plan "sorted" for when we go to Rorotonga in late July.

Dive into New Zealand's Capital of Cool 
Read to the end of this article to learn a new British expression.
I had to google  "and Bob's Your Uncle".

It looks pretty normal in the picture (you can't see the broken windows covered with duct tape, and you can't hear the street noise), but trust me; it is like living in a run down motel; and it feels colder inside than outside.  June 1 is the official start to winter.  It is strange knowing that it is after Memorial weekend and the sun is setting at 5:00.  I am bundled in my scarf and warm down coat, and the locals are still in shorts and running barefoot.  I'm going to miss my summer fruits (berries), but will try the winter veges here.  Came home and put on the heat pump in the lounge, climbed the step ladder to turn on the hall heat pump, put on the space heaters in the bedroom and dining area, and turned on the electric blanket (locals use hot water bottles).  Warmed my clothes on the space heaters (the clothes get really cold in the spare bedrooms), and once comfy, saw that Rich was watching Mr. Ed on the Maori channel.  Had a pretty good work week.  Still anxious about what is happening with my practice at Pres.  Enjoyed my office work here except for when I had to get a special authority (prior auth) for Seretide (Advair) and spent too much time on the phone.  I hope someone shows this post to Eunice.  Rich saw 5 patients today, so felt more useful.  He's also been working on a journal club presentation.  He goes to out of town clinics 4 times in June (much to my displeasure), so will be busier then.  The outlying hospitals have full clinic schedules and also run more efficiently.
Just started our 3 day weekend.  Monday is the Queen's Birthday.  There is a Jazz Festival in town and I bought tickets to a concert tomorrow night featuring Bob Mintzer.  Read on line that he grew up in New Rochelle and was in Rich's year at NRHS.  Sunday, we are invited for tea (dinner/evening meal) at Vanja's house.  She is the doc that works at Amesbury Health Centre for Murray on Thursdays.  Next weekend we'll be in Rotorua for the GP meeting.  Time to plan more exploring adventures.  Would like to take a train ride across the southern alps, and take a bus tour up to Cape Reinga.  Will see what we can organize.  Watch Rx (ask me on the phone about his call name here) and Kaylee herding telepathically from the fence: