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) Whereas Ian 's musical activities slowed down when he came to Calgary - - unfortunately rehearsals of the University Symphonic Band , in which he played before , clashed with the course he was teaching , and all he had going were a few very enjoyable jazz sessions with an ex-student who plays wonderful piano - - Pam 's accelerated . Poor visitors - - and there have been many - - coming all this way from Europe and N. America to find our summer nearly as bad as the winter they thought they were escaping . In November Ian went to Lubeck , Germany , for a conference , then to London to give a seminar and a one-day workshop at University College , London , then back home to N. Ireland for a week to see how his Mum was getting on ( just fine ! Think of a complete absence of any form of advertising - - what heady relief that brings to the eyes , particularly after living in N. America , always surrounded by jarring visual shrieks : buy Buy BUY . Ian 's been playing too , including two concerts with the orchestra ( plus out of town performances in Rotorua ) , a jazz trio gig or two , the clarinet quartet ( more often a trio or even duet ) that meets weekly ( in principle ) at our house , and an occasional practice with the Hamilton Big Band . Ultimately she moved out , surrendered her lease , made plans to go to England , stayed with friends in the meantime . She and Graham and his daughter Emily spent Christmas with us , and she is currently trying to decide whether to spend the rest of her life in England or in New Zealand - - not an easy decision with all her friends in England and two out of her three children in the Antipodes . England has no similar facilities - - nor are any of her children there . With wind and tide in our favour , we head out through the Motuihe channel , where the fish are running . We both enjoyed visiting Ian 's expanding family in N. Ireland , and managed to take in a big family wedding , with brisk , incessant , Irish craik ( and a fair amount of alcohol besides ) . Great Barrier has an enormous , and very sheltered , harbour called Port Fitzroy , not unlike Strangford Lough in N. Ireland where Ian learned to sail as a child - - but with far more dramatic scenery . We heard on a Friday , and by Sunday Pam and Graham were on a plane to England , where they were met by their brother Steve , who was over from France .