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Pam was serenaded out on the trail by a string of urban cowboys and at suppertime in the lodge by the assembled guests - - and also back in Calgary at another party that her friend Chris threw for her , by which time she was begging for mercy . There were many excellent tutors , both local and from Australia , and the real stars were the Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet , the world 's premier professional recorder group , who travelled all the way from Holland for the occasion . She told us of how shivers would sometimes go down her spine in lectures - - little frissons of intellectual excitement - - and now whenever Ian lectures he surveys the bored and listless faces of his students and wonders , doubtfully , whether any shivering is going on out there . Afterwards another friend drove us both to his homestead at Akaroa , an hour or so distant , where we arrived in the wee small hours and spent the next day . The whole event went off very well , and Pam has been asked to organize it again another year . Having just seen the movie Titanic , Julia and Alex spent much of their time striking romantic poses ( not necessarily with each other ) at the very bow , making more room for us all . The staff ensemble has proudly played at school assemblies , the teachers learning first-hand , and with some surprise , how terrifying public performance is-which heightens their appreciation of the children 's achievements . ) We have some reservations about changing schools just before the end of her school career , but Nikki has thought it through and is determined , and we are anxious to avoid what happened with Anna , who changed halfway through her final year . Far from simply maintaining the status quo as Pam had anticipated , there was real decision-making to be done , and the Government did n't make things any easier by rescaling the aides ' grading and salaries and also restructuring the children 's financial support , all of which meant long and difficult consultations and discussion , and huge amounts of extra paperwork . Some got left behind . She has introduced it to some of the senior students , and the children respond enthusiastically . There was not much time and a lot of work , but he managed to fit in a flying visit to the Capello Sistina ( Sistine Chapel ) , having to practically race through the Vatican Museum , rushing past all sorts of wonders , to get a few minutes in the Chapel . A great weekend was spent with Ian 's publisher and her ex-publisher husband , both of Italian descent , who live north , across the Golden Gate bridge . She got another job in a health club near where we used to live , but public transport from her apartment was difficult . Another great sail ( last one , promise ! He 's tall - - completely dwarfing both of us ( ok , ok , no great feat ) , looking down from an awesome height . But Anna seems to have come out of it all ok . No one had any idea whether NZ would be thrashed-though most predicted that , whichever way it went , the outcome would not be close . And this situation was excellent : the boys taught her to cook , and she taught them to clean - - with mixed success on both sides . It 's the first time she 'd taken on any kind of music programming , and found her years of Calgary Early Byrd experience an enormous help . A mile-long dredged channel gives access to the marina at any state of the tide . She adapted some of the songs , actually rewriting the music to enable the orchestra to accompany the pianist and singers . People came from all over the North Island , and the eclectic mix of recorder-playing , swimming in the local natural hot pools , and bird watching proved to be a winning combination .