Kt's NZ Blog

As always happens...

2007-02-23T15:19:00.000+13:00

....when you say you have no time to write, suddenly you find yourself with the time. Here I am in Rotorua with 10 days left in this beautiful country and mum and dad have headed back to the jade shop to buy even more jade. Not that I'm complaining I've got a cool necklace out of it. Anyhoo. Yup I'll be home 2 weeks today and I'm pretty darn scared about it all. Nice to know there'll be lots of people to see and places to visit when I get back. We've done so much travelling now that I can't possibly fill you in on all of it, but I do have to mention that we went to Waitomo Caves yday with Spellbound - you remember Sal, and guess who was our guide - Norm!! He remembered us and the tour was as good as last time, plus I didn't freak out when we had to turn our lights out and couldn't see a thing. OOh yes and i'm meeting up for brunch with those two rascals Kate and Pheebs tomorrow. Looking forward to that since we've never managed to meet up since you left. Well those there parents are back now so next time I write will probably be from cafe numero 6 dans the Bay of Isalnds in a weeks time. So get on those comment horses and give me plenty to read and lots of positive messages about home please. Cheers chums. Toodles. xxxx

Hello

2007-02-21T17:03:00.000+13:00

Sorry I've been missing a while. Only got time to say we're having a good time. Very sad on leaving Welli, but so glad it happened. Hope you're all ok. I get home on the 9th of march. See you then. xxxx

Go go, go go go!!

2007-02-01T21:56:00.000+13:00

Well it's been a hectic week that's for sure. Mum and Dad (aka Chris and Bob) arrived safe and sound last Friday, and tears of emotion were shed. I picked them up in Cliff the car and since they were surprisingly spritely considering their long trip, I took them to Island Bay where we escaped a quick rain shower with a coffee at the bach cafe. We did several must do Welli activities in the days following including Choc fish, Te Papa, and a walk along Oriental Parade. The weather has been good to us everyday so far, and our ferry crossing to south island was perfect. We've just moved down from Kaikoura to Christchurch and I'm off on a tour to Edoras tomorrow avec Fred and Laura, leaving mum and dad to wander the streets alone. I'm sure they'll be ok out there on their own. Anyhoo, it's getting late, it's turning 10 pm as I type, and I need to be up early for the trip. I'll fill you in more at a later date when I can maybe add some photos. It sure is good to be on the road again. Hugs and Kisses. xxxxxx

Swift Update

2007-01-23T14:38:00.000+13:00

Aaah!! As it's coming to the end of time here :( We've been doing lots of visits to those places we're fond of. Plus there was the road trip up to the big day out. It was a 10 hour journey there and back, but we all shared the driving so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The drive on Thursday was blessed with beautiful weather so we had a gorgeous lunch stop with jimbo the car (later retitled jimboid due to his robotic whinings) by Lake Taupo. The volcanoes looked amazing, and I'll try and puit pics on soon. Only 3 days till the rentals get here!! Oh yes, the big day out itself was brillo. Evermore were the highlight for me personally. I was looking forward to the killers most, but the crowd was too huge, and the sound wasn't working right, so it wasn't the experience I'd hoped for. Still looked mighty fine though. Anyhoo, time running out, must go.... byeeeeeeeeeeeee. xx

I'm Excited!! (because)

2007-01-08T14:15:00.000+13:00

Not only have I got 7 and a half days left of work, and not only am I enjoying a yumsbum kumara, feta, and cashew salad as I write this, but also it's only a week and a bit until the Big Day Out and my anniversary of being in NZ, and only 2 and a bit weeks until mum and dad come out, wohoo!! Now don't think I want my last two weeks in Wellington to go quickly, but I am ready to make a move, and we're going to have an ace time travelling. I've got it all planned, there's so many amazing things and places to do and see. Myself, Laura and Fred are going to Edoras for example. Cannot wait for that!! And strangely enough I am actually looking forward to coming home. I'm worried it will feel rather weird at first but it will be great to see everyone again. Anyhoo, I just wanted to share my excitement. That is done. Hope you are all well. xxxxx

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2007-01-03T15:53:00.000+13:00

Here is a quick post with a few pics from our New Year. It began at the Sked-Pryde residence, and though weather was wet and typically windy, we were hopeful of a fun evening. We hot-footed into town at 9 and headed to the Matterhorn. A few beverages were consumed here, and more festive frolickers joined our party. We progressed on to Molly Malones...
...where we saw in 2007.... Happy New Year!!! Contact was attempted with the home regions, but it was a hard task and many people tried and failed due to network congestion. Laura, however, hogged it a bit and got through twice!! Look at the despondency on that face...We all soon cheered up once more though with a rousing chorus of Delilah, American Pie, and others i can't quite recall...
Our final port of call was Indigo, where we stayed until about half 2-3 having a bit of a boogie. A good time was had by all. I hope you enjoyed your New Year, and all the best for the rest of it. xxxxxx

Christmas Post

2006-12-28T14:48:00.000+13:00

Yo! I'm back at work and it sucks. Maybe Gina's right and it is worse to have a long weekend as it makes the remaining days drag. Who knows, all I know is that I hate scanning with a passion, and a lot of other things about this place too (as in work not NZ mind), but I shan't go into that. I have ranted now, and it is time to move on to happier things.
Happier things means Christmas!! The day came, and it didn't feel one iota like Christmas, but it felt special nevertheless. Myself and Caroline began with Croissants and a cup of tea, quickly replaced by bubbly for the opening of the presents.

I was very chuffed with my presents - the bracelet from Ben & Kate went perfectly with my dress for the day, and my necklace from ma and pa also (very like Eowyns though you probably didn't know that, and don't know who she is, but well done anyway, it's very pretty). I also got some majorly funky socks complete with evil herbivores, though how jerome and julian could be evil is beyond me. Just look at them...

Caroline was also pleased with her presents, especially the Take That dvd from her sis, which actually worked on our player, so we were both thrilled. It was so cool to see the guys up there in Manchester doing their thing. I didn't think I actually liked them that much, but I'm totally hooked now. They were fantastic and it brought back feelings and memories I didn't know I had. Rock on Take That!! It was also cool to think that Anna and Helen had been there to see it - at least I think you guys went - did you?!! Anyhoo, back to one of my presents, some awfully big pants!! I've already questioned mother as to the meaning - apparently I'd told her I was getting fat. I think what I'd said was that I'd put weight on. But still, we found a use for them on Christmas morning, and that was throwing them at the TV whilst TT were strutting some funky shapes. Here you see both Take That, the TV, and the pants.

At 2pm we were graced with the presence of Laura and Fred who had come to pick us up so we could get out to the beach before chowing down. This we did manage, but people were a little put off by the wind and the distinct lack of sun, so it was a brief visit. Here we are a minute after the 2nd carfulls arrival, taking a quick snap of the gang on the beach wall at Lyall Bay, before the 1st carfull went straight back home - though Fred make them walk up the big hill, poor wee things. From right to left it goes Bill, Veronica, Lals, Moi, Caz, Carla, and Fred. What a jolly bunch. (i must add here that Veronica broke into the flat as I think it wasn't known if Laura had any keys or not. I'll let them tell you the details on their blog, but I will say we were all impressed by the tactics used. Make-up was lost).
I was not to be deterred by the wind, and made sure I took a paddle in the Cook Strait before we were whisked back to Overtoun Terrace. Even with the wind the air wasn't that cold, but the sea was pretty nippy.

Here is myself and Laura looking gorgeous. That's the only reason I put this picture on really!! Oh, but please note both my bracelet and necklace, even though you can't see them that well.
Once back at the house the kitchen got into action, and the gang made us a wonderful feast, with homemade stuffing and other delights. Thanks to the chefs, my tummy likes you a lot. Look at the hats people, aren't they fabulous!! Fred doesn't have his on here,so here he is wearing double the quota...

Dinner was followed by myself, Caz, Fred, and Lals opening our special presents to each other out on the decking. These were all things made in NZ that we could keep to treasure the memories. I got a lovely photo holder. Then it was back inside for an attempt at scottish dancing - how the heck do you spell that other word for it?! - and Charades, oh and some Buzz action of course. A brilliant time was had by all, but I warn you if you ever play anything with Bill - keep your eye on him, he's a sneak!! Film names we'd never heard of, and probably never will again. Now come on Bill!!

I hope you all had an enjoyable day. Why don't you tell me about it? I am all lonesome here in Wellington as the rest of the gang have gone off exploring until the weekend, so it would brighten my day to hear you yuletide tales. xxxxxx

P.S I can't believe it's nearly 2007. Aaaaaahhhh!!

P.P.S. Thank you to everyone for my presents. Some have not arrived yet, so I await them with anticipation. (this is not a hint for you to send me presents, I am referring to ones that I have been told are coming, but which have not yet appeared, ie. those from Sal and Tim, Fiona and Catherine). Right, I really am off now. Ta ta.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL!!!!

2006-12-22T10:48:00.000+13:00

To be festive I had to write in red didn't I?!! Ho Ho Ho!!! Ooh it's nearly here, and I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I've had an amazing year and look forward to making many more happy memories in 2007. Thanks to all who have made 2006 so special, I love you all. We've got an ideal day planned for Christmas Eve - we're off to the Embassy to see Fellowship of the Ring in the afternoon, followed with Christmas movies by the fire at Fred and Laura's. Then who knows what Christmas Day will bring. I hope yours are filled with joy and laughter. So I say Cheers....

Big Hugs... And very Merry Christmas...Be happy pumpkins. Lots and Lots of Love from Me. xxxxxxxxxxx

Bits and Bobs and Holiday Cheer

2006-12-20T14:56:00.000+13:00

OOh, not long to go now peeps!! I shall be putting a special Christmas post on nearer to the time, but as I haven't put pics on for a few events I have chosen now to be the time. Firstly some from the Pinnacles, inspired by Lal's post. These will include the 'Album Cover' shot, intense!! Ooh but first, I can't resist, I have to wish you a sneaky Merry Christmas right now for why should I wait!! Merry Christmas!! Ok, back to pictures. Woah - for a minute there as i was loading the photos, I thought Smith and Jones avec Kim Wilde 'Rocking Around the Christmas Tree' had just come onto my Xmas radio station, but I was, alas, mistaken. I am without my Christmas music over here you see, and it upsets me, but I'm getting through somehow. I did just get a mighty fine treat courtesy of Slade, but they have been rather few and far between. Anyhoo, once more to the task at hand. So that's a few shots from les pinnacles. I think the last one conveys their magnificence. What do you think? What else do we have..... Ah yes. myself and Laura went for a wander in the sun a couple of weekends ago. We met up in Hataitai and strolled over Mt Victoria, with stops at some of our filming locations, which oddly correspond to some locations that the LOTR team used. Strange, but true my friends, strange but true. Below is one such location. Here you see we tried to capture the essence of the scene (the flight to the ferry - "that rider was looking for something, or someone. Frodo?) even though we were without our two co-stars Fred and Sal. Thumbs up to you two, and to us also quite frankly, as I think we did well with limited resources.Let's see, next we progess to last week when we got our Christmas presents from work. Here I am with my lovely box which was filled with wine (merlot no less) and christmas cake. Yum yum. Naturally I had to have Christmas music on while I opened it.
And that's all folks until the Christmas installment. You take care and enjoy the festive season and all it brings. Until next time I bid you adieu. xxxxxx

FYI my post on Carole is now on

2006-12-11T17:18:00.000+13:00

Noah's getting his ark ready again

2006-12-08T10:46:00.000+13:00

I borrowed the title from Fraser, as he so perfectly encapsulated the weather of Wellington at the moment in one little sentence. See for yourselves - you have no need to fear that we are basking in the sun, and whether we get any at all remains to be seen :(
FYI as this is a still frame you must use your imagination to get the real picture by adding in the gusts of wind that whips the rain up against the windows, making it look like it's actually hailing. yum.

A promise of things to come

2006-12-07T16:52:00.000+13:00

Hello out there. I am in the middle of getting some posts together about my weekend in Akaroa and Christchurch, and Carole King and Elton John in concert, but I don't have the time needed to do them justice at the moment, so rather than rush through a post I will just say for now that the weekend was nice and relaxing, and the concerts were both fantastic in their different ways and you will be able to read more soon (by which time we here in Wellington hope that the summer will have finally arrived). xxxxx

Carole is King

2006-12-06T12:01:00.000+13:00

Aha, it is now Monday the 11th and it has been one week since I saw Carole, and I shall now fill you in on that particular event and the rest of my weekend. I started early on saturday morning with a 6.50 am flight down to Christchurch (to be known as Chch henceforth). I took the bus from the airport to the city centre and met a lady from Paraparaumu who had come to see her friend get Ordained in the Cathedral. As we had some time to kill we went for breakfast together at Robert Harris - a venue Sally may recall from our own trip to chch, for we had a nibble there and then progressed to ballentynes where she purchased her lovely yellow top. Anyhoo. I then went and caught my shuttle to Akaroa, which departed at 10.00 am and was a lovely informative journey complete with photo ops and an educational tape on the geography of the banks peninsula (that ended with a rendition of wild theme - i got quite emotional at that point). The photo you see below shows the bays surrounding Akaroa. It is in fact the crater of an extinct volcano. Pretty fab i think you'll agree.

The town itself is on a French theme due to the French being the first people here. It's very quaint and roses abound. The hostel had a private garden which i used with great enjoyment on the 2nd day, but it was a bit noisy on the first day so i took off to a place called tree top farm i believe. It was a beautiful day prefect for wandering around the extensive gardens. There was flowers everywhere - but this is the only place i could get a photo of me, and i did want at least one in.

After my tea i went for another wander and sat on the jetty for a while looking at the distant hills, as you see here.

Sunday was a bit grey, but still warm, so i spent most of the day reading, with the occasional saunter thrown in for good measure.
Monday saw my return to chch and once i had settled into my new hostel i went for a walk in the sun to the Botanical Gardens. This is a pic taken in the rose garden.

I feel the first time we went to Chch we stayed on the wrong side of Cathedral square as I loved it this time, and saw why they call it the garden city. It's beautiful, and full of green parks. I spent a couple of hours sat on the riverbank as it snowed dandelion clocks. Bliss.

But then it was time, oh yes!! At 7 pm I caught a bus out to the Westpac Centre and saw the legend that is Carole King!! She was fantastic. She played ace songs (goes without saying really) and chatted to us like we were in her living room, hence the name of the tour i suppose (the living room tour). She had two other musicians with her, who were both brillo, and below you see them playing smackwater jack.
I can't explain how amazing the whole experience was, to hear her talk about how she writes and what her first song sounded like. She didn't have a talent for lyrics and she totally made fun of herself for it (but then she was only 13 at the time). The only song I wish she'd done that she didn't was Home Again, but I can wait till next time for that. She did an ace medley, and surprised me once more with how many fab songs she has penned (eg. one fine day, something tells me i'm into something good, and so many others).
As an encore she did You Make me Feel Like a Natural Woman, and You've Got A Friend. I shed some tears to that one. The final song was one that i won't forget for a while - The Locomotion - not just because she was boogeying away with the rest of us, but because she got some of her backstage crew to dress in sheep costumes and come out to dance. It was so funny. So yes a good time was had, and I can't wait to both see Carole once more, and to head back down to South Island in February avec Ma and Pa.

Thank you, and goodnight. xxxxxx

Walking and Wednesdays

2006-11-24T16:50:00.000+13:00

Good afternoon, for here it is afternoon. We have had reasonable weather here in Welli this week, though not up to summer standards - the wind is still abounding. Due to the improvement I have been able to walk to work a couple of mornings this week and took some pics on my way so you can see where i come from and where i go. This is half way down the Roseneath hill looking over oriental parade towards the CBD. It's a fab walk on a nice day. I began my 4 day week this week - in an effort to get more out of my last few months in Welli. This started well with a Champagne breakfast provided by work...
...and then a day of writing with Elaine, some of which occured down by the water in the open air as you see here. It's the first time either of us has written with someone else, and was pretty successful on the whole.
I am really looking forward to the weekend as hopefully there are 2 days of lotr site visits and filming in store. Pictures from that next week my friends. Well I'll be off for now coz it's nearly 5. Have a good weekend yourselves. xxxx

Why A Rapper

2006-11-21T16:52:00.000+13:00

Bonjour, bonjour!! At last the sun has blessed us with it's warming presence and just in time for our little festival in the Waiarapa (pronounced why a rapper). The transport to the festival was less than organised with a lot of people perhaps left stranded in Wellington due to the train balls up. Luckily, although we had planned to go by train, and had turned up promptly at 8 on Sunday morning, we had two lovely people in our group who volunteered to drive us there when all collapsed around our ears. The scenery up through the hills was stunning, and our car was obviously the fun car as we were dancing so much that when we stopped at the traffic lights the wee thing was bouncing.
Throughout the course of the day we headed to several wineries sampling their fine fare and listening (sometimes dancing) to some funky tunes. One was never without a glass as your ticket was exchanged for a souveneir glass on arrival, which hung about the neck as you trundled from one winery to the next. There was ten of us in our little group and I think we all had a marvellous day in the country, so lets all raise our glasses and say cheers!!

Here's me and Laura with our spanking new glasses

Myself, Laura, Elaine and Tammy at the 2nd Winery enjoying lunch

Me having a bounce among the grapevines

Everyone having a bounce among some more grapevines

A bit of rock

A shot of a stroll amid wineries

Me and my girls

The bunch (minus Nick who was holding the camera)

xxxxx xxxxx

A new abode

2006-11-17T12:17:00.000+13:00

Hello y'all. There's been a bit of movement on the western front, for I have now moved to Roseneath and my new carpeted bedroom. It seems like luxury. I moved most of my stuff on Saturday with the help of my now ex-flatmate Anna, and have brought over other bits and bobs throughout the week. Laura has now returned to us which has been lovely, and we took a trip to the cinema on Tuesday to see a NZ film called 'Out of the Blue'. It's about some shootings that happened in a small town outside of Dunedin in 1990. The way it has been done is fantastic and I would recommend you watch it, even though the subject is grim.
These are some pics of the view from my new place taken on weds evening when fred, laura, and their fellow bunacer Chris, came for tea and to watch the Ricky Gervais episode of the Simpsons - very funny.

This is Fred trying to engage our neighbour's cat in conversation. The cat figured out early on that the best thing to do with Fred is just turn and walk away. Very wise.Myself and Laura are off to the food and wine festival this weekend with Elaine, Nick and some others. It should be a jolly good day. Our other big news is that we are off to see Elton John on the 6th of December (me and Laura that is) - wohoo!! He's playing the rugby stadium here in Welli. It should be fab.

Other stuff that's been happening - I was treated to salmon and yummy potatoes at Elaine and Nick's a couple of weeks ago, and then another yummy treat of lasagne on Monday night at the same location, followed by a viewing of Bringing Up Baby. Wonderful film. Myself and Elaine went to check out an open mic night a last week, and the acoustic night the week before. Very enjoyable, although the open mic night had a few strange partakers with one guy singin a random rock opera (including a mixed in version of imagine - need less to say it wasn't good). And that's all I can think of at the mo, plus it's lunchtime - yey!!

I do however want to leave you with a website that you should go and visit coz it shows you just how many earthquakes we lads and lasses have down here in NZ. I just found out about it because we have just had one, and a fellow temp told me where to go to find out the info. So here it is www.geonet.org.nz Check it out!! xxxxx

Alright, but not all there

2006-11-03T12:35:00.000+13:00

Alreet. I have written a few posts recently but there's been problems with uploading photos so i'm going to wait to put them on until they're finished. No shoddy work here thank you! Thought I'd say hi anyway and put on this pic of when we met up with Laura and her folks (aka Bob and Ann) on Tuesday. I'm not flushed, that's sunburn.
It was lovely to see them all (we'd missed Laura even though she'd only been gone a week), and by the sounds of it they're having a cracking time. Just think dad - it could be you!! Other news of the week. Um, I booked my flights down to Christchurch for the Carole King concert next month. I also cancelled my flight home on the 10th of January, and once I've found out what my rents are doing in terms of coming out, I'll book my flight home for sometime in March. Myself and Elaine had a pleasant jaunt to the acoustic night at the venue formerly known as indigo on Wednesday, and that's about it really. Oh, except that I'm moving out of hataitai in just under 2 weeks and over to Roseneath where I shall be staying with Caroline. What's your news peeps? I hear you're off to Dublin Sally? xxxxx

I did it!!

2006-11-01T17:55:00.000+13:00

There's only one photo from this, taken after the event, and it pretty much says how I was feeling!! It went rather well really, and I had lots of support there, so thanks to everyone. There was obviously people back home who I would have loved to be there, friends, family, barney and others, but Fred got it on vid so you can all see it when I get home. My set was pretty short (ok very short) with 3 covers, and 5 of my own songs, but you gotta start somewhere, and I have. xxxxx

Caption Comp!!

2006-11-01T17:50:00.000+13:00

On the Sunday of Bank Holiday weekend we had a meal out for Sally's birthday at the Brewery. And that can only mean one thing - LAMB!! It was good. Due to our previous viewing of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid we decided to snap a few shots in western sepia style, and here they are. And here's the pic for the caption competition..

Away Day

2006-11-01T17:25:00.000+13:00

Allo, I know it has been a long time since we have spoken, but I have been doing things you know. Firstly let me tell you of our drive out of the city the weekend before last. We drove northwards and stopped for a short while at the beach, but the weather wasn't up to much so we continued onwards after a wee play on the playground. There was this weird contraption there, that i have since seen in many places, and we could not get the hang of it as you will see. Our next stop just happened to be another playground, or more specifically an adventure park. There was a zip slide, an assault course, and human hamster wheels (which provided the most entertaining footage of the day thanks to Fred). We then headed in land and had a spot of lunch before stepping out on a small walk. We hadn't got far, however, when it started to rain and we had to turn back. We still had jolly good fun though, especially on the bridge across the river which only allowed one person at a time. It was very bouncy. We drove back via Upper Hutt, and would have had some wonderful views if it hadn't been for the cloud. A re-enaction was never going to be far away, and it appeared in the shape of myself and Fred doing the scene in the gardens of Orthanc between Saruman and Gandalf. It was the exact location used, naturally. And here is F&L at the quarry where they built Minas Tirith and Helms Deep.The girls fancied an evening of musical delight, but unfortunately we picked South Pacific which was far from what was desired. We don't recommend it. xxxxx

My first gig!!

2006-10-20T17:03:00.000+13:00

Hey everybody, it's been in the preliminary stages for a couple of weeks now, but finally I can definitely say that I have my first gig on this coming Wednesday (the 25th). I'm playing piano, and singing a few tunes, some of my own composition, at a wee place called the Welsh Bar. It's a pretty relaxed atmosphere so it should be a nice gentle start to the whole experience (althought the arranging hasn't been so straight forward!!). Lots of practising for me this bank holiday weekend, plus a drive out and about tomorrow, in a manual of all things!! Anyhoo time to be off, just wanted to share the news with everyone now it's confirmed. Enjoy your weekends. xxxx

Catch Up Part Drei

2006-10-16T14:30:00.000+13:00

Now we come to last weekend when we had a wee girls night out coz we were all in the mood for a bit of groovin. This is me and laura having drinks in the flat before we braved the inclement weather (which seems to be a feature of Wellington Saturdays at the moment!!)...
This is some strange old lady/laura sheltering by the church waiting for our bus. Somehow she still looks good with a scarf on her head - guess you either have it or you don't.

This is Laura and Caz in Jet where we began our evening..

Then onto the Establishment where we were a little worried about some of their music choices..
but strutting to others (and although i'm doing my mick thing sal, unfortunately it wasn't the stones they were playing).

Of course Fred turned up to join in our fun, and we all had a boogey back at jet. Though there are no pics of that, just of us sitting, as you see.
And this is the morning after in JJ murphys where we enjoyed a $5 breakfast followed by a day of junk food and classic films, namely Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Casablanca, and Young Guns. A day enjoyed by all.

The rest of the week has been work work work and a bit of other stuff too. This weekend is a bank holiday so we're all looking forward to that. xxxx

Catch up Part Deux - Fred heads down the not so slippery slope

2006-10-16T14:27:00.000+13:00

Oh yeah, the slide is back in action, and last Wednesday lunchtime I took Frederico along to have his first try (I'd already been on at the weekend - forgot to mention that - i know how could i?!!). Unfortunately the slide has lost some of its slidiness, but a tip picked up from a fellow adult slider (to lift your feet up) helped Fred enormously, and here you see him whizzing down into the sunshine. Bravo I say.
Look at that expression - what joy!! Ice cream from Cafe Eis for afters made it an even better treat. Mmmmm once more.

xxxx

Catch up Part 1

2006-10-16T14:21:00.000+13:00

Due to one or two things I haven't posted for a while. The main reason is that I've been suffering from dizzy spells for the past couple of weeks and so I've been staying away from computers as much as possible, as they seem to make me feel worse. I think (fingers crossed) they're on their way out now so yay for that. Anyhoo, back to happier things. Not the weekend just gone, but the weekend before (on the Friday evening) I went to see the quarter finals of the Air New Zealand Cup between Wellington and Canterbury. We won, and though right now I can't remember the score, fair to say we got them good!! Below is Dan Carter taking a penalty kick - he scored most of Canterbury's points, and the commentator made a rather nice jibe at this saying Wellington 17 (or something) Dan Carter.. I mean Canterbury 9. HA!! And what was his hair doing?!
It had been freezing and peeing down most of the day, but luckily the wind dropped, and the rain stopped so all that was needed was a few layers. This is me and Sarah during the interval.
And this is Nick celebrating one of Wellingtons many tries. It was an ace match.
Saturday involved a jaunt into town with Laura, and something else - oh yes a trip over to Sally and Caroline's to watch the Break Up - is that right girls? I'm not entirely sure!!
Sunday turned out a gorgeous day so myself, Sally and Caroline went for a walk. I popped into town early to catch the last day of the Constable exhibition at Te Papa which was well worth a visit - stunning, and then met them for a spot of lunch on the waterfront. We went to Seatoun and the surrounding area for our walk, sticking to the coast most of the way, spying for ships and other sea faring things,
Here we see a New Zealand institution -the Interislander..
We also got quite a surprise when we accidentally stumbled on a nudist beach - though we just thought it was three randomly naked men, it wasn't until i got home that I was informed it was in fact a nudist beach. Here is a view of it from above. Don't worry there's no flash - aha ha ha ha aha ha. So bad!!
This is a view of Seatoun looking out towards Chocolate Fish, which is of course where we headed next for the good old chocloate cake. mmmmmmmm.

And a little thing for you LOTR fans - this is the school field where the set of Bree was constructed. A thank you, and adieu.

xxxx

I don't believe it (can we go to the caves ted, can we?)

2006-10-04T09:38:00.000+13:00

I am not a happy bunny this morning for I went to log into my new e mail that I'd set up precisely for the reason that hotmail is blocked on work computers, and I don't have my own login yet (after 5 frickin weeks), and now they've blocked g mail too!! So once again I am stranded from all of your e mails until I can get to an internet cafe, or get a login. AAAAaaaarrrgggh. I shall go now and fume. xxxxx

The weekend that saw September change into October (the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of March going into April) and that saw us lose an hours sleep

2006-10-03T16:13:00.000+13:00

This is going to be brief because it's the end of the day and i'm pooped, but if i don't do it now, i may never do it at all. The weekend began (as you may have guessed from my last post) on Friday lunchtime with our meal out. Below are Tina and Jason my two team mates.
After work I met up with Laura and the girls for a drink (Fred was there for a while too - don't want you to think I forgot you), and me and Laura headed to the e mail place via the waterfront, stopping at the playground for a wee bit of merry-making as you see... Saturday was a highly uneventful day, my only trip out was to see Sally in the evening. Sunday was a little more lively with a trip into town (in the kind of rain that soaks you through), followed by a roast at Caroline and Sally's. This is the preparation..
.. ok the end of the preparation, the rest of the food is already in the pan - we didn't just have one potato and a tiny piece of pumpkin.
This is Caroline trying to sort out the power failure that I caused when I turned the oven warmer on....

And this is a view from their flat...

Lovely. Bye then. xxxxx

Fred wasn't ready for the jelly (we told him) but I was ready for my lunch

2006-09-29T15:37:00.000+12:00

Hee hee, it's Friday and I've just got back from a 'work' lunch which lasted two hours (I'm a little tipsy), and was a reward for lots of hard work a few weeks ago. We (myself, Jason, Tina - our supervisor - and our two managers) went to a korean/something else restaurant which was Jasons choice. The food was yummy, obviously even more so coz I wasn't paying!! I had a tuna loin stonegrill with lemon and cucumber for entree followed by lamb shanks coated in something with some kind of curry sauce thing (they were words I didn't understand and cannot remember), accompanied by a glass or two of merlot and a martini rosso avec lemonade (surprise surprise). As Del Boy puts it lovely jubbly.

That's a mere aside however, as the main reason I wanted to post was to inform Sally, and the rest of the public, that Fred wasn't ready for that jelly. Laura informed me yester eve that Fred had made some jelly on Wednesday for himself and his lovely lass. In commencing in this hanus act he was clearly not heeding the warning that me and Sally had given him but two months ago that he wasn't ready for this most delicious but dangerous gelatin substance. He should not have been surprised, therefore, to suffer from tummy ache after consumption. Fred, I have no sympathy, you were foolish my friend. We are wise, do not turn from our ways. Love and kisses. Me. xxxxxxxxxxxx Hee hee.

On a roll

2006-09-28T17:01:00.000+12:00

Hello, me again. Hardly likely to be anyone else is it, though I would enjoy it if it was. It feels like I've been blogging loads recently. My only real news is that I had a yoga class last night and I was rubbish!! I did feel very stretched afterwards though, and after claiming yester eve that I wouldn't be going back, after thinking some more I may well give it a few more goes to see if I can improve. That's it really, plus it's time to go home once more, or more correctly time to meet laura for a drink and a chat. au revoir. xxxxx

Thank you for reading

2006-09-26T15:50:00.000+12:00

Last night I did something I've been wanting to do for ages, but somehow never got round to - I went to the cinema by myself. You people have probably done it yourselves and thus think what's the big deal? and I don't suppose it is a big deal, it's just I'm happy to have finally done it. What was even better was that it was in a small screen into which I was the first to enter, and I was greeted with music from LOTR. I couldn't think of anything more fitting. Then came Harry Potter music and Pirates - it was brill. The film was really good too (Thank You For Smoking), so if you haven't already got it on order dad then I suggest you do.
In response to comments on a previous post
- Anna of course McFly is in the same league - hope you have a fab time (who's going wit ya?)
- Sally's mum I'm not sure if Carole is doing a world tour, if i hear anything i'll let you know. Hope you have a good trip.
I'd also like to do a shout out to Auntie Margaret and Uncle Geoff who were on Northwest Tonight a couple of weeks ago (not sure of the date) with their larger than life tomatoes - lovin it!! I assume the moment's been captured on tape/dvd?
Right, it's hometime so I'm off. ta ta. xxxxx

At the Zoo (go on sing it, you won't be able to get it out of your head for ages)

2006-09-25T10:56:00.000+12:00

A very bizarre coincidence occurred this weekend. All of Friday afternoon I couldn't stop singing 'At the Zoo' by Simon and Garfunkel, and then what do we do on Saturday but take a trip to the zoo? (not at my suggestion mind). It was a fairly breezy day but we didn't let that stop us, nor the fact that the bus we were going to get didn't run on a weekend, nor the fact that Laura missed an invisible bus (not a hard thing to miss really). Yes, it seemed all the elements were against us, and yet still we went on, on to the zoo.

With a YHA card admission was half price, so we got in for the bargain price of $7.50. We saw otters and pig/hog things (though not together), a malayan sunbear, tigers, lions,

(I really like the bottom two photos of the lions - do you? If so why, because i can't figure out why i do. Maybe they need a caption or something?)

wallabies, mingin dog things that we caught at feeding time, giraffes, zebras, ostriches (bizarre as I'd had my first taste of Ostrich the night before), and (saving the best for last) merekats. Just look at them they're soooooooo cute.

This is the merekats doing an impression of me and laura.

Ha ha, only kidding, it's us doing an impression of them!!!

They had really ace signs all over the place with friendly advice from your neighbourhood zoo keeper. Good advice it was too.

The day was nicely rounded off with an evening of Top Gun (avec music videos which must be seen) and Ray at Caroline and Sally's. Me and laura were doin a bit of freestylin at the bus stop waiting for the last bus, and good it was too. xxxxx

The slide is back!!!! And other news

2006-09-22T16:25:00.000+12:00

Sally, you know how happy this makes me!!!! No, it's not accessible yet, but it's back and that's the important bit. It all happened within a couple of days. On Tuesday it was in pieces, and yesterday evening there is was standing tall. I think I slightly worried Caroline with my enthusiasm as I bounded over the grass to greet my old friend, but how could i not? Look at it!!It was a nice evening to boot so myself and Caroline decided to wander homewards via Oriental Bay and check out the sunset that we were privileged enough to witness. It looks a wee bit different on the photos, but hey, what can i do about that?

And then, if one slide wasn't enough, I found the other slide that I had heard so much about, and yet which had so far eluded me. It looks ace I must say, and I will be giving it a go in the near future. The wind, combined with a skirt made it impossible last night.
Other interesting news from my week -
1, I joined the library on Monday, a very exciting event, and took out my first three books - a history of czechoslovakia (relevant to a book i'm reading), tom waits's biography, and a music book on composition. I've been doing a lot of reading this week, and i'm loving it.
2, I finally completed my makeshift wardrobe door/curtain in my room, and only have to get a bedside table and i'm set.
3, Ooh yes and i got my bed last thursday - it's sooooo comfy and huge.

I can't remember anything else right now, i'm sure there was something else to tell you - oh yep, i've remembered - i'm going to see Carole King in December in Christchurch. i'm so excited - I'm fourth row from the front in the middle. Wowza!!

Anyhoo, done a lot of bloggin today so i'll be off now. Please drop me a line to say hi (ie leave a comment), I'd love to hear from you. i've changed the settings now so you shouldn't have any problems leaving a comment (as you've noticed mum!!). xxxxx

A Sunday Stroll

2006-09-22T09:14:00.000+12:00

This is some pics from last Sunday when I went out into the Orongarongas (no idea how you spell that, but that's how it sounds) with my friend Karen. We did a five mile bush walk, and the weather was beautiful.
This is a pic of the stunning bush we walked through and some clearer views when we got towards the end of the loop. It kinda reminded me of Spain, and yet with all the gorse also Scotland - it was everywhere.This is a little further round the coast - Karen found this piece of driftwood that looked like a dinosaur - i have called him Stewart - and here he is posing in front of the view if the South Island and the Kaikouras.
xxxxx

Day four, chopped wood, headed home

2006-09-19T11:44:00.000+12:00

I know it's hard to take, but yes another beautiful day dawned for us on the Wednesday and we all ran around before leaving to get shots of the cabin. Here you see it in all it's splendour with Mt Ruapehu behind.
Below you see some of us girls havin a go with the axe.

And this is a pic of the Bazzacakka crew (aka Fred, Laura, Caroline, Sally, me, and Andy) in the lounge of the cabin.
Oooh, and this is a location from LOTR (Two Towers) which we visited before heading back. It is the shot where gollum is trying to catch a fish in Ithilien - naturally Fred recreated the scene (well kind of - he wasn't gonna get wet coz that would be silly). It was so exciting to see as it looks exactly like on the film, probably because it is exactly like on the film.
I thought I'd put another picture on here of Fred and Laura in Ithilien - it also looks like it's just popped out from the film, but as you can see (and can't see), it isn't here. How odd. Peace out. xxxxx

Day three, still no bell, ate a little less food i think

2006-09-19T11:16:00.000+12:00

Yes, as you can see, day three of our adventure (day two of skiing) was another beautiful day up on the slopes. After getting our confidence on the first day we had a bit of a run on the baby slopes before heading onwards and upwards to the higher slopes, and the top of a run called the rock garden. There was another baby slope up top which you see here, and here myself, Laura and Caroline began our next step lesson. We were put in the faster group, but after going only a wee way down the rock garden we decided to take it on our own as the instructor did not do things to our liking. Fred was an eager beaver and had done the run once before lunch, and on his third run down he escorted us ladies on our way. The snow was a mixture of mounds of slush and pretty icey stuff which didn't make for easy skiing, and so a few falls were had by all. Laura and Caroline thought one run was enough and so headed back to happy valley to enjoy a more relaxed skiing adventure, whereas i gave it one more go, and ended up one more time on my butt. That was enough for me - Fred had to wait about five minutes for me to have the guts to attempt the last narrow bit with all the blummin snowboarders coming around me. We all ended up back at happy valley by the last of the runs and managed to get some action shots in - see above.
This is me, Caroline and Laura posing with our skis as we headed in for the afternoon.
This is an attempt to show you the rock garden run, but unless i am with you to point it out (which i obviously am not) you won't know which bit it is - it's not the obvious bit on the left (although Fred did do that - I saw him, and bravo to him for it).

This is the crew posing with Bazzcakka, after which we headed a little way down the mountain to do some mordor shots - another piece of cinematic genius of course!!
And it wouldn't be my blog without a picture of the sunset when there's one to be had. Beautiful. xxxxx

Day two, had no bell, ate lots of food

2006-09-14T16:18:00.000+12:00

We awoke to this view on Monday morning (aka Laura's birthday). This is a view across our back yard with Mt Ruapehu sat above the trees.This is the view from our front garden looking westwards to Mt. Taranaki.
And here's the birthday girl.
Pancakes were the order of the day- fred was the main chef, but as you see below i did attempt (successfully i may add) to flip a few of my own. Twas a very enjoyable relaxing morning.Look how we are enjoying ourselves and are very relaxed.
Laura even had some special visitors to wish her a happy birthday.
There were only two showers between 9 of us so here I am sat in the swing seat awaiting my turn. I loved that seat.

This is a view that might bring back memories for Sally (N) as it shows Mt.s Nugurahoe and Tongariro, taken on our drive to the ski fields.
The five skiiers decided to opt for the beginners package which included ski hire, a lesson, a happy valley pass (happy valley being the beginners area), and a sightseeing pass to the top of the chairlifts. As we'd taken our time getting there, we took our sightseeing trip first so that we only had to pay half day prices on our clothing rental. Here you see us girls as far up the mountain as we could go. It was stunning, and such a glorious day for it.
This is the five of us towards the end of our lesson at the top of the happy valley run. I must say we all look ace.
We headed home to get showered and changed for our meal at the Powderhorn and managed to witness this amazing sunset before we headed out. These are two of my favourite pics I've taken in a while, the bottom one especially.

The meal was stunning - I had lamb and I know this will shock you Sally, but it certainly gave the brewery a run for its money. mmmmm. I was designated driver and so go to have a go in Bazzacakka, taking him for a wee test run first to get a cake for Laura with Fred and Rhys. Unfortunately we just missed the supermarket, and so had to go into a cafe and ask for a whole cake (luckily there was still one with no pieces taken out), I think the staff found it quite amusing. It was good cake. We went back to the cabin to enjoy that and some more drinks and thus ended a day enjoyed by one and all. xxxx

Day one, rang bell, we set off

2006-09-14T10:18:00.000+12:00

It began on Sunday the 10th of September at 7.30am. Well it was supposed to, but little Laura was a tad sick, and so we were a bit late in setting off. No matter though as we (Laura, Fred, Caroline, Sally, Andy, and myself) took a nice leisurely drive up in Bazzacakka with Fred at the helm once more, having a few stops on the way for lunch and photo ops.
Here you see Laura and Fred with Bazzacakka on the way from Wanganui to Okahune.

The mountain was closed on our day of travel so we just headed straight to the cabin, had some tea and drinks, watched spiderman 2 and headed to bed ready for our first day of skiing.

All Ski!!

2006-09-08T15:10:00.000+12:00

Yup yup, this Sunday we're off up to Mount Ruapehu and our log cabin for our ski adventure!! We are all very excited. Log fires and marshmallows aplenty. We're setting off early Sunday morning to get up there for an afternoon of sledging, before two days of skiing (snowboarding for some), and celebration of Laura's birthday on the Monday evening. My guitar is also accompanying us, so there'll hopefully be a few songs around the fire too. Plenty of pictures and some film will be taken. Seeing as it's Mount Doom we're going to (didn't know that until I read Fred and Laura's blog - thanks for that info), there may be some re-enacting going on too. Well I'd better get back to work and get through the rest of Friday afternoon. Hope y'all have a good weekend and start to next week. xxxx
Ooh yes, a little note for mum - I bumped into Chloe at the bus stop yesterday morning (it took me a few seconds to recognise her!!) as she has been staying with people in Hataitai, and we went out for dinner last night. She's moving into a flat in the centre of town at the weekend, and seems to be pretty sorted. Had a very interesting first day of work by the sounds of it. xx

The last few weeks in pictures

2006-09-05T20:37:00.000+12:00

We start with a picture of the snow capped mountains taken from a jetty just off Oriental parade almost 3 weeks ago. It was the day myself and Elaine took lunch in the sunshine. We continue with a picture of the happy quiz team making the most of their $40 bar tab a week last Saturday. We had two bottles of wine between four, and felt a little tipsy on stepping outside, so much so we ended up watching the emperors new groove until 2 in the morning - aha ha i chuckle thinking of kronks theme tune bit even now (how does one represent a chuckle in textual form?).
This is Fred and Laura doing a creepy person walk down the really nasty steeeeeeeeeeeep hill one must face to get to their flat (good for your thighs). It is hard to walk up this hill in a normal walking fashion, and so one tends to adopt a walk that looks like a cartoon baddy when they do their creepy walk, which then makes you giggle when you see the other person doing it, and thus it is even harder to get up the blummin thing. This was taken on our way to our Sunday jazz session.
The two photos below were taken from the roof of my office building - one of the guys i work with had found a way up there, and during our impromptu hour long break on Friday (due to network failure) up we went. The first is looking towards Mt Vic, the second over towards Petone.

And last, but not least, some pics of my new house taken this weekend. And that's that.

xxxxx

New job, new flat!!

2006-09-03T18:20:00.000+12:00

Hiya!!! It's now Sunday the 3rd of September with us here in NZ and springtime has come. Myself, Laura and Fred have just come from our now weekly trip to see the jazz at the Hummingbird. I am feeling a little buzzed from the glass of red wine and so can't really think of coherent things to write, but I'll give it a go. The news as it stands is that I started my new improved position at work on Wednesday and am liking it a lot more (plus the wage did go up, so all the better), and yesterday I moved in to my new home for the next 6 months. Haven't got a proper bed yet, but that should arrive in the next week, and then I'll add to my furniture piece by piece. I currently (as of today) have a blow up bed, a heater, and a bedside lamp, so sufficed to say my room looks a little bare. I gave it a good clean yesterday though, washing down all the walls and the floor, so now it's ready to be adorned with colourful things to give it a bit of life (as it's on the dark side of the house). I will be putting pictures on shortly. Hope you are all well at home, I'll be e mailing with my address soon. Hugs. xxxx

I have no time!!!!

2006-08-30T19:32:00.000+12:00

Hiya. This is going to be brief as I don't have time to say a lot. The update is I now have a flat. or rather house, in Hataitai which i'm moving into on Sat. I started my job on Mon, and it was awful, so today I handed in my notice, only to be offered a slightly better position (in a place where people actually talk - it's been dreary the last 3 days), and a better wage (fingers crossed). So I start my new role tomorrow. Other than that there's not much to report. Yep. Anyhoo I'd better go. Hope you are all ok, let me know. Sorry again for the lack of e mails. xxxx

There's a balloon on my bus

2006-08-25T12:11:00.000+12:00

Good day to you my friends. It is now Friday and I shall fill you in with the news of my week. First up, I now have a job!! It's not the best job, and it doesn't pay that well, but it's money so that I can afford to live whilst grooving on and looking for another job. Second up - and much more exciting - we are going skiing two weeks on Sunday, which coincides nicely with Laura's birthday on the Monday. We are staying for 3 nights in a Log Cabin (complete with log fire) at Ruhapehu Lodge. We are all very excited - well I assume everyone is, I haven't actually seen half the people yet to know if they are or not, but why wouldn't you be?!! Third up, we came third in the Sports Cafe Quiz on Tuesday night (the team being myself, Laura, Fred, Elaine and Rhys), so we're out at the weekend to spend the $40 bar tab. I shall hopefully be going to look round a few more flats this weekend. And that's that really. Hope you all have a jolly nice weekend. xxxx
p.s. the title of the post refers (surprisingly) to the yellow balloon on my No.7 bus this morning.

Humming Along

2006-08-21T18:28:00.000+12:00

Hello!! Hope you've all had a good weekend? It was a mixed bag here in Welli. Friday evening was Michelle and Alastairs's leaving do, and perhaps Caitlin's too, I'm not really sure. Alastair and Michelle are off on a tour of North Island for a month, and Caitlin is off down to South Island for Skiing at Wanaka with her bro, and spa time at Hamner Springs. So a bunch of us met for drinks In JJ's followed by Establishment. Fred and Laura kindly walked me to my bus afterwards and Fred was thrown into an utter state of shock at a huge 3 building long advert for the first series of 'Extras' that quoted Kate Winslet on a rather explicit subject. Go to Fred and Laura's blog for pics (though I've just checked and they're not on as yet). I, trying to keep some decorum, merely have a picture of Fred's amazement:
Saturday was supposed to be a day of LOTR activity, with a last viewing of the exhibition at Te Papa, before a trip to Chocolate Fish, but the weather did not like our plan and rained it off, so instead we met Elaine and her friend Sarah for a spot of lunch (after some sneaky hot chocs and bread at Hummingbird), and took to the museum later on. The exhibition did provide inspiration for some more fantastic reenaction/interpretation outside the museum, in a rockery/very small forest setting. Near fatal injuries were averted with Fred on hurting himself slightly after being pushed from a rock, and Laura walking (albeit dramatically) into a leave, and not thankfully into the actual tree!! Sunday came out beautifully, but as Fred had been razzing it on Saturday night with the lads, and Laura had an appoinment with Caroline and Sally, only myself and Elaine ended up making it to Chocolate Fish. We both enjoyed it thorougly. That was followed by another trip to the Hummingbird to listen to some jazz whilst supping on some wine. lovely, lovely. Oh yes, and I had my first flat viewing, but it was not for me. My next one is on Wednesday so hopefully that will be an improvement. xxxx

7 months exactly

2006-08-18T14:33:00.000+12:00

Hi there. How are you all? This morning around 6 am NZ time marked exactly 7 months since I departed British shores. And right around now, I imagine Sally will be making her way back to those same shores (Thanks for your mini blog Sal, glad to know it's not only NZ that is up there on the slide front - 5 in one playground, that's what I'm talking about!!) Well I thought I'd say helllooooo while I'm on the old net, but there's no news regarding jobs or flats at the mo I'm afraid. Currently waiting to hear back from the agency. My day so far has consisted of two coffee breaks, a trip to the museum, and a trip to New World. Living it up indeed I am!! Yup. So I'll be off, toodles for now. xxxx

Oooooohhhh and other things

2006-08-17T14:16:00.000+12:00

Bonjour mon amis. So nice to see you all on the comments page, I was a little worried I would arrive to find only Fred's comment, but it's made me feel all warm inside to know that you are with me (and I'm very glad to still have you Fiona!!). Especially exciting to have a comment from Malaysia - hiya Sal!! Well it's been go go go since we last spoke, or it certainly feels like that. I had a lovely evening with Fred and Laura on Mon - me and Laura arrived home and Fred was waiting with hot water bottles for us, how cute is that?!! And very needed considering the inclement weather that had descended. Here is a pic of the view from Fred and Laura's lounge window for those of you who haven't visited their blog and seen it already. Very nice I think you'll agree - you may be able to make out the boat from King Kong across the other side of the harbour. It's towards the left of the picture, in the first gap between the trees as you move from the left - if you know what I mean?!
On Tuesday I packed up my stuff ready for my move in the evening, went and bought tickets for Miami Vice at the Embassy, went round to a mates for a cuppa, and then met up with Fred and Laura to head to the cinema. It was actually quite a good film, I think we all enjoyed it. Then I moved my stuff over to my pad of the next week, and once there I was reunited with some stuff that i hadn't seen for 6 weeks, like my leaving cards from you guys back home, and my journal. It was all quite emotional. Yesterday was my day of work in which I ended up having two assignments - the first was a four hour stint working on the Police switchboard (a little scary - especially considering they were expecting someone with switchboard experience - but also very interesting, and of course I coped fine), and the second a three hour stint of greeting people and handing out name badges at a cocktail function for some company called Davis Langdon. Not at all scary, and not that interesting, but it meant money, and I got free wine and some tasty titbits, so it had it's plus sides. After that I met up with Rhysie boy for a coffee and had a pleasant evening of chat and beverage. It was a gorgeous day yday as you can see from this pic, which is the view from the front of my current abode in Brooklyn.Today is another gorgeous day and myself and Elaine have made the most of it by going for a walk around the harbour and along Oriental Parade, stopping for a spot of lunch on the jetty. It would have been a day for Chocolate Fish, but she had a meeting at 2, so we wouldn't have had time. This is what the harbour is looking like today. Have you got the idea yet of how gorgeous this place is?!! There is snow on those mountains over yonder, not sure if you can make it out on this pic. And here's me and Elaine in the midst of enjoying the sunshine.And that's you up to date. I must add though that I'm sorry that I haven't replied to some of your e mails yet, but I'm mainly looking for houses and jobs when I'm on the net, and figure it's better to do the blog so you can all see what's going on, than e mail only some of you. When I get settled I'll e mail like mad!! Hope you understand. Hugs. xxxx

Hello Everybody!!

2006-08-14T14:38:00.000+12:00

Ooh my first post on my own, it feels rather odd, as it has done ever since me and Sally parted, but as we said we're both off on new adventures now - and if we don't follow our feet there's no knowing where we might get swept off to!! I therefore elect not to follow my feet. I've been very excited at seeing all my peeps again, and of course this beautiful (if cold) city, but it's also a little nerve wracking to be here on my own with no job and nowhere to live as yet. It will all come out right though I am sure.
Well since we last spoke this is what has occurred in my life. Me and Sal said farewell on Saturday morning at Cambridge bus stop as I hopped on the coach down south. She headed up to Auckland in the company of Kate and Pheebs and by all accounts had a nice couple of days. I have just received word that her flight has been delayed by 15 hours, but the airport have put her up in a "swanky" hotel, so she seems happy. Oh yes and congratulations go out for getting funding to do her PHD, go on.....my son!! I was not lonely on my coach journey thanks to Malcolm the driver and a nameless smelly dog, who kept me company on my two breaks. Below you see a picture of the smelly dog.I got rather emotional as we approached Wellington, watching the sun set off the Kapiti Coast before hopping off the bus in a sprightly manner and hailing a taxi to Chez Laura and Fred. We had a pleasant evening of Hell's Pizza and dvds - some of which we were the stars off - i managed to make the camcorder dvds play on the dvd player - fantastic!! Yesterday we had a nice lazy day, getting up late after watching Wallace and Gromit, and picking up an ice cream before going to watch some jazz at the hummingbird, and then Elaine at Isobar in the familiar haunt of Island Bay. One shocking thing that did occur and must be announced is the disappearance of the Seagull Slide (you may remember this slide from other posts on ye olde blog)!! I was sat by it for 20 mintues chomping my ice cream before Fred got up to have a go and i saw it had gone. As you can imagine Sally, and as Fred and Laura will testify, I was very upset. However, i have since been informed that it is in for repair, and it will be back, so watch this space. This morning I met up with some of my old colleagues from the Commerce Commission, and put in some enquiries about getting work with them once more. It sounded a little promising, so fingers crossed. I do have a 3 hour job on Wednesday evening, so that's something. Anyhoo, I must dash as i'm making tea tonight - spaghetti you guessed it!! - and i have to go get some supplies. Ta ta for now. xxxx