August 2009

August 25th, 2009

Is it just me… ?

Or has the world gone information overload?

I am responding to that by burying my head in the sand. And discovering nice new things like voice record on my iPhone. And sending those voice recordings via email to friends. Well, once so far. But as an idea I like it.

I have also been rifling through all my favourite images that stuck in my mind ever since I began reading blogs. And I’ve been walking up and down a lot of hills. No, a lot up and down the same four hills. Well, two hills, but when you walk two hills that both have an up and a down side that equals four ups and downs.

If we don’t walk during the weekend I find very quickly my ability to roar up and down the hills dwindles. Especially when it’s warm and I’m wearing my raincoat. The time has come where I’m now in my Summer jacket. The other day I wore sandals. Is this not the middle of winter?

We went on a road trip. We bought a car and flew down and picked it up from Nelson. Where Melissa picked us up. Then dropped us off. And then we drove and drove. And we drove all day and much of the night. First from Nelson to Picton and on the Cook Strait ferry, then Wellington all the way up to Turangi. It was full moon and we drove across the Desert Road around 10pm. We could just make out the magnificence of the Mountains. Oh how I had miscalculated that I thought we were staying south of Ruapehu and that I’d be able to photograph it the next morning.

And beause I’m so utterly terrified of driving on the New Zealand roads and because it was so blimmin freezing cold we didn’t stop for any full moon desert mountain night time photos. Damn you fear. That was a silly waste wasn’t it! Oooh but I am not happy driving around icy roads on narrow two lane highways with no lights and big fast trucks. And children in the back.

Home sweet home. Well. Not quite yet. Not proper home. We’ll be properly at home in two months. And one day I’ll tell the story why we’re not yet back in our house. It’s about tenants and tenants leaving early and new tenants and twelve month contracts.

It shall make our arrival all the more sweet.

Speaking of sweet we watched our ship come in last weekend. The ship with our stuff on it. Oooh so nice. And so glad we did an IKEA landgrab because they even took the notice off their website that they’d bought land in Auckland. So it’s really not looking hopeful for us at all.

To which I say, time for everyone to boycott Freedom until they stop blocking IKEA in the courts. And I shall shut up now about that because that really is another issue altogether.

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August 4th, 2009

I miss Waiheke

A small tribute to our time on Waiheke.

I really loved it there and miss it a lot. Getting up early and watching the moon set over the hill. Freezing cold walks down to the bus stop in the dark. We’d catch the bus to the supermarket once a week – kids in backpacks and slings and we’d get a taxi back, Waiheke style – Edith tucked into my seatbelt.

We couldn’t walk very far though and we’re enjoying being able to walk for miles and miles now we’re in the thick of things in Parnell. There’s a market just down the road from us twice a week and we can walk in all directions to the city, the domain, the waterfront and the museum.

Still though. I miss Waiheke. It was so quiet and peaceful and it felt like proper New Zealand all lush and green and remote. Every day we’d walk past the beach and up the hill and I’d always stop and look out.

At the clouds and the water and every time I’d stop and say I’m going to miss this.

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August 4th, 2009

Renovating

Hello.

As you might see I am buggering about with Facebook here on my blog. I’m connecting my wall feed and I’ve just installed Facebook Connect – which means you can use your Facebook login for leaving comments – and you can share my blog posts on your wall if you like.

Who would ever have thought. I’ve been an avid anti-Facebooker for ages now and I’ve finally seen the light. I just wish they’d redesign their interface. I know I certainly have some work to do on mine since I’ve added all this stuff.

And then one day I’ll write a proper blog post. I know I keep saying that.

Tonight I missed the NZ premier of Handmade Nation.

Bugger.

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August 2nd, 2009

Under the bonnet

Ooh hoo. Just upgraded things around here so I can blog from my new toy. Next I’ll redesign it. But that won’t be for a while because next weekend we’re off to Nelson to pick up our new car (a 1991 Saab 900). Melissa will be there to pick us up – what a small world, we’re buying the car off her parents almost neighbours.

I haven’t even said we moved from Waiheke to Parnell a couple of weeks ago. Edith is now rolling, so much so she even rolled plop, straight off the sofa when I turned around to tell Kevin a story the other night.

You wouldn’t belive it’s winter. Today I’m wearing all my London summer clothes with the exception of a pair of woolen tights.

Meaningful blog post soon soon.
All this upheaval has been keeping us a bit preoccupied.

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