First of all I must underline how much we’re all missing our Richard. Poor Big Rich is feeling alone and neglected travelling on his own and has pointed out to me that I’m a bastard for not missing him in a written form. Fair point. So, Richard, if you’re reading this, start pulling some of the 18 year old totty on your bus and stop being such a big girl’s blouse.
Secondly, Sue and I are no longer homeless! We’re moving into the cool bedsitty flat in Devonport we visited yesterday downstairs...
Sue and I are currently facing homelessness as of Saturday. We’d arranged with Fringe Ben to move into his 12-bedroom house at the end of February. We weren’t overly concerned when he announced that because he was leaving Auckland he was handing the responsibility of the house onto his housemate, Conor. We should’ve been concerned, though, as since then Conor has also left town and the current incumbents have just let out the last room in the house, unaware of what had gone on before. ...
It was the big Hero Festival in Auckland on Saturday night, the New Zealand Mardi Gras equivalent, principally for the gay and lesbian communities. Standing at the end of our road outside One Red Dog on Ponsonby Road we had the perfect view of a multitude of naked arses, dykes on bikes, fire-breathing transvestites and all sorts. Top entertainment. My personal favourite was the naked dancing woman on top of a big float, her modesty saved only by a coat of gold paint. But that’s because I’m a...
The new tenants for our house are a group of young Kiwi students, fresh out of school and moving out of their parental homes. We met four of them last night, all 18 years old, bright eyed, eager and full of life. Us haggard, creaking British twentysomethings suddenly looked and felt very old as we contemplated cooking dinner, watching Shortland Street and the ironing that needed doing. Oh to be young again! (he says with all of his 22 world-wise years…)
The weather’s unbearable at the moment in...
Damn that Anna Kournikova to Hell! Have now seen the back of her… well, not literally… that would actually be quite nice. And, while I’m linking, I knew it would only be a matter of time before there was a serious accident while someone was text messaging. The amount of times I’ve almost walked under a bus while walking down the street trying to compose a text message…
Can’t have escaped your attention that it was Valentine’s Day yesterday but is it my imagination or is it getting even more...
Why do I even bother? Had a massive email crisis at work today. Firstly I was great in diagnosing a new virus, disinfecting everyone’s computers within minutes and helping infectees over the country sort themselves out. Then it turns out that in fixing things, our email server’s buggered and no-one can receive external emails. Passing the buck to the engineer: can’t understand why the stoopid pooter doesn’t work! Think it’s about time I gave up on the blasted things anyway.
Advertised our...
Sue and I had an extremely pleasant and sophisticated Saturday at the Devonport Food and Wine Festival. We sipped Chardonnays, Rieslings and Sauvignon Blancs from around the country, basking in the sunshine and relaxing to the jazz. Pity 25,000 other Aucklanders had the same idea but it wasn’t too crowded and we had a fantastic ferry ride there and back.
Killed a mouse last night. I’d assumed that putting mouse traps out would mean a quick, sharp death for the poor little bastards. But, no, I...
It was Waitangi Day yesterday here in New Zealand and therefore a public holiday. The day is supposed to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the founding document of New Zealand, in 1840 between the native Maori chiefs and the British Crown. Shamefully (being British) some of the early settlers weren’t exactly honest, stealing land from tribes and to this day disputes still plague New Zealand society. The Pakeha (the whites) simply spend another day at the beach while Maoris...
Looking out of my window (on the 25th floor of the third largest builiding in New Zealand, I might add) I can see right into the penthouse suite of the Auckland Centra Hotel. Guests sometimes forget that, despite being so high up, they’re not completely invisible to the outside world and, apparantly, oblivious undressers often expose more than they’re aware.
On Friday, however, one group of people went a rather gruesome step further: a naked, fat, middle-aged woman (why are they never...
There’s now 13 more photos for you to enjoy, mostly from our trip to Great Barrier Island but there’s also some from Piha and Muriwai beaches. Just wish the scans could do justice to how blue the water was and how green the trees were - far cry from Essex!
Talking of back home, I’m missing a big Warwick Boar reunion in London. The Boar was the student newspaper at Warwick and I grew quite attached to the old thing and those who worked on it, so “hi” to any ex-Boar members reading this and have...
This sorry excuse for a travelblog has now reached over 1000 visits and it’s up to about 20-a-day. Hopefully some of you enjoy what I write and aren’t just searching for ladyboys and naked Shortland Street pictures, although looking at my referrals tells a different story. Thanks everyone for visiting and (hopefully) reading this rubbish!
What cheese are you? I’m a Danablu, unsurprisingly a Danish blue cheese. Mmm. (Link from dutchbint.org).
Going round Fringe Ben’s massive 12-bedroom house...
