Got up early and caught the Metro into LA to go shopping. The Blue Line goes straight from Long Beach to Downtown LA so I got off there. There was a small mall in the middle of the financial district (at the bottom of the Ernst & Young building!) but it didn't have the shops I wanted so I got on the Metro again and caught the Red Line to Wiltshire & Western station, then caught a taxi to the Beverly Center. It was quite a long journey! About 1 and 3/4 hours. When the cab driver dropped me off at the Beverley Center I couldn't find the entrance and ended up having to circumnavigate the entire building until I walked up the ramp of the car park!
I wanted to be back in Long Beach to see J&P off by 3pm so I didn't have huge amounts of time to shop. But I managed to get the items on my list - some knit tops from Banana Republic, new shoes and makeup from Stila.
Did the return journey also in 1 3/4 hours and got back to catch up with J&P. Nancy picked us up and we drove down the coast to visit the Wayfarer's Chapel. It's a lovely glass church designed by Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright's son.
We visited Nancy's condo which overlooks the harbour - fantastic views! She could see Janet and Peter's boat come in on Saturday. One of her friends gave me a ride back to Long Beach while she took J&P to the airport to catch their flight back to New Zealand.
I ate at the restaurant across the road from the hotel, Utopia - great Californian style food with a very attentive staff!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
USA Day Three
After breakfast at the Long Beach Cafe, we drove up to the Getty Center in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The drive took less than an hour right up the freeway and it was very easy to find.
On arrival at the Getty Center, you catch a 'tram' (really a driverless monorail) up the hill to the main complex. It is gorgeous. Designed by Richard Meier, it's been open for about 10 years and was gifted to the city by J Paul Getty so it's free! Janet and I took an architecture tour to start off with and the guide pointed out different features and themes of the complex. The whole complex is covered with travertine stone from Tivoli in Italy, so the whole place seems like an old Roman palace. But the lines and layout are very modern.
We spent most of the day at the Center, wandering around and visiting the gardens and some of the galleries. There is a massive selection of art, apparently the Getty has an almost unlimited amount of money for purchasing art and can outbid anybody. But I was more impressed with the views and the design of the buildings.
We drove back to Long Beach via Santa Monica and the South Beaches (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach). Lovely sunny afternoon and nice to see the beaches being used and how they were built up.
We ate at Parker's Lighthouse that evening which was J&P's actual 35th anniversary. Peter and I shared an Alaskan King crab - yummo!
On arrival at the Getty Center, you catch a 'tram' (really a driverless monorail) up the hill to the main complex. It is gorgeous. Designed by Richard Meier, it's been open for about 10 years and was gifted to the city by J Paul Getty so it's free! Janet and I took an architecture tour to start off with and the guide pointed out different features and themes of the complex. The whole complex is covered with travertine stone from Tivoli in Italy, so the whole place seems like an old Roman palace. But the lines and layout are very modern.
We spent most of the day at the Center, wandering around and visiting the gardens and some of the galleries. There is a massive selection of art, apparently the Getty has an almost unlimited amount of money for purchasing art and can outbid anybody. But I was more impressed with the views and the design of the buildings.
We drove back to Long Beach via Santa Monica and the South Beaches (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach). Lovely sunny afternoon and nice to see the beaches being used and how they were built up.
We ate at Parker's Lighthouse that evening which was J&P's actual 35th anniversary. Peter and I shared an Alaskan King crab - yummo!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
USA Day Two
Janet and Peter's boat docked at 7am so I was picked up just before that by Nancy Richardson, a friend of a friend who lives in San Pedro and taken down to the harbour. Waited around for them to disembark for a wee while - amazing the number of people coming off the boat and their enormous amounts of luggage! Most people had two enormous wheelie suitcases each and some even needed a porter!
Lovely to see Janet and Peter - they had had a fabulous trip starting off in LA, then across country via Las Vegas, then to Augusta for the Masters, then down to Florida and on a two week cruise through the Panama Canal. They were originally going to get on a plane back to NZ on the day they arrived back in LA, but then realised that because of the time difference, the 29th April, their wedding anniversary, would disappear! So they decided to stay an extra couple of night, and I was lucky that I was able to fit a meet-up into my schedule.
After they landed we had some breakfast at the Long Beach Cafe, a traditional diner near the hotel. J&P were staying at my hotel which meant we were close by. After checking in, we hired a car for going to the Getty Center in LA tomorrow, and then walked around the shoreline.
J&P's boat departed again from Los Angeles Harbour at about 5pm, so we went down to San Pedro with Nancy to watch it. Nancy works at the Maritime Institute of Los Angeles and they have a couple of tall ships that we visited and sat and watched the boats go by. Fantastically busy harbour, lots to watch!
We had dinner at Ports O'Call restaurant - fabulous seafood!
Lovely to see Janet and Peter - they had had a fabulous trip starting off in LA, then across country via Las Vegas, then to Augusta for the Masters, then down to Florida and on a two week cruise through the Panama Canal. They were originally going to get on a plane back to NZ on the day they arrived back in LA, but then realised that because of the time difference, the 29th April, their wedding anniversary, would disappear! So they decided to stay an extra couple of night, and I was lucky that I was able to fit a meet-up into my schedule.
After they landed we had some breakfast at the Long Beach Cafe, a traditional diner near the hotel. J&P were staying at my hotel which meant we were close by. After checking in, we hired a car for going to the Getty Center in LA tomorrow, and then walked around the shoreline.
J&P's boat departed again from Los Angeles Harbour at about 5pm, so we went down to San Pedro with Nancy to watch it. Nancy works at the Maritime Institute of Los Angeles and they have a couple of tall ships that we visited and sat and watched the boats go by. Fantastically busy harbour, lots to watch!
We had dinner at Ports O'Call restaurant - fabulous seafood!
Friday, April 27, 2007
USA Day One
After leaving Auckland about 9pm, I arrived at LAX the same day about 3pm! Flight was really full this time - no lying down! Never mind, I still got some sleep.
Long tortuous arrival through US Immigration. The queue is so long! We had a special Air NZ queue thank goodness because half the people on the flight had to go through immigration, pick up their luggage and then check in again for the second leg of the flight through to London. None of this easy transit lounge for a couple of hours. Ridiculous. I'd never do that if I didn't have to, such a hassle.
Saw Shaun Ryder standing in the immigration queue, looking very shifty. He was on his way to the Coachella Festival.
I managed to get out ok, and catch one of the Super Shuttles to Long Beach. My hotel, the Best Western at the Convention Center, was nice and central - loads of the hotels in Long Beach are accessible only by car, so I was glad that it worked out ok. Standard Best Western Hotel, but nice and clean with a big bed.
Took a walk around, down to the beach. The barriers for the Grand Prix that was held earlier in the month were still up. The beach was huge, but it was a bit late in the day for a swim. I walked around the shoreline and then along to the Shoreline Village, a newish development with shops, bars and restaurants. I had dinner (some lovely aki tuna) at Gladstone's and then walked home via Borders.
Long tortuous arrival through US Immigration. The queue is so long! We had a special Air NZ queue thank goodness because half the people on the flight had to go through immigration, pick up their luggage and then check in again for the second leg of the flight through to London. None of this easy transit lounge for a couple of hours. Ridiculous. I'd never do that if I didn't have to, such a hassle.
Saw Shaun Ryder standing in the immigration queue, looking very shifty. He was on his way to the Coachella Festival.
I managed to get out ok, and catch one of the Super Shuttles to Long Beach. My hotel, the Best Western at the Convention Center, was nice and central - loads of the hotels in Long Beach are accessible only by car, so I was glad that it worked out ok. Standard Best Western Hotel, but nice and clean with a big bed.
Took a walk around, down to the beach. The barriers for the Grand Prix that was held earlier in the month were still up. The beach was huge, but it was a bit late in the day for a swim. I walked around the shoreline and then along to the Shoreline Village, a newish development with shops, bars and restaurants. I had dinner (some lovely aki tuna) at Gladstone's and then walked home via Borders.
mainland!
Have had a few days in Christchurch, staying with Fiona and John. It's been a great opportunity to catch up with friends here - and meet more babies!
We left Timaru on Sunday afternoon and drove back to Christchurch via Geraldine and the 'scenic' route - through the Rakaia Gorge and Darfield etc. The weather was a bit overcast but some of the scenery was still spectacular, especially Rakaia. We stopped in at John's work to have a look at the farm - he's working at a NZ Care establishment where he works with intellectually handicapped people who spend time on the farm.
I met up with Lisa and her two children, Felix and Phoebe, on Monday. Felix is 20 months now and Phoebe 7 months. Had a walk round to the Beckenham Library cafe which is a lovely spot. Sue came round for dinner in the evening - I cooked some lamb from my new Australian Women's Weekly cookbook.
On Tuesday I went and had lunch with Fiona at a cafe near her work - some lovely food there, inc spinach and salmon stacks which I had. Had a wander around the central city after lunch - I walked around Hagley Park, went to Beads Unlimited and made a necklace, had a look at the Maori cloaks exhibition at the Art Gallery and bought some earrings from the shop there. Also had a look round the shops on Cashel St - not much has changed really! Radio man wasn't there though.
Took the bus out to Mt Pleasant for dinner at Lisa and John's - they are quite high on the hill. Sally and Richard came round as well - Sally made her lovely white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake which I had to have a little bit of!
Wednesday was ANZAC Day and it was really quiet all over Christchurch. About half the businesses were closed, and the ones that were opened only opened in the afternoon. Most restaurants charge a surcharge for a meal too. The weather was gorgeous again, and Fiona and I went for a walk along the river.
Mum and Dad came up in the afternoon, and in the evening we went to see Sacha's choir, Cafe of the Gate of Salvation (http://www.cafeofthegateofsalvation.com.au/), sing at the Great Hall. The choir is based in Sydney, and sings traditional and new gospel music. It was fantastic! The leader of the choir, Tony Backhouse, used to be in The Crocodiles years ago, but now has a passion for gospel music. The choir had been on tour through New Zealand for the last fortnight. Lovely to see Sacha again as well. We went for a drink at the Dux de Lux afterwards.
On Thursday, Mum, Fiona, Sue and I went up to Hanmer for the day for a soak in the hot pools. It's years since I've been there - maybe 15 years at least? They have really expanded it and now have many more landscaped pools, as well as three sulphur pools (40 degrees!). Lazed around in those for a while, then went and had lunch at the Rustic Cafe, and then stopped in at the Nor'Wester cafe in Amberley on the way back to Christchurch. We went and ate at The Brick Works for dinner - more lovely huge mussels!
Am leaving Christchurch today (Friday) for Los Angeles.
We left Timaru on Sunday afternoon and drove back to Christchurch via Geraldine and the 'scenic' route - through the Rakaia Gorge and Darfield etc. The weather was a bit overcast but some of the scenery was still spectacular, especially Rakaia. We stopped in at John's work to have a look at the farm - he's working at a NZ Care establishment where he works with intellectually handicapped people who spend time on the farm.
I met up with Lisa and her two children, Felix and Phoebe, on Monday. Felix is 20 months now and Phoebe 7 months. Had a walk round to the Beckenham Library cafe which is a lovely spot. Sue came round for dinner in the evening - I cooked some lamb from my new Australian Women's Weekly cookbook.
On Tuesday I went and had lunch with Fiona at a cafe near her work - some lovely food there, inc spinach and salmon stacks which I had. Had a wander around the central city after lunch - I walked around Hagley Park, went to Beads Unlimited and made a necklace, had a look at the Maori cloaks exhibition at the Art Gallery and bought some earrings from the shop there. Also had a look round the shops on Cashel St - not much has changed really! Radio man wasn't there though.
Took the bus out to Mt Pleasant for dinner at Lisa and John's - they are quite high on the hill. Sally and Richard came round as well - Sally made her lovely white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake which I had to have a little bit of!
Wednesday was ANZAC Day and it was really quiet all over Christchurch. About half the businesses were closed, and the ones that were opened only opened in the afternoon. Most restaurants charge a surcharge for a meal too. The weather was gorgeous again, and Fiona and I went for a walk along the river.
Mum and Dad came up in the afternoon, and in the evening we went to see Sacha's choir, Cafe of the Gate of Salvation (http://www.cafeofthegateofsalvation.com.au/), sing at the Great Hall. The choir is based in Sydney, and sings traditional and new gospel music. It was fantastic! The leader of the choir, Tony Backhouse, used to be in The Crocodiles years ago, but now has a passion for gospel music. The choir had been on tour through New Zealand for the last fortnight. Lovely to see Sacha again as well. We went for a drink at the Dux de Lux afterwards.
On Thursday, Mum, Fiona, Sue and I went up to Hanmer for the day for a soak in the hot pools. It's years since I've been there - maybe 15 years at least? They have really expanded it and now have many more landscaped pools, as well as three sulphur pools (40 degrees!). Lazed around in those for a while, then went and had lunch at the Rustic Cafe, and then stopped in at the Nor'Wester cafe in Amberley on the way back to Christchurch. We went and ate at The Brick Works for dinner - more lovely huge mussels!
Am leaving Christchurch today (Friday) for Los Angeles.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
penguins!
Back in Timaru now, I spent Friday morning walking into town and doing a little bit of retail therapy (not really that much to speak of in Timaru but there's a nice design store with some cool stuff). Met Dad for lunch on the Bay Hill at Coast (formerly Zanzibar's) - had some lovely, huge mussels in a coconut milk sauce.
On Saturday, Dad and I went for a walk down to the Bay to see the Aoraki final of the Young Farmer of the Year competition - they were ploughing, welding, organising sheep and digging. The Bay is getting so huge as the water goes out and out, so there's loads of room for this kind of thing to be set up.
Fiona and John came down in the afternoon and then we all drove down to Oamaru to see the Little Blue Penguins come ashore at the sanctuary. There is a viewing grandstand there - tickets cost $17.50 each and there is one of the staff commentating as the penguins arrive. It's quite quiet at the moment but we saw about 40 penguins arrive. They are tiny! Only about 30 cm high. They come ashore and then have to cross across this gravel track before they get to the safety of the nesting houses that have been built for them. They are quite cautious when they come to cross across and a few groups waited for ages before crossing - we had to be really quiet so that they were encouraged and didn't think there were predators waiting for them. The penguins were really noisy once they got to the nesting area - calling out to each other and making mating calls. We were there for about an hour and really enjoyed it. We were told to be careful when we left as penguins often wander across the road, and sure enough we had to stop and wait for one to cross!
We had dinner at the Riverstone Kitchen, about 20 km north of Oamaru. It was a lovely meal - quite a new place, and using a lot of local ingredients. We all, apart from John, had roast Havoc pork for our main - yum!
On Saturday, Dad and I went for a walk down to the Bay to see the Aoraki final of the Young Farmer of the Year competition - they were ploughing, welding, organising sheep and digging. The Bay is getting so huge as the water goes out and out, so there's loads of room for this kind of thing to be set up.
Fiona and John came down in the afternoon and then we all drove down to Oamaru to see the Little Blue Penguins come ashore at the sanctuary. There is a viewing grandstand there - tickets cost $17.50 each and there is one of the staff commentating as the penguins arrive. It's quite quiet at the moment but we saw about 40 penguins arrive. They are tiny! Only about 30 cm high. They come ashore and then have to cross across this gravel track before they get to the safety of the nesting houses that have been built for them. They are quite cautious when they come to cross across and a few groups waited for ages before crossing - we had to be really quiet so that they were encouraged and didn't think there were predators waiting for them. The penguins were really noisy once they got to the nesting area - calling out to each other and making mating calls. We were there for about an hour and really enjoyed it. We were told to be careful when we left as penguins often wander across the road, and sure enough we had to stop and wait for one to cross!
We had dinner at the Riverstone Kitchen, about 20 km north of Oamaru. It was a lovely meal - quite a new place, and using a lot of local ingredients. We all, apart from John, had roast Havoc pork for our main - yum!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
welly!
I've just had three days up in Wellington, visiting Steph and family. Oliver is now five years old, and Theo, the new baby, is just 12 weeks old. Flew from Timaru direct to Wellington on Monday morning - there are now four direct flights a day and the flight was full both ways (even though there were only 19 passenger seats!). Air New Zealand has been doing these 'Grab A Seat' offers and I'd kept an eye on those, getting my flights for $45 each way which is pretty good! Lovely smooth flight both ways and didn't hit the normal Wellington winds.
Steph and the boys came and picked me up and we went and had some lunch before going up the cable car. Oliver hadn't done this before and in his words "this is very different from what I thought it was going to be". It's school holidays at the moment and so there were lots of kids around, but it wasn't too bad. I'd not been up the cable car for years - great view from the top and the little museum is quite interesting.
During my Wellington visit we also went to the Dowse Gallery in Lower Hutt - it's just been renovated and re-opened and had some interesting exhibits, including some fab jewellery. Really good cafe there too - it's been torture resisting the cakes while I've been here! But I know that next time I visit I'll be able to indulge. Took Theo along to Plunket for his check-up and to the nurse for his 12 week injections (he wasn't terribly happy for a couple of days after that poor thing).
On Tuesday I met up with Steve and Aoife and we went into Wellington for dinner at Capitol beside the Embassy Theatre. Great to see them - they're very settled and have bought a house in Plimmerton next to the sea. Yummy meal too - had some squid (one of the seafood species Aoife looks after at MAF) and lovely Saint Claire pinot gris.
Also went for a coffee at La Bella Italia in Petone - similar to the Mediterranean Food Warehouse that Mum and Dad frequent (and which supplied much of the food for the long Italian lunch on Dad's birthday). Had a walk along the beach at Petone and out onto the pier, watching some people fishing. One guy had caught a huge Kahawai and it was flopping around, trying to get back into the water.
Had a browse through the IceBreaker shop at Wellington Airport before getting on my plane - there's a lovely Merino winter coat that I'd like to get next winter, but we'll see...
Steph and the boys came and picked me up and we went and had some lunch before going up the cable car. Oliver hadn't done this before and in his words "this is very different from what I thought it was going to be". It's school holidays at the moment and so there were lots of kids around, but it wasn't too bad. I'd not been up the cable car for years - great view from the top and the little museum is quite interesting.
During my Wellington visit we also went to the Dowse Gallery in Lower Hutt - it's just been renovated and re-opened and had some interesting exhibits, including some fab jewellery. Really good cafe there too - it's been torture resisting the cakes while I've been here! But I know that next time I visit I'll be able to indulge. Took Theo along to Plunket for his check-up and to the nurse for his 12 week injections (he wasn't terribly happy for a couple of days after that poor thing).
On Tuesday I met up with Steve and Aoife and we went into Wellington for dinner at Capitol beside the Embassy Theatre. Great to see them - they're very settled and have bought a house in Plimmerton next to the sea. Yummy meal too - had some squid (one of the seafood species Aoife looks after at MAF) and lovely Saint Claire pinot gris.
Also went for a coffee at La Bella Italia in Petone - similar to the Mediterranean Food Warehouse that Mum and Dad frequent (and which supplied much of the food for the long Italian lunch on Dad's birthday). Had a walk along the beach at Petone and out onto the pier, watching some people fishing. One guy had caught a huge Kahawai and it was flopping around, trying to get back into the water.
Had a browse through the IceBreaker shop at Wellington Airport before getting on my plane - there's a lovely Merino winter coat that I'd like to get next winter, but we'll see...
Sunday, April 15, 2007
home!
Am at Mum and Dad's in Timaru at the moment. The big surprise went as planned and Mum, Dad and Angus were extremely surprised to see me walk through the door on Friday night. I don't think Fiona could have kept it a secret for much longer and I was starting to think that they had cottoned on - but actually they had absolutely no idea which was great. So Dad was extremely pleased that I was there for his birthday - and that we all were there (apart from Tiana, Angus's girlfriend, who couldn't make it down from Nelson for the weekend).
Flight out on Air NZ was very impressive. The flight was only half full and so I had three seats to myself the whole way to Auckland. Nice opportunity to spread out and get some rest. I had taken some melatonin pills which are meant to help with jet lag - I thought that they would help me sleep more, but I only got about four hours on the first leg and none really on the second. But I haven't really suffered from jet lag since I've been here - have been sleeping at normal times and not been too tired. Will be interesting to see how they work going back. Food and entertainment on the flight were great. Had a connecting flight from Auckland to Christchurch which was totally full - a bit of a shock to the system!! Fiona met me at Christchurch and we drove down to Timaru after John finished work.
On Saturday Angus and I went down to Smithfield beach so that he could go sea kayaking (there was a bit of a swell). Was fun to watch although there were a group of surfers there as well and he didn't want to steal their waves too much.
We celebrated Dad's birthday with a long Italian lunch - he had 15 people in all. It was a gorgeous day, really sunny. We had the antipasti in the garden and all the hats had to come out. The rest of the lunch was fabulous, including a lovely tiramusu, and a specially decorated cake with 'Buon Compleanno Ken' on it, and red, green and white ribbons and stars. Dad had been given some dominoes for his birthday so we had a mini tournament to round the evening off. Had some excitement between courses when some of the scrub down by the railway track caught fire and two fire engines raced down to put it out.
On Sunday Fiona, John and I went for a walk around Dashing Rocks - there's a nice cliff side track there now, all sign-posted, not like when we were kids!! They then went back to Christchurch and Mum, Dad and I went to an exhibition down in the Landing Services Building of a Queenstown painter, Angus Watson. While we were there, one of the artist's friends told a story in a loud booming voice about a relative who lived in South Africa and had been a victim of a home invasion, shot six times etc. A bit alarming!
Off to Wellington on Monday morning to visit friends up there.
Flight out on Air NZ was very impressive. The flight was only half full and so I had three seats to myself the whole way to Auckland. Nice opportunity to spread out and get some rest. I had taken some melatonin pills which are meant to help with jet lag - I thought that they would help me sleep more, but I only got about four hours on the first leg and none really on the second. But I haven't really suffered from jet lag since I've been here - have been sleeping at normal times and not been too tired. Will be interesting to see how they work going back. Food and entertainment on the flight were great. Had a connecting flight from Auckland to Christchurch which was totally full - a bit of a shock to the system!! Fiona met me at Christchurch and we drove down to Timaru after John finished work.
On Saturday Angus and I went down to Smithfield beach so that he could go sea kayaking (there was a bit of a swell). Was fun to watch although there were a group of surfers there as well and he didn't want to steal their waves too much.
We celebrated Dad's birthday with a long Italian lunch - he had 15 people in all. It was a gorgeous day, really sunny. We had the antipasti in the garden and all the hats had to come out. The rest of the lunch was fabulous, including a lovely tiramusu, and a specially decorated cake with 'Buon Compleanno Ken' on it, and red, green and white ribbons and stars. Dad had been given some dominoes for his birthday so we had a mini tournament to round the evening off. Had some excitement between courses when some of the scrub down by the railway track caught fire and two fire engines raced down to put it out.
On Sunday Fiona, John and I went for a walk around Dashing Rocks - there's a nice cliff side track there now, all sign-posted, not like when we were kids!! They then went back to Christchurch and Mum, Dad and I went to an exhibition down in the Landing Services Building of a Queenstown painter, Angus Watson. While we were there, one of the artist's friends told a story in a loud booming voice about a relative who lived in South Africa and had been a victim of a home invasion, shot six times etc. A bit alarming!
Off to Wellington on Monday morning to visit friends up there.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
floating!
Kt and I went for a session at 'Float' in Notting Hill yesterday. It's a flotation tank center - it uses Living Nature products and has some ties with Air NZ (I think there's a tank at the terminal at Heathrow - will use it if I'm ever flying first class home!). and so I'd obtained a two for one offer from a mailing list I'm on.
Anyway, it was a fabulous experience. We each had a separate room with a tank in it that was shaped like a cocoon. After a shower and stripping off you get into the tank and stay there for about an hour. The first ten minutes have music or nature sounds then it goes silent for about 40 minutes. It was really relaxing. It took a while to get my neck and arms to relax and I ended up using a neck pillow to feel comfortable. And then the rest of my body ached quite a lot - getting used to being aligned differently I think. The water was really salty and buoyant - tasted horrible!
The whole experience made us feel really relaxed and it really lasts too - would recommend it - but maybe I'll wait until there's another half price offer - £50 a time is quite expensive!!
Anyway, it was a fabulous experience. We each had a separate room with a tank in it that was shaped like a cocoon. After a shower and stripping off you get into the tank and stay there for about an hour. The first ten minutes have music or nature sounds then it goes silent for about 40 minutes. It was really relaxing. It took a while to get my neck and arms to relax and I ended up using a neck pillow to feel comfortable. And then the rest of my body ached quite a lot - getting used to being aligned differently I think. The water was really salty and buoyant - tasted horrible!
The whole experience made us feel really relaxed and it really lasts too - would recommend it - but maybe I'll wait until there's another half price offer - £50 a time is quite expensive!!
Sunshine
Went to see the new film 'Sunshine' on Friday night. It's the new film by Danny Boyle, the director of 'Trainspotting' and is written by Alex Garland, the writer of 'The Beach'. I really enjoyed it, although there were quite a few minutes where I was jumping and Charlotte had her hands over her eyes! It's a science fiction film but much more intelligent and visual than your normal blockbuster sci fi. Really impressive design and cinematography and great to see it o the big screen. The ending with a strange plot development was a bit wierd - you could either view it as something really literal, or you could go for the mystical option, which I think I'll do.
Also great to see Kiwi actor Cliff Curtis in the cast as Searle, the psychologist.
Also great to see Kiwi actor Cliff Curtis in the cast as Searle, the psychologist.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
catching up with Dad!
I'm at 37 countries visited now...
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