Saw this sign when we got off the launch at Picton after the wedding. I'll make sure not to transport my bee collection to the South Island in future!
Makes you realise how important biosecurity is though, even within a country...
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Flowering!
One of my brother's friends gave him an off-shoot of a cactus a few years ago. It was planted at Mum and Dad's place, named Nandor and has now grown to a respectable size (over five foot). It flowers once a year for a couple of days only and this year it flowered on Christmas Day. Beautiful!
Angus has an offshoot of Nandor at his house now in Anakiwa (can't remember this cactus's name) and it flowered while I was there last week. Just as beautful, and as Tiana pointed out, it smelt of naked ladies. Sadly, we neglected to take a photo of it and then it suffered during a fierce northerly. It looked just like its Timaru cousin though!
Angus has an offshoot of Nandor at his house now in Anakiwa (can't remember this cactus's name) and it flowered while I was there last week. Just as beautful, and as Tiana pointed out, it smelt of naked ladies. Sadly, we neglected to take a photo of it and then it suffered during a fierce northerly. It looked just like its Timaru cousin though!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
San Diego – Monday 21 December
Weather was definitely a bit chillier today – but that meant about 16 degrees rather than 22 so I can’t complain! I had some yummy pancakes for breakfast at a café nearby then caught the bus out to San Diego zoo – it’s about 10 minutes by bus from the center of town. Cost was $37 for an adult day pass – that includes a bus tour of the park, and trips on the skyine cable car. I was there for over six hours so it was quite good value!
The bus tour was ok, but I felt a bit happier walking around. The whole zoo is really well laid out and not too huge, and I had my new FitFlops on so my feet were fine. My favourites were the panda bears, flamingos, different monkeys and the giraffes. There was even a baby giraffe who was only 4 weeks old! There were a few animals where they looked really cooped up and unhappy, pacing up and down. One of the polar bears spent the whole time I was watching him doing the same backflip and circle, which initially looked really cool but in retrospect may not be very healthy.
The bus tour was ok, but I felt a bit happier walking around. The whole zoo is really well laid out and not too huge, and I had my new FitFlops on so my feet were fine. My favourites were the panda bears, flamingos, different monkeys and the giraffes. There was even a baby giraffe who was only 4 weeks old! There were a few animals where they looked really cooped up and unhappy, pacing up and down. One of the polar bears spent the whole time I was watching him doing the same backflip and circle, which initially looked really cool but in retrospect may not be very healthy.
San Diego – Sunday 20 December
Another sunny day in San Diego! This morning I went to visit Coronado which is an island in San Diego Bay. You can catch the bus over the bridge but I chose to take the ferry which goes right from the Downtown Pier about five minutes walk from my hotel. It was a nice 30 minute ride across the bay – half of Coronado is a naval base and there’s also a retired aircraft carrier museum on the bay as well, so there’s quite a lot of activity around.
When I got to Coronado, I had some brunch at a restaurant right beside the water. There was a huge group of cyclists who were dressed up in red and green, who were brunching half way though their ride. Always amazing in America how people are keen to dress up – I even saw a car with fuzzy reindeer antlers!
I walked over to he other side of the island – Coronado is quite posh and there were some lovely houses to look at. On the other side of the island is the Hotel Del Coronado which is a huge distinctive complex which was initially built in 1888. It was the location for part of Some Like It Hot and is still very popular. There was even a wedding venue set up on the beach, and an ice-skating rink! Loads of nice cafes and small shops on Orange Ave, the main road across the island.
I took the ferry back to the mainland, then caught the trolley out to Fashion Valley shopping mall – there are three trolley routes around central San Diego – I had to change once, but it was very efficient. Fashion Valley was pretty busy with pre-holiday shopping. It was an outdoor mall, with all the normal mall-type shops as well as a Bloomingdales, Macys, Nieman Marcus and Nordstroom. There were loads of discounts and sales going on – the sale in Banana Republic was pretty good, but a queue at the check-out of at least 30 people so I decided not to indulge. Picked up a few summer tops – most of the stuff in the shops were really wintry and I don’t have any immediate need for that! I also visited the other two malls (Hazard Center and Mission Valley) but they were not as good.
Had dinner in the Gaslamp District in central San Diego – lots of bars, Italian and Indian restaurants!
When I got to Coronado, I had some brunch at a restaurant right beside the water. There was a huge group of cyclists who were dressed up in red and green, who were brunching half way though their ride. Always amazing in America how people are keen to dress up – I even saw a car with fuzzy reindeer antlers!
I walked over to he other side of the island – Coronado is quite posh and there were some lovely houses to look at. On the other side of the island is the Hotel Del Coronado which is a huge distinctive complex which was initially built in 1888. It was the location for part of Some Like It Hot and is still very popular. There was even a wedding venue set up on the beach, and an ice-skating rink! Loads of nice cafes and small shops on Orange Ave, the main road across the island.
I took the ferry back to the mainland, then caught the trolley out to Fashion Valley shopping mall – there are three trolley routes around central San Diego – I had to change once, but it was very efficient. Fashion Valley was pretty busy with pre-holiday shopping. It was an outdoor mall, with all the normal mall-type shops as well as a Bloomingdales, Macys, Nieman Marcus and Nordstroom. There were loads of discounts and sales going on – the sale in Banana Republic was pretty good, but a queue at the check-out of at least 30 people so I decided not to indulge. Picked up a few summer tops – most of the stuff in the shops were really wintry and I don’t have any immediate need for that! I also visited the other two malls (Hazard Center and Mission Valley) but they were not as good.
Had dinner in the Gaslamp District in central San Diego – lots of bars, Italian and Indian restaurants!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
San Diego - Saturday 19 December
I'm staying at the W Hotel in San Diego which is a bit of a splash for my trip home, and also because it was a bargain on hotels.com. W Hotels are highly branded experiences - the pool area is called Wet, the gym is called Sweat etc., etc. I've got a Wonderful room which has an enormous king size bed, and a HD TV. The design of the whole hotel is quite beach inspired and one of my pillows is the shape of a beach ball. There's even an outdoor bar area called Beach where all the young people are congregating of an evening! There is a complimentary car that will take you anywhere you want to go but I haven't tried it just yet. The hotel is in downtown San Diego which is pretty anonymous really, but it's walkable to the train station, and the bus and trolley links, and the staff are friendly and welcoming. The lifts have welcome mats in them - depending on what time of the day it is, they say 'Good Morning', 'Good Afternoon' etc, so someone must be appointed to change them at a certain time!
After a very nice long sleep, I went for a quick swim in Wet, then caught a bus from downtown out to La Jolla, one of the coastal towns north of San Diego. It took about an hour on the bus, which was a little longer than I'd thought, but it was an entertaining journey with some nice coastal bits. La Jolla has a couple of interesting little beaches and a marine reserve - lots of sea lions and seals, plus huge cormorants swooping overhead! There were a few surfers, snorkellers and sea kayakers, but even though it was lovely and sunny and about 20 degrees, it wasn't warm enough to get me in the water! I had some lunch at a bistro, and ignored the 'Fondue Forever' place, then had a walk along the beach and browsed in a couple of shops.
Got back to the hotel in time for my massage (lovely) in the spa and then a quiet dinner in the brewhouse next door.
After a very nice long sleep, I went for a quick swim in Wet, then caught a bus from downtown out to La Jolla, one of the coastal towns north of San Diego. It took about an hour on the bus, which was a little longer than I'd thought, but it was an entertaining journey with some nice coastal bits. La Jolla has a couple of interesting little beaches and a marine reserve - lots of sea lions and seals, plus huge cormorants swooping overhead! There were a few surfers, snorkellers and sea kayakers, but even though it was lovely and sunny and about 20 degrees, it wasn't warm enough to get me in the water! I had some lunch at a bistro, and ignored the 'Fondue Forever' place, then had a walk along the beach and browsed in a couple of shops.
Got back to the hotel in time for my massage (lovely) in the spa and then a quiet dinner in the brewhouse next door.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Los Angeles – 18 December 2009
Had a fairly uneventful flight from London to Los Angeles – a slow check-in meant that I only had about 20 mins once I got through security which did mean that I only had a brief chance to get some food (I hadn’t actually eaten all day, apart from some chocotofs!), grab a couple of magazines and get Mum her requested Clinique. Air NZ is departing from Terminal 1 now so it’s all a lot quieter there, shopping-wise.
I was dreading the long immigration line at LAX but they really seem to have sorted themselves out since my last visit – it only took about 5 mins and my luggage came in about 5 mins as well! But I was picked up as a person of interest by customs, and so my luggage was searched – I’ve been watching Nothing to Declare (Australian customs and immigration programme) so of course I immediately felt guilty with no cause! Was I carrying $10,000 in cash and had forgotten about it? My luggage was pretty packed in though, and had some odd bits and pieces in it (I am moving countries!!) but he must have thought I was pretty strange with a pair of scissors in my luggage! So that was a little traumatic, but thankfully I hadn’t packed anything absent mindedly that might have been a problem!!
Got a cab to my hotel, the Miyako, in Little Tokyo, really close to Union Station and went almost straight to bed! It had been a loooong day.
After a interesting but filling Japanese/American combo breakfast (salmon pieces as well as bacon) I proceeded on my walking tour of Los Angeles – I walked up to Union Station which is gorgeous, and has been kept really well – there are lovely leather comfy chairs to sit in, tiled waiting gardens, a couple of little bars and old signage. Everything was very Spanish-inspired with tiling and terracotta colouring. Next stop on the tour was the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels – the guide on the podcast walking tour just gave the street location, and I was wandering around looking for a traditional old cathedral which it’s not at all – very modern with no right angels at all. Huge mural inside with pictures of 150 saints, including controversially Mother Theresa! Walked along to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, which I was absolutely dazzled by! It was really sunny and hot by this stage so I was sweltering in my autumnal wardrobe! The concert hall was designed by Frank Gehry around the same time as the art gallery in Bilbao and is quite similar – all curves and bright stainless steel. There is a garden at the back, which has a lovely fountain based on roses and Delft pottery (Walt Disney’s wife’s two passions). Sadly there were no tours running when I was there as the amphitheatre was in use, but I had a wander around in the foyer. Apparently the acoustics are phenomenal so it would be good to return!
There are lots of tall, new, shiny office blocks in the area, but a couple of blocks east, the buildings are older, more run-down and taken over as cheap shops and food courts – not very attractive and much grittier! Even the Jewellery Quarter (which is huge) is a bit grim – not as nice as somewhere like Hatton Garden in London, or the diamond shops in Antwerp. There were quite a few people coming up asking me for money (I must have really looked like a tourist!) so that wasn’t that enjoyable!
Other highlights of the tour included the Million Dollar Theatre on Broadway, and the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, but the best bit for me was the Bradbury Building which was gorgeous on the inside, although you’d never know from the exterior! The building was built in 1893 and is about six stories high - the foyer has loads of natural light and there are wrought iron staircases and lifts, all beautifully restored. It’s been used in loads of films, including extensively in Bladerunner (pre-renovation).
I also had the excitement of seeing about six unmarked police cars racing by, followed by a SWAT team truck!
Before I caught my train, I went to MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) to check out their permanent exhibition – a really good selection of 1939-79 modern art.
Caught my train nice and easily – I decided to spend the extra $14 (the standard one way fare from LA to San Diego is $29) for a business class seat – so it means there is a bit more room, power points for laptops free drinks and snacks, newspapers etc. Groovy! The sun has set at 5pm so no sea views for me sadly – will make that a priority next time!
I was dreading the long immigration line at LAX but they really seem to have sorted themselves out since my last visit – it only took about 5 mins and my luggage came in about 5 mins as well! But I was picked up as a person of interest by customs, and so my luggage was searched – I’ve been watching Nothing to Declare (Australian customs and immigration programme) so of course I immediately felt guilty with no cause! Was I carrying $10,000 in cash and had forgotten about it? My luggage was pretty packed in though, and had some odd bits and pieces in it (I am moving countries!!) but he must have thought I was pretty strange with a pair of scissors in my luggage! So that was a little traumatic, but thankfully I hadn’t packed anything absent mindedly that might have been a problem!!
Got a cab to my hotel, the Miyako, in Little Tokyo, really close to Union Station and went almost straight to bed! It had been a loooong day.
After a interesting but filling Japanese/American combo breakfast (salmon pieces as well as bacon) I proceeded on my walking tour of Los Angeles – I walked up to Union Station which is gorgeous, and has been kept really well – there are lovely leather comfy chairs to sit in, tiled waiting gardens, a couple of little bars and old signage. Everything was very Spanish-inspired with tiling and terracotta colouring. Next stop on the tour was the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels – the guide on the podcast walking tour just gave the street location, and I was wandering around looking for a traditional old cathedral which it’s not at all – very modern with no right angels at all. Huge mural inside with pictures of 150 saints, including controversially Mother Theresa! Walked along to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, which I was absolutely dazzled by! It was really sunny and hot by this stage so I was sweltering in my autumnal wardrobe! The concert hall was designed by Frank Gehry around the same time as the art gallery in Bilbao and is quite similar – all curves and bright stainless steel. There is a garden at the back, which has a lovely fountain based on roses and Delft pottery (Walt Disney’s wife’s two passions). Sadly there were no tours running when I was there as the amphitheatre was in use, but I had a wander around in the foyer. Apparently the acoustics are phenomenal so it would be good to return!
There are lots of tall, new, shiny office blocks in the area, but a couple of blocks east, the buildings are older, more run-down and taken over as cheap shops and food courts – not very attractive and much grittier! Even the Jewellery Quarter (which is huge) is a bit grim – not as nice as somewhere like Hatton Garden in London, or the diamond shops in Antwerp. There were quite a few people coming up asking me for money (I must have really looked like a tourist!) so that wasn’t that enjoyable!
Other highlights of the tour included the Million Dollar Theatre on Broadway, and the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, but the best bit for me was the Bradbury Building which was gorgeous on the inside, although you’d never know from the exterior! The building was built in 1893 and is about six stories high - the foyer has loads of natural light and there are wrought iron staircases and lifts, all beautifully restored. It’s been used in loads of films, including extensively in Bladerunner (pre-renovation).
I also had the excitement of seeing about six unmarked police cars racing by, followed by a SWAT team truck!
Before I caught my train, I went to MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) to check out their permanent exhibition – a really good selection of 1939-79 modern art.
Caught my train nice and easily – I decided to spend the extra $14 (the standard one way fare from LA to San Diego is $29) for a business class seat – so it means there is a bit more room, power points for laptops free drinks and snacks, newspapers etc. Groovy! The sun has set at 5pm so no sea views for me sadly – will make that a priority next time!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Regal!
Li-Ann and I went to visit Buckingham Palace today - the palace has been open on during the summer for the past few years, and you visit most of the state rooms. Sadly you don't get to see the Queen's bedroom! It was interesting to see a proper working palace, so many of the palaces you visit in Europe are museums and not in practical use. So there were quite a few rooms we recognise from state banquets, investitures and different ceremonies.
The tour took about an hour and a half and there was a very informative audio tour included in the price. One of the most impressive bits was the collection of Old Masters -Rembrant, Vermeer etc. A collection to rival any museum! Because it's the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Commonwealth, there was an exhibition showing gifts and outfits from the Queen's visits to different countries in the Commonwealth. One of the gifts was a wool tapestry of Mount Cook donated by the Timaru City Council! Brilliant!
The tour ended with the possibility of a cream tea on the terrace, a (very ornate) gift shop and a stroll through the gardens. The gardens were actually gorgeous and huge! Security was very tight and we were watched pretty much all the way by staff so there was no chance to run amok or steal stuff.
The tour took about an hour and a half and there was a very informative audio tour included in the price. One of the most impressive bits was the collection of Old Masters -Rembrant, Vermeer etc. A collection to rival any museum! Because it's the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Commonwealth, there was an exhibition showing gifts and outfits from the Queen's visits to different countries in the Commonwealth. One of the gifts was a wool tapestry of Mount Cook donated by the Timaru City Council! Brilliant!
The tour ended with the possibility of a cream tea on the terrace, a (very ornate) gift shop and a stroll through the gardens. The gardens were actually gorgeous and huge! Security was very tight and we were watched pretty much all the way by staff so there was no chance to run amok or steal stuff.
Friday, September 11, 2009
pub!
Kt and I visited the Duke of Wellington for dinner on Wednesday night before going to the movies to see Broken Embraces. Thankfully the food at the Wellington had improved since we were there for my birthday - it was a bit shambolic to say the least that night! Still, it's a nice pub apart from somewhat casual staff! There was a football match being broadcast in the back room but it didn't have an impact on the front room which is always nice. And they always have lovely fresh flowers on the bar!!
Moving!
I think as I'm about to move out of my flat I'll write a little bit about what I've been up with with all the packing, moving, transitioning etc!
My flights are all booked to leave London on 17 December. I've got a few days in LA and San Diego then I arrive in NZ on 24th December. So I've got three more months left in London! I've got some great things planned - a couple of weeks in Turkey, weekend trips to Reims and Brussels, a day trip to Chirk, visiting Buckingham Palace and completing the London Loop! Not to mention finishing off at work and trying to catch up with people too.
Thankfully one of the hardest bits is nearly completed - I'm moving out of my flat tomorrow and all my boxes are being picked up by Anglo Pacific to go back on the ship to NZ. They should arrive in Wellington around Christmas time. I have 21 boxes! And that doesn't include most of my clothes which I will need for the next wee while as it will be winter by the time I leave. The majority of boxes are 'book boxes' which are the small ones in the picture. They hold about 200 CDs or about 30 books. Each box is meant to be able to be carried by a man so you can't totally fill them up with heavy stuff. I've also got a couple of linen cartons (to my left in the photo), a picture carton and a couple of other sizes. Everything has to be inventorised for customs. I'm wondering what they will open to inspect - I suspect my Egyptian rug and my wooden souvenirs (so I've packed them at the top). I've tried to be quite ruthless about everything, so there have been a few trips to Oxfam over the last few months, and there is also a lot of kitchen ware which is too tired to continue with so I'm just going to chuck it.
I'm not sending back any big items at all. The furniture I own I've either given to friends or contacts I've found on Freecycle. Freecycle is a community bulletin board where you advertise free stuff you want to give away or would like to be given. A guy came round to get the sofa futon last night (he'd just moved in somewhere and was sleeping on the floor!) and he took the wine rack and the clothes horse as well! So it's really nice to know that things are going to a good home.
I'm going to stay with friends for the next few weeks - thanks friends! It will be nice to stay in different parts of London too - I've already got beds organised in Highbury, Putney and Hither Green.
My flights are all booked to leave London on 17 December. I've got a few days in LA and San Diego then I arrive in NZ on 24th December. So I've got three more months left in London! I've got some great things planned - a couple of weeks in Turkey, weekend trips to Reims and Brussels, a day trip to Chirk, visiting Buckingham Palace and completing the London Loop! Not to mention finishing off at work and trying to catch up with people too.
Thankfully one of the hardest bits is nearly completed - I'm moving out of my flat tomorrow and all my boxes are being picked up by Anglo Pacific to go back on the ship to NZ. They should arrive in Wellington around Christmas time. I have 21 boxes! And that doesn't include most of my clothes which I will need for the next wee while as it will be winter by the time I leave. The majority of boxes are 'book boxes' which are the small ones in the picture. They hold about 200 CDs or about 30 books. Each box is meant to be able to be carried by a man so you can't totally fill them up with heavy stuff. I've also got a couple of linen cartons (to my left in the photo), a picture carton and a couple of other sizes. Everything has to be inventorised for customs. I'm wondering what they will open to inspect - I suspect my Egyptian rug and my wooden souvenirs (so I've packed them at the top). I've tried to be quite ruthless about everything, so there have been a few trips to Oxfam over the last few months, and there is also a lot of kitchen ware which is too tired to continue with so I'm just going to chuck it.
I'm not sending back any big items at all. The furniture I own I've either given to friends or contacts I've found on Freecycle. Freecycle is a community bulletin board where you advertise free stuff you want to give away or would like to be given. A guy came round to get the sofa futon last night (he'd just moved in somewhere and was sleeping on the floor!) and he took the wine rack and the clothes horse as well! So it's really nice to know that things are going to a good home.
I'm going to stay with friends for the next few weeks - thanks friends! It will be nice to stay in different parts of London too - I've already got beds organised in Highbury, Putney and Hither Green.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
looping!
We did another two sections of the London Loop yesterday - we're picking up the pace now to get it all finished before I leave. This week's walk was from Moor Park (on the Met Line) to Elstree (on Thameslink). The whole walk was over 12 miles so it was quite long but very enjoyable.
There were seven of us this time - Nicola and Sarah were in their final preparation mode before starting to walk around the Isle of Wight this week. Highlights were walking past Grim's Dyke (where WS Gilbert died), navigating past some cows and many cowpats in the Bentley Priory Open Space, very fancy houses on Priory Drive (possibly the poshest we've ever seen - the only people we saw were gardeners!), and a fantastic view over London from a car park/picnic spot on Old Redding. WE could see planes landing at Heathrow (so strange to think we were walking under them at the start of the summer, a few walks ago), Harrow on the Hill and Wembley Stadium.
There were seven of us this time - Nicola and Sarah were in their final preparation mode before starting to walk around the Isle of Wight this week. Highlights were walking past Grim's Dyke (where WS Gilbert died), navigating past some cows and many cowpats in the Bentley Priory Open Space, very fancy houses on Priory Drive (possibly the poshest we've ever seen - the only people we saw were gardeners!), and a fantastic view over London from a car park/picnic spot on Old Redding. WE could see planes landing at Heathrow (so strange to think we were walking under them at the start of the summer, a few walks ago), Harrow on the Hill and Wembley Stadium.
Alan!
I went to see Alan Cumming in his show 'I Bought a Blue Car Today' on Friday night at the Vaudeville Theatre. The show is a collection of his favourite songs and focuses on his last ten years living in New York. Alan became an American citizen last year so that he could vote for Obama (unfortunately he just missed out and couldn't vote) and the phrase 'I bought a blue car today' was one of the sentences he had to write down as part of the English test.
There was a huge variety of songs - a Dolly Parton song, a Cyndi Lauper song, and then some from different musicals, Chess, Cabaret and Hedwig the Angry Inch (my favourite!). There were also a couple of songs that he'd written as well - quite comic lyrics. Alan interspersed the songs with anecdotes, chat and witicisms which we all lapped up. I was sitting next to an excitable American who whooped at every opportunity but it all added to the excitement. There were about ten musicians onstage, some of whom were the brunt of Alan's jokes.
I thoroughly enjoyed it - Alan has a great voice and is a really entertaining stage presence! I've seen him onstage before in Cabaret (in New York) and in Bent and he's always brilliant!
There was a huge variety of songs - a Dolly Parton song, a Cyndi Lauper song, and then some from different musicals, Chess, Cabaret and Hedwig the Angry Inch (my favourite!). There were also a couple of songs that he'd written as well - quite comic lyrics. Alan interspersed the songs with anecdotes, chat and witicisms which we all lapped up. I was sitting next to an excitable American who whooped at every opportunity but it all added to the excitement. There were about ten musicians onstage, some of whom were the brunt of Alan's jokes.
I thoroughly enjoyed it - Alan has a great voice and is a really entertaining stage presence! I've seen him onstage before in Cabaret (in New York) and in Bent and he's always brilliant!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
beachy!
Had a lovely day out in the British seaside on Sunday (it was a Bank Holiday).
Kt and I met Li-Ann and Andrew, our chauffeurs for the day, at their house bright and early and we set off for Suffolk out through east London. We had a great view of the Olympics building site on the way out through Stratford - it's a huge site and we could see the skeletons of most of the buildings rising up. It's going to be very impressive when it's finished!
It took us a couple of hours to drive out through the pebble-dashed suburbs but soon we were in Essex and then Suffolk. Out first stop was the town of Aldeburgh which is right by the seaside. We drove through town and immediately headed for a restaurant for some lunch. There were a few takeaway fish and chip shops with huge queues outside but we found a lovely wee place in the lanes, 152 Aldeburgh and had identical, fab fish and chips with a lovely bottle of rose.
It stayed pretty sunny throughout, and so we had a wander along the beach afterwards and Li-Ann and I braved a paddle in the North Sea. There were a couple of people actually in the sea but we weren't brave enough even though it probably would be the same temperature in Caroline Bay! We had a look in some of the shops and then a delicious ice cream.
Our next stop was a bit further up the coast. Southwold is also a seaside town, but this time with loads of little beach huts and a proper pier. This beach was sandy and some sand castles had been constructed but were being demolished by the encroaching sea. The pier had been renovated quite recently and had some cute little design touches.
We finished off the day with a drink at the Lord Nelson pub which was a very cheery local.
Kt and I met Li-Ann and Andrew, our chauffeurs for the day, at their house bright and early and we set off for Suffolk out through east London. We had a great view of the Olympics building site on the way out through Stratford - it's a huge site and we could see the skeletons of most of the buildings rising up. It's going to be very impressive when it's finished!
It took us a couple of hours to drive out through the pebble-dashed suburbs but soon we were in Essex and then Suffolk. Out first stop was the town of Aldeburgh which is right by the seaside. We drove through town and immediately headed for a restaurant for some lunch. There were a few takeaway fish and chip shops with huge queues outside but we found a lovely wee place in the lanes, 152 Aldeburgh and had identical, fab fish and chips with a lovely bottle of rose.
It stayed pretty sunny throughout, and so we had a wander along the beach afterwards and Li-Ann and I braved a paddle in the North Sea. There were a couple of people actually in the sea but we weren't brave enough even though it probably would be the same temperature in Caroline Bay! We had a look in some of the shops and then a delicious ice cream.
Our next stop was a bit further up the coast. Southwold is also a seaside town, but this time with loads of little beach huts and a proper pier. This beach was sandy and some sand castles had been constructed but were being demolished by the encroaching sea. The pier had been renovated quite recently and had some cute little design touches.
We finished off the day with a drink at the Lord Nelson pub which was a very cheery local.
Monday, August 31, 2009
dotty!
Went to the 'Walking in my Mind' exhibition at the Hayward Gallery on Friday night - the highlight was the Yayoi Kusama Dot Obsession room which has been on all the posters and publicity for the exhibition. It was very cool - polka dots on all these huge inflatable shapes. There were also some other shapes on the balcony outside and she's also decorated some of the trees alongside the river. We weren't allowed to take any photos inside so I've picked this photo up from Flickr.
The idea of the exhibition was all about the minds of artists - and some of them were crazier than others! Most of them were very interesting though, but I wouldn't want to get to know Thomas Hirschhorn who had created a cave of packing tape, empty cans, porn and books about slavery. Very unsavoury!
The idea of the exhibition was all about the minds of artists - and some of them were crazier than others! Most of them were very interesting though, but I wouldn't want to get to know Thomas Hirschhorn who had created a cave of packing tape, empty cans, porn and books about slavery. Very unsavoury!
walking!
On Saturday Megan and I walked from Pulborough to Amberley in a walk that wasn't part of the London Loop (for a change!). It was a lovely opportunity to get a bit further out of the city and also to see the South Downs. It was a lovely day - there were a few threatening clouds at one stage but it mostly stayed sunny. We had a nice lunch at the Rising Sun in Nutbourne, joined by a set of very inquisitive chickens!
We managed to make our way through a paddock that had some threatening 'Bull in the Field' signs, saw loads of rabbits and then climbed a very steep hill up to the Downs. There were quite a few gliders all around, and we could see right out to the sea.
We managed to make our way through a paddock that had some threatening 'Bull in the Field' signs, saw loads of rabbits and then climbed a very steep hill up to the Downs. There were quite a few gliders all around, and we could see right out to the sea.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A return for a good reason!
I know I've been really slack on this blog for a few months - hey, nearly a year! I'd been a bit unsettled by the whole centipede incident in Greece where I'd blogged about the centipede infestation in my room in S**i, the island I was staying on. The owner of the accomodation had a Google alert on S**i and was a bit twitchy about me saying that there were creepy crawlies dropping on me in the middle of the night! I think she over-estimated how wide-spread my readership was!
But as I've decided to return to NZ at the end of the year, I thought this would be a good opportunity to blog about my last few months here, and also how I find the return to Godzone! One thing I'd like to record (for any of my friends here who are also returning to NZ) are the bits and pieces I've been doing to move myself and my stuff, and all the logistics etc.
But as I've decided to return to NZ at the end of the year, I thought this would be a good opportunity to blog about my last few months here, and also how I find the return to Godzone! One thing I'd like to record (for any of my friends here who are also returning to NZ) are the bits and pieces I've been doing to move myself and my stuff, and all the logistics etc.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)