Hi everyone,

Now I know it’s been a long time between posts which, is part of the reason why I believe that it’s come to that time to retire ‘Wish You Were Here’…

It hasn’t been an easy decision to come to at all, this blog has been a huge part of my life for going on 3 years, I’ve shared all of my innermost thoughts here, my happy times and my bottom of the barrel bad times. I’ve taken it to 3 countries along the way and was able to understand myself better and gain perspective through writing here; in essence, it’s become a friend and my place in the universe to just be me.

It’s become harder to post over the last few months, for most of that time I’ve just been plugging away here at the office trying to find out what might be next and trying to find some direction for myself. I’ve worked as a paper shuffler now for going on 8 years and it just doesn’t fly with me anymore; someone asks me for a photocopy job or to update the database and I envision of myself lopping their head off and shoving it down their neck… Yeah, unhealthy stuff! I think perhaps it has more to do with wanting to do something for myself instead of catering daily to others and their needs with disregard for my own, it seems like a high price to pay, it always has but has just been harder to hide as the years mounted.

So, in saying that I wanted to let you all know that I’ve spent the past month fiercely pursuing the dream I’ve had for myself since I have 5 years old - I’ve been attending interviews for a Cabin Crew position with an Australian airline soon to be based in Auckland. I'm sure most of you know that my application has been with several airlines for the past 7 to 8 years however, in that time I hadn’t heard anything until an email landed in my inbox last month inviting me to an interview *insert much squealing, laughing and crying here*

The preparation, time, excitement and stress has been enormous and overwhelming however, I’m now in a position where I’ve graduated through all of the interview stages and as of yesterday completed my aviation medical and FAA security clearance – exciting much?!

Therein lies the problem though, I have high blood pressure which has been monitored and investigated thoroughly through the years however, having high blood pressure within the aviation industry is a bit of a no-no. So now I have a 2 to 3 week wait in front of me in order to find out if I’m fit to fly by airline standards – it’s tough, last night there were a lot of tears and feelings of helplessness. If I’m told I can’t fly, I don’t know what else there is for me, I don’t know what else I want to do with my life; it would be the toughest blow I’ve faced.

That being said though I have my hopes high and there’s a lot of people out there with their fingers and toes crossed for me, effectively it’s out of my hands and up to fate. So I’m at the precipice of a new life, it could go either way at this stage but I’m trying to stay positive, either way a change is coming, there's decisions to be made and I'm preparing to embrace wherever things take me.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’ve come a long way since I started here 3 years ago, my life has changed a hell of a lot and so have my perceptions, ideals and goals; It’s been an amazing journey but perhaps this blog just doesn’t fully give me the space to represent myself the way it once did.

When things settle and my path seems a little more certain I’ll start up a new forum/blog on a smaller scale to write about my ‘going’s on’… who knows, It might just be about my life as an international flight attendant!! When that time comes I’ll send out the new URL address. In the meantime I’m contactable via email: tattered_ruby_slippers@hotmail.com or by Facebook.

So, thank you for all your love and support, through the good times and the bad. I’ve had a total blast and I hope you all have too… If I’ve made you laugh (with me or at me) then it’s been worth it!

Oh and looking at my blog userpic... I did manage to 'Find Love' and 'Buy Food'.... I'm still working on the 'Rule World' part!

Much love!

Over & out…


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So it's Christmas in New Zealand this year, a hot Christmas for the first year in awhile - break out the Christmas ham, BBQ & Corona's!

Last week on my way home from work I stopped past the $2 buck shop and picked up a 4ft tree for $6 as well as a few boxes of decorations and headed home with all under arm. When I arrived home and dumped my boxes I found a package had arrived from home and to my surprise, it was Mum & my annual Christmas decoration.

Every year since I can remember my Mum and I will travel into Melbourne City and spend the day shopping, lunching... visiting Santa and buying a new, special decoration for our Christmas tree. Although I've been living overseas for the past 3 festive seasons, each year my Mum had taken it upon herself to pick one and mail it to me for my own tree and might I say, this year's decoration is the best one yet, I literally gasped when I opened the box. Thanks Mum!






Our little Christmas tree
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Holiday's are almost here!!!

Our office here is closing for 3 weeks over the festive period and I couldn't be more stoked as I sit here listening to Christina Uglyleira belt out Christmas carols (bosses choice, not mine!). It's going to be my first proper holiday in... ummmm... like 2 years! Since I went to Europe back in October 2006. Wow! That's quite some time. Just because I've been living in a few different countries over the past 2/3 years that doesn't mean it's been a big party or a holiday; I've been busting my balls the entire time working, looking for work, being broke etc etc. Even when I arrived back after living in London I started a new job 6 day's later, I have work ethic goddam it!

Anyway, like I said the office closes here next Friday and I'm a free agent for 3 weeks and it's going to be great. It's my birthday on 22nd December, we have Christmas after that and on Boxing Day, Rachel & I are going to pick up a rental car and drive up North to a cottage we've rented at The Bay of Islands. I'm going to lie on the beach, drink cocktails, get sunburnt, read numerous bookds, go on hikes, take photos, watch the sunset on 90 Mile Beach at New Zealand's further most point North, eat buckets of seafood and wash it all down with a few beers before doing it all over again the following day. Yup, I'm going to take it rrrrrrrreeeaaaalll easy...

...The only part I'm shitting bricks about is driving. I actually haven't driven now for 6 years, havng sold my car years back so hopefully it'll all comes back to me really quickly because if it doesn't it's going to be a lllllong drive up the coast! Watch out fellow holiday-makers!

Here's some photos of the cottage we've rented that the owner sent through last week. It sits amid an olive grove and a vineyard... come to think of it, 2 of my favorite things!

Feliz Navidad homies!











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About 3 weeks ago Rachel and I spent Saturday having a wander around a local festival in Grey Lynn Park. The weather was great and heaps of people turned out to look at all the local crafts, listen to the local bands and just enjoy being out in the sun. Here's some photos.

... The local Mexican restaurant in Ponsonby


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... and NO, I'm not talking about myself!!

About a month ago Rachel and I attended a queer musical parody on a beauty pageant, 'Queen of the Whole Universe'; alegedly this year's 'must see' event in downtown Auckland.

The basis of the event is a beauty pageant with a difference, all with one mission to receive the coveted crown and be named 2008's 'Queen of the Whole Universe'. The event is held as a benefit of raising money and awareness of HIV/AIDS in New Zealand and being in it's 9th year had raised more than $150,000 with $42,000 coming from this year's even alone. Oh and this year the Guinness World Record for “Largest Drag Queen Stage Show” was broken with 31 men dressed in drag. The previous record having been held in New York in 2005.

We had an absolute ball, the ladies looked amazing and it was a most camp affair. The highlight for us came when Miss Transylvania performed her talent act and did an all out killer performance of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and finished by ripping off her wig and belting out 'I'm A Sweet Transvestite' from Rocky Horror - the crowd went ballistic and I think everyone from then on knew she was the favorite to take the crown.!

At the show's conclusion Miss Transylvania, Nora Vein (Steve Lawrence) was officially crowned as Queen of the Whole Universe 2008. Coming in a close second was Miss Japan, Kitty Tammy-Gucci (Andrae Fassler) and while Ms. Barby Prawne (Owen Anderson) attained third place for Australia... yeah gutted!!!



Wearing my p-p-party dress!


Waiting for the bus


Drinking c-c-cocktails! The official drink of 'Queen of the Whole Universe' the Slippery Stilleto











The Aoteroa Theatre before the show


Hostest's with the mostest, Buffy & Bimbo


Last year's winner, and owner of the best little gay bar in Auckland (Dorothy's Sister), Miss Brazil.





Miss Garden of Eden


Miss Christmas Island


Miss China


Miss Japan





Miss Alcatraz


Buffy with Miss Japan


Miss Canada


Miss Easter Island


Miss England


Miss Jamaica


Miss Scotland


Miss USA


Miss Australia


Miss Transylvania








Miss Transylvania being crowned 'Queen of the Whole Universe 2008'

Now I'm all big on courtesy on public transport, after all, it is a 'public' and communal space is it not? So I'm just wondering, what sort of idiotic, moron woman pulls out a pair of nail clippers and start's cutting her fingernails on a public bus first thing in the morning? Really?! What sort of person?! Some people, seriously!

So the US 2008 elections are now in full swing, 175 for Obama to John McCain's 31 electoral college votes. While I'm aware that I'm not directly affected by who wins in the US this evening, it is a fiercely memorable day in history and one that is going to have an impact that ripples outside America in the coming months. I've been fully tunned into the USA Today's live web-broadcast all day and I also have a bottle of Champaign chilling in the fridge... hopefully I'm not counting my chickens. So in the spirit of competition, GO OBAMA!

On Saturday afternoon Rachel and I caught the bus down to Auckland Viaduct to attend the Diwali Festival of Lights, an Indian Festival that runs over the weekend that has everything from yummy food, Bollywood dancing, traditional crafts, fireworks and music.

The weather was great, there were stacks of people out enjoying the festivities and we even bumped into New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clarke which was a laugh - where else but New Zealand eh!



Happy Diwali!!


Lots of people...





Rachel


& I





New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clarke


Lots and lots of faux gold everywhere!


Caucasian stilt walkers with Indian accents as faux as the gold!


An Indian pop-star I'd never heard of...

This here is Mr. Harvey (Mr. Meow's arch nemesis) who lives with one of our neighbours in the downstairs apartment. We absolutely adore the pants off him and annoy him with our affections every chance we get! This is him workin' the camera last Monday.

Yup... These are the new boots that I bought at Overland about 3 month ago to replace the boot's I broke back in London... sorry little guys, I still have your snapped off heel stored in my 'London Box'! Despite the mortgage I had to take out just to afford them, I super love them!

...I was watching Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' last night after work and heard a word thrown around that I haven't heard in awhile - 'SAR's'.

What the hell ever happened to the SAR's virus? Did it take a vacation to the Bahamas’ or something that I wasn't informed about? One minute we're all on high alert and going crazy about this apparent deadly virus that was going to consume us and render us all dying and dead and the next minute we don't hear about it for several years as though it never existed in the first place? What the fuck? At the time of the supposed 'epidemic' I even had a can of SAR's (Australian sarsaparilla) on my desk that provided many a laugh around the office and then all of sudden nothing? Did anyone even die of SAR's in the first place or was it just some trendy 2005 virus?

And also, while we're on the subject of 'An Inconvenient Truth', is anyone else thinking that perhaps the 'end of days' are more nigh than we’d like to acknowledge? I mean, floods, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, pandemics - Madonna filing for divorce?

What’s next, locusts? Blood from the sky? A white unicorn roaming the streets filled with fire? Has our lord and savior been on holiday for the past gazillion years and then just one day woke up with a snort and was like, "Damn! That was a nap! Huh. Wow. The world’s all fucked up and shit. I’d better get a move on with the whole Armageddon plan. First? Fuck New Orleans."

I don’t really believe in all that "end of the world" stuff, well you know unless some crazy fucker with a chip on his shoulder decides to push the big red button or Mother Earth shrugs us off like a bad case of the fleas, but all these tragedies in such a short period of time and the global warming phenomenon has definitely made me wonder.

Now, perhaps I'm just not down with the kids anymore (I did have to look up the term 'bling' on the internet a few years back) and am horribly uncool having sufficiently grown up over the past 8 or so years but, is it a new thing that teenagers are drinking take-away coffee on their way to school or just a New Zealand thing?

Each morning I take the bus from the top of my street in an affluent suburb of Auckland and watch a group of 14-15 year old girls sip down their double espresso macciatto's and latte's at the bus stop while they flick their hair and gossip about how fat and ugly their English teacher is.

Now, I'm kind of thinking that as a child/young adult, drinking freshly brewed coffee in the morning before school isn't such a crash hot idea. Surely consuming all that caffeine so early in the morning would make it exceptionally hard to concentrate and ensure a rapid caffeine crash come early afternoon. Hell, I can't even drink coffee at all; do we all remember the 'zombie incident' I had about a year ago after sipping on a cup of instant while watching 'Girls of the Playboy Mansion'? Let's just say, it wasn't pretty and never again!

I'm guessing that it must have more to do with looking cool and emulating Hollywood celebrities photographed with their Starbucks rather than about the drinking of coffee itself no? I often see photos splashed around the internet of celebs walking around in sunny LA, latte in hand. Namely celebs like Paris, Brit Brit and Katie Holmes who has even been known to break down in tears at coffee establishments, although I suspect that, in that particular instance, her tears had more to do with the fact that she lives in a padded room with furniture made out of Nerf and is only allowed out to prove to the world that Tom Cruise’s sperm actually works.

Whatever the reason, kids in my day did not drink take-away coffee's every morning with their homies on the way to school like it was going out of fashion... excuse the pun I'm also curious where young adults of that age are getting $4.00 a day to buy their morning fix. That roughly equals out to about $1,200 a year! That's a hell of a lot of pocket money for mowing the lawn! And aren't there better things to spend one's pocket money on? You can buy your own espresso machine for that much dosh!

Which also brings me to ask, why on Earth are all these 'celebrities' going out for coffee in the first place? It’s really easy, you know. You buy a espresso machine and then you buy Starbucks coffee and a grinder and then you make your coffee and add your fancy-pants soy milk or whatever and boom! Caffeine! Fast and fresh and I'm sure a dam sight better than constantly chased by paparazzi and having minor car accidents in the process. Although, I wouldn’t expect Britney to have anything that elaborate — maybe just a tin pot full of hot water and a trough filled with day-old coffee grounds she found in the dumpster out back of K-Mart, but the idea is still the same.

Anyway, my point is that teenagers shouldn't be drinking coffee as a status symbol or to emulate the lives of people that are glorifyed beyond recognition or reality; they shouldn't be drinking caffine in that amount before school for $4 a pop, period!

A couple of weeks ago now I went out for dinner with my colleagues to a rotating restaurant at the top of the Sky Tower in Central Auckland. Now, having lived in Auckland for several months, I must say... at the risk of a public flogging, I really dislike the Sky Tower. Aucklander's love it, they really do, it's what they say defines their skyscape but I think, in my honest opinion, that it looks like an upside down junkie needle... THERE! I said it!

Anyway, dinner was lovely and the view was actually amazing. My boss also offered us the option to bungie jump from the top of the tower but alas, the heavens opened up and it started pouring with rain not long after we arrived so the company bungie jump is going to have to wait until summer and it looks like it'll be from the Auckland Harbor Bridge instead. If you don't bungie jump in New Zealand then, well... when do you!











See!! A junkie needle if I ever saw one!

So once again I've been screwing around with my hair and obviously no longer being content with being a red head, I dyed my hair black... well it's that blue/black colour but it's difficult to tell, you'll just have to take my word for it.


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This morning the newest addition to the Airbus family, the A380 is making it's first commercial flight over Auckland before returning to Sydney. It takes off from AUK at 10am and is making a 1 hour low flying trip around the city! I'm so excited I could pee my pants!!!

...But I've had a bit of a play around with the theme for 'Wish You Were Here' and have come up with a new lay out. I'm not fully sure of the new format having worked with the other style for so long, it's visually very different so would appreciate your feedback!

Cheers
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So Rachel and I moved in together about 5 weeks ago, settling into a little one bedroom weatherboard number right on the beach in Herne Bay, Central Auckland.

Initially I was quite daunted by the task of moving, I'd only just moved some 3 months ago into a place in Westmere... which obviously wasn't working, so moving again seemed like a massive task both practically and financially. There were moving vans to coordinate, a fridge to rent, lease to sign, bed to sell, things to buy - the list at the time seemed endless. I also didn't have much in the way of furniture other than a bedside table, a shelf and a bed... which of course I wouldn't actually need since Rachel had a more comfortable one than I. We also didn't have the basic necessities to set up a house such as kitchen utensils, cleaning products or lounge room furniture. However, when the ball started rolling and Rachel and I had both signed the lease, my boss suggested that I send out a broadcast email here at the office asking if anyone had any house odd-and-ends that they'd be willing to part with that were looking for a good home.

As much as we didn't expect anything for free, much to our surprise everyone contributed and brought bits-and-pieces in for us from plates and bowls to coffee tables and book cases, we were also given a kettle, casserole dishes, throw cushions and a cheeseboard, were both so grateful, it saved us a hell of a lot of time and money. Also helping with the moving costs was the sale of my bed on Trade Me (NZ equivalent of eBay) which sold for $300 a few weeks ago. Considering I'd only had it for 2 1/2 months and originally paid $400 for it I think I did quite well. I also struck up a bit of a repour with the woman who bought it, a student from China who is looking at moving to London with her boyfriend next year and who wants’ some advice on how to make it in the thick of it over there HA HAA HAAA HAAHAA HAAA.... HA HA HAAHAA HHAAA!!! She wants MY advice!?! Advice from a woman who stole food because she couldn't afford to eat and who slept in an unfloored room on an air bed for 4 months... not to mention, living out of garbage bags during that time too!! Good luck with that!

It's quite a strange feeling having my own home after travelling so long, going from owning/borrowing make-shift furniture and whatever else you can scrounge up to having something that actually yours and is stable and solid. Coming home after work and walking into a house filled with my belongings and not a random crazy flatmate in sight is pretty wonderful. I don’t have to worry about someone jumping in the shower 2 seconds before I was about to walk of my bedroom and do the same, I don’t have to worry about anyone eating my food mistaking it for 'communal' or taking my clothes off of the drying rack before they're dry because they need it. I don't have to worry about the kitchen looking as though someone has blown up a science experiment and not cleaned up after themselves. I also don’t have to worry about smelly-guy flatmates watching rugby solidly for 4 day's, practically comatose on the couch in their sleeping bags thus ensuring that I can't occupy the lounge and watch 'Girls of the Playboy Mansion'... thanks HAMISH... Dickhead!!!

Since moving we're acquired everything we needed and our house is adorable, it's the sort of home I've always wanted for myself; comfortable, quaint and full of love, respect and tranquillity. Just last Sunday we pulled the massive bean bag we have out onto the deck and sat in the sun reading and drinking Corona's literally all day; to me, after living in London through the grey and the bleak and the cold and the noise, it doesn't get much better than that!

Here's some photos of the new place...

This my friends is Mr. Meow, he lives in one of the apartments behind ours and I just adore the pants of him! I'm pretty sure his name isn't 'Mr. Meow' but he doesn't seem to mind, in fact he has a habit of just meandering in and making himself at home if ever we leave the front door open. His arch nemesis, Mr. Harvey lives in one of the other apartments out front, he's pretty smoochey too.












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& this is me passed out in the lounge in my David Bowie T-Shirt shortly after willing someone to kill me... or grab me a beer and a slice of leftover pizza from the fridge. About 2 minutes later I got a nose bleed... I don't think exercise agree's with me!
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Since arriving in the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’ almost six months ago one of the things I’ve found rather difficult is getting my head and my tongue around picking up basic Māori.

Now, like most of you, I wasn’t aware that living here required at the very least, a basic knowledge of how to pronounce and use the Māori language in both my working and home environment. One of the things I also wasn’t aware of before I arrived here was how interwoven Māori culture is within the Pākehā (Māori for ‘white’) population of New Zealand; a large amount of people are bilingual and a vast majority very fluent. Very often I pick up the phone at work or have a client come in and am greeted with Kia Ora! (Māori for ‘hey, how are you’) and have to be quick on uptake so as not to insult and direct a quick ‘Kia Ora’ back. (Pronounced ‘Ki-Owda’)

I’ve come to learn that New Zealand is an extremely PC country with roots and traditions of generations that are to be respected otherwise public uproar generally ensures, so to say that possessing a cultural conscience as a resident here is required is perhaps an understatement.

I’ve often found myself stuck when it comes to pronouncing place names, greetings and a multitude of other things, opening myself up to a lot of laughter from my workmates on many an occasion. Just last week in fact I was booking a courier to a suburb in Auckland called ‘Onehunga ’; the woman processing my request on the other end of the phone almost fell of her chair when I requested a 3 hour to ‘One-Hunga’…. ‘Ummm, sorry Mam, I’m not entirely sure where you mean. Could that be OWNIE-HUNGA perhaps?’… ‘Uhh yeah… that would be great, cheers’ whereupon I slammed the phone down hoping to never have her answer my call again.

You see, I tried teaching myself basic Māori when I first arrived fresh off the plane, the Māori Channel (yup, they actually have one) provided me with endless lessons on how to understand and speak basic Māori however, when putting my newly learnt vocab to use, I became confused mistaking a Puke (hill) for Wai (water) while watching Māori Playschool … easy mistake I think! I’m not even going to bother trying with the soap operas they screen!

Sometimes just getting around on the bus can be tricky, pronouncing suburb names can be near on impossible; here’s just a few to give you an idea:

Owairaka
Otahuhu
Kohimarama
Pahurehure
Papatoetoe
Panmure
Takanini
Te Atatu Pen
Titirangi
Wai-o-Taiki Bay
Waikowhai

So far I’ve had many a bus driver laugh in my face after bastardizing their language… not my fault me thinks!

It’s not easy, it really isn’t but I’m starting to pick up enough to slowly get me by; I can tell you I won’t be making that ‘Ownie’-hunga mistake again!! And ‘ Whakatene`… well that’s pronounced ‘Fuck-a-tarn-a’… yeah, I know! Good luck with that!!

It’s been exactly 2 months today since I stopped smoking cold turkey and so far so good. I haven’t been tempted, I haven’t had cravings and I haven’t rooted around any bus stops looking for semi-lit butts with which to fill my lungs.

I’m not exactly sure what made me stop, it wasn’t exactly a conscious decision but I remember thinking shortly after that I’d not had a cigarette for 4 day’s and wondering if I could go longer, and so I did.

I don’t really like to use the word ‘quit’ because ‘quit’ implies that I’ll never have a cigarette again and I can’t exactly make that promise to myself only 2 months in; it puts a lot of pressure on me not to when the whole success of me not smoking has been not to put any pressure on myself at all.

I have in the time that I’ve stopped put on 5kg’s though, yeah… I’m a little more ‘rotund’ that I used to be but that’s ok, daylight savings starts this weekend and not smoking is always a great excuse to exercise right?! I’ve probably never intentionally exercised a day in my life other than sport I played as a kid so its going to be interesting to see how I go. I’ve always been anti-gym and still am so as the plan goes it’s going to be a brisk jog after work until I can work my way up to a solid run without wheezing and coughing all the way and reaching for a beer as soon as I stumble in the door.

So, this weekend I’m off to buy myself some kick arse work out clothes and trainers which will hopefully inspire me to get off my fat butt and repair some of the damage I’ve done to my poor body over the past… oh 25 ½ or so years! I’ll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!

Having been living in Auckland now for 5 months I'm still sadly confined to travelling around on it's many bus services as a car really isn't within the budget right now; soon though.

Anyway, 'The Link' is one of the main bus routes that runs through Auckland for only $1.60. The little green bus, as well as being environmentally friendly, does a big loop of the suburbs bordering on Central Auckland making it relatively easy and cheap to get around. It is the cleanest bus service in Auckland, all the other's tend to be somewhat skanky, smelly and scary. It routinely runs every 10 minutes and there's even some little plasma TV screens that update you on the weather, news, your location, where the McDonald's and Starbucks are conveniently located. Oh and it occasionally makes rooster noises although Rachel assures me it's not actually a rooster... I think it is!





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On the weekend, having had enough of living within the same 10km circumference for the past five months, Rachel and I went on a road trip outside of Auckland up towards the Coromandel to Thames, an old gold-mining town in the Waikato region. We took the bus up early Saturday afternoon and stayed at a B&B in the centre of town before travelling back late Sunday afternoon.

Thames itself, was quiet… when I say ‘quiet’ I mean, our bus got in at 3pm on Saturday only to discover that all of the shops, cafes and stores closed at 12pm Saturday afternoon and didn’t re-open until 9am Monday morning, thus leaving us to our own devices. Being slightly disappointed we had a wander around, dodged tumbleweeds blowing down the main street, checked out the mudflats which we expected to be a beach, looked at the one shop that was open and made our way to the B&B with takeout and settled in for the night.

On Sunday, after a hearty full English cooked up by our lovely host who resembled everyone’s favourite Nanna we meandered back into town, scoped out the only open café for lunch and wandered down towards the water and along the coast to find the nearest beach. The weather was perfect, it was quiet, green and picturesque and we slowly started to find the rhythm of the town. I collected shells, got sunburnt for the first time in 2 1/2 years and soaked up the peace and quiet. On our way back into town we had lunch at lovely café and went back across to the only shop open to pick up some little nic-nac’s for our new house, I also bought a sweet wooden bowl for my jewellery before we make our way back to the bus station and back to Auckland.

We had a brilliant day, absolutely loved our time there and hated to come back but sadly adult responsibilities always call. We’re eagerly planning another road trip back that way come summer when we have a car.


The main street of Thames... real happin' place!


Gone fishin' apparently!


The abandoned train yard


The pub that was too scary to go into


The museum


The miniture railway complete with miniture Eurostar


Our B&B - Casa Bella


The mountains


The mud flats


Yup... no beach in sight!


The bird watch


Scary sea gull thingies


Walking along the coast


Beaching myself
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As I mentioned previously, having both had a gut full of our... flatmates... for all polite purposes, Rachel and I moved in together last month. We moved to a little ritzy suburb right on the beach in Central Auckland called Herne Bay that has a plethora of lovely shops, cafe's and bars.

Here's a few photos I took of the main street this morning, I also attempted to take a few of of new house but it was a bit overcast and they came out a little dark so I'll try again later in the week when the weather is better and the sun is shining.

Much love


The main steet Jervois Road, towards Westmere


Towards Ponsonby

Went shopping down on A-Town's central drag, Queen Street, last Friday after work and snapped up some bargains. Here's us on our lovely deck workin' our new threads. Some new photos for the fridge for y'all back home.











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The houses here in Auckland really are very quaint and sweet with their high ceilings, tiled fire places, old wooden doors, wash-houses and ornate fixtures. It definitely reminds me that although I’m close to home, I’m certainly not in Kansas anymore.





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As exaggerated as they may sound, its partially true.... well, until the next handbag comes along!

This my friends is my new Fendi Spy Bag; bought on the internet and costing me a small fortune, I'm inclined to believe it was worth every penny. It's made from black Zucca leather and has several secret compartments in which to hide my secret things - as far as bags go, it's my McDreamy! A girl's gotta treat herself every now and then... right?!



... Completely gratuitous but Paris Hilton & Madonna certainly seem to love theirs!




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While waiting for the bus to work a few months ago in Grey Lynn, I stumbled across this loan microwave also waiting for the bus I presume...

The irony is that Rachel and I moved in together a few weeks ago and have everything we need to set up house... except a microwave - bollocks!


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So, I have some new shoes! Yes, I've been shopping and unintentionally spashed my money on some lovely new footwear for summer. Check em out...


New Escada denim & lime green sling backs



Vintage green & white courts



Lime green Andrea Biani sling backs
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A sign I stumbled across on Ponsonby Road on Friday morning...



I totally want a job there!
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So I moved house... gosh, about 5 weeks or a month ago now. I'm living in a little place just on the boarder of Grey Lynn and Westmere which is a little west of Auckland City but only about a 10 minutes bus ride away. I've moved in with 2 guys, one a South African, anaesthesiologist at Auckland Hospital and the other a cop with Auckland's finest who is originally from Hamilton - both are lovely, keep to themselves and are relatively tidy which suits me just fine.

The house itself is actually a 2 story, open plan unit that has been built out the back of an old weatherboard house that faces the street (where the bogans live... more on them later), and living in Grey Lynn which boasts the most amount of weatherboard houses of anywhere in the world (a true fact), I think I must live in the only non-weatherboard house in my suburb which is kind of strange but sometimes the way the cards fall.

My rent is $160 which doesn't include bills (yeah, I'm waiting to be smacked with those sometime soon!) and neither one cared if I paid a bond or even any rent upfront which made it a lot easier to move in considering everything else I had to buy! Oh and also they had a spare chest of draws, bookcase, flat screen plasma TV and DVD player... yeah, I think I was pretty lucky!

So I'm settling in pretty well so far although I'm still struggling with missing London a lot; there's been a lot of tears and I'm not going to lie, it's hard. I've also just started a new job since the last one went tit's up after only 3 weeks which, is a really long story. In short the receptionist I was working alongside of was a complete and utter fucking bitch so I resigned after only 3 weeks however, much to my surprise, had to give a months notice. Working along side her for the next month was soul destroying, I'd wake up most mornings and actually start crying because I knew I had to go to work but I got through it and have just started a job at an accountants office in Ponsonby which I'm really enjoying - there's only 12 people, they're lovely and the work is challenging but nothing I can't handle... just enough to keep my brain stimulated.

So things are starting to pick up slowly but it's a process, I'm still waiting to be paid next week and I must say that living in Auckland without a car is a real struggle.

Anyway, I'm going to be updating more frequently now that I'm settled in my flat and my new job, life in the previous month or so just wasn't really conductive to writing since live there was a bit miserable but, things are on the up and up. In the meantime here's some photos of the new place.


The long driveway leading past the Bogan House where my unit is up the back on the right hand side.


Our house


This is the kitchen that guys never seem to be able to keep clean after I've spent 1/2 an hour in there scrubbing. Sorry about the crappy quality photos, the light wasn't so good this morning at 7am.


The living room


Lounge room


What happens when you let men decorate the house!


The backyard which has a capsicum plant, a herb garden and aparently a resident hedgehog! I didn't know they had them in New Zealand either!


The bathroom upstairs


My room


The set of bedside draws I found for $20 at a second hand store in town... I even carried the shit back on the bus!


My plasma, DVD player and chest of draws! ... I even have a slanted roof like I did in London. Actually that was probably the biggest draw card for taking the room, it made me feel at home.


Yep, the shoes followed me here!


Who know a girl could own so much jewelery!!


A super cool lamp I bought at a retro store on K Road that I fell in love with before I even had my own room.


This is my new plant 'Murray'. I picked him out at a nursey in Grey Lynn a few week ago. He's not to replace Nigel per-say but I did need another friend to keep me company and I still haven't gotten over the loss of Nigel who I left with my mate Nadine when I left London. See the little brown leaf sitting in the corner of his pot? That's one of Nigel's leaves I took with me when I left.


A totally awesome clock I bought in an antique shop in Dilworth for a small fortune and to compliment it, some vases I bought at the Warehouse... yes that have it here too!


A model A340 I bought in a model store across from my own job on Great South Road. I hung it up above my bed with fishing line... yeah, I'm a dork!


This is my iron '&' - one of the presents Rachel bought me for our 1 year anniversary a few weeks ago which I absolutely love.


'Gus' my lucky cat that protects me from the Weta's trying to climb in my bedroom window... I'll explain what they are later!
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On Sunday afternoon for some stupid, stupid reason I thought it would be a fantastic idea to stop into 'Wendy's' on Queen Street and get me one of these babies:



2 1/2lb of juicy beef, 6 slices of bacon & 2 slices of America cheese which roughly translates into 830 calories, 51 grams of fat, 22 grams of saturated fat, 2.5 grams of trans fat, 170 milligrams of cholesterol, and 1,920 milligrams of sodium... every cardiologists nightmare! Heck, there’s not even a single thin slice of tomato or lettece on there, because, I suspect the Baconator people felt it might pussify the situation. 

Here's the breakdown of the equivilant amount of food you would need to consume in order to ingest the same amount fat, sodium and calories: 

Sodium (1920 mg) 
+ 2 containers of Pringles

Calories (830) 
+ 4 Hot Dogs 
+ 5 7-Eleven Cola Slurpees (12 oz) 
+ 33 tablespoons of Bacon Bits 
+ 83 packets of Life Savers
+ 166 Starbucks coffees (12 oz)
+ 4 Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts 

Fat (51g) 
+ 10 KFC Zinger Burgers 
+ 3 orders of chilli cheese fries 
+ 4 Banana splits 
+ 22 Oreo cookies 
+ 51 cups of Froot Loops 
+ 10 servings of KFC mashed potatoes with gravy 
+ 22 Fish Fingers
+ 23 3 Snickers bars (Fun Size) 
+ 1 Sara Lee frozen cheesecake 
+ 6 ounces of Hungarian salami 
+ 19 Mrs Fields cookies 
+ 68 pancakes

In addition to the information above, it appears a person would have to do 78 minutes of non-stop vigorous star-jumps, or walk at 3.5mph for 2 hours and 45 minutes, to work off the number of calories in that outrageous burger. But, of course, I didn't do any of that nonsense. I just ate the thing (along with a Diet Coke and a full order of fries), wiped the grease off my face, my hands, the table, the chair and all the windows on the first floor and then had myself a killer nose bleed. 

The result:

High blood presure and Baconators aparently don't mix, I had a blood nose that wouldn't quit about 1.3 seconds after my last mouthful. Luckily Rach was there with napkins on hand. I wouldn't recommend it unless you seriously have a death wish!





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On Saturday Rachel and I caught the ferry from Central Auckland across the bay to Waiheke Island and spent the day lounging around on the beach, drinking Conrona's in the sun, climbing across rock pools, being chased by string rays and chasing local ducks. I decided it would be a great idea to go swimming in all my clothes and jewelry while Rachel occupied herself with poking at gigantic star fish on the beach which I thought was pretty brave!


Auckland CBD


Auckland Harbour Bridge





Auckland again


Devonport on the North Shore


Waiheke Island Pier


Being greeted by the island's local duckies on the beach





A resident hula tree


Oneroa Beach














Rach hanging out with her shadow


Me swimming in my clothes














Going for a walk on the rock pools








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A lesirely strole through Albert Park on Ponsonby Road on my second day in Auckland.


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It’s been a long time coming but finally here are some photos of where I’m living at the moment in Ponsonby. When I arrived in Auckland some 4 weeks ago I moved into a house that Rachel had found for me on Gumtree while I was still in Melbourne. The ad was looking for someone to house share with 3 other woman whose flatmate had taken off to Italy for 6 weeks for a studying holiday. We emailed back and forth briefly before I left, promising her I would look after all of her things and leave everything just as I left it… so far so good! So anyway, here’s a few snaps of my new place.


My street


My house


The lepracorn in the front yard


My massive room with all of Cara's stuff in it. I even have a totally sweet fireplace!








The hallway


The lounge


The kitchen


The bathroom behind closed doors...


Other end of the hallway
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Now that the money situation is temporarily sorted it's on to finding a flat for when my 6 week stay is up at Cowan Street which is the Friday 23rd May. I'm looking forward to having a place I can call home after almost 2 1/2 months of being somewhat transiant, being able to unpack and buy some furniture.

This is the place I'm going to view tonight at 7pm. Wish me luck!

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Grey Lynn, 2 bedrooms, $150 pw
Rent: $150 per week | Closes: Tue, 20 May

Location: Grey Lynn
Auckland City
Auckland

Available: 17 May 08
Rent: $150 per week
Listed: Tue, 6 May
Description: 2 bedroom unit with 1 bathroom.

Double unfurnish bedroom available in a sunny open plan flat.
Very close to Grey Lynn Shops, supermarket and two minutes walk to bus stop
NZD150.00 + expenses or
NZD180.00 inclusive of water, power, sky tv and phone
No pets or smokers.
Furnishings: House is furnish with all the essentials but the room is unfurnish
In the area: Grey Lynn Shops Western Spring St Lukes Mall

Current flatmates
1 existing flatmate. Professional, outgoing, tidy female, early 30s

Ideal flatmate
Professional, over 25

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Taken on my way to the bus stop this morning at the top of my street


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About 2 weeks ago Rachel and I went for wander to Mission Bay, about 15 minutes outside of Auckland to have a day by the sea. I almost cried putting my feet in the sand for the first time having almost forgotten what it feels like to feel sand under my feet after so long in smoggy London, it was wonderful!

On my second day in Auckland Rach and I hung out at Viaduct and had a few Corona's at a bar overlooking the harbour, a nice way to spend the afternoon indeed.





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Leaving home











Almost there...


About to land in Auckland


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Things have a funny way of working themselves out when you least expect them to. After a massively taxing day yesterday I skulked home on the bus with my head in my hands and arrived at about 7pm for an appointment with The Amazing Race and a packet of sausages. My flatmates were lulling about in the lounge and were quick to ask ‘why the long face’. I explained my money woes and out of nowhere, Sarin my flatmate who I’ve only known for 3 weeks piped up and said ‘I’ll lend you $600, no sweat’. By no means was I expecting it and I was absolutely floored by her offer of help, it’s not every day someone you hardly know steps in to help when your in a really tough bind.

She explained that when she came over from Canada to study she needed a certain amount of money in the bank to prove that she could support herself for the six months she intended to stay which was now just sitting in a bank account untouched and that it was no trouble lending me the cash until next Wednesday… after all, she knows where I live! I was gob smacked and although I absolutely detest borrowing money from anyone, I had no Plan B and no other immediate options whereby I wouldn’t be imposing on someone to ask, beg or steal. So, after a lot of consideration I accepted her offer, after all I am being paid a huge amount next Wednesday that just sitting there waiting for an IRD Number to process it so I don’t feel too daunted about her loaning it to me; I just feel extremely grateful.

THANK YOU SARIN!!!

I've been on the phone with Inland Revenue for the past hour trying to track down my IRD number to no avail; it simply hasn't been processed yet - fuck!

Without an IRD Number I can't be paid so I jumped on the phone with ANZ to apply for an Overdraft on my bank account, which may or may not be approved and will take 3 to 5 working days. More than likely it'll be declined since I've only had the bank account for 2 weeks and haven't had any consistent wages put into it since it was opened.

$440.00 of my rent is due tomorrow, with all the accumulated work I've done I'm owed $1,200 which I can't claim without an IRD Number; if I do I'll be taxed $400 out of it with emergency tax which is $400 I seriously need for the deposit and first 2 weeks rent for a flat in 3 weeks AAARRRRGGHHHHH!!!!! GREAT!!! What am I going to do now, seriously!!!???

I have no credit on my phone, $15 left to my name, the bus costs me $6.50 a day and I have to come up with $440 by tomorrow lunch time.

I've just spoken with accounts again, I'm getting them to prepare me a letter stating that I'm waiting for my IRD Number on company letterhead and then tomorrow run to the bank in my lunch break and see if they'll approve me a personal loan or however else they can make money magically sppear into my account until I can pay it back next Wesnesday. God This…is…BAD!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m dutifully employed as a receptionist at a large Engineering firm in Newmarket. I started last Monday and, well, so far so good. My lack of Internet access is a bit of a bother. I can’t check my emails from work and updating the blog is a bit of a problem but I’ll try to keep it up to date as much as I can and when I can but I’ll do my best.

So here I am in Auckland. I’ve been here just over 3 ½ weeks now and I’m still a little unsure of what to make of the place. It’s small, almost of Adelaide or Manchester proportions and is lacking only what I can describe as a certain ‘vibe’ or ‘feel’ to it. It’s evident when you land in Sydney or London or even New York that you’re somewhere other other-worldly; in London you have black cabs, phone booths and Buckingham Palace to affirm that you’re actually there and somewhere foreign; in Sydney you have the iconic Opera House and Bridge; here… well I don’t know… the Sky Tower perhaps or the weatherboard houses.

What I’m trying to say is that to me it feels like I could be anywhere on Earth, I don’t feel as though I’m somewhere entirely foreign although the streets are new, the buses get me lost and confused, the Maori names leave me tongue-tied and the brands in the supermarket leave a clueless look on my face. While Auckland certainly is a nice place (on the odd 5 minutes it actually stops raining) it’s lacking something that I can’t quite put my finger on; soul perhaps. The sushi is surprisingly bad, the multitude of kebab shops lure me with false promises and the people are very rude… and I say that having just spent 18 months with Londoners and it’s frightingly expensive. It’s snobbery mainly; an air of false arty, sophistication that I think a lot of (not all) Aucklanders pride themselves on possessing. I am living in Ponsonby though, right on the fridge of the CBD, which I suppose would be the equivilant of Melbourne’s Toorak or Camberwell so perhaps the locals are just rubbing me up the wrong way, but I somehow doubt it.

So right now I’m trying to figure out my place here, where I fit in, what I’m looking for and where I belong, it’s a tough one. Perhaps a lot of it stems from my grieving process having left London; Melbourne was an easier city to be with its bohemian streets and larger population, it wasn’t so very different. I think money, or lack-there-of is also playing a big part in how I feel at the moment; I’ve recently started work but am yet to be paid as I’m waiting for my Inland Revenue Number (Tax File or NI Number) to come through before my first pay cheque can be cleared so right now I’m having a dandy old time surviving on air and water in the meantime. Oh and I’ve run out of credit on my mobile – fun times! Payday is this Wednesday night and unless my number comes through then… well… I don’t know, I’ll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

So, I don’t know exactly what I feel for Auckland yet, it hasn’t found it’s way to a soft place in my heart yet but I’m hoping perhaps that it’s just one of those things that takes time the more time you’re here to understand it. I think I need to get out of Auckland and see New Zealand, perhaps even just a weekend trip so that I can get more of a feeling as to what New Zealand is about because right now I have no idea – sorry New Zealand! I’ll keep you updated.


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Just a quick post before I leave work...

I've made it to Auckland! I've been here now about 2 1/2 weeks and have had fun exploring and settling myself in amongst it's culture and little streets stroon with an aray of multicultral eateries and pokey little shops. It's a lot like Australia in a lot of ways but actually quite different in a number or others which I'll go into another time.

Yesterday I commenced work at an Engineering Firm in Newmarket which was a relief let me tell you. Money is starting to run out, food is a priority and sadly it's back to noodles and bread until pay day next Wednesday but I'm here and I'm happy so that's all that counts. I haven't had any access to my emails for going on 3 weeks now so those of you who have emailed me and recieved no reply hopefully you'll understand. There's a pretty supervised internet policy here, offices tend to be a lot more strict with their staff but I'll be writing when I can and posting some photos in my down time nonetheless.

Anyway, 5.30pm has hit and I'm off to catch the bus home to my interesting 5 bedroom, crack den of a house... more on that later :)

Love Leesh
xox