nz moon
this how we see it. i asked our good friend tony in the UK to take a shot the same day too to show the difference. you can see the two side by side here
it turns out the world isn't flat after all.
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October 2009 Archives
this how we see it. i asked our good friend tony in the UK to take a shot the same day too to show the difference. you can see the two side by side here
it turns out the world isn't flat after all.
come on: be a tidy kiwi
no wonder kiwis are on the endangered species list if they can't keep themselves tidy. come on kiwis, pull yourselves together.
half price melted ice creams
get your half price milky puddles here.
and to think i was worried i might run out of things to photo over here !
safety conscious near a tree
some good kiwi signage here
i can image forests being full of these kinds of signs
fantastical dishwasher
in these days of open ness and no hidden secrets for products sold to the public, isn't it time we started to see what really happens inside dishwashers once the door is closed ? i'd love to own an actual dishwasher with a glass front door and a spooky green light.
sadly this was only a display model in the local hardware store. but i think there's a marketable idea in there somewhere: complicated domestic appliances with glass walls
you've got male
there's a beach 30 minutes up north from Auckland called Big Manly Beach. I wasn't man enough to have my picture taken on it, but we did see some Manly signs. Manly price cutters looked good (if a little dangerous).
i'm not sure if it's manly to have a liquor ban or not. it's probably especially not manly to admit to it
yaar. there be danger
it's great to see a proper skull and cross bones on a sign.
another day another beach
jane and i headed up north a bit yesterday and found some more absolutely gorgeous beaches. i'll stop posting pictures of them soon, but the novelties not yet worn off.
incredibly windy (and therefore cold) today as can be seen from jane's wonky hair
dairy milk kiwi style
chocolate is expensive here. but still readily available. and actually, if you buy a big bar, like this 200g dairy milk, not too bad value
and it's exciting too. your chocolate comes in a cardboard wrapper, which is opened to reveal a silver foil covered chocolate bar
there's something about it which is very Roald Dahl-esque. i didn't win a golden ticket sadly
the chocolate itself is quite thin rather than the big old chunksters we got back in blighty (no longer called 'home' deliberately when remembering the old days, just over a fortnight ago).
And it tastes different too. like supermarket own brand chocolate. but whatever it contains is like human cat-nip as i can't help scoffing whole bars at a time.
which simply aint good.
why it's best to draft things in pencil first
i'm more of your 'straight to ink' guy, enjoying the randomness of mistakes. i'll often go with a spell suggested word on my mobile rather than the word i was planning on using just because it causes the sentence to make no sense. (if anyone from my future employers is reading, i do this strictly for non work related things - mostly).
anyway, i took the first picture above as i liked how the sign was made from multiple pieces of A4. when i went up to take the photo i saw the pencil drafting underneath and could see why they thought this was a better idea than inking in their draft.
bergurs anyone ?
life's a beach
still pinching ourselves that this is real and we actually now can call this place home !
jane's old lampshade
sorry about the confusing chronology of pictures at the moment. i fear it's going to get worse before it gets better. so hang on to your time travel hats
we moved out of our house a couple of days before we left the UK as all our stuff was loaded in to the container to be shipped to the other side of the world. Our last two nights in the UK were spent at Jane's parents who kindly hospitalised us (i think that's what i mean).
jane and i slept in her old bedroom which had her old lightshade in. it was a fitting end to our time in the UK !
the spooky mannequin has changed
i mentioned this great mannequin which we'd found in the local shopping mall (maul?) a day or two ago. we went back the other day and it had changed clothes again.
and now i can wait to go back to see what it's wearing next !
dam and (we had a) blast
this is a giant kuri tree. they are protected in New Zealand. and a quite marvellous
right, i'm back in something resembling real time ! here are actual pictures from actual real new zealand where we actually really live. in like a permanent way
it's quite an exciting place to be. with bits wobbling and dropping off all over the place
anyway, yesterday was a bank holiday so we went with our excellent friends buzz and wendy and (some of) their kids to a dam to see where our drinking water is kept before it pops out our taps
here it is before it's in our glass/toilet/shower/dinner (sometimes more than one)
and here's a view from the top of the dam
and here's the damn wall itself. so there you go. a lovely (dam?) nice day out. even if the walk back up to the car was a bit of a strain for all involved
high voltage - do not hose
good general advice. i think so.
great news for glove spotters
and the great news is ... there are lost gloves in new zealand too !
nanna's - made by or from ?
oh the fun we're having chuckling at new zealand food packets !
a delightful mannequin
i was worried we'd find no frightening kid sized mannequins in NZ. but we did. and here it is. hoorah. or should i say, ooooooo.
things happen here first
here's a bonus entry from New Zealand where we're settling in just fine thanks to huge kindness from everyone we meet.
i'll start blogging properly in a few days, but for now, here's a picture of the windows 7 launch in auckland this morning. things happen here first because of the time difference.
looks like they were suffering from slippery letter syndrome as the LA broke away
they are also a little short of Ds so have been making do with backwards Cs. Good.
tony
here's tony. my excellent local photographic sparing partner
i asked him if he could take a family portrait of us yesterday when we were saying our last goodbyes and he obliged. in fact he threw himself in to the task quite literally, treating us like a wildlife project
i'll miss tony and his family.
this green and pleasant land
dinton pastures on a lovely sunny day (for lunch with big eye tony last Thursday). it was great. i'll miss this green and pleasant land. but am looking forward to pastures new (z)
i went to neither the access nor the inaccessible toilet.
revenge of the pack-men
this is what our kitchen dining area looked like thursday evening. life still goes on though, so jane and her mum (who was acting as a chauffeur) sat down to have a drink and a bizqueet whilst kezia played sonic the hedgehog on my phone
here's my mobile office earlier in the day
and here are just a few of our favourite things
yesterday morning kezia found a corner to hide from the packers and container loading
this huge container arrived yesterday morning and was being slowly filled outside our house
just less than 2 hours later everything was loaded in and it left again.
next time we'll see it will be in Auckland (hopefully). we'll be reading news stories about international pirates, and washed up containers on uk beaches with interest.
the perils of packing
we've got the packers in - yesterday and today are packing things in to boxes and then the big transporter container comes tomorrow.
whilst doing our pre-packing checks i spotted this potato on esther's window sill. not only is it quite hideous (it's not aged well) but i suspect it would fail the NZ 'no food' rule.
we're in a strange half world of things being taken away from us but still being here. we ate mostly biscuits yesterday.
it's funny how you can summarise someone's life in a few boxes. the words on these say it all
whilst doing our pre-packing checks i spotted this potato on esther's window sill. not only is it quite hideous (it's not aged well) but i suspect it would fail the NZ 'no food' rule.
we're in a strange half world of things being taken away from us but still being here. we ate mostly biscuits yesterday.
it's funny how you can summarise someone's life in a few boxes. the words on these say it all
big sand
on our last day up in the highlands we went to a beach at the end of the world to find a geocache
unfortunately, due to the rain there was a raging torrent cutting us off from our destination.
the girls had their wellies on but jane and i had to remove our shoes and wade through the freezing water
we found the geocache eventually
kezia carried my boots over a second rocky stream
here are my feet, previously unseen by sunlight
all in all a good family adventure
crabbing
a grab with a baton and spooky eyes
not the most hygienic sign ever
(just as an update to anyone who recently tuned in, we've just emigrated to New Zealand and the blog is running on auto for a while just in case I don't have Internet access or time to blog when we get there !)
i suspect however, that i've not been able to help myself and have slotted some NZ updates in amongst the preloaded pictures to completely confuse the chronology
Corrieshalloch Gorge
when we were in scotland we went to the gorgeous (sorry) but treachorous corrieshalloch gorge. how can a gorge turn against someone like that ?
and it appeared from some of the signs that people were jauntily running off the side. it loked fun, but we decided against it
there's a lovely walk round the perimeter (or periyard for all you old school imperialists)
but there was danger everywhere
and of course the highlight of the visit is a walk across the wobbly suspension bridge to look down at the gorge
kezia was of course fearless
and just to add to the danger we posed for some hideous photos.
come and browse the cash machine
it's air conditioned. you should come in and cool down. and look around.
there's never been a cashpoint like it. except the ones in the street which are pretty well air conditioned by the natural convection of air (the wind)
funkypancake fish friday
it's funkypancake fish friday here on funkypancake. and to celebrate, and to get us in the mood for moving, here's some photos we took in Auckland's premier (and only?) aquarium when we visited last Easter.
here's the ray pit and a man with a prong
and here's the penguins which you can look at whilst trundling along on an underground train carriage type affair. one of these penguins is in disguise.
headless penguin
another of my classic headless birds/animals pictures.
and to make up here's a penguin with two heads
two heads are better than none i say
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sorted out my clothing until flight day. i'll be wearing clothes i was going to throw out anyway so i can bin them at night. liberating
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isle of ewe (i love you)
do you find it difficult to show your emotions and tell people you love them ? well use this handy tip. show them this picture which is of the Isle of Ewe. Put it on the table and say "Isle of Ewe" and you're sorted.
poolewe
the sun was just right to see the marking s on the ancient poolewe pictish stone
and look at all these giant numbered nails
seal search
whilst we were in scotland we went on a walk organised by the national trust to see some seals
we asked whether it was suitable for kids and they said "yes, it's meant for kids"
so we thought they'd be no problems for our walk-loving youngsters
but the walk itself took us over an exposed hill in the pouring rain
and there wasn't even a path so we had to stomp through heather
which of course was very hole-y and a bit of a death trap
but onwards we trod
and it was jolly good.
we definately wouldn't have gone on it if we realised how tricky/wet/hard work it was going to be. but we really enjoyed it so we were glad we didn't know in advance !
and the views when we got to the other side were stunning (it even stopped raining for a moment or two)
we did see a seal when we got there
liverwort (not worms)
these are carnivorous plants. quite rare i think
it was very wet
here's our intrepid guide showing us some mushrooms
here are signs of a pine marten
so, i think i'd advise it. but not for those with youngish kids.
after 20 years or so, we've now cancelled our national trust membership. we'll have to see if NZ offers us something similar.
strange animals in the countryside
is an italian chef an animal ?
old school museum descriptions
remember when all museums used to have this kind of signage ? who is this one aimed at ?
stags in field
this would be much better if it had the word 'a' in it. ie stags in a field.
scented poop bags
who wants bags which smell like poop ? 'scented poop bags' does sound like something you'd shout in a particular stressful moment.
have you checked your oil ?
well. have you ? go on. you know you should.
highland fling
there's little in life more satisfying than throwing stones in to still water
hello. 250 and i'm yours
i'd like to know whether adding the word 'hello' to the beginning of signs makes people pay more attention. hello ?
inflatable signs
we don't have enough inflatable signs in the britiain. (picture from last easter - just getting round to posting it!)
across the bush
here's a photo i took when we visited new zealand back in easter. it rained every day we were there (except one i think).
thoroughly miserable mannequin
she's definatley had enough of standing still in window
posh street debris
it's not all lager louts and beer brutes in england. we have alco-poptarts and cider-sliders too. And occasionally posh winos too, as shown by these london street debris
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a day of last minute doing before the packers move in. everything we need for the next 8 weeks is squeezed in to a small corner of house
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new zealand house, london
this is new zealand house in london
it's where you get your visas from. and is lovely.
a new adventure
all being well, we've landed in new zealand today for our new adventure
and we're off
today we emigrate to new zealand. nearly a year ago i had a conversation which ultimately has lead to us leaving the UK to start a new life in NZ. who would have thought it ?
thanks on behalf of the funkypancake family to everyone we know both on line and off line who has helped and supported us in our big adventure.
i'll be sure to keep on blogging, although i suspect the next few days on funkypancake are going to be photos of the UK i haven't got round to posting.
live updates via twitter/facebook/skype etc. you know the details. if not, drop me an email.
owning a freezer can transform your whole way of life
there was a time when freezers were as new fangled as ipods and spandulars (you probably haven't heard of spandulars are they haven't been invented yet - you heard it here first)
the picture above is well worth a click to read the text
and look how happy they are. that's because they've been revolutionised
to taxi rank
nice hand made sign
loch ewe
here is the last of our scottish holiday pictures (i think). it's loch ewe.
extreme signage
i was delighted by this electrical shop in dunoon town
dead midges bought and sold. excellent stuff
beware of fierce dogs
great generic advice there.
snuggly and cuddly
it's not just people we've had to say goodbye to. esther's guinea pigs, snuggly and cuddly, have been kindly adopted by her friend from school.
stonehenge
here (finally) are some pictures from stonehenge
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brain freeze. too much to think about. loads of fiddly things going wrong - car bulb, gas leak, nail under carpet, broken elec socket etc
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now officially a one car family. only two 'doing days' until the packers move in.
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more goodbyes
this weekend has been spent with jane's sister and family. we had a really lovely time and i managed to grab a few nice photos of our families together
here is lovely jane with lovely binky. more sadness for all involved. i won't go on about how hard it is saying goodbye again. (but it is)
here is lovely jane with lovely binky. more sadness for all involved. i won't go on about how hard it is saying goodbye again. (but it is)
and here is a rather dry lawn outside cliveden house
not quite abbey road ...
bonkers for conkers
we went for a walk with jane's sister and family yesterday and the kids collected huge amounts of conkers.
then it was back to jane's parents to create the best piece of art only using conks.
the one above is james' winning pyramid. and above that is sarah's butterfly, camera and something else
all good seasonal fun
hassock of the week
<this week deliberately left blank>
for some reason i think i might have deleted all my hassocks, which isn't too good since i'm currently trying to back up entire hard drives rather than wipe them. we'll see if they turn up otherwise, i might give hassock of the week a well earned rest for a bit !
for some reason i think i might have deleted all my hassocks, which isn't too good since i'm currently trying to back up entire hard drives rather than wipe them. we'll see if they turn up otherwise, i might give hassock of the week a well earned rest for a bit !
thames path - part 22 shiplake to henley
so, we headed off with jane's sister and family for our final part of our thames path epic adventure.
we got as far as henley which is over half way of the total walk, so we didn't do too bad. this last jaunt was just a couple of miles
autumn is properly kicking in so we needed our summer garb
and there was some interaction with the water via conker throwing
and later, looking at the weir
henley isn't a bad place to end up
when we started the walk in March 2006, little did we know that we'd be ending it early because we'd be moving to the other side of the world ! But it's good to leave some things undone to complete at some point in the future
to be continued ? perhaps. but not for a while !
a last minute last breakfast
some long lost friends phoned us up out of the blue and invited us for breakfast (at Asda) yesterday morning. so we went and it was lovely to catch up with them before they zoomed off to legoland (hence their visit to these parts)
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Any thoughts on where you can buy silica gel sachets ?
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unexpected breakfast with long lost friends in asda. Now off to henley to do our final session on the thames path
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some horses
these horses were watching me as i walked back from our local post office down the back lane. they should be minding their own business, cheeky monkeys.
kylie minogue
when i was about 16 my parents let me stay with a friend from school who lived in Hong Kong for a few weeks. i had a fab time, and even got to see Kylie Minogue do one of her first concerts.
i found these snaps when i was cleaning out some drawers.
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a badger just trundled speedily across the road in front of us. They are hilarious when they run. What a delight to see a live one !
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another last supper. Laughed til we cried. Dear friends we'll miss muchly. Now booked in for xmas 2010. Hoorah
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Sitting in a theatre cafe waiting for orchestra practice and violin lessons to finish. pepsi, kitkat, book and ... Silence. Nice
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only 15 hours to go of my 40 hour backup to my 'travelling' hard drive. yawn.
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clutching a 'certificate of destruction'
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danger keep off
straight to the point
alien space ship
in between the space centre and the sewer museum is this rather funky artist impression of what an alien space ship might look like. it was firmly on the sewer museum land though as i suspect the space centre wanted nothing to do with it. i thought it was excellent.
learning to be weightless
are astronauts really taught to fly by tieing strings round their ears ?
or perhaps that's only if they've been astro-naughty
spuds
monday night we went round to ruth and steve's for another last supper. they are old family friends who knew both jane and i seperately even before we were going out (in fact ruth may have been partly responsible for us meeting as she ran the church music band where we met, and i think i remember a match-making lunch where she invited us both over ...).
they are also one set of esther and kezia's godparents, and Ruth is a proper northerner. we'll miss them heaps.
please do not climb on the sewer pipe exhibit
classic signs of our time
a nice correction
i love it when an official sign gets corrected.
toilets
my day in museums with my dad involved a lot of toilets. i actually used the loo three times during our time together, but he didn't go once. we shows a younger man's bladder can be weaker than an older one. fact.
the top picture is from the sewer museum, and the one above is from the space museum. apparently they train people to use these toilets by videoing the activity so their technique can be honed. nice.
here are some loo facts
this was a nice money spinning idea for those who wanted to spend a pound rather than a penny
and here's a lovely training potty
and various paraphenalia (worth a click to see what you can see)
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