...more impressive if he didn't have snow on his nose...

Back with a *jingle* and a *pop!*

#11 Buy a house
OMG all the paperwork is signed. House rolls over on Jan 7. First mortgage payment Feb 8.

#20 Learn 10 poems by heart
Almost got the Highwayman down pat. Still have a bit of trouble with the bits that don't rhyme (must be the accent) and gabbling. Trying to slooooowww doooowwn.

#23 Spend a weekend with the sisters
Ahh. Christmas. Brilliant.

#34 Attend a music at the zoo concert
There's a choice of 6 musicians/bands. I even have some mates to go with! (Not many, it's true, and technically they are family so I guess they don't really count...) Haven't confirmed either so must get onto that.

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
Another three last night - a cheesey chicken thing, kumara salad and tomato salad. Kumara was nice. Made and eaten as part of #40 Share a meal with friends or family every two months

#52 Put an amount of $$ in the pig for celebratory spend up at the end of this
Continuing erratically. Need to take the change out and get it into notes.

#60 Take part in an event for charity
Doing this if we can sort out a team. Yes. I know I'm mad.

I found myself a little peckish

You : well, hi there. haven't seen you in a while. how's it going? really? fell off your bike and got a leg infection? now on bedrest? only supposed to get up for pee breaks? what are you doing here then?

Me: grumff, snurfle, arrgg!

Mo Bros

Having trouble with Blogger at the mo so will keep this quick and no pics...

#7 Visit all Auckland Regional parks
Went camping at Tapapakanga regional park. Lucked out with the weather. Great companions. Nice walk (even steep Fuck-off Mountain.) Wine and toasted marshies around the fire delicious. Sea not too cold. Shower much too cold and public. Felt a teensy bit guilty as companions experienced and well organised campers. Tried to make up for it with fetching and carring and food making/baking. However. Someone had to watch the fire while the others went looking for firewood right?
Also went to Botanic gardens for Sculpture walk. (#77 Walk around an outdoor sculpture park.) Arrived three minutes before a guided tour went around so were lucky to tag onto that. One of the artists was explaining his work and the motivation and intention of the other artists and how the piece was either very specific to the placement in the garden or not. Interesting to see how placement could affect whether or not the piece worked for me personally - I though some would be better in an urban environment. Loved loved loved several pieces.

Who should control the family plantation

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit

If I'd know how easy this was going to be then I've have done it a long time ago. It took two shopping trips to buy all the stuff I wanted for the box and it's done. (I haven't quite stuck to the list I made but I think there's enough food to feed us for three days.)

#90 Get an emergency kit for the car

It turns out that the Van kit I referred to in this post is actually on the list although I expect it should also include things like fire extinguisher and orange cones or something. Haven't started this one but perhaps with the success of #46 under my belt...

#6 Write a novel

First day of Nanowrimo today and I've discovered that I should have done all the plotting and character development before today. Dash-it. Can character outlines count towards the 50,000?

It could have been a goblin

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
'pon my word I haven't posted for a while. That's because nothing has been happening! However today I made a couple of things that I hadn't made before - Chocolate brownie and Chocolate cake. The brownie is tres chocolaty. The cake is for my sister to take on tour with her. Hopefully it's cooked. :)

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
2001 The book of fame / Lloyd Jones
I have read this before but figured I should read it again. I do like Mr Jones' stuff.

#59 Join a writing club

I have joined Kiwi Writers an online writing group. I know that it's not the same as meeting up with people who can ask you what you're up to but I do better when I don't have to talk to people. *nervous grin* I've also signed up for NanoWrimo. If I hit the word target (50,000)then I will consider #6 Write a novel complete. Here's hoping!

Perhaps nothing is happening because I've got all the easy stuff out of the way? It's the tough stuff like #73 that I'm going to find particularly challenging.

Oh, and it's six months since I've started. Let's look at some stats...
28/101 COMPLETE
17/101 in progress
56/101 not started

Read me and release me

#47 Walk the isthmus
This is so worth doing. It took LoM and I 5.5 hours but would have taken less if we hadn't have stopped for jet planes and coffee and scones and to read memorials and take pics plus other detours along the way. Landmarks are surprisingly close together - for example, 20 mins (a few mins to take a pic of the Maidment theatre and a few more to pointedly not look at a couple film sets by the university (modern cars AND horses? WTF)) from the Domain to the Viaduct.

We started at lunchtime (had to see the Rugby World Cup final first) after a complicated "park your car and we'll pick you up then The Farrier will drop us off" maneuver. It goes from Beachcroft Ave park in Onehunga up through Jellicoe Park, Royal Oak, One Tree Hill Domain (Maungakiekie), down through Cornwall park along Pohutukawa Drive then Puriri Drive, through Melville Park, past the Auckland College of Education, up Mt Eden (Maungawhau) along past Auckland Grammer, across the motorway, through Outhwaite park, up and down through Auckland Domain, past the university then Albert park, through some little back streets, along Customs Street, past Britomart and the Ferry building to finally officially end by a souvenir shop at the Viaduct but unoffically end at O'Hagens pub for wedges and beer. Or it goes the other way, it depends on what you want to do. I decided that South to North and Suburb to City was the way to go. I think it was the right choice. (Onehunga was a bit grim in the cloudy half light when we started and would have been worse in the drizzle at the end. And there wasn't a pub, only a scungy old toilet block.)

#66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc.

Second dance show for Tempo dance festival was Touch Compass 10 year anniversary show. Absolutely brilliant. I'd forgotten how innovative they can be. Fantastic use of wires to fly people over and around each other. A couple of funny films too. Plus the dancers actually look as if they are enjoying each other and the work. Favourite piece - Hephaestus and Ares - the disabled god of the forge interacts with his brother the god of war. Magical.