...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.

Where school children and tarantulas live

Doing this

#47 Walk the isthmus

tomorrow before the second dance show for

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

Read another one of these

#70 Read the books I own but haven't read.


Bought the following things for this


#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit
4 litres of water (total 9 litres)
1 large can spaghetti
1 large can baked beans
1 can mince
1 pack uncle toby's rice pre-cooked
1 large can peaches
1 small can cat food

Hoping that the timing will work for a bus tour that will incorporate this

#81 Do a local wine tour

and this

#77 Walk around an outdoor sculpture park.

The weather is better, so, after a bike service, I'm hoping to do this

#85 Cycle to Bees Online from my place

although I guess I should do this

#98 Change a cycle flat in under 10 mins

first.

Just like a performing monkey

#69 Participate in Bookcrossing
I must say, it's very weird to leave a book wrapped in a plastic bag with a post-it on the front saying "FREE BOOK" at a bus stop and then walk past 30 mins later to not find it cause it's gone. There's a lot of rubbish on the BookCrossing site about abandoned books constituting litter. Obviously they don't feel that way cause dude, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. I agree. I hope that the book wasn't just thrown in the bin and that whoever picked it up will read the instructions and register the book on the site.

I left another one at a cafe. I think the waitress might pick it up.

I can see how this might get addictive.


But only if whoever finds the book registers it found!

Mother Teresa or a baby eater

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit
Dammit. If only this had been sorted. Okay, if only I had got it sorted. Our water was off today for a while and now it's back the hot water cylinder is running murky water. (I just used extra soap.)
Here's a list of things that I will need (in the hopes that this will speed up the process cause I'll have a shopping list.)

18 litres of water (Plus 3 that I already have and some more for cooking, etc. That's a huge pile of 1.5 l bottles.)
3 large cans spaghetti
3 large cans baked beans
3 cans mince (or something)
3 packs uncle toby's rice pre-cooked
3 large cans peaches
3 small cans cat food
1 jar coffee
1 tube milk
Anti-bacterial handwash

I think I'm struggling with the fact that we'll be at home so we'll just eat what we've got. Or not. As the case may be. Plus, some of the other things will be at home.

Torch
Radio
Blankets
First Aid kit
Toilet paper
Rubbish bags

I also want to do a van kit.
Blanket
Towel
3 litres water
2 square meals
Running shoes
Rain jacket (old cycling one, bright yellow but need to be stuck together with duct tape...which can then go into the at home kit.)
Socks
Sticky tape
Toothpaste + Toothbrushes
Anti-bacterial handwash

I used to have one in the van all the time. Extrememly useful when I'd forgotten my towel for swimming!

Gotta get thru this *

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
2007 Mister Pip / Lloyd Jones

* song title

Nibbly

#51 Visit North Shore literary locations

Completed this morning. LoM came over to Devonport on the ferry. We wandered around the Stanley Bay and Devonport literary walks for about an hour and a half and then had a delicious breakfast at a cafe on Church St. Although we didn't know all of the literary personages it was interesting just walking around and looking at houses. A nice young gentleman helped us when we were a bit lost so that was nice too. The cafe was a real neighbourhood cafe. It was well patronised and every person who arrived after us seemed to know someone who was already there. About 5 dogs were attached to various people. They were well behaved and looked as if this occurance was a regular Saturday morning thang.

#7 Visit all Auckland Regional parks

After finishing at Devonport we drove up to Long Bay. And it is looong. It took a crazy amount of time to wander around the park. It took an even longer time to realise that the land I was looking at over the water was the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Felt like a complete egg especially after taking a careful look and identifying bays and individual buildings. Stopped looking at the buildings on the way back to the car. See, the sun was out and the birds were singing but the mud was deep in places. So on the way back we came back along the beach.

The rocky, slippery, twisty, shelly, tricksy beach. I fell over a couple of times. My shiny white shoes are no longer so shiny. I am sunburnt. I almost had to claw my eyes out because of the nude sunbathers but luckily remembered to be distracted in time and babbled on about walking Shakespear Park. (At the end of the aforementioned Peninsula.)

One of the best ARCparks. Good parking, well patronised (lots of teens flexing) (not that I was interested in them!), good facilites for BBQ etc, nice beach. Highlight - it's close to suburbia but unlike some of the others, doesn't feel like it.

It's got the x-factor...

Karma used me to do its dirty work

#95 Buy some bonus bonds

Finally got this sorted. Had a nice chat with the bloke behind the counter. He said that he'd given up marathons because he'd managed to run the last few kms of one without realising he'd done it. I told him that sounded briliant but he wasn't having a bar of it.

#51 Visit North Shore literary locations

Meeting LoM at 7am tomorrow. Walking, having breakfast, maybe walking a bit more if the weather holds. It's nice round those parts.

Only famous for being famous

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit
In a couple weeks it will be "Get thru" disaster coping week. I PROMISE I'll get to this one then. (Appropriate cause it's been bucketing down round here and I'm not sure that our hillside is going to continue to cope with it...) (Well, not really. A little self scaremongering never hurt anyone right?)

#95 Buy some bonus bonds
Payday tomorrow! Heres my chance to get this one done. Friday. Definitely Friday.

#51 Visit North Shore literary locations
Maybe this weekend.


I know it seems as though a lot is planned but I think it's a reaction against my slothfulness over the last few weeks. Since I sorted 86 and 87 it's felt like I haven't been working on anything. LoM is back and we'll be chivvying, erm, encouraging each other to get things done. It's interesting to see that the easy things that don't require much effort on my part are often put off because of the very fact that they are easy and shouldn't take too long.

I went to Bath from Bristol

#44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results
I'm back drinking and it's brilliant.
Quite an eye-opening experience this. I thought it would be all positive - no hangovers or seediness; save money; better skin (no toxins to get rid of); ability to converse without slurring or rambling; no "OMG- I can't believe I said that" moments. However, there's a real social price to pay if you're a non-drinker. Perhaps if I was a regular abstainer I wouldn't have noticed it as no-one else really commented upon my non-drinking. For e.g. I was the only woman at a casual work meeting and the only one without a drink. Usually I'd have had a beer so it felt like my otherness was accentuated because I wasn't drinking. There were a couple of other dinner/social occasions were I would normally have had a drink that felt very weird without one or even offering one to others who were there. What will this mean for the future? Well, I'll be taking a page out of a colleagues book and drinking lower alcohol beverages (beer instead of spirits, watered wine) and recognising that a drink or two of a night isn't a huge health hazard. I'm glad I did it and to be honest, this was probably the best month as I had a lot of responsibilities at work so had to find other ways of relaxing.

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
LoM has noticed that there aren't any reviews on these. That's because a) they aren't the types of books I'd usually read and b) I don't want to bag them out of ignorance. What I've noticed so far - authors surnames usually start with J or G; they like multiple narratives and multiple narrators; recurring themes are drugs, sex, murder, homosexuality, illness, detachment from regular society (not quite the 'man alone' but almost).

Did I mention I'm back drinking?

Plan your day

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years

2002 Stonedogs / Craig Marriner.

Cheese, HP sauce and a jar of coffee

#80 Have a p.j. party
I made a cake and put up a few balloons for this. My sister and her family plus LoM came round. The movie was a bit disappointing. Never mind though cause it was fantastic to have everyone to hang out with. I did themed food - nachos and dips to start, crunchy chicken and salad for dinner and then cake for tea. The cake was decorated with a pool party theme - I was quite pleased with the jelly babies in fruit rings in the jelly pool but wished I'd added a bit more green to the icing.

Strangely appealing

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
oof. can you feel the reluctance to tackle more of these?

#80 Have a p.j. party
It's tomorrow! Now, I must confess that I'm not entirely sure how far to go. It's just me, my sister, my nieces and my friend. (and maybe my boyfriend although he is threatening to bail). do I go the whole bash and have party food, streamers and themed stuff or not?

#44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results
This month cannot be over soon enough.

They play for the full 80 minutes

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Zusak, Markus "The book thief"
Narrated by Death this book tells the story of a little girl during a specific period of her life.
What did I think?
Fucking brilliant. I was daunted by the size of the book until I read the first paragraph. This is one of those books that I don't think I will ever be comfortable reading again as the first time was so perfect.

A great way to finish #86.


#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
2004 Slow water / Annamarie Jagose.

Portugal scores!

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"Zarafa: the true story of a giraffe's journey from the plains of Africa to the heart of post-Napoleonic France" by Michael Allin
About a giraffe who was gifted to France and her journey overland from Egypt to Paris.
What did I think?
A lovely story. Much more interesting once the author gets to the giraffe - yes, the history (and people named) is interesting but it's the giraffe I want to know about. Makes you think about what it would be like without all the communication technology that we have now - letters for correspondance, few books, no movies. Also interesting to compare what was happening over in France with what was happening in NZ at the same time. (Man we're a young country.)

Great Wall of Sound

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"Yu-Gi-Oh: volume one (Aka: The Millennium puzzle.)" by Kazuki Takahashi
About a boy who solves a puzzle and becomes the guardian of right and is given the power to pass judgement on evil. He doesn't know he has this power.
What did I think?
A typical manga with some violence, justice and a bit of sexiness thrown in for good measure. Plus of course the TV/Film tie-in which results in massive popularity. I caught one of these on TV one day - now I understand it. Surprisingly fun with a pretty good storyline...not sure if I'll follow it up but I certainly won't have the same attitude toward it as before. (i.e. damn kids and their messsed up cartoons.)

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
2003 The Shag incident / Stephanie Johnson.

Lunch special

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
2000 Harlequin rex / Owen Marshall
2006 Blindsight : a novel / Maurice Gee

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Robin Waterfield "Xenophon's retreat : Greece, Persia and the end of the Golden Age"
About the retreat of an army led by Xenophon (among others) over rugged land way back in, um, I forget the exact date, but it's before Alexander the Great.
What did I think?
I thought that it was going to be heavy going as the first chapter dives right into the story and descriptions of the weapons. However, with a bit of concentration, it turned out to be a fascinating bit of history. The Greek soldiers made an already arduous journey more complicated by their own treachery and greed. Of course, that all seems so obvious from our vantage point in history but I guess if you're desperate you're not exactly thinking clearly.

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Xinran "What the Chinese don't eat"
A collection of columns from the Guardian.
What did I think?
An interesting reminder of the differences between Eastern and Western culture and of the fact that China is such a large country that even if a Chinese person was willing to talk to you about their country it wouldn't follow that every Chinese person thinks that way or has expereinced that situation. Which is pretty bloody obvious when you think about it.

Yancey, Rick "The extraordinary adventures of Alfred Kropp"
About a boy who gets involved in stealing a sword and then has to deal with the mythical aftermath.
What did I think?
I very much enjoyed this take on the Arthurian legend. Especially the very well done bit just before the wrapping up scenes. Some very exciting blood and violence for the boys in this story, perhaps not so much for the girls - sometimes Alfred comes across as a bit of a whiner. Apparently the rights have been sold to Warner Bros Pictures...I hope they get the casting right. One tiny niggle about the resolution about parentage but if it hadn't have panned out the way it did what would be the point of the story? Recommended. (oh, it's another teen book.)

don't tell me it's fuckin not blahdeblahdeblah

#44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results
Right. Almost gave up on the first night. Managed to make it through a nice dinner out (spanish tapas without red wine *gasp*). Hopefully will make it through tomorrow night (another work thing) without a drink. I suspect I will be too tired to even lift a glass. Yay for not enough sleep.

#80 Have a p.j. party
So, like, High school musical 2 is released on NZ in a couple weeks and I thought that I'd like, have a pj party to celebrate.


I might be the only one there.

sweating like a pig

oh dear. last week was so busy that I didn't even have time to get on the computer let alone do some blogging. missed it.

#30 Have a weekend with the whanau
Spent this weekend with the family. Saturday we raced off to the Lily Pad cafe in Cambridge for Dad's birthday luncheon. Delicious - although I wished I'd picked the pancakes instead of the vege stack because all I could smell was the maple syrup from my sisters pancakes! Spent the rest of the afternoon hanging around the emergency dentist while the other sister got her tooth checked out. Poor thing. She ended up full of anesthetic and foul tasting mouthwash. Watched the game (damn Canterbury for nicking the shield in the first 10 mins) then went to bed early. Had a rolling breakfast in the morning. It's nice to hang out at Mum and Dad's place. All we seem to do is read the paper, drink cups of tea and watch telly but it's a very companionable individualistic time.
And yay! Dad has a stack of bottling jars to lend me. Superb.

#44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results
This is the month! It nearly fell over last night but luckily we forgot to buy a bottle along with dinner. And no. It isn't anything special that I have chosen a month with only 30 days in it. :) From the previous month food diary I have concluded that alcohol makes me (variously and at the time/the next day) tired, nauseous, lethargic, sneezy, give me itchy/bloodshot eyes, makes me go red in the face and saps my get up and go. Will I be a bit more energetic this month? Let's find out!

#49 Read Montana fiction winners of the last 10 years
It's NZ Book Month. Montana winners, here I come. Here's the list...
2000 Harlequin rex / Owen Marshall.
2001 The book of fame / Lloyd Jones.
2002 Stonedogs / Craig Marriner.
2003 The Shag incident / Stephanie Johnson.
2004 Slow water / Annamarie Jagose.
2005 Tu / Patricia Grace.
2006 Blindsight : a novel / Maurice Gee.
2007 Mister Pip / Lloyd Jones
2008 ?
2009 ?

it's all in the breathing

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Updike, John "Villages"
A man remembers his life as it applies to sex and the computer industry in its early days.
What did I think?
Hhm. Didn't like the main character all the much. Actually, any of the characters. Thought some of the exposition was clumsy. I think I'm the wrong generation for this type of book. (Although I remember enjoying one of his other books (can't remember the title) so perhaps it's just this one.)

Voight, Cynthia "When she hollers"
About Tish who has had enough of being abused at home and has taken a knife to school to protect herself. How she copes during the day and what happens when she finally (justifiably) freaks out.
What did I think?
Harrowing portrait of when an abused girl snaps and can't take it any more. Written very much from her point of view so you can very much expereince her heart pounding and confusion over what her confession (if) will do to her and her family. Well respected teen-aimes author. Have to confess it did seem a bit like a book focusing on 'issues' that was all the rage in the late 90s. Worth persisting. Some loose ends for me - what happened with the teacher? What happened to her friend?

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
Tres proud. Did my first variation today. Granted it came from some fancy kitchenware shop via LoM but it has made me wonder - what if I made it with CUSTARD POWDER rather than COCOA? No pics - it came out of the ovens, our friends turned up, we ate it. (Pictures of crumbs ain't that much fun to look at (although hellishly fun to make.))

Apart from iTunes. Obviously.

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles*
Stevenson, Robert L. "Torchlight"
Think of yer classic early 90's action film with square jawed hero and feisty heroine. Now give him a friend who turns out to be the actual hero and give her a psychotic, dangerous adpotive father. Oh, and throw in some deep sea diving facts.
What did I think?
I think you can tell by the plot...and no linky love because the other famous writer (yes, they're related) comes up when I Google him.

Thomas, Dylan "Under Milkwood"
A radio play which is "...an orchestration of voices, sights and sounds that conjure up the dreams and waking hours of an imagined Welsh seaside village within the cycle of one day."
What did I think?
Fantastic. I'd love to hear it as an audio track. (I'm partial to things that roll and tumble and lollop and twist like fighting kittens. Dance, music, writing - it doesn't matter what it is I'm partial to it. Think of then like the equivilent of kowhaiwhai or celtic knots.)

*I thought I'd be clever and start combining the author/title reading list. It's working but unfortunately I'm reading faster than I can get the damn books. Off the list "Shamanka" by Jeanne Willis and "Living Hell" Catherine Jinks - 2 excellent teen aimed books.

#43 See a performance that doesn't include anyone I know
King Lear at the ASB theatre in the Aotea Centre. A mixed bag this. The sound was shit. LoM couldn't even understand what they were saying - I thought it was just me and that I didn't have my shakespeare ears on. Wasn't helped by the coughing (have a fuckin lozenge people) or the deep breathing of the bloke behind us OR the man in front with the squealing hearing aid (although I forgive him. Like I said the sound was shit.) In some places the actors were 'doing' shakepseare - intoning, swooping up and down the register, screeching etc. (Might be personal preference though. That's just not my style.) It was made worse by the flashes of brilliance thoughout the production. Some really nice interpretations of individual lines. If they slowed down they were great too. I guess it's easy to race through the words when you've been doing it for a while. Highlights - blue painted jazz man (I think it was Edgar); the rain/on the beach scene; the arrest scene. Ian McKellan turned in a performance fine at times.

Update 26/8/07: the nasty brother was pretty good too. He always seemed to be on his knees, bouncing up and down, preparing to sprint over and slash someone's throat. Great stuff.

Sasparilla oooyyyy-yaaaaaa *

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Ruiz Zafon, Carlos "Shadow of the wind"
About a boy who finds a book written by a man who seems to have disappeared. The boy feels compelled to track down the author and find out what happened to him.
What did I think?
Simplistic plot explanation not matched by the writing. Excellent story and translation. Exciting and mysterious with a little bit of love and death thrown in. I love it when books turn out to be like those celtic knots where everything repeats and roils around. Great stuff. Recommended to others as this was recommended to me.

* song title/chorus

Brutal in summer

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Pratchett, Terry "The Wee free men"
About a girl who has to get her brother back from the 'quin' with the help of some pictsies.
What did I think?
I do enjoy a good Terry Pratchett. This is aimed at teens and has a number of highlaryoos situations. What I most enjoy about his books set in Discworld is that it seems so logical and right that the characters behave as they do. They are mostly noble and always come through in the end. Recommended.

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"The quick" by Laura Spinney
About a doctor who treats a patient with a machine lent to her by her old boss.
What did I think?
Atmospheric and isolating, detached character. Like one of those films where emotions are exaggerated (he's really angry! she's really sad! they're really messed up!) Interesting exploration of what grief can do to people.

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Quigley, Sheila "Run for home"
About an old mystery, bad luck, violence, death and slavery. Has a large cast of characters. And lots of swearing.
What did I think?
Once I'd got over the accent-writing ('yer') I quite enjoyed this book. It's heavy on dialogue. Clever use of the characters makes it seem as though you are looking into their lives in a defined space of time. Nice situations that only occasionally seem over the top and illogical.

like a lamb

So. I can't get through my first choice 'Q' book (so what if it's acclaimed overseas I'm just not that into it (and it's a million fucking pages long)) so I go to the shelf to get a replacement "Q" title book. Not there. So I go to the shelf to get the next author book. Not there. This means I am between books on the list. There isn't one there for me to read.



Not without a book though.*




"In the company of ogres" by A.Lee Martinez while not on the list is rocking my world.

Triffid alert

Those are the house rules punk

Piccies from Mt Atuanui


At the start of the tramp. Here's all of us together. Apart from me - I was taking a photo. Oh, and Suzy (from Forest and Bird, Kaipara) who had taken the previous photo . Oh and the other girl who'd run out to take a photo too.





Tramping through the forest. this mus have been on teh way back because the sun is out. It was pretty cool listening to the wind rushing through the trees on the way up but it did get a bit chilly.





A tiny hooded orchid. Unfortunately I can't often see what I'm taking a photo of until I upload it so I take them and hope for the best. It's the fuzzy green thing in the front. You can't tell but it looks a bit like a cobra hood with black stripes down the back and two little chinese dragon whiskers out the side. I'll try to do something with the other picture of the orchid and post it tomorrow.



You can just see LoM in the distance snapping me as I was snapping her.






The black specks in shadow in the foreground are the trampers. We're heading to the top of that ridge. I'm creeping slowly down trying to save my knees. No problems going up but going down? Freaking pain nightmare.

An afternoon with the people behind you...

#84 Walk Auckland mountain

Done and done. The weather was fine albeit quite windy. It had been raining so the ground was pretty muddy, especially in the farmland walk before you get into the trees. Once in there it was quiet. I guess the birds were hiding out from the wind. Saw a few plants that were so tiny and insignificant I would never guessed at how cool they were. Quite hilly in places - my knees were protesting the downs by the end. I was surprised at how spacious it seemed in places - none of the rampant foliage I'm used to in the ARCpark walks. Great to have people who actually know what they are talking about (rather than just relying on a book) guide you on the walk. Thinking of going back in summer to have a look at the changes.

#1 Tramp a Great Walk

Bit concerned about this now. If I can't even get through a short walk without knees playing up then how will I go a multi-day tramp?

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors

O'Connell, Carol "Shark Music" (aka "Find Me")

About a tough (and possibily sociopathic) New York detective who has gone off the career path to drive down Route 66 and solve a crime while being followed by two men who love her.

What did I think?

Apparently number 9 in the Kathy Mallory, oops sorry, just MALLORY series. I think I've missed a few - probably thrown when the author (who is barely around on the interweb (WTF - noone is not on the net) so no linky love) took a bit of time off to write another character. Quite odd (and naaaaasty) with a detached kind of writing style. I do wonder whether people really are that happy to love like the blokes do, with no reason to believe that they will ever be appreciated for that devotion...oh wait. OF COURSE. That's what people do all over the place. Plus she's all blonde and sexy and cold green eyes etc etc. Whatever. Recommended.

All the world's a stage

Planning lots of drinking this month so I can see the difference when I #44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results. Am just the tiniest bit disappointed that I have slowed down consumption recently (not that I was ever a HUGE drinker (OMG DENIAL *heehee*)) so this now seems fairly redundant. Keeping a food (and drink) diary for the next month as a base.

Sooo looking forward to #84 Walk Auckland mountain this weekend. Went out for lunch today and had a small conversation about tramping and the necessity of buying quality gear upfront. Here's hoping the weather stays nice.

Wicked drunk or otherwise

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Newbery, Linda "Set in stone"
About a man who is art tutor to two girls who have a secret that is not their companion (who also has a secret.)
What did I think?
Took a long time to get going, was really exciting about 5 chapters from the end and finished too quickly. All the characters sounded alike. Good plot but.
N.B. Don't search Real Groovy for "Set in stone" unless you're interested in butch-on-butch erotica. Search Newbery.

This task and #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles seem to be going on forever. At least I'm over halfway with both of them now.

Feeling a bit 'fah' with the way things are progressing (if only I had "put on weight" as a task...)

Again.

I'm pretty sure there will be bees

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors

Kingsolver, Barbara "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle"
About the author and her family spending one year eating locally, which for them means eating as much from their own garden as possible (while not being too precious about it (although this is a woman who hasn't eaten bananas in years in protest at the gas they use getting to the USA.))
What did I think?
This has made me more determined to eat locally, in season and also possibly to go organic. I've read lots about this and always think this is a good idea but never quite get going on it. Hopefully this time it will be different. There will be some challenges to overcome. We don't live on a farm. We live in a rented, steep, sea-view suburban house. Growing things to eat isn't something that I have grown up doing - the garden was always my Dad's area of expertise. We are both people who find it easier to keep doing the things we have always done because they are easier rather than making a bit of extra effort to change. Oh, and our fridge freezes anything lower than the second shelf in random and mysterious ways. Recommended. (The book not dodgy cooling units.)

Lackey, Mercedes "Sanctuary"
The final book in a triology following the adventures of a former serf who has risen to become the leader of a group of new style dragon riders.
What did I think?
Had to read this to finish off the set. Not her best work.

Morris, Paula "Trendy but Casual"
About publicity girl Jane who is told she is "ugly on the inside" by a street person (bag lady? Crazy woman? Can't remember the term) and then spends the rest of the book trying not to be while interacting with a large cast of characters.
What did I think?
A much easier read than her first one "Hibiscus Coast" (local! to me!) as this is more in the vein of the 'Shoppaholic' series rather than a look at art forgery through a detached narrator. Easy and with a much lighter plot (which doesn't mean better as I enjoyed the other one as well.) Recommended.

#76 Attend films I want to see - by myself if necessary.
Watched the inspiration for this task on DVD today -"Hot Fuzz". Laughed until I cried. Am having lots of luck with funny English comedies at the moment.

#31 Go away for a romantic weekend
Left early on Saturday morning to drive up to the Farmers market in Matakana. Bought beers, (bit of advice - if you buy beer from the Leigh Sawmill Brewers make sure to take a note of which type of beer matches which colour sticker and then mark all the other cans so you know which is which) lemons, dried banana chips, (if we eat local within 100km (seems to be the thing although it's the 100 mile diet overseas which would give us a few more kms to play with (another 60 in fact)) we can still have bananas) spicy hot chocolate and whitebait fritters. Drove over to Pakiri then to Leigh, winding our way back to Matakana taking every turn to a beach and going via Snells Beach. Paused at a local tea cafe (recommended - if only I could remember the name - it's on the roundabout corner opposite the cinema and shares the space with a stitching shop and soon potters and something else) before holing up in the motel for a quick rugby break. Decided not to go to the movies as there wasn't anyting on that we really wanted to see. Went to dinner at the place downstairs - delicious, expensive and we left pretty soon because we gatecrashed a table - then spent slightly longer in the wine bar upstairs. Spent some of the movie money on a bottle of a delicious local red. Next morning we'd planned to go to breakfast at a place in Warkworth but it wasn't open so we went to the Queen Street cafe and had a great breakfast there. Took the backroad to Puhoi before stopping at the Cheese factory. Spent teh rest of the movie money on cheese, took in a couple of open homes and then went to our home. About 3 minutes after we had unpacked the van it bucketed down. Great weekend looking around places we usually just drive through/past.

The poor man's tribble

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Jordan, Robert "The eye of the world"
About three young men, two young women, one woman with magic and one dangerous man. Magic, prophecy, fighting, love. Epic by any sense of the word.
What did I think?
Better than the (several) previous reading. I'd forgotten just how much information was packed into the first book. Character development is well done. Action sequences exciting and occasionally heart-stopping. No tear this time - I think I had braced myself for it. Always been worried that the author would die before the series was finished - unfortunately this is a real possibility. Kia kaha e koro, stay strong. Recommended.
N.B. Apparently everyone thought book 10 was filled with not much as the plot threads were all bought together. Phew! I thought it was just me.

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit
I've got two days minimum water for one person. It's not much but it's a start.

#13 Cycle 'around' New Zealand
On the wind trainer tonight and OMG. How depressing. Sloooow and useeless. I need to get back out in the wind and the rain and the sun to remember how to cycle. Bring on those hills - I want them.

#70 Read the books I own but haven't read
I have got to stop buying books.

You are not alone.

Went out yesterday with LoM to get new tramping boots. I thought it would take an hour or so...four hours later I managed to find some. Apparently that was very good in terms of how long it could have taken. Really good shop assistants in all the shops we went to as well which makes a nice change. Knowledgeable and helpful. Plus the boots are surprisingly comfortable. I guess they should be - they cost enough! I'm all ready for #84 Walk Auckland/Atuanui mountain on August 12. Just checking out the thermos to see whether it would be suitable to take with us. Hopefully the heavy rain will stay away - I don't mind a little bit of rain but I'd rather not get soaked!

Other progress areas
#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
The more I do this the less scary baking becomes. I have no trouble whipping up a cake or a batch of biscuits after dinner. Our cupboards are well stocked with baking ingredients.

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"Pride and Prejudice" Jane Austen
The original chicklit novel - girl meets boy, girls dislikes boy, boy thinks girl's family are embarassing, boy reluctantly falls in love with girl, boy declares himself, girl is incredulous, boy goes away, girl suffers period of angst and consternation then it all works out in the end.
What did I think?
It took me a while to get into this novel. Orginally I wondered what the hell I'd gotten myself into (bad vibes for #19 Read all of Jane Austen) but then I came to appreciate the elgeance of some of her sentences. So in the end I quite enjoyed it. I took it to the last film of the film festival (for me at least.) Funnily enough one of the actors in that film was in the latest film version of the book I had just read. Everything is linked right?

That film was "Death at a funeral". (#76 Attend films I want to see - by myself if necessary.) This choice for me was a bit of a wild card. I liked one of the actors in it but wasn't sure that it was actually a valid reason for going. Boy was I glad that I had decided to go! Very very funny. I was wiping tears away at one stage. Nicely paced and edited - there was a section of high comedy then one of high drama. The whole theatre went silent. Quite a good result considering it was packed out (at the Civic) and had moments before been in hysterics. Sure, there were some over the top moments, but it could be forgiven in that environment. Best seen in a large theatre with lots of people. (There was applauding after this film which I totally understood.)

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Izzard, Eddie "Dressed to kill"
An old title (almost ten years old) written when Mr Izzard was just starting to get into films and become known over here in NZ. Musings on life with a bit of biography thrown in.
What did I think?
Another wild card choice - I wasn't sure what to read so I thought I'd search the library catalogue for the first last author listed in the "I"s. I think I'd already read it but I found it interesting all the same. I'd just read an interview so it was a lucky coincidence that this book came up. Lots of fun if you don't mind philosophy and the occasional tangent in your biographies.