And like Maurie

My counter has also just gone a bit weird and gone back to 300. All very odd...

My life and Don

After seeing Don McGlashan it made me think about all the times I have seen him at the different periods in my life - here are some I remember...

• The Front Lawn - Maidment Theatre, Auckland University. Brilliant show - the key bits I remember are the 'car' driving around the stage (him and Harry Sinclair running around the stage with torches as headlights) and the camping 'photos' - the stage lights going off and on, and everytime they were in a new snapshot. Also the theatre a bit later on down by the wharf somewhere.
• Wellington - I'd just moved to go to library school and I went to see The Muttonbirds with Eryn, Keith (I think), and a cousin of Keith's (I think). He was a journalist and very cute. I later bumped into him in a flat in London and he turned out to be a friend of Anita's. Very nice guy. But at that gig I remember almost crying when they played Dominion Road (given that I lived just off Dominion Road and had just left), and they had such few songs that they had to repeat it for their encore.
  
• London - The 100 Club. Very surreal - I'd not been in London that long and it was just so weird to see something so NZ in such a different setting. I think that may have been with Fone & Pete, (and Kevin's first time maybe).
  
• London - The Astoria - bit more established by then. Bigger venue, bigger crowd. Wall to wall kiwi boys, all wearing checked shirts with their collars turned up. Bit much for me that one.
  
• London - Shepherd's Bush - me realising Alan Gregg must have left the band :-(. Don singing 'Come Around' and dedicating it to Alan (think they'd had a falling out...).
  

Where has the time gone??

The wonderful Don - Sweet!

So me and Nicola went to see Don McGlashan at The Borderline who was just fab. It was a solo show, and he played lots of great Muttonbirds songs (which made me very happy), including Dominion Road, as well as 'Tomorrow Night' from the Front Lawn which was just great! Nicola enjoyed it as well - although I think part of that may have been the audience/accents. Lots of 'Sweet' coming from the crowd - which is just not a word that is used in the same context over here!

Absolutely abysmal support though - some miserable hippy looking Kiwi. Luckily we only saw the last few songs - the second to last one was called (or the main lyric was) 'Hospice for destitute lovers' (which gives you a good idea of the tone of the music), and then he announced his final song as 'Heart of Misery'. When he then started singing about how he had hung himself it got too much for us and we just started laughing (as did some of the crowd around us). Just ridiculous. I was busy reassuring Nicola that Don McGlashan wouldn't be like that!!

Anyhow - it was a great gig. Made me miss home...

Of reading

Last week I started reading 'Two Little Boys' by Duncan Sarkies which Adrian sent me last year as part of my birthday present. Sorry Age - couldn't read it. Really didn't like it at all... Let me know if you want me to post it back to you, otherwise I'll pass it on to a charity shop over here when I next do a clear out of stuff. Maybe its cos I'm a girl, but I just couldn't get into it, and didn't like any of the characters. And I just struggled with a book that has as its central piece that a person was killed by a hit and run. I couldn't help but keep thinking about the guy who was dead. Guess it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Following that, I've started reading 'The Quiet Girl' by Peter Hoeg which was one of the books Maya gave me at Xmas. I have absolutely NO idea what is going on, but I'm loving it. I've not read any of his others (his most well known one here in the UK is 'Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow') but this one has just been written so beautifully. Its not often I feel moved to say that about a book! I'm reading it very slowly, as it is so confusing I find one or two chapters at a time is enough, and I then need to digest what I've read.

I'll update when I've finished it as well... Might be a while tho!

Australia

I went to see Australia yesterday afternoon (Sunday) with Julia. I thought it was great! Perfect Sunday film fare.

Of course you have to completely suspend belief, but if you do that its pretty easy to enjoy. Reminded me of old fashioned films - the hero was a 'real man', the baddies were all bad, the romance was romantic...

I think its worth a look - well maybe not if you're a bloke...

Surreal train life on a Monday night

1. The woman crying into her mobile phone on the platform at London Bridge. Still talking fairly coherently, but obviously upset. All she seemed able to say was that she was on a train to Charing Cross. Then she gets onto the train, which is busy and standing room only full of commuters on their way home. And the conversation and and the tears continue, and the whole carriage just carry on doing their train stuff, acting like this drama wasn't being acted out 2 feet away from us. All studiously avoiding actually looking at her however...
2. The two men on the train who realise they know each other and are sat diagonally opposite each other. Man One is reading, and obviously wants to carry on reading, but there's a few minutes of forced conversation before with a sense of relief Man Two pulls out a book and they can stop. But they both live in Surbiton so then they have to continue the awkward conversation along the platform and all the way out.
3. Girls talking to each other going up the stairs at Surbiton. Girl One says to Girl Two that Girl Three is at a pubt at London Bridge station. To which Girl Two responds 'Oh wicked. I'm so jealous'. Now, never in a million years can I understand why you would be jealous of someone being at London Bridge in a pub...

Its a strange world in London sometimes...

What I learnt from me Mum...

As I was folding my newly washed and dried tea towels the other day and very diligently putting them to the bottom of the pile so the towels stay rotated I thought of how it is second nature that I do that, and being told by Mum as a youngster that that was how you put the towels away...

Then about 1/2 an hour later I dropped a knife and could immediately hear Mum saying 'Oh no - don't drop a knife - I don't want any more visitors'. And it was the thought in my head as well 'Oh - visitors'.

Funny how its the little things that make you stop and pause during a normal day and remember.

Service compression

So apparently my 'service' isn't being 'compressed' enough for my role to be considered un-necessary. So I'm still living in the UK for a wee while longer (unless the unchecked lottery ticket is a winner...).

Gotta love the euphemisms people come up with...

A film and an old friend

Last night I went to see 'The Reader' with a friend from work. Not bad going to have seen two films and the new year is only just one week old! It hasn't been getting great reviews, but I really enjoyed it. Thought the performances were outstanding from all 3 of the leads, and quite a thought provoking story as well. Next up is 'Australia' on Sunday with Julia. Also VERY excited about 'Slumdog Millionaire' which opens here this week as well.

Tonight was a bit of a bonus as well as I got to catch up with an old friend Kathryn, who is in town visiting. For those of you who remember, I flatted with her in Wellington - we managed to snatch a quick glass of wine after work and it was soooo lovely to see her and chat. We worked out we have known each other for about 15-16 years, and despite not having seen her for around 5 years, it was still so easy to talk. Brilliant.

ARCTIC

OK - its about the trillionth time I've used that phrase today - but seriously, it is REALLY cold here at the mo.

London is excited as apparently on Sunday we may get up to the heady heights of 4 deg (in which case we'll all be running around in t-shirts it will seem so tropical), and it may also not be dipping below 0 at night...

I don't remember it being like this for so many consecutive days for a long time - its normally one or two days, but its been like this since Xmas.

On another matter - I now have a hoiking coughing man living below me who is doing my head in. And I mean proper hoicking/coughing your lungs out about every 3-5 mins (and that isn't an exaggeration). Bizarrely I saw him leave the flat the other day with his girlfriend (who I assume lives with him), and he looked younger than me.

Call me shallow - but that must be true love. There is something seriously wrong with his health if he is doing that all the time - but he looks fit and healthy so I have no idea what is causing it. But I know I couldn't live with it...

First snow of 2009...

First snow of 2009...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Woke up to the first snow of the year this morning. We didn't get snow in 2008 until April so I'm thinking this winter is definitely colder than last years!!

Walking to the station was a bit tricky but I managed to get there without falling over - a few slippy slidey bits tho! And of course the trains were delayed....

First snow of 2009...

First snow of 2009...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

And again... It wasn't really this dark...

A bargain is only a bargain if you need it...

Something Lindsey said to me many moons ago, and its always stuck with me. The economy here is in freefall at the mo, and the New Year sales are now in full swing. I feel like I should be out there taking advantage of them all, but I also can't afford it. So I've done very little shopping at all. I did get a new pair of walking trousers for £9.99 (down from £39.99) which were a bargain... And I wanted some new ones as well. I've also ordered a rug from John Lewis for my lounge - also half price, but you don't need to know how much that one cost!

Back to work tomorrow - and I've sort of done most of the things I wanted to over the break. Managed to get to Rothko, get to the cinema, go for a walk, and also had a delicious roast lunch at Owen's. So I don't feel like I've wasted too much time - and all of that has been in absolutely freezing temperatures!!

A book lover's film...

Maya and I went to see Inkheart on New Year's Day. It was a perfect New Year's Day film and we both really enjoyed it. Fun trying to guess all of the book references, and I think the book itself would probably be even better. Might treat myself a bit later in the year - I have loads to read at the mo, including a whole new bunch from Maya and Chris for Christmas!

But Inkheart is definitely my first film recommendation of 2009...

2008 in review

I am blatantly copying this from Eryn, but here is my 2008 in a snapshot... In no particular order at all

BEST BITS

• Skype-ing the family. Being able to see people and talk as well is the best
  
• Adrian's face on Xmas day when he saw Maya
  
• Kristie & John's wedding in the British Virgin Islands
• Playing host to both Tracey and Leigh & Maurie over summer. My family rock.
  
• Gigwise - The Hours (2x), Autumn Defense, Echo & The Bunnymen, Elbow
• Films - Son of Rambow, In Bruges
  
• Books - The Pellinor books
  
• My 40th. My friends rock
• Lindsey coming down to London for my 40th
  
• Pilgrimage to the home of the Chalet School
• Walking - Yorkshire and the London Loop
• Staying up far too late drinking whisky with Julia
• Party planning sessions at Simon's place
• Receiving letters - you know who you are. They were fab!
• David and Dominic get hitched. Beautiful.
  
• Comments on my blog - tells me I'm not doing this for nothing.
• Scrabble via Lexulous and Facebook - even when I lose
  

NOT SUCH GOOD BITS

• Not getting up to Glasgow
  
• Summer (where was it?)
  
• Not being able to say goodbye to Tracey at the airport
• Too many friends having a hard time
• My wallet getting stolen
• Not writing enough letters to my friends
  

Happy New Year!

And now it is 2009... My New Year's was very quiet as I didn't go out - but I did have an enjoyable evening watching the World's Strongest Man, and then a one off show set in NZ. Very lightweight, but quite funny, and it made me feel homesick for NZ and its accents and people...