Plaque and wreath
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Mighty Mississippi
Couldn't not go to Memphis and not go on the mighty Mississippi!! And on a paddle steamer of course :-).
Interesting tour guide - it would be fair to say he was on the right side of conservative... A few quite extreme statements made - especially about hard labour and the 'non' rights of criminals, and how perhaps hard labour should be brought back in... He ended the talk with the incredibly graphic retelling of the story of the Sultana tragedy - complete with descriptions of body parts floating in the river, blood and gore etc etc... Made it all a bit more entertaining!
There were also lots of dead fish around where the boats were parked up - apparently due to the lack of oxygen in the water... I wasn't convinced.
Interesting tour guide - it would be fair to say he was on the right side of conservative... A few quite extreme statements made - especially about hard labour and the 'non' rights of criminals, and how perhaps hard labour should be brought back in... He ended the talk with the incredibly graphic retelling of the story of the Sultana tragedy - complete with descriptions of body parts floating in the river, blood and gore etc etc... Made it all a bit more entertaining!
There were also lots of dead fish around where the boats were parked up - apparently due to the lack of oxygen in the water... I wasn't convinced.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
First stop - Gracelands!
Saturday started off with a stroll down to the Memphis Rock'N'Soul Museum to get their free shuttle out to Gracelands...
Which actually wasn't as over-the-top as I was expecting. Given the excesses of the life styles of the rich and famous today, the house and the decor on the whole seemed pretty low key. I did like the Jungle Room tho - its not everyone who has green shagpile carpet on their ceiling!! Plus the gold seatbelts in the Lisa Marie were a nice touch as well...
Most fascinating was the floral tributes to The King - I was there a week after 'Elvis Week' so there were still loads from all over the world. Just amazing to see them all. It was relatively quiet there tho - I did hear stories of people queuing for 48 hours the previous week to ensure they could walk past the grave on the actual anniversary of his death...
There was also some fantastic tat in the gift shops as well!! I managed to restrain myself (just...). I was really tempted my a t-shirt that read 'Elvis has left the building' but they didn't have any nice girly ones...
Which actually wasn't as over-the-top as I was expecting. Given the excesses of the life styles of the rich and famous today, the house and the decor on the whole seemed pretty low key. I did like the Jungle Room tho - its not everyone who has green shagpile carpet on their ceiling!! Plus the gold seatbelts in the Lisa Marie were a nice touch as well...
Most fascinating was the floral tributes to The King - I was there a week after 'Elvis Week' so there were still loads from all over the world. Just amazing to see them all. It was relatively quiet there tho - I did hear stories of people queuing for 48 hours the previous week to ensure they could walk past the grave on the actual anniversary of his death...
There was also some fantastic tat in the gift shops as well!! I managed to restrain myself (just...). I was really tempted my a t-shirt that read 'Elvis has left the building' but they didn't have any nice girly ones...
Next stop - Sun Studios...
After leaving Gracelands the next stop on my musical tour of Memphis was Sun Studios - home to Elvis (originally), and various other biggies - including Johnny Cash :-). This was great - really tiny. We were taken upstairs to a room full of various bits of memorabilia, and then down into the studio itself, which is still used for recording today. It really was like standing in a bit of living history.
Third stop - 'The Beat Starts Here'...
I hadn't planned to go to the Memphis Rock'N'Soul Museum but it was where I had to pick the shuttle up in the morning to get out to Gracelands and I thought it looked quite good. Then I read about it in the guidebook and it rated it so I thought I'd take a look.
I spent AGES in here. It was an audio tour (the Americans seem very fond of these...), but the best bit was all the way around the museum were 'jukeboxes' where you could enter the number of a song and listen to it - and each jukebox had about 10-15 options to choose from, so you could get a real feel for the music you had just been reading about. Very very cool.
I spent AGES in here. It was an audio tour (the Americans seem very fond of these...), but the best bit was all the way around the museum were 'jukeboxes' where you could enter the number of a song and listen to it - and each jukebox had about 10-15 options to choose from, so you could get a real feel for the music you had just been reading about. Very very cool.
Fourth stop - the real thing!
After exhausting myself doing the touristy thing all day I took myself out for dinner on Saturday night down to Beale Street. Beale Street was just fantastic - I felt quite sorry for myself in that I wasn't with anyone, as you could have a great time out there. The street is pedestrianised, with loads of the bars and clubs selling beer out on the street. There are various stages set up down alleys and in parks where people play for free, plus of course there are all of the bars which also have live music.
After dinner I just wandered around for a while listening to a band playing on a stage at the WC Handy Park. I was quite worried about going into a bar by myself, but as I was steeling myself to do that I walked past an alleyway with a stage at the end of it that had a great blues band playing there. So I got myself a beer from a street seller, parked myself on a picnic bench and listened to some great music for the next couple of hours! It just got better after they were joined by their female vocalist as well - lots of 'My man done me wrong' type of blues. Fantastic!!
And of course I was bought a beer by a random guy because I was from NZ and the 60 year old blues guitarist from the band hit on me... Great night!
After dinner I just wandered around for a while listening to a band playing on a stage at the WC Handy Park. I was quite worried about going into a bar by myself, but as I was steeling myself to do that I walked past an alleyway with a stage at the end of it that had a great blues band playing there. So I got myself a beer from a street seller, parked myself on a picnic bench and listened to some great music for the next couple of hours! It just got better after they were joined by their female vocalist as well - lots of 'My man done me wrong' type of blues. Fantastic!!
And of course I was bought a beer by a random guy because I was from NZ and the 60 year old blues guitarist from the band hit on me... Great night!
Friday, August 24, 2007
London - Chicago - Memphis...
Very long day this one - almost as bad as flying back to NZ!! Flight left at 8am, which necessitated a 4.45am taxi pick up for me - of course I had loads of time left after check in, but that suits me just fine...
I had a few hours connection in Chicago before getting my next flight to Memphis. Immigration was ok - first time I've been fingerprinted and retina scanned mind... Customs was ok - although he amused himself laughing at the fact that I described myself as a librarian (I just find it easier than trying to explain what I do...) while reading a book about stolen books... (The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom - I wouldn't recommend it. It was rubbish!).
By the time I finally got to bed I'd been up about 22 hours and wasn't sure at that point if I was coming or going! But I was together enough to notice that it was much much warmer in Memphis than it had been in London :-).
I had a few hours connection in Chicago before getting my next flight to Memphis. Immigration was ok - first time I've been fingerprinted and retina scanned mind... Customs was ok - although he amused himself laughing at the fact that I described myself as a librarian (I just find it easier than trying to explain what I do...) while reading a book about stolen books... (The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom - I wouldn't recommend it. It was rubbish!).
By the time I finally got to bed I'd been up about 22 hours and wasn't sure at that point if I was coming or going! But I was together enough to notice that it was much much warmer in Memphis than it had been in London :-).
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Jiggery-pokery, jumbo jets and fighter pilots..
Oh - and a 15.3 mile walk as well...
Julia and I headed off to walk from Berwick to Eastbourne on Saturday. My usual faultless train organising slipped a bit however, so for the first time had to get in a taxi to get to the start of the walk... Most unlike me!
The first half of the walk was a bit underwhelming - some nice bits, but nothing too amazing. Although it was interesting to walk past the Arlington Reservoir at the start and see that it looked quite full - couldn't help but wonder what its level had been last year - drought vs the wet summer we've had... It picked up once we'd sighted The Long Man of Wilmington however, and we did get to walk through a corn field that was very remniscent of The X-Files! We had lunch in Jevington at the Eight Bells pub - whose innkeeper in the 1780s was a well known smuggler, James Pettit - known as 'Jevington Jigg' who used to store the contraband in the pub (and the rectory....). Very nice it was too! Also the first time we saw signs about Foot & Mouth as well - including buckets of disinfectant by fields to scrub your shoes with before going across it...
Walking along the South Downs Way after lunch we missed the turn off so decided to do the long version of the walk and stretch it out to Beachy Head (which I'd never been to). As we walked towards it we were a bit suprised at how many people there were (and also why there were so many helicopters flying around...) and then realised it was the Eastbourne Airbourne show on... We'd missed the bulk of it, but did get to see the Jumbo fly past - and it is something to see a Jumbo fly low over cliffs and then fly at a 45 deg angle to skim the cliffs. Very very cool. But what was as good was the fighter plane that did fab fast things and then finished by spiralling in a corkscrew up into the clouds. Very very stylish - is it possible to have a crush on an unseen pilot??
A very long day, but a very good one! More photos on Flickr as well...
Julia and I headed off to walk from Berwick to Eastbourne on Saturday. My usual faultless train organising slipped a bit however, so for the first time had to get in a taxi to get to the start of the walk... Most unlike me!
The first half of the walk was a bit underwhelming - some nice bits, but nothing too amazing. Although it was interesting to walk past the Arlington Reservoir at the start and see that it looked quite full - couldn't help but wonder what its level had been last year - drought vs the wet summer we've had... It picked up once we'd sighted The Long Man of Wilmington however, and we did get to walk through a corn field that was very remniscent of The X-Files! We had lunch in Jevington at the Eight Bells pub - whose innkeeper in the 1780s was a well known smuggler, James Pettit - known as 'Jevington Jigg' who used to store the contraband in the pub (and the rectory....). Very nice it was too! Also the first time we saw signs about Foot & Mouth as well - including buckets of disinfectant by fields to scrub your shoes with before going across it...
Walking along the South Downs Way after lunch we missed the turn off so decided to do the long version of the walk and stretch it out to Beachy Head (which I'd never been to). As we walked towards it we were a bit suprised at how many people there were (and also why there were so many helicopters flying around...) and then realised it was the Eastbourne Airbourne show on... We'd missed the bulk of it, but did get to see the Jumbo fly past - and it is something to see a Jumbo fly low over cliffs and then fly at a 45 deg angle to skim the cliffs. Very very cool. But what was as good was the fighter plane that did fab fast things and then finished by spiralling in a corkscrew up into the clouds. Very very stylish - is it possible to have a crush on an unseen pilot??
A very long day, but a very good one! More photos on Flickr as well...
View from the South Downs
View from the South Downs
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
The water you can see in the distance here is the Arlington Reservoir which we passed at the start of the walk..
Friday, August 17, 2007
West Highland Way - maps
I've had a couple of requests for maps of the route - these may or may not be enough to satisfy those who are interested, but check out the links anyhow...
West Highland Way 1
West Highland Way 2
West Highland Way 1
West Highland Way 2
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Yes - 92 miles...
Or 95 depending on what website you look at. From 28 Sept me, Julia, Craig, Owen and Kevin will be walking the long distance path the West Highland Way - from Glasgow to Fort William. Can't wait - it will be fantastic!!
And our distance walking home is anywhere between 6.5miles to 9miles - hard to tell with the Thames as it curves around so much...
And our distance walking home is anywhere between 6.5miles to 9miles - hard to tell with the Thames as it curves around so much...
Sunday, August 12, 2007
How We Are
On Sunday my 'art-i-ness' continued as I headed off to Tate Britain with Mhairi, Nicola and Jackie to see How We Are.
The original plan was to picnic in Victoria Tower Gardens (after paying homage to the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst...) en route to the gallery, but as it decided to rain shortly before said picnic we sat on a bench and ate our lunch instead. As Jackie said it was a bit like having a picnic at a bus station - although we were looking at the Thames!
The exhibition was really good, but very intense. A lot of photos to look at, quite a few small ones and lots of people to navigate around. I was exhausted by the end of the afternoon - even a reviving hot chocolate couldn't pick me up!
The original plan was to picnic in Victoria Tower Gardens (after paying homage to the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst...) en route to the gallery, but as it decided to rain shortly before said picnic we sat on a bench and ate our lunch instead. As Jackie said it was a bit like having a picnic at a bus station - although we were looking at the Thames!
The exhibition was really good, but very intense. A lot of photos to look at, quite a few small ones and lots of people to navigate around. I was exhausted by the end of the afternoon - even a reviving hot chocolate couldn't pick me up!
Friday, August 10, 2007
"Sups & Wine"
And so another meeting of the South West London 'Sups & Wine' club met... really just an excuse to eat food and drink wine of course! But this was the first one to be held at Julia's new place, and as summer seemed to have temporarily arrived in London we were able to sit outside and use her new garden furniture!
And I got to take some photos with my new phone :-)
And I got to take some photos with my new phone :-)
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Walking home - twice now...
And so our training for the West Highland Way has begun.... Julia, Owen, me and Kevin have started walking home once a week in preparation for the 92mile marathon walk that is rapidly approaching...
Still at least this time we have a week to do it, with B&Bs booked all the way along!!
And before I tackle that I'm off to Memphis, Nashville and Bowling Green to see Fleur - yay!!
Still at least this time we have a week to do it, with B&Bs booked all the way along!!
And before I tackle that I'm off to Memphis, Nashville and Bowling Green to see Fleur - yay!!
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Black Comedy
Mhairi and I went to see a friend from work in the play Black Comedy - very funny! Another very British 'farce' - along the lines of Lady Be Good so there seems to be a bit of a theme emerging there! Steve is a member of the South London Theatre and is about to audition for the panto Aladdin - could be my first panto!
Monday, August 06, 2007
Summer Exhibition - and a Kiwi debate...
On Saturday I met up Daphne, Pete, Olivia and Steve to go the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy. We had been reliably informed by another friend that there was a portrait of Daphne there so we thought that was of an excuse to go!
The exhibition is enormous - not over space, but just so many pictures, prints, photos crammed on all of the walls - it was hard to take them all in. We did find the print of Daphne - by Julian Opie - and we did all agree that it looked like her. If we'd had a spare £5,000 we could have bought a copy of it as well :-).
Prior to going to the exhibition we had all made a wee pilgramage to Kiwifruits and stocked up on some essential NZ items - including a multipack of Twisties, Rashuns and Cheezels. Which kicked off a debate on which item is the top snack of choice. My vote is always for Twisties although there was some dissension in the ranks on that. I think 2 year old Olivia had the best approach - eat them all happily while sharing them around (sometimes forcibly as she didn't seem to want to take no for an answer on the odd occasion!) with all of the adults - bless!
The exhibition is enormous - not over space, but just so many pictures, prints, photos crammed on all of the walls - it was hard to take them all in. We did find the print of Daphne - by Julian Opie - and we did all agree that it looked like her. If we'd had a spare £5,000 we could have bought a copy of it as well :-).
Prior to going to the exhibition we had all made a wee pilgramage to Kiwifruits and stocked up on some essential NZ items - including a multipack of Twisties, Rashuns and Cheezels. Which kicked off a debate on which item is the top snack of choice. My vote is always for Twisties although there was some dissension in the ranks on that. I think 2 year old Olivia had the best approach - eat them all happily while sharing them around (sometimes forcibly as she didn't seem to want to take no for an answer on the odd occasion!) with all of the adults - bless!
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Portraiture...
So today I took myself off to the National Portrait Gallery to see the BP Portrait Award. I've been before and really enjoy it - and as usual when I go to the gallery, I wonder why I don't go more often...
My fave painting was Jose Escofet by Miriam Escofet - so incredibly lifelike it was more like a photo - of an older man (the artist's father) and I just thought it was amazing. One I thought was interesting as well was called 'Commuter' where the painter had made sketches of someone on a tube, taken photos of him on his phone and then painted his portrait. Not too sure about the moral/ethical issues with that... Wondering how I would feel if I happened upon a painting of myself in a gallery that I had had no say in at all...
My fave painting was Jose Escofet by Miriam Escofet - so incredibly lifelike it was more like a photo - of an older man (the artist's father) and I just thought it was amazing. One I thought was interesting as well was called 'Commuter' where the painter had made sketches of someone on a tube, taken photos of him on his phone and then painted his portrait. Not too sure about the moral/ethical issues with that... Wondering how I would feel if I happened upon a painting of myself in a gallery that I had had no say in at all...
Saturday, July 28, 2007
New toy...
I'm now the proud owner of a funky new phone - very cool Sony Ericsson K810i - which I'm still working out how to use! I should transfer my old Vodafone number to it next week, so until then I'm still only playing with it...
But I'm sure having the camera on it will enable me to take (and blog) many more photos!
Weird getting used to a new phone - especially when I've been Nokia since my bag was stolen about 15months ago, but I'm sure in a few weeks I'll hardly remember what my Nokia was like!
But I'm sure having the camera on it will enable me to take (and blog) many more photos!
Weird getting used to a new phone - especially when I've been Nokia since my bag was stolen about 15months ago, but I'm sure in a few weeks I'll hardly remember what my Nokia was like!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Lady Be Good...
No - not what I tell myself every day...
I went to see Lady Be Good with a bunch of friends from work - it is the first time I've ever done the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and I really enjoyed it. I struggled with enthusiasm during the day - I've never gone to them before cos I've never trusted the weather, and the year I live dangerously we have the worst and wettest July since records began...
So I was well prepared with my walking jacket on, my picnic blanket to sit on and my fleece to keep my legs and hands warm and it was great! The musical was originally performed in 1924 with Fred Astaire and his sister Adele playing the brother and sister of the story - it was really well done, very fluffy, very funny, with beautiful frocks and dancing.
So I was pleased I trusted the BBC forecast and did go - roll on Macbeth in August!
I went to see Lady Be Good with a bunch of friends from work - it is the first time I've ever done the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and I really enjoyed it. I struggled with enthusiasm during the day - I've never gone to them before cos I've never trusted the weather, and the year I live dangerously we have the worst and wettest July since records began...
So I was well prepared with my walking jacket on, my picnic blanket to sit on and my fleece to keep my legs and hands warm and it was great! The musical was originally performed in 1924 with Fred Astaire and his sister Adele playing the brother and sister of the story - it was really well done, very fluffy, very funny, with beautiful frocks and dancing.
So I was pleased I trusted the BBC forecast and did go - roll on Macbeth in August!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Sam and Phil Goff
Myself and Phil Goff
Originally uploaded by enetheru_2006.
And here is Sam, snapped with Phil Goff while attending the Youth Parliament in Wellington - go Sam!!
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows...
finally came out on Saturday! Well technically it was on sale at one minute past midnight, but I'm not quite that much of a geek...
Frustratingly I had to help Julia move in to her new flat first, so couldn't dive into it until about 4pm, but had it all finished by 2pm today :-).
Loved it - cried a few times, but thought it was great. I think it finished things really well - and while some things didn't happen that I wanted to, but on the whole it was worth giving up my weekend to it!
Frustratingly I had to help Julia move in to her new flat first, so couldn't dive into it until about 4pm, but had it all finished by 2pm today :-).
Loved it - cried a few times, but thought it was great. I think it finished things really well - and while some things didn't happen that I wanted to, but on the whole it was worth giving up my weekend to it!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix...
So Tuesday the HP geeks (me, Maya and Steve) toddled off to see the latest HP film - which was great! Possibly the best one (excluding the first one of course which holds a special place just cos it is the first one...). And Maya and Steve were even more geeky than I was about the story :-)
Monday, July 16, 2007
And Julia buys her flat...
So on Monday Julia completed on her house so we just had to go round and have a look, and toast it with some champagne... :-).
Oh - and I had to go to the dentist to have my teeth scraped and polished which is just unnatural.... Although they did feel much better afterwards!
Oh - and I had to go to the dentist to have my teeth scraped and polished which is just unnatural.... Although they did feel much better afterwards!
Opening the door to the new flat...
Opening the door to the new flat...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
The door from the street...
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Sunday night - must be the Guillemots
Sunday I was off to see The Guillemots who were playing at Somerset House as part of the summer series there. Despite being worried it was going to rain amazingly it didn't and the show was pretty good. They're possibly not the best band to carry an outdoor venue, but they played Trains to Brazil which is just one of my fave songs at the mo :-).
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Walking again...
So for the first time in ages Julia and I went out for a walk. This one was Petersfield to Liss - 11.1m. It is one I'd done a couple of years ago when training for Trailwalker, but Julia had never done it.
The walk was famous with the Trailwalker group as the pub had had such fine food, and again it didn't disappoint. Although I was pleased that the huge hill I remembered happening just after lunch was actually before it! The Shoulder of Mutton hill is not a very nice one to walk up!
Everything seemed very lush, and there were loads of butterflies around - I'm sure that is unusual for July and was a reflection of the enormous amount of rain we've been having over the last 6 weeks. This time last year the ground would have been parched and rock hard... summer?
A couple of photos below, but more on my Flickr account so check them out :-)
The walk was famous with the Trailwalker group as the pub had had such fine food, and again it didn't disappoint. Although I was pleased that the huge hill I remembered happening just after lunch was actually before it! The Shoulder of Mutton hill is not a very nice one to walk up!
Everything seemed very lush, and there were loads of butterflies around - I'm sure that is unusual for July and was a reflection of the enormous amount of rain we've been having over the last 6 weeks. This time last year the ground would have been parched and rock hard... summer?
A couple of photos below, but more on my Flickr account so check them out :-)
The view from almost at the top!
The view from almost at the top!
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
Gave us a chance to rest as I took the photo!
Trying to get a decent shot of the Shoulder of Mutton hill - steep!
Trying to get a decent shot of the Shoulder of Mutton hill - steep!
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
This was taken trying to show how steep the hill is!
Monday, July 09, 2007
Commuting NZ style...
Commuting NZ style...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
Couldn't resist posting this one of Adrian on the train in Welly...
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Tour de France starts in London
It was a super sport Sunday in London as as well as the Wimbledon men's finals, it was also the start of the Tour de France. Julia and I toddled off to Craig's place to watch the bikes - he doesn't live far from the start at Greenwich.
They were amazing, but went past in a flash! Didn't even have time to take a photo! They looked like a shoal of fish swimming past - colours were amazing.
After that we headed off to Greenwich and had lunch - then watched this amazing street theatre - which I'm assuming was French but they seemed to be singing in Italian! Looked very cool tho!
They were amazing, but went past in a flash! Didn't even have time to take a photo! They looked like a shoal of fish swimming past - colours were amazing.
After that we headed off to Greenwich and had lunch - then watched this amazing street theatre - which I'm assuming was French but they seemed to be singing in Italian! Looked very cool tho!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
No stopping yet!
Friday (another day off work for me...) Steve and I went along to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show which was great. Given the torrential rain we'd had all week the gardens looked remarkably fresh and we didn't get any rain either which was great. The Festival of Roses was a bit disappointing - they didn't seem to have lasted too long, but the rest of it was good. Including some rather stunning garden statues...
No photos from this year however.
Friday (another day off work for me...) Steve and I went along to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show which was great. Given the torrential rain we'd had all week the gardens looked remarkably fresh and we didn't get any rain either which was great. The Festival of Roses was a bit disappointing - they didn't seem to have lasted too long, but the rest of it was good. Including some rather stunning garden statues...
No photos from this year however.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Maya turns 21...
No rest for the wicked... well there was a bit of a rest for me luckily. We had originally planned to meet at 11.45 but due to being somewhat under the weather I pushed that back to 1pm...
Maya, Chris and I had a lovely afternoon at the London Zoo which was great. We got to see the gorillas and we spent ages in the reptile house so Maya could admire all the snakes... Watching the tiger (looks just like Lenny!) was also a highlight for me :-).
Then we toddled off to Saltyard for a highly delicious dinner and bubbles to round off the day. Then I had to take my slightly worse for wear body back home...
Maya, Chris and I had a lovely afternoon at the London Zoo which was great. We got to see the gorillas and we spent ages in the reptile house so Maya could admire all the snakes... Watching the tiger (looks just like Lenny!) was also a highlight for me :-).
Then we toddled off to Saltyard for a highly delicious dinner and bubbles to round off the day. Then I had to take my slightly worse for wear body back home...
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Knowledge stuff...
Wednesday was our annual Knowledge Community Day which I helped to organise. The morning was usual work stuff - presentations etc, but in the afternoon we went to the Oasis Children's Venture to do some gardening and wall painting. Great fun despite the odd torrential downpour! I was in the painting team (check out a couple of the photos below) and had a good time turning a brick wall white so they could come along and cover it in graffiti...
Sobering to realise that for the kids who use the centre, that is their backyard - that is where they get to run around and let off steam. Makes you realise how spoilt we are back in Godzone.
Then in the evening it was our summer party... Fortunately I took many more photos than I featured in! Great night - although I really shouldn't have had the margaritas I had...
Sobering to realise that for the kids who use the centre, that is their backyard - that is where they get to run around and let off steam. Makes you realise how spoilt we are back in Godzone.
Then in the evening it was our summer party... Fortunately I took many more photos than I featured in! Great night - although I really shouldn't have had the margaritas I had...
Hard at work during the rain...
Hard at work during the rain...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
Hard at work painting under the trees during a downpour...
Monday, July 02, 2007
The Hold Steady...
aka as the most "boysiest' band I've been to in a long time...
The Hold Steady get rave reviews when they play here, but it really was a very male oriented audience. I went with Divya and I'd say we were one of the few 'girl couples' there - as opposed to girls who were there with their blokes...
And they were really good - but didn't light my fire as much as I thought they would. Perhaps it was also due to it being a Monday night gig at Shepherd's Bush - never a good time, but I just couldn't love them as much as I knew I was meant to. I'm sure all the boys would disagree with me tho!!
The Hold Steady get rave reviews when they play here, but it really was a very male oriented audience. I went with Divya and I'd say we were one of the few 'girl couples' there - as opposed to girls who were there with their blokes...
And they were really good - but didn't light my fire as much as I thought they would. Perhaps it was also due to it being a Monday night gig at Shepherd's Bush - never a good time, but I just couldn't love them as much as I knew I was meant to. I'm sure all the boys would disagree with me tho!!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Back on the merry-go-round...
So here we go again... back at home watching the news stories about the car bomb found in central London. Sigh. You forget for a while and then something happens and it starts all over again. The news has been full of differing stories but currently it seems like there were two - at least neither went off.
On a more positive note I've been a social butterfly this week so updates are below!
On a more positive note I've been a social butterfly this week so updates are below!
Its Monday - must be the cinema...
Went to see Jindabyne with friends from work - it has probably been out in NZ for ages as I think it was filmed a couple of years ago. Great film tho - beautifully filmed and quite thought provoking as well - and despite it being Australian it did make me feel a bit homesick - just the sounds and some of the sights were very reminiscent of NZ...
Expect (hopefully!) more filmy things as we're aiming for at least one per month - which will be better than my current hit rate!
Expect (hopefully!) more filmy things as we're aiming for at least one per month - which will be better than my current hit rate!
Gemini drinkies and Sups & Wine
Tuesday it was off out with my Gemini chums (David and Chris) and Daphne for belated birthday drinks at the Archduke. Daphne was the ringer, but as Pete is a Gemini it all sort of made sense really! And he was on baby duty looking after Olivia :-).
That really is the final birthday thing though and I've accepted that now I have to take my birthday cards down...
Wednesday was a visit to my friend Simon's place for 'sups & wine' - lovely evening chewing the fat and enjoying some nice wine :-).
That really is the final birthday thing though and I've accepted that now I have to take my birthday cards down...
Wednesday was a visit to my friend Simon's place for 'sups & wine' - lovely evening chewing the fat and enjoying some nice wine :-).
Snow Patrol at the O2
Thursday (last night) was Snow Patrol at the new O2 arena - interesting gig that one...
I'm a BIG fan of Snow Patrol - their last two cds have been on pretty high rotate on my iPod, and I've seen them a couple of times (once at Somerset House, once at V-Festival). So I was very excited about the gig - plus the O2 is brand new, so was also curious about what it would be like.
What it was like was incredibly sterile... Going into it (it's in the old Millennium Dome) it was like walking into an American shopping mall. Very very strange. The actual arena was good - great sound, and we got quite close to the stage as well. But the atmosphere just seemed really constrained. We had some very drunk girls dancing next to us for a while but they were behaving too leerily so the 'Customer Team' came and moved them out... At another point, some girls climbed up on their boyfriend's shoulders to get a better view. Cue more security guards into the audience to get them off again. And what was really weird was that there were no ticket touts - anywhere. I don't think I've ever been to a gig in London that hasn't had touts either outside the venue or outside the station - just added to the whole strangeness of the evening...
And then to cap it all off the transport was really skewed up so it took 1.5 hours to get back to Waterloo - a journey that should take 10 minutes... Not happy - and been very tired all day today :-(.
I'm a BIG fan of Snow Patrol - their last two cds have been on pretty high rotate on my iPod, and I've seen them a couple of times (once at Somerset House, once at V-Festival). So I was very excited about the gig - plus the O2 is brand new, so was also curious about what it would be like.
What it was like was incredibly sterile... Going into it (it's in the old Millennium Dome) it was like walking into an American shopping mall. Very very strange. The actual arena was good - great sound, and we got quite close to the stage as well. But the atmosphere just seemed really constrained. We had some very drunk girls dancing next to us for a while but they were behaving too leerily so the 'Customer Team' came and moved them out... At another point, some girls climbed up on their boyfriend's shoulders to get a better view. Cue more security guards into the audience to get them off again. And what was really weird was that there were no ticket touts - anywhere. I don't think I've ever been to a gig in London that hasn't had touts either outside the venue or outside the station - just added to the whole strangeness of the evening...
And then to cap it all off the transport was really skewed up so it took 1.5 hours to get back to Waterloo - a journey that should take 10 minutes... Not happy - and been very tired all day today :-(.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
50 not out...
And Leigh
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
And so Leigh turns 50 today - happy birthday sis!! (I know your hair doesn't look like this anymore but its the most recent photo I've got of you!)
Friday, June 22, 2007
Food recycling!
Very exciting - got home tonight to have a new little brown recycling bin outside my flat. My council is trialling food recycling for the next year :-). Which means that all my food waste will go into a bio-degradable bag which will then be used as a 'soil conditioner' on local farms. I've already started using the bin :-).
And before all you smug NZers start leaving comments about doing your own composting, bear in mind that I live in a flat on the top floor of a purpose built flat with no composting facilities of my own - this is a good thing they are doing!
And before all you smug NZers start leaving comments about doing your own composting, bear in mind that I live in a flat on the top floor of a purpose built flat with no composting facilities of my own - this is a good thing they are doing!
On The Run
So I've started to read On The Run by Sean Damer and Ian Frazer - the story of Anzac escape and evasion in Crete.
I'm only a couple of chapters in, but it is fantastic. I guess it is more interesting because of Dad, and because I've been to Crete, but it is a really good book. I recommend everyone to read it.
Some of the stuff is mind boggling - reading about guys who walked up the Samaria Gorge, and did it when they were in a terrible physical condition, and the whole march over to Sfakia to be evacuated. Incredible. My favourite story (which I'd read before) is about the Kiwi soldier who was picked up by other escapees who were in a boat - he was paddling naked on a plank of wood... You can only imagine what would have happened to him had he not been picked up!
I'm only a couple of chapters in, but it is fantastic. I guess it is more interesting because of Dad, and because I've been to Crete, but it is a really good book. I recommend everyone to read it.
Some of the stuff is mind boggling - reading about guys who walked up the Samaria Gorge, and did it when they were in a terrible physical condition, and the whole march over to Sfakia to be evacuated. Incredible. My favourite story (which I'd read before) is about the Kiwi soldier who was picked up by other escapees who were in a boat - he was paddling naked on a plank of wood... You can only imagine what would have happened to him had he not been picked up!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Forewarned is forearmed...
So I've been having a bit of dental pain over the last couple of weeks so I finally went to the dentist...
It turns out it is either nothing (which is what I'm really hoping for obviously....)
Or its going to be really awful - and all I can do is wait and see. So now I'm obsessing about my teeth and am convinced there is a root canal with my name on it coming my way. Watch this space...
It turns out it is either nothing (which is what I'm really hoping for obviously....)
Or its going to be really awful - and all I can do is wait and see. So now I'm obsessing about my teeth and am convinced there is a root canal with my name on it coming my way. Watch this space...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Its my birthday month don't you know...
So I finally had my belated birthday dinner on Tuesday... Despite three friends going all the way to the States to avoid my birthday (Nicola, Craig and Julia), and another one breaking her ankle (Kristie) I still managed to get them all together this week to wish me happy birthday. While Maya, Owen and Finbarr helped me celebrate for the 3rd and 2nd times respectively...
And I got some more pressies :-). Not that I'm materialistic at all :-)
And I got some more pressies :-). Not that I'm materialistic at all :-)
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Sad movies always make me cry...
I took myself off to see Bridge to Terabithia today - on the recommendation of Lindsey who saw it a few weeks ago. I loved it, although I did cry :-). I won't say why, but I am terrible at sad movies.
Lindsey had told me that it reminded her of games we used to play when we kids - jumping out of the nectarine tree at Wheretia St, and everytime we would enter a new world, and this film really captures that sort of imagination as well.
It was just a lovely movie.
Lindsey had told me that it reminded her of games we used to play when we kids - jumping out of the nectarine tree at Wheretia St, and everytime we would enter a new world, and this film really captures that sort of imagination as well.
It was just a lovely movie.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Clash of cultures - The Mall
Clash of cultures - The Mall
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
I loved the clash here - a Dirty Dancing taxi and the flags! I think the flags were either lining the Mall for the 'Trooping the Colour' or something to do with the various Falkland War commemorations that have been happening recently.
The Silver Surfer on the London Eye
The Silver Surfer on the London Eye
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
The Silver Surfer rides the London Eye... promoting the new Fantastic 4 movie I think, but I thought it looked pretty cool!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Good times
On Tuesday I took the afternoon off work to meet up with Mike - a friend I've known for a long long time now... We met when we flatted when I went to Library School back in Wellington - so a wee while ago! We met at Green Park and wandered up to look at the NZ Memorial at Hyde Park Corner which I'd wanted to do for ages, then ambled through Hyde Park as well. Finally saw the Diana Memorial Fountain as well which I'd never seen before.
I took a few snaps of the memorial - check out my flickr account as well as those below for a few more.
I took a few snaps of the memorial - check out my flickr account as well as those below for a few more.
New Zealand Memorial - 'The Southern Stand' Inscription 2
New Zealand Memorial - 'The Southern Stand' Inscription 2
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
The inscription describing the memorial. Most of the stands have different stories/writing on them as well.
New Zealand Memorial - 'The Southern Stand'
New Zealand Memorial - 'The Southern Stand'
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
View of the NZ Memorial at Hyde Park corner. It is diagonally opposite from the Australian memorial which is also really lovely. Very different from the NZ one, but they complement each other nicely.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Birthday round up...
I had a lovely day on the 7th - spent it hanging out with Maya. We started off by going to the Anthony Gormley exhibition at the Hayward Gallery - the Blind Light room was fantastic! Then we went for lunch at Ping Pong Dim Sum which was very nice. I hadn't been there before, but it was handy to the gallery. Then it was off for another drink before going to see Sunshine - starring the fabulous Cillian Murphy and NZ's own Cliff Curtis. It was good - bit of a weak ending we both thought tho. Then off for another drink and dinner at Strada. So a good day!
Friday I went and had my hair cut & coloured (but you can't really tell from the photos...) to finally get rid of all of the grey. Then it was the 'June Babies' drinks at The Horse - pub by the office. There are many of us at work (including two on the 7th!) so this is the second year we've done a big joint party.
And I finally got to meet Maya's boyfriend - I tried really hard to be the scary aunt (apparently he was nervous of meeting me...) but I don't think I succeeded very well! I'm just too nice... :-).
Needless to say Saturday was a very slow day for me...
Friday I went and had my hair cut & coloured (but you can't really tell from the photos...) to finally get rid of all of the grey. Then it was the 'June Babies' drinks at The Horse - pub by the office. There are many of us at work (including two on the 7th!) so this is the second year we've done a big joint party.
And I finally got to meet Maya's boyfriend - I tried really hard to be the scary aunt (apparently he was nervous of meeting me...) but I don't think I succeeded very well! I'm just too nice... :-).
Needless to say Saturday was a very slow day for me...
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Bliss...
Today was the start of my birthday celebrations as I used my present from Kevin last year - a day at The Sanctuary.
It was fab - I just lazed around, did a bit of swimming, had a facial (first one ever!), spent some time in a chilling out colour room, and bought some lovely products for my face - all part of the new me as I head into the last year of my thirties!! Great way to spend the first half of my birthday (you know - the whole 6th vs 7th June thing...).
It was fab - I just lazed around, did a bit of swimming, had a facial (first one ever!), spent some time in a chilling out colour room, and bought some lovely products for my face - all part of the new me as I head into the last year of my thirties!! Great way to spend the first half of my birthday (you know - the whole 6th vs 7th June thing...).
Monday, June 04, 2007
Coldy...
I can't believe it - its my birthday week and I feel like I'm coming down with a cold! Which I can only assume I got from Pete :-(. There are some shockers going around at the mo so I'm going to dope myself up and head off to bed - I refuse to get ill this week.
I have too much planned!!
I have too much planned!!
The Future is Unwritten
Mhairi and I went to see the movie about Joe Strummer tonight - The Future is Unwritten. I really enjoyed it - I realised I didn't actually know all that much about him and his life and it was filmed quite cleverly. Lots of his voice overs, lots of actual footage - so at times it was actually hard to remember that he has gone. One minor quibble would be that it would have been nice to know who the people were who were talking about him. There were no names until they were credited at the end - a bit frustrating as I doubt there are that many people who would have known they all were....
But still a great film. And a great bit at the end from him about life and what its all about. Gave me and my angsting a bit to think about anyhow.
But still a great film. And a great bit at the end from him about life and what its all about. Gave me and my angsting a bit to think about anyhow.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Just get over it...
Saturday was a train trip out to Tonbridge to go to Olivia's 2nd birthday BBQ - as always Daphne and Pete struck gold with the weather, and despite having just finished a week of cold and rain we had a lovely sunny afternoon... Although Pete was struggling with a cold he soldiered on. And luckily there were enough men there to take over the BBQ when he needed a break!
I'm in the middle of angsting about my rapidly approaching last year of my 30s - for which I got very short shrift from Pete and Steve - both older than me who both said 'Get over it' - good old Kiwi sympathy there...
I'm in the middle of angsting about my rapidly approaching last year of my 30s - for which I got very short shrift from Pete and Steve - both older than me who both said 'Get over it' - good old Kiwi sympathy there...
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Manics at Shepherd's Bush
I went to see the Manic Street Preachers at the SBE - first time they've toured for a while - well certainly first time I'd seen them for ages anyhow! I'd been playing their latest album heavily so I would know most of the songs, but they did a great gig of old and new stuff so it didn't matter too much.
They played my current fave, which is 'Your Love Alone is Not Enough' - absolutely fantastic. You can listen to it on their myspace site here. They ended with 'Design for Life' which is one of my all time faves of theirs - how could I not love a song which starts with "Libraries gave us power"...!
And the great thing about them is that they look so normal. They've been around for years, and James Dean Bradfield just looks like a middle aged man - brilliant.
After the gig we met up with a friend of Divya's who looks after gig merchandising so I also managed to get a free t-shirt and some very cool badges as well - not a bad evening all up!
They played my current fave, which is 'Your Love Alone is Not Enough' - absolutely fantastic. You can listen to it on their myspace site here. They ended with 'Design for Life' which is one of my all time faves of theirs - how could I not love a song which starts with "Libraries gave us power"...!
And the great thing about them is that they look so normal. They've been around for years, and James Dean Bradfield just looks like a middle aged man - brilliant.
After the gig we met up with a friend of Divya's who looks after gig merchandising so I also managed to get a free t-shirt and some very cool badges as well - not a bad evening all up!
Monday, May 28, 2007
More books!
I've added some more books to my LibraryThing as well - at long last. I'm very proud to say that one of the books I added I appear to be the only person who has catalogued it! And somewhat unsuprisingly, my last Harry Potter book has been catalogued by over 16,000 people...
Still got my graphic novels to do yet :-)
Still got my graphic novels to do yet :-)
Tragic Life Stories
I have to admit I've noticed the plethora of these books coming out over the last couple of years - you know, the triumph over extreme tragedy/hardship/abused childhood etc. But in WH Smiths today (bit like Whitcoull's - in fact they owned Whitcoull's for a while) I was shocked to see they now have that as a category for their books. So in addition to Crime, Romance, Horror etc you now have 'Tragic Life Stories'.
I find that a very sad and very scary inditement of the world we live in.
I find that a very sad and very scary inditement of the world we live in.
A very wet Bank Holiday weekend...
So the UK's last long weekend until the end of August (gulp!) is drawing to a close, and given the lovely days we've been having until Friday its been like another country! Started raining on Saturday and hasn't really stopped since.
Quite pleased tho really - there is no compulsion to get out and do anything when the weather is crap so I've had 3 days of extreme laziness and vege-ing out. Including starting to watch the series The Green Wing which I've borrowed from a friend. Absolutely brilliant - very typical C4 comedy so maybe not to everyone's taste but I've found myself laughing out loud. I also took myself off to the cinema to see Spiderman 3 - again not to everyone's taste, but now that Pirates 3 has opened I thought it would be the quieter of the two. And its not bad - not great, and could be shorter (does a superhero movie really need to be over 2 hours long...?) but it filled a wet, Sunday afternoon!
Also went out to the wilds of South East London on Sat night for a drink with Finbarr at
The Clockhouse - his version of a 'local' pub. Not so local for me, Owen and Julia, particularly given that the rain was chucking down as we walked for what felt like miles and miles to get to it...
Quite pleased tho really - there is no compulsion to get out and do anything when the weather is crap so I've had 3 days of extreme laziness and vege-ing out. Including starting to watch the series The Green Wing which I've borrowed from a friend. Absolutely brilliant - very typical C4 comedy so maybe not to everyone's taste but I've found myself laughing out loud. I also took myself off to the cinema to see Spiderman 3 - again not to everyone's taste, but now that Pirates 3 has opened I thought it would be the quieter of the two. And its not bad - not great, and could be shorter (does a superhero movie really need to be over 2 hours long...?) but it filled a wet, Sunday afternoon!
Also went out to the wilds of South East London on Sat night for a drink with Finbarr at
The Clockhouse - his version of a 'local' pub. Not so local for me, Owen and Julia, particularly given that the rain was chucking down as we walked for what felt like miles and miles to get to it...
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Wonderful Wilco
So I went to the second night of Wilco's two night gig at the Shepherd's Bush Empire last night - how many ways can I rave about it?? All kudos to Kevin (also known as "I'm your biggest fan Jeff") for letting me take his spare ticket for the show - his second show I might add. He also went to see them on Sunday night as well. He is not named IYBFJ for nothing!
They were just fantastic. And as I think I've mentioned before Wilco do have ground to make up for! It was quite strange to be stood back in the Empire watching Wilco, and having such a completely different experience. Kevin got to see them do 'Be Not So Fearful' on Sunday night, and I live in eternal hope that they will play Lonely 1, but I still haven't seen it. They did however finish with Woody Guthrie's California Stars from the Wilco/Billy Bragg album Mermaid Avenue, which is one of my favourites so I was pretty happy at the end :-). It has taken a long time but I think I've almost forgiven Wilco for that first experience of them...
And they played for almost a full two hours - almost unheard of nowadays. So I took my camera for Kevin and as well as the photo blogged there are a few more on Flickr. Not great photos - but they are my first gig ones!
They were just fantastic. And as I think I've mentioned before Wilco do have ground to make up for! It was quite strange to be stood back in the Empire watching Wilco, and having such a completely different experience. Kevin got to see them do 'Be Not So Fearful' on Sunday night, and I live in eternal hope that they will play Lonely 1, but I still haven't seen it. They did however finish with Woody Guthrie's California Stars from the Wilco/Billy Bragg album Mermaid Avenue, which is one of my favourites so I was pretty happy at the end :-). It has taken a long time but I think I've almost forgiven Wilco for that first experience of them...
And they played for almost a full two hours - almost unheard of nowadays. So I took my camera for Kevin and as well as the photo blogged there are a few more on Flickr. Not great photos - but they are my first gig ones!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Another plug for one of my fave blogs...
I've really been enjoying reading the Crockatt & Powell blog recently - I think I wrote about this ages ago.... Sadly I don't get to go into the shop that often now as I work in our other building.
I'm particularly impressed with their Harry Potter offer - but you'll have to read about it to find out what it is! Suffice to say, that I had a small part in also getting Ernst & Young involved...
I'm particularly impressed with their Harry Potter offer - but you'll have to read about it to find out what it is! Suffice to say, that I had a small part in also getting Ernst & Young involved...
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
John Simm - the Master!
Or should that be Sam (Life on Mars) or Elling - the play I went to this week with Jax. He was absolutely brilliant in it - I didn't see John Simm at all - just his character. The theatre was pretty small as well (probably only about 100 people) so it was very intimate. Very funny, and while all the actors were good, I did think John Simm was the fabbest :-).
I also found this article from The Sun (a quality paper...) that has reported that he is to play The Master in Dr Who. How cool - David Tennant vs John Simm. What a show that will be!
I also found this article from The Sun (a quality paper...) that has reported that he is to play The Master in Dr Who. How cool - David Tennant vs John Simm. What a show that will be!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Lunching weekends
I had a weekend of lunches - on Saturday Nicola, Mhairi and Jackie came to mine for lunch. Very stressful time for me as I'm not a particularly confident cook, so I find entertaining not that relaxing! And with various dietary requirements to be catered for it became even more challenging! However all seemed to go well and as my guests didn't leave until about 9pm I think I can safely say the day was a success!
Sunday I met Julia and we went for lunch at the revamped Dog & Fox in Wimbledon. It has recently reopened and has gone non-smoking ahead of the law change in July so it was great. No horrid smoky clothes at the end, and it was quite quiet as I guess more people were going to the pubs that still allow smoking!
Sunday I met Julia and we went for lunch at the revamped Dog & Fox in Wimbledon. It has recently reopened and has gone non-smoking ahead of the law change in July so it was great. No horrid smoky clothes at the end, and it was quite quiet as I guess more people were going to the pubs that still allow smoking!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Has it been that long???
Here's a wee round-up of what I've been doing (that is of any vague interest!) since my last post...
Very influential
I've just spent the last three days at the Kettering Hotel & Spa on an influencing course for work. It was really good - I learnt a lot, and as always, more about myself. The hotel looks fab from the website and it was pretty good - on the inside. But it is literally sited on a roundabout so there wasn't anywhere to go outside! I did manage to for a swim on one of the days though which I'm quite proud of!
Wivenhoe wandering, Renoir and the British Museum on a Bank Holiday weekend...
I went out to visit a friend from work, Jax, who lives in Wivenhoe - deep in the wilds of Essex. A bit like going out west in Auckland (but different somehow...). Although most of the day was spent shopping in the neighbouring town on Colchester. I so rarely shop with other girlies so I had a very successful afternoon, acquiring some new colourful tops for work (as opposed to my usual black and brown...)!
Sunday I met up with Nicola and we went to see the Renoir exhibition at the National Gallery. This is sponsored by EY so we used my freebie tickets - quite good as I think we were both a bit underwhelmed with the whole event. Some good ones in there, but it wasn't amazing, and judging by the crowd it didn't seem to be super busy either.
Then we trotted off to the British Museum - my first time for years. I think Nicola was a bit horrified I hadn't been since the Great Court was finished... We went to see La Bouche du Roi - art considering the slave ships that used to come out to England. The accompanying video was also amazing - showing how the petrol smugglers of Benin take their lives into their hands by expanding plastic containers over the open flame so they can get more petrol in to them, then they strap about 10 of these containers on to the motorbikes and off they go... A very high fatality rate unsuprisingly.
On the way out we wandered through the Egyptian room which was way cool!! I hadn't been that keen but Nicola forced me and I loved it. Sadly the museum was closing so it literally was a walk through. Fantastic though - and I'll be back quite soon me thinks!
Sunday I met up with Nicola and we went to see the Renoir exhibition at the National Gallery. This is sponsored by EY so we used my freebie tickets - quite good as I think we were both a bit underwhelmed with the whole event. Some good ones in there, but it wasn't amazing, and judging by the crowd it didn't seem to be super busy either.
Then we trotted off to the British Museum - my first time for years. I think Nicola was a bit horrified I hadn't been since the Great Court was finished... We went to see La Bouche du Roi - art considering the slave ships that used to come out to England. The accompanying video was also amazing - showing how the petrol smugglers of Benin take their lives into their hands by expanding plastic containers over the open flame so they can get more petrol in to them, then they strap about 10 of these containers on to the motorbikes and off they go... A very high fatality rate unsuprisingly.
On the way out we wandered through the Egyptian room which was way cool!! I hadn't been that keen but Nicola forced me and I loved it. Sadly the museum was closing so it literally was a walk through. Fantastic though - and I'll be back quite soon me thinks!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
So what was I looking for?
Aaah - that would be 'wilfing' - although technically it should be spelt 'wwilfing'...
But apparently that is what the British are spending an awful lot of time doing on the web - getting distracted and heading off on many different directions as we surf.
I have to admit I'm a bit guilty of this... but this is something that I've seen mentioned loads over the last couple of weeks. So yet another new word enters the lexicon - as we all head off to carry on wilfing...!
But apparently that is what the British are spending an awful lot of time doing on the web - getting distracted and heading off on many different directions as we surf.
I have to admit I'm a bit guilty of this... but this is something that I've seen mentioned loads over the last couple of weeks. So yet another new word enters the lexicon - as we all head off to carry on wilfing...!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
James
James, Brixton Academy, London, 26th April 2007 #21
Originally uploaded by Guildford Ghost.
This is actually from the gig the night before, but there aren't any decent photos of the Friday night one...
James - a band from the past...
Kevin and I went to see James on Friday - as good as they used to be! They sort of disbanded a few years ago, but I suspect they got back together again for the money (as so many bands are doing these days...). But we always used to enjoy going to see them - the lead singer is just a livewire on stage so he always gives a great performance. It wasn't too much of a 'best hits' performance which pleased Kevin - being more of the music afficionado than me...
It inspired me to check my gig tickets when I got home tho, and I only had one other ticket for James in my book - but I know I've seen them loads more than that!
It inspired me to check my gig tickets when I got home tho, and I only had one other ticket for James in my book - but I know I've seen them loads more than that!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Busy busy busy!!
Been a busy wee thing for the last week - so below are some catch up posts! I've also uploaded a few more photos from Jordan to Flickr as well - in case you aren't bored of them yet :-).
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Running in the sun...
On Sunday I was up out again, this time to go in to town to watch the London Marathon. We went to Canary Wharf - around the 18 mile mark, and stood in the sun to clap and cheer the runners as they went past. We even managed to see and cheer our friend Sam from work, who did a cracking time of 3 hrs 36 mins! Sadly one runner died afterwards - the heat really must have been extreme for those running. It was hot enough just stood in it.
We finished the afternoon off by getting a boat back down the Thames to London Bridge to get home - another lovely day spent making the most of the glorious weather London has been having recently!
We finished the afternoon off by getting a boat back down the Thames to London Bridge to get home - another lovely day spent making the most of the glorious weather London has been having recently!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Walking in sunny East Sussex
On Saturday Julia and I headed off to East Sussex/Kent to go walking. We did a walk known as the Robertsbridge Circular (11.5 miles) and it was fantastic! It was a gorgeous day, the bluebells were out in the woods, we had a fantastic lunch at The White Horse Inn, the apple trees were just starting to blossom (we went through an orchard at one point), we saw the fantastic Bodiam Castle and got to have a delish National Trust icecream, plus had time for a pint at the end as we waited for our train back to London! One of the best walks we've done for a while - there are a few photos on Flickr, so check them out!
Bodiam Castle - way cool!
Bodiam Castle - way cool!
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.
This really was a perfect castle to sit and admire in the sun!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Trendy birthday celebrations, Sevenoaks and a gig...
On Thursday I was off out to help Finbarr celebrate his birthday. We had pre-dinner drinks at The Foundry - achingly trendy Hoxton type pub. Julia and I felt very wrongly dressed in our 'just come from work clothes'!! Then we went for very nice Vietnamese dinner, followed by more drinks at a not so achingly trendy pub....
Fortunately I had taken Friday off to go and visit my friend Jannine and meet baby Miles for the first time, so I didn't have to drag my sorry carcass out of bed to get to work by 9! Method in my madness! I had a lovely afternoon playing with 2 year old Daisy and 3 month old Miles, then it was back in to town to meet Maya to go and see Bloc Party at Brixton Academy. Fortunately we were upstairs in the balcony which is seated so we got to sit for a good while until they came on! And as always they were great.
Fortunately I had taken Friday off to go and visit my friend Jannine and meet baby Miles for the first time, so I didn't have to drag my sorry carcass out of bed to get to work by 9! Method in my madness! I had a lovely afternoon playing with 2 year old Daisy and 3 month old Miles, then it was back in to town to meet Maya to go and see Bloc Party at Brixton Academy. Fortunately we were upstairs in the balcony which is seated so we got to sit for a good while until they came on! And as always they were great.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
A real find!
Met up with some friends for a drink after work, and Nicola suggested the Prince of Wales in Kennington - fantastic wee pub! You just wouldn't think you were in London at all! Damn fine fish'n'chips too!
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