tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27522583245706706292024-03-18T20:00:18.931+13:00beach hutUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger295125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-20567032966975646972016-07-30T11:06:00.001+12:002016-07-30T22:44:38.631+12:00Is there anybody out there?So, I've taken rather a huge blogging break...<br />
Family drama, changing jobs, houses, location you name it we flipping changed it! But now we have settled, a little further north and with a lot more room. It's a draughty old villa on 2 acres in the middle of nowhere where I hope to create a self sustainable lifestyle. I've started blogging again, it's very early days and it's still feeling a bit lonely as I abandoned my blogger family when the wagon came off the rails. I do apologise, but sometimes life throws such a tantrum that the only way through is to shut down and start again.<br />
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Anyway, enough of all that. I would be absolutely delighted if you have a moment and would like to pop over and say hello. I've started a new blog so please click on the link. <a href="http://1thirty1.blogspot.co.nz/">You can find me here at one thirty one.</a><br />
Jus x<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-35482756311026175712014-04-30T12:28:00.003+12:002014-04-30T12:42:10.504+12:00Bye Bye Baby... <br />
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Sunrise/Sunset, it’s the inevitability that I enjoy. I’m an organiser, a list writer, an anal retentive (who said that!). I like to know exactly what’s next and if there are any spontaneous happenings, then I like to be the one managing them. So it is with huge trepidation that I step right out of my comfy pants. I’m closing down the Beach Hut and starting again in a tiny house by the sea. Vintage Bach, Pataua. A 1940’s holiday cabin built on a sand dune. It’s a little tired, a funny colour and just seventy square metres, but Crikey Dick! the potential. Just sixteen paces to the water’s edge with a huge back yard, original wooden floors and a view so spectacular it makes your teeth ache. Eventually, we’ll live there, but all in good time. I’ll be posting our journey over on Facebook, please follow me <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justine.lapper#!/pages/Vintage-Bach-Pataua/868986723127512?notif_t=page_new_likes">here</a>. For now though, Ta Ra…it’s been a blast jx Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-23364706159754491612014-01-27T18:49:00.001+13:002014-01-28T11:18:23.127+13:00Sunday driveSo we're hunting for a Bach (holiday home for the non kiwi's). At the end of this year we're playing relocation relocation, no Phil and Kirsty unfortunately but the premise remains the same.<br />
City apartment for the working week and an old Bach by the sea to enjoy on weekends. I'm loving the search, today we discovered Huia.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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We ate fish and chips in the best seats in the house!</div>
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A perfect day out with the old man and the sea x</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-47860608643063893152014-01-08T21:48:00.000+13:002014-01-08T21:48:12.336+13:00SummerBack to work tomorrow so I'll be relying on a bucketful of holiday memories to keep me going til the next one!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-33179699095405843242013-10-16T15:10:00.002+13:002013-10-17T16:21:35.018+13:00Eat out Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote>Always on the look out for cheap, tasty and quick (I'm talking lunch, not men) today's master stroke was a Malaysian curry in a hurry. Unlike most restaurant's, Mamak make their roti fresh each morning and it is doughy, crumbly, chewy heaven. The chicken curry was just the right amount of spicy with loads of potato thickened sauce to dip my roti. Jeffery the host was charming and although the tiny retaurant was packed, there was all the time in the world to enjoy a Malaysian style lunch break. I just need a Spanish style siesta to get over it!</blockquote><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mamak, Chancery, Auckland CBD</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-33438868699609798602013-10-08T11:26:00.001+13:002013-10-08T11:28:01.023+13:00The weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Check out my banana tree! Of course, the gorgeous Hanae is also nice to look at, but DUDE... check out my banana tree! I suppose I should have tidied a little more thoroughly when I agreed to the use of the house for a photo shoot. Isn't that what photo shop is for though? I can't wait to see the pictures once they've been jooshed, but in the meantime here are a couple of snaps from Saturday's shoot</blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-84077041160984776952013-10-04T11:42:00.001+13:002013-10-04T16:41:22.796+13:00That Friday Feeling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My desk is often the place where files, paper and grubby tissues are dumped, so what a pleasure it was to find flowers instead. Second hand they may be, but the smell is glorious so I'm a very happy dumpee!</div>
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I'm actually planning a desk make-over now that spring is finally here. I own a cubicle rather than an office but I believe it could be a whole lot prettier than it is at present. I've been trawling the usual spaces, searching for inspiration</div>
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I think a wander around a few of my favourite stationery stores could be next on the list</blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-66601163440568798632013-09-26T13:40:00.003+12:002013-09-26T15:44:19.899+12:00Thursday’s shopping list<blockquote>
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<span xmlns="">"A kiss of colour and pearlized shine perk up our world famous 100% natural lip balm, while natural ingredients like vitamin E and coconut and sunflower oils moisturize and soothe your lips. Choose from our yummy, all natural shades: Champagne, Raisin, Rhubarb, Watermelon, Fig, and Guava."<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>
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Well that's the advertising copy anyway. It's true though, check out my pucker. <a href="http://www.burtsbees.com.au/">Burt's Bees </a>lip shimmer, leaves your lips feeling soft and weirdly (in a good way) tingly. Added peppermint essential oil maybe?<br />My favourite colour is the raisin, or baboon bottom red as it's affectionately known as at home.</span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-60628894353763248242013-09-25T15:47:00.001+12:002013-09-25T16:30:36.404+12:00Eat out Wednesday<span xmlns=""><blockquote>
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Auckland isn't a New York or a Sydney, but it's trying, and I love that it's trying! As an Aucklander I believe it's my civic duty to frequent as many as restaurants as financially possible. </div>
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It's a tough job, but someone has to do it!</div>
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So Ayah and I took off for lunch at Federal Street Deli last week and well worth the rain splattered hike it was. I had the pastrami sandwich, Ayah had the latkes and a good time was had by all.</div>
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The icing on the gooey chocolate cheesecake though was our perfect position at the bar. We were in the thick of the kitchen action, with an impromptu cookery lesson given to the soup chef by the celebrity deli owner… very Masterchef-fy and well worth the extra lunchtime dollar.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-42024135790738919792013-09-20T10:30:00.001+12:002013-09-26T15:42:07.618+12:00 Mini me<blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When asked what shape she would descibe me as, my mother replied" Toffee Apple!"</td></tr>
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<span xmlns=""><span id="goog_1945364887"></span><span id="goog_1945364888"></span>Three days later and I'm still doing it…<br />It is almost as if I've had a mini revelation. Cor, wouldn't they be lovely, mini <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revels_(confectionery)">revels</a>; you could use them as cake toppers… whoops sorry, tangent averted, mind off chocolate, back on track!<br />Where was I? A mini revelation; I wouldn't let the house get trashed without giving it a good clean, I wouldn't ignore my family (well, that's not exactly true… there was the dreadful present on my birthday incident which left me sulking for almost 24 hours. 'Nuff said, nobody's finest hour). I wouldn't dismiss a huge to do list at work or drive my car into the ground.<br />So why do I find it so hard to sort my diet out?! I mean, why can't I stop overeating?!<br />I've done the visualisation, I can see myself skinny. I really want the skinny but up until 3 days ago the skinny would only last until after dinner and then the "Sod it, I'll start properly in the morning/after the weekend/on Monday/ in the New Year" would take over. And I know it's not just me. <br />But back to the mini revels, nom, nom and nom. Something seems to have clicked in my head. (Not my jaw I hasten to add; I had a friend who used to get jaw click when she chewed, I could never decide if it irritated me or not.) No, this click was more swoosh, like a curtain being drawn on a clear, bright morning. <br />Who knows how long it will last. A bit like an Auckland Spring, where you will often see four seasons in one day, I'm sure a little rain will fall. But for now, I'm revelling!</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-12424626309812105392013-09-17T14:32:00.000+12:002013-09-25T14:25:58.324+12:00A self-portrait sort of day<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
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<blockquote>Today I woke up at 6am, bounced out of bed, did 40 seconds on the bike, fell off, weighed myself, laughed, emptied the dishwasher and threw a load of laundry on, showered, dressed, slapped on some lippy and sang all the way to the bus stop.</div>
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<blockquote>I've been in this chipper mood all day. I'm tackling the smelly stuff right down the bottom of the to do list, I've stuck dutifully to my fasting day (<a href="http://thefastdiet.co.uk/">5:2</a> diet, giving it a go!), crikey… I'm even writing a blog post. <br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
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Last night, before I fell asleep I decided that today was going to happen this way. Does that sound all Tony (white teeth) Robbins? I'm not one for mantras and affirmations, but last night I just felt like I should start today differently. So, I set the alarm for 6 and do you know, it's working! Today is different, more sorted somehow. </div>
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I'm going home via the scented candle shop and tonight I will soak in a tub filled with bath milk. My favourite pyjamas, a cup of tea and some lightweight reading will round off the day.<br />And tomorrow…I think tomorrow may be pretty good too.</span>
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</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-21826165781528416982013-09-09T10:19:00.001+12:002013-09-25T16:35:17.817+12:00Coif-fee?<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote>Are you a coffee addict? I'm not sure if it's the coffee or the take away cups I love. There is something so New York/Sex in the City about strolling along, steaming cardboard cup in hand. I was especially delighted to find these little beauties at a newly discovered lunch spot recently. They are so pretty that I kept one to wash out and use as a pencil jar on my desk. Then I washed another one for flowers and then I washed another smaller one for paperclips. I am now bouncing off the walls due to a massive caffeine overdose, however my desk looks lovely.</div>
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</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-2857078670043758282013-08-28T15:12:00.000+12:002013-09-26T15:49:09.807+12:00Life, love and a bikini diet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Gosh, it's been an age since I was here last. Life, hey! Time just keeps on truckin' along. I suppose I've been quiet because there's not been a lot to shout about. Well, not a lot that I haven't mentioned before, however... It's holiday time and that is definitely a reason to holler. </div>
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Lil is on her grand adventure with the latest installment taking place on a beautiful little island floating above the Great Barrier Reef and Slap and I are off to visit. Hence the bikini reference. It will be fair roasting when we arrive so I'm digging out the diet plan and my ladyshave. We leave at the end of October, so that gives me just enough time to rid myself of a pile of fuzzy blubber (Lord, I'm making myself feel sick) Anyway, there's nothing like the threat of public humiliation and large amounts of naked flesh to keep you on the path of starvation righteousness. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kathrynwilson.com/">Kathryn Wilson loafer</a></td></tr>
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The inverted commas are to explain that I don't mean I buy just 2 pairs of shoes a year. I get through at least 6 pairs of jandals (flip flops for the non-kiwi's) every summer; but I like a pair of warm weather shoes and a pair of cold weather shoes that will not fall to pieces after just one season.</div>
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I take these purchases very, VERY seriously. Shoes in NZ are not cheap (nothing in NZ is cheap but that's another story!) and 'good' shoes can be the dollar equivalent of our electricity bill. However, I work full time, I work hard and the arena in which I work is such that delicious footwear is the norm.</div>
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I sound like I'm justifying the spend and maybe I am. Would anyone really notice if I turned up in worn shoes? Probably not, but there has to be a reason for the 6am start and the evenings on call, and here is mine...</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-60474988022667614062013-04-29T14:23:00.001+12:002013-09-26T11:35:17.388+12:00This week I"ll be mostly...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUxGHExFsgo07vKnsr00i5brMW_vQjXZBdDmzWSRxgwQDeK81n67NWY6XMY6olZx46mcSSrSTPasqidvUu0dO7GBsPikLSQB2FBVHQkggtOYVGBw15OgvE07UJySVHWyCQhEsF___RnU/s1600/dsc_0042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" lua="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUxGHExFsgo07vKnsr00i5brMW_vQjXZBdDmzWSRxgwQDeK81n67NWY6XMY6olZx46mcSSrSTPasqidvUu0dO7GBsPikLSQB2FBVHQkggtOYVGBw15OgvE07UJySVHWyCQhEsF___RnU/s640/dsc_0042.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This weekend's indulgence was a crisp apple tart from <a href="http://peasepudding.wordpress.com/">here</a></td></tr>
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<blockquote><blockquote>... writing a book!</div>
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Not really, well sort of. I'm not one of those tortured souls who lives to write, scribbling frantically at 3am. But when the mood takes me I love to fill pages, scratching away with my trusty 2B.</div>
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I have an excellent daydream where one day I'll post my story off to a publisher whereupon they'll beg me to sign a contract for a squillion dollars. I'll buy a cottage and live a simple life, writing, fishing, cooking and jetting off to Los Angeles every so often. I'll appear on the Ellen Show, where she'll stand in open mouthed wonder as I dance the audience into a frenzy. I'll also stalk Ewen MacGregor (I have a squillion dollars I can afford the court costs).</div>
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Rest easy though Ew baby... my book writing is alot like my exercise regime, often thought of but rarely undertaken!</div>
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</blockquote></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-69842555118202460922013-04-24T10:34:00.005+12:002013-09-26T11:38:48.952+12:00Meatball Problems...<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3aeUHHhyphenhyphenLBkASWaLDSP58bYlSxYMLzTqUuFB-7lUULck7QhZruglQKoPYDBmF6Bo1y4KuBIhO2eQqQZpZMLlO_PbuJDSNSlMl1LlZhI704sWwkF24XqWspQukR7c6fsSOG3K_ipBoe8/s1600/breathing-flower-chandelier-auckland-art-gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3aeUHHhyphenhyphenLBkASWaLDSP58bYlSxYMLzTqUuFB-7lUULck7QhZruglQKoPYDBmF6Bo1y4KuBIhO2eQqQZpZMLlO_PbuJDSNSlMl1LlZhI704sWwkF24XqWspQukR7c6fsSOG3K_ipBoe8/s640/breathing-flower-chandelier-auckland-art-gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the breathing flower chandelier - auckland art gallery</td></tr>
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What does that mean?</div>
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<blockquote>When I occasionally lose control of the TV remote Oompa-loompa's appear with huge eyelashes, squeaky voices and questionable taste in daywear. They seem to constantly bemoan their TV lives, always having meatball problems. Is this because they were once Italian and therefore habitual eaters of meatballs? Or is it because they look a little like carroty flavoured meatballs themselves? I have asked but received the same non-response that I had to my question, 'why do boys keep referring to other boys as bras?' (answers on a postcard please).</div>
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<blockquote>My interest stems from a recent conversation I overheard; a fellow commuter referred to a rotten first date as a first world problem (she was loud, don't judge me) . Rather a succinct way of looking at things, do you agree? I have a nasty tendancy to wrestle with petty niggles or slights, turning them into properly large issues that can leave me out of sorts for days. My birthday for example. I love birthday's and get a lot of pleasure out of planning and choosing, wrapping and baking so is it unreasonable to get shirty when my houseful of men makes no reciprocal effort? I would love to be the tranquil type that rises above such selfishness, but I'm not, I'm a narky old bat that gets petulant when aggrieved.</div>
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<blockquote>I spent last night sulking and now I feel silly. I am channelling serene but it's hard because I still feel cross and ridiculously hard done by. I'm being an egg... I know this, but it doesn't make life any easier.</div>
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<blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>Oh well, I'll keep chewing things over and hoping that a bigger person than me makes the first move. </div>
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Thank you for listening, rant over!</div>
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</blockquote></blockquote></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-32009822224909133132013-04-09T13:25:00.000+12:002013-04-09T13:26:37.535+12:00Perspective<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46VHG3F0v5kbXGSn0hCDvT7wrjC2KMVYgl8BZi-FtQNrPedlEv1HEJjRgFYwj7CF4IcdjxPyFwcCzh-OynA8bVhZtjbKBKTNH1gYM_aLAtD7F2_OEGcwPonv_aXvAbxZBKGQnbSGVfkI/s1600/8632466111_34d3bb54bc_b%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46VHG3F0v5kbXGSn0hCDvT7wrjC2KMVYgl8BZi-FtQNrPedlEv1HEJjRgFYwj7CF4IcdjxPyFwcCzh-OynA8bVhZtjbKBKTNH1gYM_aLAtD7F2_OEGcwPonv_aXvAbxZBKGQnbSGVfkI/s640/8632466111_34d3bb54bc_b%255B1%255D.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
Today I travelled to work on Auckland's first double decker. <br />
HUGE excitement was apparent amongst my sleepy brigade of fellow commuters. We jostled for position and I'm horrified to admit that my innate Britishness was thrown under the bus as the double doors opened and I made a dash for the stairs. There is only one seat worth it's salt on a double decker, and that is the seat by the window at the front on the left (better views... I have been giving this a lot of thought since discovering that a second storey was going to be available... don't judge me!!)<br />
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Mission accomplished I sat and marvelled at the world above bungalow level. An awful lot of useful stuff seems to have been thrown onto the roof of the bus stations I pass enroute to the office. I'm wondering if all the black shoes I spied come from the same foot? Perhaps a disgruntled business man decided to fling his workday wardrobe upward in a rebellious moment and is now parading around town in orange sandals? If so, he'll be spotted from my new favourite vantage point.<br />
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Coincidentally, I have been giving the idea of perspective some thought recently. I took this photo whilst on holiday and it has made me think that as much as I enjoy being a stay-at-homebody, perhaps my world would benefit from a trip outside of my front door. So, I'm giving myself a few "things to do" that don't involve the house, desk or garden and I'm off to take a wander around the recently refurbished Auckland Art Gallery.<br />
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Wish me luck!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-39063394700811205512013-04-05T09:30:00.001+13:002013-09-26T11:41:10.062+12:00The Barrier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uLQoC4nRItCKXL5B_tVTVI_OU0a09lEwsN6kMEIsoilZ_2L-tomdXSMhtMn-sn6sqJFKi4G2Yobk-HW1Nc7Qdomn6VWb0V0tRrS9qi3HeJnf3XBGd0IagSAnfHmwd0h-VHVXMjZhVAM/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uLQoC4nRItCKXL5B_tVTVI_OU0a09lEwsN6kMEIsoilZ_2L-tomdXSMhtMn-sn6sqJFKi4G2Yobk-HW1Nc7Qdomn6VWb0V0tRrS9qi3HeJnf3XBGd0IagSAnfHmwd0h-VHVXMjZhVAM/s640/Picture1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Is there anything as relaxing as the sound of waves crashing when it's time to go to sleep?</div>
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We recently returned from an Easter break where the house was so close to the beach you could almost hit the water from the deck. We stayed on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef">Great Barrier Island</a>, a beautifully remote and tranquil place sixty odd miles out to sea. It was bliss...</div>
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No phones,</div>
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No TV,</div>
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No WiFi. </div>
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Solar powered with the only water available coming from a rainwater tank in the garden.</div>
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The weather was perfect, the family well-behaved and I gobbled up three books, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Suitable_Boy">A Suitable Boy</a> which is as weighty as the Yellow Pages.</div>
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I'm feeling revived, renewed and ready for adventure.</div>
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How was your Easter?</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-51305374382585006652013-03-18T14:25:00.003+13:002013-03-18T15:05:24.808+13:00Just the two of us...I've been a mother for almost half my life. An extraordinary concept and one that takes my breath away if I think along these lines for any length of time.<br />
Of course I remember what it was like pre pregnancy, but I don't really remember the feeling of being completely in charge. However, with my youngest on the cusp of his sixteenth birthday things are changing. Weekends are all about noisy days but quiet, quiet nights. The social life of a teenager is nocturnal and more often than not Slap and I find ourselves alone after 8pm. If the boys aren't out, they're plugged into the computer and babysitters have been replaced by the WiFi connection and a family bag of Dorrito's.<br />
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For too long, Saturday nights have been about staying home but we can drink wine and fall asleep mid CSI any night of the week. It's time to reclaim the weekend!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are at the Lantern Festival</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwnR7EOFFjPXZLXyxcTtZ_2ZH5ZweeT5QLGQsRnci8lFJXlf-JJ__XDtNVcfSrUuGpcH5tZ45YpT2i4A-XE-NP_hnLZr-Aa_O3lCFUDQMqo0d6uWyMT-4QsDOEU_uPqBsKImWkRSv-kk/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwnR7EOFFjPXZLXyxcTtZ_2ZH5ZweeT5QLGQsRnci8lFJXlf-JJ__XDtNVcfSrUuGpcH5tZ45YpT2i4A-XE-NP_hnLZr-Aa_O3lCFUDQMqo0d6uWyMT-4QsDOEU_uPqBsKImWkRSv-kk/s640/untitled.bmp" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are at a rather lovely restaurant playing "Ooh, this one's a lively one" with our napkins, <br />
after just one (lies, lies) tiny glass of wine!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPyVLFUaZay1En1yyHA2USExOdNjhKSegErTFN19iueG64rncDQDMpgQxLzgvD1_GQfuINzDagyvYojFzwLfw3KAQuIqu23MZqCg5_s298DqtRTYzxjXa21SVnc_72yJB36sYLHaQe1w/s1600/unt1itled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPyVLFUaZay1En1yyHA2USExOdNjhKSegErTFN19iueG64rncDQDMpgQxLzgvD1_GQfuINzDagyvYojFzwLfw3KAQuIqu23MZqCg5_s298DqtRTYzxjXa21SVnc_72yJB36sYLHaQe1w/s640/unt1itled.bmp" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here we are under a photograph of an enormous lobster.</td></tr>
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P.S. Slap didn't pose unwillingly for these photo's... in fact the lobster one was his idea, yep!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-54967945150281207242013-03-05T14:55:00.001+13:002013-03-06T13:21:04.413+13:00another one bites the dust...<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've just read my last post. All that resolute determination... it lasted slightly longer than the bus ride home. I found a half eaten Mars Bar in the bottom of my handbag and according to the law in New Zealand, once you've fallen off the diet high horse you must eat frenziedly until you remount (check out all the awesome NZ laws on the website www.i'mabigfibber.co.newzealand)</div>
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As a law abiding permanent resident of this glorious land I have stuck rigidly to the rules and I am now 3kg heavier than when I started the diet. I have also cancelled my gym membership as I found public sweatiness even more impossible than pooing in a public toilet.</div>
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Middle class... you betcha!</div>
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What should I do? What do you do? I'm desperately chanelling Kate Moss but she was wrong when she said nothing tastes as good as skinny... a kebab blows skinny out of the water. Should I just give up on diets and exercise routines? I wonder what would happen if I lived a full fat life... replace the meal replacement with a few tasty morsels and a glass of wine. Jump off the treadmill and take a walk on the beach. It can't be less successful than the diets to date.</div>
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Oooh, I'm a little bit excited! Actually, I'm going to start right now. </div>
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Yes, it's Tuesday afternoon.</div>
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Yes, it's a well known fact that the only time to start a diet is Monday morning but I'm throwing all the rules out the window and doing it my way.</div>
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Wish me luck xx<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5lKPkzC4y53tetMqhGQ9ka12WhohEkw6O22zWhCq9kkpTit5yFuERAQ8cotIVoJfExI9l-aa9tpXeiJU24Os-71IY8tNG4RUMnz_CuV5fTLGgcnUEe5wpT3eKccN5tJtlZAvRxdGBds/s1600/PS_c8cd0f47-b386-41f1-b82c-08566446c5d8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5lKPkzC4y53tetMqhGQ9ka12WhohEkw6O22zWhCq9kkpTit5yFuERAQ8cotIVoJfExI9l-aa9tpXeiJU24Os-71IY8tNG4RUMnz_CuV5fTLGgcnUEe5wpT3eKccN5tJtlZAvRxdGBds/s640/PS_c8cd0f47-b386-41f1-b82c-08566446c5d8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random lemon tart photo - baked and enjoyed last month.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-20295511446102328662013-01-16T15:32:00.001+13:002013-03-05T12:49:18.318+13:00food glorious food<div style="text-align: justify;">
Next on the list is the diet - Man, I loathe that word!</div>
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I'm a chubby. I love chocolate, chip butties, meat pies and mashed potatoes. I can eat an entire packet of chocolate digestives in less that 4 minutes (I timed myself Sunday... don't ask) and there isn't a slice of cake out there that I would turn down. </div>
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I love red wine, white wine, fruity cocktails and icy G&T's. Cheese, pate, chicken sandwiches and family sized packets of salt and vinegar are glorious grazers. Ice cream, frozen yogurt, steamed puddings and strawberry pavlova - all worthy third courses. BUT (and it's a big butt, tee hee), it's time gentlemen please.</div>
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I'm 45 - I plan on going for at least that long again and this means the unhealthy appetite has to go the same way as the cigarettes and crumping. I'm a non-smoking, healthy eating, sensible party animal.</div>
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I am Nana... hear me roar!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-555023560708256282013-01-14T16:25:00.000+13:002013-03-05T12:50:14.035+13:00my man chuck...<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is daunting... not only a blank page but it's that resolute month where all seems possible; it's just a little difficult to begin.</div>
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I have big plans for January. Sitting in the boot of my car is a gaudy backpack, splattered with logo's and motivational one-liners. It's been there since November, my prize for braving a rainy Saturday morning where I completed a direct debit form and nodded enthusiastically while a sweaty youth in lycra promised that a cross trainer would change my life.</div>
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I'm sure it would too, if I would just get on it.</div>
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So this is the month that I dig out my old Chuck Taylor's and that nasty T-shirt that has hair dye around the collar. The ghastly backpack will remain simmering in the car; I have an orange string bag that adds sartorial aplomb to my 'jogging Nana' outfit.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-88098383743723490562012-12-20T12:36:00.001+13:002013-03-05T12:50:32.121+13:00Struggling...<div style="text-align: justify;">
...to get everything done. Can't even complete sentences. </div>
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This time of year is nuts isn't it?!</div>
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I'm going to have a month off, play with the kids, eat cake and muck around in boats.</div>
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Have a lovely Christmas, smashing New Year and I'll see you on the flip side.</div>
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P.S. Thank you Anonymous for your lovely comments. I have tried to click on your reply but it directs me to a 'sales' website and I can't be sure that it's you I'm leaving a reply comment to? I'm really chuffed that you like the blog though, jx</div>
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P.P.S.A monster advent calendar spotted on my walk to work this morning. It blasts rather odd christmas jingles at you too, fabulous!!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-61711639813754915852012-11-27T13:57:00.001+13:002013-03-05T12:50:51.219+13:00Bye, bye Baby!<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's been an emotional time of late. Lily left on her backpacking travels yesterday and it was very hard to say goodbye.</div>
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She moved home for her final week in NZ and it was glorious to have our little house filled to the brink again with grown up children, laughter and bad T.V. Less fun were the wads of dirty cotton wool in the sink, insane piles of washing and the remergence of the house wide floor-drobe, but totally worth it!</div>
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First stop Sydney with plans to conquer Canada, Europe and India.</div>
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Bon voyage Lily and Matt... TEXT ME...... ALOT!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2752258324570670629.post-63669837410234389082012-11-09T09:17:00.002+13:002013-04-29T11:30:17.579+12:00I'm so excited I may vomit!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I received a letter from Radio NZ, they want to buy my story.</div>
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I am dumbfounded, but so incredibly happy. They are going to read it out at some point, on the radio, with proper actors. If I wasn't so well mannered I'd swear loudly. Slap has mooted the idea of a radio party where the usual suspects gather together, drink, laugh and surf the airwaves (note the priority please), however I'm not sure I could handle that. A bit too "show off", what do you think?</div>
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My idea is just we two and the children, a large bar of chocolate and a sick bag (always a given when you introduce excess sugar to an over excited, bouncing, middle-aged woman!)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6