Good morning you guys ('Come on you guyth migraythion')
This is possibly the most uncomfortable typing experience ever. I am trying to type with 4kg of fat ginger purring moggy on my lap & am reluctant to disturb him cos he is lovely. Imagine how you hold a new-born baby, this is close, but hairier. Think I may try smuggle him in my room 2nite altho strictly speaking no mogs in the house at night-time
Had a great day today but may have to end this msg shortly cos dinner is soon.
I asked Q to ring my Mum & let her know I was safe & well. I then receieved a tel call from my Mum who was very amused to hear from Q. He insisted upon reading Blog to her saying that he would post big chunks of it daily. When she said it would cost too much & he should only send it weekly he told her that it was like 'Heat' magazine & it was no good if she was behind. She had to be 'with it' on a daily basis.
My granny has just arived at my Mum's for the weekend (understand it's a Bank Hol over there ?) & the idea of the following scenario made me laugh out loud. Picture the scene ...
My Gran (she's 88 you know) is watching tv.
My Mum has turned the sound down so she an speak to Q.
Q is racing thru' Blog telling my Mum all the messages to people she has never met in her life.
Sometimes he says 'This bit won't mean anything to you' (then reads it to her anyway)
My gran is wondering why she cant hear the tv & looking for the remote to turn it up.
My Mum is laughing at Q who is speaking faster & faster.
My Mum's cat is searching thru my Gran's case (like a drugs dog but less methodical)
My Gran wonders who my Mum is speaking to ?
The whole thing is so surreal. I am in Zeeland & my friend, a camp copper, is on the phone to my Mum who he has never met, reading Blog to her. Just think how difficult it is to follow Q's train of thought at the best of times. Now imagine that on the fone when you have never met him. Well done Mum. Oh well, needless to say Mum is thoroughly charmed by Q & I suspect they will be new best friends by the time I return. They finished the conversation with talks of chip-shop consortiums.
After that phone call from Di which was lovely as we had a girly gossip & catch-up.
It seems she has made an MDF thermometer-shaped placard which she has positioned outside the house.
You know the kind of thing which shows funds raised for local church roofs ?
She is going to paint the weeks I am away on it. So far there is 1 down & 51 to go.
It also seems she is thinking of letting another of her friends stay in MY room, albeit for a couple of days. Hmmm. I hope she doesn't disturb the shrine to Briggsy ?
After that a call from Q which lasted about an hour.
Took all 3 fone calls without crying after any of them. Way to go Briggsy.
After tha, quick shower, checked my guide books & off in 'The beast' to Picton.
Picton is at the noertherly most point of South Island where you get the ferry to go to North Island.
My description won't do it justice but I will try.
I thought the drive from Seddon to Blenheim was beautiful. I was wrong.
That drive is only pretty. The drive from Blenheim to Picton IS beautiful.
Imagine that you are driving along gently winding roads. Alongside you the brown hills give way to gentle, rolling, greenery. The land is greeen, not just green but greeeeeeeen. Do I make myself clear ? Imagine a green bottle, on a snooker table, on a football pitch in Ireland. Got it ?
Greener than that. It is lush, verdant & loads of other words I would know if I had stuck at English A level instead of running away to join the circus (help me out here Mum)
Di, you think I was good at making your English sound 'posh' in NYC for your reports ?
My mum shames me with her grasp of the English language. One smart cookie.
Anyway, where was I ? Oh yes, green.
The hills gradually got steeper, but still equally soft & rolling to the point where you were climbing thru 90 degree corners, left, right, left, like a snake. On either side of the road, nestled into the hillside like ickle models are rickety farms. They always have sheep (the v.cute woolly ones which look like teddies), cattle, either Jersey, Aberdeen Angus (black or red) or Herefords (solid black or red with white faces).
Then there's the obligatory farm dog. Usually chained, always ugly, frequently barking. At the highest point in these hills the descent to Picton begins.
The countryside now has changed to something which looks sub-tropical.
The plants are packed together so tightly that you wonder how they all receive enough air.
Just as well the sky is so huge here. The road meanders down
dinner-time
Back from dinner, home-made pumpkin-soup, home-made bread & raspberries & whipped cream. Yum.
cont ...
to a very pretty green & off that the high street & the drive to the marina.
It looked incredible today & it was overcast, I can only imagine how lovely it will look when the sun hits the water.
Up to a place called Rakara point via twisties you could only tackle at 15 mph, then parked up & out on foot to take the lovely walk down to the beach via a stunning look-out point.
Foto opportunity then down onto the beach to breathe in some beautifully clean ozone.
Back to the car, then into the High Street for a meander. Picton looks a much wealthier, more touristy kind of town than Seddon & the shops reflect this. They are more artsy & pretty. You now he kind of thing, jewellery shops, curios, things made from driftwood. bought a couple of raffia baskets for corres (UPO's are kind of dear here) from one of these 'Fair-Trade' places.
The lovely lady who worked in there, chatted with me & thanked me for doubling her takings in one transaction.
New Zealand's like that.
Also popped into my 2nd favourite kind of shop, a stationers. Picked up some stamps, some calligraphy pens , a photographic guide on NZ birds & a beautiful journal which has gorgeous foties of NZ coastal shots.
Plan to keep it daily & record my more personal thoughts. Q, you would be impressed with the one I got, much nicer than any of those we saw in WHSmith.
Who knows if Blog sells to the Daily Mail for serialisation I may consider selling the journal too ?
Stopped for lunch at the Picton Village Bakery & had a v.tasty pasty then onto the music store to try & pick up a tape as the radio in The Beast doesn't work. The range of cassettes had to be seen to be believed, Roger Whitttaker, Foster & Allen, Charlotte Church, Russell Watson, I kid you not. And there, just when I had given up looking, nestling like a niblet of corn amongst the poo, was Paul Young's 'No Parlez'
Love will tear us apart
Wherever I lay my hat (that's my home)
Ku ku kurama
No parlez
Love of the common people
Oh women
Iron out the rough spots
Broken man
Tender trap
Sex
I handed over my $6.95 & made good my escape. I played this album to death in the 80's & thought it would be great to hear it again. Funny how your memory tricks you because if anyone had asked I would have sworn every track on there was a classic. Listening to it again had me forwarding some of the tracks but great to bellow along at top volume remebering how much I loved Paul Young in the 80's.
My Mum met him recently in the pub she was working with & said he was a lovely chap with no airs & graces
so I obviously had good taste in men even in the days of big hair & 3/4 length leather jackets.
YOUNG, Paul
(b 17 Jan. '56, Luton, Bedfordshire) Pop singer. Had one-off hit with Streetband's 'Toast', UK no. 18 '78; then fronted band Q-Tips '78-82, popular with critics but releasing only Q-Tips '80. On their split he signed a solo deal, released excellent No Parlez '83, a hit incl. no. 1 single with Marvin Gaye's 'Wherever I Lay My Hat', top fives 'Come Back And Stay', 'Love Of The Common People'. A cover of Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' found little favour with that band's cult following, but was an imaginative and soulful interpretation. Strain on voice due to hard touring delayed follow-up; The Secret Of Association '85 built on vocal strengths but lacked variety of the debut, incl. no. 1 USA cover of Daryl Hall 'Everytime You Go Away', other hits. He duetted with Alison Moyet at Live Aid '85; Between Two Fires '86 incl. engaging 'Wonderland', followed by Other Voices and Crossing. From Time To Time compiled singles; he carried on becoming more eclectic with Paul Young '97 on East West.
Have to tell you about a surreal toilet episode today. Used one of those super-loos & was a bit non-plussed to find it the most immaculately hygienic experience ever. Electronic everything & you even had Burt Bacharach's 'You're just too good to be true' serenading you whilst you did your stuff.
Talk about being treated like a goddess. The only disconcerting fact was the door opened directly onto the street & there was a notice informing you the door would open automatically after 10 minutes.
It certainly sharpens your time-keeping skills I can tell you.
Left Picton in high spirits & headed for home. Couldn't resist stopping at The Warehouse. Was only going for pj's (mine are too light-weight) but came out with :
Winter-weight duvy (to add to the 1 that's already on) brrrr
Flannelette jim-jams (green, men's) 'Shexsheee, everything about you is sho shexsheee'
Green polar fleece d.gown (ditto, above)
Spathiphyllum aka Peace Lily for my bathroom
All for $87 (30 squid) 'Everyone gets a bargain at The Warehouse'
Came back & looked at all my purchases but didn't have any1 to show them to (please imagine I have shown you Di) Put the extra duvy on & crawled in for a min to test. Satisfyingly weighty.
Looking forward to a proper test-drive tonight.
Right, going to load the disc now & see if I can suss the foties. After that big hot bath, neddy mag & beesies. Fancy exploring Havelock 2moro. Some quickies.
Trudes - the e-mail address to reach me is exactly the same as it was in the UK ; carol_briggs2003@yahoo.co.uk
Weeny - If you were worried about me being skinny - dont. They drink full-fat milk here & margerine hasn't been invented.
The kids also have a 'goodies-drawer' which my hand gets trapped in. Frequently.
Lovely Col - Hear you are driving the big car. Take it easy out there. Just remember, any injury puts you straight back inside with The Riddler.
Q - On Monday could you ask Julie Froud about my pay for my a/l. I need it to pay for the South Island tour & I e-mailed her just b4 I left so she knows about it. It was supposed to come in the end of April pay run but didn't. She assured me it would come at the end of May. Could you give her a polite prod please ?
Rampart - The KFC here does 'mashies & gravy'. mashies being ickle dollops of mashed spuds.
See, if I hadn't travelled I would never have found that out.
ttfn
Cx
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