The Big Easy

Another of my stories from last year's Trafalgar famil to the Southern US is published in MAS Magazine (click here to read).

  

Footnote Dance Company

Blagged some media tix to the opening night of Footnote Dance Company's new production tonight. Has been a while since I've seen a dance production, so really looking forward to it.

  (Pic credit: Scoop.co.nz)

Kapiti home

My story on this renovated Paraparaumu home is published in the March issue of Your Home and Garden magazine (click here to read).

The cutest critters

Got back to Welli late yesterday after a road trip from Auckland with the most gorgeous dogs, cats, birds, chickens, even a goat named Nigel.

But I had a fantastic time with the lovely Karyn from The Pet Bus. Below are some of furry critters I met along the way (I swear to God, I almost put that Cocker Spaniel puppy in my handbag when I came home - he was ADORABLE).

As an aside, how freaking stunning is this wee country of ours? It's been an age since I've taken the slow road from the top of the North Island to the bottom. I'm usually flying over it, in a hurry to get in or out of the country. And even though the landscape is scorched dry, it was wonderful to visit places I haven't been to in years. Yes, yes, yes, I know I'm banging the cliched drum, but we really don't know how lucky we are in little ole Aotearoa.

            

Oh Vienna!

My story on the glorious Austrian capital is published in the Flight Centre blog (click here to read).

I shall be off blog for a few days - Oop North, as they say, for work.

See you on the other side.

  

  

Pilots and DJs

Two of my stories were published in this week's NZWW, one on a radio DJ's recent wedding and one on pioneering Maori pilot Angela Swann-Cronin.

Rosalie Blum

Got a couple of media tickets to the opening night of the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival this evening.

As per usual, I rushed from work to dog walking to the cinema so had zero idea what the opening night film was. So I was overwhelmingly, pleasantly surprised by Rosalie Blum, the sweetest movie I have seen in a long time.  

Get thee to a cinema IMMEDIATELY to see this joyous piece of cinema. If there was any justice in the world, this would be winning Oscars instead of the usual big-budget-car-chase-violent American bollocks that caters to the lowest common denominator.

Seriously though, this is the kind of film that reminds you why you once loved going to the movies.

Days with holes in them

"Some days are just days with holes in them," a former colleague from my London days used to say at least twice a week. The fact that she was next level insane and a raging alcoholic (she'd decant vodka into a water bottle to sip during the day) doesn't make her any less correct. Some days are just shitty, shitty days.

Today was one of those days. Not only did the axe finally fall on a close friend's job, another friend's mother lost her ugly battle with cancer. These are holes you could drive a Mac truck through.

The day started well enough: there was a walk on Lyall Bay beach with a couple of friends and their woofers, and then we adjourned to the ever excellent Spruce Goose for a coffee.

But by 1.00pm it had all gone tits up.

If I had any vodka in the house I'd be drinking a toast to my friends right now. Gin will have to do.

Today's visuals are of the woofers on Lyall Bay beach this AM.

        

It's not so ridiculous

I laughed until my eyes leaked at this story about a Spanish chap who didn't show up to work for six years - and no-one even noticed (click here to read).

It's not pushing the credibility dinghy out too far to say that at some of the contracts I've previously worked, this is an entirely feasible scenario.

Vis-a vis work, today's visual is of the best co-worker in the history of co-workers, Bristol the Wonderdog.

   

Woman on a Mission

My story on a food walking tour of San Francisco's Mission District is published in the Flight Centre blog (click here to read).

(Pic Credit: Google Images) 

Oh what fun we had

It's been an age since I was last in-house at a magazine. On staff, if you like.

But today I filled in at the excellent Capital Magazine as they're on deadline for the March issue. I'm also there tomorrow. It was a lot of fun and brought back many happy memories of newsrooms past.

The best bit of all? The office is literally ONE minute's commute from my house. I'm not sure it gets any better than that.

Swede Success

My story on Malmo, in Sweden's south, is published in this week's issue of the NZ Woman's Weekly (click here to read).

Tennessee Waltz

My travel piece on Tennessee, which I visited as part of a Trafalgar media famil last year, is published in this month's issue of North & South Magazine (click here to read).

In the Pink

My story on Jaipur, India's 'pink city', from last year's Adventure World media trip, is published in the Flight Centre blog (click here to read).

  

Really? And a cruise line

For the last few weeks we have been melting in the unusually high temperatures (hello Global Warming). It is humid and sticky and hard to sleep.

However, for the last two days a well-known clothing chain has been filling my inbox with such gems as how to keep warm, the best way to wear knits and, this pearler, how to celebrate now that autumn is here. The fact that we've still got a month or so of summer left to run seems of little consequence to these fools.

Along with the rest of NZ, I might be whinging about how hot it is but I'd rather take the heat over the cold any day.

In a totally unrelated piece of news, I spent last night at Te Papa with about 600 passengers from an Azamara Cruise that was in town. We were entertained by Once Were Warriors actor Tem Morrison, listened to the fabulous Modern Maori Quarter  and congratulated ourselves on being in such a gorgeous setting on such a gorgeous summer evening.

Today's images are of, what else, but cute woofers. It's a long weekend in Aotearoa this weekend but wherever in the globe you are, y'all have a good one.

(Pic Credit: Tumblr) 

Need for Speed in Bologna

My story on my visit to the Ferrari and Ducati HQs during the Emirates media trip to Bologna is published in today's Dominion Post (and Monday's Christchurch Press). Click here to read.

A breath of fresh air

You know how some people suck all the oxygen and light out of the room? I must have a 'come and annoy me' sign on my forehead at the moment, because far too many of these draining folk are currently floating around in my orbit.

Which is why my interview with the co-owner of Dragonfly Restaurant, Asian Food Republic and Orient Homestore this morning was so refreshing. Having been a model and worked with Kate Moss and Calvin Klein, the lovely Tania had oodles of juicy stories to share. And she was so bloody nice, which makes a pleasant change.

Plus her store is filled with things I really, really want...

(Pic credit: Orient)

Another Bologna story

From November's Emirates media famil, this time published in the Flight Centre blog (click here to read).