My last ever Travel Talk

What's the twee saying about everything eventually coming to an end? Sadly, yesterday the DomPost ran my last ever Travel Talk column, featuring my former  boss at one of my favourite ever PR contracts, Airways NZ. Click here to read.

It was fun doing these columns, but now it's time to move on...

Peaks and troughs

The weekend started well with a Friday night sess with the Mt Vic Vixens. Instead of our local, we opted for one of the Vixens' houses, which meant I got to channel my inner bogan by wandering down the street in my Uggs (in my defence, it was bloody freezing).

There was an early start today with a walk in the Town Belt with a mate and his two dogs and then a visit to the dreaded dentist. It's been a long time between drinks and it seemed sensible to get some stuff seen to before I leave for Europe. There was much pain, a few tears (mine) and the emptying of my bank account. There will also be a couple of encores. But it's probably best to throw a veil over the whole sorry experience and move on.

In more positive news, this parcel of goodness was waiting for me when I got home - from the luminous Elizabeth Barbalich of Antipodes as a thank you for featuring her in my DomPost Travel Talk column a few weeks back. My love for this woman knows no bounds.

Yesterday's Travel Talk

Featured my mate Donna who I've known since she moved to Welli from San Francisco about six years ago. And who just happens to be in possession of a dog, Billie, who the Hound ADORES.
Click here to read.

Travel Talk Wednesday

Today's interviewee was the larger than life celebrity chef, Peta Mathias, in town for the Food Show this weekend. Click here to read.

(Pic credit: Google Images)

Yesterday's Travel Talk

Was with the luminous Elizabeth Barbalich, founder of Antipodes skincare and cosmetics. Click here to read.

This is sixth or seventh time I have interviewed Elizabeth and my girl crush grows deeper each time.

    

Travel Talk Wednesday

Today's Travel Talk column features the lovely Hone McGregor, who I knew as a kid back in the Nui. Now, randomly, he and his partner Rob live round the corner from us (and have the cutest wee dog, Mia, who Bristol adores). Click here to read.

 

Saturday

We just got home from a dinner party with our friends Tab and Chris - there was a bottle of good bubbles (Piper) and this gorgeous veggie dinner that apparently was downloaded from the Jamie Oliver app. There was also a banoffee pie that the Animator promised to make but, at 4.00pm when I asked him where dessert was, he mumbled something about buying a new TV and shot out the door. I had to abandon a story I was writing and step into the breach. It should come as no surprise that the Animator is currently filed under 'my least favourite people'.

I also promised to share this week's Travel Talk, which features the gorgeous Catherine from Sparkles the Dog, she who sent me the flowers the other day and someone who would never find herself in the same category as the Animator (click here to read).

  

Flowers

It has been a long, long day and I have run out of words. I am now hunting down the back of the sofa to see if there are any hiding there.

There were five, count them, FIVE phone interviews for various corporate and glossy publications which reached across the gloriously messy spectrum of human experience - from an 18-year-old mechanic in Gore to a glitzy architect in Auckland and a minister in Hamilton. My hand is cramped and my brain feels like boiled marmalade and I desperately need to find the Off Switch.

And then the doorbell rang and a courier appeared out of the dripping rain with this gorgy bunch of flowers. From a lovely woman who I profiled in today's Travel Talk in the DomPost (haven't got the clipping yet so will feature it tomorrow). It was such an unexpected surprise but just want I needed. And, after the odd behaviour of certain folk over the past few days, it helped restore my faith in human kind.

Tonight I shall pull on my wet weather gear for a trot with the running group (is there anything worse than running in waterlogged trainers?) which, admittedly, does not transport me to the Valley of Happiness, but it has to be done.

At least I will come home to these glorious blooms from the ever glorious Catherine.

    

       

Travel Talk Wednesday

From today's DomPost, my interview with the lovely Bill Gosden, king of the Capital's film festivals (pictured below). Click here to read.

Stupid amounts of work were done today, my only working from home day this week. There were interviews and the setting up of, furious typing of stories, invoicing and general madness. There was much nervous watching of the sky and wondering whether my knee would hold out for the first running group in ages. It did rain and my knee did hold out but it was fun to see everyone again and muscle memory did what it was supposed to. I easily slipped back into my running rhythm and it was a great feeling to knock out 8kms without too much effort. Thank you, god of running...

Travel Talk

Yesterday's column featured the adorable French patisserie chef Louis Sergeant who has just opened this temple to calorific ecstacy. Click here to read.

Louis has invited me to the official opening; I am salivating at the thought (and, just quietly, wondering how many of his delicious macaroons I can shove into my gob at one sitting).

Yesterday's Travel Talk

Was saved for me by my lovely neighbour Jen, as I was too ill to climb out of my sickbed to get a DominionPost. It features the tireless animal rights advocate, Hans Kriek (click here to read). A nicer chap than this would be hard to find.

In other news, the lurgy is still plotting my downfall; it had better be gone by tomorrow as I have drinks with the Mt Vic Vixens on Friday night and a wedding on Saturday.

I have spent the past two days consuming my bodyweight in flu medication, lemon and honey drinks and anything in the bathroom cupboard that vaguely looks like it might help. On reflection, swallowing the wildly out-of-date malaria tablet may not have been my best decision ever but, in my defence, it looked as though it was a member of the Panadol family. And as I haven't broken out in a cold sweat, or grown a third arm yet, it appears there is no harm done.    

Good Friday

The sun shone, lots of words were written and I went for my first run in almost three weeks. It wasn't pretty but my knee held out, for which I am eternally grateful.

There was also some unpleasant admin: yes folks, it is almost GST time or, as I like to call it, the wasting hours trying to locate a missing piece of paper game, which is pretty much an exercise in trying not to stab myself in the face. Repeatedly.

There was also an interview with an amazing young woman who volunteers at Wellington Hospital and, joy of joys, a commission from an organisation I used to write for years ago to do some corporate scribbling for them. And it's well paid. Tonight there will be the second series of this amazeball teevee show.

Here's this week's Travel Talk with the very nice head of Positively Wellington Tourism, David Perks.

And because it's Friday, and I'm such a good mood, here are a couple more fabulous woofers to rest your eyes upon...

(Pic Credit: Tumblr)

Discombobulated

I have been cast even further adrift in the time space continuum. I am no longer entirely certain of the day of the week or what my name is.

In the space of 48 hours, I have flown over a large chunk of the planet, filed two stories, lodged eight hours at the copywriting gig and landed a new contract, as the current one ends soon. I have also set up two interviews - one for this weekend and another for next Thursday.

I am now ready to eat my own head.

In the meantime, here is last week's Travel Talk. I promise I will stop publishing these soon, but this writerly chap was so pleasant to interview I feel compelled to include it.

 

See you on the other side

I'm not sure my to-do list has shrunk, but time certainly has. I may be off-blog for a few days but hopefully will resurface sometime next week with no doubt badly lit and out-of-focus images (that's what happens when the Animator doesn't travel with me).

Filing a Travel Talk column yesterday, one of my interview subjects said "Travel is a privilege" and while I agree wholeheartedly with him, it's getting harder and harder to leave this wee little man. My travels may soon be restricted to places I can take him. Which may not be such a bad thing....

         

Yesterday's Travel Talk

Apols, am a day behind. My to-do list before I fly to Honkers on Monday is the size of small mammal and I am still foolishly accepting commissions, including one story for an interiors magazine I took on today that I have to file by Sunday night. I just need to woman up and get on with it.

In the meantime, here's yesterday's Travel Talk column (click here to read) with the lovely Sally Thorburn, the producer of Summer Shakespeare we went to see a couple of weeks back.

(Pic credit: Sally Thorburn)

Travel Talk Wednesday

If it's Wednesday, it must be the Dominion's Travel Talk column. This week I interviewed artist Gary Freemantle (click here to read).

(Pic credit: Gary Freemantle)

Travel Talk Wednesday

The second of my weekly Travel Talk columns was published in today's Dom Post. Click here to read.

Further reason for celebration: today I was commissioned my first ever story for this interiors/lifestyle magazine. Shitty flu aside (which prevented me from joining the beloved running group tonight), it's not been a bad week...

  

Travel Talk

A couple of weeks back a journo school colleague of mine, who's now in a position to do so, asked me to supply a weekly column for the Dom's Wed Life section.

It's not too onerous - find someone with something to plug, quiz them about their travel experiences and don't pass Go. The first column appeared today (click here to read). You're welcome.

Because it's beautiful and sunny, and I just managed to deliver a gnarly piece of marketing collateral that's been annoying me for days - and because everyone needs something beautiful to rest their eyes upon - here are some visuals of my lovely wee man.