Chocolate and ice-cream coma

Last night my lovely friend Donna - of the new Scream-licious ice cream brand - cosied up to a local chocolate maker  - for a tasting.

There was the darkest chocolate, studded with fruit and chilli and dripping with alcohol. It was like a pom pom wave from the God of Good Food. Along with collecting more calories at one sitting than anyone has a right to, I also spent the rest of the night in a sugar coma. Divine...

   

The bone collector

This month's issue of North & South Magazine runs my story on Bruce Mahalski, an artist who does interesting things with bones. Click here to read. 

A sunny Sunday

I'm not a girl afraid to use and abuse the word 'lovely' and today provided me with ample opportunity to do so.

My old friend Sandi from my BBC London days was in town so we met for brunch. We haven't seen each other for about five years, so there was much to catch up on and we talked until our tongues almost fell out of our heads.

There was also blinding sunshine and, later, a walk with His Furiness along the waterfront. This is fast turning into the Year of Falling, as I tripped over a mossy surface and cut my left knee. It's my third fall in a month - is the universe trying to tell me something?

Yesterday we had our dog/housesitters over for coffee and the best beloved lemon cake; we haven't seen them for a while so again, lots of news to catch up on. All things considered, a bloody lovely weekend.  

Singapore here we come!

After a couple of other media trips falling over recently (I'm looking at you GFC), have scored a junket to Singapore in September to cover the F1 race and a couple of other things.

Has been four years since I was last in the island state on another media trip, so a rematch is long overdue. Google tells me it's 29 degrees in Singapore today; here in Welly it's 14 (which isn't bad for the middle of winter) but it's not stretching the grey matter too much to guess my preference. So that's twice we're away in Sept - once to visit the parentals in Oz for a few days and then this. Now I just have to figure out how to make time run faster...

(Pic credit: Google Images)
   

Behind the Candelabra

Spoke too soon about the aftershocks packing their suitcase: a couple of good jolts woke me up last night.

But this evening I get to forget about earthquakes and annoying people and work niggles and having to give everything I own to the tax man at the gala opening of the NZ International Film Festival. Thank you media ticket, you couldn't have come at a better time. I look forward to sitting in the dark, letting this fun tale wash over me...

Things I learnt today

1) When you're meeting with a new client and a truck going past makes the room shake, all three of you will dive under the table. You will then laugh the nervous laugh of people who've experienced too much in the past few days.

2) I am basically now just working to pay the tax man. A visit from my lovely accountant Jane brought the bad news: all the late nights and ridiculous juggling of day jobs with freelance work has brought little else but a big fat tax bill. Booyah New Zealand, it's obviously my shout.

3) I write a mean eulogy. My Aunty Maureen from Brisbane died last Saturday and Mum has been asked to deliver the eulogy. She requested my help in drafting it and although Maureen and I weren't close, and I haven't seen her for years, the words ended up arranging themselves in a pleasant fashion.  

4) I cannot be two places at once; epic diary fail resulted in a flurry of re-jigged schedules and emails. That's what happens when you're busy being an obedient wee handmaiden of the tax department.

No time for visuals today, so these cuties from the ever reliable Tumblr will have to suffice.

Relief - and Simon Pegg

Mother Earth is finally playing nice; the constant, frightening aftershocks are off bothering someplace else. For now, at least.

In all the excitement/stress of the weekend, I forgot to post my interview with Simon Pegg which ran in the Herald on Sunday (click here to read).

A lovely chap and an even funnier actor. Go see The World's End if you haven't already.