Vu de ma fenetre...

En tres flou (v. fuzzy morning shot from the kitchen window, while making coffee, which is probably a true representation of my eyesight...).
Taupo steaming rules!

And last night, after Agnes made me discovered the magic cake, we tried it with Paula and Dan Carter :-)

Springtime is only asleep

Elbow - Mirrorball

June

Vitamines!

 Playing with new cam. functions...

Maye I should try out the "instantaneous pics of the month" like Dine.

Becky G - Magik

01/01

 Happy New Year

 Wishing all of you a beautiful year to come

Mon gateau!

Beautiful day, spent with lots of love and attention from mini M and MY MUMMY.

Gniark gniark gniark

Dry run

Okay, conference in three days.
No my talk isn't ready.
Yes I still haven't touched the comments on the report from last month.
No the new vinyl isn't in, Monday am told
Yes half my kitchen furniture (fridge included) are lined before the fireplace on the carpet for the seventh day.
Yes unplugged/replugged the washing machine about three time this week.
Nope, haven't booked any holiday yet.
Yep  spent the day trying to work out my costume as a 1920s girl.

Absolute yay, found a cigarette holder.

Priorities.

Indochine - Bob Morane

Game of thrones...

You can't see it, but I've been making some progress on the inside-the-house  jobs, the laundry, toilet and corridor are now painted, and I know just about everything I need to know about changing a toilet suite (discovered what P-trap and S-traps are, bottom inlets versus top ones, couple, semi-couple and twin system... even got the Bunnings(=Casto) man stuck on one question. Yay me!). Found a model that looks like my one (but  not in salmon pink), but I would like to secure a plumber/handyman in order to install it (good luck with that). The water damaged vinyl (=lino) has not been changed yet, so it's a good time to upgrade the throne, since it's gonna wreck it.
The price range for throne is quite amazing.
Still got to fix a couple of squirting (=plinthes), that also were water damaged that I got out to replace and "Operation indoor wetland" will be over.

Been putting some veggies in the garden and clearing some bushes. Got artichokes to get the Hobbit garden look... Next-door apple tree blossoms are large and fragrant, nice to come home in the evening. Did some weeding. This is going to take a few week ends....

Spent this week-end in the cupboards to paint them white. Just got a couple of doors to run through and will be able to pause. The next big painting job is the living room :-).
I've also made shelves for Mano's cupboard and replaced his curtains rack. Love the drill (=perceuse).

Word of the day is (neo-French): "arrachitures", which is when you rip of some skin on minor wound. What's left on your skin are the "arrachitures".

And yesterday, after a long day or renovating, I watched this.
(Mano and I are so going to surf the web further...)

Back to white

Following my attempt to make an indoor swamp by washing-machine, I spent the week end on hard rock (radio Hauraki is the sunday handygirl best mate right now).
Pulled wallpaper in laundry and toilet. Applied prepcoat.
Caught yelling Nirvana's Lithium by Jamil while filling crack on left wall. Forgot crack in another one.
Oh well.

Starting the day potting basil (futile hope I know) and purpling (some of my) hair. My trestles (=treteaux) are worthless, but hey I made them so they're up with a table on it. So be it.

Monday morning. Overdue report to start the day, then stats for Rich.
Why the hell did I dispose of that leather jacket.
Anyway, here's last night find.

Back to books

Paula got me back in a library spin. Percy Jackson filled my cupboard with black and blue cupcakes, learning about furycrafting in Furies of Calderon, opened the Golden Door from Emily Rodda, and have yet to meet a climate warden.

New Divide

Linkin Park - New Divide

21 december

Beginning of the longest day with breakfast pancakes, Kevin gave me the purple dye from Xochitl (who has now left), the All blacks victory on the letterbox and... closing with a dip in the lake for Alex!!!!

Trust me II

Confidence in me

Linkin Park feat. Mike Shinoda - Krwlng

One of these raining days, that drives the crabbiness and nefarious longing into your bones. Don't feel like drawing at all for this one.

Follow the blue fishes

What a week. Lots of km, through the Desert road, the valleys to finish on the very steep sided ridges in Wellington. Somehow, I didn't end up taking lots of pictures. Some, but not with my camera.

So.

I've got the very colourful door just down the youth hostel, where I was staying.

Really good time. It's difficult to convey. There was and Earthquake and groundwater session that was awesome. Some interesting water management. A really cool talk on catchment and overland flow.

Been out every night. There was a park nearby. With a skating ramp that looked like a very graphed/tagged empty swimming pool. Was very tempted to walk in, but Conny pointed I would probably not be able to come out. So out of Maksym (who is the tallest of the groundwater team), I did not. Mental note, next time, drag Maksym there. A light christmas tree. I did personally ring up Santa and made a wish. It came up green and blinked to the top. 

That part of Wellington is dotted with sculpture and murals. So I quickly sussed out that to come home I had to walk on a trail of blue fishes. Been for diner with Matthias and Conny to that real cool mexican place with a concrete wall with squares empties out and filled with massive candles. Indirect light cutting out yellowish-white squares with mexican crosses on the wall. Made me think of that bar we used to go in Oxford. Large lanterns. Delicious food.

It was great to stay at the hostel. On a morning that I need some system-rebooting time and woke up too early for Conny (we shared a room), I nursed a strong coffee and watched all the youngsters checking each other, and getting reading for whatever outing they were up to. One by one donning their identical jackets. And blast my ears with PJ Harvey, amongst others, slumped on a comfy couch. Totally responsible adult-style.

Thursday eve

We passed the threshold of the house at 19h00. At 19h01, putting the book he had been holding on the trip from the library, Miniman steps out to go by Dayna.
I feel love.
Been told that the film I wanted to see with him, well you know. I may as well go on my own.
Ditto for the we to the seashore.
Ditto for the Avent calendar. I could open some of it myself.

So. I went raiding the teen section.
I got the Uglies trilogy from Westerfeld because Lisa recommended it. Looking forward to share some books with her.
And.
Janet.
Planet Janet - Dyan Sheldon.

Let me share the opening.
"Talk about self-centered! Me! Me! Me! Me! ME! That's all anybody in this house cares about. I was trying to have a normal conversation over supper (the way people do in films etc.), not some Great Intellectual Discussion (I know my family's limits, believe me), when I realized that no one was listening to me. I stopped dead right in the middle of explaining about what happened at lunch  (which was v dramatic and emotionally stressful), and no one so much as glanced my way. Sigmund (my male parent) was messing around with his electronic organizer as per usual, and the Mad Cow (my female parent) was staring at him with her eyes squashed up like she was trying to work out whether or not he was trying to blow us all up".

Janet, we do have an understanding.
Lets not have comment on this one right.
Awesome.

Mag-nesium

Comme la princesse des chevaliers du zodiaque

Ulysse 31 style

That feeliing

So. Stopped the experiment at 19h today, that was flash early. Master Shifu took us to dinner. Yes, The master Shifu from Kung-Fu panda. Well, now you know, I work with him.
I dream of centrifuges and boiling nitrogen.
And since I'm very focused.  I'm catching something on my sleep time, because 12h days aren't just enough.

Imagine a very very dense fog. There's definitely something in there with you. Every now and then some colour blur signalling some movement. When you get hold of something, it's never the total part of the thing.
And you have to drag the thing out of the fog before you know what or who it is. By concentrating on the details.  Nearly there.
That kind of mood.

Aborted flight

Linkin Park - Easier to run

Rocket Science

Sterephonics - Help me (she's out of her mind)

Diabolo Menthe

Garbage - I think I'm paranoid