Plasticine @ Chelsea

Check out James May (Top Gear) and his plasticine garden, currently showing at the Chelsea Flower show...
Article from The Telegraph
Video interview from The Guardian
Info from the official RHS site

A moving week

Friday: packing; meet the landlords; pick up the keys; final bit of measuring up
Saturday: up at 6 - final packing; 7am sister & brother-in-law arrive - bed dismantled, etc; 8.15 movers arrive; 10am at new place, have a coffee, eat morning tea (thanks mum) and watch the movers; 11am most of the family arrive & start unpacking... 5pm all alone...
Sunday: spend 10 minutes figuring out how to work the shower; Mothers' Day morning tea at mum's; shopping for essentials - knives, pots, rubbish bin & lots of other stuff, mostly in red.
Monday: sleep & read; stare blankly & worriedly at the number of boxes & bags I have to unpack (how many clothes, bags, shoes & books do I own!); ring Sky
Tuesday: reprise of Monday; ring Sky & phone company (no phone).
Wednesday: Sky-man arrives; TV still black & white, or weird colour options - bother; phone on; start seriously working on unpacking clothes.
Thursday: 11am Mum, Sara & Kaydin come to take me TV shopping; get home - Sky cables don't fit on new TV; phone dead. Ring Sky & phone company; finish sorting out clothes; start sorting out books.
Friday: finishing sorting out books - realise I do need one of those shelves I left behind; phone men arrive & fix phone; Sky rings - just as I'm heading out the door to town to go to a writers' festival event; walk to bus, timing the trip; get to town & buy drawer organisers; return library books - get more out; go to writers' festival, meet up with friends, see art installation organised by niece (good job Hannah); lift home; ex-flatmate & his partner visit - pass over stuff. Hear the disasters they're having with their phone.
Saturday: I pray Sky come back, either really early or late afternoon - but I have to pay them for it... the joy!!!

Queen of the procrastinators

Yep, that's me.
A finely honed talented due to many years of study - cleaning out the freezer instead of writing essays, for example.
Now, it's doing sweet FA instead of unpacking. Mainly due to the realisation that I have so much crap! Thank goodness for the family who unpacked what they did. The books in no particular order on my shelves - as my sister said, at least they're there. So, it's like a fun hunting game trying to find a certain book.
Or, reading books that aren't in my challenge list on goodreads.
Or, playing games on the computer instead of making dinner.
Or... anything other than what I should be doing.
Anyway, I'm back at work on Tuesday, so I have a few more days to sort my stuff out. But, first of all, I'm enjoying doing in particular - sleeping in, and Nana-napping as much as possible.
The joy of living by myself - it doesn't matter!

NZ Music month

It's that time of year again, when we celebrate New Zealand music. At work that means, occasionally, being unable to hear or to talk customers when there's a concert.

This year, The great New Zealand songbook has been released. Discussion around it made me think of my favourite kiwi songs... I'm not a music historian, nor trained, so I don't know if all of these were written by NZers. With that proviso, for what it's worth - my list (subject to change at a moments notice), and in no particular order:

• "There is no depression in New Zealand" - Blam Blam Blam
• "Nature" - The Fourmyula
• "Out on the street" - Space Waltz
• "Stuff and nonsense" - Split Enz
• "Dominion Road" - The Muttonbirds
• "I love my leather jacket" - The Chills
• "Dance all around the world" - BLERTA
• "She's a mod" - Ray Columbus and the Invaders
• "E Ipo" - Prince Tui Teka
• "French letter" - Herbs
• "Destiny in motion" - Satellite Spies
• "Cleopatra" - The Mockers
• "Blood and money" - Knightshade
• "Falling in and out" - Mi-Sex
• "We three kings" - Fredd Dagg
• "Who loves who the most" - The Exponents
• "Gutter black" - Hello Sailor
• "L'Amour Est L'enfant De La Liberte" - The Rumour
• "April sun in Cuba" - Dragon
• "Heart and Soul" - The Narcs
• "Sway" - Bic Runga
• "Yesterday was just the beginning of my life" - Mark Williams

And, I'm sure, numerous others!

An homage...

coffee & metal... a perfect start to any day...