And what's the question that gets your goat?

Hi there

I went down to Ticketek to book for a show -

"Singin' in the Rain", I announced happily to the sales attendant.  I had been waiting a long time for this musical to hit Wellington.  "Any session where I can get the closest to the stage please."   But obviously not in the front three rows;  I didn't want to get soaked during the rain scene.

The attendant started off on an obviously well-rehearsed talk about prices and seat situations; she tapped a chart to show me different areas, talking all the time-

"Oh - "  I had a sudden thought.  "Are there senior citizen prices?"

"If you would just let me finish-?"

Ah, and there it was.  The Question.

Or perhaps it's The Statement;  I'm never too sure.

There are variations, of course:  "Please let me finish?" ...  "If you'll let me finish?" ... "Please allow me to finish?"..

I hate every version.    The speaker is chastising me, and I detest that person instantly.  Sure, I've forgotten to hate the person five minutes later, but at the time I want to eviscerate him/her.

Christmas stress????

Hi there

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

HAVE A WONDERFUL 2015.....

longest day swim

Hi there

About seven pm tonight my friend J and I suddenly realised it was the longest day today.  We had swam on the shortest day in June so it seemed fitting that we should swim, too, on the longest day.

So we shot off to Hataitai Beach.  We've never been swimming in the evening before, and we loved it.  There was no wind, flat sea, warm weather.

J' s Loved One thought we were 'totally mad' to be swimming so late in the day, but we revelled in it.  There were two other swimmers there.

There was also a nubile young women using the shower.  She was from a camper van.  I made sure that I undressed way over the other side of the shed from her.  There was no way I wanted to be compared to this blonde Swedish goddess.  Darn it, my fat thighs always immediately rule me out of serious competition.

Whakatane and Ohope Beach holiday

Hi there

I've just got back from holiday at  Ohope Beach (just over the hill from Whakatane). I left Wellington in winter clothes and by the time I hit Taupo I was peeling off layers.  Whilst I was away the temps were between 22c and 26c, and on the day I left Ohope, the temp was ... wait for it ... 29c!  Wow.

I swam every day I was away.  Mostly I'd class the 'swim' as more of a 'frolic'. Sometimes the waves were so fierce at Ohope, I couldn't even attempt to swim properly.  Maybe if I had gone out some distance, it might have been okay, but I stayed in a depth where people could see me from the shore.  To me, it was a strange beach because  I  didn't know about rips, or rocks, or low tide distances, or anything about those darn biting crabs that wanted to eat my toes. And all this stressed me a bit.

But I do love Ohope Beach.  It has just been voted New Zealanders' Favourite Beach.

Here are the volunteer guys from Ohope Surf Rescue raising the flag to show that they are on duty.

tsunamis in Wellington?

Hi there
I was out gallivanting around Miramar recently and I came upon a tsunami escape route sign.  Leading up a hill naturally.  It's a wee bit frightening to think about.

When a civil defence woman knocked on my door some time back and asked if I had an escape route, I said "Sure, get in my car and shoot on up the hill behind my house."

"Do you have an electric garage door?" She asked.

"Yes."  I could see where this was going.  If an earthquake preceded a tidal wave, I might not be able to get my car out of the garage.  I would have to grab a bag that I could carry, instead of emptying practically the entire contents of my house into my car.

Oh dear.

cafe sitting

"Here's your flag," said the lady in the coffee shop.  She handed over a stick with a number on it's flag.  "I'm afraid there will be a bit of a wait."

"Do you have wifi?"" I asked.  I was dying to try out my Kindle at a distance from home.

"No, sorry."

  "Well, " I ruminated, "I'll just sit down ... and stare into space."

This is the trouble when you dine alone.  If you take a book, everyone thinks you're embarrassed to be seen by yourself and are hiding behind the pages of a bodice ripper, getting your excitement there.  If you're on a tablet, you look a nerd, and on your phone, you come across as a poser.

Maybe I could take some knitting along with me next time?  Of course, I'll have to first learn how to knit. Needlepoint sounds more refined than knitting and if only I knew what needlepoint was, then I'd take it up tomorrow (surely, it can't just mean pointing a needle - if it is, I won't even need lessons; I can do that with my eyes shut.  Perhaps).

No, sigh.  I think I will just have to continue to stare into space when I take a solo trip to a cafe and have to go through that looooong wait for my food.  Either that, or go to McDonald's.

gandalf and me - we're sooo close!

Hi there

Well, I missed the NZ premier of The Hobbit 3 movie.  Drat, why couldn't the makers of the movie have consulted me before they went ahead and scheduled The Roxy date and time.

Oh, I did take a selfie of me outside The Roxy Theatre but Gandalf did manage to hog his way into the picture.  Celebrities, huh?

boogie-ing at the beach

Hi

Yesterday I went to a different beach. I took my boogie board along with me.  The beach had lots of wild waves.  Real wild.  And such ferocious wind.
  My board, tethered to my wrist, often took to the air, like a kite. The wind turned the waves into a mad mass.
  One wave shot me underneath it, turning me topsy turvey.  I cracked my tummy against the ridge side of my board and I could feel the board breaking underneath me.  When I got thrown to the shore it was to discover the board was completely broken in two.

Superman and me?  We both have abs of steel.  I break boogie boards with my abs.  Beat that, everyone - now you can tell your pals that you know a real super hero.