Thunderbirds at the Roxy Theatre, Miramar

Hi there

At the moment, the Roxy Theatre in Miramar - partly owned by Jamie Selkirk and Tania Roger who are both from Weta - is having a Thunderbirds exhibition in the upstairs foyer.  Just ask staff if you can go up and take a look.

There is a a cabinet full of Thunderbird collectables.  Also exact replica models made by Weta worker and Thunderbirds fan, David Tremont.

 The above model of Thunderbird 2 was truly big...  four feet long???   Waaay over a metre...

How old do I feel? 16? 18? 20? Yep, I'll go for 20! ... plus Roxy Theatre, Miramar

Hi there

In my head, I feel about 20 years old.   My swimming friend J tells me that when she goes to her doctor - who is a woman of about 36 - J feels, in her head,about 36 as well.  And then it suddenly comes home to her that the doctor sees her as an old woman!

We both hate being called 'dear' by shop assistants or shepherded out-of-harm's-way-love by friendly strangers who fear all our bones will break when we accidentally get bumped into.

Last week, when I visited my friend in a lifecare facility that she'd recently moved into, I went to the kitchen to get her some water.   I was immediately mistaken for a resident and told off in no uncertain terms, by the cook, for setting foot into this hallowed sanctuary.  I slunk out of that kitchen, away from the bully, thoroughly mortified.  I had to stop and think that, by golly, the cook truly didn't see me as a twenty year old.

In future, I vow to bounce into that facility as if I own the place, with all the bounce I can muster,  and I'll dress up to the nines, drip with jewellery, look as young as I can possibly look, and glare down my snooty nose at the cook.   But, you see, as we grow older, we - as a geriatric bunch - do tend to let others walk all over us. 

I shall (try to) be strongerl.

*  The Roxy Theatre in Miramar is having it's 3rd birthday today (Sun 6th).  The celebrations were due to start at 11 am, and I wandered past at 10 am, so there wasnt much doing at that time.    You can see the Gandalf street sculpture on the right.  The theatre is owned by Weta Workshop's Richard Taylor, Tania Roger, and Jamie Selkirk.

**  J and I have done 5 swims so far this month.  It's been lovely at Hataitai Beach, with very warm water.

Mexican Restaurant in Miramar

Hi there

A couple of years' back, a Mexican cafe opened in Miramar, Wellington, where I live.   It's called La Boca Loca and is a casual dining place.  It is extremely popular with workers from the Peter Jackson empire - Weta, Post-Production, Workshop, Admin,  studio, etc.  There are a lot of American workers at Weta and they have probably been starved for good Mexican food.  Up until about 5 years' ago there weren't any Mexican places to eat in Wellington.  Now, there are a few.

I believe a guy who worked at Weta convinced a Mexican chef/friend to come over from America and, together, they started La Boca Loca. 

La Boca Loca is a hop, skip, and jump away from the Roxy Theatre owned by Oscar winners Tania Roger and Jamie Selkirk.   Lots of folk go to La Boca Loca for a meal before the movies.

Here's a little secret:  I've never tasted Mexican food. How embarrassing. 

Even when Mexican food weighed down the buffet tables in Las Vegas, I bypassed it.  Old stick-in-the-mud me stayed with the same old tried and true stuff that I was used to.  I am so silly.  I promise I will try out La Boca Loca ..... one day.   Oh, and I'm off to Las Vegas again at the end of the year.  I promise-promise-promise to try Mexican food.

P.S.:  J and I have now done 11 swims for April.  About 25-minute swims all through the month.  We notice in the newspaper that there is a picture of people swimming at Oriental Bay in Wellington, and we're quite miffed over this.  Darn this almost-summer weather, J and I wanted to stand out as The Brave Ones.

Corvettes at the Roxy Theatre

We have this picture theatre on my  Miramar Peninsula (in Wellington, New Zealand).  The Roxy.  It's owned by Richard Taylor, Tania Roger and Jamie Selkirk. (all oscar winners).  With the aid of Weta designers they have made the theatre up to resemble a theatre from the nineteen-thirties.  The ceiling on the first floor looks a bit Sistine Chapel-ish, except there are robots instead of biblical characters and gods - though, I guess, some folk might think robots are gods.

Today, was Fathers' Day so in their cafe and restaurant (Coco) the Roxy had a Corvette and Beer day for the dads.

Eleven Corvettes rolled up. Jamie Selkirk owns the blue Corvette..

Here's a very small portion of the Roxy first floor ceiling

After eating at Coco, my friend and I went along to the Weta Cave, (Weta movie products shop and /a tiny museum of Jackson/Taylor movie props).. I was trying out my new camera.  I held the camera at arm's length away from me, and I could see my picture on the front of the camera as well as it coming up on the screen at the back, thereby making sure it's not just my nose I get in the shot like I used to with my old camera where I couldnt see me at all (goodness all that sounds complicated).  I posed beside a replica of Gandalf - Ian McKellen -  from "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

VIP Roxy Theatre Party (that I wasn't asked to attend)

A few weeks back was the opening of the brand spanking new Roxy picture theatre in Miramar, Wellington, owned in part by Richard Taylor and Jamie Selkirk (also partners in Weta which is a movie special effects company here in Miramar). Prior to the opening there was a special VIP evening.

I wasn't invited but because I live around the corner I trotted along, with my friends, to stand outside the theatre and see who would be turning up.

About 20 people at very, very most stood right outside the main doors, but about a hundred or so stayed in a herd for some reason across the road where they might have got a good panarama view but they werent close at all to invited guests. Maybe they stood there because the tv cameras were there. But TV cameras have zoom lenses

Very soon, I had to make the decision whether to go for autographs or photos, and I chose the autograph option. Maybe I made a mistake. Anyway, I managed to be the first one to recognise and pounce(!) on Ian McKellen, James Breslin, Martin Freeman, Brett McKenzie, Richard Taylor, Tania Roger, Jamie Selkirk, and a few actors from The Hobbit. I got to Martin Freeman (Bilbo) just as he got to the door. I called out, "Mr Freeman", and I heard someone beside Freeman say to him, "You almost made it."

I don't think the crowd were (professional) celebrity watchers. I think they were just Miramar-ites. Maybe this explains why nobody recognised the stars until I swooped in.

All invited guests had been asked to wear clothes from the art deco age to fit in with the theatre's decor.

A very late guest was a guy in a Rocketeer outfit. He jumped out of the passenger seat in his car and hurtled into the theatre. It turned out to be Oscar winner director Peter Jackson! I took a few hopeless photos of him through the frosted-patterned window

I did take a nice photo of Roxy co-owners Jamie Selkirk and his partner ,and Richard Taylor and partner Tania Roger. I spoke to Richard's father; what a lovely man and so justifiably proud of his son.

A side note: my friend, staying with me from Australia, and I went to the very first movie at the Roxy (King Kong). I suggested we sit in a certain row, in the middle, and ushered my friend in first. Jamie Selkirk came out and said there was a prize under one of the seats. It was under my friend's seat.! She got four King Kong signed artist prints, and limited edition signed by the artist King Kong bookends. I was so full of jealousy, I wanted to throw a tantrum! But I had to act all nice and thoughtful and congratulate my friend, and help carry the prizes home, and take photos of her parading around my kitchen with the prizes, and then email the photos to her loved ones in Australia. Sighhhhh.