Five on a Friday

1. The New Zealand dollar continues it's valiant attempt to break through the stratosphere and remains absurdly over-valued.

I am so over all the journalists who keep spouting the "it's a great time to go shopping" line as a result.

Sure, I have picked up a few  needed books at Amazon.co.uk (love that free overseas shipping) but unless you want to go online for everything it is still "are you taking the mickey?" time when you hit the shops.

$4.75 ($4USD) for a green pepper? Um ... maybe not

The other day, after our trip to the movies, I popped into the posh department store next to the cinema so Daughter-Two and I could use their very nice restroom. I noticed they had NYDJ jeans in stock. I bought some in the States (for about $75USD) and they are great. How much in the store here?

$335 (about USD$290).

No thanks.

 

2. We just got back from a flying visit to Wellington, where Daughter-One was checking out the university and halls of residence (aka dorms) in case she decides she wants to get even further away from us next year.

We had a record snow dump this week, and we had a great view of Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe from the plane:

The mountains you can see from Wellington were also totally white, the first time I have ever seen so much snow from Wellington.

She loved Wellington of course. It's several years since she has been there. I love it too. Everything there seems that little bit more funky. Even the Greenpeace charity collectors are a cut above. (We were both in fits of giggles after passing a French one doing his questionnaire routine with someone he had stopped on the street outside the Paris crepe stall - "Would you describe yourself as an animal lurver?" in a totally delicious but perhaps slightly over rich accent).

3. We were staying right in the city centre, but next to the Boulcott St steps which lead up to the university. When I was a student in Wellington I stayed briefly in the halls at the top of the steps in one of the old houses which have now been knocked down and replaced by an unfortunate late 80s/early 90s cheap looking block. I had a converted cupboard in the old house. It was so small there was only room for the tiny bed and a cupboard made from untreated timber with a faded curtain hung in front of it with thumbtacks. Downstairs was, bizarrely, a dumping ground for old stoves and the front room was full of about 5 of them rusting away.

The newer halls (see the orange building below) are definitely a cut above:

We sat and ate lunch by the historic graveyard which the university is now encroaching on before wandering around the campus a bit. (That's them under the arrow):

Here's the view they were looking at:

Just so she didn't think it was all designer buildings, I took them down some more steps to Adams Terrace, where I flatted for a while at the risk of Vitamin D deficiency. (Two minutes walk up very steep street and steps to the lecture theatre, but at the cost of never seeing the sun).

Then we took the cable car back down to Lambton Quay and had a walk along the waterfront and the city library.

The next morning we had a quick walk around the Cuba Street area and an hour in Te Papa (Museum) before the flight home.

 

We found this groovy caravan which seems to be a mobile dress shop. I leant my case against a building while I took a photo, then noticed it was red-stickered:

We quickly scarpered (would be just our luck for an earthquake  to hit while we stood and gawped at the sign) but not before two things occured to me:

- why stick up a big notice saying "Earthquake Prone Building - Do Not Approach" and then add two columns of small print that you cannot possibly read unless you do approach and stand there for some considerable time reading.

- surely it is an "Earthquake Vulnerable Building" not "Eathquake Prone"? Unless it sits on some unique metre-long constantly moving faultline of its own and, while everything around it stays still, it rattles about like the earthquake simulator in the museum.

4. We arranged for someone to come and feed and walk the dog a few times over the 24 hours we were away. I gave very careful instructions but still felt very uneasy and had visions of him being locked in the house alone if the dog walker somehow couldn't open the door. And then we returned home dragging our bags and I went to open the door .. only to find the key I had given the dog walker stuck in the lock. WHY can't I have useful premonitions? Like the lottery numbers maybe?

It would have been a total disaster pre-renovations but now we have two other doors we can use to get in the house, and when I got inside the dog was perfectly happy. The dog walker texted to explain the key disaster had happened after her last visit luckily.

 

5. Here's a sneak peek of the new kit coming to the store at Designer Digitals this week:

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Heather T.]

Maybe it's that the buildings are liable to lie prone on the floor? *grins* Lovely descriptions as always Lynn. Such a lovely country you live in--although the prices are a tad ridiculous!