Jake and Luke Flowers Now that I finally have my drivers licence again (stolen in UK a few years back, replaced in NZ a few weeks back), I’m able to go for long drives in what is still very much Bobbie’s car. While she did a bit of last minute Christmas preparation, Jake and I [...]
Categories: Music
One of the records I bought in New Zealand was Feelstyle’s album Break it to Pieces. It’s pretty much been on the turntable nonstop since. A superb record. Su’amalie – Feelstyle (click play to watch or go here)
Categories: Music,New Zealand
Tagged: Music, New Zealand
Deirdre is a former Marks and Spencer mannequin who had been quietly working out her retirement at Camellotment, the garden plot out the back of Cannon Hill Park tended by our friends Craig, Robson and Val (to my knowledge, the only allotment in Birmingham with its own blog). Before moving to Camellotment, Deirdre had lived [...]
Categories: Birmingham
Tagged: Birmingham, Personal
First, can I just say OH MY GOD IT’S COLD! I wasn’t expecting to feel it quite as much as I am. I’ve had three winters to acclimatise myself to sub-zero temperatures, and New Zealand was hardly in the midst of a tropical summer while I was there, but for some reason, coming back has [...]
Categories: Travel
View over Shiraz Mountains, Iran 27 hours in a plane later, and Jake and I are safe and sound back home in Birmingham. We flew Emirates, watched a bunch of movies and TV shows on the way, had decent meals and surprisingly adequate legroom for economy class. In fact, compare that to my recent return [...]
Categories: New Zealand,Travel
Tagged: New Zealand, Personal, Travel
Auckland viaduct city view The last couple of days in New Zealand have seen a decided ramping up of people and places to visit. As the final day approaches, there’s been an increase in activity, and so a decrease in the amount of downtime in which to blog about it. I’ve met with a lot [...]
Categories: New Zealand,Travel
Tagged: New Zealand, Personal, Travel
Auckland’s best yet again After a day of running around, unpacking and repacking boxes, selling bits and pieces on TradeMe (NZ’s eBay) and taking unwanted volumes to the Hard To Find Bookshop in Onehunga (now totally misnamed), we had a quick West Lynn Cafe catch-up with our actor friends Jim & Lori. [Update: it turns [...]
Categories: New Zealand,Travel
Tagged: New Zealand, Personal, Travel
The Pukeko with its weird backward-bendy leg I took Mum’s car into the mechanic to see if he could remove the mobile phone from the guts of the airconditioning system (apparently not). While I was waiting for that decision, I went to the Countdown supermarket around the corner to buy some Meal Mates, Krispie biscuits, [...]
Categories: New Zealand,Travel
Tagged: New Zealand, Personal, Travel
Henry and Jake – together again After the jazz show, Jake and I had arranged to go and see Henry, who had been Jake’s best friend for years up to the time when we left New Zealand. Henry doesn’t do email, and so he and Jake had been pretty much completely out of touch for [...]
Categories: New Zealand,Travel
Tagged: New Zealand, Personal, Travel
Playing jazz on the radio I was invited along to do my old George FM show, It’s A Jazz Thing with the current host, Mark Robinson. Mark took the reins a couple of years ago, and made that show his own. He’s continued the programme’s interest in diverse jazz and plays everything from the most [...]
Categories: New Zealand,Travel
Tagged: New Zealand, Personal, Travel
