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Oh, Twitter

7 Mar

Today I woke to a tweet advising me that it was my Twitter Anniversary. I’ve been using the damned, darling website for six whole years.
Six years and um 40,297 tweets.

It started with a ridiculous little tweet. And it kind of snowballed from there.

Twitter has been with me since before Craig and I moved to London, before all of our exciting travelling, before everything I consider to be when our life as a family actually began.

I’ve had to try, time and time again, to explain what it is that I love about Twitter. What on earth is it any good for? What’s the damn point? It’s difficult to answer because, really, there IS no point. And that’s kind of the point.
It’s quite like shouting into the void. But there are other people in the void shouting with you. Sometimes you pay attention to them and sometimes you don’t.
But the people who draw your attention are fabulous.

What has twitter given me? Nothing. And everything.
I mean, I’ve won art and clothes and cider and tickets, but that’s not it, really.
Excluding the fact that I now have an incredible record of the last six years of my life, I have met the majority of my most favourite people through Twitter. I have brilliant and beautiful friends I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I have stayed in touch with friends on the opposite side of the world.

Really, I can’t fathom my life without it.

(obsessed with stingrays since aaages ago)

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At Heathrow.

24 Sep

Pouting & frazzled at Heathrow.
Our excess baggage has been paid for (118kgs!!!) and we have boarding passes & everything.
This is really happening. We are really moving (temporarily) back to New Zealand. Disconsolate is a good word for me today.

P.s. Craig has just gone into an electronics store to buy my birthday present. I am a little worried.

In Hawaii we …

20 Sep

Went snorkelling. For three hours. I spent …. the entire time in the water. Because I love snorkelling. And my underwater camera.

However, I DO NOT like it when the people on the boat throw bread (or in this case, Animal Crackers) into the water around the snorkellers (is that a word? today I don’t care) making the fish* swarm. THAT IS TERRIFYING. And is how I got bitten when we were in Thailand. Apparently I am as pale as white bread. But paler than Animal Crackers so while I was terrified this time (swimming curled up like a ball, trying to not touch the fish, is REALLY HARD) I did not get partially eaten.

Ariel Hair

Ariel Hair

Waikiki

Waikiki, pre-7am.

Diamondhead

Diamondhead. The Volcano.

Craig and I, pre-snorkelling

Crrrrrab

Jellyfish

Surfboards and Palm trees

Outrigger snorkelling

And here, for Leah’s viewing pleasure, are some underwater photos.

Craig

Underwater with Ariel hair Smiling

Fish

I turned around in the water jumped about a foot and squealed then without zooming in on my camera at all took this photo:

SO CLOSE

Have I mentioned that I love turtles? Turtles and squirrels and hedgehogs, oh my.

Turtle diving

Turtle just below the surface

I love underwater cameras

Turtle! Looooove turtles

Stranger and the fish

Craig and the fish*

Turtle!

Sigh. I loved it. It wasn’t quite scuba but it was a third of the price and I was so so close to the turtles. I loved it.
While we were in the water some dolphins came to check us out. I only glimpsed them off in the distance but the noise they made felt like it was coming from inside my head, it was annoying and painful in that ears-popped kind of way. Horrible.

Once we got back on the boat we sailed around for a little bit on our way back to the island. We passed a boat made out of rubbish that had sailed from California to Hawaii.

Rubbish Boat!

It is actually made out of rubbish. The guy waved.

Darling dear and I

Diamondhead

On the way back to shore we were joined by a whole pod of dolphins.

Dolphins

Dolphins

The flash of white is a baby dolphin. It was spinning around in the water.

And. I realised that my husband is awesome.

TOTALLY AWESOME

Totally Awesome.

My husband is AWESOME

And hilarious.

Surfers and Diamondhead

*Fish not fishes as I only really saw one type of fish.

Oh and I also have underwater videos! Which is the perfect excuse for me to finally work out how to use something on my macbook other than Photobooth. Herm.

On the Underground …

12 Sep

Apologies

7 Sep

Apologies for the lack of amazing underwater photos from Hawaii. They are sitting on the computer all sad and neglected while I whizz around London with my sister doing things like this:

Playing tourist
(p.s. worst photo of me ever. ugh)

and this:

Charlotte playing Tourist

and this:

Proving that not all cider is Scrumpy.

My London-Friends were right when they moaned that London’s summer is over. So far the weather has been 80% grey with 40% showers or rain and only 20% sun &/or heat.
And still I wish I could stay here.

Dearest, Oh Darling, The Internet

10 Jul

Hi! How’ve you been? It’s been forever and a week. Or something.
Ages. Really Ages. And ever ever so much has happened!

Like right now? I’m in New Zealand.
Unless you follow my twitterings religiously (ha!) you might not have noticed as it was all a tremendous secret.
I left London on a Tuesday, arrived in Wellington on a Thursday (Hi? Wednesday? Where were you? GONE! NOWHERE! DEATH! I only saw you for an hour in Hong Kong)) and proceeded to actually Hide Out as my secret squirrel sister couldn’t quite convince my Dad that there was an actual honest to G reason that we should celebrate Mum’s birthday a day early.
And despite the ludicrous incident where my family walked within inches of the parked car I was sitting in (I had to duck!) the surprise worked amazingly. I have never seen my mother’s face look so terrifyingly mask like. She was speechless and best of all she didn’t bleed on me (there is precedent).

Despite all the gaiety I have mainly been disappeared because my photo didn’t even place in the Shortlist competition (you might have guessed that). Thankfully I actually liked 3 out of the 4 winning entries. By the end of it all I was completely sick of that photo and I couldn’t go near Oh freaking Darling dot net dot nz. Ack.

And because, oh most of all because our grip on our London Idyll is ever so tenuous and I can’t talk too much about it without screeching and blood pouring from my ears.
There’s nothing that can be done. The Home Office mist have its’ way with us and we … (really regretting this metaphor) have to bend over and take it.

Craig and I have been attempting to make Life Decisions (Hi! we’re hugely indecisive. HATE) but thankfully we have plans and contingencies and while they don’t include being in Rome for my 25th Birthday, I’m pretty happy with them.
I’ve decided that I simply won’t turn 25 until I can be in Rome.

This is all compounded (Yes. MORE DRAMA. How am I holding it together? Ha. You make me laugh.) by the fact that CRAIG IS STILL IN LONDON!
We have been apart for 17 days and there are 22 (ack) more before we are reunited.
And on top of THAT, next Monday, the 14th July 2008 marks EIGHT YEARS of Craig & I being Craig & I.

Keep calm & carry on. Keep calm & carry on. Keep calm & carry on. Keep calm & carry on. Keep calm & carry on. Keep calm & carry on. Keep calm & carry on. Keep calm & carry on.

Don’t Panic

16 Jun

Oh. I took photos of my photo in the Shortlist Magazine. Last week? two weeks ago? Three?
Hardcopy proof of my photo as photo of the week.

I sound conceited. I’m just excited*.

Photo of the Week - Hard Copy

Photo of the Week - Hard Copy

Photo of the Week - Hard Copy

And then I notice that they misspelled my name again. And that just makes me smile in an absurd little way.

I guess the universe thinks my head is big enough as it is.

* (And nervous, a little (okay, a lot). My photo may not end up in the June 19th issue of Shortlist Magazine along with the winners of the competition. This may be as close as I get.)

On a day of mainly downs? This was definitely an up.

29 May

After a morning of doom and gloom I decided to check the website for the Canon Shortlist Competition (top 4 win a canon eos 450D!) which I entered a few weeks ago and my photo? is Photo of the Week!!!

My Photo! Photo of the Week!

It cheered me up immensely. I may have done a little dance in my office. But if anyone asks? I did NOT.

So please please PLEASE go to http://www.shortlist.com/canon/gallery.php and vote for my photo! 5 stars!
I mean, if you think it deserves it of course. Love you!

(It seems to be down twice. As Sarah Rose-Burke from Southwalk and as Sarah Rose from Southwark. The Sarah Rose-Burke one has more votes. Let’s go with that one then!

The Tate Modern, it is a-changin’

19 May

Tate Modern

They have taken apart the top of the Tate Modern Chimney!
Where there was once a large glass-&-metal square that lit up our bedroom window, there is now just a sad little frame. All left behind.

Chimney

Craig hopes that they are replacing it with four powerful spotlights shooting up into the sky. Or perhaps an illuminated flame shape.
And while I find the giant-candle idea appealing, I hope for something more streamlined. Perhaps a large white balloon. Also illuminated. In my mind it looks something like a bubble-gun.

There is also a Street Art exhibition opening in the next week. As part of that they have turned the Tate Modern into a giant canvas:

Graffitioed Tate Modern

Art

Tagged Tate Modern

Bear Art

My favourite parts?

Favourite Detail

Favourite Detail

Favourite detail

Photos taken on the 18th May.

fingerscrossed fingerscrossed fingerscrossed

13 May

All of a sudden it seems to be summer here in London. A welcome visitor for the most part.
The sun is out, sky is blue and the temperature is creeping up into the mid twenties. The omnipresent voice in the underground warns us to carry bottled water as the heat has a solid damp presence on the Tube. An unwanted passenger that induces a cloying smell & rolling beads of sweat. My least favourite thing about London heat. Hate you antHropomorphised heat!

What hits me most with this calefaction (almost. but not quite. I know) is how familiar it is. The weather was like this when we arrived in London (not quite. It rained the first day. But soon after our arrival …) and in only 27 days we will have been in London for one year. At 5:15am exactly.

I am trying to make the most of summer-esque weather. I like to think that London has turned the weather up early this year because it knows that I will be missing a great part of the London Summer. Most of July and all of August.

Craig & I are juggling forms and feelings. Visa plans are in the works but I cannot, will not crow about it until I can post photos of my complete passport.
I am still returning to the familial focus in early July and Craig will be following soon after for an appointment with the embassy. Perhaps. We hope. As long as all goes according to plan. Maybe. Touch wood.

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