The Sun is Shining

The sun is out. After 10 or so days of rain and cloud from Cormatin to Amsterdam, the sun is out. I instantly feel lighter and happier, and Amsterdam looks completely different. The brown is still there, but the sun glints off the murky canal water, it makes the flowers on the house boats brighter, and for the first time in any city we’ve been to, I feel a little hint of Auckland.

We sit by a window overlooking the canal. We drink beer and juice and we watch paddle boats explore. Friends lay in the sun as they power down the canals on small boats, wine and pillows and picnics filling the space in between.

We watch and the trees sway in the breeze and if we squint or blur our minds we could be sitting in Auckland city watching over the viaduct, and our friends could be on their way to meet us or we could be off to a barbeque later on in the day. Toby could be with us, although unlike here he wouldn’t be allowed inside almost anywhere he wanted.

After our drinks we venture over to the biggest of Amsterdam’s parks and we lie in the sun and eat our picnic lunch and watch people cycle past and dogs run by and people drinking because of course alcohol is allowed anywhere.

Sunshine makes everything better.

www.flickr.com Go to Penelope_nz's photostream

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The Grass is Always Greener

As I mentioned the other day, there has recently been a movement in the blogging world called #Blog4NZ. In the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake, interest in visiting NZ took a nosedive. You can't blame anyone really, I have to admit to thinking 'thank goodness we're leaving soon' in the shock that followed the disaster.
The thing is though, that us Kiwi's, we're survivors. As much as I struggle to know what to believe about the powers that be, only someone that has been here can explain the energy that comes from the earth beneath us in this damn fine country. I suppose if you've lived here all your life, you may not know there's a difference, but there is, and I have to say I think us Kiwi's learnt a thing or two from this land we call home.



http://topnews.net.nz/



New Zealand has a reputation for being clean and green. Most of the time, we live up to this reputation, but it's not so much the lack of smog and litter - the air, earth and water feel more pure the second you leave the cities and enter 'real' New Zealand.

This is the point that I admit I am not the best advocate for New Zealand. Why? Because I've seen so little of it. Growing up we explored much of Northland and the Coromandel, but if you look on a map, that's not much of the country at all. I can wax lyrical about Cape Reinga, our most northern tip, or about Pauanui, my favourite holiday spot. I can speak of long wild beaches and lazy beach towns. But until last year, I'd never set foot on the South Island.

I feel incredibly lucky that I saw Christchurch before the quake, and even luckier that I wasn't there several months later when the shaking started (by all accounts it hasn't really stopped since). I've seen Wellington twice, and Rotorua once but that's about the extent of my exploration.

On the flip side, I've explored Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth in Australia, and New York, Washington DC, Memphis, Nashville, Las Vegas and LA in the States. I've been to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands and as you all know I'll see 9 new countries this year when we tour Europe. So I'm a little ashamed that I know so little of my home.

Many of the #blog4NZ posts I've seen have been from Americans and Canadians, among many others from around the world. They speak so highly of our country and share so many amazing stories and pictures. So, after we get through Europe and settle in, probably after the Long Haired Boy finishes his degree, I have a feeling we'll be off to pick fruit in orchards, walk through national parks, taste our wines and see our southern most tip.

How much have you seen of your own country compared to the rest of the world? What is one thing in your own country you haven't done but really want to?

Welcome to my Humble Abode...

It's less than two months now before we move into Monty and NurseB's house. We've only been in this place a year, and it certainly has its downfalls. The area isn't great, but I chose the house for the massive backyard it offers Toby. The biggest downfall about the house is the ants. We have tried everything, filled every gap and tried every (pet-safe) poison. But they come in droves, and you can trace their paths to every corner of the property as they disappear down the street. For this reason alone, I would have moved, even though I love my house.

It is ridiculously warm, and although the wood panelling turned me off at first, it feels cosy and homely. Everything from my furniture down to my knick knacks has a place, and the backyard is perfect for Toby. It's not too close to a main road and Izzy has plenty to explore. Alas, we are selling up most of our stuff pre-Europe. It's quite exciting, because I LOVE a good clean out, but it's also sad, because these possessions have defined me in a lot of ways - I bought the majority of my furniture when I first moved out of home at 19.

There has been glass smashed into the couch at out-of-control parties, drinks spilled on the tables, naughty puppies scratching cabinets and general disregard by (some) irresponsible flatmates. In contrast - there have been some amazing times. Sitting around the dining table in the sun playing cards and having a drink with Squish, sing-a-longs with my beautiful musician friends strumming guitar while even the shyest of visitors can't help but join in. Countless roast dinners shared with the kindest (and some of the not-so-kindest) people in the world. There have been fights, tears, relief, grief, joy and laughter, and love, lots of love. And each memory I have of these emotions, has one of these objects under, over or around us. So, as we start packing and selling, I thought I would share my home with you.

This is what I live and love in.
 

Knick knacks, each with a story. The guitars (there are 3) are copies of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and a GnR tribute model. The elephant is from my first trip to Melbourne, the Hippo bought back from Africa by a neighbour when I was about 9, the Eiffel Tower bought back from France by my Nana and the cigar box came from my Great-Grandma's house I think

I love being surrounded by piles of books!

Courtney and my guitars (with his bike boots he never puts away ;P)

Toby's 'room', apple tree, feijoa tree, and a dog house only the cat uses.

Our lounge, with a custom pop art painting of Slash by the lovely BeautifulGlow on Etsy

The back deck, where we have the BBQ and view of the yard. The gnome came to live with us after a drunken party many years ago. He likes it there!

The front yard, carefully monitored by the boss

As much as the clutter frustrates me, I love my perfume bottles. Moschino all the way!

My favourite corner of my bedroom. Audrey, books, bikes, my childhood teddy and a golly my Nana made for me to take round the world.

Again, every item in these pictures has a story, soon to be packed in boxes. The picture is a cross stitch copy of a photo of Toby's sister Holly, who passed away a couple years ago.

My dining table is a collage of my last big trip overseas, to America. That one was only ONE month though!

Our kitchen, the bear shaped cookie jar was in the kitchen when I was a child too.

My Week in Bliss

The first week of the Bliss challenge is over. The very first thing I learnt is that scheduling Bliss might be a good start, but it very rarely works out! Failed iPods, postponed appointments and cancelled dates make for quick thinking when you have a challenge at hand haha. After all that, this is what Blissed me out this week -

Britney Spears 'Hold it Against Me'.

defpenradio.com

Call me obsessed, as many of you already do, but I love her, and I love this song. Britbrit is on my bliss list, and I can't blame my love of her on nostalgia. I have a distinct memory of sitting in the back seat of a hot car in 1999 while my 10 year old sister played '...Baby One More Time' on repeat and Mum didn't see the need to stop this monstrosity. I'm pretty sure it wasn't until 'Toxic' that I got on the Britney Wagon, and I haven't stopped since. I may always revert to rock, but singing along to Britney makes me happy. I had planned on a day of her catalog on shuffle, but the aforementioned iPod decided to sync all crazy and instead I listened to Hold it Against Me about seven times in a row. I am not ashamed.

Challenges and Inspiration

On the same day as Britney, the General Manager of our company came and sat with the frontline staff and took calls from customers for 4 hours until 10pm at night. As a trainer and someone that frequently does the same, I got to sit with him and assist. He wanted to see and hear what the frontline deal with, struggle with the same struggles and hear the good and bad from our customers. Why? So he can fix it. So he can make the working environment better for customers and staff alike. So the little people have it easier. He doesn't only care about a bottom line or the next change in statistics. He is taking on challenges that aren't easy but he's getting on with it. When I grow up I want to be just like him.

itsallmythought.com

Being Alive

The next day I woke up in a seriously good mood. Finishing at 10pm meant I went to bed not long after getting home and I woke up in the same great mood I went to sleep in. I had planned to get my haircut that night, which I love, but the world had other plans. At 12.50pm a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 3km below the surface, 10km outside of Christchurch. We live in Auckland, so we didn't feel the quake, but I have kept up with the news every waking hour since. 146 are confirmed dead, 200 are still missing, and I am ALIVE. I spent the night watching the news, and instead of being pampered, I coloured Squish's hair for her, in front of the TV. I spent time with my Long Haired Boy and with Squish, I pampered someone else, and the only thing I would have liked more is to actually help out in our Garden City.

Green Grass and Good Friends

twistedquill.blogspot.com

Wednesday saw us join Monty and Nurse B at Glover Park in St Heliers for Movies by Moonlight. It was our second foray into outdoor movies this summer, watching 500 Days of Summer, and it was not to be our last, because we joined Mum and Squish the very next night for Julie and Julia. We had picnic dinners, say cocooned under duvets with pillows. We watched moths lit up like fireflies by the projector as we stared up at the stars in a sky as deep as it was dark. Although we enjoyed both movies, it didn't matter what was on the screen. We had fresh air, grass under our feet, and loved ones at our side. Perfect summer nights.

Being Pampered

Thursday I got that haircut I had been waiting for. My hair was quite long but it was badly damaged by bleaching-gone-by and the huge Cheap-Haircut Mistake of 2010. Courtney's Step-mum's niece (got that?) did it for me and she did an amazing job. She laughed when I said I was looking forward to having my hair brush fall off the end of my hair in the morning, but isn't it a great feeling? Refreshed and renewed. I stopped a lot of my pampering efforts over the last 6 months as Europe savings too priority, but I don't think I can prioritise the awesome feeling I get.

The pampering didn't stop there! On Friday I got a massage, express facial, eyebrow wax and tint and eyelash tint. It was a 1 hour treatment package that I got myself and my sister off a last-minute deals site. I desperately needed my eyebrows tinted (blonde eyebrows kind of disappear when you have black hair) and the girl did a great job. Unfortunately I can't recommend the salon because the customer service when both of us tried to book was seriously atrocious, to the point we considered not going at all for fear of the treatment we would get. Not wanting to waste money, I went, and I'm glad I did.

cookingchinchillas.blogspot.com

There was a very good reason for all my primping and preening this week - on Saturday Mum had booked photoshoots for my sister, herself and me. We each had our hair and make up done, individual shots and group shots. I got made up with 50's pin up make up and hair, which i LOVE. I will share photos when we have them.

Random Acts of Kindness

This one was unintentional but after the photoshoot

Singing in the Car

There is little I enjoy more! I feel like I'm annoying people when I sing around the house. I should get over it, because I love singing, and I'm not tone deaf. In the car, I have ultimate freedom. I don't care that other drivers see me, I love seeing people singing in their cars!

My Long Haired Boy

We had our third Saturday Breakfast Date this weekend, and I can happily say this new tradition was a brilliant idea! There is no better way to start the weekend than sitting with my LHB eating amazing food I would never have cooked myself, in the sun, with trees and sea air. Thanks Mecca Stonehouse.

Mexican Food

www.mexicancafe.co.nz

Blondie's birthday dinner went down a treat! I hear mixed reviews about Mexican Cafe but I am yet to have a bad experience. Soul Buddy was there with her hubby and everyone had a great night. Their cocktails are to die for and last night I didn't have a single one. Viva La Sugar-Free!

Decluttering

So it's not pampering, its not glamorous photo shoots and its not fine dining, but damn it feels good. Inorganic Rubbish Collection week is AWESOME. We also have a house inspection tomorrow so when I finish writing, I start cleaning. Britbrit, I'm going to need you on form for this one. It's gotta be LOUD!

So, the end of the first week, and it was a success. My week wasn't perfect, I had a big argument with Courts over stupid little things (it's all A-OK now) and a drunken (on their part) argument last night after dinner. Neither needed to happen. With Courts I needed to just chill out and relax, which I think was in part because I haven't had much time to myself. We're working on that though. The other I'm still not a hundred percent sure on, but it will be resolved. I'm not an angry or mean spirited person and both incidents really got to me. I'm real though, and that's why I'm mentioning them to you. As long as I focus on being more patient and chilled out, and bringing the bliss in, things can only get better.

What did you Bliss out on this week?

Finding the Time to be Happy

When I started this blog I had decided to take my happiness into my own hands and run with it, in the form of the Bliss List. For those who haven't been reading from the start, the Bliss List started as the 'Interests' list on my Bebo (yeah... Bebo...) and evolved as it followed me to MySpace and then Facebook and then here. Every time I come across it, it makes me think 'This is how I want to remember my life, and this is how I want others to think of me'.

Toby at his happiest!

The only problem with the Bliss List is that I don't have time to do all of the things that sum up my ideal 'me', between working and working and cleaning and watching TV. So I decided I was going to do one a thing a day from the Bliss List. I managed it for a few days and then once every few days after that, but I fell straight back into The Rut. I suppose, now I think about it, its a lot like dieting or being sugar-free - it takes a few tries to get it right.

I am a person that thrives on challenges, and so I suppose the best way to kick start this experiment of Bliss is with one. I have 50 things on my Bliss List, and so I have written one on each of the next 50 days of my appointment diary, and I'm going to keep you all updated with how well I can stick to it, which ones live up to my expectations and which I actually didn't enjoy anymore. Hopefully I can inspire you, and I will most definitely welcome ideas and suggestions on how I can make the time or fulfill my list!

Those who know me personally will already be laughing at the fact I essentially scheduled in happiness, because I am an organisation fiend. Without doing it though, I get caught up in things I should be doing, and it's apparent I need a little reminder to do something for myself each day. I have already started making room for Bliss.

Courts and I had a chat the other day about the whole thing and I realised that although I claim to not watch much TV, I actually do. It's not because I sit down and channel surf, which in my head is what 'watching TV' seems to be. It's because we have MySky and can record anything that looks interesting - so I do. Once its recorded I feel like I have to watch it because it's there - so I do. I've now deleted all of my recordings except American Idol (because we all watch it together). I've even deleted Shortland Street. Love it or hate it, this was a big deal for me! So now I will watch TV if I sit down and find something I want to watch but I won't watch it because I have to.

I also realised I spend a lot of time doing very little on my computer. Swapping between Hotmail and Facebook and news sites and gossip sites and the blog and achieving very little. Why am I not picking up the book that's been on my bedside table, unopened, for 4 months now? Why am I not running (OK, walking quickly) through the park with my dog Toby, enjoying the dopey look on his face and the way his tongue falls out one side of his mouth when he's so happy that he forgets to hold it in? In 109 sleeps I will be without him for almost 4 months, I have to make the most of him. And why aren't I lying around watching movies and talking with Courts instead of staring at screens, metres apart?

I don't have an answer really. I forget, and that's the honest truth. It doesn't cross my mind to do these things and then in hindsight I wish I had. Enough excuses, now I will do all of these things and more.

I started Friday, when me and Courts went with Squish and her boyfriend to the Chinese Lantern Festival in Albert Park, Auckland. We braved massive crowds to eat Sri Lankan Appam with spicy chicken filling, and we braved them again to each have half a rock melon with the seeds scooped out and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream in the centre (this was the first sugar I had since my 100ml ice cream at Movies in Moonlight so I let it slide - no more treats until I've gone another week 'clean'). The lanterns were awesome, the food was delicious, the company was second to none, but the crowds definitely put me off. The food stalls were separate from the lanterns, down either side of a closed off street, and it took us an hour to walk a few hundred metres. We weren't the only ones to comment that it was like a mosh pit! But that is 'Festivals' crossed off the list.

Something Courts and I decided to try when we talked about making the most of our time together was a Saturday morning breakfast date every week, spending real time together and starting the weekend relaxed and happy. So Saturday Morning we made our way to the Farmers Market at Britomart. Neither of us had been before and we loved it. Free samples at most of the stalls, amazing fresh produce and baked goods. Courts had a coffee and I had a fresh orange, carrot, lemon and ginger juice that was made in front of me. We then each had a Ciabatta filled with roast ham, bacon, egg, cheese, lettuce and tomato, with the veges coming from other stalls in the market place. The Ciabattas were amazing as was the jar of Rewarewa Honey I treated myself to, unprocessed and fresh from the hive. It's too good to waste on toast, I have to admit to dipping in a spoon.

So far, so bliss! I'll let you know how the rest of the week goes.

Finding Motivation

Just a quick one today because I've spent all day working on putting all of our research on the site for you. I have managed to publish the first of three directory pages, listing all of the accomodation we will be booking. As we travel, I will do my best to keep up to date with reviewing each of the places as well.

Soon to come will be a directory of all the places we have an interest in visiting, and a directory of all of the transport options we will use. Hopefully this becomes a usable resource for future travellers so please refer your friends to my page if you know it might be useful!

An update on the Bliss List challenge... I'm still doing my best, but time is of course a hindrance. Last night we went to a BBQ with Courtney's Stepmum's family. I hadn't met them before and it was really lovely to be made to feel as welcome as I was. Just goes to show it doesn't have to be close family and friends for it to be a great time when people are open and welcoming.

Today I have literally done nothing. It is a public holiday in Auckland and it was lunch time before I knew it and started working on these pages. I'm stoked that I've finally posted one of the three pages I've been intending on since I started posting, but I wish I had forced myself to take the dog to the park or to bake something or to put music on for an hour or so. At 8pm I feel sluggish and lazy, maybe I will find a recipe to keep me occupied until Courts gets home just after 10pm.

Hopefully your weekend was awesome! I'm finding it so hard to get motivated to leave the house at the moment, the weather has been up and down and I've been distracted by 'things to do'. When I do leave the house I feel so much better, I just need to get better at actually doing it!

How do you motivate yourself to change your priorities?

Sugar-Free Challenges!

A very busy few days! Work has been very full on and Courts and I have been working as much as possible to save for Europe. I even went and did a Market Research interview in my lunch break on Thursday for a quick $60. Yesterday was also my sister’s 22^nd birthday and boy was that an exercise in sugar related self-control!

We went to a Mexican restaurant in Mission Bay, Dos Amigos, which is walking distance from my Mum’s house and therefore a regular dining spot. Of course Mexican was a well received choice by me as Mexican food is on my Bliss List, it’s my absolute favourite! The challenge was remaining sugar free. I had a Chicken Tostada, in which the only ingredients that could possibly have had sugar in them were the tortilla and the salsa, and we confirmed with the chef (who knows my Mum) that the salsa at least, was sugar free. While Chili Beer was passed around the table and Margaritas were shared from jugs, I stuck with water. I could have gone for a Coke Zero, but I don’t want to rely too heavily on artificial sweeteners, and sticking with water certainly didn’t hurt my budget.

The real kicker was the cake. Mum surprised my sister with a Chocolate Mud Cake from Eve’s Pantry. All of my senses were in heaven! Except, of course, taste. I tell you what, that was hard to restrain from! I wouldn’t even let Courts kiss me because he tasted like chocolate and it was just too difficult to have a taste and not have a plate. I guess anyone out there without a sweet tooth will be wondering how it could possibly be that hard, but it was, and I was proud to overcome it.

In other sugar-related news, I mentioned a few days ago that I’ve been drinking milk to stave off cravings for refined sugar. A few people had told me that this could be a bad idea as Lactose-intolerance is a natural state for humans and Lactose-tolerance is not, especially in adults. Well, when I went off sugar the first time (March 2010) I did so with the help of a wonderful nutritionist (awaiting her permission before I add a link for you). I lasted until June when I went through a hard time personally, and chocolate screamed out to me. However, my Nutritionist was great, and is very happy for me to keep emailing her with questions, so I asked her about milk.

The response was that milk isn’t necessarily bad for you, but of course doesn’t suit everyone. If I were lactose intolerant I would know by digestion issues or eczema type rashes, so I must be fine. She recommended that 1 cup a day is enough for most people if they are also having some yoghurt and maybe some cheese, but that of course everyone’s food requirements are different. Generally speaking, as long as it's getting me away from refined sugar (we're talking about plain, trim milk, not flavoured), it's certainly an improvement. 

Of course lactose is a form of sugar (as is maltose, fructose and glucose) so the Nutritionist advised that it is best eaten with something else, or alternatively I could have something like yoghurt and fruit together. She recommended a new yoghurt from Meadow Fresh called Live Lite which has low sugar and no artificial sweeteners, and is instead sweetened with Stevia and Apple Juice.

I'm not a huge yoghurt fan but it's definitely worth a try! I use milk more as a drink (hot chocolate/Milo/coke zero) replacement than a food substitute and it makes the air con at work a little more cosy, so for now I have started diluting it with water. At first I hated the idea, but I figured I make my Milos with both water and milk, and to be honest its not bad. We'll see how it goes!

A Lesson in Simple Happinesses

Good morning Dancers! 

Ok, its not morning anymore, but this morning was sunny and this afternoon is drizzly and humid, so Im going to stick with a cheery Good Morning. Im home sick today, so I thought my Bliss potential would be limited. However, I underestimated myself. 

Once I made it out of bed, Moschino perfume ('Funny' today, for anyone interested) was my first stop. I am yet to find a Moschino perfume I don't like, they all inspire happiness with summery, fruity flavours. Growing up I strongly recall Mum saving perfumes for special occasions and it never made sense to me, even as a child. She had plenty! For Christmas, Courts was gifted Lacoste Challenge and similarly spouted objections to my spritzing him generously, for fear I waste it. 

Today, whether you are a saver or a spritzer, or even if you are guilty of overdosing your friends and colleagues with too much of your favourite scent, throw caution to the wind and enjoy the finer things in life. Go and re-spritz :)

I mentioned yesterday that we were off to the Auckland Museum for the Outrageous Fortune exhibit, which was awesome - I highly recommend it if you were a fan of the show. After the OF exhibit, we ventured around the rest of the museum. Do you remember the Elephant that used to be near the entrance? He was put into storage, but he's back, which was very cool, as was touching the fur of a black bear and staring into the eyes of a snarling tiger - all real and all stuffed along with hundreds of other specimens in the interactive Weird and Wonderful hall. I am off track. Courts came up to me and said he had something to show me. I was confused for a split second until he said "It's so you can do your blog thing", and the aquarium of chirping crickets made all the sense in the world, and I sat next to them and absorbed the sound for a second. Not all bliss has to be self made! 

I am very lucky.

Housewives, Drive-in Movies and Newborn Rock n Roll...

Last night we went to a BBQ for Courtney's mum's birthday. I absolutely love sitting around a table of cheese and wine making conversation with interesting people, I think it probably deserves a place on the bliss list. Last night, the wine was for everyone else, as I continue trying to shake off sugar. I remember a lot of good nights out that involved alcohol, and I'm sure I will have many more (Vodka and Coke Zero anyone?) but I am at a point where I really don't miss alcohol when I don't have it - its almost a feeling of freedom. Love it! 

Today we are off to the Auckland Museum to see the Outrageous Fortune exhibit with Courtney's family. I haven't been in 10 years or so, maybe its a good warm up for Europe! I have a nail appointment first, for a regular client and long time friend of mine. We always have a laugh together, it doesn't feel like work at all, which I think is how it should be! 

As I write this, I'm watching Elvis On Tour. I cant explain why I love Elvis, but I love his music, his movies... you know, I think the biggest thing I love about him is what he inspired in people. So many years on, he makes me think of an idealised 1950's world of well dressed housewives, drive in movies and newborn rock n roll. I know full well that the world in my imagination is highly romanticised and unrealistic, but if this image inspires me to live a better life, I'm OK with it! Bliss achieved :) 

What makes it onto your Bliss List? 

*** *** ***

A quick update on travel plans if you're interested - did I mention that in addition to the challenge of being on a bike – we’re camping most of the way?! We are on a budget, and camping is by far the cheapest sleeping option in the vast majority of areas. Being on the bike means we will be taking the bare essentials – a few changes of clothes, toiletries, tent and sleeping bags. Travelling with so few belongings is both daunting and exhilarating! 

Our itinerary changes almost daily at this stage as we find more sights to see, more out of reach towns we want to pass through and better campgrounds.Originally we planned on buying a bike and selling it at the end, but the red tape was taking the fun out of the adventure itself. At one point I had 20 web pages open in different tabs just to investigate the third party insurance that is compulsory across the EU, and it stopped being worth it. We knew hire was way out of our budget (Try 400 pounds a week for 15 weeks) but thought a hire company might know of a place that would offer a 4 month lease. Of 25 companies I contacted, half replied, and all said no - except one. 

Bournemouth Motorcycle Hire has come to our rescue with a ridiculously awesome deal on weekly hire for the duration of our trip. It is so exciting to know that we will see 9 countries on a 2010 Suzuki V-Strom DL650X. The only downfall is that this means that we now have to get the bike back to the start line and so the entire itinerary has been flipped upside down, when I thought it was almost there. The very idea that after hours of research and stress the bike is SORTED! I would begin planning all over again and not complain at all just to enjoy the relief of this moment.