MJ, power dancer extraordinaire saved enough energy from the marital bed to entrance the locals with flailing arms and robust robot disco dementia - it's not the Roxy you chief! ..but more on that later.
The weather is worthy of mentioning again mainly because it's pretty shite at the moment and the shadenfreude amongst you might take cheer. Wellingtonians are checking the annals of history trying to find a colder, more murky, damp and dismal december. Many a work colleague can be seen doing an envious daily weather check of Oz between google'ing SADS remedies. While the rest of the world bakes and has year-long Indian summers, sods law scientists could have predicted that on my first resident southern hemisphere summer, it would be total crap.
Armchair meteorologists claim the following two reasons as to why this might be: A) the El Nino phenomenon changing currents in the Pacific making weather patterns look like my early attempts at Spirographs. Good luck to Ian and Clarke - the Peruvian prophets of doom - and hopefully Lima is blue skies and Pimms o'clock. B) The dreaded global warming means more cold air is being dragged north, funneling Arctic winds over Wellington.
Ah yes - Happy new year!! from Lisa and myself. And this is what we did over the dying embers of 2006:
I survived my first week of work and a 12 hour drinking binge with new work mates, intact.
Lisa got a job as an event manager for a the NZ Youth Parliament. Not as challenging as promoting the Saudi womens lib referendum on hot pants but a really exciting opportunity with no life threatening consequences. As such we both entered the christmas period more relaxed knowing we were earning cash in the new year. It's not often you hear a sigh of relief expressed at once again becoming a corporate monkey.
Due to cack weather our plane was cancelled heading to the South Island as they couldn't see the runway. Luckily we were able to catch a later plane and headed to Christchurch in time to have a festive drink-up and meal with Lisa's cousin Rory and family + the "feck me she gets everywhere" inimitable Di.
The next day we caught the bus over to the West Coast through Arthurs Pass where in summer it snows. At the other end we were picked up by Lisa's dad and spent a few days speed sampling wine and foie gras'ing our innards with cheese and salami. The Summer Solstice was the holidays main event where we gathered at 9mile beach to celebrate celebrating. The day was excellent and included making the best use of a glorious longest day with loads of booze and food (thats where the picture's from on this page). As Ra descended into the surf the feisty pagans (loons) went for a dip in the sea. Not for us mind - it was chuffin' freezing.
We arrived on xmas eve in Granity to spend the next few days and crimbo dinner with Lisa's mum and mates. Very relaxing, great company and chilled right out. When you're further away from the out of control Generation Game conveyor belt that is christmas in the UK, you can reflect upon how you'd been taken for a mug and rogered during the season of giving. Nice to see you, to see you nice. We spent a few days with Lisa's sister, nephew and niece in Motueka and we stayed with (I do not believe it!) Di's family for one night before flying back to Welly.
From shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops we got off the plane to gale force winds, rain and New years eve. This year was of special note as the newly-wed happy couple Jacko had flown all the way from sunny Ramsbottom to join in the fun. We partook a meal of oriental influence whilst listening to jazz - very sophisticated. We imbibed ourselves with cocktails - refreshingly suave. We engaged in polite and witty conversation - riveting stuff. We stopped off to get some party pills (all above board) and danced like navel gazing indie kids till sunrise to most of the stone roses back catalogue and many other indie favourites and early electronica - it was ace. Gayle looked pretty peaky the next day and that was before getting onto the ferry. Hope they enjoyed the rest of the road trip. Haven't heard from them since.
Pictorial evidence can be found at the usual place.
