Yesterday we did what we were told but now we are Billy Bold (Graham Brazier - a local boy, from Mt Eden)

Auckland International Airport terminal. Flooded!

Wie geht's?

The wild weather in Auckland recently made me consider the safety and well-being of my Auckland whanau and friends. I was surprised, shocked even, to see how many Auckland dwellers there were when I went to Facebook and did a search of my friends.

A huge proportion of them!

Ich bin ein Aucklander in that I was born there (on Maungakiekie) and grew up there (close to Maungakiekie in Royal Oak/One Tree Hill and Mt Albert). I left for the wider world (New Plymouth and beyond) when I was 25. From time to time I enjoy going back there and catching up with mates.

I have returned a few times to live (the last time was 1995 to 2000) but I'm not sure I could live there again. Although, Jacky has been making noises about wanting to live in a city again, so I wouldn't rule it out necessarily. 

The flood damage was vast and confronting and my heart went out to all of those whose lives were affected. Kinship. A bond. 

Aucklanders! Kia kaha!!

Love and peace - Wozza

The axe forgets, but the tree remembers. Now it’s our turn to do the chopping (Arvel Skeen)

Wie geht's?

Thanks to recommendations from Adam and work mates, the TV programmes to be viewed pile is stacking up a bit at the moment. 

There is so much content out there, and so many platforms for viewing that I need others to make suggestions for me.  

Currently we are rewatching Andor following our trip to Disneyland and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. 

We'd watched four episodes prior to going away and then stopped so that we could binge watch when we got home.

I'm loving it even more now that I have Galaxy's Edge memories fresh in my brain. 

The Black Spire outpost on Batuu is the stage for Disneyland's Star Wars merchandise, food outlets and rides (sadly one wasn't working when we visited). 

It is all eerily like the location for Andor's planetary setting - Moriana One (must be in the same star system). Means I feel like I've been there!

Love and peace - Wozza

You don't need no baggage, you just get on board (Curtis Mayfield)

 

Wie geht's?

Thanks to book buying forays to Kinokuniya and Foyles, the books-to-read pile has grown a lot after our trip and is now divided into a fiction tower and a non-fiction tower.

Jacky asked me how long it will take me to read them all and my answer was that I once set myself a goal of reading fifty books in a year and I aced it!

A couple of things are certain. I will continue to add to the pile. I will swap between piles as I go. My mood will dictate each choice.

As it goes, I've already read two of them.

Love and peace - Wozza

Breathing in, I am mindful that my heart is working night and day for me. Breathing out, I smile to my heart (Thich Nhat Hanh)

The Three Magpies pub, Heathrow.

Wie geht's?

Deep breath in.

Breathe out.

It's taking a while to settle back into life at Maple Grove. 

You can probably identify - for a month we were on a travel itinerary - either travel days or activity days - seeing amazing things and embedding ourselves into the local environment.

Routines head west on a vacation, hotel beds are a lottery and run the continuum from too soft to too hard, time zone changes disrupt the body clock, living out of a suitcase is different, and eating out means eating things we normally wouldn't.

Out of Nu Zild, we aim to make the most of the differences by enjoying Paul's, Caffè Nero, Costa Coffee, IHOP, Rae's Diner, plus pub lunches and dinners.

Caffè Nero (Upper Street)

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

It's a shock to the system when that regime ends with a return to Maple Grove. It didn't help that I picked up a viral bug from the plane (not covid related - I had a second positive for covid in England but felt fine throughout it with no symptoms). So, for the last week I've had aches, coughs, runny nose, temperatures. Not fun times, but it will pass.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

We now have all the animals back from their boarding locations while we were away, and I'm gearing up for work. Head office went back on Monday so the email flow is starting up again. Routines will quickly kick in from Monday morning - our first official day for 2023.

Love and peace - Wozza

 

Eggs and sausage and a side of toast, coffee and a roll, hash browns over easy, chile in a bowl with burgers and fries (Tom Waits)

Breakfast in America: Rae's Diner, Santa Monica, Saturday Jan 9, 2023

Wie geht's?

As we've been travelling around over the last four weeks I've noticed some stark differences between countries.

We started off our adventures in Dubai - things were pretty much as they were the last time we were here, ten years ago, while we were living in Al Ain. Adjectives like flashy, superficial, and bubble still apply - maybe even more so. This time the prices were an eye opener - it's no longer a place to get a bargain compared with home.

I bought some books from my favourite bookshop in the Dubai Mall and they were about the same price I'd expect to pay in Nu Zild (if I could find them). For instance, a hardback copy of Steven Wilson's 'Limited Edition Of One' cost 150 dirham - about $64.

From there we headed to the UK.

Basically, Britain is broken. 

Christmas holidays are a prime time for industrial action in England. This time around: nurses strike action, ambulance worker strikes, border staff strikes, massive train disruptions because of strikes, service industry shortages, breakdown assistance strikes meant lengthy delays on arterial routes. Infrastructure is limping along in Britain. It was a bit sad to see. 

Luckily, we didn't book any train journeys, if we had done, we'd still be trying to get out of London. Instead, we hired a car and toured around places we'd not been before. That proved a good move in the circumstances (Tintagel Castle and visiting my family in Bury were absolute highlights) but each journey time expanded with unforeseen circumstances - break downs unattended or too many cars on narrow roads because of the rail disruption. So a 3 hour trip became a 4 or 5 hour struggle to get where we were going.

Having said that, as I remarked to Jacky as we enjoyed lunch in Oxford Street's Marks And Spencer's. we just fit in here!

After Christmas, we headed to California. Santa Monica to be precise.

In stark contrast, the more laid back, friendly, warm Cali-vibe was again a factor. In fact, apart from a moody poe-faced receptionist at The Madonna Inn (San Luis Obispo), we found the people we came across on our travels to be more personable, friendly and helpful than we find in similar Nu Zild contexts. 

'You got it', became a familiar response in America.

The tipping culture is a huge adjustment for me, but apart from that our stay was made extremely pleasurable thanks to all the various burgers, pancakes and donuts I consumed (the Big Sur Roadhouse for donuts and the San Luis Obispo IHOP for pancakes were my favs).  

Given all those exotic foods, mysteriously, I managed to return to NZ the same weight as when I left.  

To summarise - three countries that are vastly different in feel and approach: UAE - all fur coat no knickers; Britain - home and broken; California - a cool world apart.

Love and peace - Wozza

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green towering over your head (The Beatles)

Wie geht's?

Our road trip from LA to Monterey has taken in some of the 101 and some spectacular coastal highway. We made stops in Santa Barbara, Solvang, San Luis Obispo (for a night at The Madonna Inn), Big Sur, The Bixby Bridge before heading to Monterey for a few days and then back to LA.

If you've noticed weather warnings for the California coast during this time you may have wondered about our safety. US weather warnings appear to hype situations a tad. Sure, it's been raining, but we haven't seen anything beyond some surface flooding.

We're fine.

The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo was a place Samantha was keen to visit and we were up for new experiences.

It's hard to describe the place - quirky and kitsch don't really do it justice.

We had a meal in the Copper Cafe - so named because of all the copper tables! Then we reclined with beers by the giant fireplace (pictured above). 

It's all hard to explain - it felt like we were in some surreal dreamscape. The Madonna Inn is one of those places that needs to be experienced for all its visual splendour.

Do visit this link though and have a look at the rooms and the urinal - I tried to take a picture while in there but more guests came through the door and I chickened out. You can watch a video of it here. 

Huh? Oh - you're welcome!

Love and peace - Wozza

May the force be with you (Obi Wan-Kenobi)

Wie geht's?

Warning: this one gets a little gushy!

Since being acquired by Disney, Star Wars has become even more of a giant commercial beast with many pros and cons attached. I saw both sides on my visit to the Disneyland Resort (Anaheim) this week.

The set design/staging for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, which joins themed areas like Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Frontierland at Disneyland in Anaheim, is amazing beyond words.

Standing underneath a life-sized replica of The Millennium Falcon was a real WHAAAAAAT?? moment. I couldn't help but be awed by the skill and vision of the people who put together the landscape and the authentic props - not that I've ever visited the Black Spire outpost, on the remote frontier planet of Batuu yunnerstan.

The fact that it was raining at the time we were visiting just added a perfect detail to the alien landscape. With many of the people wearing hooded ponchos, it made me feel like an extra in a Star Wars film!

The Star Wars characters wandering the streets of Batuu added a great dimension - whether it be the Mandalorian, R2D2, Chewbacca or storm troopers with Kylo Ren - they each add an effective touch which also suddenly jolts you into a confusing zone of realism. Yes, it was a tad scarey for some (one little kid in a push chair cried as storm troopers and Kylo approached in character).

That's the pro part.

The con (pun intended) is in the type of merchandise being hawked in the shops at Galaxy's Edge. It seems the powers that be have decided their target audience is either those who want to dress up as a Star Wars character (Rey and Lord Vader by far the most prevalent) or else those who want to celebrate the child in their nature (I'm being charitable). I'd call this the Ewok impulse.

T-shirt design was heavily accented towards the young cutesy market too, i.e. not me.

The 'serious' Star Wars collectors (comics, books, models etc) are not really catered for - some busts of Last Jedi era Luke and Darth Vader being the only things I could see that appealed.

Did any of that commercialism detract from my experience? No chance!!

Outside of family reunions in Bury and Brentwood, Galaxy's Edge joins Tintagel Castle and Amoeba Records as the overwhelming WOW moments of my trip.

I absolutely loved it, along with the whole Disney experience.

It is still, and will forever be, the happiest place on Earth!

May the force be with you, always - Adson Purwa (Jedi master)