Christmas Adventures - Episode 4 - Mokau

There's a fair bit of road distance between Tauranga and Taranaki - especially if you're travelling via bus! So we decided to stop overnight at Mokau and relax. For those of you who don't know Mokau is a little seaside town about an hour and a half from my parents place. It's a fantastic west coast beach - black sand and rugged - and the "Whitebait capital of the North Island". Here's some pictures of us on our Mokau mini break!

RAROTONGA!

We booked our holiday to Raro today - and paid for our flights - I know it's not till June but I can hardly wait - it's going to be awesome!!

Christmas Adventures - Episode 4 - Tauranga

Well lets try this again - I can't even count the number of times I've tried to make this entry but blogger has just spazzed out at me and refused to publish!

Anyways after a few days spend in Hamilton we headed over to Rich's family in Tauranga - the "bus" (actually it was closer to a van) was way packed so it felt like a really long trip.

But it was good once we got there and fun to catch up with Rich's family again.

We had a bit of an early Christmas whilst we were there which was fun - we were able to catch up with nearly all of Rich's family and had lots of yummy food and got lots of really cool presents (most of which are still with Rich's Mum & Dad due to the fact they were too big to take on the rest of our adventures).

After some time with Rich's parents it was time to move onto our next adventure...Mokau!

Will this publish? Who can tell?

If you have been thinking I've become a rather lazy blogger well think again!! Turns out Blogger is rarely publishing these days - I write an entry and it just spazzes out and doesn't publish what I write!

Maybe it's time to move to a 'real' website....hummm...

I'm going to see The Veils tonight!!

Finally the city is alive again after the Christmas break - and gigs and goings on are happening (I suppose there was Shihad & The Datsuns last weekend - but I wasn't going to pay $50 for two bands I've seen so much!).

So tonight Rich and I are going to see The Veils - which I'm so friggin excited about - I got my ticket to go last weekend!!

We're meeting Ross pre The Veils for drinks - although Ross is actually going to Minuit and we're going to The Veils...

I've not done too much else this weekend thus far - but I did have a good session at the gym this morning so I'm started to feel a bit better about my health as I slowly get my fitness back.

Shortly I'll have to take off to meet Jaimee at Olive Cafe - I can't beleive she is leaving for her trip overseas so soon - I shall miss her *sigh* oh well at least it's only 3 months and not a year or more like most of my friends...

Christmas Adventures - Episode 3 - Hamilton

So after the civil union the lovely Jo picked us up from Cambridge again and we spent a few days in Hamilton....just catching up with old mates.....which was fantastic....although it did rain a lot...here's so photo's of us catching up with old mates.....

A couple more photos from the civil union...

Here's one of Rich & I looking pretty in the garden's after the ceremony...



...and another one of the crew at the reception - L-R - Myself, Stu, Kerry & Rich

Christmas Adventures - Episode 2 - Cambridge

I arrived in Hamilton via bus on Friday night and stayed with the lovely Jo & Andre in their whare - it was great to see them both after such a long time - but I was so tired - mind you, that didn't stop Jo & I gossiping into the wee hours of the morning!

The next morning Jo took me out to the Hamilton Airport so we could pick up Rich and the three of us headed off to Cambridge. Jo dropped us off at the Cambrigde Hotel (a really old school pub where we were staying).

We decided to head off to the Gardens for the Stu & Ande's civil union not long after we arrived - which was lucky actually - as we went into the gardens the wrong was and we had to walk a long way before we found the rose garden where the ceremony was! But it was ok - because along the way we saw these really cool "waterfall stairs" and took some cool photo's of our lovely selves!

We finally did find the rose garden and got to see Stu and Ande as soon as we arrived which was fantastic.

The ceremony followed soon after and it was a really beautiful service - the guys had an awesome celebrant! Here's some of the pictures -

My Christmas Adventures - episode 1 - Auckland

Well - here they are - I'm finally going to start putting up some of the pics from my xmas adventures. I doubt I will get all of the pics up in one sitting because there's a heck of of lot of them, but hey, it's a start.

My holiday started way back on the 15 December when I flew up to Auckland. I was orginally going to spend the day with Martha but she wasn't very well. So instead I just went into the city - I had lunch with Conor & Alaina. Which was cool because I knew I would only see Ally a couple more times before she went off to live in Melbourne.

After lunch I had some time in central Auckland to myself - so I decided that I'd have a wee look around. I got to check out the Aotea markets for the first time ever which was really cool - some real rubbish there but some awesome stalls as well. I also got to go to K Road and visit some of the cool stores there, including of course, The Misery Boutique(where I got a cute bag to take the civil union).

That evening when Conor & Sue finished work we went out to a yummy Thai restaurant, after which, I had to take the bus to Hamilton!

Anyways - here's some photos of Conor, Sue & myself taken on the balcony at their appartment.

The Sun FINALLY came out!! Is summer here at last?

Yes it's TRUE! Yesterday after a number of miserable and cold days in the middle of summer the sun FINALLY came out which was fantastic - who knows? The same thing may even happen today - although it's a wee bit overcast now - but hey - at least it's not raining.

In fact it was so nice that Rich and I had our first waterfront walk of 2007 yesterday and was it ever packed down there! The beach at Oriental Parade was totally packed with all sorts of people (I guess a lot of people are still on holiday - unlike Rich and I *sigh*). But there were some seriously SUNBURNT bods around! Maybe it was for the best I didn't spend the day in the sun because I'm pretty useless with sunscreen unless Rich keeps on telling me to put more on.

Tonight I'm off over to Kat's for a craft night - hopefully finish the Subversive Cross-Stitch I'm working on at the moment. Kat and I have also decided to start a Craft club, under the name "Crafty Foxes" which sounds like such a good idea - will be great to have some designated time to do all my crafts as one of my new years resolutions was to make as many presents as possible this year.

Today I'm meeting (most) of the girls for lunch which will be fun - haven't seen some of them since I got back to Welly.

Humm...what else is happening...we have a potluck dinner/gathering at Jess' tommorrow night and then Rich and I will see if we can find a gig to go to later on - nothing we're interested in at Bodega or the San Fran Bath House this stage so Happy it is!!

Well - time to finish getting ready for work - at least it's Friday already!

Sublime Stitching

Yesterday I enrolled in Subline Stitching Class (Embroidery class - only cool) at Juniper over in Newtown - yah - so excited! First class is on 25 Jan in the evening, now all I have to do is think of something to take to embroider...humm....

In other news, I was talking to Kat yesterday and volunteed to help her out with her fashion show and Celia has also helped me(along with some other girls) to arrange her hens night..shaping up to be a busy new year already! Which is good - nothing worse than being bored.

First Day of work for 2007

Well - now it does feel like 2007 has started as I have to go to work today - bleh! I'm really NOT wanting to go - It's been so long since I've been to work I hope I actually remeber what I do for a living?

Well - I guess at least I'm starting back on a Wednesday so perhaps I can ease myself into things and not have to go hardcore from the very start.

Still - it will be good to get some routine back in my life!! I'll have to check when the uni gym is going to open, now I am feeling a lot better after my op I really must get back into my old routine.

Well - on a completely different note - over the holidays Rich and I put together a Myspace page for our fimo label. Going to apply to the next Craftwerk so hopefully they will accept us - they have agreed to be our friend after all:) Anyways here's the link to the "Mofire" site -

http://www.myspace.com/mofireisrad

Happy New Years!

Well - long time no blog - I do have many adventures to write about and pictures to post of what I have been up to over the last couple of weeks - seen as I have really been all over the place (well in the North Island anyways).

So just wanted to let people know the photo's I've taken over the last couple of weeks are finally all downloaded so now all I have to do is sort them out and I should be writing about my adventure over the next couple of days..

In the meantime...hope you all had a Happy New Year!!

Last Day of Work 2006!

Today is finally my last day of work for 2006 and I can hardly wait for 5:00 tonight!! Whilst I am thankful that this has been the year that I finally managed to get a permanent job, I have have also been pretty stressed out in my job and have missed more than one lunch time as I've had too much work to do (making Rich ask on more than one occassion "Do I have to come up to your office and get you for lunch to make sure you take a break?") But next year is a new year - and we will be getting a new person on our team so I'm hoping 2007 will be a year of more learning and less stress on the job front.

Well I am up and Blogging at this hour as I'm off to meet Mariella at 7:15 (Yah that she lives literally two minutes from our whare!) so that we can have a coffee before I take off on my adventures tommorrow - because she's off to her family in the far north for christmas and new years!

I'm quite looking forward to tonight - not only because it will be the end of the work year for me but also because Rich and I have decided to have a bit of an early Christmas celebration tonight - yah!! Which will include - of course swapping presents and we are also finally going to see Dracula at Downstage Theatre - I am SO looking forward to that!

Well I best be off - have to dry my hair and get pretty for work now.

Pre-Christmas Celebration

Long time no blog huh? I'm not quite sure why I have just felt unmotivated to blog lately even though I have started to get out and about and do things again.

Well I had a good night last night - Jess cooked us (Ange, Georgie, Celia and myself) a yummy Christmas dinner so we could all swap pressies:) The meal was really good - a really yummy stir fry and summer fruit and chocs for dessert.

Being the crafty creature I am I decided to make my friends presents - I'm always a bit nervous when I make presents as I always worry that people won't like them but my subversive cross-stitch and necklaces went down well - with both Jess & Celia saying they will take theirs to work:)

I got a whole bunch of really cool presents - a Nightmare Before Christmas Bag and Uber bag of mashmallows, a glass Christmas Angel and a really cute christmas themed jutebag.

I really should have taken some photos but I didn't (prolly much to my friends relief!!) but it was a really fun night and I do feel slightly more Christmassy now:)

Calendar Gals 2007

I have recently been involved in the creation of a calendar for the feminist group I'm involved in - my task - to find some important dates in women's history to put in the calendar.

Being the big history geek I am I thought this was a really interesting thing to do - anyways - here's the dates I found!

Jan:

January 6th - Greek Feast of Persephone/Kore, the Divine Maiden

January 8th 1859 - Birth of world traveller and adventurer Fannie Bullock Workman, who carried a "Votes for Women" banner into the Himalayas on one of her many climbing expeditions.

9th January 1923 - NZ author Katherine Mansfield dies.

16th January 1941 - Foundation of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force - New Zealand's first female military personnel were joined within 18 months by the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and the Women's Royal Naval Service.

25th January 1851 - Abolitionist and reformer Sojourner Truth addressed the first Black Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.

30th January - Roman Festival of Peace, honouring the Roman Goddess Pax.

Feb:

1st February - Wives’ Feast, Ireland. Women homemakers celebrate their work by sharing lavish feasts with one another.

9th February 1944 - Birth of Alice Walker, African American activist and Pulitzer Prize novelist.

20th February 1954 - New Zealand Women, Yvette Williams breaks world long jump record at Gisborne.

March:

1st March - Matronalia, Roman celebration of women and celebration of Juno-Lucina, protector of women and the family.

4th March - Mothering Day (England), the original Mother’s Day. It was the custom to visit one’s mother on this day and present her with bread and presents.

8th March 1908 - First International Women's Day, founded by German labour activist Clara Zetkin.

10th March 1913 - Death of Harriet Tubman, Underground Railroad conductor who rescued more than 300 of her people from slavery.

22nd March 1994 - Kiwis Anna Paquin and Jane Campion win Oscars for The Piano.

25th March 1934 - Birth of Gloria Steinem, American feminist icon, journalist, and women's rights advocate.

April:

5th April - Festival of Kwan Yin, Goddess of Mercy, and Great Mother of China, marked by visits to her shrines with offerings of incense.

13th April 1896 - Women's movement gathers in Christchurch to form National Council of Women.

23rd April 1895 - Birth of NZ artist, playwright, actor and director Dame Ngaio Marsh.

25th April 1982 - Women in Canberra, Australia laid a wreath for all women raped in wars.

May:

3rd May 1897 - NZ's first registered woman doctor, Margaret Cruickshank.

14th May 1907 - Foundation of the Plunket Society. At a meeting held in the Dunedin Town Hall, the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children was created. Lady Plunket, the wife of the governor-general, was its first patron.

10th May 1866 - Susan B. Anthony and Caroline Severance founded the Equal Rights Association (formed in the United States to “secure Equal Rights to all American citizens, especially the right of suffrage, irrespective of race, colour, or sex.”)

23rd May 1966 - Coronation of Te Arikinui Te Ata-i-rangi-kaahu. Princess Piki, the daughter of King Koroki was named as the first Maori Queen.

June:

14th June 1811 - Birth of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," which caused an uproar over slavery.

18th June 1983 - Sally Ride becomes America's first woman astronaut.

27th June 1880 - Birth of Helen Keller, who overcame blindness and deafness to graduate from Radcliffe College, speak three languages, and become a speaker, an author and advocate for people with disabilities.

July:

5th July 1884 - US Congress awarded Sarah Emma Edmonds a pension for her service as a soldier in the Civil War, in which she fought dressed as a man.

10th July - Lady Godiva rode naked on her horse leading a procession through Coventry [England]. Legend says that she was protesting high taxes. But the event probably derived from ancient harvest rituals to the Great Mother.

11th July 1877 - Kate Edger becomes the first woman in the British Empire to gain an arts degree, educated at the otherwise all-male Auckland College and Grammar School.

28th July 1893 - Women's suffrage petition presented to Parliament (NZ).This was the third suffrage petition presented to Parliament and had nearly 32,000 signatures - almost a quarter of the adult European female population in New Zealand.

Aug:

6th August 1926 - Gertrude Ederly became the first woman to swim the English Channel, breaking the previous record by two hours.

13th August 1818 - Birth of Lucy Stone, feminist, abolitionist and suffragist who insisted on keeping her own name in marriage. She inspired the title of "Lucy Stoner," applied to other women who kept their names.

15th August - Festival of Isis, when stalks of grains are carried in procession to honour her as Grain Goddess.

Sept:

2nd September 1838 - Birth of Queen Lili'uokalani, last sovereign of Hawaii, held under house arrest and forced from her throne by Americans intent on exploiting Hawaiian exports.

4th September 1863 - Huria Matenga braves stormy seas to rescue crew of the Delaware. Matenga swam out to the Delaware with a line after the ship ran aground off Pepin Island, Nelson. She became known as 'the Grace Darling of New Zealand' and a Nelson tugboat is named in her honour.

11th September 1877 - Birth of Rosika Schwimmer, Hungarian pacifist, suffrage leader, and a founder of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and Campaign for World Government (1937). She was denied US citizenship in 1929 because she refused to pledge to bear arms in defense of the US.

13th September 1933 - Elizabeth McCombs elected as NZ's first woman MP.

19th September 1893 - NZ Women's suffrage day. After a number of attempts and petitions to Parliament, including one earlier in the year signed by 30,000 women, Governor Lord Glasgow signed the bill granting women the right to vote.

Oct:

13th October 1975 - Whina Cooper-led land march, Te Ropu o te Matakite, reaches Parliament.

16th October 1936 - Jean Batten conquers the skies: first solo flight from the UK to NZ. Hine-o-te-Rangi (Daughter of the Skies) set a number of flying firsts for both sexes before conquering the UK-NZ route in 11 days, 45 minutes.

26th October 1942 - The Women Jurors Act (NZ) allows women to sit on judicial juries for first time.

31st October 1985 - The bone people: Keri Hulme becomes the first New Zealander to win the Booker Prize.

Nov:

14 November 1917 - "Night of Terror" (USA) when suffragists were imprisoned and brutalized after picketing the White House, demanding the right to vote.

16 November 1916 - Margaret Sanger was arrested in Brownsville, NY, for operating a birth control clinic - the first in the US. She went on to found Planned Parenthood.

17 November - Feast of St. Hilda, patron saint of business and professional women.

25 November - Women’s Merrymaking Day celebrated in ancient times.

28 November - Day of St. Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom.

29th November 1893 - Elizabeth Yates elected mayor of Onehunga, first woman mayor in British empire.

30th November - Day of Mawu, African Creator Goddess

Dec:

1 December 1955 - African American Seamstress and Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks refuses to obey a bus driver a relinquish her seat to a white passenger. Her subsequent arrest and trial for this act of civil disobedience triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott, one of the largest and most successful mass movements against racial segregation in history.

6th December - National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Canada), in memory of the 1989 Montreal murder of 14 women murdered in an anti-woman hate crime.

30th December 1995 - Two women were killed in Brookline, MA, USA in just one in a series of anti-choice attacks on reproductive health clinics.

31st December New Year's Eve - Feast of Hestia, Goddess of the hearth fire.

Wicked!! I love getting involved in stuff like this:D

My Operation

So long time not blog huh? Considering my normal blogging obssessive ways!

But as a lot of people out there know already I had an operation (in fact a week ago today)and I have been recovering over the last week or so (my final day off is tommorrow).

Well last Wednesday I had to get up bright and early to be out at Kenepuru Hospital in Porirua at 8am and seriously a big hug out to Ange who took the day off work to take me, mum and Rich all the way out to Kenepuru Hospital and back again!

The operation itself wasn't actually too bad - the general anesthetic wasn't that fun - I didn't mind going under that much it was just when I woke up I was really groggy and over the following few days my brain didn't seem to be working too well and I kept on forgetting simple things or saying the same thing to Rich or mum more than one...nevermind...I think my brain is back to normal now...

The good news is that when the Doctors did do the operation they did find out that I have endometriosis which, while it isn't awesome as it is going to be something I will have to live with and manage for the rest of my life, I AM glad that I finally know what is wrong with me for certain and I can begin to deal with it. I will join the local Endometriosis group in the new year but there doesn't seem like much point in doing this right now as it's only a couple of weeks before Rich and I will be taking off for our Christmas adventures.

It has been good to have some time off work though I have to say. Originally I was meant to go back to work on Monday but I got some extra time off work because I just wasn't feeling up to it (you'll be surprised just how much you use your stomach muscles when you're unable to use them!!).

But I really have to say a big thanks to Rich for just being so awesome through this whole drama and also my mum for staying with me for most of last week (I think I would have gone totally and completely MENTAL if I didn't have someone to talk to last week) also want to say a big thanks to all my friends who have come and visit me and also sent me or bought around flowers, food and presents...it has been fantastic (almost like a pre-christmas christmas).

Anyway the bottom line is that the news I recieved was the best news I could recieve in the circumstances - for the first time in a very LONG time I am feeling optimistic about the future!!

Careful what you put on your lips!!

I'm not sure if this is totally true or not but worth thinking about...

Recently a lipstick brand called "Red Earth" decreased their prices from $67 to $9.90. It contained lead. Lead is a chemical which causes cancer. The lipstick Brands that contain lead are:

1. CHRISTIAN DIOR
2. LANCOME
3. CLINIQUE
4. Y.S.L
5. ESTEE LAUDER
6. SHISEIDO
7. RED EARTH (Lip Gloss)
8. CHANEL (Lip Conditioner)
9. MARKET AMERICA-MOTNES LIPSTICK.

The higher the lead content, the greater the chance of causing cancer.
After doing a test on lipsticks, it was found that theY.S.L.lipstic contained the most amount of lead. Watch out for those lipsticks which are supposed to stay longer. If your lipstick stays longer, it is because of the higher content of lead.

Here is the test you can do yourself:

1. Put some lipstick on your hand.

2. Use a Gold ring to scratch on the lipstick.

3. If the lipstick colour changes to black, then you know the lipstick contains lead.

Please send this information to all your girlfriends, wives and female family members.

This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Jo & Andre's Welly visit

Our friends Jo & Andre came and visited this weekend - it was so cool to see them after so long and catch up with all the Htown gossip:)

Here's some photo's taken over coffee at Expressoholic.

Jess' Birthday!

Friday night was Jess' birthday which included yummy Greek food at Theo's Greek Taverna (plus dancing on barrels!!) followed by a yummy cake with purple icing made by Jess' Dad for dessert:)

Then - after I got home I got a text from Jess to say she and Andrew had just go engaged - so good news all around:) Congrats to them both:D

The Dentist

I had my first dentist appointment yesterday - it wasn't as bad as I thought (although it was just fillings at this stage and no teeth pulled).

But one thing I am really stoked about is that the dentist fixed my front tooth that has had a chip in in since I was in university - it looks really good - you can't even tell it's not even my real tooth - stoked!

Island Bay Daywalk Photo's

On Sunday Rich & I went on a daywalk - but I hadn't had time to put these up till now and here they are:D

Happy Birthday Jess

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday dear Jess!

Happy Birthday to you

Pay Equality Closer!

From the NZ Herald on Saturday

Pay equality in young women's grasp

Saturday November 11, 2006By Simon Collins

Young New Zealand women are closing the income gap, earning almost as much as their male colleagues.

Women's average hourly wages are now just 3.7 per cent behind men's for those aged 30-34, while women aged 20-29 briefly earned more than men the same age three years ago, Statistics New Zealand figures show.

Men are still well ahead in all older age groups up to 65. But young women are reaping the benefits of performing better than young men in education.

In 37 per cent of working-age couples women now earn at least as much as their partners, up from 20 per cent 20 years ago. In 2001, women and men were in the same income bracket in 22 per cent of couples, up from 13 per cent in 1986, while in 15 per cent the woman was in a higher income bracket, up from 7 per cent.

Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel said the trend looked "positive" and tied in with a closing of the overall gap between women's and men's hourly earnings.

"It means that the gender pay gap is something that we may be able to see disappear," she said.
But the vice-president of the Father and Child Society, Massey University economist Stuart Birks, warned of the problem of men falling behind.

"Shouldn't we be worried that we are sowing the seeds of another problem in 20 years' time?" he asked.

Council of Trade Unions vice-president Helen Kelly said the equality among young workers might be a result of all young workers being on low wages.

Xmas Holidays

Rich and I have now got our leave all sorted for our xmas holidays - so I will be leaving Wellington on the 15 December and Rich the 16 December. I'm going directly to Auckland so I will have to let Marth know when I'm turing up today!!

We'll then be spending time with people in Hamilton and our families in Tauranga and Taranaki.

We bought all our flights yesterday - now only have to sort out a bit of accomodation here and and there and all our bus tickets.

I can hardly wait for xmas holidays!!