super, fast weekend...

Due to a cancellation I took advantage of an air ticket that was looking for a home. Actually let me pause for a second here and say that since the invention of booking tickets on-line, I feel decidedly less committed to informing the airline if I'm not taking the flight - now before you call me a modern day Marie Antoinette, these are work tickets that plans have changed and the meeting is no longer needed but because you booked on-line, the ticket is unchangeable, non-refundable I feel no need to tell the airline I have a better offer. I wonder how that impacts things for them, not that I care since they got rid of snacks.

Anyhoo, the ticket was a one way to Wellington for Saturday morning so I grabbed me a cheap return ticket for Sunday night and off I went to visit and Jolly Hockeysticks and Gavy.

I don't know these people but that was the crappy plane we flew up on. Having said that I wouldn't have got a photo of the big plane I came back on cause you don't need to walk across the tarmac to get on and off that but also because the weather was so terrible on Sunday afternoon.

But I did fulfil one of my non-New Year's resolutions of talking to people on planes. I chatted to a girl who was on holiday from her OE and worked in advertising in London - I wonder why Kiwis on their OE seldom get out of London? She was saying that she had been there for four years and had yet to travel in Europe for a holiday - she did day trips to places like Russia for work. What is that about heaps of UK based OEers I know didn't do as much traveling as they hoped they would and I must admit on my own OE v2 I did plenty but there was so much more I could do. So a big tick on that resolution.

Jolly Hockeysticks met me, which was fab. I love being meet at the airport.

In a previous life I was one of those very efficient, executive types that passed through the airport directly to a waiting taxi like a heat seeking missile. After a while you miss the personal touch and excitement of being met.

We popped over to pick up Jolly's friends Tara and Elissa and then we went to the Hutt to shop - no photos as anyone who has been there will agree less is more for the Hutt but this is what the Wellington harbour looks like from the motorway when you leave the Hutt...
We shopped and shopped and I was glad when it was all over.

But wait! Then we stopped at Ezybuy in Thorndon - which I have to mention because I like this shiny photo I took from the car when I could no longer walk.

Actually let me explain why my shopping stamina is minimal. I live 40 minutes from any shoppy shops i.e. malls and streets of clothing shops, and let face it any other kind of shopping is just a 'have to shop' so doesn't count.

Now because I am 40 minutes away from town and I am a homebody, I go to town about once a month and mostly it is after hours so nothing is open so I don't shop. That combined with an aversion to taking my clothes on and off repeatedly makes me inclined to do a massive, get it done, shop til you drop kind of session. Which is what we did.

Damage was limited - I paid cash.

Back to Wellington..

I was going to post the non-dirty windscreen photo but politics is a dirty business and should be looked at through jaundiced eyes. This is the Beehive where the executive offices of our government have their offices. Interesting point that we seldom have photos of where our country's elected representatives actually debate legalisation instead we have photos of an iconic office building where the governing party has their offices. Way to go bureaucrats!

Jolly and I dropped the girls off and headed back to her place to basically look at our shopping and swallow our buyers remorse before jumping to a new top and going to meet Gavy for dinner.

I forgot how unforgiving the weather is in Wellington and also forgot to not take cues from Jolly because she is Coaster and so doesn't feel cold. Wearing a thin cotton top to dinner in Wellington was a freezing experience.

We got yummy pizza at One Red Dog for dinner from very under enthused waiting staff. Sorry we were interrupting your evening there folks.

Jolly Hockeysticks dove into a chocolate fondue. She had never had one which I find amazing as it was a standard default dessert in our house growing up.

Then we walked back along Courtney Place to Gavy's cozy, little but well appointed apartment where we ate homemade delicious chocy truffles. Gavy had got the recipe through the Pioneer Woman site as he is a cooking guru i.e. he actually reads recipes and then makes them as apposed to me who buys cook books, reads them and shelves them. We talked for awhile before leaving - good to catch up with you Gavy. Your travel plans etc sound such fun, remember to learn more acceptable German before you go!