Whistling Gypsy

Currently on my iPod: Jim Croce's Age
Currently reading: Road to Tara (Anne Edwards)
Currently in: Christchurch, New Zealand

How daunting sitting down to write this is! Unlike any previous online journals which I can comfortably deny ever having kept (as all but one are long deleted), this blog intimidates me.

I blame Elizabeth Bennet. Well, really, I should be blaming Jane Austen, who put the following words into Lizzie's mouth, on being invited on a trip to the Lakes District by her auntie:

"What delight! what felicity! You give me fresh life and vigour. Adieu to disappointment and spleen. What are men to rocks and mountains? Oh! what hours of transport we shall spend! And when we do return, it shall not be like other travellers, without being able to give one accurate idea of any thing. We will know where we have gone -- we will recollect what we have seen. Lakes, mountains, and rivers shall not be jumbled together in our imaginations; nor, when we attempt to describe any particular scene, will we begin quarrelling about its relative situation. Let our first effusions be less insupportable than those of the generality of travellers.''

I feel all this... but am dead certain that all the wonders I shall see will only leave me spewing banalities. Christ, I'm an idiot- still, it's better than stressing out about the possibility that the plane I'll be on in two days' time will plunge into the Pacific, yes?

I went up to Picton to see my grandparents earlier this week. My Mum and I drove up the coast, and had a great time.

Regrettably, the Canterbury Plains scenery...

... was only marginally less dull than Marlborough's...

... with, thankfully, the Kaikoura coastline in between to prove some relief.

(I did actually have photos that were essentially rather better, but at each petrol station along the way, the attendants insisted on "cleaning" the windscreen with a quick few wipes that left it shining but rather streaky, which shows up in 99% of the photos taken. However, I suck at taking photos in general, let it be known.)

I cheered up once I hit Blenheim, which has my favourite bridge in the whole wide world. It's funkier than the Brooklyn Bridge, more structurally impressive than the Golden Gate, and more timeless than any Roman aqueduct! Je te présente....

The Loopy Bridge!

I have a video of the journey over the latter half of the Loopy Bridge, BUT!

• it's 3.3MB and it lasts just seven seconds, so I'm not going to put it up here. I can e-mail it to you if you're keen.
• there's no audio, so you'd have to provide your own woooOoooo sounds (Corresponding with the rise and fall of each loop on the bridge) , without which no Loopy Bridge ride is complete, yourself.

Thence the ride towards Picton, which is quite pretty at this time of the year.

Picton was fun, although my Nana gave me $50... she snuck the note into a card, knowing I'd never cash a cheque... augh, I hate people trying to force money on me all the time! No really, it was lovely of her- she also gave me a really pretty pearl ring, a beautiful waistcoat she'd knitted of white wool, a tiny framed picture of my mum when she was a little girl and a gorgeously illustrated hardcover edition of the Mowgli stories from The Jungle Book- a very thoughtful gift for a Kipling freak such as myself. I'll spend that $50 in sending her postcards and letters from the road. Ha!

I also went down to the marina with Grandad and had a look at his latest boat, the Alouette. She's quite compact, but oh so adorable; I must learn to sail, so that I can live on a boat with a dog and maybe a parrot called Polly (as opposed to Polly the Sheep, one of my earliest pets). The harbour is gorgeous, with all the yachts out at anchor. What an amazing lifestyle. It'll be mine one day.

We went and visited my Great Aunt and Uncle J & J, which was interesting (and probably ultimately expensive; the list of people to whom I've promised postcards must now have over 100 names on it), and then drove up and had a look out over Shakespeare Bay.

The bay is lovely, dark and deep, but I have blog entries to keep, and paragraphs to go before I sleep, and paragraphs to go before I sleep.

~SJ reluctantly tears her eyes away from the Marlborough sounds~

And now, it is Saturday night; two more sleeps to go! I had had all my bags packed, but it all got pulled to bits in Picton when I showing Nana what I was taking to Europe (she approved of the first aid kit and sewing kits; I feel prepared!). Now, stuff is strewn in little snaplock bags allll around my room again.

Sigh. After five years or so of sporadic planning and delighted dreaming and (over the last six months) hard saving, the long-imagined event is about to begin: my big OE! And all I feel is strangely apathetic. My hostel is booked for the first two or three nights, but I don't really know how to get from Heathrow to the place- and don't care. What happens after those few nights is anyone's guess. Christies, the agency I was going to work for, hasn't got back to me about my application yet, so presumably I'll be knocking around London with nothing to do for a few weeks. Well, nothing but the Opera and ballet and the Museum and art galleries and bookshops... okay, okay, I can probably keep the ennui at bay once I'm there.

What's more, the wonderful BillH has organised everything, and I'm off to Ireland to see Don McLean and Loudon Wainwright III (along with Van Morrison, Kenny Rogers, Emmylou Harris and other luminaries... shut up, it's my kind of music, even though I'm 21!) at the Midlands Music Festival at or near Castle Pollard, 75km from Dublin, at the end of July. It's only 2.5 months away! I hate to gush like a 14-year-old... but I've breathed the music of Don McLean since I was of that very age, and the prospect of finally seeing him at last is quite thrilling.

Equally excitingly, BillH showed me the RyanAir site, which has some rather amazing fares. Flights to Oslo and Rome are only pounds and pence! How could I ever get bored?

The apathy has melted away. Two more sleeps! Better get to bed and make it all come true sooner. :D

Night night,
SJ

Man, I'd be jumping out of my skin by now if I were you, because of my excitement! :D

I like all the pics, by the way. It's good to see parts of NZ that aren't part of the usual touristy fare. :) I also like the new blog template. Very nice. :)

I'm really looking forward to reading your updates, and seeing photos of all the places you've been! :D

Stay safe! And, maybe, someday in the near future, we can meet... in Portugal! :P :D And you can meet Sara, too.

YES! I'm very excited- although leaving my dogs and Mum behind is breaking my heart. The mere thought that in 24 hours' time I'll be flying over the Pacific is too brilliant for words, though!

And thanks for all your kind words. I can't wait to meet you and Sara, too! So when are planning on settling on Portugal? I'm inviting myself to the housewarming party! :D

I'm hoping/planning to make a trip this September, after the tourist season has passed and airfares have come down to about half of what they are now.

I'm still of a mind, however, once my boys are grown, to hightail it to live in Europe!

When my plans to visit Portugal are more solidified, I'll let you know. I'll need to make my flight reservations about a month in advance anyway, so I can give you plenty of notice, too. I'm hoping to also spend a little time in England, to visit a friend (Melinda), as well as a little time in Spain, to see parts of that country I've not seen yet. :D

Sounds brilliant! Keep me posted! :)