Pines Beach - Kaiapoi

Spending a few days with T's Auntie Julie and Uncle Matt at Kaiapoi. I've never been so relaxed, or so bloody hot! At least I'm getting a tan.

South Island

Here we come. We're going to bungee jump, do some glacier walking, swim in the sea... can't wait. I burnt my shoulders yesterday.

Missing Patrick...

...something chronic today.

Hiraeth has a lot to answer for.

Arrived

Well bugger me, I'm here in New Zealand! The flights (all four of them) weren't as bad as I imagined they would be. The up-in-the-air bits were okay, but the takeoffs and landings were pretty hairy. I was stuck in Tokyo airport for 8 and half hours, but I enjoyed looking at the Pikachu toys and kokeshi dolls. I'm at James and T's house now and the views are gorgeous, all blue mountain hills and massive alien plants - eep! I'm in Middle Earth.
I'm going to have a shower now, my skin is dry and itchy and I smell like a rancid dog.

Last day

In work for three weeks. Whoop! New Zealand here I come.

I'm so nervous about the flight that I've had to go and get valium. I'm also taking my Nintendo DS, 6 books, magazines, sudoku and a notebook. Should keep me entertained for 23 hours!

I'm planning to update my blog, my flickr, my twitter, my facebook and all my other geeky online versions of me, so this isn't the last post yet... unless I die, but I'm not planning to.

Hwyl fawr am y tro
Xx

Rali Calan Hen / Old New Year Rally

Llun / photo: © Rhys Llwyd

Dyma fi, Nina a Patrick yn ymdeithio lawr Stryd y Frenhines yng Nghaerdydd Dydd Sadwrn diwethaf - yn rhan o rali Cymdeithas i ddangos y maint o gefnogaeth i siopau ar y stryd fawr i ddefnyddio mwy o Gymraeg. Cliciwch yma i fynd i wefan Cymdeithas.

This is me, Nina and Patrick marching down Queen Street in Cardiff last Saturday - as part of a rally organised by Cymdeithas to show the magnitude of support for shops on the high street to use more of the Welsh language. Click here to go to Cymdeithas' site.

Podcast 3.0

She Machine

This is a 1979 Fisher Price radio that used to play Teddy Bears Picnic; I had one when I was a little boy. I bought this one second hand and messed about with it. I removed some of the tines on the music box mechanism, filed down some of the points on the cylinder, then I added another music box mechanism (with tines and points removed, bent and stuff). When you play them both together you get weird, scary, tinkly, discordant music. It also still has elements of Teddy Bears Picnic, mixed with recognisable notes from When You Wish Upon a Star - the other music box mechanism.

It's also for sale in my folksy shop, for a mere £15. Click here to go to the She Machine page in the shop.

New shop

I had to get rid of my etsy shop when I got quite ill last year. But I'm tentatively trying out a new shop on the Folsky site. It's a British site, which means it's easier for me.

Have a look at it by clicking here.

Not much in it at the moment - I'm busy knitting for an art exhibition (deadline February 14th, so I'm a bit pushed for time!) and super busy in work (they've just extended my contract again - I'm officially safe until the end of June. Hooray!) here's hoping I don't have another meltdown.