In Hawaii we ...

Went snorkelling. For three hours. I spent .... the entire time in the water. Because I love snorkelling. And my underwater camera.

However, I DO NOT like it when the people on the boat throw bread (or in this case, Animal Crackers) into the water around the snorkellers (is that a word? today I don't care) making the fish* swarm. THAT IS TERRIFYING. And is how I got bitten when we were in Thailand. Apparently I am as pale as white bread. But paler than Animal Crackers so while I was terrified this time (swimming curled up like a ball, trying to not touch the fish, is REALLY HARD) I did not get partially eaten.




Ariel Hair



Waikiki, pre-7am.



Diamondhead. The Volcano.











And here, for Leah's viewing pleasure, are some underwater photos.









I turned around in the water jumped about a foot and squealed then without zooming in on my camera at all took this photo:



Have I mentioned that I love turtles? Turtles and squirrels and hedgehogs, oh my.
















Sigh. I loved it. It wasn't quite scuba but it was a third of the price and I was so so close to the turtles. I loved it.
While we were in the water some dolphins came to check us out. I only glimpsed them off in the distance but the noise they made felt like it was coming from inside my head, it was annoying and painful in that ears-popped kind of way. Horrible.

Once we got back on the boat we sailed around for a little bit on our way back to the island. We passed a boat made out of rubbish that had sailed from California to Hawaii.



It is actually made out of rubbish. The guy waved.





On the way back to shore we were joined by a whole pod of dolphins.





The flash of white is a baby dolphin. It was spinning around in the water.

And. I realised that my husband is awesome.



Totally Awesome.



And hilarious.




*Fish not fishes as I only really saw one type of fish.

Oh and I also have underwater videos! Which is the perfect excuse for me to finally work out how to use something on my macbook other than Photobooth. Herm.

On the Underground ...

In Hawaii we ...

Arrived in Hawaii at 10am and at our hotel at midday. The check-in time was 3pm. And our room wasn't ready. Damn.





We had to wander around Waikiki wearing the clothes we'd had on since Auckland and Winter. You may have been able to tell by the photo of me up there. Exhausted and too too hot. I was wearing closed toe shoes!

By the time we got to our hotel room we were basically ready to worship the air conditioning unit. Love You Air Con. But after that we braved the cotton wool air on the balcony to see our "view".

To the right ...



Ugh. Not nice. And straight across was just as bad.

To the left ...



Ocean. So exciting.

And so, on our very first afternoon in Hawaii, we walked the less-than-half-a-block to the ocean and Craig rushed off into the water while I sat on the towel and acclimatised. Damn vampiric tendencies.
Craig then rushed back.



Ouch.

So back to the room it was.



Despite that ... Craig and I ended the day by sitting close together on the sand, under a palm tree and the stars, watching Surf's Up.



Sigh.

p.s. This was actually a holiday! Like ... slept in and relaxed the whole time holiday. Craig went surfing and I sat under a tree and read. But then we went snorkeling! and I talked to a turtle! (or rather, shrieked at it while I backpedaled because it was really freaking close) and I took photos then.

So tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow I will show you underwater photos and my Ariel hair.
I didn't wash it the entire time in Hawaii. It dried into salt crusted waves and I loved it. While I was in Hawaii I loved it.

Preview!

Apologies

Apologies for the lack of amazing underwater photos from Hawaii. They are sitting on the computer all sad and neglected while I whizz around London with my sister doing things like this:


(p.s. worst photo of me ever. ugh)

and this:



and this:



My London-Friends were right when they moaned that London's summer is over. So far the weather has been 80% grey with 40% showers or rain and only 20% sun &/or heat.
And still I wish I could stay here.

Quick Quiz!

Craig is:
A) Dead
B) Bored
C) Really Really Bored
D) All of the above.

Uhh, thankfully Craig is only bored. Today we have to become master procrastinate-rs. Our check out time was midday & our flight from Honolulu to LA is at 10 tonight. AGONY. We have wandered as far as the heat would allow us, and back. We stopped in every second ABC store (general stores with drinks & tacky souvenirs) simply because they had air conditioning. We spent an hour in Starbucks writing postcards & have been parked in our hotel lobby since 5. Our airport shuttle is at 6:45. AGONY.
The 5 hour flight to LA bends time & we arrive at 6am. And then?? Our flight to London leaves at 4:30pm. SO MUCH FUN. Have I mentioned that I LOVE wasting time in airports? Cause I DON'T.
Thank everything that London & my black hole sister will be at the other end. And our darling flatmate is stocking the fridge with M&S hummus for us. Mmmmm.

I might be overreacting a liiiittle about how much I hate waiting around (unlike me, I know), I mean, I'm sure that it's better than being hobbled. Or death. Even though it feels a little like death.
I. Am. Sidetracked.

I'm trying to say that I've loved Hawaii. So much so that floating with Craig in the sea this morning I may have suggested moving here.
More than once. Though, honestly? I couldn't handle the heat. It's fine when you can escape to the sea whenever you like but I can barely function.
I am so glad that I've enjoyed something which was such a Craig thing.
He has surfed & gone brown while I loved snorkelling but wore SPF 70 sunscreen religiously*.
Our hotel could not have been in a better position (Park Shore Waikiki. Love!) at less than a block from the beach. The restaurant on level 2 doesn't have glass in the windows & looks out over the beach.
We sat & watched a pink to purple sunset as we had dinner.
The first night we were here we curled together under the stars & watched Surf's Up on a screen set up on the beach.

Oh and I am deeply in love with my underwater camera. Photos will be posted if we make it to London without dying of bordom.

P.s. Peanut Butter M&Ms make my life a little more complete. Craig, family, cameras, the Oxford Comma, & Peanut Butter M&Ms.

*I still got sunburned. Only I could get burned THROUGH SPF70. I am almost proud of myself. In pain, but proud.

Hawaiian Sunset ...

Not bad. Not bad at all.

See what Craig has to put up with?

A wife who sees a bag like this and just HAS to own it.
Then calls him Winston & carries him around.

Sistaz fo' Lyfe

Our poor baby sister Jayne.
Our poor, tall, blonde, beautiful, swedish-exchange-student, milkman's-daughter, adopted baby sister Jayne has always been looked ay twice as she is almost the exact opposite of Charlotte & I.
Fate & genetics aligned and she received the dormant blonde & blue-eyed genes carried by mes parents (they both have blonde siblings. There is no milkman in this equation. But it is fine to drive Inga/Jayne crazy).

So. Last christmas I bought pretty silver bracelets for all three of us. Then Charlotte upped the ante* OF COURSE and suggested we get matching Cupcake Tattoos** for Jayne's 18th birthday.

Then! Craig adn I went and fell in love with London, and Charlotte decided to come and see what all the fuss is about and the timing of all that means that, more than likely (fingerscrossed fingerscrossed), we will both be overseas when Jayne turns 18 in 2009.

Somehow, witchcraft perhaps, or by virtue of being the youngest & most golden child, & a very convenient case of glandular fever, she managed to convince the parents (heads shaking, tongues tutting all the while) that we should be able to get them for her 17th birthday instead. And in fact because I'm off to Hawaii, it would ha ve to be before her birthday so technically she was SIXTEEN.
Incredible. I wasn't even sure that they'd let me and I'm 24.

So. Last Thursday rolls around & I am so nervous I can barely speak. Twice tattooed Charlotte laughs at me.



A Lot.



But I suck it up and we get ready to go. I took before photos. Hoping I would be brave enough to there be an after photo.





Juuuuuust as we gathered our bags mother-darling pulled into the driveway. I KNEW IT. Trying to stop us. But no, Just home early, please please don't but off you go was all she said.
Craig drove us around to Tattoo Freaky & we tried to explain what exactly it was that we were after. I could hear my stupid baby voice get even higher. We were booked at the same time but my little drawing was completed first and on watery legs I sat down with Dave, my tattooist. Any semblance of cool I had was G.O.N.E.
He asked if I was ready & I snatched my arm away & made inane small talk. I AM SO COOL.
As he dipped his (needle? pen? wand!?!) into the ink he asked me what the significance of the cupcakes was*** and all I could manage as a reply was Uuh. I'm sorry. I can't really think about that right now. All I could think about was Imminent Pain. I clutched Craig's hand & buried my face in arm, breathing as slowly as I could. Then he started. And it burned. A little. But nowhere near what I was expecting (woo). Adrenaline kicked in & while it still hurt, and I couldn't really watch it, and I definitely needed Craig's hand, I could talk to Jayne as she started her hip tattoo. Charlotte held her hand until I was done then we switched and she went to get her head tattooed. HER HEAD.











We rewarded ourselves with Peachee and Bepanthan. And in general feeling pretty Bad Atth. We looked like we'd been in dog fights (well, not Jayne. She just winced as she sat down. She looked 70 as opposed to dog-fight-y).







And a couple of days later ...









It's been a few days now & I still grin when I catch a glimpse of it.
It's like when you get an amazing, dramatic, new haircut. Only it's FOREVER.




*which is great. I keep forgetting to wear the damn (pretty!) thing and opting instead for my tiger head bracelet.

** CAN'T forget to wear that one!

*** Because we are adorable (cupcakes) and bad ass (tattoos). And pretty damn random (having cupcake tattoos). And totally awesome (having cupcake tattoos).

My Sister agrees with my crazy theories. This worries me.

Dear The Internet,

I think New Zealand may secretly be a black hole.
I have been back for more than a month and yet? the fact that I'm leaving again in ... 13 Days (Thirteen! Under Two Weeks!) seems impossible. Improbable. Didn't I actually just arrive yesterday? possibly the day before?
Although, I really can't deny that the world is turning, time is passing, and all that, as within the last two weeks it has gone from darkness to dawn to ever-so-slightly daylight when I leave for work in the mornings (So Early. Hate).

I almost don't want to go to London again. It is a trip to say goodbye. To pack up our little room & leave a few bits and pieces in storage with friends so that hopefully, by osmosis, the home office works out that we belong in London and grants our visas super-quick.
We are kidding ourselves that it's just a little vacation by planning a few days in Hawaii on the way over. To make up for the fact that we don't really get a summer this year. This is mainly Craig's idea. I am not so much a sun & sand person. Definitely not an anticipatory sun & sand person. Once I am there, with a book, Spf 500 sunscreen, and salt-dreadlocked hair, I love it. Until then ... it seems like too too much trouble.
Craig is adorable in his excitement. He wants to learn to surf. We want to go snorkelling. I am thinking of getting a waterproof digital camera.

I think that really, what I want, is to get on with the 8-10 months of working constantly. To know that each hour working is an hour closer to the goal amount that will allow us to apply for the top Tier of the cake of London visas. At this stage there are so many months stretching ahead of me that they are a pinprick in the distance. Around a huge corner. And in general hard to keep in sight.
I'm hoping that New Zealand really is a black hole and these coming months will pass in an instant.

Now all we have to do is try and work out if we're able to arrange a 10 month sub-letting situation for our Darling Flat in SE1. Do you know of anyone interested Internet?

xoxo
Sarah-Rose