When I was just a little girl ...

When I was 15 I wrote Future Sarah-Rose a letter. Two pages of A4 paper, single sided, coloured around the edges with red and purple pencil, in awkward cursive. It was folded ever so tiny, sellotaped in place and a seal (a SEAL) covered the join.
The outside read: Not to be opened until 2008.

I opened it last weekend.

Here's the thing. I remember having crazy ambitions, I remember being earnest and dream-filled and well, terrified of growing up. And the 25 year old me took a look at her immediate post-London life and felt terrified. Absolutely incapable of reading a 15 year old girl's hopes and dreams for her future. It took me a long time (and moving house) to bear looking at it.

And it was boring!

I was reasoned and rational at 15. I said that my chosen career was lawyer or actress or author or all three! and that I hoped I was at least working towards one or all of those goals (this was obviously before I realised that the entire reason I wanted to be a Lawyer was because of Matthew McConaughey in A Time to Kill, which is really just being an actress after all) and you know what? in my own little part-time, amateur kind of way, I feel that I am*. Of course at 15 I was not completely enamoured of photography, which just seems just completely foreign to me now.

And! I handily included my measurements. I haven't managed to unpack a measuring tape as yet (YES I AM STILL UNPACKING) and so I have no idea at all how different I am 11 years later. Quite, I'd imagine.
EDIT: it turns out (I found a measuring tape!) that I have the exact same waist measurement, and I am only 1-4 inches bigger around my bust and hips. Very strange.

What I was most interested in was what I thought, at 15, my lovelife would be like at 25. This was just a year or so before I met Craig (yes! we were 16 when we started dating. Just babies!) and at that time? I didn't even know he existed.
Strangely? because I always remember being wary of small children, I wrote that I wanted to be a mother at 24. TWENTY FOUR. Madness. I must have been a little drunk when I wrote the letter**. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I had continued on with that STUPID STUPID goal. There would have been no London, that's for sure.

I did write that I hoped I had travelled. I wrote that I wanted to set foot on every continent (being sensible I excluded Antarctica and the Arctic) and I think I'm well on my way to that! Asia, Australia, Europe, America ... just missing Africa.

I ended the letter with horribly morbid thoughts about how I hope that I would still be alive to read the letter at 25 (26!), that my parents and sisters would still be alive (they are!), that I would still be in touch with my BFF, Petra (we are!), and that if I didn't do it regularly, I should make sure they know that I love them (they do!).

So it was not as scary as I thought. I am glad that I have a job which I currently enjoy, artistic pursuits which inspire me, a partner who I could never have dreamed of at 15, and many many stamps in my passport. And I'm glad I didn't read it last year.

Oh and I'm not going to bother transcribing the letter. It really was that boring. I am a little disappointed in myself.


* No I cannot elaborate. Part is work related WHICH I DO NOT DISCUSS and part is this darling little site.
** I wasn't. Just an idiot apparently.

Day One: Osaka

In the early early morning (read: 9am) Craig and I crept out of Tim's place and wandered around Osaka, just a little, to see what we could see and to find breakfast. And to hopefully not get lost.
We sat on the bank of a river (read: concrete stairs next to a river) and ate brioche, taro-flavoured donut, and orange juice. Watching cyclists pass us by & feeling delightfully out of place.



We made it back to Tim's (success!) and teamed up with some couchsurfers he was hosting (Tin-tin, Agatha, and Mark) and we all went out to Osaka Castle, Osaka-jō.


Ahh Mo-Vember, how I do NOT miss thee.


No. I do NOT know what the Iguana is about. But I like his kicky leash!




Osaka-jō








Yes. That dog is wearing SUNGLASSES.


Yaki-tori.
Yes. To drive my darling Mother completely insane we bought skewered chicken cooked (ish) from a stall.


And we ATE it. It was delicious. And we didn't die.

After the Castle we went to a store called Don Quijote (not a misspelling BTW & yes that bugs me now) which was terrifying.
It's a discount chain store and was ... sensory overload. I couldn't even bring myself to take a photo. I was too busy.
And yes, they sell sex toys and yes I did look. But no, they weren't any stranger than in New Zealand. Or London.
I did however try to convince Craig to buy a kigurumi (a full body animal costume). He did not.

We made it back to Shinsaibashi Station and arranged to meet up with Tim & Mio for dinner. We wandered through the Dōtonbori area to look at the lights and the people who are just there to see and be seen.



Glico is the company who make Pocky!






Takoyaki (たこ焼き) is a the signature dish of Osaka. It's a dumpling made of batter, diced or whole baby octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, ponzu, mayonnaise, and katsuobushi (cuttlefish shavings).

I like squid, but octopus? it turns out, not so much. I can still remember the feeling of the little purple sucker on my tongue. Creepy.

Week Forty-Nine

Sunday
I spent the afternoon lying in the sun and reading an old old Agatha Christie novel.


Monday
I went to Kirkcaldie and Stains to pick up a christmas present and came away with this eyeshadow set in Sorceress as well. Oops. But I adore it.


Tuesday
I try and set out my outfit for the next day when I get home from work.
I set out my newly repaired grey-peplum skirt, vintage rhinestone necklace, and slip-of-a-thing watch.


Wednesday
My pile of books-to-read is becoming precarious.
BUT I just finished Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger and it was quite large so the situation is less dire.


Thursday
A christmas present arrived at home. I flicked through it (CAREFULLY! No spine creases!) and I may have to keep it for myself.


Friday
I loved this quote too! I really like whoever it is that's choosing the quotes for Bennetts at the moment.


Saturday
After a day of boring boring domestic stuff Craig and I went to my parents for a family barbecue and watching of Love Actually to kickstart the christmas spirit.

Next week will be even better - the third sister will be home (!), there is a tattoo appointment, and perhaps there will be christmas tree decorating. Perhaps.


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The first sunburn of summer.

The Horrors of Park Place

I'm being over dramatic (Surprise!), there are no horrors. Well, very few anyway.

In fact, last night I even managed to sleep with the bedroom door shut and all the lights off. What? yes, I'm 26 and scared of complete complete suffocating horrifying darkness. Aren't you? Can't you feel it pressing in all around you? Hiding anything but also an entity? Can you now? Anyway. One curtain open and I coped. Victory!

Also? we live in the bush. Not REALLY of course, we are walking distance to civilisation and other houses, but there is an awful lot of greenery all around the house. Lots of trees and ferns. It feels decidedly bush-esque. This means insects. A lot of insects. Myriad insects. And I do not like insects. There are spiders and moths and THINGS I CANNOT EVEN IDENTIFY.

But mainly? MAINLY? (well, besides the insects thing, but I can't effectively control that) it's because the phone lines at the house are all messed up (Craig's technical term there) and as such we have not had internet since Wednesday.
AND I HAD PLANS. I had plans to post all of my Japan photos this week. But no. You just get one shot of Dōtonbori at night and well ... they are sending out a technician tomorrow so we shall see.
If we are without internet indefinitely? I might come out in a rash. I'm a little worried.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The end of Movember. The return of Craig's upper lip.

Week Forty-Eight

Sunday
I explored the steep little garden of Park Place. It was unexciting but the rose was pretty.


Monday
Unpacking a little further. The area I have claimed to store my office type things is all pale colours and kitsch. Like this little metal bird.


Tuesday
Thanks to a free carpark at work, and the fact that there are two of us in the car, it is much cheaper for Craig and I to drive in to work and back. The only trouble is, sometimes the return journey is slow.


Wednesday
My new gela-skins iPhone cover (using this photo from Paris) arrived and in addition to the pink headphones and pink handbag? it's all a bit much for me.


Thursday
I loved the quote outside Bennetts.


Friday
A no-good-very-bad-mood kind of day. Called for overpriced faux-coffee and a cinnamon roll.


Saturday
Our new couch suite makes me feel positively tiny (but it is glorious and leather and was such a good deal) and I spent most of the day there (it was raining) editing photos. In order to catch up.


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And just like that? I'm up to date with 365 in 2009.
Just in time for the end.

Week Forty-Seven

Sunday
Arriving back in New Zealand. This little country can be damned impressive sometimes.


Monday
Crazy busy moving into Park Place. I only managed to take one photo all day.


Tuesday
Peppermints are a priority in my house. Especially seasonal peppermints. I heart candy canes.


Wednesday
Sunset. I guess the view from Park Place isn't so bad.


Thursday
I collected two framed photographs (uh 3 I suppose) and a frame for my Fifi Lapin print. More art for Park Place.


Friday
My vintage camera collection on display.


Saturday
Post tattoo consultation coffee and brunch. I loved the dressed-up-dogs art for sale. If I had $75 spare? the one in the pink dress would already be mine. Sigh.


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Week Forty-Six

Sunday
Osaka
Our first full day in Japan, Craig and I tagged along with a couple of couch-surfers and went to Osaka Castle.
I love these souvenir pin-ball machines.


Monday
Nara to Kyoto
On our way to Kyoto we spent the day in Nara, famous for the tame deer which roam the city and Nara Park.
According to legend, a mythological god Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara on a white deer to guard the newly built capital of Heijō-kyō. Since then the deer have been regarded as heavenly animals, protecting the city and the country.
Also? they are ADORABLE.


Tuesday
Kyoto
In Kyoto, we walked for miles and miles through winding streets, temples around every second corner.
My favourite moment was spotting this Geisha at Kyomizu-Dera.
EDIT: I've been advised (ahh the wonder of the internet) that it's actually a tourist dressed up like a Geisha. Which is a little disappointing but I suppose it's as close as I was ever going to get. If we'd had more time in Kyoto, and more money, then I wanted to try this as well! Next time, maybe.


Wednesday
Kyoto-Hiroshima
Our last day in Kyoto, we visited the Fushimi-Inari shrine which has thousands of these bright red Torii lining mountain paths.
As we walked the paths the rain set in, we had umbrellas and rain coats and most of the rest of the tourists cleared out. It was magical.
We caught the Shinkansen to Hiroshima in the evening.


Thursday
Hiroshima-Osaka
A watch frozen by the Atomic Bomb, in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
We spent the morning at the Mazda Museum (yes, seriously) and the afternoon at Peace Park.


Friday
Osaka
Ahhh, the Osaka Aquarium. I loved seeing the Whale Sharks but it was the Manta Ray that took my breath away.


Saturday
Osaka
Our last day in Osaka. We wandered the shopping district with Tim and Mio (how cute are they? answer? VERY) before collecting our bags and heading off to Kansai International Airport.


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In the grounds of Hiroshima Castle, Craig was checking I had myself framed properly. I was peering at him in this photo.



(More Japan photos in the next week or two!)