Waitangi Day - London Style

There are approximately 20,000 New Zealanders living in the United Kingdom. About 80% of those live in London.
Waitangi day has become a big deal.
A big, drunken deal.



Note: the tube line is not actually shaped like a kiwi

A lot of people started at Paddington at 10am. That was too too early even for us and we didn't leave the house until 11am. When we got to Paddington there were ... a few people scattered about & we called a friend who was on the crawl and found which station he was at.
We tried to catch up and amazingly, found him amongst all the thousands of people.



We ended up walking half of the tube stops. It was the first day since we've been back in London where (if I was in the sun) I honestly did not need my jacket.
No scarves, hats or gloves were worn. Craig spent the day in a tee-shirt.



Apart from standing outside this pub, and one for a toilet break, we didn't step foot inside a pub all day.
We followed the advice of TNT (the NZ, Australian & South African magazine) and brought our own.
I even brought plastic cups for my wine.

And my camera.











Craig and Chris being the sensible grown ups that they are.





(I'm secretly and less obsessively continuing this mini project)



We got to Parliament square at around 3pm. The haka was scheduled for 4pm.
The crowd grew and grew and grew.



A Sea of Black.

The tv3 cameraman almost pushed me off the wall I was standing on. Not pleased! His boss (and perhaps reporter?) apologised but he (grrr!) did not.
Not that I hold grudges or anything.



We missed the haka. We could hear it and see a swarm in the middle of the mob but ... we were too far away.



ick.







(my new favourite photo of Craig.)

Snippet #2

They were lying at odd angles on the bed. Simon lay supine gazing over at the curve of Claire's hip as she twisted so only the soles of her feet pressed hot into the hard curl of his knee.
She had stepped from the shower steaming & fell onto the sheets which had spent the day sucking the heat from the room. Her skin & hair twitched as it dried around her.
She was listening to the rain again Simon discovered when he came and curled himself around her.
At nearly a foot taller he almost appeared to subsume her.
She'd answered in the dreaming, distracted voice which meant she was thinking far too much so he just lay, content to be near her as she twisted away from him.
"It's just too hot." she said, marvelling at the summer storm.
It was true, even with two windows open & the rain beating dust out of the air beyond, the heat of the day and of her shower stood sentinel in the room.
Claire was also twisted away because she wasn't certain yet if she was mad at him. The trouble with spending so much time & energy with one person, a truly best friend, meant that even if they made you stiffen all over with anger, there was nobody else you'd rather talk to about it.
Claire rolled the thought lazily around. Her soles didn't feel stiff so maybe she wasn't angry after all. She turned over and smiled "hi.".
"Hi." Simon replied as he reached out for her.

Photo Projects - Week Two and Week Three

(trying to be subtle on a flight from SFO to LAX)



These two (above & below) were taken during my jetlag coma.

Losing points.

Craig took me out to dinner on Friday night. And I repaid him by making him follow me over to St Pauls at 9:30 at night, in freezing weather, so I could take photos.
He even carried my tripod.
(side story - the service was so bad they gave us the meal for free. Plus dessert. So we love them again)























(He even cleaned my lens)





I gave up when it was starting to rain and I realised he wasn't wearing gloves and was jumping up and down ever so slightly. I don't know if he was wearing a jumper under his jacket.
Worst. Wife. Ever.