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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Walk through Hagley Park


Bridge of Remembrance with Cashel Street in the background. The bridge is built over the Avon River for the fallen New Zealand soldiers who fought in World War I and II. When one walks over the bridge they should think of the sacrifices people have made for the safety of their family and future. (mainly because of other peoples stupidity and or greed, power hunger etc. etc.) Our hotel (HotelSO) is on Cashel about a 5 minute was from the bridge. 

Avon River runs through Hagley Park.


Stephanie and I walked through Hagley Park on our way to the Westfield Mall in Riccarton. 



Too bad it is Winter and there are no flowers to enjoy. 


Hagley Park is the 3rd largest urban park in the world. 

Monday, June 21, 2010

Andrew Drummonds Response (in a terrible "poem")

Death destruction
and embodiment of Love
Blood flows through Rivers
of the Body
suspended Broken
Heart
burnt horror Hoping
for Salvation
Perfect imbalance and
steady Change
solution to a Problem
Numb to the feeling
Death and destruction
pain and Suffering
congregated Sheep
Following the leader
Spikes poking and prodding
the Earth breathes and
Cries for mankind
Power boding
mythical Love
is Truth science can
Explain, build a machine
mimicking Infatuation
sincerest form of Flattery
Love is disappointing

Not Summer in Sumner right now


My first view of Sumner. Ahhhh I love it!


Inside Castle Rock







SUNSET





I climbed around on Castle Rock, thought about how much I thought. Looked at all the ocean waves, coming in and out and listening to the soft soothing sound of the ocean. Then Tim had to ruin it. j/k's. We walked up this hillside and looked over at Taylors Mistake. Then we went and played at the park for a bit. Stephanie and I had the most marvelous wonderful time swinging on the children swings and it had a super amazing view, totally super cool and fun! We walked back down the hill and the group met at Scarborough Fair for Creative Writing Class but not before we ordered ice creams or coffees. I had a yummy delicious double chocolate heaven ice cream. 

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Picture for Ste

I love you Tour Pal!!!! Lets go see PHISH!!!!



I am wearing a fabulous Express dress from the closet of The Jazzy Belle, a.k.a. Tour Pal, a.k.a. Stevi Marie Mahaffey. The scarf is on loan from my mum. It is cashmere from Ann Taylor. The boots are a recent purchase from a Chrustchurch shop called JeyJeys for $25. Nice. 


Stevi is an amazing stylist and fashion blogger. 

Friday, June 18, 2010

Day on the Farm


















Tim's Dad




The Calming Effect

  Mimicking the sunrise, the hotel room lights gradually became brighter at 7:00 a.m, too bad it did not wake us up. Thankfully my mate woke nearly a quarter past eight. We were both in a frenzy to get dressed before for our group’s day trip to the farm. We were told to rug up because it may be cold outside but it is so difficult to look cute and fashionable when you have to worry about that. I barely had time to check my outfit in the mirror before grabbing my gummies and dashing out the door.
We left Christchurch and drove towards Oxford down a straight road for nearly an hour. There were large hills on the right and fields of green on both sides of the road. Farm sheds were every few kilometers and fences made of wood, wire, and hedge. Through the front windshield I could see snow capped mountains in the distance. The road was narrow but plenty big for two cars on either side. The sky was light blue, the color of my scarf, with big puffs of cotton ball clouds. We eventually made a left onto an unmarked street; this I would later discover was Tim’s farm. It was an unpaved road made up of rocks, pebbles, mud, and rain puddles. Tall skinny plants were lined one side of the road. They had a trunk like a tree, bush like branches, and shaped like a squared off vertical rectangular hedges. Opposite the tree bush hedges were crop fields about an acre each. Some fields had grass, some mud, and one was growing kale.
The van took us around a bend to the farms barn which did not look like a barn, or what I would expect a barn to look like. This looked like a butler building. It was made of blue and silver looking metal. I walked around one side of the barn and found a ramp and leading paths to guide the sheep through to be sheared. There were wooden fences on the right that looked like a holding pin for the sheep. The inside of the barn smelled just like my great-grandparents barn, like dirt, and I love the smell of dirt. There was some blue machine like contraption thing that looked like a scary automatic sheep shearing machine, although I highly doubt that is what I was. To my right were about four steps leading up to a kitchenette that was about 12 by 16ft. It had a silver tea kettle on the yellow counter for the shearers to boil hot water for tea. The kitchenette was equipped with a sink, stove, microwave, table for ten and an old mini fridge about four feet high that had radio and beer stickers all over the door. To my left were several stalls for the sheep. In the middle of the room was a table where they would throw the sheared hair onto but it was not like a normal table because it was not a solid piece of wood. It was shaped kind of L-shaped and its surface was like a picket fence in the sense that it had a piece of wood and then it was hollow and then there was a piece of wood etc. Towards the back of the barn raised on a platform were several holding pins and walk ways for the shearer and sheep that created a sort of assembly line. I saw a trap door within the floor of one of the walk ways that could be dropped down to become a ramp leading the sheep that had been sheared back to the outside holding pin.
The view outside the barn was an expansive farm and not too far in the distance were the snow capped mountains. On the other side of the barn was an outhouse with a real toilet and not wooden box for a toilet. From that vantage point outside the barn I saw trees, mountains, and fields. I could also hear the sheep just past the line of trees separating the barn from the sheep pin.
We met Tim’s dad who looks just like a sheep farmer should. Although he was freshly shaven he still looked scruffy. He had on glasses, a wide brimmed hat, and a red wool sweater over a long sleeved plaid flannel shirt, khaki colored tough work pants, and mud friendly work boots.  After meeting his pops we walked around the grounds. The paths were riddled with pebbles and still wet from the morning rain. We had to scale a few fences and dodge some heavy puddles to get to a magnificent clearing. Tim showed us remnants of a wooden railroad box car. It still had the shape and you could walk through the car doors into the cabin and look out what was once the window.
 I followed the group to a creek that I found absolutely wonderful. The color of the water was a glittery aqua blue that did not even seem real but was a beauty that could only be found in nature. Its stream was running smoothly, trickling past the bends and curves of the land. The sound of the water rushing mildly gave a soothing and tranquil feeling that you can only get from experience. The group walked on and I stayed behind to take pictures, breathe the air, and listen to the stream. I walked down a path along the bank of the creek that took me over roots and under tree branches. This was my favorite part of the trip. The tree roots were tangled within each other and into the earth. The tree branches hung low and wrapped around hugging itself. I could have stayed there all day.
I caught up to the group at the bridge a bit down the way but not before I went over the where the sheep were being fenced in. There must have been hundreds of them and when I got too close they would run away from me and all I wanted to do was give them a big squeezy hug!
I love this farm, its streams and trees, old barns and sheds. Exploring the farm was my favorite. Learning and experiencing the farm this way was beneficial to my life plan and reflections on how and where I could see myself living in the future.






On the farm with my classmates!!!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

I love the library

6/17/2010 Thursday




Breakfast was healthy today. I had the Muesli. I love this place. Today we had our world lit class at the Christchurch Public Library. The librarians were super nice and dressed very cute. They both had on cute leggings and sweater dresses. One lady had a really cute pair of glasses on with the necklace holder thing that was super fashionable.
We were asked to choose a NZ word from our New Zealand lit book. I chose corker which means 1. noun Something or someone of surpassing size or excellence; also used ironically. 2. adj or adv Fine; excellent; enjoyable; very well
Tim our professor asked us to use the word in a sentence.
My roommate is a corker. She is astonishing and excellent.
There I did it.
I asked Doug to take pictures of my outfit. I have been wearing some cute outfits but have not been getting pictures of them! uh oh! Later today we will be going to Borders at the Westfield Mall in Riccoter or somewhere and meeting for our creative writing class.
I love these boots!!!! I got the at Surf Dive Ski near the Queen Victoria Building for $10!!! They are billabong. The shop's lease was going out and they were not going to renew it so everything was super on sale! Sometimes when I was by shop windows and I see my reflection I just love it because I think I look graceful like a Clydesdale. ;P I am wearing my vest from the thrift shop in Hollywood, necklace Molly bought me from Soca, legging and shirt my mom got me from where ever she bought it, and my fave skirt from American Apperal, and my fave bracelet from Nordstroms that is Kate Spade!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Shark feeding at the Sydney Aquarium


This is the city side of Darling Harbour at night. I am sitting on the benches in front of the Imax theatre waiting for Mahtab to meet me for dinner after she gets off work.

Abby and I went to the Sydney Aquarium and did a shark feeding on a glass bottom boat.

We were taken on a tour of the kitchen where they prepared the food for all the aquraum life as well as all the animals at the wildlife center. They had a well stocked kitchen, items such as fresh spinach, strawberries, grapes, apples, carrots, romaine lettuce, fresh shrimp, squid, fish........
We were then instructed to put on our life jackets and walk up stairs. Above the tank where we got on to the boat was lit by fluorescent lights and super hot and humid. We then went out to the middle of the tank and looked at all the little fishies. We started by dumping in a bucket of minced fish. Then we each grabbed a handful of shrimp and threw that around. The shark started circling our boat when the food got bigger, such as the squid and whole fish. It was cool. The fish were really pretty and it was very cool being so close to a live shark and not being behind glass.

There was a "Where's Waldo" theme throughout the aquarium (and the wildlife center)

Sunday, June 13, 2010

I have got to get caught up

There are so many amazing experiences from Australia and wonderful beautiful people I met. My last Saturday trumped the previous Saturday. We took a train to Circular Quay in the city and arrived about midday. Our plans for the day were to catch the free ferry operating for the art exhibit on Cockatoo Island and go to the Museum of Contemporary Art, or MCA (which we ended up not having enough time.)

It is the 17th Beinnale of Sydney, which to me, is an amazing art installation and walking tour to the different venues through the city. Entrance to the venues are free.
 Absolutely  amazing and wonderfully beautiful.
The theme is THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE: SONGS OF SURVIVAL IN A PRECARIOUS AGE and the Artistic Director is David Elliott. 


The theme embodies the notion that art can be separate from reality and by being separate becomes beautiful.

 When Abby and I walked into the first install at Cockatoo Island it was a "beautiful" representation of destruction.




It is a car crash. Literally it is an American made car, a Ford model to be precise, that is suspended by cable wires and has poles of light arranged like a star burst exploding out of the machine as it tumbles mid air to its final resting point.

To read more about the theme, which I recommend and hope you do, go HERE




Boom Boom Boom

I feel like my posts are like boom boom boom because they are everywhere, but that is me and that is how I think. Sorry if it is difficult to follow, I will try and get better. Maybe with this class my skillz will improve ;)

Anyway, man Manly was cool. I took the ferry from Circular Quay that goes by the Opera House and you can also see the Harbour bridge from the Quay.



The Contemporary Art Museum:


Opera House:















No need for words on this one.