31 July 2011

Photo Competition

The Dominion Post is bringing the World Press Photo Exhibition to Wellington once again this year and as part of the promotion they are holding a competition for their readers. Photographers are encouraged to enter their best photo. The winner would get their photo in the exhibition, entry to the opening night and camera equipment to the value of $650. Not to mention the glory of having a photo in an exhbit.

The criteria was very open ended which makes picking just one photo to enter very difficult. I don't have a 'favourite' photo or one that I can categorically say 'that's my best one'. With the help of a few friends I narrowed down my choices to the four below. I submitted one this afternoon. Which one do you think is best? I'll tell you which one I submitted if by some stroke of luck I actually get chosen. Fingers crossed!





29 July 2011

A Random Page

Lets see what we learn tonight simply by flicking to a random page of "The Modern Womans' Guide to Everything"

 . . . page 159 . . .

Cleaning Ideas for a spare 10, 30 or 60 minutes

1. Ten Minutes. Identify the most unruly drawer in your house - underwear? kitchen utensils? desk? - and clean it out.

2. Thirty Minutes. Do a house speed-clean. Pick up anything that is on the floor and looks abandoned, such as dirty clothes, newspapers and shoes. Wipe down or vacuum every unencumbered surface that is larger than a pillowcase. Clean the toilet, the bathroom basin and the kitchen sink, including the taps. You're done.

3. Sixty Minutes. Save your backyard from death by neglect. If it is large, divide it up into four sections and do one section today. Get a hessian sack or a box and string. With gloves and secateurs, put weeds in the sack or box and tie up cut branches. Plan you four-pronged atack to coincide with the next council clean-up. Most councils have garden clean-ups as well as general clean-ups. Ring and ask them.

25 July 2011

Photos on the internet

These days if you want to see photos of someones baby you just have to log on to their facebook profile or their blog. It's become common practice for parents to plaster the internet with hundreds of photos of their little ones. As your friendly facebook stalker I do enjoy looking at photos of people I went to high school with and old workmates, but one or two photos of your children are enough. Not 20 of them looking at the camera at one month old, then another 20 at two months old etc etc.

Personally I don't really like a lot of photos of myself on Facebook or plastered on the internet. I don't feel comfortable with hundreds of my pictures being out there for every Tom, Dick and Harry to look at. I can't help but be greatful that Facebook wasn't around when I was a child so that all those family photos aren't out there in the world. And if I think this about myself, why would I want my child to one day google their name and come up with hundreds and thousands of pictures of themselves, right from word dot.

I don't have a child yet, but my point is that I don't plan on posting lots of photos of them on the internet out of respect for their privacy and a right to their childhood being lived in freedom and not constant fear that Mummys going to put this all over the internet.

Bit hypecrtical you might be saying, Heather you have a blog. Yes, however I made the choice to start a blog and to have a Facebook page. My child did not.

However, I totally understand the desire to share stories and photos of the gorgeous wee bubba. My gorgeous wee nephew arrived about a week ago and I've been dying to share photos with everyone that crosses my path. After a discussion with his parents tho it doesn't surprise me that they think along the same lines as I do and don't want a lot of photos of him on the internet.

Of course I'm a photographer and take hundreds upon hundreds of photos all the time. I only share the great ones, or the ones that serve a purpose. I don't post photos anywhere online but here as I don't want my pictures out in the world unless I put them there and even then I have to be prepared that someone one day may poach them.

So while I'd love to share hundreds of pictures with you I'm not going too. Out of respect for Lee and Morgans wishes and my own desire to limit a childs exposure on the internet, I've agreed to only post pictures of Dorian that his parents themselves post online (mainly through Facebook to satisfy friends and families desire for pictures).  

I took a collection of shots over the weekend and luckily for me Lee posted two of my absolute favourites on Facebook. For those of you that love babies and that are dying for glimpse of the gorgeous Dorian. Here he is at just one week old.



20 July 2011

F U, Auto Correct

Remember when a few days ago I told you about the website I found called "Crazy Things Parents Text"? That was hilarious. However, I found something even funnier. A website that's actually connected to the first one, called "F U, Auto Correct". http://fyouautocorrect.com/ I had tears rolling down my cheeks, was gasping for breath and at one thought I'd actually pee my pants. Read it, you'll enjoy it.

18 July 2011

Birthday Spells

One of the tasks in my birthday Amazing Race was to write a magical spell to give me an enchanting day. Here are the spells that the teams wrote for me. I hold hope that one of them will work, so fingers crossed everyone. I found it interesting that each team did their spell differently. Some are poems, some are recipies.

Love is like a dove
or warm fuzzy glove.
A beautiful girl or
the go like a bright coloured pukeko.
For a hand crafted
scuplture you will
buy for our friend
Heather on her birthday.

Pukeko Pet
Feather of Pukeko
A thought of love
A splash of Corona
Slice of tiramasu (no chocolate)
 - Mix and pour on favourite toy.

1. Take a pint of beer
2. Take a splash of purple to create a wonderland
3. Lashings of prawns to satisfy a magical appetite
4. Bubbles, bubbles everywhere complete the enchantment.

The spell to Heathers enchanted day;
Take a kiss but do not miss!
And mix it with some friends.
Then take a beer and never fear,
You will have made amends.
As the beer and kiss are lurking
you will not be working.
And as a result of this spell
Lets say you have an enchanted day.

17 July 2011

I'm an Aunty!

My gorgeous wee nephew arrived on Friday 15 July. His name is Dorian David Lee Samuel. Born 8lbs 9oz after a 24 hour labour! Both Mum and baby doing well.

Mystrey World & Real World

I've completed two more tasks for the Brownie Badge this weekend.

The first was to create a drawing of a far-off mystrey world.



The second was to draw a map of where I live, label my home, four places I visit regularly and show the safe route I take to get to one.

11 July 2011

Wrights Hill and Karori Cemetrey

Yesterday afternoon John, Rachel, Lu and I took a walk up Wrights Hill and then around Karori Cemetrey. We went to these places initially because we needed a place to explore that none of us had been before as part of our Brownie Badge. We had a great time exploring these two sites. So much so that we plan on returning when we can explore the tunnels of Wrights Hill. I loved photographing the power lines and the windmills on Makara Hill, as well as the beautiful views and graves at Karori Cemetrey. So much so, that I really want to return.

Tonight I've been editing the few pictures I did take, and I totally love them. I can't wait to get there on another beautiful, sunny day to take more.





Just randomly

.  .  . a page from 'The Modern Woman's Guide to Everything'.

Page 233. . .

Easy Tomato Soup
3 cups V8 juice
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium chillies, seeds removed
2 or 3 sprigs of parsley, chopped, or a handful of basil leaves
2 teaspoons low-fat plain yoghurt optional

Put juice in a saucepan with garlic and chilli and bring to simmering point. Pour into two bowls and garnish with parsley or basil. Serve hot, or chill in the fridge and serve cold. Serves two (approximately 290 kJ, or 375 kJ with the yoghurt.)

10 July 2011

Crazy Things Parents Text

Ness put me on to this website http://crazythingsparentstext.com/ it's hilarious. You have to check it out. I've been reading it all weekend. If you've ever had an odd, hilarious or inappropriate text conversation with your parent you'll love it.

A crafternoon

Yesterday was a typical winter afternoon. In fact it was so cold and wet that at 2.30pm it was almost dark and there was a pretty loud and long thunder and lightening storm. Somehow this was the time that we managed to find ourselves out and about. Go figure.

John, Rachel, Lu and I decided it was a good afternoon to tackle some of our tasks for our brownie badge. But we needed supplies. So we went to The Warehouse and Pete's Emporium for masquerade mask bases and crafty 'stuff'.

Along the way we took turns giving the driver directions on how to get to the next location. By doing this we ticked off another task.

(check out the 'brownie badge' page of my blog for the full list of tasks)

At home we set up the table with all the items we could possibly need. - paints, glue, brushes, feathers, sequins, crayons, paper, scissors, pipecleaners, pencils and a plastic mat to protect the table of course.





John worked on his mystery world on the laptop. This is the finished product. How awesome is this!!


Meanwhile, us ladies worked on our masquerade masks. Theses are the finished items. I feel like I could definetly hide at a ball behind one of these beautiful masks.

Rachels mask

Lus mask

My mask

While we waited for paint and glue to dry we designed our dream homes. Now we just need some handsome, millionaire men to sweep us off our feet and build them for us.

Rachels dream house

Lus dream house - two floors!

My dream house

To top off the afternoon we each took coloured pins (Pink for Lu, Green for Me, Yellow for Rachel and Blue for John) and plotted on the world map where our ancestors came from. Not so surprisingly we found that most of our pins congregated in New Zealand and Europe - mainly Scotland, Ireland, England, Sweden, but Lu bucked the trend with a pin in Canada. Please ignore the smaller pins, they are showing where I've recieved postcards from as part of the postcrossing.com website. 



After such a crafty afternoon (or a 'crafternoon' if you will) we now have about half of our brownie badge tasks complete. I still need to read my mystrey book, so will get on to that this week. We're planning on going for a walk somewhere this afternoon that is new to us all, as part of the 'explore somewhere new' task. But trying to find somewhere in Wellington that three Wellingtonians and a Hamilfornian have never been is proofing more than a little difficult. We may have to settle on somewhere the Hamilfornian hasn't been and that the Wellingtonians haven't been for a long time. I'll keep ya posted on where we end up!

08 July 2011

Holy Fluffernutters!

Oh my God, I am terrible! I am usually sooooo good with birthdays, but this week I've completely missed not just one, but TWO very important peoples birthdays! Big slap on the hand for me!

Happy Birthday Jacob who was 10 on Wednesday 6 July


Happy Birthday Shaheeda who was 30-something on Thursday 7 July (and one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen, last Saturday!)

06 July 2011

The modern woman's guide to everything

I keep wanting to make a blog about something that isn't the typical "this is what happened today" post. When I was doing the 30 day challenge I had a prompt that gave me something to talk about. Now I have to think for myself. The horror of it all.

When searching for ideas for an interesting blog topic I turned to my bookshelf. I came across a book that my good friend Jo gave me a couple of birthdays ago, called "The modern woman's guide to everything." If it really is the modern woman's guide to everything it should be able to help me find a blog post topic right?! There was no 'blogging' topic or 'journaling' topic. hmmmm, but it said "everything" so I have a new idea.

When I can't think of a topic to blog about and "today in the world of heather" just isn't interesting enough, I'm going to pick a page at random from "the modern woman's guide to everything" and quote a paragraph or topic for you. Let's see what we learn. . .

Page 67 (because today is the 6th day of the 7th month) .   .   .

Body Lotion
After a shower, body lotion counters the drying effects of water and soap on skin, particularly if the water is fairly hot. There are many good body lotions on sale in supermarkets; sorbolene is excellent - and cheap. It's only worth going upmarket if you want a particular scented lotion. In fact, cheap versions in the categories of cleansing, exfoliating and body lotions can work just as well as expensive ones.

04 July 2011

EDtv & Elizabethtown

I've been looking forward to this one, mainly because it stars one of John's most hated actors that I know he'll squirm having to watch and that was just going to be hilarious to watch for me.

It's the reality show TV boom and the local network is looking for an average joe bloggs to follow around 24/7. Ed Pekurny is that average bloke, he live alone, hangs out at the local pub and works at the video store. Almost overnight Ed becomes a hit as he is thrown in to the spotlight. But, with a love interest and family that want their privacy he wonders if being a celebrity is really all it's cracked up to be.

Matthew McConaughey (or Matthew Mahoganey as John calls him) stars as the 'average' baffoon Ed. Jenna Elfman (from 'Dharma and Greg' fame) stars as his very shy love interest, Woody Harrelson is his brother and Elizabeth Hurley makes a cameo as the woman sent in to 'spice up his love life'. But best of all Ellen Degeneres stars as the shows producer.

Matthew McConaughey has made a living staring as the idiot or baffoon of comedy movies or the suave, sexy man from romantic comedies. I can't think of a dramatic role he's done? I don't think he's brilliant, but hes pretty good at sticking to his genre. He know he can pull the ladies with these type of movies, so he does. And why not. He's definetly slapstick, ridiculous and not someone you'd really take that seriously, so he fits in nicely to this role as the average, boring, iditoric Ed.

The supporting cast do a great job at holding the movie together. His Dad alone is worth watching this movie for. One of my favourite comedians and celebrities in general is Ellen Degeneres. In Edtv she stars as the producer of the reality tv show. She does a fantastic job at being the sympathetic, yet comical producer. You can't help but love her character because of the way she plays it.

This movie is pure fluff. It's a comedy movie with no real purpose to it other than to make you laugh. And that's what you should remember when you watch it. I don't think there is any hidden meaning, except perhaps that the grass is always greener on the other side? Whatever it is or isn't trying to say, it's funny. Ther are so many jokes and slapstick moments, you can't help but giggle.

Should you watch it? If you're looking for something to make you laugh or something where you won't have to think to much, then you've found the right movie. But, you won't be missing much if you don't.

I watched this movie only once before buying it and not since. I definetley didn't see it at the movies and I couldn't tell  you when I watched it the first time. I do remember that I felt a sense of calm in watching it. It's fairly forgetable in the grand scheme of things, but it's sweet and 'calm' (I can't think of a better word than that right now).

Drew Baylor (the gorgeous Orlando Bloom) has been fired from his job as a shoe designer and must travel home to Elizabethtown to collect his fathers ashes. On the trip he meets the quirky Claire (the beautiful Kirsten Dunst) who helps him find his way home, both literally and spiritually, whether he knows he needs her not.

I haven't seen much of Orlando Blooms acting. He's drop dead gorgeous and not a bad actor either. There is something endearing about him. You just can't help but be captivated by him. Kirsten Dunst is an actress that I like. I think she's pretty good and stepping into the character that she's playing. She does tend to play them with the same sickly sweet smile and giggle, but she tends to make it work in her favour. In this movie you totally buy her as the sweet, slightly out-there girl that's looking for someone to love.

This movie is about a young man trying to find himself again after his father dies. But, it becomes less about that and more about him finding his path again. Like I said above, this movie is very calming. It's serene, and sweet. We follow along as he discovers what life has to offer and we learn that sometimes we need to take the time to find ourselves again and find our way back to where we left ourselves along the way. I love the inclusion of Claire, the sweet, self aware girl that isn't afraid to tell a stranger the truth and be ok with whatever he has to say. She barely knows him and helps him in such a significant way. I wish I was as strong and as carefree as she is.

I think you should watch this, both boys and girls alike. For the boys, there's a lot of soul searching, don't let that turn you off. For the girls, it shows you what it can be to just be. That sounded a bit la-de-da, but I think you know what I mean. It's probably not a movie that you'll watch more than once, or over and over again, but you should watch it once.

Coming up next is Ella Enchanted and Enchanted, followed by the rest of the E's. There aren't as many as there have been C's or D's. Phew!

03 July 2011

Double Jeopardy, Dragonfly, Drop Dead Fred & Dune

Double Jeopardy is one of the very first movies I owned on DVD. Back in the days where I only bough movies if I really really liked them (these days I buy almost anything I've watched, enjoyed and may wish to watch again one day).

Libby Parsons thinks she has the perfect life - a rich, sucessful husband and a sweet wee son. When her husband goes missing, presumed dead she is arrested and convicted of his murder. But when she calls to talk to her son, she hears her husbands voice and she knows she's been wrongly convicted. She learns about 'double jeopardy' the clause in the legal system stating that you can't be convicted for the same crime twice. Once she's out of prison, she's going to get her son back, kill her husband and there's nothing the legal system can do to stop her.

Ashley Judd stars as Libby Parsons. I like her, but she doesn't really do to many blockbuster movies. At the time the movie was made (1999) she seemed to be an up and coming star. I couldnt' tell you what she's done lately. I think she does a good job with this role, totally convincing as the sweet, innocent, but tough-because-she-has-too character. Supporting her are Bruce Greenward as the not-so-dead husband and Tommy Lee Jones as the parole officer chasing her down. Tommy Lee Jones is brilliant, he really gets right in to the character and almost steals the show from under Ashley Judd.

I have no idea if the 'double jeopardy' clause even exists in American (or NZ) law, but it makes sense and that's what makes the movie plausible. So often in movies, the story is good, but it's not plausible and you spend the whole movie thinking "this is so ridiculous, that would never happen", but not with this movie. You want to believe that it's plausible, and you so badly want her to catch her scumbag husband so she can finally get the revenge that she deserves.

The movie is fastpaced and action packed. It swings from many locations, ending in the beautiful New Orleans (I really want to go there one day!). There are chase scenes through cemetries, cars diving off boats and prison bunk scenes. Like I said, it's action packed.

It's definetly worth a watch if you're looking for an unscary thriller. I know, I know, thrillers don't seem like typical 'heather-type-movies'. But I do like good pyschological thrillers. As long as there isn't lots of blood, guts and jumping out to scare me scenes, I'm good with the thrillers.

Speaking of psychological thrillers, the next movie project is another psychological thriller. I don't remember when I watched this the first time, but I remember being surprised that I really enjoyed it. I think this was when I realised that pyschological thrillers are totally different to 'thrillers'.

Dr Joe Darrow is devestated by his wife Emilys tragic death while on a work trip to the South American jungle. As he grieves for her, he becomes increasingly obsessed with what he believes is his wife trying to contact him with a message to find her again. He must try to convince those that love him that he's not depressed and delusional, but in fact right, Emily is trying to reach him.

Kevin Costner stars as Dr Joe Darrow, the handsome and loving husband. He does a great job and slowly falling in to a depressive and obsessive, grieving widower. He portrays the character with just the right level of sympathy and craziness. You really want him to find what he thinks is waiting for him, even though you're fairly sure he needs psychological help.

Meanwhile he is supported by the always brilliant Kathy Bates as the friendly next door neighbour and unknown Susanna Thompson as his wife. She's gorgeous and very aloof, but I guess that's what playing a deceased character trying to contact your living husband is all about.

Dragonfly is a very simple story, focusing on the grief and downward spiral someone can fall into when they loose a loved one tragically. The movie has a surprising twist at the end that I didn't see coming (that's probably why I like it so much) and while I know that's not how it really happens in real life, it makes the movie the what it is. And probably much more sellable to audiences.

I really enjoy this movie for the same reasons I really enjoy Double Jeopardy - it's a thriller, without the scary stuff. Although, Dragonfly definetly has more jump-out-and-scare you stuff than Double Jeopardy. It's worth a watch, but I'll be honest and say you won't be missing much if you don't. Plus, the man in your life might not be to impressed that there isn't any real action in the movie. Perhaps it's best left as a thriller for the girls.

I own this movie for nostaligic reasons. It was a movie that was a favourite of my childhood friend Camille. We would watch it together all the time. I didn't find it as funny as she did, but I liked it nonetheless. I don't have Camille in my life anymore, but I do have Drop Dead Fred. Not an even trade I know, but it's what I've got.

Lizzie is in her 30's, her husband has left her for another woman and she's moved back in with her overbearing mother. She recreates her childhood imaginery friend Fred who always got Lizzie in to a lot of trouble in the past. Now, Fred is not pleased that Lizzie has grown up and will do anything to stop Lizzie from finally being an adult and getting rid of him for good.

Phoebe Cates stars as the very dowdy and irritatingly childish Lizzie. I know it was made in 1991 and the fashion is very 'early 90s' but that doesn't excuse the very, very dowdy and totally ridiculous clothes that she wears. She also looks very young and this actually ruins the movie slightly for me. She looks way to young to be dating, let alone trying to save a marriage. I think it was the director/producer trying to make her character seem young and vulnerable, which they did, just a little to well unfortunetly.

Rik Mayall stars as Drop Dead Fred and he's brilliant. He is such a crazy actor that over exagerates everthing, lending him fantastically to this very eccentric character. He throws himself around, he pulls crazy faces and he laughs like a child. In fact, it's all very child like which is exactly what his character is.

When I watched this movie as a teenager, it was funny. When I bought it several years ago I didn't like it, I thought it was ridiculous and childish. And when I watched it this time I laughed. It was childish sure, but I could see the humour in it again. I think this probably says more about me and my state of mind than it does about the movie. Yes it's dated and yes it's ridiculous, but it's not the movie that changes, but I do.

Drop Dead Fred is disgusting and childish and for all teens to enjoy. I say teens, because there is adult issues (divorce etc) that kids would be bored with, but teens can comprehend. It's worth a giggle, but be prepared for the profanity and vulgar nature of the movie. If you are, then you'll enjoy it.

The last D movie is Dune. You can probably guess just from the dvd cover that it's one of John's movies, not mine. I'd never heard of this movie before, or watched it. I wasn't sure whether it was a science fiction movie, a horror or what it was. John gave me a quick rundown of the story and I was ok with watching it. How very wrong I was.

"The saga of intergalactical warrior Paul Atreides and his messianic rise to lead his people and their struggle for survival. The young hero leads his people against an evil baron and tries to destroy a galaxy-wide trade in spice, a mind-altering drug produced on the desert planet."

I had to quote the synopsis from the back of the dvd, because honestly, I couldn't follow the movie at all. At all! I tried, I really did. I asked questions, even though I know John hates it when I do that. I really tried to follow along, but the story is screwed up. It jumps from scene to scene with no explanation and the special effects don't enhance the movie, but just make it even more bizaree. Yes it was made in 1984 and special effects have come along way since then, but even so, this is just strange.

The dialogue has got to be the strangest of all the aspects. My favourite was "the spice is you, you are the spice." For crying out loud! That's not a good line no matter how you dress it up.

Kyle McLaughlin (of Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives) is the young star and the only actor that I recognised. He was alright and definetly grew with the character, but thats about all I can really say positively for this movie.

I just didn't get it, but I did enjoy mocking the ridiculousness of it once I decided I was going to stop trying too. I probably really annoyed John by doing so, but if you're going to make me watch something like this than you better be prepared for some jibes.

You should watch this if you're a movie buff, if you like sci-fi, or if you've read the book. Otherwise don't do it. You might want to check out John's review before making up your mind. He'll be much more openminded and favourable I'm sure. But don't say I didn't warn you!

This ends the D's. Phew! Next we move on to the E movies. There aren't that many of them in comparison to other letters, but I'm rather behing as we're about half way through viewing the F's at the moment. I hope to catch up sooner rather than later. That being said, I think I'll call it a day and end this review session here. It seems a natural stoping place.

Complete a Jigsaw Puzzle

What better to do on a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon than a jigsaw puzzle. The Brownie task is to complete a 300-400 piece puzzle, but as we are a little older than your average Brownie, I figured it was only reasonable that we did a 1000 piece one insead. I found this one up in the attic.




It was surprising how quiet we were while doing it. It was as if the concentration of the puzzle was too much and we couldn't possibly multitask and chat at the same time. We all had different styles of puzzle 'doing' too. John looked for specific pieces, Rachel looked for blocks of colour and I looked for pieces that I could place in the 'right place' on the puzzle. The eclectic sytle meant we made pretty quick work of this puzzle and were able to cross off our first Brownie Badge task.



The finished puzzle. It's just like the picture on the box! Wahoo!