Volcanic nipples

Ok so I know it sounds ridiculous but this place knows how to show off it's unique features in style!!! Something Napier should perhaps adopt?

Hot Stuff

It's already really hot here and now they say there's a heat wave on it's way from Africa! Geez better get the duty free beers in!

Cheap wine and molten magma!

There's something special about discovering a new place, different culture, interesting people and Lanzarote certainly has all of these in abundance.

Admittedly my expectattions from a barren, volcanic island weren't up to much but within minutes of the taxi ride from airport to Playa Blanca I became fascinated by the pure natural, black beauty of this the most northern of the Canary Islands. Even the Bruce Road to Ruapehu doesn't exude the same isolation that the 100 odd volcanoes of the island command.

150kms off the coast of West Africa, Lanzarote is hot, dry and tax-free. Basically that means wine and beer are ridiculously cheap for the next two weeks! hic

Rain and Charles Saatchi

Mmmmm summer in England don't you just love it. Heatwave the day before we arrive, rain and winds the week we are here. Oh well nothing new there.
Went to Saatchi Gallery in Sloane Square yesterday, Charles was in but the Gallery was closed. So we made do with our first ever flat white in England at the Gallery Cafe and in walks Charles all nonchalant like he owns the place...typical eh!
Fun day doing the sites with Mandy, Lex and Caroline. Went to Serpentine Gallery and saw an exhibition which reconfirmed my belief that in Art you can 'fool most of the people all the time'...it was rubbish.
Oh well made up for the disappointments of the day with a thoroughly well deserved bottle of wine in London's oldest wine bar Gordon's at the Embankment. www.gordonswinebar.com

Score for a Hole in the Ground*

We arrived in England (Sunday) just in time to see the Spanish getting kicked around the park by a bunch of Dutch thugs who had forgotten to take off their go faster clogs. Met up with the 'the old team' Chris/Laura, Phil/Jane at Rick and Caroline's where we stayed our first night. Thumped Phil at tennis 1 -1 the next day after discovering after the first humiliating 0-6 set, that he had smuggled in some pre-war (Crimea) tennis balls that lacked anything resembling a regular bounce.
Drove that afternoon down to Chris' wonderful 16th century converted barn near Canterbury in Kent. The countryside around here is stunning and cries out to be discovered by foot and Chris took us on a nearby walk past 13thC church, 16thC pub and *21stC forest sculptures! (www.stourvalleyarts.org.uk)

Of all these we will return to the pub.

Living cheap with Spencer

The great thing about meeting up with Spencer Falls who is living here in Venice Beach, is that you get to do some of the things that locals do. And when you're in America one of those things is eating out... a lot!
Fortunately it doesn't have to cost that much and as any good Yiddo would tell you, that's a great thing. The best food in town...Mexican, street style.

Out of work? On yer bike mate!

With the immortal words of British MP Norman Tebbit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Tebbit) ringing in our ears we have left the security of New Zealand employment and hit the streets of LA or should I say cycle ways of Santa Monica beach.
After a pretty non eventful 12 hour flight from Auckland*, exercise is a must and this form of transport around the city is really affordable ($20 a day hire from everywhere) and enjoyable. Reminded me of the walkway in Napier minus the steady stream of American weirdos of all shapes and sizes and the full on pier that gives the huge beach a real focus.


*note to travellers - row 36 economy seats j&k on an Air NZ 747 give you considerably more leg room no one in front and well worth reserving.