I'll start with an apology

I am so very sorry for not even trying to keep up with my blog, it has been difficult with me not being able to afford it when hostels charge for Internet,and even when its free its always so busy so I only have time for the bare minimum. I am in Krakow at the moment, I have only been travelling for 2 weeks and I have covered much more distance than intended. So far we have done Rome, Pompeii, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Zurich, Vienna, Budapest, Prague and now Krakow and we are off to Berlin on a night train tonight. We went to Auschwitz yesterday, felt strange to actually be there after wanting to for so long, but its an incredible place and Auschwitz 2/Birkenau was incredible just such a vast place.
I will try and keep you more updated in the future, and as soon as i get back to London I'll put up some photos.
Oh I just remembered and I can't believe I forgot to mention it, when I was walking down the train tracks that run through the heart of Birkenau I looked up to see a flock of swallows and then they landed on the power lines above my head, they were so cool I got some good photos.

Bon voyage

I'm off, well almost. All the luggage that I'm not taking travelling is going into storage, including my computer. So no blogging for a while, I'll do my best to do the odd blog in the odd Internet cafe. So until then adeu, dovidenja, さようなら, sbohem, farvel, tot ziens, head aega, paalam, до свидания, nakemiin, au revoir, adeus, auf wiedersehen, viszontlatasra, sampai jumpa, arrivederci, visu labu, خداحافظی, viso gero, addiju, ha det, dp widzenia, 안녕히 가세요, la revedere, hasta la vista, hejda, gule gule, tam biet, goodbye.

14, 22, 109, 139, 187.

Usually when you break stuff down to days it seems longer, but because I have so much to look forward this year it seems more exciting.

I only have 14 days till I finish work,

15 days till i go to Cornwall,

22 days till I go to Rome.

And then conquer the rest of Europe,

Venice

Vienna

Berlin

Amsterdam etc.

109 days and I'm back in London,

139 and I'm off to New Zealand for Christmas and my sisters wedding,

Then in 187 days I'm back in London.

It's going to be exhausting but so much fun, 2009 is going to be an awesome year.

Ladybug in my bathroom

I've always been a fan of ladybugs...or lady birds(whatever you prefer to call them). I find them fascinating, the different colours, dot variations, and even sizes(New Zealand has small ones and UK has really big ones). But what I never thought I would see an orange one with creamy yellow spots, I never knew they came in anything other than orange, red or the odd black. I tried taking a photo but it didn't turn out so here's kind of what it looked like.

I also love how in ladybug season there is so many, its an incredible sight to, though sad that so many die.

Dancing in the rain.

I have always hoped I would get cought in a storm, and be able to dance around barefoot in the rain, not worrying about how wet I'm getting.

To my amazement on Sunday, it actually happened. After a wonderful afternoon lounging in the sun with my friends at Hamstead heath, we popped in to Sainsbry's to get something for dinner, and when we left the heavens opened. The heaviest rain I have ever seen, it was like movie rain, we were completely soaked through within seconds.

For awhile running in the rain was very exciting and soon my sandals came off and we were prancing home barefoot. But it quickly turned into a very scary dash as the lightening struck over head and the rumble of the thunder quickly followed and just when we thought it couldn't get any worse it started to hail, rather large hailstones between the size of a pea and a marble.

We quickly took shelter under a bus stop, expecting it to pass. But alas it did not and we had to continue our sprint to the house, getting battered by hailstones. Needless to say I probably wont be prancing around in the rain again soon...well not if there's thunder and lightening.

Tattoos

I have recently(and when I say recently I mean February) acquired a tattoo, it's two swallows on the top of my back. For my next piece I want to get some writing, I'm mulling over a few quotes, but I really want one that jumps out to me. I've been searching the internet but cant seem to find...the one.

Here's some I've found so far...

'For each dawn, she found new hope that someday, her dreams of happiness would come true.

-Cinderella.

'The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all'

-Mulan.

'Either you define the moment or the moment defines you'

-Tin cup.

'I learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. the important thing is to never stop questioning'

-Albert Einstein.

'Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love'

-Albert Einstein.

'Courage is knowing what not to fear'

-Plato.

'At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet'

-Plato.

'All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them'

-Walt Disney.

'Beware the Jabberwock my son'

-Lewis Carroll.

I guess I will have to mull for a bit longer, though I can't wait till I'm back home in New Zealand for christmas, because I am defiantly getting a koi on the right of my back. I love the way you can express your self with tattoos, when I got my first it was extremely liberating and empowering and I'm proud of my piece of art that no one else can have. I its all mine and if anyone ever says tattoos are awful they don't have to get one or look at mine. I got it for me and no one else, and I will always wear it with pride.

To chop or not to chop.

To chop or not to chop, unfortunately that is the question. I had made up my mind finally to grow my hair, long hair is gorgeous and mine is just starting to work with me not against me. But now I just don't know, I blame the gorgeous girl on the bus with the crop, she looked so good. Now I want one, but I'm not sure because I have spent so long growing my hair. Although short hair may be easier for travelling, long hair is so much more versatile...oh! I just don't know! Here's some styles I like the look of.

Obviously it helps to have a gorgeous face but I love this cut, and it can be messy so you don't really have to do much with it.

This is where I was going with my hair.

Another short crop, it'd be nice for summer, I really just cant make up my mind. I could really do with a magic 8 ball about now. I've been researching hair styles all day, but no one seems to have the answer. I've noticed its a common problem with woman, not being able to decide what to do with their hair, I guess I'll have to wait and see what my hair dresser says and end up making a last minute decision that I will regret later.

Dancing

I have recently discovered the simple pleasure of dancing; I have been taking ballet lessons for the last 6 weeks and I'm now finding dancing to be extremely enjoyable, be it a bit uncoordinated. And I don't mean dancing in clubs or at parties, but cranking up a good song and just having a dance by yourself. Its incredibly liberating, especially since you don't have to worry about what anyone thinks. You should give it a try, here's some of my favourites to dance to:

• Don't upset the rhythm - The Noisettes
• Kings of the wild frontier - Adam and the ants
• Work - Kelly Rowland
• Stuck on repeat - Little boots
• Paris is burning - Ladyhawke
• I know what I am - Band of skulls
• No you girls - Franz Ferdinand
• Beggin - Madcon
• New in town - Little boots
• Human - Killers

And for something a bit more classical:

• Beau soir - Debussy
• Prelude in E minor - Frederic Chopin
• Vocalise - Rachmaninov
• Postcards - Alez Desplat (Curious case of Benjamin Button soundtrack)
• Lord Melbourne - London Metropolitan Orchestra (The young Victoria soundtrack)
• Letters from Victoria - London Metropolitan Orchestra
• Comptine d'ine autre ete - Yann Tiersen (Amelie soundtrack)
• La valse d'Amelie - Yann Tiersen

images

While struggling to find something to write about I stumbled on a website of famous photos, I have always been the kind of person with pictures on my walls and torn pages from magazines in my bag. I'm attracted to imagery, photos are so powerful and whether they are positive or negative they evoke feeling. Here's some I found.

June 11, 1963, Thich Quang Duc, a monk from Vietnam. Burning himself to death to bring attention to the repressive policies of the Catholic Diem regime. (While burning Thich Quang Duc never moved)

I find this image difficult to look at but I can't take my eyes of it, its so powerful. To believe in something so much that you will light yourself on fire, must be incredible.

London Calling

Photographer:Pennie Smith

I love this one, its such an epic moment. Pennie Smith photographed The Clash for their album, she originally didn't intend for the photo to be used because it was to out of focus. I reckon it makes it better.

La Gare Montparnasse, 1895

This one is great, you'd never believe it if you weren't there.

The Brownie Recipe

To all my friends, sorry its taken me so long. As much as I would like to keep it a secret it wouldn't be fair, so here it is. To be enjoyed with friends and a cup of tea.

Ingredients

625g milk and dark chocolate(about 2 and 1/4 Cadbury blocks)

1 pound(500g) butter

2 cups sugar

6 eggs(no 6)

1 tble instant coffee

1 tsp vanilla

500g white chocolate buttons (or walnuts or pecans)

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup of flour

Method

Preheat oven 180 to 200 C

Melt milk/dark chocolate and butter over double boiler.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder.

Beat eggs, sugar, coffee and vanilla

Combine slightly cooled chocolate and butter to egg mixture.

Add flour to chocolate egg mixture.

Add white chocolate or walnuts to mixture. Combine well.

Butter and flour 30cm x 40cm x 5cm baking tray.

Pour into baking tray.

Bake in oven for 35min, rotating 180 degrees halfway through.

Enjoy.