Swimming about Montreal

Pool at the Biosphere. The F1 was going on next door but it really doesn't interest me

Pool at the Olympic Stadium. The place was quite run down in parts, but the pool itself gorgeous and I had the lane to myself! woohoo.

Ole ole. Now in Niagara but have really enjoyed the last 4 days in Montreal. A beautiful city much in the way Berlin is beautiful; and I found 2 wonderful pools to exercise in. Also did lots of museum stuff and travelling around on the decent metro system. Plus, I can now find due north and south with the stars, thanks to the planetarium! woohooo!

Singapore Pool woohoo

just a quick one to add to me pool collection. I found this gorgeous, huge, clean and cheap public pool in Singapore; what a relief from the heat. woohoo.

Chillin' with the New Jersey Hood, or rather sammy pops and her breathren

New Year and 10 lovely days with Sammy in New Jersey, its been too long since the last visit and it won't be long before the next; so beautiful to spend time again, just like we used to looking back in Ongar, haha, ah :)


Had a fabulous day downtown, skating in central park, lunch, coffee, walkin about, the flicks mmmm woohoo, a perfect day.



Came across this bird of prey, ripping away, in the Central Park, don't know what it is, American Eagle?







quite cold though.. but i love the snow...


This is her lovely palace, blimey everything really is bigger here! The best thing, the front loaders a bright and shiney and new and huge!




Have a nice long walk in a forest near by on New Year's day.. very lovely and necessary after filling up with chrimbo nibbles mmmm

Weekend with the boys about Poland and Berlin

Had a lovely long weekend, well, 5 days. The first two days were alone in Krakow, beautiful city, cold, nice people, helpful, but an air of suspicion in the their eyes, but that could just be me :)
Then Fede, Abs and Javier arrived and off we went for a jolly day at Aushwitz, and onto Berlin for the evening. Mmm Berlin. Cake, Biking about, Cafe, views, beauty and ugliness, but cold; but lovely. Came back via Wraclaw in Poland. So much more forest everywhere than I expect.

Dragons and boats and Evanito

Found Gollum, and also had a lovely weekend in wellington visiting the new Hamilton/Barber Cineplex, very nice :) Well, I saw the construction, as it were... session times tba





also saw Evan doing his Dragon boat... ooo there were some lovely sights to be seen I tell thee... he's here on the far left, I think..


I don't normally like competitive things but it was really quite good fun and a bea-oooo-tiful day...



went to the beach in the arvo, which was peaceful and gorgeous.. then climbed up the hill and read a while... I love Welly :)

Chile wit Willy

Ole.. actually a few weeks ago, but I've been slack. No comments, thank you!

These guys were doing a fantastic road side show by the cafe we were at... very atheletic oh yes.. that's all I'm saying.

Had some great days with Willy around Santiago, I stopped there twice, a few days before and after Easter Island, which was amazing, I am SO going back sometime.

Willy and my other pal Roberto are fine after the earthquake, very good news to hear :)




had a lovely afternoon with willy's sister and family :)

Los aromas de mi calle no se van

Caminando descalzo
por la ciudad
balanceándome al paso
de una canción (fue esta canción por casi dos semanas :) )





una pequeña lluvia
y ahora este sol
calienta el pavimento
y ese vapor...





yo vivo en un barrio tranquilo
no es preciso
que me busques
las veredas llevan
la marca de mis pies





por las dudas yo te digo
si me queres perfumar
los aromas de mi calle no se van





Cuando llego la feria
todo cambio
los viernes en Turdera
todo es color





un día a la semana
para comprar
ya me invente otra excusa
pa' caminar

Petra ain't no dog

On the way into the city... with some very charming jordanians trying to sell horsey rides down or back up and calling me lovely jubbly when I replied to their -where are you from- questions. Nice to know del-boy got this far and not just that yankie doodle indiana jones!




I did nearly buy the outfit to do the adventure in... they are for sale on entry... still, it was not that touristy, really :)














They broke into the warmest of smiles and greetings just after the photo, I must have caught them off guard.

I just didn't want to miss the opportunity, I'm a sucker for uniforms, especially with a tradish helmet. I really, really didn't like the big bear hat thing the orthodox jews wear, by the way, before, when I was in Israel. It just seems wierd. I mean, what got into their heads to bring something so old fashioned and polish to the scorching desert? I am certain god thinks them very odd indeed. I am certain god doesn't approve of them being so insular and cutting themselves off from the rest of his creation by being so -our team- I'm sure. I know in fact coz I have a direct line. Which is odd coz I am decidedly secular.

Am I sounding pompous? mmm... must be me mood this afternoon. Can't be perfect. heyhoo.



These two, I loved them, they were just trottin along, as if they'd just left work for the day, on the way home, all casual like, on their little donkeys. Very cute.






I loved the tea pot, it was just sitting there. This was on the way down the other side of the High Place of Sacrifice.



Lots more photos on facebook... Petra was amazing, and even better than I expect. I thought it would be just a few small facades etched into the hill side, but it really is a hugh city carved into stone through a large area of valley. I only spent the day but you could so easily spend three. And I so want to go back to Jordan and see the whole country. Mmm next year? Anyone wanna come?

A couple of days in Tokyo

The weather has failed me - well, I'm used to it always being nice :) It's been overcast with heavy rain every night, I got soaked in me nice new purple polo, which was ok really coz I had one of those japanese spa thingys in the hotel after, they have it very very hot!
Anyhoo, I was expecting to see a friend who I've not seen since Prague in, mmm, I think 1993, so just a while ago. Unfortunately it didn't happen; he had to get off to Ireland :( heyhoo. So, Tokyo was tainted by disappointment, I'm a people person, but it was nice to walk about and get familiar with the place. A few things have struck me, which was rude and I couldn't dodge them! haha.
1) They eat REALLY fast.
2) I think the unusally common amount of -bad- breath is from green tea, but I once heard that they think we smell of sour milk? or am I getting confused.
3) They do like to conform - which means everything is clean, & works, but a little boring. Mobile Phones - walking about the electricals area and seeing the variety of stuff on sales didn't fit with the odd fact that everyone I saw with a mobile had the same style, with the exception of the odd iPhone.



Anyhoo. The people are charming, which I love. I just wish I could say more than thank you and good afternoon. The only thing was the constant -Welcome- said to every person walking into a shop; it get's on ya tits after a while, well, it does on a busy saturday afternoon :)

A Big Ole Mary

Boy she is! Great view over Boy Charlton pool.

Snowtime wonderland

Ah, makes me miss London and I love snow. I expect 3 will be along in a minute.

Friday to Sunday night project, good times in Welly

Starting on a more serious note, my lovers...
Opening of Parliament, 2008, with the incoming Key Government. Can't help feeling it very strange the country voting in an Ex city trader just when we're told the world is going tits up due to people like him and their activities... curious NZ :)


Ah, Ritchie finally meets his perfect mate!

A few holes pot, no need to elaborate I think. Later came along a Wellingtonian cum Chicago cum Palm Strings mystery trio! but that's not for here...




In the dude magnet.. supposedly...

Also I discovered Friday, now Sunday night project this weekend, a bit behind my UK shipmates, and now I understand why that Mr Carr and Lee whatsit are such a comedy cult.. i love it, init.

Oo oo, also saw two films; One awful - The Day The Earth Stood Still or what ever its called, its just awful, which is a shame coz I love Scifi. The Other was right fab - RockNRolla! Woohoo!

Open your golden gates baby

Mmm, yes, they were right, I loved San Fran, shame I didn't have more time, I was tootin' me horn and dingin' me bell all day long on the trollies, woohoo! After this pic I got a haircut in the Castro from some lovely mexicans who chat and give you shandy booze and told me about the local goin' ons. Later a clam chowder in a loaf, I don't eat carbs of course so I licked the bowl, no swallowing.

Canberra with Jackie O

Well, as good as! Its was very autumnal so it was, and boozy. Mmm

Match-oo Peashoot

he's only laughin' coz it was that or a shove down't hill! he he he

Mmm nice view, huh?

Look, he's doin' that face again, slap 'im!

its a local and lives in Machu Picchu city, with the llamas, but I don't know what it is; it did make a very strange cry.

Santiago de chile, La Paz, Lake Titikaka, Puno, Cusco, Lima, Galapagos, Guayaquil y Buenos Aires

Well that's the route so far. I can't download pics till I get back to Spain.. mmm or even New Zealand really. Will fill up with fotos then :)
Having a lovely jubbly time with me pal Jezza. We're in Guayaquil at the moment, the more comercial city of Ecuador. Just back from the local gay bar, very sweet and amusing. The Galapagos were just beautiful, swimming with lots of smelly sealions in the water, 4 days on a boat, lots of curious birds and sealife, dolphins came to play in the boat bow, just amazing.

Views over Habour Party to Queen Victoria

Sunday afternoon at Mrs MacQuaries chair, looking out over the 2008 Harbour Party (looked fun) out to Harbour Bridge where the Queen Victoria was leaving to toot goodbye to the QE2.

esta bella ciudad

Some spectacular views from around this beautiful city.