Hearing of the bad weather in Wellington yesterday I decided to cancel my Backpackers reservation at Turangi. Anyway Floss filled it quickly, and I decide to drive on down to W immediately. It wasn't such a long trip, ten hours in total, with nearly an hour's break in Turangi to recuperate. Picked up a hitchhiker, finally, a sensible one standing at the right place on the road. A young tiler tradie from Tauranga, on his way to Levin only to return the next day, un brave mec! He was a pleasant young Kiwi called Rhys, totally uncomplicated and absorbed with his smartphone, texting the whole of the trip. Which is life for the young today. Home at ten-ish to a quiet house with Fir on her computer and Sonny at work. All in order.
Out quickly in first bus to pick up repaired specs and on to Gotham for a coffee fix. Saw in the paper the Alan Turing movie, The Imitation Game, is on at eleven at Cuba lighthouse. A grey day calls for a grey stimulating movie. So I hot-foot it up to Wigan Street only to discover it starts tomorrow, apparently a newspaper error, I'll catch it then. So back to Recycle shop to soothe my disappointment to find a nice striped Kiwi designed T-shirt to take to Sydney next week. I won't need too many clothes there, just summer tops.
With time on my hands, Caffe Scopa beckons, and for the first time I have a tall Spiruluna smoothie, (in pic.) Tastes very sweet but is nice and green and keeps me away from a second coffee. After this I am off to city library to pick up my reservation of Peter Carey's latest novel 'Amnesia' which I have been looking forward to reading for a while. Scottish dancing friend Beth, in the meantime, decides not to go to Hogmanay, preferring to wallow in her sadness, or is it just that she is madly organising the wake of her good friend Jean? I text her Jennifer's number which she strangely asked for as it is probably in the phone book. Still, she's acting a bit weird since the sudden departure of Jean.
King Richie in action, as always
How NZ gets good student results
Battersea Power Station soon to be millionnaire row
Spirulina in Scopa's
It is worth commenting on the enormous difference betwen the two largest cities in New Zealand, Auckland and the Capital, which is really a large town in comparison.
The weather says it all. Here in Wellington there is a hardy race of outdoor-trained indigenous people, used to the untold vagaries of a hostile climate, who get on with their business with such an enthusiasm that it beggars description. And they smile. And keep on jogging and tramping in the most dogged conditions and don't even seem to notice it. There is indeed a vibrant indoor life also, with music, the arts in general, and above all, reading and literature. Everywhere you see bookshops, both new and secondhand, the type you would find in Paris, London and New York City. It is a reader's paradise. The fashion ain't too bad either! Totally original, the Wellingtonians set the pace for the rest of the world in many ways, and fashion is doubtless one on them, food and coffee being two others. I can see why I love the place but at the same time why I have to leave it. I will always come back to this wonderful city, it's just too sweet.
Cuba crossing at Scopa
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