Monday, October 27, 2014

Catching Up

I haven't blogged for two weeks, it's a bit scary clicking in. I've pretty much been sitting at my computer but I can't post that. Outside the computer I've had incredibly "challenging" times in a perfect storm of shite. Hopefully someday I can write about it, feeling all the wiser and enriched. In the meantime, here's a blast of the positive highlights, bringing you up to date.


After months of drought we finally got one stormy day of rain. Good chance to wear my seafoam Workshop jersey. (Friends, apparently I can't use the word jumper, has rude connotations here.)

I must really like light blue, look at our deck after the rain.



Heres a pic at Mum and Dad's place after I bought the sweater. Look, it matches their seafoam tiles. Mum says she would never use colored tiles again. You tire of them, opt for white tiles and paint the walls a colour, she reckons. I do like stripes. Please feel free to weigh in on the colored tile debate.

Me matching the tiles in Mum's bathroom in Ohope Beach. She regrets choosing seafoam colored tiles.

Speaking of light blue and also raising the spectre of middle class problems (Tabitha of Badinage talks about a really funny one on her blog today) our backyard fountain has been a nightmare. The tiles fell off a couple of months ago. We re-tiled the whole thing with different tiles that we thought were more suitable. Yesterday we woke to find nine of those new tiles have fallen off and the rest are about to drop.

Our fountain last week


Our poor fountain this week

Lovely morning watching the annual Black Cowboy Parade in Oakland.  It's great to remember that African Americans made up one quarter of all cowboys in the old West.








Wheeled out the ancient Louis Verdad skirt and top at Harley's Senior Mass.

Me and Harley, 17, at Lake Chalet afterwards


In the US, high schools have Spirit Week this time of year and I love seeing them go off in costume. Despite the fun, kids have it hard these days I reckon, so much pressure, college, social, sports everything. I would not have done well if I was a teen now. I was content to read all day in my room and make cinnamon toast on Saturday night. Not exactly a Queen Bee.

Harley (left ) on Nerd Day at school during Spirit Week
Harley (far right) with friends on Eighties Day
Jackson (right) and friends on Seventies Day

Remember I told you about the Superwoman Stance, how standing open and wide immediately gives you confidence.  In my disorganised melee of photos I found pictures of two people with super open body language. One was Angelina Jolie, I snapped this pic at the Berlin Film Festival. The other person was also at Berlin: Kiwi director-actor-writer Taika Waititi  His film Boy is one of my all-time favourites. Have you seen his movie about Vampires flatting together in Wellington? Can't wait.

A snap I took of Angie at Berlin Film Festival three years ago.  She's leaning against the stage - look how relaxed she is in front of hundreds of people. 
Also very relaxed stance: Taika Waititi (centre). Also at the Berlin Film Festival with my sister Pietra (right) and Nga, subject of her documentary, Maori Boy Genius.


I think Renee Zellweger has a botoxathon rather than plastic surgery don't you? Her bee-stung eyes and lips were adorable but she was obviously ready for a change (and the work is not Meg Ryan bad) Love her - that train scene of her in Bridget Jones was a revelation, you could see every thought on her face without any over-emoting.

Hmmm....What has she done?

Good-oh, now we're all caught up. Tomorrow - three great and easy Halloween costume ideas I've just seen. I know. My posts are like the Number 28 bus in London. Nothing, and then three come along at once.

Hope you're doing well?






46 comments:

  1. Jody, you look fab in that dress with Harley and with the seafoam 'pullover' (no bad connotations there I hope) and great looking boots.

    I've just realized the really big thing about the RZ issue is I've never seen anyone look so different without there being something obviously amiss. She looks good just different.

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    1. She insists she's the happiest she's ever been, we will see. I just hope she stops now and does not do a Meg Ryan whose face seems ready to pop

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  2. I'm starting to think that Renee needs her sideswept fringe/ bangs back as maybe she'd look less 'different' with that.
    I like a neutral bathroom. Bathrooms and kitchens date really quickly, so neutrals will still date, but offend you less as they do so.
    Your deck is really beautiful. What on earth is spirit week about? Spirit of what? This is one of those American things I hear mentioned on teen movies and have always been clueless as to what exactly it meant.
    That photo of Angelina looks like a wax work.
    Ok, enough random sentences from me! Glad to see you're back and hope all the bad stuff disappears very quickly xx

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    1. Never thought about the Spirit, hopefully not the boozing or ciggy kind!! They are cheering for the sports teams I think. They have rallies every day after school where they have music and singing and whatnot

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    2. Hi Heidi always love your comments!

      I think tiles are so tricky and you can get the most beautiful tile but it doesn't look that great once the grout is in. Neutral for me too! I just did an article where they say the new colors are that old 40's pink bathrooms, with the black, not for me.
      Not as bad as that avocado that used to be in all our student flats tho

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    3. My FIL still has an avocado green bathroom! It's so dated it's almost hip again!

      Delete
    4. The bathroom we demolished for the extension had a nice maroon loo, bath and handbasin. It went well with the brown mosaic tiles, contrast feature blue mosaic tiles and burgundy wall paint. I'm not sure it's coming back!! But I have seen black loos and hand basins, so coloured things are maybe on the rise again!
      Whenever I did something design wise that had an aged care component to it we had to specify cream loos as older people (the ones that put in avocado bathrooms etc in the past) associate white with hospitals! They used to hate it. No white tiles for them either.

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    5. Ruth, that suddenly reminded me of the avocado bathroom to end all, which we had when I worked in Gloucestershire for a year (for my sins).
      The thing with that color, it never really looks clean (not that I was spending much time with the scrubber in there.

      Heidi. Yes just did an article about an iconic tile company here called heath and they reckon retro (a bit of it) color is coming back in.
      We have a chartreuse stripe i the boy's bathroom but I don't think I could do more than that stripe.
      interesting about the aged care component, never thought of that, I guess no one wants to think they are in an institutional place, even if they are

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  3. Your sweater looks lovely! Sorry to read about your tiles.

    Looking forward to read about the costumes. There is a party at work and so far I have no clue about a costume.

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  4. Glad you're back!
    I think Renee looks older, wiser. More like a woman in tune with herself as opposed to a Hollywood stereotype. Am I missing something?
    Linda C.

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    1. Hi Linda,
      Yes part of it is that we haven't seen her in public for a couple of years now and she's older. She looks so pretty just not like herself
      I'm praying she resists doing the lips.

      Delete
  5. Sorry to hear about the shite in your life - your posts are always so cheery to read.

    I'm from Melbourne so I love your seafoam jumper!

    So hope Renee hasn't done anything permanent to her face.

    We finally had some decent rain in Melbourne too after a very dry winter.

    Leigh

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    1. Hi Leigh,
      Thanks for your kind words.
      We just had that one day of rain - so please send some more drops from Melbourne. We can only water plants twice a week now and I'm sure they will cut that soon, so I best take as many snaps of the plants while they are alive!

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  6. So great to see you!!! I hope the strife dissipates pronto and you are feeling fantastic by now...
    Weighing in - it's black and white or go home for me...make the rest up with objet d'art and any other decorator items. This applies. To kitchen and bathroom - silver or gold taps...hardware etc..
    Have spent two decades in staffroom a listening to people agonising over renovation colours. Mind you, I love that sea-foamy, chalcedony, Tiffany trademark blue-green colour!
    How great is the cowgirl!! Fabulous young thing, and don't the kids knock themselves out with the costumes!! 80s look was hilarious!!
    Xxxx

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    Replies
    1. Hi FF!
      We had black and white tiles in the kitchen in London and they looked so smart and were very ambidextrous on changing styles - we paired them with percy pig pink wall - but they were a bugger to clean.
      Love that cowgirl, she's so so sassy as someone standing next to us said.

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  7. Very envious of your deck, it looks stunning x

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    1. Do you know we never sit out there, though it gives a great view of the street which has more action than the backyard.
      When my Mum and her friend Pam came to look after the kids they sat out there every night with glass of wine chatting to Cy

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  8. I hope your storm of shite passes soon, leaving you wiser and well.
    Love the sea foam green, you should pop over to Sydney to wear it near my timber!
    Spirit week makes me think of some Ouijja board extravaganza....

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  9. PS. RZ looks unlike herself to me. Glad she's happy. That frozen face look is strange, though. Very popular here, but I find it somewhat disturbing to look at, a bit like those coloured contact lenses.

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  10. I'm ready to burn down the Daily Mail. Just saw one of their henchman ambush 'interview' RZ and ask "do you want to comment about your face which everyone is talking about..." She handled beyond graciously and I want to beat that guy senseless!!!

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    Replies
    1. She's never sought out publicity like others and does not deserve the paps In fact she hasn't been around for a couple of years, can't remember the last thing she did.

      Delete
  11. Renée's cheeks have suddenly appeared. Before she had fine features, how she has sticky-out features.

    You are so slim, Jody, you must work out a lot. That brown outfit has you melting away. Love the pullies though. I love a pully. I'm delighted we're in pully season now, although by next March I'll be sick of them. :)

    I think it's hilarious to see kids dressing up in 70's and 80's styles because I never dressed like that and I was there. :) I must have been a freak. :)

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    1. Hi Sarah,
      Have only been for three walks in the two months I've been back - exercise is next on the agenda.
      Last year they did Nineties which was very quaint

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  12. I love spirit week, so much fun :) Everyone looked great. Hope the storm passes soon. I'm not really bothered if RZ had something done to her face or not, its not any of my business and I find it terrible the way she has been ridiculed and thrown up like some circus attraction for everyone to pick away at, Men don't get the same headlines if they do something like this, why should we care, as long as she's happy and healthy and says she is fine and hasn't done anything, it's not our business. xx

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    1. That's true and men like Micheal Douglas are pictured in bandages all the time.

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  13. Love you in blue! I have a small smattering of blue tiles around tub - really small - and still love them after a decade, but then I adore that shade of blue! There have been many shite days here this past week as well - leaky roofs, wendy sides wiping someone backing into a parking spot(!) and worst of all Barry broke a piece of the espresso machine! White people problems indeed!

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    1. Oh the people backing into a parking spot. Im amazed it doesn't happen all the time. YOu have to really stick the rear out to get the whole body in when parking and I'm always amazed I don't get swiped or vice versa

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  14. I really don't know why RZ has done that to herself. I remember thinking how beautiful she was in a film with Tom Cruise years ago (can't remember which one) x

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    1. She was classic in Jerry Maguire, had everyone at hello

      Delete
  15. Well there you are...been missing you. Just keep plodding through the shit. You'll be able to hose yourself off soon. Do your tiles keep falling off at roughly the same place? You look beautiful in all your pictures, the kids do too. RZ looks the same from the lower eye lids down...her brows look really different...but she looks great just not recognizable. Of course the neck has been done. That's what I would do if I had the inkling, not very fond of my gobbler.

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    1. Thanks BB.
      Yes her lips look the same, she has eschewed the trout pout so it must be an eye nip after all.
      Keeping my options open on my neck. Its worse with every day. Months ago I did that really painful zazzy thing - I had to tell them to turn the zaps right down it was so painful. It supposed to tighten within six months but I don't see any change.

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  16. I also hope the Storm of Shite passes, I was wondering what you've been up to and I was hoping it was all fun. Definitely neutral tiles, I just bought mine for the backsplash behind my new range, lately I've been up to writing cheques. I think RZ had a major eye lift, her eyes look completely different, she had very heavy lids which gave her eyes a pretty look but with age lids sag, now her eyes are wide open which they never were before, she does look like a different person. I showed that picture to MrBP and he did not believe it was her at all and could not be convinced.
    Looking forward to your costume post, I need one for Young Rascal, what's Cy dressing up as? xo

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    1. HI Dani,
      Cy's just going as bog standard Star Wars without the saber which they are not allowed.
      A SF blog called Oh Happy Day has had some great ones in times past including Karl L. and all the Vogue people. I wonder if Cy would wear a blonde pony tail next year?

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  17. Spirit week sure sounds and looks like fun, hopefully no more shite comes due for a while

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  18. Fingers and toes crossed for a no shit spirity zone

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  19. I know it sounds trite but it will pass soon enough. Xx

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    1. That is a great phrase Naomi, I say it to myself all the time

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  20. Sorry you've been having a crappy time. Let's hope you're through the other side soon.
    Love that sweater/jersey/jumper - I have a favourite cardi that colour and wear it all the time x

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  21. Love the kids' pics and costumes. Good for them having some fun. Too damn much pressure around here and not enough hijinks. Sorry about your shiite. Hope things get better. Re-entry can be bad after being away. I've had that before.. Love you in blue. That's a gorgeous color. I do like your mum's tiles since she lives in a beach house. I also like white, but it can be boring. Your mum seems anything but that.
    As for Renee, she obviously had the eye lift thing for her puffy lids. Cannot blame her as they become worse as you age. Loved her look before, but if she's happy so what. I still like her and I hope she's happy. I do hope she agrees to do the 3rd Bridget Jones movie. They made her look terrible in the 2nd, so maybe she'll get some payback. xx Take care

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  22. I am curious about the 'jumper' connotations... don't worry, I will Google.
    Meanwhile, I hope your perfect storm is over now.
    Sx

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  23. Glad you are back! I think I've been having a couple of weeks like yours… Hope the perfect storm is over. You have a gorgeous yard. Is that a peek of the ocean at the top or just gorgeous blue sky? ("Just" she writes, herself looking at a brick wall…) I think Renee looks amazing now. What a high pressure business that must be. Happy I can go about with my 40-some year old face without people asking questions. I would buckle under the pressure.

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    1. Hi Jen, congrats to you on your book - I read the review, so awesome!
      http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1239372-business-bookshelf-a-fabulous-insight-into-better-decision-making

      yes jist a peak of the sky, we can see out to San fran

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  24. Couldn't help thinking - when I am having guests and we have a drink on the balcony and I remember that Alastair and I were always too busy to do that one thing.
    Don't make the same mistake dear.

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