Officially so. As voted in, in 2012, by the people whose opinion counts in this regard. And a damn fine pub it is too – the Sprig and Fern on Milton Street, in Nelson, at the top end of South Island. The sign to the right is worth reading.
No artistic merit to this pic at all, but it represents the fact that tomorrow I am starting a 4-week road trip that is going to take in eleven separate flights, three national parks, three major cities and four smaller ones, two Australian states and all three principal islands of New Zealand. And there was you thinking it only had two, right? But don’t worry, the laptop is coming with me, so you’ll see it all on here, I hope.
The east exit. It does get busier than this during the week. Taken as I returned from the airport having transited (on a very bumpy flight) back from Adelaide. The lonely ‘wet floor’ marker – placed there for no reason I could discern – gives it a sense of pathos I think…
A fairly normal Monday of work for me, not at all eventful or particularly uplifting, but at least the office space was more attractive and al fresco than it could have been.
This massive, interactive display – 30 feet (9m) high at least – resides in the foyer of the brand new Science and Technology block at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). OK, it has nothing to do with business process analysis, or whatever – so is essentially trivial – but it gets a lot more interest, from all sorts of people.
First day in Australia (at least on this trip – I’ve been here once before, in May 2011 for two weeks); and it’s Australia Day. So let’s get the first cultural icon into the blog. I fully intend to get a picture of a kangaroo, a koala and a surfer in before I leave. Though possibly not all on the same photo. Do people still wear those hats with corks round the rim?
This stuff’s not a patch on Marmite by the way. Interpret that how you will.
A 2-day journey through the global lymphatic system that is the air travel network, largely on night flights, is never going to produce great photography, so here’s my attempt to encapsulate this day of pure transit: me trying to keep myself busy in the good-value transit lounge in Changi airport. It gets another country onto the blog – Singapore – but in the most mundane way. Australia tomorrow…
Well, that’s it for me in the UK for a good while – I’m off, away from this cruddy weather, away from the ongoing obnoxiousness of the government who have still yet to actually win an election (thank you Mr Cameron for condemning us to another few years of economic uncertainty on your watch – and didn’t you come in claiming fiscal piety?), away from the cattle-truck commute in the morning…. whatever. And whatever awaits me on my sabbatical, I can at least say this – it’ll be WARM.
Back in the UK in early June, day 650 of the blog or thereabouts. Plenty to see and photograph in the meantime though, so stick around… I’ve moved, but the blogging will stay right here.
… well, for a couple of months anyway. We travelled down south together as the first stage in my journey to Australia: what with all the snow at the moment (of which I am bored taking photographs), giving myself a couple of days to get to the airport seemed the best move. This was taken on our table as we had our last drinks in the Pelirocco hotel, Brighton (you’ve seen it before): left-to-right; the bottom of a flower vase; the glass with tea-light candle in it; and my White Russian, yum yum.
If it wasn’t for that flash of green on the shot (behind the girl’s head) this one would be perfect…
Incidentally if all goes according to plan I am only going to be on the Manchester campus three more days until mid-June – tomorrow, Thursday and next Thursday. Travelling awaits…
Being 42 