Still heading south. Today is Friday and by the time we rolled out of bed we were at the dock. Tonight we leave after dark so city lights will be all we'll see.
First off we found a yarn shop within sight of the ship. What about that possum yarn? There goes my yarn diet! C found something she wants for Juju but we had to run off without further purchases.
My friend from the past (we see each other every 12 years) picked us up and we were whisked away across the harbor to Devonport. A pretty island-like community on a peninsula. We talked and talked and looked for several caches unsuccessfully. We found another yarn shop which had lovely soft possum blends made into irresistible samples. We didn't resist. The area is as pretty and exotic looking as I remembered. I still believe that the birds sing in a foreign language.
Back in the city P and I headed back to "the only yarn shop left in Auckland city center". After picking up a little more yarn we were rewarded by locating this Internet cafe. An hour well spent.
Still no pictures. Blogger isn't giving me the usual options, so you'll have to imagine!!
In a week, we'll have exhausted New Zealand, and we'll be thinking of home...
Thoughts, tips and rambles about knitting and performance of music.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A few pics
Yesterday was our birthday day with extreme do everything day.
We participated in a record number of games in honor of the birthday boy and had a party with 5 little girls in a closed dining area within reach of the buffet. Picture dozens of tables with fine dining water glasses and five under five sugar high bodies playing with balloons and automatic sliding doors. Management and some unsuspecting passengers quickly realized how this event, had it been held in a more public area, say, a formal dining room, could have turned ugly. The only other birthday parties we have attended onboard have been in the kids' playrooms. It was fun for the adults and a delicious cake, special ordered, was a hit. Of course, for more details you can hear about it at jujubebaby.blogspot.com and for more pictures of the cruise, life and living take a look at picasa.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010.
The last of the tropical islands are just off the bow this morning. Docking at Fiji in the eastern hemisphere. Tonight we head south to New Zealand.
Position this morning: South 18' 07.91 East 178' 24.11
We participated in a record number of games in honor of the birthday boy and had a party with 5 little girls in a closed dining area within reach of the buffet. Picture dozens of tables with fine dining water glasses and five under five sugar high bodies playing with balloons and automatic sliding doors. Management and some unsuspecting passengers quickly realized how this event, had it been held in a more public area, say, a formal dining room, could have turned ugly. The only other birthday parties we have attended onboard have been in the kids' playrooms. It was fun for the adults and a delicious cake, special ordered, was a hit. Of course, for more details you can hear about it at jujubebaby.blogspot.com and for more pictures of the cruise, life and living take a look at picasa.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010.
The last of the tropical islands are just off the bow this morning. Docking at Fiji in the eastern hemisphere. Tonight we head south to New Zealand.
Position this morning: South 18' 07.91 East 178' 24.11
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Knitting Too!
Mr. Foster is finished.
P finished her shawl, blocked on the bed, disturbing the routine for our room steward.
J finished a cowl (a shameless small project that took forever) and is a gift for someone.
P started a vest. A big bulky weight, multiple skein project. "Started" is the operative word.
J contines to resurrect her shawl (Europa) with various degrees of success with the "nupps". Interjecting unkind words directed at nupps and self, between P's unkind words to self and new project: Candy cane socks.
gotta get more pics!
J finished a cowl (a shameless small project that took forever) and is a gift for someone.
P started a vest. A big bulky weight, multiple skein project. "Started" is the operative word.
J contines to resurrect her shawl (Europa) with various degrees of success with the "nupps". Interjecting unkind words directed at nupps and self, between P's unkind words to self and new project: Candy cane socks.
gotta get more pics!
Dates and datelines
Monday, October 11, 2010, 4 AM Pay no attention to blogger's date.
Time for…. Where in the world is ….
And what time is it?
Got up early this morning! Yes, early means I awoke in the middle of the night, and had thoughts running through my head. Thoughts that seem so brilliant that I have to share them with the world and if I don’t get up and sit in the bathroom (so I don’t disturb my roommate who is gently sawing wood) they will be lost forever.
Here it is early: 2:30 AM, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, pitch black, gently rocking back and forth, having sailed more than 6,000 Nautical Miles in 18 days. “Somewhere” is a misnomer since GPS says we are heading SSW just along the International Dateline. Most know-it-all geography buffs, me included, assume that until we cross that 180º meridian we are stuck lagging behind at the end of everyone’s day (throughout the entire world, in fact). In fact, if you bring up a map of Fiji, or much of the South Pacific, which I did not until it was printed for passengers in general, you’ll see that we are ahead of everyone. Suddenly! Instead of saying we are 8 hours behind you, we now have made up the time, and are 16-18 hours ahead of you! It’s Monday! And we are still W of 180º. Just when I thought I had it figured out.
We “lost” a day. For many days we’ve been setting our clocks back an hour at bedtime, making 25 hour days, and here we are, taking those gained hours and pretending they are a whole day without the day. Yesterday was Saturday, and today is… Monday, of course!
Have you looked at a map? Can you see that the Dateline isn’t always on the 180º meridian? That’s where we are. It has wreaked havoc on most passengers: Where did my day go? Am I paying for a non-existent day on this ship? If I keep going and don’t return via the dateline will I get younger? It’s my birthday that’s missing!
A few weeks ago I alluded to the fact that October 11 would disappear and my SIL would miss his birthday. Somehow, calendars were adjusted (I’m sure it’s the Canadians’ fault) and we skipped October 10 instead. Sometime in the night between October 9 and 10, we jumped a day to make it October 11! Birthday party is all planned for later today. Who’s attending? All of Juju’s friends and their parents. It’s called the exclusive club of “Fun Zone”, the play area onboard. We’ve commandeered part of (one of) the dining room(s) for dinner, cake and balloons. What do the Canadians have to do with it? I suspect that the Canadians were the loudest to complain about missing the 11th. It’s their Thanksgiving Day, and according to some, it’s downright unforgivable to skip it! Happy birthday, H!
Hey! I’m not missing another Sunday at home! Now if I could just figure out how to get paid for it…
ps: I have a couple of blog entries that I attempted with videos. No success. Sorry for the lapse.
Time for…. Where in the world is ….
And what time is it?
Got up early this morning! Yes, early means I awoke in the middle of the night, and had thoughts running through my head. Thoughts that seem so brilliant that I have to share them with the world and if I don’t get up and sit in the bathroom (so I don’t disturb my roommate who is gently sawing wood) they will be lost forever.
Here it is early: 2:30 AM, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, pitch black, gently rocking back and forth, having sailed more than 6,000 Nautical Miles in 18 days. “Somewhere” is a misnomer since GPS says we are heading SSW just along the International Dateline. Most know-it-all geography buffs, me included, assume that until we cross that 180º meridian we are stuck lagging behind at the end of everyone’s day (throughout the entire world, in fact). In fact, if you bring up a map of Fiji, or much of the South Pacific, which I did not until it was printed for passengers in general, you’ll see that we are ahead of everyone. Suddenly! Instead of saying we are 8 hours behind you, we now have made up the time, and are 16-18 hours ahead of you! It’s Monday! And we are still W of 180º. Just when I thought I had it figured out.
We “lost” a day. For many days we’ve been setting our clocks back an hour at bedtime, making 25 hour days, and here we are, taking those gained hours and pretending they are a whole day without the day. Yesterday was Saturday, and today is… Monday, of course!
Have you looked at a map? Can you see that the Dateline isn’t always on the 180º meridian? That’s where we are. It has wreaked havoc on most passengers: Where did my day go? Am I paying for a non-existent day on this ship? If I keep going and don’t return via the dateline will I get younger? It’s my birthday that’s missing!
A few weeks ago I alluded to the fact that October 11 would disappear and my SIL would miss his birthday. Somehow, calendars were adjusted (I’m sure it’s the Canadians’ fault) and we skipped October 10 instead. Sometime in the night between October 9 and 10, we jumped a day to make it October 11! Birthday party is all planned for later today. Who’s attending? All of Juju’s friends and their parents. It’s called the exclusive club of “Fun Zone”, the play area onboard. We’ve commandeered part of (one of) the dining room(s) for dinner, cake and balloons. What do the Canadians have to do with it? I suspect that the Canadians were the loudest to complain about missing the 11th. It’s their Thanksgiving Day, and according to some, it’s downright unforgivable to skip it! Happy birthday, H!
Hey! I’m not missing another Sunday at home! Now if I could just figure out how to get paid for it…
ps: I have a couple of blog entries that I attempted with videos. No success. Sorry for the lapse.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Tahiti
We parked here at the dock last night after traveling less than 25 miles from Moorea. Tahiti Moorea and Bora Bora are all Fr Polynesia. From the show South Pacific I should have known that Bali Hai was a mountain but I was duly impressed when we approached yesterday morning. Clouds catching the mountain tops made the rocking and pitching of the past 4 days to get here a distant memory. The pools inboard became raucous seas. Remember the stationary pool table on the Carribean ? Just like that only the water is trying to be stationary. I have another of my famous videos to show before and after but no promises when I'll get it posted.
Yesterday we found a tour to take us around the island of Moorea. It is the least developed of the three. We had fleeting sunshine and some liquid sunshine (as our guide said).
We had been closed out of tours offered by the ship so we located one at the dock. A wonderful native Tahitian young woman who offered to take our money and drive us to the bus tour that had just left. Looked like our best offer so we (P & I) jumped into a newer model jeep along with another couple and experienced island driving at its best! Our young woman driver tore out of the parking/dock area with Tahitian fire in her eyes and the sea of people opened up as if she was Moses! Once we hit the solitary paved road that rims the island she careened through gawking tourists, narrowly missing anyone who set foot on the pavement.
Yesterday we found a tour to take us around the island of Moorea. It is the least developed of the three. We had fleeting sunshine and some liquid sunshine (as our guide said).
We had been closed out of tours offered by the ship so we located one at the dock. A wonderful native Tahitian young woman who offered to take our money and drive us to the bus tour that had just left. Looked like our best offer so we (P & I) jumped into a newer model jeep along with another couple and experienced island driving at its best! Our young woman driver tore out of the parking/dock area with Tahitian fire in her eyes and the sea of people opened up as if she was Moses! Once we hit the solitary paved road that rims the island she careened through gawking tourists, narrowly missing anyone who set foot on the pavement.
Sent from my iPod
Sorry gotta go
Julia
Mr. Foster gets a "fitting"
 |
| first look at Moorea, Fr. Polynesia (Shiprock? No?) |
 |
| The travelers on Maui |
 |
| This outfit is finished, no picture yet. A proud sailor! |
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Tahiti before Tahiti
If you get to Oahu, Hawaii, you don't need to go any further... unless you WANT to! I want to, so I am currently just south of the equator heading for French Polynesia... three islands called Moorea, Papeete, and Bora Bora.
Earlier this week, I got my fill of island drumming, and am really looking forward to the sights, and the sounds not so much.
At the Polynesian Cultural Center, at the north shore of Oahu, just outside the gates of Brigham Young University-Hawaii, we visited the virtual worlds of all the Pacific Islands. Here's a taste of the HULA!
PS. I don't know what I'm doing when I download a video. I feel lucky that anything is showing on this page... bear with me while I learn...
PPS. Finished Mr. Foster's Sailor Outfit-- Hooray!
Earlier this week, I got my fill of island drumming, and am really looking forward to the sights, and the sounds not so much.
At the Polynesian Cultural Center, at the north shore of Oahu, just outside the gates of Brigham Young University-Hawaii, we visited the virtual worlds of all the Pacific Islands. Here's a taste of the HULA!
PPS. Finished Mr. Foster's Sailor Outfit-- Hooray!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
