It's been a while..

Well it’s been a while since I updated anything on here. It’s been a busy, and also a quiet time for a few weeks here in Wellington.

I’ve not updated as the majority of things going on here have been related to supporting and helping a good friend as they went through a horrible messy court case with their ex.

It’s been up’s and downs, with the downs slightly outnumbering the up’s, as I would imagine is the norm in situations like this. Although I find it hard to see any normality in why people will use their own children as pawns and weapons against someone else, regardless of how acrimoniously their relationship ended.

In some ways it has made me thankful that I don’t have kids of my own.

I have nephews though, and a sworn duty to be their ‘idiot uncle’, and that’s good enough for me!

Anyway, it’s over now. The case was thrown out, and my friend is able to start breathing and living again.

I can’t begin to understand what they’ve been through over the last couple of years, but I’m glad that I could be here for them if only to offer what support I could or to be an amusing(?) distraction.

Not scooting around all the time has also given me time to kick back and reflect on a lot of things too. Time well spent.

As a Mr D.Adams put it “I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be”.

THE END.

(of that!)

I have managed to get out and about around the area in this time, the majority of the excursions have been scribbled about already on here, and I felt that I’ve put you through that once already…

I did discover a little gem of a place outside of Wellington called Carlucci Land.

Sat alongside Happy Valley Road (excellent road name!) and scattered across a hillside, is the most wonderful collection of ‘salvage’ art.

(If Tim Burton did attractions)

Sculptures and oddments constructed from scrap ships propellers, chains, tools and unidentifiable detritus. Cut, welded and imagined into the weird wonderful and quirky.

The best part for me though? Snaking through a section of the park is a lovely mini golf course. Mini golf as you may be aware, being the enlightened souls that I hope you are, is the only golf that I can consider fun.

‘Golf’ golf is not in the same league at all. Golf’ists’ seem to treat the game as either a way to grease their way up the corporate ladder, or as an escape from a mundane marriage, and on top of that have to make questionable fashion choices just to be allowed to play.

Retirees playing golf though? That’s ok; it keeps the pensioners off the streets and away from causing mayhem with drive by ‘tuttings’ and the such.

But mini golf? I can’t imagine anyone thinking they could impress a client while punting a small ball across astroturf, bouncing it into a clowns mouth to see if it will fall out of the aforementioned clowns bum hole into a different hole. Admittedly, if I were their client I would commend them on their thinking. Although if they then said that they always ‘thought outside of the box’ or some such buzz phrase.. I would then have to bludgeon them with the putter.

Carlucci land alas doesn’t have a pooping clown obstacle, but it does have a fun collection of Heath Robinson-esque contraptions to amuse and frustrate in equal measure.

Playing around (Playing ‘a’ round = Golf…. ‘Playing around’ = mini golf. SEE!) was as childish as I hoped it would be, with Marc and myself instantly dropping into abusing each others prowess with a putter, and while waiting for the next hole to be free we busied ourselves with finding more little welded people dotted around the course.

I could only have been happier had they had a bar and waitress service to the tee!

Wellington has a lot to offer, I dig this little city as I’ve said before, and as the weather is warming by the day, there will be more and more to do, and then the South Island will call…. It will…. I’m sure.

On the subject of the weather, I’m still getting a tad freaked out simply by walking around in boardies and a T-shirt while shops pump Christmas tunes into the street.

Yes yes, I know it’s nearly Christmas, but I’m not sure how to deal with Crimbo in the sun. I’m English dammit!

I’m used to drizzle, cold and fog for this time of year. I can’t say it’s a struggle to put up with, just odd, but I’ll try my best to get by.

At least that’s what I was thinking as I swam in the bay this afternoon…. in December…

Nope, it still feels weird, maybe wearing a Santa hat would help?

Maybe tomorrow….