Milan

Milan is an amazing city, though perhaps not the prettiest. The old part is beautiful and full of baroque and gothic buildings, but the majority of the city is fairly industrial looking. I went absolutely art-mad while I was there. I was positively saturated in art, you might say.
I pre-booked to see The Last Supper, which is necessary. I booked two weeks in advance and I still only just got in, as I got an 8:45am slot. The Last Supper is actually in what was the eating hall of a monastery attached to the Santa Maria Della Grazia. Really, it’s not until you actually see The Last Supper in person that you can truly appreciate the genius of Da Vinci, as it was painted to be viewed from the back of that room. The room is lit by two windows to the side of the painting, and he has painted it, to look as though the scene is lit by these windows - if you look closely at it, you will see that the left side is darker than the right side. He has also painted it to look as if Jesus and the Apostles are seated in a continuation of the room, like a trompe l’oeil.

From there I went to the Sforcezco Castle, the Duomo, the Basilica di Ambrogio shopping centre (home to Versace, Prada etc) which is possibly the loveliest shopping centre I have ever seen (and I have been to a lot in my lifetime, being a dedicated shopper). It was very posh and of course, priced way out of my league. I popped into La Scala, Milan's famous theatre, which is utterly gorgeous and glamorous. There was something rather dull on though (can't remember what though...) so I didn't go to a performance.

From there I went to the Pinoteca di Brera and saw more scenes of the annunciation than are perhaps strictly necessary, and the same amount of Madonna holding baby Jesus statues. The Brera is home to many great masterpieces though, by Raphael and Carravagio and is well worth the visit. Even the building itself is a work of art, a really lovely old Piazza.

The best bits of Milan are to be found off the beaten track, like most cities. You'll be walking down some scody little street and come across some store for a famous designer standing out amongst the other shops like a peacock amongst the pigeons, or some shop selling bits of glass for a mere few thousand euros. This is also where you will find other delights like the best gelato. I know cause I ate some. My lips are sealed as to it's exact location. Such things must be kept a secret.

Noel Gallagher Concert

Last night I went with Yvonne to the Noel Gallagher concert at the Royal Albert Hall. It was a fundraiser for Teenage Cancer Trust. What an awesome night!

Yvonne works for an accounting firm that handle the accounts for pretty much anyone who is big in the music industry. She does the accounts for Oasis, which is how she got us tickets - and we got to go backstage for the afterparty!!! Am I lucky or what!

We saw Shack, The View and Noel. Shack were pretty cool - they are on Noel's record label, which is why they are head-lining for him. They're quite mellow and kept busting out Zorro-esque spanish melodies in the middle of their songs. The View were great, and have earned themselves a new fan. They sing the song "Same Jeans" for those of you who don't know them. I don't know if they've hit NZ charts yet. They are really young, and their songs are very upbeat. They did this great song called Claudia, written by the lead singer, about how he felt at one with her, and she understood his feelings etc. It's really good love song. Only the song happens to be about his sister's dog!

Noel was amazing. It was all acoustic, and he did the Robert Palmer thing and had a line-up of beautiful women behind him playing violins and cellos. I've been a long-time fan of Oasis since their Supersonic days, and despite the often arrogant posturings of the Gallagher brothers, there's no denying the man has talent. He's not as good a vocalist as Liam, but he still has a strong voice, and knows how to command an audience. And he is a legend on the guitar.

I was also transfixed by his eyebrows. They really do look like Bert's from Sesame St...

Paul Weller was a surprise guest, and he and Noel did a rocking version of The Beatles "All You Need is Love". It really doesn't get much better than sitting in a packed out Royal Albert Hall singing along with Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller!

Noel played a lot of his new stuff, and also the good Oasis hits like Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger. He had the crowd on their feet, and did two encores. We got to venture backstage into the labyrinth of the concert hall for the after party, so that was exciting too. Paul Weller even brushed past me in the corridor! I may never wash that jacket again :- ) Big thanks to Yvonne are in order, for letting me tag along.

Animals At War

I went to the Animals at War exhibit at the Imperial War Museum. It was excellent. Of course, being completely potty about animals, I went around the exhibit in tears! It looked at all the animals that have been used in warfare – like horses, dogs, pigeons, and even rats, pigs, camels, elephants and dolphins.

It was actually really fascinating – giant rats are used to sniff for mines. They have a much more acute sense of smell than dogs and cost a third of what it costs to train a dog. The cutest bit was a letter to Lord Kitchener from 3 children begging him to spare their pony from war service. He even wrote back to them, assuring them that he would!

They had lots of ‘decorated’ pigeons that carried messages in the world wars. My favourite dog was the one that some how followed his master to a French battlefield after he was shipped out from England. No one knows how that dog crossed the channel, but the story is verified as true by the RSPCA. Also, very moving are the accounts of people who gave up their dogs for service. Bob was lent to the US Army by his family, and received loads of medals. He was used to parachute out of planes – because he could parachute silently – and would round up the men on night jumps. Even ship cats were decorated – they were vital to stopping rats and mice from contaminating food supplies.

They also had stuff on the effect that war has on domestic animals. During the blitz, thousands of animals were injured and lost. The British govt had registers and issued posters for people to put up on their properties in case they were bombed, to alert the rescue teams about the number of people who were living there – on it there was also room to put whether you had a cat or a dog, and where their bed was located.

Mostly, I think what I liked the best was the accounts of how the animals just boosted the morale of the soldiers. A dog, Jennie, kept up the spirits of men in a Japanese POW camp, and there was a great picture of a ship’s mascot – a tiny kitten – reclining in a specially made hammock, with a big smirk on his face.

B-I-N-G-O!

On Saturday night Fiona, Neil, Mindy, Roy, Nikki, Jackie and I had a quintessentially British experience - we went to MeccaBingo down Kilburn High St. I've always wanted to go as it's such a British obssession and rather naff, a bit like Butlins Holiday camps.

It was great fun, and we all got really into it. I can see why people get addicted! We had a great laugh, but it was also rather sad and tragic, as there were loads of 'regulars' and people there by themselves. We all shared books so it was only about 6 quid each. Most of the people there looked to be on the poor side of the wealth scale and I hate to think of them gambling away pensions and savings. Gambling is insidious like that, it gives people an escape and hope. On the bright side, the building is absolutely gorgeous - it's an old vaudeville thatre and it's a crime that it is now a Bingo Hall.

Leanne: The Squirrel Whisperer

Lee and I went squirrel-seeking the other day. She has a hidden talent as a squirrel whisperer as you can see by these photos...

Richmond

Here's a couple of snaps of the Thames riverbank at Richmond. Richmond is a terribly posh suburb on the outskirts of London. It's great for shopping, and has a good farmer's market.

Well, I haven't updated this for ages so I'd better get up to speed with all the stuff I've done lately. This year started off well with a small soiree at NZ House, where we had prime seats for the fireworks display.

One of the best nights out I've had lately was for Fiona's birthday in January. We went to the 'singalong' Sound of Music. I've never seen so many dodgy-looking nuns in all my life!(Except maybe the time Ariane, Sophie and co dressed up as nuns...I myself was Marie Antoinette) There were people dressed in curtains, brown-paper packages tied up with string, bees (when the bee stings..), Captain Von Trapps, and of course, Marias. It was hosted by a drag queen, who went through our bag of props and gave us instructions as to what to do at the appropriate moment in the film. I never realised that the opening sequence of the Austrian alps was 4 mins long, but the time whizzed by as we made lots of barnyard noises!

Around my workplace

I went walkies the other day and took a few pictures of the Pall Mall/Whitehall area around NZ House. I am not tired of this place yet! There are so many gorgeous buildings, it's quite uplifting going for walks at lunchtime, althoughI'm looking forward to summer so we can have lunches in St James Park again.


The lovely Canadian Embassy















The Ugly New Zealand High Commission



Left: Navigation Below: The Admiralty Arch

The Somme

On September 15 I got to attend the 90th Anniversary Memorial Service of the Battle of the Somme in Longueval, France. That date was chosen as it was the date that the first New Zealand battalions joined the battle. The push they made that day only covered a few miles, but it was the largest amount of ground covered by any group of soldiers throughout the battle.

I got to go as a representative for DIA, and Ariane came along as a groupie. It was a long journey in a mini-van, but it was made up for by going through the chunnel (they loaded us onto the train in our van - that was weird, sitting in a van on a train!) and the service itself.

The Somme was literally a bloodbath, but today the memorial to our fallen soldiers is a beautiful patch of green in the middle of open fields, just down the road from the tiny village of Longueval. Amongst the attendees at the service was the NZ ambassador to France, the Australian, Indian, German and South African ambassadors to France, the head of the French Defence and his aides, and the Mayor of Longueval.

First, four NZ soldiers dressed in WWI uniform took up watch at end corner of the memorial. Local Veterans led the procession and a unit from the French Army provided the brass band. The procession was greeted by Jodie who sang a traditional Karakia and then we listened to (on cd) Kiri Te Kanawa singing Poi Kare Kare Ana. By now there wasn't a dry eye.

Many speeches were made, and schoolchildren from France and NZ laid flowers. One of the children read a letter from a NZ soldier who had fought at the Somme which described, in typical laid-back kiwi style, how horrific the fighting had been. He was still positive and ended the letter remarking how he couldn't wait to get back into the fray to help his friends. He was killed in battle not long after. (More tears from Angela.)

We were invited back to the Town Hall where the whole town had turned out, and we got to sample many delicious french tid-bits. Ariane provided my entertainment. On the bus with us was Major Steve Guerney and his lovely wife who had just arrived from NZ. It was their first visit to Europe so they wanted to stay on in France and go directly from the service to Paris. We got talking to the Head Advisor of the French Defence Force - who was absolutely charming - and when Ariane found he was headed back to Paris that night promptly asked him if he could give Steve and his wife a ride! He wasn't able to, but he was so gracious he found out about possible trains for them. And people say the French are rude...

It was a moving service and I was surprised at how well attended it was by Kiwis who were travelling in the area.

Open House London

On September 16-17 London had it's "Open House" weekend where buildings all over London open their doors for the public to come along and view them for free. Many are buildings that would not not normally be accessible to the public (as they are secure workplaces) or cost an admission price. There are so many different buildings that it was very overwhelming to choose what to see. In the end we left the organising of our 'itinerary' to Fiona, whose boring job left her with time on her hands. She was also our official photographer, so cheers for the pics Fi!

You have to be super-organised for this event as most of the popular buildings (like the Gherkin) require booking in advance. You can see things like Jimi Hendrix's house, kindergartens, synagogues, offices, stately homes - all kinds of architecture.

Cameron joined Fiona and I on the first day. Our first stop was The Foreign Office in Whitehall which is just gorgeous. It was made to impress dignitaries and has had many a grand soiree in its time. It has an impressive covered courtyard, a great hall (above) which has been restored, and a grand marble staircase (below). The restoration of the hall was amazing - in the 70's someone obviously decided 'hey, all that gorgeous decoration is a bit naff, so let's wallpaper over it with plain beige...' Yeah, good one. Naturally the colours and details are done justice in the pictures, but believe me, the 3 of us were walking around gob-smacked. Fiona is scheming to get a job there, so she can move into a broom cupboard and live there. Stay tuned.

It also provided Cameron and I endless silly photo opportunities (below).

We also looked in next door at the Treasury (too bad the mint wasn't open) which has an impressive open circular courtyard, and we tried to get into the HorseGuards in Westminster, but the queue was waaay too long. So we settled for harrassing the Guards instead.
The next day Fiona and I were joined by Yvonne (also a fabulous Kiwi, from Tauranga), and we headed off to explore the 'city' area around Bank. Our first stop was Victoria House where we got to see the amazing Art Deco ballroom and bar in the basement.


Yvonne and I in Victoria House - Art Deco Bar

The bar has been recently refurbished so it's modern art deco, and it's very stylish. If we all get rich, that's where we will hold our parties.

After that it was off to The Guildhall (above) - apart from being a functioning guildhall, it is also home to an art gallery and the remains of a roman coliseum. It was long thought that London must have had a coliseum during Roman rule, and it was recently uncovered under the Guildhall when they went to renovate the basement. Quite an apt spot for it. The Guildhall is also home to London's clock museum (who knew, eh?!).

We then went off to Fleet Street to see the Hollywood-glitz of the foyer of the Daily Express building. It is a glittering example of art deco. You may infer that I am a fan. I'm so pleased we got to see it, as it's the sort of place you'd never go into normally.

We rounded that off with a visit to the Cheshire Cheese pub down the road (revamped in 1667! ), a favourite haunt of Dickens. It's a funny old pub, with lots of gloomy little rooms. And lots of hot barmen!

Guernsey

I've just returned from 3 days on the beautiful island of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. The Channel Islands are part of Britain, but are very proud of their independence. They use British pounds but have their own notes and coins, and use a different system of governance. The Channel Islands are of particular interest to me, being a history buff, as they were the only British territory to be occupied by the Germans during WWII.


I stayed at the picturesque Auberge Du Val, a B&B that I would recommend to anyone. It's run by a mad Italian called Fernando, who would gladly walk upon hot coals to accomodate the whims of his guests. It's set in a peaceful valley in St Saviours, and has beautiful gardens complete with a babbling brook running through it. After bustling London, I thought I was in Paradise!



Guernsey is very beautiful - and in the words of Fiona "is like NZ but with English houses". The beaches are great, and the fusion between French and English influences is evident everywhere, especially in the architecture. It's full of stone cottages, cobbled streets and narrow country lanes - just the thing for a relaxing time. They have an excellent bus system in summer for an island of 22,000 people. I went around the entire island for a mere 60p. I was, as always outside of London, struck by the friendliness of the locals and the good service (in London retail staff will seldom stop chatting with each other to serve you). If you want to live there though, you'd better be plenty rich. Non Islanders pay exorbitantly more to rent and buy property. A one bedroom flat here would set you back around £200,000.

It's very hilly, like Wellington, and most people walk everywhere, so I certainly got plenty of exercise. I went to Castle Cornet, which is situated at the mouth of the harbour which was first built in the 13th C, and was home to the Royal Guernsey Militia up until recent years. They still fire off the Noon Day Gun. The shops are really cool and generally swanky and upmarket, but there's a great cafe vibe to St Peter Port, the island's capital. I rate the Victorian Parlour highly - nice aniseed lollies.






The Guernsey Museum is also amazingly good and was quite informative about the history of the island and it's more famous residents. Victor Hugo was exiled there and was where he penned 'Les Miserables' which I still refuse to read as I love the musical so much...







I visited loads of places, the details of which I won't bore you with - visit for yourself! But the best places were the German Occupation Museum and the La Valette Military Museum. As I mentioned, Guernsey was occupied by the Nazis during WWII and as such, was left with a plethora of WWII memorabilia when they surrendered, so the collections of both museums are vast and fascinating. You name it, they have it. Nazi uniforms, guns, artillery, underground bunkers, propaganda, cutlery, stationery, souvenirs carved by the soldiers etc.

They are both surprisingly pretty unbiased - not really portraying the Germans as Nazi monsters nor overly glamorising the resistance of the Islanders. For instance, you can see a poster warning the soldiers not to touch or damage the historical artifacts in the town hall in any way, and many of the school children reported that the soldiers were very kind to them as they missed their own kids. For me it is the stories of the Islanders themselves that are of most interest, as they were placed in a unique situation as British citizens. Any form of resistance could have severe reprisals (one woman was sent to prison for months in Germany for answering a 'Heil Hitler' with a 'Heil Churchill'), and Guernseymen were executed as examples to others, but at the same time, any cooperation with the Germans was viewed harshly by most of the Islanders and to be labelled a collaborator would have been a harsh fate in such a tight-knit community.

Kiwis and Canadians are very welcome to Guernsey. At the end of 1944 the whole island (including the Germans) were in danger of starving and they appealed to the Red Cross for help. Just before Christmas the SS Vega made the risky journey to St Peter Port carrying parcels of food from NZ and Canada which probably did save the lives of many people. The local schoolchildren made it their mission to find out as much as they could about the countries that these 'parcels of providence' had come from, and their letters of thanks to our respective governments are very funny and touching. The chocolate seemed to be a recurring theme...


Anyway, Guernsey is lovely and I'm keen to visit Jersey now. Stay tuned.

Last Night of the Proms

On the 9th of September I went with my mate Debbie (and 50,000 of our close pals) to Hyde Park to see the Last Night of the Proms in Hyde Park. It was so much fun and highly recommended for us foreigners in search of 'British experiences'. Basically it's a big concert with a mix of classical and modern music, that hooks up live with the actual last night of the Proms held down the road in the Royal Albert Hall (it has a waiting list of years).

Debbie and her housemates got there at 3pm to get a decent spot when the gates opened at 4pm. There were queues for Africa. Most people were super-organised with picnics and deck chairs (I'll know what to do next time!) and many people seemed to use the event for big family reunions. It was actually really nice to see so many families. We had a family next to us - one kid sporting a 'Lionel Ritchie Fan Club' t-shirt - and they had the time of their lives. They sang and danced and joked around with each other all night.





A 'Madness' tribute band kicked off the pre-entertainment, followed by Chas and Dave, who some of you may remember, and the X-Factor reject, Chico. I predict his new single 'C-h-i-c-o' (a rip-off of the song 'D-I-S-C-O') will not exactly burn up the charts. But I greatly admire his knack for self-promotion. And his spelling prowess.





The official show was hosted by Sir Terry Wogan, and featured Angela Gherghiou, the impossibly gorgeous 'Vittorio', Alison Balsam (arguably the best trumpeter in the world), Carl Davis and the BBC Orchestra, and the headline act was Lionel Ritchie. Now, I like Lionel. I would not be seen dead wearing his fan club t-shirt of course, but let me tell you, the man can sing and work the stage! From the moment he stepped out on the stage he had the crowd on their feet dancing and singing their lungs out to 'Dancing on the Ceiling' and many of his other hits. Hyde Park then was hooked up live with Albert Hall and other proms in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, Swansea, Manchester and Wales for the traditional Proms bit where the stiff-upper-lips brits go silly and sing songs like 'Land of Hope and Glory', Jerusalem' and 'Rule Britannia' and wave the union Jack around. I sang myself hoarse. It was an absolutely brilliant night!

Recent Wanderings

A couple of weeks ago I went out to Stonehenge and Salisbury for the day. Stonehenge is a lot smaller than I expected, but I think it looses much of its impact by the fact that you aren't allowed close up to the stones - all thanks to past visitors taking bits as mementos. Plus they are covered in all kinds of rare lichen which get damaged by greasy human fingers touching them.

Disappointingly I was not overcome with feelings of mysticism or 'vibes'. It was a stinking hot day, there were screeds of tourists, and I was admittedly concerned about whether we would have time to fit in watching the (ill-fated) England vs. Portugal game. On a less busy day I think it would be cool to drive up and see Stonehenge looming up on the hill in the middle of nowhere (apparently it used to be surrounded by forest).




Salisbury itself is lovely - there is a great weekend market, and there are loads of nice pubs and cafes alongside the river canal.


















Salisbury Cathedral is amazing - even when half covered in scaffolding. It's home to the best version of the Magna Carta, kept in the Chapter House. Now for those of you who have been to Washington DC or who have seen the movie "National Treasure", you will know how guarded and well protected the Declaration of Independence is, in the USA. Well, the poor old Magna Carta is in some shoddy display case that looks like it was whacked together in the days before the personal computer. You almost stumble over it, rather than it beingmade a big deal of - very strange for a founding document. Even the Treaty of Waitangi has a far worthier display. The statue of the photo is of the 'Black Lady', the ghost who has been seen many times in the grounds.

I also went to St Thomas' church and saw the Doom painting. No one is sure who painted it, but it gives quite a powerful image to what happens to the saints and sinners amongst us!