Day 151 - Bride & Groom

Mr & Mrs - Cassels, Swanson

Today is the day that the youngest of our group (and the first of us) got married!  It was an absolutely beautiful day and the bride was just stunning.  I honestly can't describe how happy I am for my friend, and wish them both all the happiness and adventure in the next chapters of their lives together. 

Also, I hope they have fun on their honeymoon! wink wink!

And since I can't decide on the photos, if you want to see a few more of the day...

Day 150 - Pride & Joy

Pride & Joy - Sylvia Park

Firstly, these guys are awesome. The 2 guys manning the store were just brilliant. They spotted me trying to take sneaky photos of the shop (mainly because it's now in the way of my walk from the Train to the Bus and they have a cow!) and called me over and we chatted for awhile. They gave me a sample of their Hockey Pokey Ice-Cream and I must say was it amazing!

That leads to... Secondly! I highly recommend giving these guys a go. Their ice-cream is divine and their rewards card is pretty interesting.  So depending on how cold it is, the more clips you get! I thought that was brilliant.

They are also not just about Ice-Cream (although do go try their ice-cream!). Check them out here.

Day 149 - Migration at Sunset

Migration at Sunset - Sylvia Park, Auckland

Coming home from work and I hop off the train to find thousands of birds flying overhead.  All of them heading in the same direction, with some landing on buildings for a bit of a rest.

They were kind of heading north-east ish. Not sure where they were headed... But always amazing to see that many of them flying together.

Day 148 - Frosty Mornings

Those Frosty Mornings - Glen Innes, Auckland

And winter has come at last...

So, it turns out that today was one of the coldest May mornings in about 30 odd years. To be honest, I have no idea how cold it was, but there was still ice covering the grass when I was walking to work. So it must have been pretty cold!

I was incredibly layered up. As I do in the winter anyway! Plus, running up the steps to the train puts my heart rate up which in turn heats up my body.  So I didn't find it particularly cold, well colder than it had been certainly, but not outside the bounds of a standard winter day.

Day 147 - Morning Snuggles

Casanova so snuggley - Home

Another day at work, but first I hard to leave my bed where I was getting the warmest snuggles from this little man.

Since it's getting so cold, he has taken to sleeping snuggled up to us during the night and comes for cuddles in the morning as I'm about to leave.  He makes it very difficult to get to work on time.

Day 146 - Train Tracks

Train Tracks at Sunset - Glen Innes, Auckland

Waiting for the train to go home, and the sun was doing pretty things. I love sunsets.  Now I feel like going and having a romantic dinner with a nice sunset.

Except it is FREEZING! So maybe not.

Day 145 - Marley!

The Trouble Maker - Auckland

Miss Marley is getting bigger! And becoming far more troublesome!  I got called round on the weekend (supposedly to have lunch but I think there were other motives around us coming!)

It turns out she has started the dreaded faze of eating anything she can get her mouth around.  Shoes, soft toys, treats, blankets and worst of all, CABLES!

In particular she has eaten through the power cables to the internet modem. She clearly wasn't being properly supervised in my brothers room.  We've kindly brought round a new modem and hooked it up for them and they are back in business!  

And hopefully keep a better eye on this trouble maker.

Day 144 - Sophisticated Ladies

High Tea - Stamford Hotel, Auckland

Classy Ladies go to High Tea for the Hen's Parties! We did, of course, do the usual games, drinks and fun as well!

Started off with Pass the Cucumber, Toilet Paper Wedding Dresses, Play-Doh Cakes and a variation of pass-the-parcel.  Some nibbles and drinks and then off to High Tea.  I'd never been to a high tea before and I must say, despite how little there looked to eat, it was insanely filling!

Spent the afternoon relaxing and then off to town for the night!  Hope you had a blast Roxy and can't wait for the wedding next weekend x

And of course you need a shot of the bride in her hens night getup!

Day 143 - Dinner With Friends

Super Cute - Auckland

I went out to dinner with this lovely lady at Food Alley in town and I always forget how massive their meals are! Massive, but delicious! Plus the drinks are cheap.

It's been a little while since I hung out with this girl and it was well overdue!  Quick snaps on the way to the car post dinner.  

Need to work on my 'quick' snap settings! 

Day 142 - Nighttime Roundabouts

Light Trails and Greenery - Sylvia Park, Auckland

Post-Gym workout and waiting for the bus home. I actually really wanted a photo without any cars going through, but it was so busy every time I took a photo there was always at least one!

I decided to turn it into a light trail since they were getting in my way anyway. 

I think it turned out alright though!

Day 141 - Colourful Poles

Sylvia Park Shopping Centre - Mt Wellington, Auckland

I walk through this place every single day on my way to and from work.  It's a dangerous place to walk through, especially when you have no self control when it comes to shopping!

I've always wondered what these brightly coloured poles are all about, but I still haven't figured it out.  They make from a nice pop of colour though. 

Day 140 - Morning Walks

Mt Wellington Area - Auckland

This is my 'early' morning walk on the way to work.  I say early because I'd rather be sleeping still, haha.

I'm finally better (well enough that I'm going back to work anyway). Which is FANTASTIC! (I hate being sick)

I'm going to miss being able to walk to the train station when it gets all rainy and wet. I suppose I still could, but I'd rather not have to takeSo, I'll treasure this weather while it lasts.

Day 139 - What you doing?

Yes, I see you Kitty Cat! - Home

The BF (from now on known as M!) was chasing him around the backyard this afternoon and it was the funniest thing to watch.  Cas would sometimes get the fluffiest tail! I don't think he was afraid, mainly because he would start chasing after M and tapping him around the ankle and then running off again. So funny!

I couldn't get a good photo of them but this was him post-game watching M from the rockwall. 

Day 138 - Pallet Garden Progress

Making Progress! - Home

Look at my plants growing!! Even my capsicums are popping up now!

I've only just started on the second pallet, but there's already the start of some chives and lemongrass growing. I'm loving my little garden.

Day 137 - Tissues and illness

Tissues are a must right now - Home

I'm officially sick! I was sick yesterday, but it's now 10 times worse!

Basically, my day has been spent in front of the TV, snuggled into 2 duvets with a box of tissues and cups of tea. Which actually doesn't sound so bad... except for the cold!

I feel really bad, not just about being sick but also not being very helpful around the house today.  At least when the BF was sick a couple of days ago, he was being active and mostly kept the place clean...

If you ever read this, sorry for being so useless this weekend.  Will make it up to you I promise x

Day 136 - Teapots

Teapots and Fruity Tea - Home

My lovely glass teapot and my favourite fruit tea - Fruit Royale. Both from T2, although I'm not sure if you can still get this teapot...

I'm a little bit sick today, so am taking it easy, working from home and drinking some teas.

Day 135 - Runners

My Runners - Home

So yesterday I actually signed up to the gym at Sylvia Park - Configure Express!  I'm quite excited to be back at a gym, it will give me that incentive to get fit again!

Today I had my first session of Zumba ever, and it was one of the best classes I have ever done! To be fair, I haven't actually done many fitness classes before, but it was definitely amazing and the best start to a gym I have ever had.

The class was both intense and fun! The perfect mix of music, stretches, movement, exercise and instruction.  The lady who took it was really awesome too, she looked like she was having fun and put lots of energy into making it enjoyable for all of us.  Even when we fell out of time or got the giggles over some of the moves.

I'm definitely going to be back at this class on a regular basis!

Day 134 - Lil Rubber Friends

Rainbow Dash and Derpy - Work

These little fellows were in one of the Nerd Block Jrs that I have started getting for Miss A.  If you've never heard of them, check it out here.

I get the Nerd Block Jrs for Girls.  So far we have gotten some pretty neat stuff, and I've snuck a few things out of the boxes for myself.  Including these cute little rubbers (erasers) which now sit on my desk at work. 

I'm not entirely sure how long I'll keep a subscription for, probably until we stop getting things that Miss A still enjoys.  

Which considering how good they have been, might be awhile!

Day 133 - Fiona and Cake

Fiona and Cake Pop! Vinyls - Home

Fiona, the Human and Cake, the Cat! So after receiving Cas the other week I decided it was high time I got Cake to go with Fiona.  

It also helps that I received a $10 off voucher!!!

Day 132 - Miscellaneous Stuff

Miscellaneous Stuff - Home

So basically I was having a lazy day and couldn't think of what to take a photo of.  My fabric flowers from Ikea were sitting over some of my canvas' in the corner by my desk and it looked kinda do-able.

I could have tried to do a lot more with this, like re-adjust the cloth that was covering the first canvas so you couldn't see the tag, put a warm filter on it to make it kinda romantic or well actually tried to do anything.

For a lack of doing anything it doesn't look that bad though haha.  

Day 131 - Casanova the Conqueror

Casanova, the Conqueror of the backyard - Home

We've decided to let Mr Casanova to roam the outside world unsupervised.  He's taken to it like a fish to water! 

He's been exploring over the fence, along the fence, up the trees and running like a maniac along the grass behind the treeline. He watches and stalks the birds the fly by and lays about along the fence in the sun.

I'm still nervous about him being outside, mostly as Bengals are believed to roam further than a normal housecat. They are also well sought after cats and I worry that one day he just won't come home.  

But, he's been a lot happier since he's been allowed outside, so we will see how it goes.

Day 130 - Stingray Bay

Stingray Bay - Hahei

This is one of my favourite photos that I took from our day trip down to Cathedral Cove in Hahei.  Its about 2 and a bit hours out from Auckland on the Coromandel Peninsula. 

Absolutely beautiful out here, but be prepared for a bit of a hike.  If your not up for that, you can take a kayak from Hahei beach around the coast to the main 'attraction' which is the Cathedral Cove itself around the corner from where this photo was taken.

This part of the area is called Stingray Bay and is about 20mins from the main carpark entrance to the Marine Park.

I definitely want to come back some time soon.  

(Or head round the corner to Hot Water Beach! Its been a looong time since I was last there)

Day 129 - It's Game time!

Guildwars 2 - Home

I haven't been playing too many games recently and I decided I miss playing way too much!

It makes for a nice break from stress and work, so I'm going to start playing again.  Guildwars is a pretty awesome game.  Its got a neat storyline, quests, leveling up isn't difficult and there's many different places to explore!  Plus the world is constantly changing depending on what the players are doing.

It's a lot more fun if you have friends to play with, but unfortunately not many of mine do anymore.

So, if you play, let me know! I'm always happy to play with others, especially if we go explore some dungeons! 

Day 128 - Grow, Plants!

The BF's Passionfruit Plant - Home

This is my BF's passionfruit plant.  It was originally sitting in our kitchen and had managed to grow almost to the roof, so we decided to plant it into a pot with some supports and things for it to latch onto.

For some reason it was doing better in our kitchen then in the backyard, I'm thinking of moving it into a sunnier place. 

Any thoughts on what else we could do for it?

Day 127 - Castiel!!

Castiel - Home

My Castiel Pop! Vinyl finally arrived!!!!  I ordered this waaaaaay back in February as an 'early' birthday present to myself.

Unfortunately, the release date for it here in NZ got pushed back indefinitely.  I had no idea it was going to arrive until I got an email saying it was going to be dispatched, then a couple of hours later it arrived at the door!! (Not sure if the email was sent late or the delivery service is insanely good!)

Anyway, this is Cas, aka Castiel the Angel from the TV Series Supernatural, he's one of my favourite characters!  I highly recommend watching this show.  It's pretty well rounded between action, comedy, drama, romance and well supernatural stuff... Plus, the cast is just plain awesome.

Castiels actually the reason why our cats name is 'Cas'. I wasn't allowed to actually call him Castiel (apparently that's just ridiculous!) so I found a name (Casanova) that could still have the nickname 'Cas'!

Day 126 - Tiny piece of my workspace

The Workplace Saviour - Work

So, this is a tiny slice of the space I occupy 8-9hrs a day, 5 days a week.  I've been working extremely hard recently both in this space and the tinier space I occupy occasionally in Melbourne. 

My Doctor Who cup is often my saviour.  It allows me those few minutes to get up and leave my spreadsheets, filing and desk behind to make a lovely cup of tea and go harass my friend out in the warehouse!  Which is always fun!

Plus, it always puts a smile on my face and this song in my head when I look at it.

(Even though that song has nothing to do with the Symphonic Spectacular! It's just the first Doctor Who song that gets stuck in my head haha)

Day 125 - Cat Toy

Casanova's Favourite Toy - Home

This is Cas' most played with, eaten, carried and funniest toy in his world.  Miss A bought this toy for him at Christmas and since then he has (almost) never gotten sick of it!

This is one of those toys where you hold onto the long stick and shake it back and forth so that the string and the octopus bounce around in front of you.  The thing that gets him the most is the bell that's attached around its neck. He comes running at the sound of it and starts jumping after it like crazy.

He also makes the weirdest little half chirp, half meow noise when he plays with this toy! He's so adorable.

Recently, the little bell fell off from around its neck and so he lost interest in it for a while.  I fixed him up with a new bell and as soon as he heard it, he was chasing after it again!

Day 124 - Barbie Roadtrip

Barbies on the Road - Home

A couple of weeks ago I'd asked my mum if she still had any of my old barbie toys, cars, clothes etc.  While over the years I had lost many of the pieces I used to have, there was still a few that I could bring home for Miss A to play with.

This weekend she finally got to see all the 'new' toys she could play with! She spent most of the afternoon in the spare room upstairs playing with them and really enjoyed the two cars they came with.

I'm hoping to get some more clothes for the Barbies (the current ones are in a bit of a sad state!).  I had a look at the nearby store and they were $24 for 1 set of clothes and accessories!!! I'm definitely going to have to look around at other places.  I might have a look at Trademe or eBay this weekend and see what I can find.

Day 123 - Playtime at the Park

Pat me! - Cornwall Park, Auckland

We went to the BF's friends get together for his birthday at Cornwall Park and one of the guys brought along his two gorgeous little dogs!

They were so friendly and adorable! For the life of me, I can't recall what their names were.  

Below is both the dogs together.  I really wish I could take them home with me!!!

Mmmm, those pats!

Day 122 - Waiting at an Airport

Waiting for my flight home - Melbourne Airport

I feel like I'm starting to know everything in this airport really well.  Waiting patiently for my flight, so I can see my boys again x

Day 121 - 2 Brothers

2 Brothers Beer Brewery - Melbourne

Since during my last trip over we never made it down to the 2 Brothers Brewery for after work drinks, I managed to con everyone into coming this time! 

Once again, I didn't take my camera with me but managed to snap this quickly on my way out.  This place is pretty awesome.  The atmosphere is great, the pizza is delicious and the beer goes down oh so nicely.

Highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area.