Contrary to some reports in the media, the Finn Brothers proceeded with their concert tour here in London, following the death of former band member of Crowded House, Paul Hester on the weekend, in Melbourne.
Natalie and I were lucky to attend the Tuesday night concert. The concert was a tribute to the memory of their friend and the brothers informed the audience that they were enjoying the performances. I got the feeling that it was a welcome distraction from the media circus surrounding the event.
A couple of songs were particularly devoted to the memory of Paul or hispartner, Mardi and their children. There were some moving moments.
But it was not a night of solemn reflection for that is not what the audience came to see. Instead, we had essentially two hours of the Finn Brothers greatest hits spanning their careers from Split Ends (what they were known as originally in NZ before becoming Split Enz when they moved to Australia), through to Crowded House and the solo careers.
The brothers launched themselves around stage, defying their age (Neil is 46 and Tim is 52).
The finale was "It's Only Natural". But the audience was not going to let them go after only an hour and half, not when Nick Seymour, the third member of Crowded House had appeared on stage for the last 15 minutes.
The Finn Brothers are true entertainers and involved the audience in their performance, especially in the encore when the vibe noticeably picked up as the audience stood in their seats or rushed the front of the stage. The audience was encouraged to help with the singing of "Better be Home Soon" and the final and poignant "Weather with You".
A great gig. I wont be forgetting it anytime soon.
Incidently, the warm up artist was Bic Runga, a NZ native who has moved to London in the past year. Bic had a hit with "Sway" in 1997. Appearing unaccompanied, her music was appreciated by the audience which appeared to be mainly comprised of Aussies and Kiwis.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Ah Paris, the city of love
Natalie's and my trip to Paris over Easter was a lovely break from our London life.
I found Paris to be a pretty city, even though the trees had not woken fully from their winter slumber.
It is easy to move around Paris, with many places within walking distance of one another - and oh did we walk!
My only disappointment was that we didn't have enough time there to explore some of the touristy places a little better. There were huge queues for going into tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame towers. The Eiffel Tower queues were probably more than four hours long. I felt like walking up to people and telling them to "get a life". There is so much more to see in Paris and to waste your time on one place like that is ridiculous.
Natalie will post pictures soon.
I found Paris to be a pretty city, even though the trees had not woken fully from their winter slumber.
It is easy to move around Paris, with many places within walking distance of one another - and oh did we walk!
My only disappointment was that we didn't have enough time there to explore some of the touristy places a little better. There were huge queues for going into tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame towers. The Eiffel Tower queues were probably more than four hours long. I felt like walking up to people and telling them to "get a life". There is so much more to see in Paris and to waste your time on one place like that is ridiculous.
Natalie will post pictures soon.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Images from CeBIT
As promised, below are some images from CeBIT. Not everything, but they give you a taste.
I have included the good, the bad, and the questionable. I will let you decide which is which.
Without doubt, however, O2 had the best stand at the show in terms of looks.
And while many people tried gimmicks to draw in visitors to the stand, companies such as O2 and Mobilcom proved that great design and strong marketing are more effective.
I have included the good, the bad, and the questionable. I will let you decide which is which.
Without doubt, however, O2 had the best stand at the show in terms of looks.
And while many people tried gimmicks to draw in visitors to the stand, companies such as O2 and Mobilcom proved that great design and strong marketing are more effective.
The Finn Brothers
Following our trip to Paris this coming Easter weekend, we will be going to a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The Finn Brothers, who released their first album in eight years last August, will be performing some of their new stuff as well as some classics from Split Enz and Crowded House.
We will be seeing their Tuesday night performance (the second of three at the Royal Albert Hall).
Last time we went to the Royal Albert Hall, it was to see "Classical Spectacular" which proved a lot of fun. So we're looking forward to the performance!
Review to follow...
We will be seeing their Tuesday night performance (the second of three at the Royal Albert Hall).
Last time we went to the Royal Albert Hall, it was to see "Classical Spectacular" which proved a lot of fun. So we're looking forward to the performance!
Review to follow...
Monday, March 21, 2005
Photos
Well, it seems that the software we use to put our photos up on the blog is having a few problems...
Stay tuned for the latest photos once the software starts working again:)
Stay tuned for the latest photos once the software starts working again:)
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Sunny weather!
Well, finally! We have had some warm weather. Despite being around 7 degrees on Monday, by Friday the temperature had lifted above 20 degrees. And it has been sunny!
The sunny weather lured many an office worker outside for a long lunch outside, followed by a couple of drinks outside at the local pubs. On my way home from uni on Friday at around 2pm, I saw pubs fuller than on a Friday or Saturday night!
Luckily, the weather has held this weekend. So we decided to brighten up our flat with a new plant, and headed off to the local nursery to find one (see picture above). We were very happy with our purchase :)
After lunch, we packed some afternoon tea and some wine and walked to Regent's Park. The combination of sun, warmth, wine, cheese and hommous made for a very enjoyable afternoon. Hopefully we will have many more such outings in the near future!
In other news, I have finished my second term of uni, and will be studying hard for a second round of mock exams in early April. I also have my dissertation to write by May. So it should be a very busy few months.
We are also heading off to Paris over Easter for a 4-day holiday. We are looking forward to sampling to local cuisine (Peter is particularly looking forward to the coffee!) and hopefully, the weather will be nice to us. To be continued in due course...
Oh, one more thing: I am trying out a new hairstyle - straight hair. I have a new hair straightener and am learning to use it effectively. Now I just have to wait for my hair to grow a bit more :)
The sunny weather lured many an office worker outside for a long lunch outside, followed by a couple of drinks outside at the local pubs. On my way home from uni on Friday at around 2pm, I saw pubs fuller than on a Friday or Saturday night!
Luckily, the weather has held this weekend. So we decided to brighten up our flat with a new plant, and headed off to the local nursery to find one (see picture above). We were very happy with our purchase :)
After lunch, we packed some afternoon tea and some wine and walked to Regent's Park. The combination of sun, warmth, wine, cheese and hommous made for a very enjoyable afternoon. Hopefully we will have many more such outings in the near future!
In other news, I have finished my second term of uni, and will be studying hard for a second round of mock exams in early April. I also have my dissertation to write by May. So it should be a very busy few months.
We are also heading off to Paris over Easter for a 4-day holiday. We are looking forward to sampling to local cuisine (Peter is particularly looking forward to the coffee!) and hopefully, the weather will be nice to us. To be continued in due course...
Oh, one more thing: I am trying out a new hairstyle - straight hair. I have a new hair straightener and am learning to use it effectively. Now I just have to wait for my hair to grow a bit more :)
Thursday, March 17, 2005
CeBIT is Huge!
Yes, I know, for those in the technology industry the headline is not groundbreaking news, but it is true.
Walking from end of the fairground to the other to see all the exhibits, I must have spent 30 mins or more - and that was outdoors, not wandering the corridors of the halls themselves.
But what a show! Lots of new technology. Some of the consumer technology companies had some amazing looking flat screen displays for TVs, etc. There was also an abundance of other technologies.
I was a little disappointed with the focus of the show on German-language markets. In the past when I have heard about CeBIT, I was told of how it was a global trade show. And while that might be true in who exhibits, with companies from all parts of the world, it certainly seems like the majority of the audience and exhibitors were German or from central Europe.
So was it worth going? I think so. It was interesting to see how companies are marketing themselves at an event such as this, and I got some good ideas.
More soon.
Walking from end of the fairground to the other to see all the exhibits, I must have spent 30 mins or more - and that was outdoors, not wandering the corridors of the halls themselves.
But what a show! Lots of new technology. Some of the consumer technology companies had some amazing looking flat screen displays for TVs, etc. There was also an abundance of other technologies.
I was a little disappointed with the focus of the show on German-language markets. In the past when I have heard about CeBIT, I was told of how it was a global trade show. And while that might be true in who exhibits, with companies from all parts of the world, it certainly seems like the majority of the audience and exhibitors were German or from central Europe.
So was it worth going? I think so. It was interesting to see how companies are marketing themselves at an event such as this, and I got some good ideas.
More soon.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Visting Germany
The latest news: we went to Germany this weekend.
I (Natalie) booked this trip in January, because Peter wanted to visit Cebit (IT trade fair) in Hannover. We also thought we'd make a weekend of it, because Hannover is not very far from Bremen, the city that I spent a year in as an exchange student.
So, we had a very early start on Saturday morning. We made it to Hannover shortly after 9.00am, and then headed to Bremen by train. The Lampe family (good friends of mine in Bremen) picked us up from the train station. Unfortunately, the weather was not very friendly (I got blamed for taking the English weather to Germany), so Peter didn't get to see Bremen in its best light.
We had a delicious German lunch with the Lampes, before heading off to the city to have a guided tour of Bremen. We enjoyed hearing about Bremen's history from an indigenous Bremer, and had some lovely coffee (and hot chocolate) in a cafe to warm us up halfway through.
We visited the Schnoor (oldest part of Bremen) and saw some very old buildings and skinny streets. We also saw the famous Bremen town musicians (you can read their story here: http://www.brementownmusicians.com/en/textonly) ' you can see a picture of them above.
On Sunday, we went to my old church in Bremen with the Lampes (Peter enjoyed the English translation that they have at the church) and we caught up with some of my friends.
Sunday afternoon we went for a walk through a park in Bremen, and saw some animals there. It was very pretty and refreshing (about 5 degrees). We then had coffee and cake at home (typical German tradition).
Then it was off to Hannover, where we stayed in a hotel. I flew back to London on Monday morning, in time for classes, while Peter stayed in Hannover to visit Cebit.
More photos and a description of Peter's time at Cebit will follow soon....
I (Natalie) booked this trip in January, because Peter wanted to visit Cebit (IT trade fair) in Hannover. We also thought we'd make a weekend of it, because Hannover is not very far from Bremen, the city that I spent a year in as an exchange student.
So, we had a very early start on Saturday morning. We made it to Hannover shortly after 9.00am, and then headed to Bremen by train. The Lampe family (good friends of mine in Bremen) picked us up from the train station. Unfortunately, the weather was not very friendly (I got blamed for taking the English weather to Germany), so Peter didn't get to see Bremen in its best light.
We had a delicious German lunch with the Lampes, before heading off to the city to have a guided tour of Bremen. We enjoyed hearing about Bremen's history from an indigenous Bremer, and had some lovely coffee (and hot chocolate) in a cafe to warm us up halfway through.
We visited the Schnoor (oldest part of Bremen) and saw some very old buildings and skinny streets. We also saw the famous Bremen town musicians (you can read their story here: http://www.brementownmusicians.com/en/textonly) ' you can see a picture of them above.
On Sunday, we went to my old church in Bremen with the Lampes (Peter enjoyed the English translation that they have at the church) and we caught up with some of my friends.
Sunday afternoon we went for a walk through a park in Bremen, and saw some animals there. It was very pretty and refreshing (about 5 degrees). We then had coffee and cake at home (typical German tradition).
Then it was off to Hannover, where we stayed in a hotel. I flew back to London on Monday morning, in time for classes, while Peter stayed in Hannover to visit Cebit.
More photos and a description of Peter's time at Cebit will follow soon....
Thursday, March 10, 2005
The Dark Side of the Snow
From www.wired.com/news/furthermore
Snowball's Chance
02:00 AM Mar. 01, 2005 PT
What could be more wholesome than a good old-fashioned snowball fight? In Scotland, however, a romp in the snow turned lethal when a 10-year-old boy died after being crushed by a giant ball of snow that rolled down a hill and engulfed him. Said a local minister, "It seems there was a giant snowball the boys had made themselves. Apparently it rolled and unfortunately Peter was caught under it." Police have confirmed there was no foul play. "The boys had just gone out there to play and then something like this happens. It's very difficult to find words to explain it all,'' added the minister.-- Jenny McKeel
Snowball's Chance
02:00 AM Mar. 01, 2005 PT
What could be more wholesome than a good old-fashioned snowball fight? In Scotland, however, a romp in the snow turned lethal when a 10-year-old boy died after being crushed by a giant ball of snow that rolled down a hill and engulfed him. Said a local minister, "It seems there was a giant snowball the boys had made themselves. Apparently it rolled and unfortunately Peter was caught under it." Police have confirmed there was no foul play. "The boys had just gone out there to play and then something like this happens. It's very difficult to find words to explain it all,'' added the minister.-- Jenny McKeel
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Bremen & CeBIT
Natalie and I are heading to Bremen this weekend to visit some friends of hers.
On Monday, while Natalie comes back to London, I am visiting CeBIT, the world's largest IT trade show, held in Hannover each year.
While Natalie had everything booked back in January, when she phoned to confirm the accommodation this week with the Pensione (B&B) in Hannover yesterday, she was told that they no longer had a booking for her. Not impressed! Especially given that we are now less than a week from opening of the show. There is very little accommodation left in the entire city.
Thankfully, we have found something for the Sunday night and Natalie's friends are being very good to me on Monday night and putting me up.
I am looking forward to the show. There is alot to look at.
On Monday, while Natalie comes back to London, I am visiting CeBIT, the world's largest IT trade show, held in Hannover each year.
While Natalie had everything booked back in January, when she phoned to confirm the accommodation this week with the Pensione (B&B) in Hannover yesterday, she was told that they no longer had a booking for her. Not impressed! Especially given that we are now less than a week from opening of the show. There is very little accommodation left in the entire city.
Thankfully, we have found something for the Sunday night and Natalie's friends are being very good to me on Monday night and putting me up.
I am looking forward to the show. There is alot to look at.
Some small changes
I have made some small changes to the site.
One of the things we will be updating from time to time is what we are, or have been, reading - towards the bottom on the right. We hope to add other cool features over the coming months.
One of the things we will be updating from time to time is what we are, or have been, reading - towards the bottom on the right. We hope to add other cool features over the coming months.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
New Outfit
Peter received a surprise package in the mail today... A new hand-knitted jumper from Grandma Dodds!
You can see him sporting his beautiful new warm jumper in the photo above :) He's very impressed with the lovely pattern, colour and the smooth feel of the jumper, so thank you Grandma! I'm sure that the new jumper will get lots of use.
You can see him sporting his beautiful new warm jumper in the photo above :) He's very impressed with the lovely pattern, colour and the smooth feel of the jumper, so thank you Grandma! I'm sure that the new jumper will get lots of use.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Sick beds
For the last few days Natalie and I have been very ill. Natalie spent Friday, much of the weekend, Monday and Tuesday in bed. Yesterday she was back up and around a little. Today is the first time I have spent any siginificant time up (only a few hours) since Monday.
While we were both in bed very sick we were suffering from different mallodies - Natalie the flu, myself, a sinus infection and generally really run down. I collapsed into bed Monday night... literally.
But now we are on the mend, so there should be more blog activity here soon.
While we were both in bed very sick we were suffering from different mallodies - Natalie the flu, myself, a sinus infection and generally really run down. I collapsed into bed Monday night... literally.
But now we are on the mend, so there should be more blog activity here soon.
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