hi.

two things.

1) i added a few more photos over there on the right of your screen...

2) i was just wondering who actually read this these days... so, if you are reading this, would you mind leaving me a comment?

thanks!

hello.

todays entry shall be named "today i have a cold".

why? because (duhnduhnduhnnn) today i have a cold. sad but true. not a bad cold mind you, but bad enough to make me want to wear my bathrobe over my clothes for extra warmth and comfort.

i love my bathrobe. rachel and i were given them as christmas presents years ago... fluffy and white and made of thick towelling. its an item of clothing i wear every single day when im at home, and the only item of clothing i cant take with me overseas because it would take up half my suitcase! so its lucky i didnt have a cold when i was overseas or i would have felt decidedly homesick for my robe.

auckland continues to impress me with its "four seasons in one day" attitude. lets take today for example. there i am, lying on my bed, and i look out my window and its raining and grey as far as my window lets me see. then i happen to glance up and look out my skylight above me - and its all bright blue sky. an interesting phenomena indeed.

the job hunt has so far been unsuccessful. i suppose its a bit tricky when i only want to have work until the end of the year. so ive decided to try going through a temp agency. that way i can get contract and temporary work instead of trying to get a fulltime permanent position - that i know i will have to leave. so tomorrow im having an interview and doing some tests (word and excel) for an agency. then hopefully they can find me work. this is the plan. hopefully i wont have to blow my nose too many times during the typing test as this will slow me down. heh heh.

its odd being home and having some of my closest friends scattered across the globe instead of on the same street as me, like when i was a kid... naomi is in london, frank is in turkey, sandra and eric are in ottawa, karin is in peru, benn is in melbourne, brenda is in nelson, stella and aashish are in wellington... and i miss you guys a lot! but i am going to make a huge statement that i plan to see all of you at some point within the next two years.

have run out of tissues so must go in search of another box. from stephens room perhaps. heh heh heh.

in retrospect i suppose this entry should in fact be called "today i have a cold and other stories".

so here i am. back in auckland and last night i was finally able to watch the all blacks win over the lions in the last test, despite the linesman making bad judgement calls...

but lets return to canada for a moment:

friday 24th june: alex, jackie, eric and i begin our roadtrip out east (see map). highlight - making up a camping song to "i will survive" on the streets of quebec city.

saturday 25th june: to gaspe peninsula we drove, the last 40km being on a gravel road that allowed for a 5 moose and 1 white-tail deer spotting within half an hour of each other. we are higher up in the mountains here so its colder in the evenings.

sunday 26th june: we climbed mount Jacques Cartier (1268m) which was an incredible climb leading to an incredible view! a bus dropped us off about 800m up and we hiked the rest of the way, up out of the treeline and into a tundra environment with patches of snow still left from the winter. didnt see any caribou (there are only about 160 left in the park) but did see their tracks and droppings.

monday 27th june: drove to perce rock for a wander out to the famous stack and arch and then onwards to forillon national park right on the edge of the gulf of the st laurence. such a luxurious feeling at the ocean - the crashing of the waves, the breath of the wind, the galaxy looking down upon us.

tuesday 28th june: eric and i spent the day exploring the beach, and making seal figures out of stones. it was very hot but the water was so frigidly ridiculously cold that my foot automatically started getting hypothermia once submerged.

wednesday 29th june: spent the morning sea kayaking with seals, and the afternoon hiking the forests. saw whales out at sea, braved the ocean for a very very quick splash and then as eric and i ate fish and chips, alex and jackie proceeded to amuse us with the delicacies of eating lobster...

thursday 30th june: awoke at 4am to see the sunrise over the ocean, the lobster boat the only other soul up and about at such an hour. and then the 14.5 hour drive back to ottawa commenced, with me driving for over 4 hours! :) yay! and now i feel comfortable being on that side of the car and road!! highlight - stopping in montreal for dinner at this giant orange ball that served us burgers and fries. a place where girls get dressed up, guys show off their cars, and the music is pumping... reminded me of scenes from grease!

the rest of my time in canada was spent in ottawa and up at erics cottage. then i boarded a plane and came home, via atlanta, los angeles and tahiti.

eeeek, much to say and no time to write. i leave tomorrow for the big trek home to auckland. so the recap of my last week or so will have to happen once i land back on southern soil (soggy soil from the sounds of it too!)... but for those too eager and wanting a little insight into the happenings, heres a v quick list of some things:

- saw five moose on one road within half an hour of each other.
- saw three different types of whales from the shore.
- got up at 4am to see the sunrise over the gulf of the st laurence.
- hiked kilometres across gapse bay penisula including going up a v tall mountain that goes up past the treeline into tundra.
- i drove for about four hours on the other side of the road and now feel v comfortable doing this.
- saw biggest daddy black bear ive ever seen, towering above me with a curious demeanour.
- watched fireworks here in ottawa for canada day.
- sunny sunny sunny everywhere here!

see you in auckland!!