Hooray for Holidays!

I’ve been a little bit busy lately.

Busy planning a holiday.

Where, you ask?

This might give you a hint:

I’m going to New Zealand! Woohoo!

You know, Lord of the Rings country, and all that…

All expenses paid, no less. My mother has just emerged from a 3 year relationship and one of her funny little “end-of-the relationship” quirks, is that she likes to go on holiday…. and I reap all the benefits! Muahahaha!

The flights are free, thanks to the QANTAS Frequent Flyer programme, and all my accomodation and car hire is paid for. For 9 days. Not bad, huh?

We’re doing a self-drive trip around the South Island, which is mostly Alpine landscape and made up of lovely things like this:

Fox Glacier

The only downside (possibly apart from spending 9 days in planes and cars with my mother, which is fraught with potential disaster in itself), is that we have to catch no less than SEVEN connecting flights in total, there and back. Crikey Moses.

I think it will be worth it.

All the planning and itinerary is up to me, as I’m quite good at that kind of thing, so I’ve been scouring the intertubes and holiday brochures for ideas. I think I’ve got it sorted. I’m talking scenic flights, sailing down the fjord (otherwise known as Milford Sound) and getting up close and personal with glaciers. Not to mention the jetboats…

Less the flying time, we’ll have 6 nights to cover the South Island. I think we can just about do it.

Being a bit of a photography nut, I’m so excited about the potential for lovely images, I can’t even tell you.

So, there will be a lot of this:

And possibly not so much of this:

Or, this…

Meaning, obviously, that I won’t be flinging myself across ravines. Although if anyone is kind enough to provide me with a lovely photo opporunity, I’ll be ever so grateful.

We’re flying out on October 16. I can’t wait.

Get ready for copious numbers of highly self indulgent, yet beautiful photographs.

In the words of the immortal Big Kev, “I’m excited!!”

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Finally, as per usual, here is a list of my successful and glorious music downloads in the past couple of weeks. Yay! :

Siouxsie and the Banshees – Venus in Furs
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Peek-A-Boo
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Spellbound
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Arabian Nights
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Christine
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Dear Prudence
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Cities in Dust
The Streets – Let’s Push Things Forward
Junior Marvin & Lee Scratch Perry – Police and Thieves
Willy Mason – Oxygen
Townes Van Zandt – Dead Flowers
Antony and the Johnsons – The Atrocities
Antony and the Johnsons – Man is the Baby
Graham Coxon – Standing On My Own Again
Graham Coxon – You & I
Paul Weller & Graham Coxon – This Old Town
Amanda Ghost – Bad Girl
Amanda Ghost – Idol
Sufjan Stevens – The Seer’s Tower
Sufjan Stevens – The Dress Looks Nice On You
Sufjan Stevens – To Be Alone with You
Sufjan Stevens – Super WomanSufjan Stevens – Size Too Small
Sufjan Stevens – Jacksonville
Sufjan Stevens – John Wayne Gacy Jr
Sufjan Stevens – For the Widows in Paradise
Sufjan Stevens – The World’s Columbian Exposition Part II
Sufjan Stevens – Chicago
Sufjan Stevens – Casimir Pulaski Day
Sufjan Stevens – A Good Man is Hard to Find
Stereolab – Ping Pong
Jackson Browne – You Love the Thunder
Joseph Arthur – Honey and the Moon
Syd Barrett – Baby Lemonade
Tim Buckley – Once I Was
Tim Buckley – Dolphins
Art Brut – Emily Kane
Art Brut – Moving to LA
Art Brut – Formed A Band
The Breeders – Safari
Mogwai – Stanley Kubrick
The (English) Beat – Mirror in the Bathroom
Battles – Atlas
The Go-Betweens – Lee Remick
The Klaxons – It’s Not Over Yet
My Bloody Valentine – Off Your Face
Silversun Pickups – Lazy Eye
The Church – Reptile
The Cult – American Horse
The Libertines – Time For Heroes
Bob Marley – Hammer
Sia – Breathe Me
Mazzy Star – Blue Light
Alice In Chains – Man in the Box
Black Flag – Rise Above
Nine Inch Nails – Wish
Rammstein – Das Modell
Smashing Pumpkins – Tarantula
The Good, The Bad & The Queen – Kingdom of Doom
Chemical Brothers (ft. Ali Love) – Do It Again
Chemical Brothers – Let Forever Be
Butthole Surfers – Who Was In My Room Last Night?
Butthole Surfers – Avalanche
Butthole Surfers – Whatever
Butthole Surfers – Hurdy Gurdy Man
Butthole Surfers – Pepper
Dappled Cities Fly – Make You Happy
Dappled Cities Fly – Cream
Dappled Cities Fly – Fire Fire Fire
Dappled Cities Fly – Vision Bell
Neil Young – Dead Man
Sigur Ros – Svefn-g-Englar
Emilie Simon – Dame de Lotus
The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist
The Avalanches – Since I Left You
Faker – Hurricane
Black Sabbath – Spiral Architect
Queens of the Stoneage – Sick, Sick, Sick

Ok, happy end.

Song of the Day – E.L.O – The Diary of Horace Wimp