The best gig in the world..........ever

As you all know, the sole reason for me going to Sydney was to see Pearl Jam in concert. A long way to travel, but on reflection, worth every single minute and every single penny. I arrived at Olympic Park a couple of hours before they were due to go on, so just ended up chilling outside at a bar beside the arena. The bar had a covers band playing so I listened to them whilst watching the sunset (below) with a few cold beers. Missed the Kings of Leon, who were supporting, but didn't mind as it was a beautiful night and the atmosphere outside was brilliant.

Went in about 8.20 and Eddie Vedder came on stage about 8.50, I think, and kicked off with Betterman on his own. The crowd sang the first verse and chorus then the rest of the band came on and started the tune again, an awesome start to the concert. Both the crowd and band were both really up for it and the atmosphere was incredible, it was a massive arena but at the same time it felt quite like a small gig as the stage was so small and the crowd were so close to the band. I had a really good seat as well, off to the side but only about 8 rows from the front, superb! Didn't take many pictures as my camera wouldn't work properly, plus I spent most of my time jumping around like a madman, but here's the couple that I did get.

It was definitely the best gig I've ever been at, and probably will ever go to, it was absolutely phenomenal in every respect. Eddie Vedder was superb, he drank at least 1 bottle of wine during the set and was still able to belt out the tunes near the end.

They played for 2 and a half hours and the full set was:

Set 1: Better Man (Save it for Later), Last Exit, Animal, World Wide Suicide, Corduroy, Severed Hand, Given To Fly, I Am Mine, Green Disease, Even Flow, Marker In The Sand, Gone, Daughter (Beds are Burning), Grievance, Comatose, Rearviewmirror.

Encore 1: Soon Forget, Inside Job, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Last Kiss, Alive.

Encore 2: Jeremy, Lukin, Do The Evolution, I Got You, Smile, Rockin In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter.

Fred's Oz excursion

Well I have been back 'home' in Wellington for a wee while and thought it was about time I reported on my trip over the Tasman.
I touched down on Australian soil at 5.30pm on Friday, and after getting the double-decker train to the city centre I spent the evening settling in to the hostel and wandering around the city. I stayed in the Railway Square YHA which I can highly recommend, friendly staff, pretty clean, good showers and right beside the station which is brilliant. All in all a nice relaxing first evening for a weary traveller.

Luckily for me I awoke on Saturday to blistering sunshine, blue sky and stifling heat, very different from Wellington believe me, so I decided to head for the Botanical Gardens to spend the day in the sun. Took in the sights of Hyde Park en route, and visited the Anzac Memorial (below).

When I reached the Botanics I had the whole afternoon to wander round before going out to the concert. The Botanical Gardens are fantastic, really peaceful and almost like a small paradise. After stopping at the opera house for a few pics I lay in the sun for a while. I saw many wonderful sites during my time in the botanics, including fruit bats/flying foxes, a weird old scrappy cockatoo, plenty of plants and flowers and loads of weddings.
After a cracking afternoon doing very little in the sun, I returned to the hostel and then caught the train to Olympic Park where the gig was on. A report on the gig will follow seperately, needless to say it was superb. Saturday was definitely one of the best days I've had since I've been away.

On Sunday I took the ferry to a small town called Manly (above) on the recommendation of a few friends. It's got an awesome beach so i chilled there for a while (nice), watched a bit of Woman's Beach Volleyball (nicer) and had lunch and a beer by the beach (quality). On my return to central Sydney I got snap happy and took many pics of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Enjoy a couple of them.

Had to check out at 11am on Monday and since my flight wasn't til 6.30pm, I wandered the city again. It really is strange walking through a city centre decked out in Christmas decorations when it's sunny and the temperature's in the 30's. Bought chocolates for Sally as requested from the Lindt Café (hope you got them ok Sal) and relaxed in Hyde Park for a few hours. It was then time to make my way to the airport and signal the end of my Oz excursion.
I had the best time in Sydney, the weather was tremendous the whole time, (I think the lowest the temperature got was high 20's, it was roasting) and I can't wait to go back with Laura in March.

Here's to you!

Congratulations!!!!This is a small dedication post for my sister Mhairi who has just graduated, with a distinction no less, from her Masters in International Relations. Woo hoo for you!!!!!
We are all really proud of you, well done baby!

Bella Vino! 'specially Pinot!

For those of you who love the odd tipple of wine every now and again....prepare to salivate!

Sunday the 19th saw the start and end of the Toast Martinborough Festival. Now this involved myself, Kt, and 8 other lovely people (too many to write all their names) heading over the Rimutaka's for a day of walking from vineyard to vineyard in the scorching sun - its a hard life! The best bit was that the wine glass was hung around your neck....can you imagine a more alcoholic look on a person? There was live music played at nearly every vineyard and delicious food, which served as an excellent cusion for the next glass of pinot!

The red wine was really really good, as was the atmosphere. We got pretty burnt though, my burns were the most rediculous as they were in the shape of triangles! (it was my top) I can't go swimming now for fear of people pointing and laughing at the girl who has triangular tans on her shoulders.


I cant really comment on much more apart from letting the pictures (stolen from Kt's blog as I didn't take my camera) speak for themselves and echoing the fact that it was such an amazing day enjoyed by all!

Cheers!

Tour du Pryde

Helloooo! I must apologise for my lack of blogging over the past month, but I have been mucho busy o' lovely ones, and I don't have an internet access priviledge at work (sniff!).

Now....where to start?? Ah, with the arrival of Bob and Ann (a.k.a. mum and dad). On the 25th Oct, after our much awaited "hello's" and hugs, I crammed them into the rental and we took off for the Coromandel Peninsula without a hint of a problem.........ok......so we got a little bit lost coming out of the city centre, but at least they got to see the real Auckland (i.e. industrial estates and ghetto's). The drive to Whitianga was really pretty, as was the weather, so it was a really nice start to mum and dad's holiday.




























After 2 days in Whitianga we headed Southwards for Rotorua. Oh, I think I should mention here that I was awesome at driving! (don't worry, i'm patting myself on the back). Rotorua was action packed with visits to see Kiwi birds, Polynesian spa's, geothermal parks, and Mitai hangi's - yum yum! Thoroughly enjoyed by all three of us!

Then we had the long drive back to Wellington, with a stop-off in Taupo for good measure. The weather was turning sour (as was mum's ability to stay awake - bless!) so dad and I shared the driving. Once in Wellington, we all flaked out and watched some good Kiwi films. We spent 4 days in Welli so I could show mum and dad what the Capital was all about (and of course do a few Lord of the Rings things). They loved it, and they loved our flat. Dad was especially funny giving us all running commentaries about the aeroplanes taking off and landing on the air strip, which can be clearly seen from our front window and decking. "Yes Dad....I can hear the engines roaring"...."oh really....is that another one taking off" Bless him he was loving it!

We then crossed the Cook Straight, headed for the South Island. This was pretty special as I'd not been to the South either, so smiles all round.

In the South we went to Kaikoura (above - stunning!), Christchurch (tram rides and punting on rivers), and Dunedin (climbed the steepest street in the world!). We spent 2 days in each place and got up to all sorts of shinanigans. The weather was a mix of scorching and cloudy, but mum and dad still got nicely bronzed for going home.

Before they flew back to Auckland (which can be seen in the picture to the right, taken from our decking) we all had a scrumptious meal at 'Mac's Brewery', a perfect way to end their travels as all who have eaten there will agree! It was very sad to see them go but I was really happy knowing they'd had an amazing time, and that they now know what it is like for me living here. It was so great to have them out here, it was like having a little piece of home in NZ for a while - fantastic!

That Friday Feeling....on a terrible Tuesday

Laura has now returned from her jaunt in the South Island and her Mum and Dad have made the long journey home. They thoroughly enjoyed their time in New Zealand and we’ll miss them now they’ve gone. Laura will give you a detailed account of their escapades when she gets a free minute or 10.

I actually started this post on Friday but didn’t finish it until today, hence the title. We both had a day off yesterday so had a relaxing time enjoying the lovely weather. I also played football for my mate’s work indoor football team and we won 12-1, get in!
Still on footballing matters, our Sunday 5 a-side team got their first win the other day, an emphatic 14-1 victory.
Finally, I fly to Sydney on Friday and will be seeing Pearl Jam on Saturday evening, you have no idea how much I am looking forward to it! Laura will also be busy at the weekend as she is heading North with the girls for 'Toast Martinborough', basically a day of visiting vineyards and wine tasting, so i'm sure she'll be fine.

Not much else to report from me I’m afraid so I’ll leave you with 4 humorous photos of Laura and myself for you to enjoy chuckling at.

Bye for now.

I'm either doing a Maori greeting or a "Waaaaasssuuup", depends how you look at it.

Laura doing a great impersonation of a sign at the zoo.

The hamster wheel, what fun!

Tucking into the Brewery's delicious Lamb

At last....a post!

No, your eyes do not deceive you, this is indeed a new post from Laura and myself. We have been pretty lax with the the old posts recently as we've been so busy and a bit skint. Firstly, I shall update you on what's currently happening in our lives....

I'm now working for the ANZ bank doing mind numbing work for not a great deal of money. The office is at a good end of town for bars though, and Laura and almost all my mate's work in the same area, so the social side of work is good.

Laura's Mum and Dad are over in New Zealand at the moment and it's been great having them over. Laura has taken 3 weeks off work to take them on a whistle stop tour of NZ. They're currently in the South Island enjoying the scenery and beautiful weather. I wish i was travelling with them.

That's the now, now for the then.......

Wellington has been a confusing city to live in of late, as the days either start off with beautiful sunshine that deteriorates into gale force winds and rain, or vice versa. At the moment the weather is beautiful so hopefully we'll get a couple of games of football this weekend.

I've met 3 other scottish guys to booze and play football with, in that order, so we have a wee scottish contingent now that is getting well known around Wellington. We actually all met when we tried to watch the Scotland v France game but couldn't as the tv guide got it wrong. So we did what any other scottish fans would do on a nice sunny day….went and got hammered in beer gardens all day long, getting sunburnt for our troubles. Great day though.

Watched a lot of films recently and am currently going through a western phase. Saw Talledega Nights the other week and it is hilarious….roll on Borat!

Since we last posted I've also tried to sneak into a nightclub that Peter Hook (New order) was dj-ing at, we had to climb out a mate's window and scale the roofs of some shops and then onto the balcony of the club but someone grassed us up to the barman and we got turfed out of the club without seeing Hooky.

We've been for a drive up the Kapiti Coast for Sally's birthday, encountering a human hamster wheel and one of the best adventure parks ever....fear not, there are photos that will follow at a later date.

There is a lot more we've been up to and Laura will update you all on her side of things when she posts on her return to Welli. We're still having the best time out here and are still in the flat, so for those of you that have the flat number, feel free to give us a buzz......just remember the time difference is now 13 hours! Otherwise just drop one of us an email, always good to hear your news. Thanks to those who have phoned, has been great hearing from you.

Also, Happy Birthday to all of you that have become a year older recently, I'll be joining that club in a months time so feel free to send cards/presents/money over!

Take care, and we'll post some photos soon, promise.

Love Fraser and Laura x