Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Oprosti!
Thats Slovenian for "sorry", though I may have spelled it wrongly. Sorry is for my previous post. I was at an internet cafe, and sent an email then ran out of time...
Ljubljana is SO COOL! It is more touristy than Maribor, but it is very beautiful, with lovely big squares and statues and churches and stuff... The symbol of Slovenia is a dragon, and there is a bridge near where we are staying that has the most amazing dragon statues on the piers at either end. There is a castle up on the hill, but it has been restored and the restorations are kind of modern and stupid looking, so when youre there it just feels like your in a square with a cafe. Nice views though.
The dogs of choice in Ljubljana are the black labrador and the bulldog, although the other day we saw this huge dog, as big as a small pony and looked like a spiderhorsedog. A Sporg? It was really weird.
Funny thing: At dinner yesterday, we were sitting at a cafe called Hot-Horse (where everything on the menu is some variant of a burger with a patty made from horse meat; except for the vege burger and the fries... I had the vege burger, the others did not...) when a couple walked past across the street snogging all the way down the narrow footpath. The funny bit was when the girl slipped off the curb mid-pash because she wasnt watching where she was going.
Tonight we have a concert in the most amazing cathedral in the main square of the city, by the river. Tomorrow we sing in the Postojama caves; it takes 15 minutes on a little train to get from the entrance of the caves to the centre, so theyre pretty huge. The orchestra performs there sometimes in a massive subterranean auditorium (I assume its a huge natural cave).
Alrighty, theres a queue for internet. Adijo!
Ljubljana is SO COOL! It is more touristy than Maribor, but it is very beautiful, with lovely big squares and statues and churches and stuff... The symbol of Slovenia is a dragon, and there is a bridge near where we are staying that has the most amazing dragon statues on the piers at either end. There is a castle up on the hill, but it has been restored and the restorations are kind of modern and stupid looking, so when youre there it just feels like your in a square with a cafe. Nice views though.
The dogs of choice in Ljubljana are the black labrador and the bulldog, although the other day we saw this huge dog, as big as a small pony and looked like a spiderhorsedog. A Sporg? It was really weird.
Funny thing: At dinner yesterday, we were sitting at a cafe called Hot-Horse (where everything on the menu is some variant of a burger with a patty made from horse meat; except for the vege burger and the fries... I had the vege burger, the others did not...) when a couple walked past across the street snogging all the way down the narrow footpath. The funny bit was when the girl slipped off the curb mid-pash because she wasnt watching where she was going.
Tonight we have a concert in the most amazing cathedral in the main square of the city, by the river. Tomorrow we sing in the Postojama caves; it takes 15 minutes on a little train to get from the entrance of the caves to the centre, so theyre pretty huge. The orchestra performs there sometimes in a massive subterranean auditorium (I assume its a huge natural cave).
Alrighty, theres a queue for internet. Adijo!
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Im late, Im late; for a very important date!
I have one minute left! Doh!!!
Im in Ljubljana! Its big! Nice.
Bye!
Im in Ljubljana! Its big! Nice.
Bye!
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
In the Zone
Time is a very strange thing, especially when its been rolled up and used to bash you over the head. Sorry about the lack of apostrophes: Im using a Slovenian keyboard and I cant figure out how to make them happen. Some of you will realise that this is very frustrating for me... how sad.
I cant decide whether I was actually in Singapore this morning or not. If I was, this has been an incredibly long day... Ive flown from Singapore to Frankfurt, to Graz (Austria) and taken a bus across the border to Slovenia, where I am now, in a town called Maribor. In all that, I only had about four hours sleep, bringing my grand sleep total to 10 hours since I left Auckland on Sunday.
I have been learning some Slovenian, with the help of Amelias guide book and the cleaning lady on our wing of the University hostel, who speaks no English. Zdravo is hello, adio is goodbye (not sure of spelling), and hvala is thank you. Drek is a swear word (of course, you always learn at least one of those on your first day in a strange country).
The Austrian countryside blends straight into the Slovenian - they both look very similar, scatters of houses all over the place so that it is semi-rural for mile after mile, not suburbs at all, and not rural at all either because the houses neighbour each other too nearly. Maribor itself is BEAUTIFUL. Most of the buildings and the roads look very old, and the city (pop. 96,000) have very few tourists, so it feels very natural and laid-back and under-commercialised (thank goodness). The entire town centre is basically pedestrian, a flow of wide boulevards, alleys, streets and squares without a car in sight; just a few bicycles. Most of the buildings have reddy tiled rooves (is my English imploding?). There are a number of huge and beautiful churches, with amazing altars, and towers you can climb for free, offering a wide view of the rooftops, replete with domes and spires and statues on pillars (on a small scale).
Ahhhhh! I miss my apostrophes! I can see them here on the keys, but those keys have three or more symbols on them, and I dont know how to make them come out!
Ive taken some awesome photos and as soon as I run out of space on my memory stick, Ill email some to Nathan to put up on here.
Im in Maribor until Sunday morning (its Wednesday today) so I should be able to post regularly until then - the uni hostel has free internet facilities that we can use between certain hours. Unfortunately, they dont have any DIY laundrey facilities, so we cant wash anything except by hand until we get to Ljubljana.
The weather is fantastic, by the way (DOUG is SMUG).
The ice cream here is far too sweet, but VERY creamy.
I have caught some rays. Oooh, sweet sunshine.
I cant decide whether I was actually in Singapore this morning or not. If I was, this has been an incredibly long day... Ive flown from Singapore to Frankfurt, to Graz (Austria) and taken a bus across the border to Slovenia, where I am now, in a town called Maribor. In all that, I only had about four hours sleep, bringing my grand sleep total to 10 hours since I left Auckland on Sunday.
I have been learning some Slovenian, with the help of Amelias guide book and the cleaning lady on our wing of the University hostel, who speaks no English. Zdravo is hello, adio is goodbye (not sure of spelling), and hvala is thank you. Drek is a swear word (of course, you always learn at least one of those on your first day in a strange country).
The Austrian countryside blends straight into the Slovenian - they both look very similar, scatters of houses all over the place so that it is semi-rural for mile after mile, not suburbs at all, and not rural at all either because the houses neighbour each other too nearly. Maribor itself is BEAUTIFUL. Most of the buildings and the roads look very old, and the city (pop. 96,000) have very few tourists, so it feels very natural and laid-back and under-commercialised (thank goodness). The entire town centre is basically pedestrian, a flow of wide boulevards, alleys, streets and squares without a car in sight; just a few bicycles. Most of the buildings have reddy tiled rooves (is my English imploding?). There are a number of huge and beautiful churches, with amazing altars, and towers you can climb for free, offering a wide view of the rooftops, replete with domes and spires and statues on pillars (on a small scale).
Ahhhhh! I miss my apostrophes! I can see them here on the keys, but those keys have three or more symbols on them, and I dont know how to make them come out!
Ive taken some awesome photos and as soon as I run out of space on my memory stick, Ill email some to Nathan to put up on here.
Im in Maribor until Sunday morning (its Wednesday today) so I should be able to post regularly until then - the uni hostel has free internet facilities that we can use between certain hours. Unfortunately, they dont have any DIY laundrey facilities, so we cant wash anything except by hand until we get to Ljubljana.
The weather is fantastic, by the way (DOUG is SMUG).
The ice cream here is far too sweet, but VERY creamy.
I have caught some rays. Oooh, sweet sunshine.
Can you see any hamburgers?
...that is, of course, one of the questions asked by a Youth Choir member as we flew into Frankurt airport a few minutes ago.
Singapore was amazing! Among the highlights were finding a stall - in one of the shopping malls - called Parasite, drinking lychees pureed with ice and fresh lychees floating on top, and exploring Chinatown and Little India.
It was in the mid thirties for the day and a bit that we were there, with ninety-something percent humidity. Wach, it was unbelievable. I spent most of the time totally slick with moisture, but it was actually really cool! You get used to it pretty quick, and it´s nice to be able to go out with only minimal clothing, a wallet and a camera.
Our concert went really well, with the audience screaming as though we were pop stars. As another choir member said however, "Asians screaming is like Americans giving a standing ovation: it means absolutely nothing." Hmmm, maybe that guy needs some anti-cynicism pills. As luck would have it, Linkin Park were performing an open-air concert in the park across the road from our concert venue, so sometimes when we stopped you could hear their contrasting style faintly.
I am now standing at a free internet kiosk in the airport, so I´m not very comfortable on my tired swollen feet. There should be internet facilities at the hostel in Slovenia (Maribor); I think it´s a uni hostel. I´ll try write in more detail there. We catch another plane in two hours for Graz, Austria, and then take a coach from there to Maribor.
Bye for now!
Singapore was amazing! Among the highlights were finding a stall - in one of the shopping malls - called Parasite, drinking lychees pureed with ice and fresh lychees floating on top, and exploring Chinatown and Little India.
It was in the mid thirties for the day and a bit that we were there, with ninety-something percent humidity. Wach, it was unbelievable. I spent most of the time totally slick with moisture, but it was actually really cool! You get used to it pretty quick, and it´s nice to be able to go out with only minimal clothing, a wallet and a camera.
Our concert went really well, with the audience screaming as though we were pop stars. As another choir member said however, "Asians screaming is like Americans giving a standing ovation: it means absolutely nothing." Hmmm, maybe that guy needs some anti-cynicism pills. As luck would have it, Linkin Park were performing an open-air concert in the park across the road from our concert venue, so sometimes when we stopped you could hear their contrasting style faintly.
I am now standing at a free internet kiosk in the airport, so I´m not very comfortable on my tired swollen feet. There should be internet facilities at the hostel in Slovenia (Maribor); I think it´s a uni hostel. I´ll try write in more detail there. We catch another plane in two hours for Graz, Austria, and then take a coach from there to Maribor.
Bye for now!
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Squeezed for time
We are in Auckland airport, and I have exactly 12 minutes of internet time.
Our concert yesterday went really well. Um. Man, I can't think of anything to write! I'm under so much pressure... ten minutes left.
We fly out to Singapore today, so Meels and I changed almost all our remaining NZ money into Singapore dollars. Mmmm, random fruits and cheap watch, here I come! I can't wait to have curry for breakfast!
I tried some random perfume at duty free, and now I smell like aniseed and soap - I think it might be giving me a headache.
Maybe I should just check my email and blog more later when I have more time... ok.
See you again soon, IN ANOTHER COUNTRY!!!
Our concert yesterday went really well. Um. Man, I can't think of anything to write! I'm under so much pressure... ten minutes left.
We fly out to Singapore today, so Meels and I changed almost all our remaining NZ money into Singapore dollars. Mmmm, random fruits and cheap watch, here I come! I can't wait to have curry for breakfast!
I tried some random perfume at duty free, and now I smell like aniseed and soap - I think it might be giving me a headache.
Maybe I should just check my email and blog more later when I have more time... ok.
See you again soon, IN ANOTHER COUNTRY!!!
Saturday, June 19, 2004
So sorry! But here's the low-down:
I apologise for making a liar out of myself in the post two before this one; I said I would provide a schedule of the tour for you to drool and feel envious over. Well, here it is now, and I hope you will judge for yourselves whether it deserves to be described as "salivatious" (what was I thinking?).
Monday 21 June: We fly to Singapore, and spend most of the next day sightseeing, buying cheap watches because we left our expensive one at home to keep it safe, and trying some of the weird and wonderful (and allegedly smelly) fruits that you just can't buy (or imagine) in New Zealand. We do a concert, too, at some point. The Singapore Youth Choir are also competing in Italy at the same competition as us; they will be in the audience at our Singapore concert, but they're not performing themselves... hmmm can you say "choral espionage"?
Wednesday 23: We fly, via Frankfurt, to Maribor, Slovenia. So, who knew that place existed, huh? Apparently Slovenia is very beautiful. It's part of the former Yugoslavia, so it has a lot of historical appeal. The war in Yugoslavia seemed like a fairly constant fact of childhood, so I'm looking forward to putting a landscape and some faces to the old news items. We get another free day in Maribor.
Sunday 27 After some concerts and a festival we catch a coach to Ljubljana. I love these Eastern European countries, they use so many consonants! I think we are doing a seminar on New Zealand music in Ljubljana, but my schedule is failing me on this point, so I'm afraid I can't be sure. We are also doing some sightseeing and a concert in the Postojana Caves. How cool is that? We'll be part of the Slovenian Underground... (my goodness, my jokes are lame).
Thursday 1 July: We depart by coach for Sopron, Hungary!
And... I'm sure you'll agree that's really enough for one post. So, I'll give you a synopsis - who am I kidding? I'll give you some headlines and no details for the rest of the schedule, and add more detail as things unfold. Yes, you're right, this is my shameless attempt to try and string you along with the promise of saucy and horrifying details to come. I hope it works! So, here's the brief-as list:
Sopron, Hungary
Vienna, Austria
Budapest, Hungary
Goriza, Italy
Day trip to Venice, Italy
St. Petersburg, Russia
Moscow, Russia
Then, of course, the choir returns home, but my own adventures will be only just beginning!
Reality Check: I am currently typing at Roshan's laptop, hunched over because the laptop is on a dining chair and I am on another opposite it. Roshan and Lottie are so lovely, they are the best billets I have ever had! Seriously though, it's so good to see them again, and it seems as if marriage has made them even more awesome than ever, if that's possible. I am sleeping in one of the Maxim offices for the weekend, and there is an ensuite containing an interesting toilet. The toilet seat and cover are made of sponge covered with yellow-and-white-striped vinyl. It's like a crazy seventies (what were those people thinking?) dream come true.
Monday 21 June: We fly to Singapore, and spend most of the next day sightseeing, buying cheap watches because we left our expensive one at home to keep it safe, and trying some of the weird and wonderful (and allegedly smelly) fruits that you just can't buy (or imagine) in New Zealand. We do a concert, too, at some point. The Singapore Youth Choir are also competing in Italy at the same competition as us; they will be in the audience at our Singapore concert, but they're not performing themselves... hmmm can you say "choral espionage"?
Wednesday 23: We fly, via Frankfurt, to Maribor, Slovenia. So, who knew that place existed, huh? Apparently Slovenia is very beautiful. It's part of the former Yugoslavia, so it has a lot of historical appeal. The war in Yugoslavia seemed like a fairly constant fact of childhood, so I'm looking forward to putting a landscape and some faces to the old news items. We get another free day in Maribor.
Sunday 27 After some concerts and a festival we catch a coach to Ljubljana. I love these Eastern European countries, they use so many consonants! I think we are doing a seminar on New Zealand music in Ljubljana, but my schedule is failing me on this point, so I'm afraid I can't be sure. We are also doing some sightseeing and a concert in the Postojana Caves. How cool is that? We'll be part of the Slovenian Underground... (my goodness, my jokes are lame).
Thursday 1 July: We depart by coach for Sopron, Hungary!
And... I'm sure you'll agree that's really enough for one post. So, I'll give you a synopsis - who am I kidding? I'll give you some headlines and no details for the rest of the schedule, and add more detail as things unfold. Yes, you're right, this is my shameless attempt to try and string you along with the promise of saucy and horrifying details to come. I hope it works! So, here's the brief-as list:
Sopron, Hungary
Vienna, Austria
Budapest, Hungary
Goriza, Italy
Day trip to Venice, Italy
St. Petersburg, Russia
Moscow, Russia
Then, of course, the choir returns home, but my own adventures will be only just beginning!
Reality Check: I am currently typing at Roshan's laptop, hunched over because the laptop is on a dining chair and I am on another opposite it. Roshan and Lottie are so lovely, they are the best billets I have ever had! Seriously though, it's so good to see them again, and it seems as if marriage has made them even more awesome than ever, if that's possible. I am sleeping in one of the Maxim offices for the weekend, and there is an ensuite containing an interesting toilet. The toilet seat and cover are made of sponge covered with yellow-and-white-striped vinyl. It's like a crazy seventies (what were those people thinking?) dream come true.
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Where the Fare is Rarified...
Home - a place of many comforts, and of many comfortable niggles and itches. It's my last night at home folks... and I still have to pack.
It's a very strange thing saying goodbye to people; everyone seems to have a different style. Also, it seems bizarre to make any sort of 'big deal' out of it. I'm not really leaving tomorrow, am I?
I have all the essentials laid out ready: a torch with spare batteries, a bible, and a bag of jet plane lollies. I have a couple of games in mind for that last, either to only eat them while flying on a plane and see how long they last, or to take photos of jet planes in unusual foreign places. I want to figure out a way of having them in photos so that they look as though they're flying, or parked on the tarmac, but without being able to see a hand in the shot. Hmmm.
It's hard to write, I feel so tired. Actually I feel as though I've drunk a cup of coffee, which for me means I feel headachey and shakey and a little sick to the stomach. Stomach in French is l'estomac, or ventre, depending on whether you mean the organ or a belly. Exams are over, and they seem very far behind me already, although the last was just this afternoon.
I don't want to pack just yet; I don't want to see a full backpack all zipped- and strapped-up. Tomorrow I'll be excited again, I'm sure. I'm still excited at the prospect of seeing Lottie and Roshan again, but the departure from Auckland airport on Sunday is now less enticing than it was. If I picture the Sacre Coeur, or a Russian minaret, that makes me feel a thrill again.
Goodbyes, huh?
Funny thing: my first port of call tomorrow morning is the Doctor, but not to get a vaccination or anything normal like that. No, I am going to get my ears syringed. That's right, my ears are spewing wax. They have always produced more than their fair share, and sometimes it builds up despite my best efforts, and I run the risk of getting blocked ears when swimming or showering; they have been known to stay blocked for over a week at a time. Tomorrow's aural enema should see me right for at least three months, maybe more!
It's a very strange thing saying goodbye to people; everyone seems to have a different style. Also, it seems bizarre to make any sort of 'big deal' out of it. I'm not really leaving tomorrow, am I?
I have all the essentials laid out ready: a torch with spare batteries, a bible, and a bag of jet plane lollies. I have a couple of games in mind for that last, either to only eat them while flying on a plane and see how long they last, or to take photos of jet planes in unusual foreign places. I want to figure out a way of having them in photos so that they look as though they're flying, or parked on the tarmac, but without being able to see a hand in the shot. Hmmm.
It's hard to write, I feel so tired. Actually I feel as though I've drunk a cup of coffee, which for me means I feel headachey and shakey and a little sick to the stomach. Stomach in French is l'estomac, or ventre, depending on whether you mean the organ or a belly. Exams are over, and they seem very far behind me already, although the last was just this afternoon.
I don't want to pack just yet; I don't want to see a full backpack all zipped- and strapped-up. Tomorrow I'll be excited again, I'm sure. I'm still excited at the prospect of seeing Lottie and Roshan again, but the departure from Auckland airport on Sunday is now less enticing than it was. If I picture the Sacre Coeur, or a Russian minaret, that makes me feel a thrill again.
Goodbyes, huh?
Funny thing: my first port of call tomorrow morning is the Doctor, but not to get a vaccination or anything normal like that. No, I am going to get my ears syringed. That's right, my ears are spewing wax. They have always produced more than their fair share, and sometimes it builds up despite my best efforts, and I run the risk of getting blocked ears when swimming or showering; they have been known to stay blocked for over a week at a time. Tomorrow's aural enema should see me right for at least three months, maybe more!
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
In which Doug is too excited to study
I am so excited. Two exams down, one to go, but who can give a flying ****? I leave so soon!!!
I bought my currency from the bank today, so I'm all up to date! (There is a bad pun hidden in that sentence, see if you can find it - it's not very well hidden) Euros are very pretty. Interestingly enough, their beauty seems to be directly proportional to how many of them you happen to be holding in your hot little hand. They have shiny bits...
I also bought my travel insurance, so that if I die, I get a whole lot of money, as long as I'm not pot-holing, rock-climbing with ropes, base-jumping or black-water rafting. Apparently there is such a thing as blackwater rafting, if someone knows what the difference is from the white variety, could they please let me know? I am also insured for a "distress allowance" of "$500 for each 24 hours (I am) detained should the public transport on which (I am) travelling be seized by forcible violent means for the purpose of theft, extortion, propaganda (what the?) or other illegal reason."
Oh, and it also covers funeral and cremation costs up to $15,000 "or the return of (my) remains to New Zealand in the event of (my) death." Sweet, huh?
Man, I am going to be the Emperor of Airpoints by the time I get home. My next post will be my schedule of salivatious places I am visiting! Get that mop ready!!!
btw: four stars (****) stands for DOUG.
I bought my currency from the bank today, so I'm all up to date! (There is a bad pun hidden in that sentence, see if you can find it - it's not very well hidden) Euros are very pretty. Interestingly enough, their beauty seems to be directly proportional to how many of them you happen to be holding in your hot little hand. They have shiny bits...
I also bought my travel insurance, so that if I die, I get a whole lot of money, as long as I'm not pot-holing, rock-climbing with ropes, base-jumping or black-water rafting. Apparently there is such a thing as blackwater rafting, if someone knows what the difference is from the white variety, could they please let me know? I am also insured for a "distress allowance" of "$500 for each 24 hours (I am) detained should the public transport on which (I am) travelling be seized by forcible violent means for the purpose of theft, extortion, propaganda (what the?) or other illegal reason."
Oh, and it also covers funeral and cremation costs up to $15,000 "or the return of (my) remains to New Zealand in the event of (my) death." Sweet, huh?
Man, I am going to be the Emperor of Airpoints by the time I get home. My next post will be my schedule of salivatious places I am visiting! Get that mop ready!!!
btw: four stars (****) stands for DOUG.
Sunday, June 13, 2004
The time draws near, as exams draw nearer...
That's right. Today is Sunday, and on Tuesday I have my first exam. Then another on Wednesday and another on Thursday.
Then, on Friday, I leave!!!
...for Auckland. Where, by the way, I am staying with my wonderful friends Roshan and Lottie Allpress. They have a legendary oversized cupboard, which I was hoping would be my room for the two (or three?) nights that I'm there for. But, alas, Roshan claims that the cupboard, while large, does unusual (squashy) things to their double inflatable mattress, and apparently it gets a bit cold in Winter. But honestly, how cold does Auckland ever get, really? Especially considering I'm born and (semi-) bred a Hard Southern Man...
Then, on Friday, I leave!!!
...for Auckland. Where, by the way, I am staying with my wonderful friends Roshan and Lottie Allpress. They have a legendary oversized cupboard, which I was hoping would be my room for the two (or three?) nights that I'm there for. But, alas, Roshan claims that the cupboard, while large, does unusual (squashy) things to their double inflatable mattress, and apparently it gets a bit cold in Winter. But honestly, how cold does Auckland ever get, really? Especially considering I'm born and (semi-) bred a Hard Southern Man...
Friday, June 11, 2004
Now that Nathan's gone...
I am now on a standard Uni computer, so battery time and patience are no longer issues. However, the notion that I should be studying rather than posting is something of an issue that I will have to deal with...
...later.
WELCOME TO MY BLOG!!!
You deserve a proper welcome. Make yourself comfortable.
Mission Statement: Basically, this blog is a way for me to keep in touch with all my friends and family while I'm away overseas. There's a good chance that I will not have prolonged access to the internet very often while I'm away, so blogging seemed like a viable alternative to bulk emails. I will still send emails when and where I can, but this will be my face, my medium, my manuscript upon which the trials, tribulations and triumphs of my journey will be published for all to enjoy.
I hope to update roughly once per week. And, if I can figure out how, I'll try and put up photos every now and then to give your imagination Visual Aid.
Now, to email everyone I know and tell them about this blog! So that I am actually writing to someone and not just into the unsmiling void called the internet (aka. the abyss)...
...later.
WELCOME TO MY BLOG!!!
You deserve a proper welcome. Make yourself comfortable.
Mission Statement: Basically, this blog is a way for me to keep in touch with all my friends and family while I'm away overseas. There's a good chance that I will not have prolonged access to the internet very often while I'm away, so blogging seemed like a viable alternative to bulk emails. I will still send emails when and where I can, but this will be my face, my medium, my manuscript upon which the trials, tribulations and triumphs of my journey will be published for all to enjoy.
I hope to update roughly once per week. And, if I can figure out how, I'll try and put up photos every now and then to give your imagination Visual Aid.
Now, to email everyone I know and tell them about this blog! So that I am actually writing to someone and not just into the unsmiling void called the internet (aka. the abyss)...
Countdown: T - seven days
Only seven days, three exams, one concert and uncounted hours of anticipation to be traversed, not to mention several thousand kilometres, until I reach the first stop on my whirlwind tour of Other Places Besides New Zealand.
This is my first post; they will only increase in goodness and interest as I go along. More later (I'm on Nathan's laptop = limited batteries and patience). Nathan claims that the batteries will run out before the patience... shall we test this?
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la...
Meh, Nathan can win... this time (my patience ran out).
This is my first post; they will only increase in goodness and interest as I go along. More later (I'm on Nathan's laptop = limited batteries and patience). Nathan claims that the batteries will run out before the patience... shall we test this?
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la...
Meh, Nathan can win... this time (my patience ran out).
