Archives for September 2005
Pietersen’s secret weapons
As you might know, England recently beat some colony called Australia and won a small pot of ashes. Very satisfying, especially for anglicised South African Kevin Pietersen (see stolen image, right).
There are six ‘J’s in my generation of Downs and Burgesses: I’m J1, and Jack Burgess is J3. Congratulations to Jack for an alleged major contribution to Pietersen’s performance. As the Daily Torygraph reported,
England’s Ashes win over Australia gave enormous pleasure to New Zealanders scattered around the world – not least former London Irish full-back Jarrod Cunningham, who is bravely fighting ALS, an aggressive form of motor neuron disease, back home in Hawkes Bay.
Cunningham was surprised but delighted to see that Kevin Pietersen was wearing his distinctive ALS wristbands throughout his match-saving, and therefore series-winning, knock of 158.
A question in a recent quiz created by J5, Jay Burgess, revealed where these bands may have come from:
14) does my bro, jack, know Peterson from the cricket england team? is this because Peterson goes to where my brother works at this bar in nottingham a lot? and did Jack give Peterson some wristbands which Peterson wore all throughout the 2005 ashes against Australia which we won?
- he sure does jay you lucky fit know-it-all!
- no.
- bullshite..
15) and does my brother serve peterson (the guy who got 150 runs and won the ashes for us) drinks and has casual chats with him regurlarly?
- yeah
- no. im gay.
Nice one, Jack. Keep up the geography studies, mate.
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Car karma
Taking any opportunity to prove my manly credentials, a couple of days ago I helped a friend to get her car to the garage. Studying aircraft technical knowledge at least made me understand the principle of a carburettor but I still can’t perform miracles.
Taking the jump leads down was a bit of a side trip, but I was happy to help as I’m a strong believer in car karma. In essence, one good dead deserves another. For every jump start I have received in the past, it’s right to pass that onto someone else. For every push I’ve given, I will receive a push in return. Liz and I had discussed this on the way to the car, not expecting it would be proven so clearly that afternoon.
The car still wasn’t turning over (another bloody Ford Sierra) so it was time for a tow. Whilst we were struggling to push the car out of the parking space, a stranger came along and risked a heart attack, for he was an old fella, to give us a hand. Then he and his wife hitched the car to their tow bar and gave us a pull all the way to the garage.
That man understood car karma, and will be going to heaven in an AA truck.
Clearly Liz has had one tow too many as the car is still faulty. I, however, have a couple of credits in the bank.
The moral of my story: if someone needs help, offer it. Cross to the other side of the road if you have to. What goes around will come around. And even if you’ve overdrawn your karma account, you can still offer tea and crumpets.
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Do they know too much?
Sitting here on the other side of the world it’s easy to forget that London was attacked by suicide bombers just a few weeks ago and remains on alert. (In contrast, the headlines in today’s Southland Times cover controlled fires in Queenstown, and that the eggs in the local BP fuel station cafe’s bacon and egg paninis are cooked in Christchurch, frozen then reheated locally.)
Interesting, then, to read one man’s experience as a suspect in rather tenuous circumstances.
So, basically the Police have decided that wearing a rain jacket, carrying a rucksack with a laptop inside, looking down at the steps while going in a tube station and checking your phone for messages just tick too many checkmarks on their checklist and make you a terrorist suspect. How many other people are not only wrongly detained but wrongly arrested every week in similar circumstances as myself?
What strikes me is the extent of information the security services hold, and how tangental it may be to any security threat.
The officer explains what made them change their mind and arrest me instead of releasing me. It was because of my connection with my employer. Apparently, on August 4th, 2004 there was a firearms incident at the company where I work. (The next day I find out that there had indeed been a hoax call the previous year, apparently from a temp worker claiming there was an armed intruder in one of the buildings.) Also that some staff had been seen photographing tube stations with a camera phone. (Most of my colleagues do have camera phones – also on 2nd June, as part of a team building exercise, new graduates were supposed to photograph landmarks and try to get a picture of themselves with a policeman.)
What else do they know about us? Or, specifically, me?!
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Brasserie Butt Naked
18 people, several days of hard work, some cold moments and a lot of creativity. Just back from the printers, it’s the Coronet Peak Brasserie’s Butt Naked calendar. It does what it says on the cover.
They’re a strictly limited edition but will become the stuff of legend. We’re all adults here so I’ll leave you with my picture, posed on a Fernhill roof with the charming Eoin Hurley. Can you guess the month?
First flight to Milford
Now that I’ve passed the test and have a little more time to spare, I’m working on getting a rating for a Cessna 172, which will allow me to carry four people instead of two and fly through more interesting terrain. Earning the rating requires a series of lessons on flying the aircraft in different conditions, some solo time and a maximum all-up weight check.
This hasn’t always been my prettiest flying, as a combination of lack of familiarity with the aircraft and the murkier weather has made things more complicated. Sunday, however, was a treat.
I’d had a lesson booked in but it was cancelled for a commercial booking. However I had the opportunity to sit in the front right seat on the flight over to Milford Sound and then do a few circuits.
With light snow the night before, the mountains looked beautiful – even more stunning than in late summer, when I’d taken the photo at the top of this page. We went out past Glenorchy (watch the opening credits of Lord of the Rings Part Two, and you’ll understand where we flew) and on to Milford Sound.
Whilst the passengers were on their cruise, we went up for four circuits on this tiny mountain-walled runway. It’s a challenging airport; commercial pilots must have an additional fifty hours of training to fly in this area, and as the airport plate explains, anyone who’s not flown in within the past six months must have an additional briefing.
What makes it hard is the mountains and trees alongside which amplify the already complex effects of sea and mountain winds. My circuits were pretty shoddy, as you can imagine. Normally, one can create a nice box circuit pattern around an airfield and fly a gentle glide path. Not here.
Out onto Runway 29, take off, watch out for that hill, fly out into the sound at 800′, complete a dumbbell turn back onto Runway 11, come in at an angle 30 degrees to the runway, power on and off regularly to counter for the sink from the trees, touch down, full power, nost down for 60 knots straight away, at 60 pull up into rapid climb, at 150′ nose down and medium turn to the right to avoid the trees at the end of the runway, don’t stall the wing, round again, overhead the runway, recircuit onto Runway 11 again, and repeat!
And all that happens in about 45 seconds.
It’s hard to convey how hard that is but also how much fun. Just imagine it with paying passengers on board… sorry I can’t take you in for a flight quite yet, but believe me, it’s a stunning place to visit.
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All change in Queenstown
Since this was originally meant to be a travel website, I’d better give you a quick update. I still have much to report on, and will hopefully have more time soon.
The mountain closed on Sunday and the past few days have been a bit of a blur of skiing, drinking and cleaning. It’s my last day tomorrow (I’ve decided) although there is talk of the Coronet Peak reopening next week if there is sufficient cold weather for snow making. We shall see.
However, perhaps the most demanding part of the week has been our collective work towards finishing this 2006 calendar:
Can you guess what’s inside? It went to the printers this evening, so when it’s back I’ll be able to publish my contribution. Oh, yes.
In other news, I’ve got a try out for a few days of work in one of the town’s best restaurants next week, which if it works out will give me enough to cover the costs of the next stage of my travels. More on that soon, too.
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They think it’s all over
It’s been Queenstown’s warmest winter in years, with little snow compared with the ‘legendary’ 2004 season. Arriving at work on Tuesday morning after a night of heavy rain, much of the snow had just disappeared.
So, Coronet Peak will be closing this Sunday, a month earlier than normal, and I’m back out on the dole. Rather sad since it’s happened so quickly – although there’s a chance we’ll reopen for a few more days if snow falls again – but the end of the season was going to come in the end.
For now, I plan to spend a few more weeks in Queenstown, hit 100 hours of flying, then spend some time exploring a bit more of the country before heading over the Tasman. At least spring is in the air and I can lose the beanie.
(Thanks to Ali Warwood of Min.Grr Productions for the marvellous pic.)
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