Entries Tagged 'Out and about' ↓

The Sunday workers took a little break on this gorgeous afternoon for gelato and sunshine.

Went for a walk around the waterfront yesterday and back through town. Our route took us passed the new Holiday Inn hotel on the corner of Featherston & Whitmore streets. There was a lovely, completely deserted, outdoor eating area which should have been crowded like all the other eateries en route to the Stadium where hungry 7’s-goers were filling up on bacon and pancakes ready for an afternoon of drinking and yelling.

So, SO obvious why no-one was using the outdoor area. So obvious. Whitmore Street and particularly it’s intersection with Featherston has got to be one of the windiest streets in Wellington. It’s the street where they send TV news crews on a windy day for those clips during the weather where the nice lady with the boofy hair says in a voice-over to the clip ‘… and it was a windy one in Wellington again today.’ Who architected the hotel? Why would they put an outdoor area there? Actually why didn’t they do a roof top restaurant? That would have been so cool – great view of the harbour and Oriental Parade. Maybe the building rocks on a windy day and people would get seasick during their dinner but that’s what happens atop the Sky Tower in Auckland and people still go there.

Out and about.

The new bar in the old St John’s Ambulance building – seems this is now *the* place to be on a Friday night. I wonder if that means Dockside is now empty?

Photo of a photo at the construction site showing an artist’s impression of what the redeveloped Chew’s Lane will look like.

Live action blogging … almost! Taken at dusk this evening – armed squad scoping the lane across from our place.

They were there until after dark when it all ended uneventfully as far as we could tell at our end of the lane. Nothing on the web or radio about it yet.

Update 7.20am 4 January 2007:

Found the perfect news item to match what was going on across the road last night except that it’s a way down the other end of the city! Could there have been 2 incidents or has this reporter really messed up?

Dangerous man eludes police
By DAVID DICKENS – The Dominion Post | Thursday, 4 January 2007

A man believed to be dangerous remains at large after an armed police raid of an inner-city Wellington apartment block failed to locate him.

Lower Tory St, between Wakefield St and Courtenay Place, was closed to road and foot traffic for about half an hour early last night in what police described as a serious incident.

Details about the man who eluded the swoop are sketchy.

Wellington police said the man they were searching for was not the Newtown rapist or a gang member but must be considered dangerous.

“We used the armed offenders because of the kind of guy he is,” said Sergeant Marc Clausen.

“The person we were looking for was not there.”

The man was thought to have been holed up in the Maison Cabriole apartments.

At least a dozen members of the armed offenders squad searched the building for about 30 minutes. One officer carried a sniper’s rifle.

Source: www.stuff.co.nz

I surreptitiously snapped this picture at Fuel WT this morning. How do these young guys keep their trousers up?? They have no hips. Gotta love those Jockey scants … <eyeroll>

I was such an old hand when I attended for Jury Service this morning. It was all so familiar seeing as I was there only 18 months ago. If you have served in the last 2 years you may use that as a reason to be excused but I’m not sure if this is just an option that exists or whether they track those who are called and/or attend and therefore don’t call them up again for 2 years. If this is the case, changing my name in the last 2 years obviously fooled them.

I was so well prepared for all the waiting – I took my Christmas cards and address list and stamps and got that job out of the way. Then I unveiled my book of accounting principles in the vague hope that in case that old  I’m-too-important-to-do-jury-service-in-my-suit look still didn’t prevent me from being chosen to sit on a jury, that looking like an accountant might!

Those of us who were not called in the first ballot were taken to a courtroom but I escaped that ballot as well so was on my way back to work by 11.30 with instructions to phone in tomorrow to see if I need to report again.

Aaaaand off I go for my 2nd stint in 2 years. The first time (day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4) was relatively harrowing, wonder what will happen this time?

Saw one of the guys who works at Plum standing outside what’s left of it the other night and after seeing the panic in my eyes he reassured me that they’re just renovating and that it shouldn’t take too long – maybe reopening this weekend. Phew.

Went to a work do last night, a sneak preview of our software for VIPs – great night. The speeches and presentation were upbeat and snappy, the Mister did very well with his demo in his Denny Crane shirt and a fantastic buzz was created. No technical glitches, no jeans and t-shirts, blue cocktails, lots of comments about my orange patent leather shoes, team bonding in the biggest space the entire team has ever been in and lots of big names around town.

Now we batten down the hatches and work like never before to deliver what was presented.

When at Capitol the other night I got to wondering about the lighting in public bathrooms – the light in the Capitol bathrooms is very dim. Like so dim it’d be hard to see any drips on the seat. A couple of other restaurants I’ve been to have adopted the same approach. I wonder if it’s because one’s complexion looks all matt and smooth without the aid of hard fluorescents to show wrinkles and unevenly applied make-up and rogue hairs and wiggly bits and therefore when checking yourself out you think you look especially good and attractive and more sociable and therefore decide to stay out longer and drink more hence the establishment makes more money off you. Under the harsh reality of fluorescents one would certainly think twice about subjecting one’s dining companions to any more time that socially polite!

And lighting in dressing rooms is a random thought for another day…