Just over a week prior, volunteer Fire Fighters from Napier station were told about it, and rapidly set to work fund raising and getting ready to participate. The weekend of the Mission Concert (weekend before the relay) was spent avoiding the rain on Saturday and seeking the shade on Sunday to do a sausage sizzle which went better than expected.

Flint

By the morning of the 7th, the hastily formed “Firewise Guys” headed down to Tareha Reserve in Taradale and setup camp. We had the big Fire Service marquee and the last minute delivery of the new Flint and Amber costumes.

Amber

The opening ceremony was around 12 noon, with cancer survivors doing the first lap closely followed by the numerous other teams that had turned out to support the cause. This was the start of 24 hours of non-stop walking, and of the music and bands to keep us entertained.

Initially we got bagged about looking strange in our assortment of Fire Service uniform, with everything from blues, to level one’s, two’s, BA and a couple in the oversized heads and red capes of Flint and Amber. This all changed during the afternoon when the rain moved in and started bucketing down. Everyone was getting soaked while Rodney and myself walked around the track in our level two’s like it was a perfectly fine day. Then the comments turned to compliments on being so well prepared and the like.

Sunset

The rain cleared after dumping down just enough to ensure that the track turned into one big mudslide (with no small amount of help from some of the kids in the area) and to short out the power to pretty much everything including the lighting towers. This meant that as dark started to fall they couldn’t fire the lights up making for some rather uncertain and questionable footing until they were repaired well into the evening.

In the mean time, a memorial ceremony was held including lighting of candles that were set to line the edges of the walking track. There was also a special performance by Yulia, a singer who was a big supporter of the Cancer Society and who performed for cancer sufferers from time to time.

The bands kicked off again and the walking continued. Some teams changed shifts, others just geared up for a long night.

The stretch heading towards midnight cooled off a lot and the laps seemed longer each time around, but heading towards midnight I started getting harassed by a bunch of girls (who one of the other guys had been hassled by earlier and had warned me about them!), but all in good humour. Shouts of “show us your hose” and similar statements flew each time past their camp. Who would believe this from a bunch of teachers!! =P  A few rounds after the banter began I joined on the track by a couple of lovely young ladies from their team, and arm in arm we passed by the camp just to stir even more.

The clowns from the CHB Circus also provided much amusement with whistles and horns everytime we walked past.

In the early hours of the morning after the music and the movies that were screened were over, some light music drifted on the wind and the mischief escalated. Theft of food condiments and drink driving of a wheelie bin were both in order, along with various other shenanigans that we shan’t go into.

As the sun started to rise and everyone started to turn up again we continued to plod along the well warn path. Stiff muscles struggled in the early morning chill and those that had managed to get some sleep were poked awake to take over the laps.

Pink Ladies - 08/03/2009 0818

With the sun and warmth came renewed energy and I grabbed the camera to go take a few shots of the various teams that were there. I also struggled over to the Village Kids and got a group pic of them; they were most obliging and full of smiles, and disturbingly awake given the hour!

As 11:30 rolled around all the teams piled onto the track for the final half hour, banners in tow. When 12 noon finally hit we all packed down towards the stage while the winners of raffles and most laps, fastest lap, best costumes etc were announced. The closing ceremony was finished off with the releasing of doves.

That just left packing up all our gear and clearing out!

By the time I got home I was absolutely stuffed. After no sleep I was tired and sore and soon after crashed out on the couch for a couple of hours. But being trashed aside, it was an awesome weekend and now we’re more aware of it we’ll be entering a team in again next year.

A big congrats to everyone who participated or sponsored or donated. It is a great cause. At the end of the weekend the raised funds totalled about $240,000.

And also cheers to the Pink Ladies for providing many laughs, much entertainment and for keeping us awake and motivated through the night.

And here ends my tired disjointed rambling, hopefully my memory isn’t too atrocious. More photos on facebook for those who are interested. =]

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Ok, now let me think, what’s happened over the past … (checks) … 3 months (wow it even feels like it’s been longer than that). Well, let’s look at the key points I guess.

Oh, but before I do, I have to say I think the arsonists that lit fires in Victoria (Australia) should be summarily shot. It’s mass murder on a grand scale and shows a severe lack of respect for anyone and anything. In fact, lets make arson a capital offence all round. Even the idiots here in NZ who set alight buildings that were part of the Whakapapa ski fields on Mt Ruapehu. F**king dropkicks, the lot of them.

Ok, and rant and on with the rest of it…

Christmas:

Christmas was pretty quiet. I spent lunch with my surrogate family (GlitterGirl will know who I’m talking about =P) which was nice. A good low stress affair really. Dinner at home alone infront of a movie was good too. I’m not a Christmas person really, too commercialised and all that junk. I did however get given a plant (which is still alive and sitting in my lounge), and a piece of neck jewlery stuff from my mother (Not sure what you’d call it exactly, but it’s not too shabby or feminine so my friends assure me lol).

New Years:

Ok, so this was a big one as such. I took 4 days out and went up to Auckland. Stayed with a good mate up there, and along with another good mate spent a nice few days.

Driving up was pretty crap weather. I probably averaged about 50km/h along the Taupo straights, a stretch renound for people being caught doing well in excess of 100km/h. The rain was so heavy that you could hardly see the road. Fortunaly the further north I went the better things got so it was actually quite plesent when I arrived in Auckland.

I got up there on the evening of the 30th after a stop part way up to meet some people I’d been chatting to digitally for a while. Dinner was shortly in order, followed by a walk up Mt Eden to play with a LASER! A movie or two when we got back ended the night.

New Years Eve… We bussed into Central Auckland and went for a little bit of a wander. Even sat and had a coffee at some nice little spot that was in what looked like a small lane way. While sitting there and with no small amount of convincing necissary I managed to talk the boys into a spot of rockclimbing. So back to camp and a quick phone around managed to find somewhere open! An hour or so out there and I had two new converts who apparently quite enjoyed the activity!

Home and showered then along with a few other vague aquaintances we spent New Years Eve at Oxygen, a rave setup by Incline events.

It was a pretty random evening. A bit of mucking around before we got in there delayed our arrival but we made it in by about 11:30. I was still stone cold sober but after the countdown and half the populace leaving I soon delt to that.

We partied away until about 5:30am New Years Day and then started the walk from K-Road back to Mt Eden. The rave closed at 6am and there wernt many left by the time we gapped it so we decided it wasn’t worth hanging around the extra half hour.

After an all too short sleep (I was up again at about 8:30) I downed a few coffees and waited for the others to emerge. Then we all headed out to the flat of one of the guys who had been at the rave with us and had a nice afternoon bbq.

Friday the 2nd marked my last day in Auckland, and was kicked off by one of my mates and I going and catching up with a guy I deal with lots for work but had never actually met. So managing to avoid most of the rain that was setting in we sat at one of the Mt Eden cafe’s and talked geek for a bit. Then back and pickup our 3rd and off for a late breakfast at Circus Circus.

Then it was all over. Back and pack the car and start the drive back home. It was a pretty uneventful trip except for it taking over an hour to get 11.1km’s through Taupo. Traffic along that stretch was TERRIBLE!

Since New Years:

Well it’s been pretty standard since then. The offices opened back up so back to the daily grind. I did go up to Auckland for the last weekend in January for a meeting, then came back via Wanganui to catch up with someone. I left work and headed up there around 11am Thursday, and got back to Napier about 3am Saturday morning. It was a long trip home!

Before heading up for that meeting, I sent off three photos of mine for a photography competition. I found out a couple of days ago that out of 450 entrants, a total of 85 awards were maid. One of which was an award of commendation to one of my pics!

Well known Diamond Harbour photographer and experienced judge Lynda Harper was most impressed with the variety and quality of images entered in the 2009 Focus on Flowers competition run by Carole and Frank Green in association with the Christchurch Garden City Trust’s Festival of Flowers. She felt it had been her hardest judging assignment ever. Display constraints allowed only a small percentage of the 450 entries to gain awards and thus many excellent images did not make the cut. – fusiontrust.co.nz

The three pics I put in were…

Makahu Farm

Poker on Gray

Lillies at the Grays

The first one (Makahu Farm) was the one that got the award. The last one, believe it or not, was taken in the middle of the day in a perfectly well lit room and has not had any editing except to correct the white balance. It was a fluke of light metering I guess you could say. All in all, having one chosen for display was more than I expected do I can’t complain about the result. =]

Yesterday:

Yesterday was Valentines day. Also known as National Singles Torture day. I pretty much avoided the world as much as possible by not leaving the house lol.

All in all I think Valentines has been made into commercial crap like most holidays, but I do miss having someone to setup elaborately simplistic romantic situations for. *sigh*

And of course I do miss GlitterGirl lots. :'(

Ok, so moving right along… I did end up watch “Changeling” on the night of valentines. It’s just hitting the cinemas I think. (Do yourself a favour and don’t ask how I watched a new release without leaving the house). Now, usually when films come out and people are raving that it’s a great movie I usually take a deep breath and brace myself before watching, and I’m usually left wanting more from the story. This time, I was pleasantly surprised. Be warned, the follosing may contain spoilers. =P

Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie it’s a story set around the 1920’s in Los Angelies and inspired by a true story “Changeling” tells a story of Christine Collins (Jolie) and her battle with the police when her son goes missing. After a search the then extremely corrupt LAPD return a boy to her claiming that it’s her recently found son. Collins claims this isn’t true, but the police and various others try and convonce her that it is, finally resorting to trying to discredit her when she doesn’t accept it to be the truth. Of course she is correct and it’s one big setup, but the police have had enough bad press, and can’t afford to have this one go south on them too.

Over several months the story of a determined and strong willed mother continues, and with some support from some people who still have a moral compass pointed in the right direction, she triumphs over the lies, however sadly she ends the movie without being reunited by her son.

The only criticism of it that comes to mind is that Collins left her 9 year old son at home alone while she was at work… yet no one ever hinted that this may have not been a good decision. I don’t know, maybe I missed something, or maybe this was just common place. Who know’s. But that aside it was still a great watch, say around a 7 out of 10.

I think that’s pretty much all for now. If anyone is still reading thus far I’ll be highly impressed.

Oh, and Sarah, what comment do you refer to on my last post? I didn’t delete any from you… go make it again! I’m curious now!! =P

The post Wow, it’s been a while… appeared first on Random Insanity.

It’s been a chilly winter but I’m sure that the impending muggyness will make me wish it was sub-zero again!

Work has been busy as hell but I’m planning to make sure I take some time off over the summer to go tramping/camping etc provided I can find a suitable victim to accompany me! Also plan to get back into rock climbing and work off the winter insulation that has built up around my mid section. =P

In 18 days I go under the needle and get branded. The currently planned design is…

It’s Kanji, and says (or so I’ve been assured it says) “Man | Firefighter | Protector”. The plan is to have it down the left side of my back. I’ll post pic’s when it’s done, and I’m sure there will be a few from while it’s getting done too.

Other than that, life has been more work than anything. Making some new friends and getting to chat to some new and interesting people.

Spent a little while this morning playing with the camera and will do some more this arvo once I finish hooking the laptop up so I can try some more interesting stuff. This morning resulted in a few pics along the lines of…

Not all that great, and needs some colour correction but the concept has merit. It’s just taken with my Nikon sitting on the tripod down low.

Anyway, I really have nothing interesting to say so time for another coffee me thinks.

Ciao!

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