39: I See Your True Colours

As I've been driving around back and forth from Alexandra to Queenstown I've seen a lot of support for the teams playing rugby in the World Cup. I love how almost everyone has got into the spirit and are displaying their colours from every available surface.

Naturally, most are supporting New Zealand and there are silver fern flags in abundance.

Some have divided loyalties...

Others have no such dilemmas...

And this is our house - we thought we'd go for the subtle look.

 

Some just love the tournament and are looking forward to the next stage.

Bring it on!

36: Meet the gang 'cause the boys are here

Of course I went over to Arrowtown Primary School when some of the England rugby team came to visit...  and as a team, I give them a glowing report card.


Most likely to succeed: Chris Ashton



Most likely to get his head kicked in: James Haskell

Teacher's pet: Alex Corbisiero

Mr Popularity: Mark Cueto

Class clown: Dylan Hartley

Actually, they were all utterly charming. Read the full post on Kate's blog.

2: Sevens

Queenstown hosted the Pub Charity National Sevens and there was not a cloud in the sky - that's a parapenter you can see to the side of the posts.

The action was fast and furious with lots of fit men chasing up and down the field and trying to get the ball from one end to the other without being clattered - that's the object, basically for the uninitiated.

The final was between Taranaki (in yellow tops) and Auckland (blue and white hoops). If you're interested Auckland won 36-26.

 

It was a very hot day, and there was a variety of headgear on display.

Now, that's what I call branding! Three stars are the emblem of Speights, the local beer (I use that word in a loose sense - it is brown and fizzy and it tastes vile). This girl clearly has a taste for all things tacky as she has tattooed herself with a marketing motif. Body art, it ain't.

 

Week 6: Mixed up world

I love this statue of a jumble of words on Lambton Quay. My head was full of half-formed thoughts and ideas, and I was mentally compiling lists of things to do when I saw it. The clouds were drifting across the sky and things seemed to be in an odd state of static movement; a lot like my mind.

Chester is a fan of tight spaces and smelly running kit. Hence Dad's suitcase seems the perfect place for a cat-nap. I make a mental note to check the parents' luggage before they leave for England.

My boss is the one on the left in the picture. Everyone wears fancy dress to the Wellington Rugby Sevens (well, about 90% of folk anyway), but it is slightly disturbing to see one's manager dressed as a Clockwork Orange droog and ready for a touch of ultraviolence. I love the way the bowler hats shade their eyes from the sun. A cruise liner floats at berth in the background. If those tourists are only here for the weekend, they must find this a very strange place. I'd love to see their travel journal; 'The natives are odd, wearing peculiar dress and indulging in senseless revels involving egg-chasing.'

Again, I know this is not a great photo, but it was a highlight of the weekend of the Wellington Rugby Sevens tournament. See the Kiwis dejectedly leaving the stadium; see the blank screen that was prepared to show repeats of New Zealand winning in their own back yard; see the effect of the camera shaking from my excitement. I don't think anyone was expecting that result, so I thought I would get photographic evidence.