Baby Steps

I've just arrived in Auckland after a lovely couple of weeks in Wellington spent lazing around and catching up with friends. And eating. I did a lot of eating. The weather was great the whole time, and it was just so nice to see everyone again. Although I am still gutted that I missed out on the snow. I'm not sure I'll ever get over that, no matter how much people tell me it was kind of crap once it started melting, particularly if you had to be outside for any reason.

I'm at a friend's place (by myself, she's not home until later) and it is surprisingly cold, and predictably overcast. I have "borrowed" her puffy Kathmandu jacket that she raved about when I saw her last (it was on the floor in plain view, what's a girl to do?), and am now seriously considering stowing it in my suitcase and pretending that I never saw it. It is actually like wearing a snuggly cloud.

Actual jacket:

Accurate representation of how it feels to wear the jacket:

I'm sure she won't notice if it disappears.

In the last few days I have packed up all my clothes, furniture, and attempted to throw out a whole lot of stuff (not particularly successfully). I'm ridiculously slow at packing. I always end up spending more time peering through photo albums, reading old essays (cringe), and trying on hats that I haven't seen in a while, than actual packing. I was also SUPER awkward when the moving men came to collect my stuff and basically hid in my flatmate's room until they were gone (even though they were totally professional and did a good job). I'm a bit sore today as they took my bed and I had to sleep on the couch last night. The plus side of that was getting to properly say goodbye to my flatmates this morning as we all rushed out the door at the same time(ish).

I'm really going to miss Wellington - I've made so many friends there over the last 18 months and it makes me sad to wonder when I'll get to see them again. Thank goodness for social networking, or I'd be totally lost. Thanks to technology we can now still drink wine in bed and gossip via skype. Plus it is just so beautiful. Yes, even when it is raining, windy, and the bus is 20 mins late.

Tonight I'm catching up with Auckland friends for MORE eating out before heading home to Whangarei for a tiny while - AND THEN TO PERTH WITH ME!