Been so busy!

You have no idea how all consuming life has been, so I apologise for such a dreary delay in updating my blog. Everyone will be so over the snow pictures. Since then, it has been really hot and sunny here in London - such a contrast. We are having a minor glitch at the moment though, as it reverts to cold'ish and rather dull. But it's still only May, and so there is still hope.

Here are a couple of shots of some everyday sights - views of Docklands from my daily stroll to the tube - intermingled with Sonia's postage stamp size garden on the Isle of Dogs.

I now have some ongoing work and so I can focus on life and living. Soon I will be looking after a lovable Labradoodle in a wonderful house overlooking the canal in Maida Vale - stay tuned, because this will be worth the wait - I can promise you loads of good photos and funny stories.

Hadassah World Wide Walk

Wow - what a wonderful treat for my birthday on the 6th April - I arrived in London just in time to join the Hadassah World Wide Walk in London. This is an annual event that takes place to raise funds for the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. The best thing about it was that it snowed - highly unseasonal, but it made Regents Park look very pretty.

To learn more about the world-leading research and medical breakthrough's of the Hadassah Medical Organisation then click on the following link. Hadassah is committed to

BUILDING BRIDGES TO PEACE THROUGH MEDICINE.

http://www.hadassahuk.org/

The city I am leaving

Before I continue with "London and beyond" - here are a couple of nice shots (taken by my brother) of Auckland at dawn. This is the city I am leaving, for the time being anyway.

Here's another shot that I love - taken by Lynn Clayton of the Royal New Zealand Yacth Squadron in 1997 - dolphins frolicing in front of Rangitoto, the volcanic island in the middle of Auckland Harbour.

I'm London bound (again)

Well, I'm off again to London in early April. As a "pioneer", not a "settler" there is a pattern forming here that my close friends will clearly decipher. A couple of years here, a couple of years there, and so it goes .......

This is a city that no doubt will provide plenty of subject matter for my future blogs - predominantly featuring pets and their owners no doubt. It is also a city where one bumps into the most extraordinarily interesting of people. Stay tuned.

To be precise, I am heading straight for Canary Wharf to stay with a good friend - I love this part of London. It's new, fresh, bright, breezy and by the River - it's so important to me to be by the water, having been brought up in Auckland which is surrounded by the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Click on this link to view a plethora of photos of this unique part of London.

http://images.google.co.nz/images?hl=en&q=Canary+Wharf&gbv=2

Gannets of Muriwai

Not too far from where I live is a large colony of Gannets - Muriwai Beach on the West Coast of New Zealand near Auckland is wild, rugged and wonderful.

Refurbishing my cottage

Private, sunny courtyard entrance

Sunset over the Waitakere Ranges

Favourite New Zealand Beaches

Looking towards Pakiri

Piha (Lion Rock) - not far from where I live

Tawharanui - Mahurangi (1 hour north of Auckland)

Coromandel Peninsula

Swimming with the Dolphins in Israel

Dolphins dining - please note the cat "we are not amused, but we do like our own yellow bucket of fish!"

Watching, watching, watching

Lovely scruffy salty dog - enraptured with the dolphins - sat and watched them all day long and often couldn't resist jumping in and joining them.

Mother and baby dolphins in the Red Sea - Israel.

Here is the link to a story about the Red Sea dolphins who are very special.

http://www.thetemple.urj.net/Sermon1.html

The Red Sea - Egypt

Self explanatory - me and camel and bored male who really wanted to watch the football World Cup finals on TV (true story). Aren't men just the same everywhere!

Kira of Cairo

Petsitting in London

This advertorial in a London Magazine started me off on a petsitting adventure that opened the door to many an escapade with creatures great and small - ranging from a goldfish, a parrot, a pair of axolotls, rabbits, big dogs, blind dogs, good cats, bad cats - not to mention their fascinating owners.

During my petsitting days in London I met some wonderful pets and their often very interesting owners from all over London. I would like to introduce you to some of my "clients".

Holly of Hampstead

Very low maintenace wee girls - but talk about curious!

Exercise those toes, Minkey!

New dimensions of meaning to the phrase "chilled out"

They look cute, but don't be fooled - high maintenace and naughty with a capital "N"

See!

.... the Clerkenwell Delinquints

Ok, so we're not in London here, we're in Egypt at the Red Sea (more on that later).