Auckland

Rugby football is a game I can’t claim absolutely to understand in all its niceties, if you know what I mean. I can follow the broad, general principles, of course. I mean to say, I know that the main scheme is to work the ball down the field somehow and deposit it over the line at the other end and that, in order to squalch this programme, each side is allowed to put in a certain amount of assault and battery and do things to its fellow man which, if done elsewhere, would result in 14 days without the option, coupled with some strong remarks from the Bench.
~ P. G. Wodehouse, Very Good, Jeeves (1930)

Rugby World Cup, at present, feels like a splash of red paint on a white screen. Immediate. Bold. Unavoidable. Everything in this city is RwC, RwC… and it will likely be this way for some weeks to come. Banners line some streets, today I saw a tram, and the Link buses now come not just in green, but in orange and red, too.

So while I am obviously pleased that rugby fans will get to indulge in all things Rugby for the next weeks, it was also nice to disappear into a non-rugby world for a few hours this afternoon! I was given a guest pass to NZ Fashion Week, and dutifully popped down to Halsey Street to take a look.

Barely a minute passed inside the main hall before a photographer snapped my picture – looking rather unravishing… hair wind-tossed, scarf falling off my neck due to aforementioned wind, and green Auckland Library canvas bag hanging off my left shoulder… :-( Poos!

That aside, though, I liked the colours everywhere, and the waterfront location, and the fact that they had Dedon chairs in one of their halls (I fell in like with Dedon’s furniture on one previous Summer job stint). Holding areas were spread out on different floors and in various directions, each containing its pool of dressed-up folk (who I peered at with interest, and who didn’t seem to mind others staring, which is great). The show schedule looked similarly interesting, though I don’t think I will be going to the shows this year… because… who needs fashion shows with Cirque du Soleil in town? ;-) (I’m going to this soon… so excited!)

Took a few quick photos en route to evening class after that (the ones you see in this post), the most intriguing sight was that of the drawbridge being raised and lowered a few times within a few hours… lightly reminiscent of the Changing of the Guards (i.e. possibly a good reason exists for it being done – but to most people, this reason is not apparent – nice to watch anyway).

Not much to write on the food front today. Today’s been a stand-and-eat kind of day… you know what I mean? The days when you wake up early, then spend too long dawdling, and find yourself with five minutes left to quickly eat toast & jam standing up while smoothing your hair with your other hand and running out the door to get to work? (And then the rest of the day seems to follow suit?)