Mike Riversdale

She's a gorgeous old lady the River Wye.

It's the oddest of things that make you feel back at home, the spoon reflections your remember, the smell of sofa, the way the light comes in through your old bedroom window. And the kitchen implements. This Homepride flour container has always been there on the sideboard, smiling his way through tonnes of flour used to cook up delicious meals.

I left Wales in the early 1990s and the UK in 1996 and so I am of "THE bridge" generation. The second Severn crossing is still new to me, but I'm getting there as I've travelled over it a few times now.

It's Dymocks in Australia, and Whitcoulls in New Zealand, but most definitely WHSmith's in the UK. Always a reminder that I'm there not here 😀

I have no idea what it's like up there in the Boeing 777-200LR first class / upper lounges, but the stairs are mighty pretty eh.

Actually called Hamad International Airport , is big. Best to open the photo in a new tab and zoom in, there's a lot to see.

Doha Airport is BIG. Travelators take you passed endless departure gates towards hubs of shops. Lifts take you up or down to floors of even more travelators doing the same. A bus, or even an inside train, takes you to other buildings with Travalators on different floors.

Auckland, New Zealand to Doha, Qatar is 18 hours, 34 minutes. One flight. This flight.

First photo bomb was in the departure lounge and then her partner got in on the act sitting behind me on the plane, classic.

Even Auckland airport has/had dwarves. Who can name this one?

It was a "smooth as pancake" type of day when I flew out from Wellington. 

When the harbour is flat and the city building lights are on it's a majestical site.

In the style of a 1840s watercolour as seen in many a museum around the region. In fact it's a photo taken in July 2019, edited with Google Photos and further enhanced using Snapseed, here it is.

Almost like an English countryside in an autumn morning.

Silly but fun. (at Caffe L'affare , I think)

Made my childlike soul jump for joy when I spotted this Beano inspired drawing of the Bash Street Kids inside the bar it was actually hanging inside. Hands-up who knows: What bar is this? Who the Bash Street Kids are?

Jess Manins from Beyond , a start-up VR gaming company based in Wellington, was a massive ongoing supporter of the Access Granted NZ podcast. This photo captures her vitality and fun perfectly.

Be interesting to see if I turn out this way. Using the FaceApp app (!) I created this back in July 2019 and tbh I'd be surprised if the app still exists.

It's the height of hope to take an umbrella out in Wellington.

The CoCo Lounge at the Roxy Cinema is a very VERY cool place for Wellingtonians looking to have that special meal. The word that wraps around everything is "sumptuous".

A hidden café off the main Strathmore drag that is horrendously popular due to it's heritage, great food, and delightful rustic nature. Go visit . Oh, in getting the map link I see it's called Mystic Kitchen (on Google Maps) and an (associated?) Gypsy Kitchen is in town .

Oh this glass sculpture of Kate Sheppard at the NZ National Library is sumptuous. The green, the light, the different angles, and everything about it makes my insides smile.  Her sculpture currently stands on Te Ahumairangi, the ground floor of the Library's Molesworth St building. The result of a petition to Parliament on behalf of the Women's Refuge, commissioned by Saatchi and realised by Propellor Studios. Making Kate There aren't many photos of Kate available, so creating her form in 3D took some extrapolation and imagination. Sketched up by Hamish Fraser in Zbrush, the model was then sliced into hundreds of layers. 351 flat shapes were then cut out of the country's entire available stock of glass-edge acrylic, a material lighter than regular plate glass and the source of the statue's wonderful sea-green colour. Each sheet was etched with the 2,616 names and messages of the petition's signatories, and stacked on a stainless steel 'spine'. A base

One of Wellingtons best arts festivals was LUX Light Festival . Unfortunately this annual event is no more and we are all more the worse for it.

Mighty Mighty was easily one of the finest bars / music venues Wellington has ever, co-owned and managed by one the greatest bar women ever, Sally Thomson. Whatever happened to Sally after it shut down ?

I'm not sure whether the art deco styled windows with the woman figure at The Roxy Cinema are "Roxy", or "Coco", or even something / someone else - anyone know?

Not sure I'm addicted to beer, I certainly don't wake-up craving it or wander the house of an evening checking all the potential nooks and crannies for a lost can. I do like the taste of good beer, and the fizz of the first one for a while is quite lovely. And finally, the zero / very low alcohol beers are growing in variety, taste, and availability.

When teaspoons come in such differing sizes what does it mean when the recipe states, "Add 1/4 tsp of sugar"?

It was on the cards that the Wellington City Councilors were going to declare a Climate Emergency .  At the time I had some good friends in Council and, seeing as I hadn't been to an official Council thingy before, along I went to see how they worked and what would happen. It was a packed room. That's not to say it was well attended, 40 or so Wellingtonians is a mere drop in the water compared to the 215,900 that could've been there. Whilst the majority were along to express their desire for an official Climate Emergency statement this was not the only item on the public session agenda. First it was parking issues and fixing a gate (I think). It was quite the whinge fest I can tell you. BUT, without them the councillors can become divorced from reality and people totally unengaged so I'm all for it, just never want to sit through one ever again. The main event came and went with a majority vote for claiming / announcing / declaring a Climate Emergency . No-one really wa

Do you know what a Fab Lab is? No, let me tell you ... a Fab Lab ("digital fabrication laboratory") is a place that allows anyone to pop in and create a thing. Any thing. They are chock full of 3D printers, laser cutters, heat presses, vinyl cutters, and all manner of tools to use.  Most importantly though they have people that can help you use them, guide you in getting your thing created, and give you tips and techniques to get the best out of your own projects. They have a huge leaving towards supporting local communities, and educating the young 'uns (but oldies are absolutely welcome). So that's what a Fab Lab is, and for us in the bottom of the North Island we have Fab Lab Masterton ... it rocks! Currently they are open for drop-ins on Friday afternoons, no booking required, at 44 Queen Street, Masterton

A storm over the golden hills and far away.

Calendar all up to date, now has all dates for the following: Northern teams visiting the south, 2022 Rugby Championship Women's World Cup (NZ, Oct - Nov), Southern teams visiting the north, 2023 Six Nations , 2023 Men's World Cup (France, Sept - Oct). IF you see missing or wrong test matches then drop me an email and I will share the calendar with you and you can make it better for all of us :) Your free, live and public iCal / Google Calendar with all the international rugby fixtures and results including the Rugby World Cup, 6 Nations and Rugby Championship, and many more. https://www.mikeriversdale.co.nz/rugby-calendar

A lazy calm harbour afternoon as metal birds and feathered birds gently fly to their destinations.

The Monmouth Comprehensive medal holders from the 198? Gwent AAA Championship held in Cwmbran line up for their media moment. Which one is Mike?