hi from Auckland

Well, it's been four weeks since I've been back in Aucklandtown and I'm not sure how they've slipped past so fast. A few days jet lag, a few days at the beach house, a few days chasing work and a new studio, and two weeks flat on my back with flu....and blow me down, there's 28 days worth!
However, it is fabulous to be back. Miss my London friends of course, but am so enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere of this town. For some reason I was finding London a bit claustraphobic towards the end. Anyway, here's a couple of photos from where I live in Devonport that may explain my state of mind at the moment.
(This is taken from the balcony)

Actually, I've decided that my next task in life is to entice as many of you to Auckland for my 50th birthday in January 2008, and what better way to to that but to share the beauty and specialness of this place.

So if you feel like a little dose of sunshine (especially those of you in the UK) take a peek at these photos every now and then for a sunny shot to the scenses!.

This is the historic sea scout hall across the road, where I held my exhibition in March.



Here's Nicola (who popped over from Brisbane for a long weekend of R&R) sitting atop Mt Victoria which backs onto the house (which is out of sight to the left of the photo). The city Sky Tower can be seen in the distance.



The view of the city out of the dining room window. The city is a 15 min ferry ride across the harbour. (The colour is from Australian bush fire haze drifting across the Tasman Sea).







And here's a little shot of summer - our beautiful toi-toi (emphasising the blue skies) and the frangipani in full bloom (fast becoming a kiwi icon).


Ciao for now lots of love Susan

The Beeb and I

For those of you who don't know, I've just completed a two month project with the BBC property division working up an environmental sustainability strategy for them.

It's been a wonderful project, fab people who have already done a lot of thinking about this and are very eager to get some action happening on the ground. They were pleased with the resulting plan so hopefully over the next 18mths their environmental impact will improve enormously.

Here's a photo of part of the media village I was stationed at in London. Can't show you any inside photos cos due to various privacy and policy requirements, I'm not allowed to publish them without permission.

It's a great building inside though. Three huge atriums that bring natural light into all parts of the floors, good use of colour so no 'grey zones', and light and airy throughout. London had 'open house' day a couple of weekends back and I ended up taking the public on tours around the building - gave me a good excuse to enthuse about flexible (and green of course) workspaces. Was lots of fun.

Round the world in 8 hours

My friend Lisa (starring in all the photos) and I had a crazy fun day a few weeks back - having no money to jump on a plane, we screamed around London to visit six countries in 8 hours - Russia, Arabia, India, the Amazon, Hawaii and China.

First stop was the Russian Orthodox Church in Gunnesbury which had priceless Russian icons smuggled out at the start of the Russian revolution.

Then it was off to Kensington High Street to visit Leighton House, once owned by an eccentric artist who turned it into an Arabian court. The mosaics were out of this world.








The trip to Neasden took a while, people usually go for the 24-hr open Ikea store. We, however, were heading for the largest Hindu temple outside of India. The carving was totally OTT but awe inspiring nevertheless.



Then down to the barbican in the center of old London City to visit the amazonian tropical forest tucked away in a conservatory at the heart of the complex.









Getting rather tired we decided to head for Hawaii and the beach shipped into an abandoned brewry in Brick Lane. Ahh, to sink one's tired feet into sand again....so relaxing.

But with only 45 mins to go till our 8 hrs was up, there was no rest and we made a dash for china town. We arrived with 3 mins to spare!
















We ended up the day in a grotty £4.50 all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet on the top floor of a rickety old shop, right in the heart of Chinatown. All in all great fun if slightly tiring!

Nottinghill carnival

The Nottinghill Carribean-style carnival is a yearly event looked forward to by some and dreaded by others. It's 48 hrs of non-stop festivities with people from all nations pouring into a few square kilometres of space. Sometimes it's hard to remember what country you're in.

London Weather

Oh who said that weather in London was not a wonderful thing. Over the two months I've been staying in the BBC Hostel, these are some of the sights outside my window that have greeted me each day. And no matter what it looks like to the contrary, it's hardly been cold enough to throw a light cardie around my shoulders.