I'm going to be speaking at an event at Christchurch’s central library (Turanga) at the end of the month ("Moving around a 21st century city", 2-4 pm, Sunday 30th May). It's about how to get more people on public transport. It is normal to take a dog on the bus or the underground in London or on trains all over Europe. You can’t take them on any public transport here in New Zealand (except the ferry).
Illustrated Epistle Extract: To Be or Not to Be a Tomboy
I missed much of the 19/20 summer in New Zealand because of building the studio and I decided that I would make the most of the 20/21 season by aiming for
This meant trying to swim, surf, paddle board, or find some other way to immerse myself in salt water for 100 days (not consecutively). I also tried to wear either a skirt or a dress, as I tend to wear jeans, trousers or shorts as they have lots of pockets. And I’m a tomboy. Apparently that isn’t a word we should use these days. But us tomboys ignore woke dictates like that. I cherish the word because it’s how I’ve thought of myself since I was about seven years old. My first professional cartooning job was a topical panel called Tomboy (my drawing style and the internet have changed somewhat in 20 years).
Do you think I’m allowed to own the word, tomboy, the way that black people own the word white people can never say? Hmmmn.
Anyway... I decided to make an effort for summer by wearing more skirts and dresses. Though their pockets are often feeble or non-existent, they are handy when you are changing in and out of swimming togs. Kiwis are prudish when it comes to nudity and you can’t do the Spanish thing and whip everything off and on to change at the beach. Instead it is awkward under-the-towel manoeuvering.
I completed my hundred days this month and now I’m in denial that summer is over. Technically NZ summer ended on 20th March, but the fine weather continued like summer without the wind. It has only been in the last week or so I’ve realised that I need to get a grip. It really isn’t summer any more and I have to knuckle down and get some work done. Maybe after I finish building the deck around the studio. Or after I’ve done my taxes…
This is an extract of my Illustrated Epistle, which goes out once a month-ish. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a cartoonist (specifically, mine). I'd love it if you signed up at the bottom of this page, or here:
http://eepurl.com/cCOOeD
Or head to the archive to read more here.
I Would Have LOVED to Get Postcards From Space When I Was a Kid
I listen to a couple of podcasts about independent publishing. One of them is the Self Publishing Show who recently interviewed Miles Hudson about his writing project, Postcards From Space. The idea is that actual photos from space (copyright free images from NASA and the European Space Agency) are sent out weekly from a fictional kid and their dog as they travel through space.
Junior astronaut Tanno, and their spacedog, Iguda
As a child I would have loved this. I adored reading about space and I was so excited when I received any kind of post. So I subscribed my niece and nephew to it and this is what my nephew thought:
He lives in London and it has been tough going through a year of on and off lockdown because of Covid. They are coming out of it now, but Postcards From Space are something fun to read whilst they are waiting to be able to go on their own trips.
Living in New Zealand: Alps2Ocean on an Ordinary Bike: Day 7: Duntroon to Oamaru
It was another overcast day but with clear views over the hills.
Most of the day’s trail goes through farmland and is dominated by introduced species like these beautiful birches.
Elephant rocks near Kurow
You can see how Elephant rocks got their name.
It is worth taking the time to walk among the rocks. They reminded me of the standing stones in Avebury, England.
Water and wind has carved patterns in the limestone.
Echo corner. I stopped and tried it out. It works.
Dairy country. Too many nutrients in the water cause algal blooms which can be toxic so rivers aren’t swimmable.
The dairy and irrigation industries sponsor these signs that are laughable when you look at the state of the waterways you are riding near.
A climb up a gravel road rewards you with the first view of the ocean.
Heavy rains earlier in the year had washed out some of the track.
The official end point
I ended the trip by throwing in the stone I’d brought from Tekapo into Friendly Bay and following it in.
Click to see options for using the image
Started at 8:40 am and arrived at 2:30, with about 4 hrs in saddle. One of the more demanding days of the trail, but rewarding (though the only swimmable part is at the end).
Sue came down to meet me and we headed to a local bar with our partners.
Our arrival in Oamaru coincided with their Jazz and Blues Festival. We enjoyed listening (and dancing!) to these guys before we headed back to the backpackers (The band was Oscar LaDell and Hoot)
After a night at the backpackers ($100 for a double room), I went for a wild swim at Bushy Bay, watched only by a couple of seals on the beach.
Then it was off to the Oamaru farmers market (on a Sunday) to stock up before heading back.
We packed up Gertie for the trip home (I’m glad she survived as well as my bike. You can see what Duncan’s parallel fishing trip was like at his blog here: https://localfoodhound.wordpress.com/2021/03/28/mackenzie-country-adventure/).
