Coming up for air

Sorry about the radio silence. I've been, well really busy at work, and poor Lane has had to pick up much slack. Children were in danger of being canaries in the mine of some kind of failed parenting experiment otherwise. So last weekend we did NOTHING. Oh, except have lovely people over for dinner.

Queen's Birthday Weeekend looms: Bella is off to Wellington for her Shakespeare competition on Thursday, and given I'm down to Gisborne Tuesday to observe the Transit of Venus with a bunch of very clever people, we're not going anywhere. But there's many a thing to look forward to:

The wonderful Silo Park Cinema is playing Monty Python's  Life of Brian Friday night (somewhat ironically given the work thing that I have been preoccupied with has been, well,  Monty Pytho-esque), and then the delightful authentic Alice in Wonderland (1951) Sunday at 5.30 pm - perfect for the kids! There's a Mad Hatter's Tea Party too.

Fingers crossed the weather stays fine for some Silo Park goodness!

Thursday 7 June while I'm at the Transit of Venus Forum Celebration Dinner, Lane will be at one of our favourite events - the marvellous LATE at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. This month's LATE, titled WRATH, features Finlay MacDonald in conversation with the wonderful Professor Michael Corballis, amoungst others, discussing anger. I'm a little gutted to be missing this!

However, I'm excited about trying to figure out the futurist game Pounamu that has been developed for the forum - log on and try to imagine New Zealand's future!

My only concern amoung all the science and poetry and ceremony and food is that I got the final programme from the Royal Society last night and apparently the dress code is 'smart casual' apart from the celebration dinner - for which the code is "this is your chance to dress up." I HATE smart casual. I'm never sure what it means. Advice and outfit plans gratefully recieved.

In my future is some camp goodness and childhood dreams come true! Monday 11 June I'm heading to In Vogue: Songs By Madonna - a one-night only chance to see Michael Griffiths, currently in Jersey Boys, perform Madonna. What child of 1977 could refuse this opportunity? Come and join me - I've recruited quite a posse of gen-X and gen-Y girls to join the crowds! Then Saturday 23 June the ice skating rink in Aotea Square opens. SO EXCITED! All those film images of skating in Central Park will come to fruition as I skate gracefully around in cute outfit without falling over once ....

At $55 for family skating and skate hire, this is a real family event that will transform the city into a glittery wonderland.