Summer!

Or at least that’s what it's supposed to be right now. The weather this year is funny all over the world. In New Zealand we had great weather in September and October and then around Christmas there was a dump of snow on the mountains...summer didn't really start till February. Well the same is happening here. When I came home we had two months of really nice, hot weather and no rain at all. But now, June and July, it had been cool and very very wet. We’ve had several heavy storms and just this week some parts of the Netherlands had so much rain that the streets were flooded and even a whole roof of a supermarket came down because it couldn't hold the weight of all that water!

It's a shame because all summer there are heaps of festivals, small and big, all around the country. I personally don't like the big crowded festivals but prefer the small ones in the park with live bands. Just sitting there in the grass with some friends drinking rose wine and having a picnic. The weather hasn't really allowed that till now but there's still august and September right ;-).

Seems like all the big Kiwi bands are coming to Europe this summer. I celebrated my birthday in London at a concert of Fat Freddy's Drop!! It was so amazing! I went there with Shaz and we stayed at my friend Leanne's place. She moved there last year when I was away so this was the first time I got to see her new home. I also met up with Martha. That really was so good. I travelled with her for 5 weeks and we had such a good time together. We both felt really sad when we had to say goodbye last year in august. So after almost 11 months we met up again. I was a bit nervous because the time in NZ was so great that I had big expectations about seeing her again and just didn't know if the connection we had then would still be there. But from the first minute it was great. Talked a lot about NZ and of course her year at university because while I was still enjoying all the beauty of NZ she was working her ass off back home. But more about the concert. We where all just smiling because of all the kiwi accents we heard around us. Felt like being back just for a night. The whole crowd was so excited, you could feel the energy. They started playing and everyone was just so into the music, dancing and enjoying. Think I've never had such a good night in my life!

Just last week I went to another concert, Katchafire! They were playing in Amsterdam. I must admit I had heard of the band but never really heard their music so it was a big surprise to me what the night would bring. Again I was with Shaz and we just danced and were so completely relaxed to the reggae sounds...just an amazing band.

And there’s more to come...The Black Seeds are playing of the 3rd and 4th of august and we're going to both gigs. The first is in a relatively big club in Amsterdam and the second is in the same little place in the beach where I saw Pete Murray, it's called Timboektoe in Wijk aan Zee. For those of you who are on this side of the world and reading this...You don't want to miss this band so buy tickets!!!

Other than listening to a lot of Kiwi music I've been working, which is OK but not for to much longer ;-). One of my friends got married, a beautiful day. Been busy finding a second job too. I only work 4 day now, my own choice because I wanted time to explore other things and starting tomorrow I might have found it. I have a test night at a little restaurant and hoping I can work there 2 nights a week. Going to do a course for staring your own business, full into yoga, getting rid of all the excess baggage I have (as in way to much stuff!). Just today I brought 3 garbage bags of clothes to a collections point. Don't know exactly what they do with it but hope it gets to people who need it more then I do. So hopefully by the end of this year my life will fit in two suitcases and I can just pack up and leave!