Next

So with the help of my assistants (pictured below) we laid all of my Next magazines out on the driveway. The first issue was from 1991. There were quite a few holes in the first 2 years. And I obviously 'acquired' at least one issue from my then 'step-mum', Gaynor. I know this because she had written 'Casseroles' on the cover. :-)


At a guess I'd say I started subscribing to Next around the end of 1992... probably got a sub for my birthday. (For a long time that's what I got every year from my Dad and Sylvia for my birthday). It's the only magazine that I have consistently read from cover to cover since it's beginnings, I even read the wine and motoring columns. (I also read Little Treasures from cover to cover but I did stop getting that just before M started school, of course I started again last year but I am not going to keep them.)

Anyway it was an interesting journey. First of all there was the progress of fashion. Mmmmmm there were some 'delicious' outfits and hairstyles!



And then there was the progress of time. I very definitely had emotional connections with various issues especially around the time the kids were born... I'm not sure how that works though as I am currently four months behind thanks to Mr Willie they are piling up beside the bed.


As well as taking photos of them all laid out I took photos of individual issues that caught my eye for the future scrapbook page that's in my head. I took the photos basically on the basis of what I found aesthetically pleasing and today (a couple of weeks later) it's interesting to see what I chose... taught me a bit of lesson about my personal tastes.
I like;

• Fresh and airy (I had lots of visually simple covers with bright citrus/lime colours)
  
• Flowers (Lots of covers with flowers)
  
• Christmas (I took photos of a few December issues- there was a purple one which I was trying to figure out why I chose it and then I realised it was the Christmas thing).
  
• Pretty and feminine (Some real girly covers with butterflies and sweet stuff)
  
• Rich and Warm (A couple of yummy chocolatey winter goodness type pages)
• I like girls. :-) Some of the covers I chose because I fancy the cover girls. (Simone Kessel, Petra Bagust, and the lead singer from Golden Horse)

I took them all to school and relinquished their hold on me. It felt pretty good although I did feel a little tinge of something after school on Monday when Merenia said, "We cut up all your magazines today!"

Thank-you Next for 17 years of goodness. For supporting and building kiwi women and sharing their stories to inspire us all. And for giving me something to read in planes, Dr's offices, in the car and of course; at the flying field.