Christmas with a Twist

When you are creating your own nativity scene from scratch you have to be quite creative.  That's how you end up with the three wise Barbies bearing Little Shop gifts...

a mixed assortment of shepherds and a slightly punk Mary.

Also, following a longstanding family tradition, although you can't really see him, there is a zebra among the cattle!

A Sign?

In the sky today this spectacular ring around the sun.

Depending on your point of view it's light reflecting off ice crystals, a sign of rain coming or a sign of new beginnings.  Either way it was amazing.

That's better

Inching towards Christmas

It's one of those years.  I started out well prepared but other things have got in the way and Christmas has snuck up on me.  This is as far as my decorating has got, a bit sad really.  Maybe minimalist is the way to go.

Informational art

The other day I noticed that the electricity boxes around town (don't know their formal name) are getting a makeover.  Not content with wonderful street art on some of our buildings we now have it on these as well.  What really grabbed my attention as much as the art was the message

Signs of spring

Not that you'd know it from the weather the last few weeks but today a sure sign that things are warming up.  Fog.  Heavy fog.  Cold ocean and warm air meet and ta-da, 90% humidity, chillers working overtime at work and the airport closed.

Finished

The final weaving weekend and the final piece presented.

And a closeup.

Photo-oping

My trophy count is now up to four!  Today I added the ITM Cup to my photo-op collection joining the Rugby World Cup, the Ranfurly Shield and the Melbourne Cup.

A Full weekend

It's Labour Day so we get a long weekend and so far the letter F has featured heavily.

Flax, I'm preping for my final project so this is what my living room currently looks like - festooned!

Fruit, this weekend is also my self-imposed deadline for getting Christmas cake sorted so yesterday meant fruit soaking.

and Finals!  Not only did we get to the finals this year but We Won!

Goodbye Jess

1996 - 8.10.2014

Climbing the mountain

Family have been visiting and we had a sparkling day last week to climb the mountain.  This was taken by a budding photographer (aged 4) and if you look carefully you can see snow in the background.

He's back!

Ferdie, the Taranaki team mascot, has been out injured for the last three games but on Friday he made a triumphant return to the field.

And we won!

Weeds

are my gardening speciality but if you look carefully you will also see kale, broccoli and garlic.

Out and about

I've only got one weekend at home this month what with massed birthdays, a friend's wedding and of course, more weaving.  It kind of liked that, even though I'm not sure who I am or where I am sometimes, my airline seat knows what's what.

Something in the air

Last Thursday night the regional rugby competition started.

  It was cold, it was windy, it was wet and despite looking promising at half time, it was a draw.  A sign of things to come with pretty much the same scenario in the first Bledisloe cup game on Saturday, which I missed.  Why?  Another weaving weekend that produced this...

a wahakura or baby sleeping basket.

Lifting the limit

This weekend saw the last ever 24 hour book sale.  I'm going to miss it but not right away.  Why?  See below.

This is what the removal of my self imposed shopping limit looks like.  5, yup, count them, 5 bags.  I'm going to ration myself and if I'm careful I reckon I can make this stash last for quite some time.

Scavenging

The same exhibition that has our shark under attack has also delivered a scavenger hunt with a difference.  Painted on and around our lift, by local street artists, are 49 objects from around the museum.

 If you find them all you get a badge (which I haven't managed yet) but for me the best bit is the label.

No artist speak here - nice.

Shark attack

We currently have a wonderful exhibition on that brings together works by 95 local artists.  One of them is an installation that has given our shark a whole new look.  A net has been slung over the foyer and visitors are invited to make and throw paper planes/darts into the space.  I more than suspect that the shark is a prime target and some have succeeded!

Half way

We are officially half way through our weaving year and this weekend we have set up a display of our work so far.  It's quite impressive when you see it all together in one place.  This is most of it (there are 3 areas)...

 and this is our corner.  One of my weaving friends and I decided to share a space and we are quietly chuffed with how it looks.

Properly Winter

We have officially had a very warm June but the warm weather is well and truly over.

The view from my office yesterday...

 and the mountain today.

I've broken out all my woolies and am wearing them in layers with as much marino as possible - the record to date is 3 layers of wool and a puffer jacket!

Catching up

I've been in Aus, catching up with family and friends.  Two of the highlights were ticking Vivid Sydney off my bucket list...

 and the annual food, wine and friend fest that is the Pizzini Long Lunch.

That's the remains of some very nice red wind and two types of pork sausage - course number 3 of 6.

Another Milestone

We've been together for 4 years and today we celebrated another milestone - a little, hard-core group of us travelled to Whanganui to join our classmates to graduate.  The official photo of us in gowns etc will come later but here are some of us; 5 from Taranaki and 2 from Whanganui including our teacher (in the middle).

Two journeys

Last weekend was another weaving weekend and we were all marvelling at how far we have come on our weaving journies - from some pretty dodgy looking first attempts to our first kete whiri, baskets with plaited bottoms.  Making these kete involves bringing boiled/dried flax 'back to life' by dampening it down and leaving it out overnight.  They looked like skeletons all laid out.

and this is what it finished up looking like.

This last week I travelled up to the Hokianga, way far north, for the Māori Librarians annual conference. We stayed at a wonderful marae that used to be a cinema hall and travelled around visiting libraries, schools and marae learning the stories of the area as well as talking through a range of work topics.  This is the view from the gate of the marae where we stayed.  Dirt roads, no mobile phone coverage, nearest town 15mins drive but fantastic hospitality, 5 meals a day and Wifi!

and on the way home here is the crew that made the 10am crossing yesterday on the car ferry to Rawene.

Winter coat

Not the first snow of the season but the first that looks like it will stay.

Gnomes behaving badly

These guys appear in our children's library for all sorts of occasions and they are normally very well behaved.  This easter though they have got into the chocolate and it's all got a bit messy.

Sleeping under the stars

I'm just back from my second weaving weekend, when we are there we sleep in the Kohanga/Kindergarten that's part of the complex.  The walls and windows are covered in art and so is the ceiling.  They have put up the constellations, beautifully decorated by the children and so we sleep under the stars.

Still Weaving

Apart from work the main thing that has been happening is more weaving.  Class is up to week 6 and I'm slowly getting better, my latest effort is looking a lot more even and like I know what I'm doing.

The Mountain

I haven't shown it to you for a while so here is the view as I was coming back from a meeting on Friday.  I'm still not tired of it.

The letter B

This weekend has been brought to you by the letter B.

Beer and Bread (Hungarian fried)

 Boys (well men actually, from France) in Bins

 Bagpipes!  That combo can only happen at Womad and although the weather was challenging due to the fringe of Cyclone Luci it didn't stop the music or the dancing.

 And when I wasn't at Womad it was Baskets at my first weaving weekend.

Sooo last week

Last week the town was full of cars, now we have a street art festival happening.  Where the cars were here and gone the art is hopefully going to be with us for a while making some pretty average walls look really stunning.

Big Boys Toys

and little boys, and quite a few girls too.  AmeriCARna is back in town and having toured the region during the week, today they shut down the CBD for one huge toyfest.