The Plage

That's the beach in French.  The Big Wave Cafe on the walkway has given way to Paris Plage - bean bags, canvas chairs, umbrellas and a shipping container that serves great coffee, french pastries and other yummies.

and this is what you get if you order tea: milk in the top cup, teabag in the bottom and hot water in a lovely little old fashioned thermos.  Mix to your own specifications.  Perfect tea every time.

We have Art!

I took a walk past the carvers the other day and there are some truly beautiful works appearing.

On the not so beautiful side and more craft than art, a friend is teaching me to weave.  This is my first flax basket under construction,

 and here it is finished and starting to dry plus my second effort, the taller one, to see if I can remember what to do

The carvers are back

It's always a bit of a surprise to realise that another two years have passed.  The stone carvers are back on the foreshore and although this photo was taken in sunshine they have had mixed weather, including torrential downpours over the last couple of days.  At this early stage it's difficult to see what the finished product will be like but if previous years are anything to go buy it will all be stunning.

Ornithophobia

Fear of birds - Ornithophobia.  Not a thing you would want to have if you are flying domestic out of Wellington.

Hint: the terminal has "Welcome to Middle Earth" emblazoned on the outside so you see it as you are taxiing.  You guessed it!  These guys and Gollum in the background (if you squint you can see his arm) are promoting the latest Hobbit movie.  Actually, I kind of love it, nothing says unique quite like giant eagles.