A Month of Food

Wonderful high tea at Hippopotamus with Mum and Dad in the middle of the month.

 Then fabulous and plentiful kai at a full immersion weekend in Taranaki last weekend.

 And finally Te Reo peanut butter! I need to sit with my dictionary to read all the fine print but how cool is that!

Spring has Sprung

While that does mean blossom galore it also means at least six season every day; sunshine, rain, northerly wind, southerly wind, brief periods of no wind and combinations of all of these.

Work and Weaving

This is pretty much what has been happening the last few months.  There have, of course, been other things happening but work and weaving have been the constants.  No photos of work but on the weaving front things have been quite productive.

 Another cape completed...

 Prep done for another project...

More prep to do (thank goodness for rugby and recordings of Masterchef)

And another cape almost complete.

Washing X 3

Today has been for washing of all sorts.  Laundry because I didn't get to do it yesterday.  Flax drying, a continuous job.

My last lot of washing is feathers from Albatross.  Yesterday the weavers gathered for a day long workshop and this is part of the result - pelts and wing tips that are soaking in Sunlight soap solution.

The grater is not something I usually keep in my bath.  If you grate the soap it dissolves better.

House Moved

Quietly in the night. This was the same bite the next morning.

Moving House

Growing up 'moving house' meant you packed up all your stuff and went from one house to another.  Since I've come back to New Zealand I've had to remember that here it has an extra meaning - literally moving a house.

There are a huge number of little (and not so little) wooden houses that are easy to jack up and put on the back of a truck and it's happening to a cottage around the corner.

Happiness Is...

A good drying day after a weekend away.

Long walk to Pencarrow

Anzac Day was stunning and with a visitor a perfect opportunity to check out one of the local walks. We walked from Eastborne to the heads...

 To Pencarrow lighthouse - the lower one because we weren't quite up to the climb

 The reward was curly fries and pizza then, of course, a recovery session on the sofa

Followed by more walking in a more urban setting

And Just Like That

Summer is over

And Showers is a bit of an understatement.

Long Hot March

I've had three flat out weeks, some work but a lot of fun.  Womad has come and gone with the obligatory culinary treats ie Hungarian fried bread

 But also with a dog walk on the beach on Sunday morning, you can see the surfers, you'll have to trust me on the dog.

 In other news the long summer continues and a rare photo of Poppy

No.1 Helper Strikes Again

My flax stash has been attacked and some of it relocated for her convenience.

We both persist - me putting it back, her pulling it onto the floor.  So far neither of us is giving in.

Waka Weekend (Festival Pt 3)

I'm finally recovering from a huge weekend that wa the launch of the NZ Festival; 2 big events, 2 lots of visitors one local and one international, two days of fabulous weather and most importantly 4 waka hourau/double hulled ocean going canoes.

Getting ready for the Friday night event in the harbour

 Two types of waka from the beach at Petone on Saturday 

 The waka from Samoa landing at Petone

A Week 'Away'

This week has been a small break from all things festival, more by accident than by design.  I spent most of it at the annual Maori Librarians Hui/conference an hour north of Wellington. Lots of great speakers, lots of ideas big and small and lots of fun too. The fun included an afternoon at the beach learning about local landmarks (in order north to south)...

 

Including Kapiti Island (in the background).

Festival Warmup Pt.2

Not a festival as such but last Tuesday was Waitangi Day, our national holiday. For me that meant most of the day spent with my weaving friends at the Wharewaka on the waterfront.  There was weaving, there were waka, there was a lot of talking and a lot of fun plus some coffee and fantastic cheese scones.

We set up inside the waka house

 Because the waka themselves were out on the harbour

 And I was enormously lucky to have my pake/capes on display as well.

Festival Warmup

February and March are festival season and today I had a little warmup before hitting the full festivals.  Today was Kapa Haka in the park, the regional championships, full programs from teams from all over, all fantastic.  Plus food and all sorts of other things on the side.  For me that meant fried bread with golden syrup, totally yum.

Number One Helper

As you may have seen in previous posts Huia is my number one weaving helper.  The last few weeks have seen me ramping up to finish some projects before February for a couple of events so there have been extra helping opportunities.

 She has even got a nest sorted for herself amongst my prepped flax.

Coming Down

There is still work being done bringing buildings down after the earthquake over 12months ago.  After months of nothing happening two buildings at our end of town are on the way down.

This is what remains of Defence House, next door to work.  A few people are gaining a nice harbour view.

 This is what remains of the Stats building on the waterfront.

Watches and Warnings

This week it has been stinking hot, well 31 where I am, which qualifies when compared to the official city temp of mid to high 20s.  We have also had the Wolf moon or Super moon, King tides and a seemingly endless list of wild weather warnings.  After 3 days of this...

...we finally got rain last night but the gentle variety, not the kind that necessitates a warning and today has dawned sunny and hot again.

Although to be fair the view to the north does look like something might be heading our way.  The weather here can turn on a dime (at least four seasons in one day) and it pays to be prepared but for now I'm sticking with the sunscreen.