Merry Christmas

 

Inspired

This week a small group of the weavers headed to Hamilton Museum to attend the opening of He Aa I Uta, He Aa I Tai, an exhibition of weaving from members of the National Weavers Association. Two of us had work accepted and it was wonderful to be there and see it amongst so much amazing talent. Lots and lots of inspiration for future projects and great to reconnect with weavers from the big hui last year. A rather uplifting end to what most agree has been a pretty crappy year. 

Blooming (Almost)

The Pōhutukawa in my back yard and the Rata on the street are just starting to flower. At some point very soon they will literally burst into colour. 

Changes

Big changes afoot at work which has made it a very weird week. Change of season too so the perfect time for a bit of this…

Part of History

On Tuesday Wellington City hosted what some estimate was the largest protest march in the country’s history. Official estimates say 45,000 people, most agree it was more. They came from all over the country, some literally walked, and gathered at Parliament House to let the government know they do not agree with the direction things are going, especially for Māori. I was there and it was amazing. 

Polished

While I was away I took advantage of an empty house to redo the floors. Sanded, sealed and lots of odd bits sorted. 

Gone Bush

I’m just back from a week away in Te Urewera, in the middle of the middle of the north island and as far from everything as you can get. It’s was fantastic and we were incredibly well hosted. So many highlights but definitely the honey business and time in the bush. 

And Done

 A flash new door completes the transformation. That’s possibly the wrong word as it looks exactly the same but I reckon new roof, gutters, door and a fresh coat of paint all over totally counts. 

Lava

As much as we like to grumble about the buses, or more specifically the bus company, there’s still a sense of humour.

Half Way

New roof, new gutters and new door surround. Now just waiting for new paint. 

Return Visit

I now have a sparkly new roof on the garage!

And Relax

We’ve reached the time of year where it’s viable to have the front door open in the evening to let the breeze in (and for some of us to get a little vitamin D top up). 

Visitors

I got home after work on Monday and saw the scaffolding fairies had visited. At some point in the next few weeks my garage will be getting a much needed makeover of a new roof and a new door. 

Miharo!

Amazing!  To celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori a local pizza chain has come up with hāngī pizza. There’s rightly justified scepticism about how that will go, mainly due to the difficulty of replicating the distinctively smokey hāngī flavour. Well, I took one for the team and gave it a go…

And I think they’ve nailed it!  They’ve worked with a renowned hāngī master and the main toppings, pork and kūmara, are the real deal. Might have to double check my findings while it’s still on the menu. 

Trim and Thin

My pōhutukawa has had a professional tidy up and is looking much happier. 

Out and About

Technically I’ve been out and about a lot but yesterday was my first time back on the bus to work. 

As you can see Fridays are a light commuter day so no squeezing or jostling. 

Spring

Spring weather has started; overcast, sunny, drizzly, raining on high rotation. The one constant is wind of some variety. Today we have sunshine and a stiff breeze so laundry is out and some of us are contemplating our options. 

Creative Craziness

Not really much going on this week so here’s a photo of the very beginning of my latest weaving experiment. And yes, it does glow in the dark. 

Anticipation

Next year is going to be huge. There are a huge number of fantastic events on and I’m on a watch for ticket releases and registrations opening. First one locked in is Womad next March. 

Basking

This is what happens when it’s freezing and wet outside and you find the perfect spot under the heat pump. 

Balance

After having’work’ (aka surgery) done on my left side I decided it was a good time to restore the balance by getting some’work’ (aka a long thought about tā mojo/tattoo) done on my right. 

Getting Better

Yes, it’s a beautiful day but the real point of this photo is that I hung washing unassisted! Which means I can reach higher than I could a few days ago. Winning!

Beautiful Smells

I’m recovering from surgery and, thanks to family and friends, am surrounded by lovely colours and beautiful smells including daphne and winter sweet. 

Commitment Pt2

Sometimes things become embedded in how you view the world. So, along with our commitment to work our way through all the chocolate flavours, we are passionately committed to weird chip Wednesday. So much so that even on holidays I can’t help noticing interesting combos. 

Sadly I can’t tell you what they taste like as I didn’t think they would make it home. 

Kete

Kete are baskets and they come in all sizes, shapes and patterns. The ones that start from a plait on the bottom are a kete whiri and are usually more your working style kete. We were delighted to be asked to contribute to an exhibition that opened yesterday. 

Commitment

It’s been an odd week so I thought I’d share a work-in-progress work project. Behold the chocolate pillar!

We have taken it upon ourselves to try every Whittakers family block variety and the wrappers are slowly wallpapering the pillar behind my desk. There’s one sneaky Artisan block, just to remind us not to rest on our laurels. 

Pink and Green

Last weekend, thanks to a solar storm, great swathes of the country got to see the aurora, including us in Wellington. 

And this morning down the street I finally stopped by the new organic vegetable shop who are growing their own right here. 

A little hard to see because of the reflection but that’s well behaved spinach and a runaway pumpkin 

Flower Update

I got these two weeks ago and the florist did a fabulous job of making them last. While some parts are looking a bit sad the tiger lilies have just flowered!

Down the Street

March and April have been far from the usual so it’s been nice to have a normal Saturday. That has included a load of laundry, a visit to the local dairy and going down the street where I saw this guy maintaining surveillance in a hairdresser 

And scored 3 from 3 off my book wishlist 

Flowers

It’s been a sad time but lots of love in the form of flowers and lovely thoughts in cards and messages has made it easier. 

Crazy

That’s the best description for the last few weeks. A weaving wānanga, a quick trip to Sydney, Easter and a day trip to Auckland not to mention work craziness. So, to catch up:

Weaving

Sydney was to visit family but brought an unexpected visit to the Royal Easter Show which meant wood chopping 

And the trip to Auckland was to visit Te Rā, the original that we are recreating

Womading

Last night it bucketed down. Today the maunga has a covering of snow and it’s a glorious day for music, health food and a beer, or a health drink and tempura mushrooms depending on your point of view. 

Egg Day

After doing a diary check and some careful calculations today has been designated as the day for making Easter eggs.