Arty Easter

Easter weekend was quiet, mainly by design but also because I had quite a reaction to my Covid/Flu jabs. 

What I did do was finally make it to Te Papa to see the amazing installation pieces from the Mata Aho Collective. They are a group of young weavers who work with contemporary materials on a massive scale and their pieces are truly amazing. 

This one in particular is truly amazing, a ceiling made from webbing. One weaving friend says it feels like you’re inside a kete and she’s right. 

Double Dipping

On the 1st of April the next round of Covid boosters became available along with the annual winter flu jab. Last Thursday I decided I may as well take up the offer of getting it all sorted in one go. Down side has been a day of headaches and feeling fuggely, upside is that my local pharmacy is at the top of the game bandaid wise. 

It’s the Little Things

I am so pleased that, when I had all the work done on my house last year, I got the builders to put three hooks by the back door. Not a big thing but this week we’ve had our first proper blasting, sideways rain southerly heralding the start of autumn and I am so happy to have those hooks. 

Womad

Last weekend was the first Womad since lockdown and it was fabulous to be back. 

Planting Kuta

It’s been a pretty standard week but last weekend the weavers went to help plant Kuta at Zealandia. Kuta grows in the water and when harvested and dried makes wonderful whariki/mats and rain capes. As you can see I managed to find the deepest part of our planting are and got the wettest. 

Not sure how long our planting will take to establish or when we might be able to harvest but we’re looking forward to it.  Until then we have some to play with kindly handed on by the gatherers. 

Going Up

The building next door to work is officially above ground!

Te Matatini!

Four years ago Te Matatini, a massive biannual kapa haka competition, was held in Wellington. I took leave and basked in complete cultural overload. 

This year after Covid delays it’s on again, this time in Tāmaki/Auckland. I’m not there in person but I’m glued to the livestream (extra screen added to my work from home set up), in a live chat with other haka tragics at work and…

Have a big day planned glued to the couch for the finals today (Saturday). The experience is not the same but the overload definitely is! Just quietly it’s not been my most productive few days.