Up Before Dawn

More overload (in a good way) this week with four days away at a wānanga in Waimarama, Hawkes Bay.  A gathering of work colleagues who have all done the same cultural capability programme over the last few years and a chance to refresh our learning. 

The first night we had a lesson in reading the stars from a local navigator then up before dawn the following morning to go with him to the Atea star compass.

Then off to Waiohiki to help with cyclone cleanup. Shovelling silt, clearing under houses generally doing whatever we could to help.

We also had a session with a maramataka/Māori calendar expert talking about seasonal cycles, reading the weather and changing our concept of time.

And it’s Waimarama so a few visits to the beach as well. 

No Straight Lines

 More weaving, this time thanks to a workshop with a local artist who does Random Weaving. Starts like this…

Finished looks like this…

And here is a beautiful collection of little random whatnots. 

Practice, Practice, Practice

After the information overload last weekend most of us have been making little things to cement what we learned. My practice has been to work at a much smaller scale than I normally would and the puareare/holes. 

And of course, an essential part of any work at home, the ‘helper’.

Weaving Overload

My brain is full (in a good way) and I’m exhausted (also in a good way). It’s been a massive week with two big formal welcomes and a long day and a half with weavers from up north getting our heads around all the techniques they were sharing. 

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.