Peaches and Preserves

Spent the afternoon making peach chutney with some of the Golden Queen peaches from our Ponsonby tree,then made some picalilli with some cucumbers and celery I had been given a few days ago. Sorted out some nice vintage jars to put it in.

This week I decided to sort out some of my vintage preserving jars for disposal as I don't think I will be doing much preserving anymore. Anyway I still have a few of the ordinary Agee Utility and Special jars I can use.

Crown Lynn

Went out to New Lynn on a little expedition today and took in the excellent Crown Lynn display at the New Lynn Public Library, near Lynmall. Marvelled at the great variety of designs many of which I remember from my youth when there was a Crown Lynn shop in Ponsonby. I never kept any of it but my mother had a few pieces, which E has added to her expanding collection. Thought I might as well sell a vase I had, on Trademe and it was only up for a few minutes before being snaffled up this evening, by a collector I presume. Still have another vase which belonged to Aunt D which I will keep, a posy bowl with koru design similar to one my mother had, and a plate in the Ponui design. Auckland Museum has a good display of Crown Lynn in its decorative arts gallery too.

These Were a Few of my Favourite Things

until I sold them on Trademe, as part of my ongoing streamlining project.
The plate was a Royal Doulton Syren and had belonged to my Aunt Dorothy. I used it off and on but not often.

The little picture was of Ward Beach in Canterbury and was done by W E Richardson, the brother of her friend Agnes in the 1950s or 1960s. It was bought back by a grandson of the artist.

The brown coffee pot was done by Auckland potter, Peter Holmes in the 1960s. We gave it to our mother for a birthday present. Nowadays I just use a smaller brown pot I got in Germany, from the same pottery that the big rum pot came from. I made a rum pot on a few occasions - you start with rum, adding berries such as strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blackcurrants etc as they ripen, along with a measure of sugar, and morte rum to cover. At the end of the berry and fruit season it is left to mature over the autumn and early winter to be savoured in a little glass with a spoon to fish the berries out with, or over icecream in a bowl. Yum.

Getting Crafty

This is a picture of 2 little girls at the Parnell Rose Festival late last year where Knitterati had a stall. They were very keen to have a flower each and I made them one and they helped choose and sew the button on. They were a bit apprehensive of the safety pin at the back but agreed to have them pinned to their sleeve instead of to the front of their clothing.

The beanies in the lower picture are on their way to newborn Ben Henry. Knitterati are participating in an art event as part of the Auckland Festival and I have been in training and practising the pattern. The event is called Knit Bright, at Art Station on 12 March, Saturday from 6pm-midnight. We will be creating beanies for newborns , for the project of the same name already in existence. People can come along and knit too with us, and there will be another artist , Niki Hastings-McFall doing her collective art installation at the same time.

Headland Sculpture

Went on this sculpture walk on Anniversary Weekend and accomplished the 2.5km walk in a couple of hours, approaching it from Matiatia, a steady climb up the hill, just a little muddy in places after the big storm on the Friday evening.