Town and Around

Enjoyed a weekend at home in Ponsonby for a change. Good friend Janet came over this-a-way for lunch at our usual meeting place Byzantium where the mini quiches and the panini are tasty and reasonably priced.  Started off at Objectspace where there is an exhibition on Nanette Cameron, Auckland interior designer and teacher who flourished in what is now Te Tuhi in Pakuranga.  

I was reminded of the Sylvia Sandford courses I did at her house, a converted hall in Faulder Avenue in Westmere  round the same time.  It was all very exciting and stimulating learning how to do the various paint finishes, gilding , stencilling and the like as well as theoretical study of domestic architecture and styles of interior design and decoration.  Some of it rubbed off on me and Sylvia was a very interesting person to learn with.  This would have been in the late 1980s or 1990s.

Trotted along Ponsonby Road calling in to the Women's Bookshop for birthday and Christmas gift books and cards.  As always there was a great selection and probably contributed to my dislocated shoulder carrying my purchases home, compounded by my op shop purchases no doubt.Bought the most beautiful apple green duvet cover with stylised white blossom and looking forward to using it over summer. Investigated Milly's which also has a great array of the latest gadgets,and kitchenalia, however I am very attached to my tried and true kitchenwares,  collected over the years in many different countries.

By that time 3 hours had elapsed and I at least was exhausted and had to ring D to come and meet me halfway and help carry my purchases.

Recovered from all that on Saturday and forayed  forth again on Sunday. Mass at Vermont Street first always edifying with the singing of the Samoan choir.  Went downtown in the afternoon to look at the exhibition of children's book favourites through the decades, starting with Beatrix Potter, Wind in the Willows, Black Beauty, Enid Blyton, Dr Seuss, Maurice Sendak and Margaret Mahy to name a few. Will be rereading some of these authors and books in between my current favourite NZ writer, Sarah Laing.

Finished the afternoon with a delicious hazelnut icecream from Giapo's.

Embarked on the new week today by doing a spot of jam-making, one of my favourite activities from now through summer.  Today it was a batch of strawberry and rhubarb jam which turned out well.

Garden tour of the Hamilton Area

Went on a weekend tour of private and public gardens of the Hamilton area.  Apart from four private gardens visited the Hamilton gardens overlooking in part the Waikato River , two garden centres, one farmers' market. Phew! The tour was for members of a garden club which good friend Frances belongs to and there were a couple of seats left on the bus for us.  Most of the private gardens were the pride and joy of women on farms.  

I particularly liked the roses and irises which were in full bloom.  

The Hamilton Gardens were impressive and we picked the Italian Garden to spend a bit of quiet time in rather than try and cram too much in to the hour or two we were there.

Coming upon the Waikato on entering this garden room was a real thrill.  I have added these tranquil pictures to my store of memories I recall if having a wakeful spell during the night and I am soon back to sleep.

The farmers market was a chance to stock up on local goodies - apricot and raspberry jam, fig and walnut bread, asparagus, white turnips and statice.

At the garden centres there was more temptation but I restrained myself and just bought a bunch of sweet-smelling sweet peas and basil plants for the herb garden.