Midwinter Waiheke

Over on the island for the weekend.  There is a strong wind blowing outside and it is good to be Inside looking out at nature and the effects of the elements on it and the various structures dotted round the backyard.  Good friend Fr and self walked around the headland through Blackpool and on to Oneroa , via the op shop where we lunched at Spice, formerly known and still known by us as Robinson's Deli.

Couldn't resist buying three lovely Crown Lynn china saucers with a delicate dot and oak leaf pattern in 3 shades of grey and green.  At home I use my mother's Noritake dinner set with a similar leaf pattern and also have a Royal Doulton small plate with dots and leaves so I see the beginning and end of another little collection. Also bought a 1996 John Leech catalogue of NZ art through the decades from the 19th century to the 1990s which will give me pleasure looking at some less familiar works by familiar NZ artists. 

After a delicious bacon and egg panini followed by coffee and ginger crunch we pressed on via Upcycle, a lovely arts and crafts shop featuring the work of a creative collective of Waiheke women,to the library and Community Art Gallery. 

 In a couple of weeks the library will close and reopen a couple of weeks later in its stunning new building which has slowly metamorphosed over the last 3 years.  

Bought a book on NZ birds so we can identify them on our beach and bush walks.

Back home the fire is lit in the wood burner and We are hunkering down for the evening.  

The old army hut

The old longdrop now used as a tool shed.

One of the original water tanks which supplies water to the original washhouse.

My latest purchase by Surfdale artist Katie Trinkle-Legge.

Armchair Travel

For one reason or another I haven't ventured forth much apart from the usual weekend sojourns on Waiheke.  I rely on my friends to relay accounts of their travels which I enjoy from a distance.   Canada, Scotland and Norfolk Island being recent destinations I have read about.

Weekdays I go to the gym when I can and find the exercise beneficial  as also the social contact with fellow travellers, especially afterwards when we repair to one of the cafes nearby.  La Cerise on Pitt St is the current favourite - good strong hot coffee, delicious French pastries and a good range of well-priced sandwiches and delicious looking slices which I haven't tried yet, it being rather early in the day for such things.

Met up with the Knitterati at Tetuhi in South Auckland recently to look at the exhibitions and discuss plans for an exhibition next year.  Ended up not participating in the last one a year or two ago as my creative juices seemed to have dried up, so hope I can produce something for this next one.  Enjoyed a delicicious date and orange scone still warm from the oven with a coffee on a very cold day.

There was an exhibition on the plight of the Maldives and global warming the effects of which are being felt with flooding and the resulting loss of land.

This exhibition was in an old sixties caravan parked outside which was a blast from the past.  We had a caravan in my youth parked in the camping ground at Red Beach which looked rather like this one.  Must see if I can find a photo of it and work out how to scan it on to here.  I have a new laptop and my cache of pictures has disappeared, not permanently I hope.