Perth

I am having a lovely time here with good friend Eileen. Went to the Art Gallery today with her and a friend who is a docent at the gallery . We enjoyed our own guided tour of the West Australian contemporary art exhibition, much better than trying to understand it ourselves. She pointed out different approaches to use of light in a couple of diffeent installations, one the use of old neon sign elements and the other a big reclining female sculptural portrait of a female nude using strings of blinking Christmas lights. There were some contemporary aboriginal landscape paintings in new non-traditional colours which used larger dots in the form of smudged finger prints.

Enjoyed a cup of coffee and a long skinny chicken roll in the gallery cafe afterwards. Had been to the State Library first where they were having a book sale so bought one to read on the (sex!) lives of the artists as I like both biography and art and have just finished a thick biography of Bishop Liston I took over with me. There is bound to be as much of a contrast as there could possibly be.

Yesterday we went to a stately home, Tranby House, near the river and walked around the grounds, finishing off with morning tea at the cafe in one of the old ancillary buildings overlooking the Swan river. It was idyllic.

In the evening went round to goddaughter, Marianne and Dean's for dinner. Dean had been fishing and we had panfried groper and abalone (paua to us) for the meal, followed by Dutch apple cake which I contributed from this iconic Perth bakery Miss Maud's. Wednesday night Eileen cooked a meal for the family - both daughters came with husbands and babies and it was a very happy social occasion. The main event will be on Sunday with the christening at noon, then lunch at Rachel's place afterwards.

Have been having a walk each day - so far, one along the coast (we would say beach, though most of it was along the footpath above the beach), one along the river and one in a nice park around the lake (twice).

Then there is retail therapy, which is having the desired effect.I have some new black shoes to replace some old ones that I keep falling out of at home, a nice new pair of slippers that I can step into easily without having to bend down to put them on, and have my eye on another pair of shoes I saw in the sales at Myer. There is a bit of a retail downturn in Australia too with people buying only in sales to save money. There are good savings from 20% at Target to 30-50% at Myer and David Jones.

Stocked up on the food items I savour while over here like Venetian cookies, fig and mixed grain crackers, Buderim ginger, pecans and no doubt there will be more to come when I sally forth again. There is a visit to Ikea on the agenda on Monday and a celebratory meal out at an Italian restaurant on Monday evening to sweeten the approach of the end of the sojourn on Tuesday.

Samoa Holiday

We got home late yesterday afternoon and I have been taking it easy and lying low, getting used to winter again after balmy days of 30 degrees or more. We were not affected by the ash cloud at all - good old Air NZ for finding a solution and flying lower. I suppose we could have stayed longer if they couldn't fly. Aggie Grey's was quiet for a a couple of days but then the

y picked up a bit with more Aussie guests. There were some athletics on for young people from the Pacific.

We had a good week though I was saddened that things are economically depressed there. The infrastructure is rather run down too. Roads, ,footpaths, buses, rubbish and litter problems spoil things a bit. The weather was good and the hotel nice and comfortable, meals pricey but OK, especially the fish. Am pleased to be home and having vegetables, dairy, meat etc. Only the fruit was cheap and freely available at the market.
Went on a tour one day - a drive around the coast and back inland with a few stops to take photos and a 2 hour break at a beach for a swim and relax. The water was lovely and warm, though there was a bit of a rip and I didn't go in far or stay in long. Had a picnic lunch there.
We did go out to a couple of other restaurants near the hotel otherwise dined in at Aggie Grey's. Had the buffet breakfasts each morning - everything would have been imported except maybe the eggs and fruit.

Otherwise did sightseeing a deux each day, going to a couple of museums, up a very steep hill on a tramp to Robert Louis Stevensons tomb. Was pleased we both made it there and back in one piece. We went on long walks to see anything or everything there was to see. I wore out my sandshoes!

Auckland Weekend

Have just got in from going downtown to look at a craft show in the Aotea Centre, many many stalls with very tasteful arts and crafty things made by some talented women. I liked the ones made with vintage linen - little heart pin cushions or key ring tags with buttons, ribbon lace, and the recycled doyleys as the base material. Another stall had cute little semicircular purses

with the recycled vintage embroidered fabric on one side and more modern stripey material on the other and a coloured zip. Not much point my buying any more of such things when I have several unused ones sitting in drawers already, however I did enjoy "just looking".

Went and had tirmisu and amaretto icecream at Giapo afterwards. Yum.

Knitterati goes to Orewa

Ten of us gathered at the bach for lunch and a spot of knitting before going to a creative knitting exhibition at the Estuary Arts Centre down the other end of Orewa.

The City Mission in Christchurch has put out an urgent call for hot water bottle covers to go with the hot water bottles and blankets they are distributing to people who need them so I am all motivated to knit at least a couple.

Waiheke Weekend

Spent the Sunday of Queen's Birthday Weekend over on the island. It was a beautiful sunny day so we got an early boat, the 10.00am Quickcat. Lunched at the bach, soaking up the peace and tranquillity of the garden and its lushness after the rain of preceding days.

Then got the bus into Oneroa to go to the craft market, the theme must have been recycling, as nearly everything was made out of something old, be it old checked blankets turned into hottie covers, soft toys made out of candlewick bedspreads, old knitwear transformed into newer stylish garments by adding sleeves and inserts of another contrasting jumper for example.

Recycling was also the theme for the exhibition at the Waiheke Community Art Gallery, with all sorts of creative artworks by local artists.

Walked home the long way back along Oneroa Beach, with the ususual late summer activity - quite a few people actually in swimming, others playing beach cricket, a couple of ponies and their owners, and a wonderful white surf. Carried on to Surfdale round via Blackpool, which is a pleasant walk now that cars are not permitted round the coast road.

Can't wait to get back there for a longer spell next time.

Orewa on the Weekend

I trot along this lovely beach two or three times a day when we are up in Orewa as we were last weekend. Morning and evening the dogs with owners in tow are out in force proving mutual amusement for themselves and the rest of us. The small farmer's market is a nice place to stop and shop at on a Sunday morning and I usually get my plants for up there or to take home to Ponsonby. My Saturday alternative is the op shops though this time I was strongwilled and just looked. How boring!

Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

I love this time of the year before the harshness of winter sets in and make the most of every sunbeam by getting out and about each day and on the weekends, especially now that all the Waiheke and Ponsonby fruit has been harvested and transformed for enjoyment through the year. At present we are savouring beautiful ruby coloured guava jelly and equally vivid damson jam which I put into small cut-glass vintage glasses this year for ourselves and to give away.

One Bed Three Different Quilts

Recently I washed this patchwork bedspread which hadn't had a wash in 30 years. It came up beautifully with vibrant colour restored and ready to give me pleasure again. It was started by my Aunt Dorothy and completed by moi in the mid 70s. She did the herringbone stitching for me later and good friend Jill made a lining for it.

I was reminded of the white crocheted one when friend Angela said she had been to a flea market in Utrecht recently. This quilt came from a fleamarket in Amsterdam in the late 60s. It has deteriorated over the years and now it has been bequeathed to a friend of friend along with another bedcover my mother was given in Singpore round the same time, the third bedcover pictured. Hopefully she will be able to recycle bits of both to make something new for the next couple of decades or so.

Weekend Diversion

Went to the Silverdale Pioneer Village opening of an old school building, relocated from Upper Waiwera in the 1970s after the school closed down for good. First it went to Silverdale School where it performed the function of school library, then when they got a new school complete with library on a new site the building was transported to the village where it has been restored and will be used for displays. At present there is an interesting one on the history of Silverdale and one on the Upper Waiwera school where some of the members of the Society attended.

We retired to one of the other buildings for a traditional afternoon tea which was enjoyed by all. Some of the ladies were in pioneer costume, looking very much the part.

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Happy Mother's Day

Started Mother's Day with a 5km walk around Epsom - part of the YMCA Mother's Day women's fun run/walk, 5 or 10km. Accomplished the walk around leafy streets with big old villas and lovely gardens in just over an hour and even won a spot prize, the bowl and platter in the picture, which will come in handy for our lunch time salad and cold meats.

The day before I was part of the winning team at bowls when we played another club from Papakura and came home with another prize, the heat stand with olives in the lower picture.

E came round for afternoon tea on Mother's Day bearing a most magnificent carrot cake which tasted as good as it looked. In the evening we went to the foodhall, which was full of mums and families celebrating the day with a meal out.

Busy Monday

Started the week with a very busy programme of events - out of the house at 9.30 am on the Knitterati trip to Papakura and back home at 9.30pm after bowls. Met a friend for lunch at Glen Innes, preceded by a fossick around the excellent Hospice op shop and went to the Celebration Choir session after that.

The purpose of the Knitterati trip was to knit in public on the

train and visit an exhibition, Living Halls, in Papakura featuring Memorial Halls built in New Zealand towns and cities after the First and Second World Wars. There were about 240 of them and the exhibition featured about 50 painted by artists from the town concerned. There was also an exhibition of the old plans found in the Archives. The curator happened to be there and it was good hearing about the halls first hand.

Am all inspired to do some patchwork again, having sorted out some patches over Easter for a small project, probably an oven cloth for one of my friends. I like to listen to music in the afternoon and do somthing useful at the same time and this fills the bill. Malkovitch liked my big butler's tray of arranged patches and plonked himself down gingerly, mussing them up somewhat. The pictures are of some of my first oven cloths from way back in the 70s or 80s.

Easter on the Island

Another happy Easter spent at the bach on Waiheke Island, doing the usual churchy and Waiheke things. Attended the Good Friday ceremony and Easter Sunday Mass at St Peter's, both of which had an influx of families with children which made a pleasant change. On the Saturday made the usual trek to the Ostend Market, also jam-packed with holidaymakers. Stocked up on Herb Spread, a delicious pesto-type concoction of herbs and even a notion of lavender and calendula , and Tamarind Chutney, made by Jenny's Kitchen, also a strong favourite. Braved the supermarket for the more mundane purchases to complete the shopping for our roast chicken with prune and bacon stuffing Easter dinner the next day, which we shared with good friend Fr. who was staying with us for the weekend, along with a neighbour-from-across-the-road. Monday had a visit for the day from another friend and took her for a long walk from Surfdale to Blackpool and back via Little Oneroa, followed by lunch at the bach, and then a whirlwind visit to the art gallery in Oneroa to look at the small paintings exhibition. Fr took the middle picture of Oneroa Beach on New Years Day this year. The boats were all moored on the other side of the island at Easter as it was quite rough and windy. She also took the photo of the bach from the front garden then and e-mailed them to me today, so here they are for you to see.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to you and yours. For the first time in many years I have made some hot cross buns which are going to prove overnight. They were easy to make . Put on my chef's jacket to be all hygienic and was transported back in time to when I did the professional cooking courses at AUT a few years ago. I have Patisserie Stage I and II , Certificate in Basic Cookery and Certicate in Professional Cookery to my name. I was going to do up the old villa in Herne Bay and take in guests but that has plan has fallen by the wayside and Elisabeth is happily ensconced there with flatmate Tim. Still hope to remodel the house to bring it into the 21st century as far as kitchen and bathroom is concerned. Our architect will hopefully get round to doing the plans soon, as the time will be right in a few months when E finishes her studies.

The guava harvest continues. I have made guava jelly and prepared and frozen more juice for conversion to jelly later in the year. Dieter has taken several containers each week to a downtown gelateria which they have been using to make the most delicious gelato.

Have been enjoying the last of the summer sun by getting out and about round Ponsonby. Saw this house yesterday with its quicky sculptures of Southpark and others in Dedwood Terrace.

Historical Society Visit to Huia and Cornwallis

Auckland for a change.

Spent the weekend at home seeing I had been at Waiheke all week and had been invited by good friend Carolyn to attend a fundraising garden party at Fernhall, a lovely old villa in Gillies Avenue. Persuaded Dieter to come too for company. It is a centre which offers development courses for girls and young women and they were on hand to speak about their experiences, show people around and serve afternoon tea. We sipped punch and enjoyed harp music too and I was suitably impressed by the place.

Today was more leisurely though we went down to have some icecream at Giapo. This is the place where Dieter has been taking many kilos of guavas off our tree in exchange for gelato vouchers. He has over $100 worth so far. Had a most delicious feijoa and tiramisu cone.

Went to a concert in the Town Hall by the Auckland Youth Symphony Orchestra after that seeing we stumbled upon it after getting off the bus to go and get our icecream. It was very enjoyable - a sorrowful lament, punctuated by tubular bell ringing for Benjamin Britten by the Estonian composer Part, then a Mozart piano concerto, followed by Tschaikovsky's Symphony no 5.

Brain Day

Yesterday I went to some very interesting lectures at the university on the brain and the beneficial affect on it of various things like exercise. The first one was Fit body, fit brain by Prof Winston Wybrow who informed us the brain shrinks 5% each decade from the age of 40, affecting things like some types of memory the older you get. The easiest way of fulfilling the continual requirement of the brain for energy (blood flow and oxygen) is by exercising and becoming fit. This way you can increase the blood flow to the brain by 17%. It creates new connections and new cells in the brain. This put 10 years back on to your life so why wouldn't you do it.

Research (the nurses study of l8,000) found that higher levels of physical activity were associated with better cognitive performance and there was a 20% less risk of impairment. In another study of men they found that walking more than 2 miles a day decreases the risk of dementia.

Doing aerobic as well as weight and strength exercise gave the the most benefical results especialy if carried out for 45 minutes a session as opposed to 20 minutes.

Older people from 55-80y can benefit from this with the largest gains made by the 66-70 year olds. High-fitness brains were more efficient, low-fitness brains were more conflicted and dithery. So moral of the story is keep active and fit and get the cognitive benefit of it as ;long as you can.

The next lecture I went to was entitled Being human: the science of memory, consciousness and personality and dealt with the evolution of the brain over time, how it has got bigger , relative to body size. Especially the frontal lobes have got bigger. There are a couple orucial genes out of a total of 22,500 we have in our bodies which either are efficient or non-efficent breakdowners of dopamine, and this MetMet gene is the gene that is implicated in Parkinson's , as opposed to the ValVal one which isn't.

The Celebration Choir performed again to an appreciative audience, showing what music can achieve even when people are sufferering considerable impairment after strokes or have other neurological conditions like Parkinson's.

Prof. Suzanne Purdy gave an interesting lecture after that on The language of music; research on speech and song. She said that brain disease affects the auditory system and speech impairment. Singing out loud activates both parts of the brain and regular choral sining in particular has a number of significant benefits for sustained psychological wellbeing and cognitive benefits as well as being good for one's attention, social support and mood. Singing might even improve a neurologial problem, even active listening to song and music being beneficial too, teh so-called Mozart effect. So there's hope for everyone!

I finished off the day by looking at the various stands of the various interest groups and came away feeling contented with my lot in life. What with the Never too old programme at the YMCA and the Celebration Choir I am maintaining optimum brain fitness of one sort or the other.

Islington Bay on Rangitoto Island

The middle photo was taken on Motutapu Island which has undulating grassy slopes in contrast to Rangitoto's basalt.

Waitemata Harbour

These photos were taken on our Historical Society trip to Islington Bay where Rangitoto is connected to Motutapu Island by causeway. These are photos leaving the confines of the Harbour passing Devonport, North Head and looking back to the Harbour Bridge and Auckland.

Auntie Mollie

Went to a funeral yesterday of a long lost aunt and caught up with cousins Merilyn and Terry, Ian and Wayne, and Stuart's wife Janet. Helen and I stayed with Stuart and Janet on one of our hitching trips to the Dunedin capping week in the 1960s.

Terry boarded with our family at 199 Jervois Rd when he came to Auckland to start an apprenticeship as a mechanic with the Post Office.

Mollie had been in a resthome for over 20 years at Pakuranga , close to one of her sons. She was a cousin of my father and aunt Dorothy. Their mothers were sisters, Eva and Flora McLachlan from Christchurch. She was born Mollie Stuart in 1916 so she was 94. I suppose I last saw her at Auntie Dorothy's funeral (d. 6 May, 2000 at the age of 92) and before that about 30 years ago, at my father's funeral in 1977.

She grew up in Coalgate where her parents had a trucking business, marrying coal miner Fred Mitchell in her early 20s.

They shifted around a bit, ending up at a coal mine in the King Country for several years where I recall our family visiting them in our Morris Minor. We had a bach at National Park where we used to go in the August holidays for skiing at Mt Ruapehu.

Then they shifted to Rotowaro near Huntly, then Mollie shifted to Huntly after Fred died and from there to Pakuranga in 1990. She was a prolific letter writer and Dorothy kept in touch with her in this way. They were favourite cousins. It is a shame our families lost contact but I hope to see cousins Terry and Merilyn again.