Dresden

Our boat the Theodor Fontane is moored conveniently a few minutes walk from the old town area with its sandstone buildings, most of which have been rebuilt in the last 30 years. In fact the Frauenkirche was a pile of numbered bricks the last time we were here. It is stunning inside, especially the altar and dome.

Also went and had a look at the treasures that belonged to the ruler of Saxony, August, the Strong, beautiful but very ornate gold clocks, vessels, including a specially large and rare green diamond brooch. Unfortunately no photography allowed .

The chef took us on a stroll to taste the local sausages and cheese which was memorable.

Prague

Enjoying the scenery , historic buildings and atmosphere of the old city. Our
Last visit was over 40 years ago and neither of us can remember anything. It was still very much under Communist rule then although there had been that uprising in 1968 when we were living in Wolfsburg. The atmosphere was a bit tense as East Germany had come
To the assistance of the Russians and quelled things much to the disgust of the west. I was a bit worried when they started testing the air raid sirens in Wolfsburg but thankfully there it ended.
Went and looked at the Museum
Of Communism and saw a record
Of protest and hardship
Over The decades
From the 1940s onwards . Walked along the river with many other tourists doing the same thing. Time then for a cold beer and a nice spicy sausage .

French Markets

Good friend Pamela invited me to go the French market, La Cigale in Parnell on Sunday morning to meet up with some of her family.  Pamela arrived to pick me up looking very much like Gigi in black and red with me looking decidedly frumpish in contrast.  However I like dressing up too and in a couple minutes was dressed in red and black as well - a red woollen skirt given to me by good friend Pat 12 years ago before she went to Queensland to live, and a vintage black boucle swingback coat with a big shiny black button which belonged to my mother. 

It was pouring with rain  and I felt sorry for the stallholders out in the rain.  Sampled some delicious ricotta which I will buy on my next visit,  and some spicy sausage   before retreating inside to the covered part of the market  to warm up with a hot latte and a pain aux raisins.  Therre was a tempting array of savoury tarts and quiches which filled the air with their aroma of cheese, garlic and winter vegetables.

A week ago I had been at a similar market in Brisbane with food, furnishing and travel stalls along the Southbank. Brought back distant  memories of  my OE. 

New iPad

Still coming to terms with my new iPad and practice in the evenings by the fire. The fireside rug was bought in Poland many years ago and is handwoven.

My Auckland Saturday

Lept into action after a longer sleep-in than usual after a busy pleasurable day in Orewa yesterday with goddaughter Jane  and a spot of necessary gardening up there, which, in my book equates to weeding. Jane has made the house their  own , marrying their household belongings to ours in a very aesthetic way .

Today was the opening of the Home AKL. an art exhibition by Pacifica artists living in Auckland.  There were demonstrations which I particpated in  - I made a little plaited fish after being shown how by a gentle patient Rarotongan lady,   and live performances  - we stayed for the Tongan singers,  and  breakdancers, in between looking at the art, which is inspiring in its insights into the island perspective on  life in Auckland. As usual there were lots of people there, especially families with young children  enjoying the cultural and art experience.  We will be back to look at the art a few more times as it is on until October.

Called in to Tatty's on Ponsonby Rd where I have been selling a few pieces of vintage clothing which has become too small for me.  So far a glittery blazer  and sparkly black jumper of my mother's, an Aran jumper  and a chunky beaded jumper which belonged to my sister-in-law once upon a time have all sold which is good.  It is easier to sell clothing where people can see and try it on . 

We finished off the day by going to a concert of German sacred and devotional music at the very old Ponsonby Baptist Church  with a very old organ from the 1780s.  It was music played on old instruments such as viols and a cornetto and sung in German or Latin  - Schutz, Buxtehude among others.  . 

TGIF

Another week speeds by and to mark the end of it and the start of the weekend, joined other members of the Never 2 Old YMCA fitness group on a jaunt after the gym to the Art Gallery .  We walked down down Greys Avenue in the wanish  winter sunlight  and partook of a great flat white and a delicious  rhubarb and apple muffin at the Gallery cafe, before joining a public tour of the gallery with a knowledgable and enthusiastic guide,  Sally.  It was a great experience even although I have visited the gallery several times since its refurbishment.  The really old part was once the Auckland Public Library  which opened in 1887,  and where I started my library career in December 1966.  Now it is two magnificent galleries with old and new paintings in them.   Sally pointed out one or two key paintings in all the various galleries - the Victorian paintings,  the early NZ paintings, the Goldie and Lindauer portraits, the well-known Rita Angas portrait of Betty Curnow, the Frances Hodgkins works, Colin McCahon paintings and contemporary NZ art.

Gazed in wonderment at the  Flower Chandelier by Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa, an installation commissioned for the gallery's reopening.  He also did another installation  entitled Red, red plastic flowers on a branch floating in a pond of water outside the gallery.   That was taken down this week and a new sculpture  by a Tongan artist was installed there today.  They were selling the red plastic flowers in the Gallery shop and I bought a couple.  Sally told us that the Flower Chandelier will probably leave the gallery too at the end of the year to be replaced with something else so will be visiting more often from now on while it is still here. 

Saturday on the island

Mural outside Community Art Gallery

Local Butcher's shop

Victorian Gilt  - vintage clothing , bric a brac and textiles

Oneroa Beach from the village

Sign outside the CAB

Spent a pleasant Saturday on the island on an impromptu visit seeing the bach was supposed to have been let. Was quite pleased they didn't contact me and we could use it ourselves instead. Started off at the op shop in Oneroa where I shed myself of a beige leather jacket which had belonged to my mother.  It was placed on a rack with a $5 price tag so someone will buy it no doubt.



This picture by Susan Edge was callled Wine time (if I remember rightly)



Caption was She's looking a bit dotty (or something similar)

Made my way up to the library and Community Art Gallery where there was  a members exhibition as well as a Susan Edge exhibition.  The above two pictures took my fancy.

Birthday Baking

Celebrated Dieter's birthday over the weekend and made a couple of the usual cakes I make  - one a Linzer Torte is made with a spicy shortcrust dough with ground almonds or hazelnuts  and, traditionally, raspberry jam.  I make my version and use guava jelly which is delicious too, cutting through the sweetness of the pastry.   I used a Mary Anne  recipe originally printed in the Auckland Star in the  1960s. I have two big scrapbooks of such recipe clippings and am rediscovering old favourites as I ring the changes.

 Good friend Pamela made a Nothing Chocolate Cake  - no flour, no eggs, we'll say no butter -  I can't remember what else it didn't have in it that isn't good for people with allergies. It was certainly still decadently rich.   And I made Dieter's old favourites,  Alison Holst's Lunchbox Cookies  - containing golden syrup, coconut, walnuts and sultanas.

The cloth is a Hungarian one my mother once brought back from there, the china belonged to my Aunt Dorothy whose anniversary occurs about this time. 

The following day friends,  Roland and Rosalie came, a day later as they hadn't heard the phone ringing to invite them the day before, bearing a big German honey cake which Roland had made, rich, moist  and spicy  with a pound of honey in it and both ground and chopped almonds.   I made another old favourite, old friend, Leny's Dutch Apple Cake made with 4,3,2 shortcrust pastry and 1 egg,  filled with  parboiled apple cubes, cooled and  tossed with cinnamon, almonds, raw sugar, lemon zest and sultanas and topped with an egg-washed lattice and more flaked almonds and raw sugar. 

The pretty blue cloth was given to me many years ago by good friend,  Rae who knows how much I like applique and patchwork, which I still enjoy  doing.  I have an oven cloth on the go at present.

Whitianga

Hadn't been over to the Coromandel for many years so last week's road trip awoke many happy memories of past trips.  Motored over the Hauraki Plains and across the stylish new Kopu bridge over to Thames for lunch at the Checkers Cafe  where the seafood pies were delicious. Indulged my propensity for op shops with a browse around the Thames ones  but resisted temptation as the car was chokka with luggage for 4 already. No time for a real look around at the museum and old houses but a return visit is a must in the near future.

 On up the coast road to Coromandel, a drive with stunning views in places but also a very winding road.  Arrived in Coromandel as the township basked in the mid-afternoon sun.  Walked up and down the main street and was pleased to find another op shop and came away with 2 chokos at 10 cents each.  Looking forward to cooking them up this week and serving them in a cheese or parsley sauce.   Bought some smoked seafood at the little shop just off the main road to enjoy at a later stage - maybe in a chowder or fish pie of my own making.

Over the hills then on to Whitianga , more winding roads but thankfully they were not too busy on a Tuesday afternoon. Arrived at our comfortable unit, unpacked the car and dined after a long wait at the Mercury Bay Club.

Whitianga is quite compact and we enjoyed a stay-put holiday exploring the streets and beaches on our long walks, browsing the shops, including two op shops finding a small orange Tupperware cannister with a fluted lid for a couple of dollars. Took the ferry across the harbour to Flaxmill Beach where the two more intrepid members of our foursome had ventured past on their walk to Cook's Beach.

Tucked away in the side streets we came across a few old buildings which took my fancy.

The above picture is the three sisters at the lookout on the road to Tairua  on our way home from Whitianga. The one beneath is Dieter's  last and best photo taken at the same lookout. 

Mother's Day Miscellany

Had a pleasant Mother's Day with E bringing a lovely light banana cake and D,  Lindt orange and almond chocolate,  and potted blue and white pansies. I had bought a delicious chocolate and hazelnut gugelhupf cake which we sampled too.   Made a special chicken casserole, out of an early Alison Holst recipe book for dinner - Country Captain Chicken Curry which was very tasty.  Had made a trip to the supermarket to get currants to go in it but forgot to add them at the end. Something is happening to my short term memory it seems. 

The clutter around the house does not make it any easier easy.  I am searching at present for the red Murano glass dish I bought in Venice on my first OE in the 1960s but was delighted to find a turquoise  bullicante (with a myriad of bubbles) one in a favourite op shop.These would have been used as ashtrays in the olden days  but nowadays they look nice as an art glass "thing of beauty and a joy to behold". Also bought a couple of CDs as I passed the Ponsonby op shop but found when I got home the case of one was empty - the Elgar -  so was disappointed.  My resolve to stop hoarding didn't last very long.    I had listened to an interview on the radio with a woman who has written a book on how to combat this complaint (to put it mildly).  Have requested the boook from the library to have another go.   

Road Trip to Taranaki

Four of us took off to Taranaki with friend Sue at the wheel to see  the sights.  Stayed in New Plymouth  and from there explored the area, sampling  the excellent small-town culture dotted  round the province.     In the Govett-Brewster  I had seen a Lawrence Aberhart photographic exhibition , lonely views of old halls and dairy factories , shops and facades that were  so evident on our road trip round the mountain. In many cases women seem to be the new entrepreneurs in these small towns with a plethora of great  cafes, (Rhubarb Cafe in Eltham  - fabulous cheese scones, and Sugar Juice Cafe in Opunake - delicious seafood chowder at under $10) as well as   vintage shops crammed full of byegone treasures including lots of Crown Lynn. 

Sampled and purchased some cheese for the next little while from the great range available at the Cheese Bar in Eltham, home of the gourmet cheese sold there.  Stocked up on creamy blue cheese which I will add to a cole slaw recipe I like, cumin cheese I enjoy with a ciabatta roll and guava jelly and other delights.

The mountain unshrouded itself in spectacular beauty on our last morning and pleased Dierter no end. 

Eli's Graduation

Waited in chilly Queen Street for the procession at 9.30 but didn't see Eli in the throng of other students, all very colourful in their hoods and best dress.  Lots of proud parents including us  and we managed to meet up at Aotea Square which was filled with happy family groups.  Later in the day attended the graduation ceremony in the Aotea Centre.