Copenhagen

Had a very pleasant interlude here in Copenhagen and now looking forward to joining our cruise early afternon today. The port is close to town so we located it yesterday and know where we are going today. The weather is still nice and fine though there is enough of a breeze to harness for those big metal windmills you see dotted around the place where we are staying, in a big youth hostel on the outskirts, but near an exhibition centre where we are going today at look at a Danish design expo. Walked around the place for 6 hours or so yesterday and found old haunts from 40 years ago. Denmark is still clean and green. We are enjoying the food - had those lovely open sandwiches for lunch yesterday and are enjoying the buffet breakfasts - lovely creamy joghurt , nice cold cuts, marinated herring and crusty rolls. Walked for 6 hours yesterday so felt exhausted at the end of the day but fine again this morning. Nice comfy youth hostel.

Home Sweet Home

Have had a quick trip to Waiheke on my own to tidy up and away for a lady who is renting the place for a few weeks until she shifts in to her own place. Looking forward to enjoying it ourselves in the Spring when we get back, ditto, Orewa which we also visited on Sunday enjoying a walk along the beach before the rain set in. Colleague Gerard is sharing it with us which works out well for all concerned.

Today we went to a good movie Bride Flight all about three young Dutch women who emigrate to NZ after the war to marry their Dutch fiances who had preceded them, a really good movie.

Yesterday we had a trip into town to look at the Rita Angus exhibition at the Art Gallery, a very satisfying exhibition of art works from right through her career.

Brizzie landmarks

Dieter's favourite store

Took a long bus trip out to a suburban shopping centre so Dieter could indulge his penchant for chocolate biscuits and Haribo wine gums from his favourite German foodstore.

Brisbane

Had a wonderful few days in Brisbane, staying at Rydges near the river where we went walking each day. This is the cultural centre of Brisbane with the museum, art gallery and State Library all close to one another. Each had very interesting exhibitions and we spent several hours looking at them. The highlight was the American impressionism and realism exhibition with the Sargents, Whistlers, Childe Hassans among many others. Over 70 paintings on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and quite a few corresponding Australian examples.

Off to Brisbane

Have given up on the bad weather here and decided last week to go to Brisbane for a few days to warm up. The last fortnight has seen a few decisions - the major one being to retire in a couple of weeks time. Dieter will follow suit in his own good time. I will prepare the way for a life a deux again, which I am looking forward to. Have a lot of house and garden maintenance plus clearing up and out to do.

Went to a sports day at the Y last Friday and had a fun day lots of group exercises, games, skittles and folk dancing ( not agile or strong enought this time for badminton or volleyball).

Winter Woes

We have been hunkering down trying to keep warm with heaters on a lot of the time, and warm clothes. I suffer from cold hands and feet and it makes me quite miserable. Today my normal routine started again with the Y for tai chi and then knitting at Art Station. I am knitting a little tea cosy shaped house but bigger than a teapot. It is for our next group exhibition in 2010. It was nice seeing the "ladies" again.

Went to the op shop beforehand and bought myself a pair of navy shoes for $4,a black shiny cardigan for $1 to wear in the evenings on the cruise and a book Tis byFrank McCourt. I have read it before but will reread it . He died yesterday.

Bought some ciabatta rolls for our lunch then Dieter and I went round to Salisbury St so we could do some pruning back, always very satisfying. Got a bunch of orange and yellow flowers for the vase - red hot pokers, some hibiscus and other flowers. Bought some daffodils yesterday while out and about.

Met friend Janet for lunch in St Heliers, overlooking the beach and Rangitoto. It was a glorious day and I enjoyed the bus trip there and back after my morning at the gym.

Have been selling the odd thing on Trademe and making three or four sales a week. Prices are about half or less of what they used to be so there are bargains for buyers. I will press on in this vein and keep on giving a bag of stuff to the op shop each time I buy something. Friend Frances has offered to help me clear out and up which I will cautiously agree to one of these days.

Well off I go and get the dinner out of the oven. A tasty vegetable casserole with rice. Made some marmelade this afternoon. Found some pulp in the freezer. Got some more grapefruit from Orewa last weekend so will slice it up in the food processor and make some more to give away another day. I don't put too much water with it and it turns out nice and chunky the way I like it.

The picture was taken way back in 1978 or 1979 at the library . I am in the middle!

Monday Excursion

We had a little jaunt today over to Waiheke seeing it had been raining all weekend. It was lovely as usual - just had 4 hours there - went in to Oneroa and had lunch at a cafe then walked back home along the beach and through the bush. It was lovely. Only bummer was that Dieter left his bag with his new digital camera on the Link bus this morning. It was an expensive German one. Our next big holiday, the cruise will be fun, but I had been hoping to see my Aunt Anne-Marie but she died suddenly last week. She was 91. She was my mother's sister and lived all her life in Germany , except for a spell in France during the war before she was married. She was always very good to me, especially when I went to Germany the first couple of times and used to get a bit homesick from time to time, really only the first time I went. I used to go to their place for Christmas and Easter and some of my friends visited me there to0. I learned how to bake and cook German specialities - a delicious hazelnut cake, I made in her memory and for Dieter this weekend, and a nice chocolate and hazelnut cake. She was a typical German Hausfrau with very high standards and didn't approve of my shortcuts or slapdash approach to some things!
Her daughter lived with her the last four or five years and looked after her as well as holding down a part-time job lecturing in theology at the University of Saarbrucken. It will be sad going back to the village this year.

Cruising Down the River

Well how about a canal. We have succumbed to temptation and decided to go on a cruise to get away from the chilly winter we are experiencing. The only warm place is bed at present.

Anyway at the end of August we are going on a 14 day European cruise from Copenhagen to Kiel via the canal that links the Baltic and North Sea , then along the coast to Amsterdam, 3 French ports, Viga in Spain, then Gibralter, Mallorca and finally Barcelona. Will follow this with a week in Germany. We are very excited about it. It is a luxury cruise on the Azamara complete with butlker service and other frivolities. The price is about half of the normal price - the recession and swine flu are probably combining to put some people off travelling.

Wintery Weekend

Not so much wet and windy as frosty cold with clear blue sky days. As usual we made the most of the weekend with a day trip to Orewa by car this time as the bus whizzed past us at Victoria Park. Anyway it was useful to have the car to bring back a boot full of firewood from the backyard up there. Over the years branches have fallen off our beautiful protected pohutukawa trees, oak and willow tree keeping us warm, sawn up as firewood, in deepest Ponsonby.

Imbibed the atmosphere of bach and beach, enjoyed a visit from our neighbour over the back hedge. Afternoon tea included the remaining half of D's birthday cake, a madeira cake with a filling of hazelnut macaroon.We then motored home in time for dinner, a special German dish once more, of beef olives, stuffed with bacon, onion, mustard and gherkin, served with red cabbage and potato.

Went to Mass at the cathedral this morning at 11am, packed as usual, with beautiful singing. Went to the Maritime Museum afterwards as it has free entry for June. Enjoyed looking at all the Pacific outrigger canoes and other sailing craft. Then there is the replica of the steerage cabin space where early emigrants spent a lot of time on their months-long voyage to NZ and the more comfortable but still rather spartan cabin of the 1950s emigrants , such as the many thousands of Dutch people.

Enjoyed some freshly made seafood sushi at St Pierre's Downtown before going home for a read and a rest.

Kaiaua

It was a warm sultry afternoon so took the chance to air the house after all the rain and damp of last week. Went into 11am mass at the cathedral - it was being televised for Asia Downunder - diversity in Auckland. The congregation is 80% Asian these days with many families and young people.
Yesterday we went on a bus trip to Kaiaua again - this time with a Grey Lynn group - nice to get out into the countryside. We had a show - a couple of older singers performing their kind of music in an old fancy theatre, then we had fish and chips and coleslaw in a renowned fish and chip restaurant down there. D and I had a short walk along the beach before it was turn around time and time to go home again. The godwits have well and truly gone now, leaving the beach to the local seabirds.

Sportswoman of the Minute

Tidy-Up Time at Orewa and E's Art in Motion assignment

We had a nice weekend, albeit busy . Had a good trip up by bus with Dieter and a friend of mine who came with us. Had a quick lunch of ciabatta, salami and cheese then a trip into the village to get some things from the op shops. We both got a nice Carltonware type small dish for $8 as we both liked them and that was all I bought - that I remember! Sorted out some other stuff to go back to a different op shop so haven't really gained much. I had to clear out the bedroom that the flatmate is going into and accomodate all the stuff, get rid of the dust of several seasons (it seemed). E arrived early evening but didn' t want to film us until the next day - ended up being round 12. She was pleased with our efforts and we were suitably impressed with her skills. I had been dreading it somewhat especially when she pulled out this bag of odd- looking clothes, but endured all for art's sake. We just had to mime the words to a plaintive little love song written and performed on CD by her friends, the Gladeyes.
Next weekend will be a weekend at home which I am looking forward to.
Today I went to the Y , not quite as energetic as the sports day I attended last Friday. It was several of the N2O groups from around Auckland playing volleyball and badminton. I had a go at both which was fun but rather hard as I had not played before.
Today lunchtime met D to look at the book sale at the library. Bought one book each which was very restrained then went to the staff cafetaria at the Council for our midday dinner which saves cooking this evening.
Had a first look at an interesting exhibition of NZ paintings, landscapes I think they are, in a new exhibition being hung at the City Art Gallery, so had a very satisfying day.

Not content to take it easy on a rainy Monday afternoon I made some feijoa jam and am in the throes of making another batch of guava jelly. Have only a small quantity of jam covers, sugar and small jars so will freeze some of the juice and make a third lot later on.

Easter and Afterwards

Spent Easter up at Orewa doing our usual things. Went to the Good Friday ceremony which along with the Easter Sunday Mass were meaningful occasions. E came up on Saturday evening to celebrate Easter with us, with D providing the usual easter eggs for us to find. The dahlias were in full bloom so picked some for the table. Had some lovely lamb shanks for our evening meal and fresh feijoas from neighbouring trees for dessert.

Have been busy on the domestic front making a pot or two of quince jelly with my good neighbour, Gladys's high-up quinces. She and her daughter made two batches of quince jam which looked beautiful but too much work for me, peeling and cutting up that hard fruit.

Our flatmate Gerard moves in up there on Anzac weekend so I have been busy making space in cupboards, pantry and on shelves for him to put his gear. This has been a good opportunity for me to prune back our possessions there and I have two big bags of stuff for the op shop.
Had some welcome light relief when the shops reopened on Saturday and made a foray to the Baptist op shop and replaced my old blue dressing gown with a nice bright cherry red one for $5 and my old black handbag for a new one for $4. So it's two steps forward and one step back in that direction.

Friend Frances came up with us for the weekend and took us on a jaunt to Wenderholm on Easter Sunday. Visited Coudrey House with its beautiful old architectural features and furnishings. Drove home with a detour to Waiwera where we reminisced about outings to the hot bathes there is the oldendays and vijsits to the Waiwera Hotel afterwards for dinner or drinks.

Weekend on Waiheke

Enjoyed lovely late summer weather on the island with a couple of swims, a visit to a country fair at the Steiner kindergarten and general lounging about. The bach is let for Easter so did a modicum of housework to make it spic and span for our guests.

D has a new camera so hopefully the images will be of better quality once he has mastered it. I have a new mobile and am concentrating on mastering that. There is a picture of the bach with feijoa tree and another spindly tree in the foreground, one of Blackpool , another of Oneroa Beach from the Little Oneroa walkway in front of the church and one taken at the country fair of childrenand adults enjoying very creative teepees.

There is an abundance of feijoas under our feijoa trees and we scooped out the flesh of a bucketful of them and froze it in containers for future use. Made guava jelly during the week , a perfect set for once, because it can be sometimes a bit runny.

Visitors from Germany

Had a delightful 10 days or so with D's nephew , Klaus and his friend Christiane who spent the last days of their 7 week Neuseeland OE in Auckland. Thankfully the weather was better and they enjoyed warm sunny weather at Waiheke and Orewa and also round Ponsonby with us. Had a couple of swims at the Herne Bay beaches, walked around to Westhaven and along Ponssonby Rd. It was very nice for D to have some family here for a change. His other nephew came about 22 years ago.

Sunny Saturday and Sunday

We had a pleasant day with Klaus and Christiane, showing them the sights and delights of our part of town - started off with a swim at Sentinel Rd beach , then on to Westhaven by foot and then to Sitting Duck cafe at Westhaven for lunch - lovely sandwiches, ginger crunch and a latte, then walked toVictoria Park Market. Home for afternoon tea with the nice linen and china and then dinner. E was here too for the latter two.

They took us out to an Italian restaurant in Herne Bay on Saturday night. We shared a lovely seafood platter for starters then a pasta dish with spinach and fetta for me. Earlier in the day we went to an arts andcrafts market up at the Ponsonby Community Centre. There was a great a great array of crafts and bric-a brack. D bought me a lovely shiny biscuit tin with the Fresh-Up advertising on it. E bought herself a brown phone shaped like a handbag, seventies style. She reckons it will go. There was a great display of Crown Lynn china - small plates $5, dinner plates $10. the domestic crafts are very much alive and well among the younger generation - there were some lovely knitted purses and crocheted badges as well as afternoon teas with yummy home baking. Dieters nephew arrived back fromtheir sojourn in Orewa while we worked witha beautiful hazelnut cake for Dieter, a rolled up shortcake strudel time roll with a delicious nut filling, just like his mother and aunt used to make. My aunt made a different nutcake - with the ground hazelnuts folded into the plain cake mixture, replacing an equal amount of flour, also delicious.

Waitemata Weekend

This was a jam-packed weekend from go to whoa. Klaus and Christiane had arrived Thursday evening, spent Friday sightseeing and getting their rental car back to Mangere, and were ready to start their Waiheke experience on Saturday. We got an earlier boat over than usual so we could take in the Ostend Market before noon, buying tamarind chutney and chunky marmelade from our favourite stall to take home to Germany. Had a long and hot walk back to Surfdale, lunched on the deck, then took off for a swim at Little O. At last just as the season winds down, the water is lovely and warm. Home for a quick cup of coffee and peanut brownies before D and I returned to Auckland, as we had our Historic Places Trust cruise to Ponui Island on Sunday.

This necessitated another early start as the boat left from Half Moon Bay. It was great seeing some new scenery and the water features from a different angle. Browns Island, Waiheke, Motuihe , Rotoroa, Paketoa and Ponui were all islands we saw from a completely different angle to what we usually see. We landed at Ponui which is farmed by decendants of the Chaamberlin family and others. There are 11 adults on the island owned by 2 Chamberlins, 2 others and John Spencer, who owns a piece of Waiheke, and another island near Coromandel. Ponui has an early breed of donkey, the Ponui donkey, descended from the first donkeys imported to New Zealand, the Akaroa donkeys. There was an idyllic bay ideal for swimming , which one of our number took advantage of. I stretched out on the beach and enjoyed the sun and tranquillity.
It was interestimg to see Pakatoa with buildings we remember from our youth. There was a beach resort there with motels and place where functions were held. It was a place where people went for a weekend, or had their honeymoons. There was a pool, and a hydrofoil which got people there and back.

Books and Baking

We are expecting visitors from Hamburg later today so I have spent a little time poring over a new recipe book - Robyn Martin bakes: quick and easy favourite recipes, which has all the old Kiwi classics given a new twist either with a new ingredient or prepared in a more simple way ie in a pot! Suits me. I made a Louise cake slice but couldn't find my slice tin (at first) so made it in a large Christmas cake tin) which was not quite big enough. The middle soggy bits, I have consigned to the freezer to be used in a trifle one of these other days.

Then I made some peanut brownies from the Edmonds book and called it a day after that. I remember the olden days making 4 or 5 things one after the other to fill up the tines. This was in my teenage years when I did a lot of baking for the family. My mother concentrated on hearty and healthy meals , followed always by a milk pudding - semolina and fruit, banana custard made in a fluted yellow bowl, baked macaroni or vermicelli pudding with sultanas and cinnamon, bread and butter pudding, not to mention all the fruit sponges, apple pies and crumbles. Makes me tired thinking about them.

Jigsaw

This 1500 piece jigsaw occupied our dining room table and a lot of our time for a couple of months but it was lovely to see it finally finished and now back in its box ready for the trip to the op shop where it came from originally.