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.

Blue and White

Have reluctantly decided to downsize  this collection of china of mine, after coming to the realization that  I can't keep everything for ever,  and a change of decor looks good too. Just introducing a splash of green as a recent NZ House & Garden suggested,   provides such a lift.  I rung the changes up at Orewa where my display of blue and white china (Willow pattern and European Christmas plates ) now includes a green capsicum-shaped salt shaker, a green ginger jar which graced the family mantlepiece in my childhood and a beautiful green glass vase from an op shop in Orewa. I have been too busy up there recently to remember to take a photo of it and now it is too late as goddaughter Jane and husband Adam are moving in for a wee while until they find a place of their own up there.

I sold a turquoise Denby mug recently  - they are lovely to look at but when filled with tea or coffee rather heavy for my right  hand .  It went to a good home so I am pleased, as did the little Air NZ  retro china cup and saucer.  These were made by Noritake I believe, in the 1960s I suppose.  I like a small milky drink made in one of these  when I wake during the night.  I still have a couple of these left too.  They remind me of a dolls teaset I had as a child.  Next is the Blue Danube breakfast cup and saucer I sold yesterday.  We enjoyed using Blue Danube china morning noon and night in the 1970s, now I just use the dinner plates and dessert plates once or twice during the week, and two small tea and coffee cups  for occasional drinks during the day.  These two duos belonged to my Aunt Dorothy, so I think of her when I use them. 
Then there is an old Masons aqua preserving jar also gone west to Waiheke Island to a new owner .  I still have one of these under the house to be brought up  and used or more likely displayed  one of these days again. Lastly is this morning's stilllife with feijoas in a special Cauldon dish featuring chariots which Dieter gave me many many years ago.  I now use it for all sorts of things several times during the week in a bid to make the most of such treasures. 

Bus trip to South Head

Had a very pleasant outing with the Historical Society to look at the alpacas at South Head  and then the museum at Helensville.  The fleece is delightfully light and silky and when spun makes a soft warm yarn  which they knit into garments. D bought me a pair of pale blue fingerless mittens  in a pretty lacy pattern.  Must get out my spinning wheel and spin some yarn  myself.  It has languished in a corner for 2 or 3 years now without having been used.  Watch this space.

Somes Island

Somes Island  is about 20 minutes out in Wellington Harbour - in its time it has been  a POW camp, internment camp and also a quarantine station .  Now it is a conservation area and very nice for walks.  There were a couple of school parties and a few oldies like us.  We could use our gold cards to get there on the ferry  which was good. The flowers were beautiful - white ones from the lace bark, hebes and the bright orange berries of the coprosma.  We were delighted to see a large tuatara sunning itself  conveniently along the way.