Waiheke again

I am on the island again. I did the sculpture walk this morning with old friend Janet whom I know since Hamilton Teachers College Library days.

It is a biennial event, which takes place above the hills of Matiatia and Church Bay. This year we got the shuttle bus to the start of the walk and over two hours or so enjoyed about 30 large sculptures strategically positioned to show off both sculpture and showcase the spectacular landscape.

The first one was an iconic Waiheke bach by Matthew Muir a local artist whose paintings also reflect the Waiheke landscape. I liked it and the next one by Terry Stringer featuring one of his trademark pensive elongated visages, this time in a wooden frame.

There were works by Peter Lange, a corrugated slightly more abstract work this year by Jeff Thompson and different new works by new and emerging artists.

The walk took us a couple of hours after which time we were ready to enjoy a cold drink in the marquee at Matiatia. Janet got a boat back to the big smoke and I repaired by bus to the bach to rest a little before the others joined me.

It is the season not so much of mist but certainly of mellow fruitfulness and the plum tree has dropped its canopy of ripe fruit on the grass below. The birds have had their fill and I will stew what is left and freeze in small containers to use and enjoy during the year.

Oneroa

Enjoying a bite of lunch at Fenice before returning to the hustle and bustle of the city and suburbs again. Have had a few days quiet and solitude at the bach in Surfdale, swimming each day down the road at Surfdale beach.

We had a man come in and fell some monkeyapple trees and thinned out other overgrown foliage which had grown very tall, meaning we got very little light in our back garden.

They piled up the foliage on the front lawn ready to be mulched which will be another project.

Happy New Year

2013 has got off to a good start with the lovely sunny weather we are having in Auckland. New Years Eve was spent quietly at home which is unusual for us as we like to be at Waiheke, however pleased that Eli wanted to go with Tim.

Ponsonby was very quiet and always is with people away on holiday. Joined the throngs at the beach and made our way down to Victoria Park, across the park to pick up a bus to the North Shore so we could enjoy the mid-morning tide with a lovely swim at Takapuna Beach.

The beach and grassy embankment under flowering pohutukawas was dotted with family groups of all ethnicities enjoying their picnics, their families and the water.

Had a lovely lunch at the fabulous cafe along the end of the beach. Yummy organic eggs Benedict with salmon.

Today is the second of January and decided to repeat the process with a trip to Mission Bay for a swim and a picnic lunch a deux, with the minimum of fuss for the maximum enjoyment. Mission accomplished and we completed a successful outing with a bus trip up Queen St to our favourite ice cream parlour, Giapo for deep red mixed berry gelato and pistachio ice cream.

Happy Christmas

Spent  the day up in Orewa at our beach house on Saturday  and had our  first swim of the season as well as doing some last minute shopping at the Silverdale Market - things like strawberries for our Christmas dessert. The pohutukawas are in full bloom and add to the festive atmosphere.

Christmas Eve was spent at home as usual with the usual roast dinner folllowed by trifle.  Round 9pm we listened to some Christmas music and exchanged presents.

Attended Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral on Christmas morning and enjoyed the singing and organ music as usual.

Pre-Christmas

Went to a Knitterati gathering at a gallery out West this morning. We were to take a self-made ornament which would be part of a group window installation. They were to be white and filmy but I thought I would take along a red one I had made a while ago but it was too much the odd one out so two of us knitted a little white boot each which was included. Mine is the one on the right.

Waiheke weekend

Enjoyed a couple of days of respite over on the island recently and also a day trip to celebrate a longtime friend's retirement from the workaday world. The pohutukawas are in full bloom, heralding Christmas as they do in their scarlet splendour. The agapanthus provide a spectacular contrast, though on the island they are regarded as a weed as they do tend to smother native plants in time.

The delicate pale flower which I believe is a kind of lily, used to be quite prolific on the island and is hardly seen anymore. I was delighted to see this one on our walk in to Oneroa after Mass on Sunday.

The flax is flowering too and is particularly spectacular above Oneroa beach .

Baking

Finished my Christmas baking this afternoon with some Basler Leckerli- thin gingerbread laden with aromatic spices, honey and almonds.

Earlier in the month I made spicy Spekulatius biscuits from my old Dr Oetker recipe book which I have been using for over 40 years now.

Plump Vanilla Kipferl from Edible gifts by Claire Clifton and Martina Nichols complete the trio of biscuits we have been enjoying.

Marmalade Morning

Got up bright and early this morning to make some chunky grapefruit marmalade, a labour of love, as I am giving a jar of this to my dearest and nearest this Christmas. I get the grapefruit in winter from my neighbour, Gladys in Orewa, slice them finely in the food processor and leave the pulp in ice cream containers in the freezer until I am ready to make the actual marmalade whenever the whim or need overtakes me during the year. I take it for the trading table fundraiser at bowls and that means once a month I have needed some otherwise Nina is disappointed. Last week Alla from the gym gave me two empty jars so now they are full and ready to be given back to her. This time last year she was in hospital and I took her some there and now she is on my list too.

I use Alison Holst's metric marmalade recipe as a guideline but basically I barely cover the pulp with water , boil to soften the sliced peel for up to an hour, then add cup for cup of sugar and boil until setting point is reached. I like my marmalade chunky and so it does not take too long before it is ready to be poured into warm jars from the oven. Voila marmalade for breakfast!

Flowers at Rosenvale

Roses in the garden at Rosenvale where we stopped for a delicious lunch at the venue there, before exploring the beautiful garden.

Threadbear Cottage and Alphra Lavenders

Visited these two lovely places out in the country round Cambridge.  Julie does  sewing and makes fabulous pot pourri with dehydrated citrus slices, spices and herbs. She had an accident some years ago (fell out of a hammock and broke her neck) and her husband built her the cottage which is now crammed full of beautiful things to buy, made by herself or by other countrywomen of the district.

Her own home is a showcase for her various collections - teddy bears, vintage enamelware, kitchenware, china and luggage to name a few that appealed to me.

Alphra's Lavenders was a few kilometres away, a lavender farm and place where they distill lavender oil and make the most fragrant range of products from the small bottles of oil  from three different types of lavender, nice little sleep pillows, lotions, soaps, even sweets.  Bought a French lavender plant for near the front gate where hopefully I will be able to smell it as I go in and out.  The pictures were taken at Threadbear Cottage.

Highgate Gardens

At Highgate Gardens near Pirongia. This is also a B and  B in the most beautiful setting overlooking rolling countryside with Mt Pirongia in the distance.  The roses were in full flower as were flag irises in many colours, even an apricot coloured one. 

Grimm's Fairy Tales

Went to a meeting of the Goethe Society last night which was all about the non-existent fairies in the tales. Apparently they were there in the first edition but were edited out in later editions as the word for fairy in German is like the French word Fee and relations between the two countries were not exactly cordial at the time.

Of course some of the tales are a bit gruesome too which doesn't cause problems for children usually, just for their parents and librarians!

Got out my volumes of Grimm's Kinder- und Hausmärchen which date back to my stay in Germany in the 1960s and am looking forward to rereading them along with the feminist fairy tales I found in my bookcase.