Mother's Day

I celebrated the day by taking part in a 5km fun walk for women organized by the YMCA Marathon Club. Other women did 10km or ran for 5 or 10 km. It took  place in the streets  near Cornwall Park with its great bounty of trees in autumnal splendour.  There are lovely old villas to be seen in those streets and a nice change from Ponsonby where I usually walk. 

It did me good and good friend Frances and I came in under the hour like everyone else and she won a spot prize.  I got one too later on, a nice hanging toilet bag and some sweetpea body lotion. Sweetpeas along with lily of the valley are one of my favourite flowers along with lavender and roses.  All for their fragrance.  

Eli joined us for afternoon tea for which I had made a cake , Jewish cake from the Edmonds Book with cinnamon and sultanas and a passionfruit icing. It was a little dry for my liking but it will get eaten.  Was given beautiful roses, some magazines  and a monetary contribution towards the black ruffled velvet jacket I bought last week from my favourite Ponsonby shop, Carly Harris.  

Made a nice roast pork dinner for which Frances joined us and celebrated the day with a Sauvignon blanc tipple. so lots of warm fuzzies all day long.  

   

O Island in the Sun

Rangitoto from the Waiheke ferry.

Easter

Silverdale

Today I am looking forward to a long  day at home as it were, not having anything in particular planned after a busy day yesterday in Orewa. We had the use of the bach up there for the day and used the opportunity.

We got a early bus up but stopped off at Silverdale where there is a market every Saturday.  Not a big lot of produce so not a farmers market but I have my favourite lady selling her seasonal jams etc in the old hall.  Bertha is her name and I think she might have a German heritage with a name like that.  She is in the Historical Society too so I always have a little chat and buy something off her, as her things look and taste beautiful and are reasonably priced and beautifully presented. Yesterday it was quince jelly which caught my eye. And feijoa chutney but I might try and make my own, a small quantity as we don't get through a lot these days.

We had an hour in Silverdale and I had time for a coffee and free muffin at a bakery cafe , an apple muffin which is my favourite, the a visit to the Hospice Op shop which had  all sorts of summer stuff for a dollar a piece.  I bought a pair of bright green trousies for the dollar and will look like a ageing budgie when wearing them, round the house probably,  seeing that is the case.  I do need something comfortable and cheerful for there too, in my opinion.

Dieter of course was not in good shape and hadn't wanted, even,  to go but we got a taxi to the bus stop and bused everywhere so there wasn't a lot of walking.  However I didn't even get to the beach,  so will do things differently next time.  The tide was not right for a swim and we had run out of time with the buses running half an hour late so wasted a lot of time waiting for buses which we could have spent at the beach.

 I deadheaded a lot of faded dry hydrangeas  from  a big bush up the front and have another big bushy thing with pink  flowers to do next time, oleander or azalea which, if either,  could it be? It has long fingery-type leaves.
Went to a nice cafe up there for a little feta and vege quiche and salad  for a late lunch by which time we were starving.  Meals come around with such monotonous regularity.   Had to cook a meal when we got home to Ponsonby but had bought steak,and mushrooms at the supermarket in Orewa  so it didn't take too long to do so.

Even stayed up an hour or two later than usual and caught up on a couple of saved TV programmes.  We have a new  weekly architectural documentary programme where people are building a  new house, usually on difficult sites but with stunning architecture and views, costing megabucks too of course. Enough to get the wind up me with my more modest build at Salisbury St. Watched that and a satirical irreverent programme on the events of the week, Seven days,  before retiring for the night.  Bliss.

Over To Waiheke

After busy weekends home and away decided to have a midweek trip to the island for a bit of r and r ourselves.Went to Solar for dinner and enjoyed a seafood board between us - hot salmon and tender spicy squid, marinated fish, warm crab casserolend a salad of island micro greens with local ciabatta and crostini. Yum.

Made a day of it and ate out for lunch too at Frenchot, authentic French cuisine, morning, noon and night, conveniently located in Surfdale.  Delicious croissants and the best ever coffee at breakfast time, baguettes with salami, ham or chicken with salad and cheese accompaniments at lunchtime and the best ever bouillabaisse I have had for a long time in the evening.  As I said, we were there for lunch - chicken and bacon baguette with lettuce and tomato followed bay moist almond cake and piping hot coffee , all enjoyed in the courtyard out the back.

Enjoyed the bach too of course, tidying up in between for our next lot of visitors. 

Back to Orewa

D

Have made several flying visits to Orewa over recent weeks, having regained  the use of the bach as our goddaughter Jane and husband have moved on after almost two years up there.  

Last weekend we had our first weekend there in a long while and did all the usual things like going for boisterous swims in the equinoxial tides. to the farmers market on the Sunday morning, not to mention the library, op shops and supermarket, all of which are conveniently concentrated in a fairly small area.  

Picked up an ironing board for $2  and a vacuum cleaner for $30 a secondhand washing machine at the mart and a new TV and toaster so we are set for a while.  A friend of a friend of I a friend has moved in for a few weeks until. She finds something permanent for herself and in the meantime we will recover from the energy expended in getting it ready for her and enjoy the ambience of city life with renewed appreciation. 

Surfdale Weekend

Escaped the city yet again for a lovely warm summery weekend at the bach, which is looking very spic and span after being painted late last year.  The bottom picture is the view from the street.  The back view is even nicer with a lovely shady deck and native trees such as a big pohutukawa and a  puriri tree which harbour tui and kereru.  Old school friend Eileen was with us again and this time we made a dash for the Ostend market to pick up some herb spread.  Unfortunately it was on closing time when we arrived so missed Jenny and her tamarind chutney. Eileen found some later at the deli and bought it there instead and presented us with both as an unexpected gift for the lunch table. The herb spread is like pesto but with different herbs and even flower petals of calendula and lavender.  It is delicious and goes well on bread, in salads, or added to sour cream to make a delicious potato salad dressing.  The tamarind chutney is delicious with cheese, any cold meats or quiche.  We have been buying these island specialities for a few years now and never tire of them.

On Saturday night we tried out the new French restaurant in Surfdale, Frenchot  and had a delicious meal of bouillabaisse , laden with prawns, cockles, pieces of fish in a very tasty broth with croutons.  We had a selection of French sausage and cheeses as an entree and a lemony- tasting creme brûlée for dessert.  

Good friend Marlene came over for the day on Sunday.  We met her after Mass in Oneroa at our favourite cafe, Solar where we had coffee and savoury muffins.

Oneroa Bay was studded with boats  and the beach and grassy banks dotted with groups enjoying picnics.  We had a swim although the water was rather cold and hard to get into.  I took my time and enjoyed it in the end.  Bused back to the bach for a late lunch of Turkish bread, salad, cheese, salmon and cold meats, followed by stewed pears, passionfruit and peaches from our Ponsonby and Waiheke gardens.  

Decided to stay an extra night and day and had a wonderfully exhilarating swim at Oneroa Beach, this time buffeted around by the waves.  

Will return to the island for a third weekend next weekend and will have to think of some new things to do. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Hibiscus from the garden in a Crown Lynn float bowl.

Visitor from Perth

Enjoying good friend Eileen's visit and taking the time to do some touristy things with her.  Today we started off at the Art Gallery where the welcome is always warm.  Looked at some contemporary NZ art and came upon a series of Anne Noble Whanganui photographs which had just been hung in one of the side galleries.  

It is Chinese New Year and the festivities start today in Albert park with the Lantern  Festival.  They were still assembling the various lanterns, all very colourful but we got a bit of an idea of what it will be like in the evenings when the park is filled with people enjoying the festival.  

Got the bus down Queen Street and then the ferry across to Devonport to have lunch at the Stone Oven  (I love the spinach and mushroom pies) and then a walk up and down the street.  

Jamming in the Kitchen

OHave run out of homemade jam so unearthed some feijoas and passionfruit from my freezer and made three little jars of deliciously tangy fruity jam. Another time I might add a bit of guava juice or a couple of plums for a rose colour.  

Had a friend coming to visit so put on my chef's jacket and made a batch of delicious blueberry and banana mini muffins, a good combination.  

Spinning and Weaving, etc.

Some friend's of Eli were still at the bach when we arrived, packing up and waiting for the 1pm sailing back to the mainland. One of them was telling me she was into spinning, knitting and other textile crafts, the other one had done a degree in fashion design.  So I was taken back to when I was about their age and how much I enjoyed spinning, dyeing then some weaving.  I have a few of those early pieces at the bach - a multicoloured crocheted blanket in yarns I dyed and spun myself.  Round about the same time I took up simple handpieced patchwork, finishing off a bedspread in baby block pattern my aunt had given me, then doing a runner for a chest of drawers in blues, cutting up a blue skirt I had when I was about 18.  I still have the white broderie anglaise  blouse with puffed sleeves I wore with it and was thinking recently of upcycling it somehow or giving it to someone else to do so.

Then there are the two fabric art wall hangings, one done at a course at Artstation taken by Nora West and the other also done there too at a course run by Joan Graham of the Embroiderers Guild.  

Apart from that I have  a couple of tivaevae pillow shams I appliqued from a kitset I bought from the Cook island ladies who demonstrated their skills during a wonderful tivaevae exhibition in the Art Gallery many years ago.

Then there was the little basket I wove incorporating unusual materials as well as the willow.  I remember  it was taken by a well-known basketmaker up in Titirangi at her studio.

Lastly  there is the weaving by Alison Milne in black and bright colours which reminded her of cathedral windows and hung in an exhibition in the Aotea Centre so I must have bought it in the 1980s some time.  Alison is still weaving rag rugs in her studio in Titirangi which the Knitterati visited in 2012 sometime.  Alison is a member of Knitterati which had its origins in the domestic craft course at Artstation in the late 1990s early 2000s.

Christmas Crib

Enjoyed the Christmas Day Mass in Ponsonby this morning with the Christmas crib set up on a big piece of tapa cloth and beautiful singing by the Samoan choir which is always a moving experience, but more so  on Christmas Day.

Celebrated at home on Christmas Eve with a simple but tasty meal of marinated spatchcock chicken with rice and summer  vegetable bake, followed by raspberry pavlova roulade for just us and good friend Pam who shared the occasion with us.  

Cookies for Christmas

Finally made a start making a couple of batches of cookies to enjoy in the run-up to Christmas - spicy biscuits (Spekulatius biscuits in Germany) from my tried and true Doktor Oetker German recipe book which I bought when I first went to Germany all those years ago.  It is the equivalent of the Edmonds cookbook.

The second batch I made were plump buttery Viennese crescents  (Wiener  Kipferl) . They have ground almonds in them.  

Big Day Out

Had a trip up to Orewa yesterday to look at the house which Jane and Adam are busy  staining.  It looks like new.  I hadn't noticed how weathered the cedar had become what with the wind, salt and sand blowing in off the sea whenever there is a storm.  

We got the 9 .15 bus up stopping at Silverdale to go to the market.  Bought apricots and plums, both a bit tart for my digestive system which protested in the usual manner to which I have become accustomed.  Had coffee and an apple muffin before getting the bus on to Orewa where we spent a couple of hours browsing a couple of op shops.  Bought a black camisole at one for $1 which will go underneath my new black floral dress from Jean Jones.  Visited Gladys  and June for a catch-up on the local news and gossip. 

It was a hot day and the tide was right so had a wonderful swim and lounge on the beach before getting the bus back home again. Hope to go up more frequently next year and do a bit of snipping and pruning back to keep the place better under control.

The Festive Season

Sunday marked the start of the season for me with the First Sunday of Advent celebrated at Mass in Ponsonby and the hymn O come O come Emanuel!

On the home front it meant getting out the Advent stand and the handcrafted wreath Eli made at the age of 7 or so  all those years ago.

Time to think about getting Christmas cards started and recall the high points of the year over afternoon tea - little mince tarts and gingerbread cookies which were delicious.

This time next week hope to have made some cookies of my own from a book of Christmas crafts I unearthed from the bookcase, which included recipes for Christmas cookies from different countries around the world.  

Town and Around

Enjoyed a weekend at home in Ponsonby for a change. Good friend Janet came over this-a-way for lunch at our usual meeting place Byzantium where the mini quiches and the panini are tasty and reasonably priced.  Started off at Objectspace where there is an exhibition on Nanette Cameron, Auckland interior designer and teacher who flourished in what is now Te Tuhi in Pakuranga.  

I was reminded of the Sylvia Sandford courses I did at her house, a converted hall in Faulder Avenue in Westmere  round the same time.  It was all very exciting and stimulating learning how to do the various paint finishes, gilding , stencilling and the like as well as theoretical study of domestic architecture and styles of interior design and decoration.  Some of it rubbed off on me and Sylvia was a very interesting person to learn with.  This would have been in the late 1980s or 1990s.

Trotted along Ponsonby Road calling in to the Women's Bookshop for birthday and Christmas gift books and cards.  As always there was a great selection and probably contributed to my dislocated shoulder carrying my purchases home, compounded by my op shop purchases no doubt.Bought the most beautiful apple green duvet cover with stylised white blossom and looking forward to using it over summer. Investigated Milly's which also has a great array of the latest gadgets,and kitchenalia, however I am very attached to my tried and true kitchenwares,  collected over the years in many different countries.

By that time 3 hours had elapsed and I at least was exhausted and had to ring D to come and meet me halfway and help carry my purchases.

Recovered from all that on Saturday and forayed  forth again on Sunday. Mass at Vermont Street first always edifying with the singing of the Samoan choir.  Went downtown in the afternoon to look at the exhibition of children's book favourites through the decades, starting with Beatrix Potter, Wind in the Willows, Black Beauty, Enid Blyton, Dr Seuss, Maurice Sendak and Margaret Mahy to name a few. Will be rereading some of these authors and books in between my current favourite NZ writer, Sarah Laing.

Finished the afternoon with a delicious hazelnut icecream from Giapo's.

Embarked on the new week today by doing a spot of jam-making, one of my favourite activities from now through summer.  Today it was a batch of strawberry and rhubarb jam which turned out well.

Garden tour of the Hamilton Area

Went on a weekend tour of private and public gardens of the Hamilton area.  Apart from four private gardens visited the Hamilton gardens overlooking in part the Waikato River , two garden centres, one farmers' market. Phew! The tour was for members of a garden club which good friend Frances belongs to and there were a couple of seats left on the bus for us.  Most of the private gardens were the pride and joy of women on farms.  

I particularly liked the roses and irises which were in full bloom.  

The Hamilton Gardens were impressive and we picked the Italian Garden to spend a bit of quiet time in rather than try and cram too much in to the hour or two we were there.

Coming upon the Waikato on entering this garden room was a real thrill.  I have added these tranquil pictures to my store of memories I recall if having a wakeful spell during the night and I am soon back to sleep.

The farmers market was a chance to stock up on local goodies - apricot and raspberry jam, fig and walnut bread, asparagus, white turnips and statice.

At the garden centres there was more temptation but I restrained myself and just bought a bunch of sweet-smelling sweet peas and basil plants for the herb garden.  

Life is Good

It usually is but this week I seem to have had a surfeit of very pleasurable things happening in my life.

First the big birthday which threatened to overwhelm me somewhat but got off to a brilliant start with the delivery of a beautiful bunch of very fragrant flowers - stock and Christmas lilies - by good friend Carolyn M  who dropped them oh so early in the front porch to surprise and touch me when I discovered them a little later.  Relished some quiet time at home instead of rushing to the gym as usual, being home to getting in the mail, receiving  some phone calls and E mails,  seeing Eli for lunch and old school friend Pat M from yesteryear (or  so it seems) round afternoon tea time.  

Marked the occasion with a meal at a little French restaurant, La Cantine du Torchon which had gypsy jazz music playing, just the right atmosphere for a celebratory meal.  Started with a kir royale (black currant liqueur and bubbles), progressed to the onion soup, boeuf bougignon and crepes with apple and icecream, all very delicious.

Off to Waiheke then for the long weekend.  Brilliant weather as it often is at Labour Weekend. Visited the art gallery and another smaller exhibition in an old corrugated iron bach, now a studio, browsed the shops and generally had a very agreeable leisurely weekend.  Bowled across the road for a roast dinner on the Sunday night, went to the Waiheke historical museum, a collection of several old beaches and a couple of larger buildings, full of memorabilia of the kind familiar to those of my vintage and older too!  This was on the Monday which happened to be our wedding anniversary so had a celebratory lunch of seafood chowder at a nice fish restaurant overlooking Oneroa Beach.  Delayed the return home another day returning to the mainland Tuesday afternoon after spring cleaning the bach for some early Summer guests.