Pictures of my week

We have had several gorgeous days that have seen us enjoying coastal views and a picnic, coffee in the city, wondering at sea swimmers when it is April already, walking around our hills, and just enjoying being in our place.

A trip to the west coast just north of Wellington for a picnic lunch:

The view from my walk around my neighbourhood yesterday:

The inner bay this morning:

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A productive afternoon

I have an ottoman. We bought it years ago, very cheaply, and it has been the perfect size and shape for our living room furniture. But sun and age battered the cover, which cracked, split and tore over the last year. I was unwilling to spend hundreds of dollars to buy a replacement. So, in a fit of ambition, I trotted off to the fabric store, and found some upholstery fabric I thought might be fun. I bought some extra padding too, and after several weeks delay, finally began putting it together.

Precision was required for a smooth fit, so I had to pay attention to measurements, ensure the circle for the top was indeed circular, and meticulously match the patterns together – my fabric wasn’t wide enough to go around the ottoman base in one length (width?). As I did that last part on the floor, it took a toll on my knees and back, and I needed a break. But by yesterday, I knew I had to get it finished.

It was a gorgeous day. I fully intended going on a walk, but was more determined to finish the project first. I opened the window, listened to the tui serenading me all afternoon, turned on Stephen Fry’s seemingly endless (but also endlessly amusing) audiobook of Mythos, and set to work. Pinning, tacking, then finally sewing the various seams took time, measuring each time, checking and checking again that it will fit without wrinkles and lumps and twists. I even had to figure out how to do buttonholes again – my sewing machine, bought at university back in the 1980s, seems to have lost its buttonhole programming, but otherwise works well – so when I reattached the feet on the bottom they wouldn’t tear the fabric. But I got it done. And it fits. The satisfaction of a good afternoon’s work.

My tuneful tui visitor

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Some Recent Delights

It’s “Naked Lady” season. My husband loves them. Before you’re too shocked, they are flowers (Amaryllis belladonna), native to South Africa, but they love the environment here in New Zealand too. We don’t have any planted on our property, but fortunately a lot of other people do. So I’ve seen them everywhere lately, and they always make me smile.

We had several days of no wind, which meant I could go on long walks. (I don’t like walking in the wind – my eyes stream, even when wearing glasses, so exercise inside instead.) It was lovely being out and about in my neighbourhood. I have missed it! And I’m glad I got out before autumn really hits, even though some of the leaves on the trees are just starting to yellow.

Dinner with an old friend at a new (for me) wine bar/restaurant. She introduced me to an Asian fusion restaurant late last year near her house, and I’ve since taken The Husband there and we love it. This is a sister restaurant with a Mediterranean theme, equally as good. Of course, the conversation was as good as the food. And now I have someone new to take The Husband too.

The next morning, a coffee with a friend, chatting about our shared love of travel, followed by a sandwich on the seashore because the day was just gorgeous, and I didn’t want to come home! The sky was clear, the sea blue and calm, the weather gorgeous.

I was given a book voucher last year, and had to go into town to a particular store to spend it. That’s fine – this is the best bookstore in the whole region! I used to buy books there when our bookclub started, before we resorted to e-books. And after cleaning out a number of old handbags last year, I discovered I had about five or six loyalty cards with multiple stamps for previous purchases, meaning that I had some free books coming to me! I took them up to the counter, asking if they were still valid, knowing very well that they were at least 13 years old! (That’s how long I’ve been reading e-books.) “No problem,” they said, cheerily. “Don’t be embarrassed. We always honour them. And the most that someone has brought in was 42!” They consolidated , I walked out with two new books, knowing I have more free books to come. Such a delight.

I have a plan for a gift. There are multiple birthdays in my family/friends group coming up. My plan for one of them is causing me to smile. I can’t say anything more, but will report back.

Last but not least, yesterday I ventured over the hill to the Wairarapa, because as I implied above, I’ve been enjoying getting out of the house and the city. The point of the trip was to see a good friend. A yummy lunch and some delicious treats picked up at a French bakery before I left were the perfect backdrop to a good catch up. I listened to Stephen Fry’s Mythos on the way there and back, frequently laughing out loud – not the reaction I had expected when listening to Greek mythology. And although parts of the drive are a bit scary for this flat-lander (okay, Wellington is set amongst steep hills, but this mountain pass is another matter), I found myself actually appreciating the very active driving that is needed to safely navigate this road. Driving over the Remutaka Hill Pass road can never be passive. It always requires keen concentration, and deliberate, conscious attention and actions, taking the curves proactively rather than just following them around. Yesterday, the gusts of wind at the north-facing corners reminded me of the attention needed to ensure I didn’t hurtle off a bend and plummet to my death hundreds of metres below. Danger doesn’t usually delight me. But yesterday the trip made me feel alive.

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Staycation? Why not!

I’ve always thought a staycation was an odd idea. After all, don’t people make the most of their local amenities just in the midst of normal life? Thinking back to my childhood, there were no local amenities. No safe swimming beaches, no real mountains within several hours drive, lakes where my father liked to fish were also a few hours away. Anything interesting required a long trip. But to get a few hours off the farm, where my parents spent almost every hour of almost every day, they would take us on a drive. We’d grab some books to read in case we got bored (being bored was the worst thing ever, and we were never allowed to complain!), my mother would pack an afternoon tea, and off we’d go into the countryside, to areas that our daily lives never took us. My mother liked to look at houses, especially new ones, and would design her new house (which she finally got when I was 17) in her head … and out loud. My father would farm all the other farmer’s fields – in his head and out loud. We’d pick a side road and pull in for afternoon tea on the verge. A blanket would cover the grasses and weeds, hot tea would emerge from the thermos flask, biscuits and cakes had been packed in a tin, and we’d enjoy our outdoor adventure somewhere different. Well, my parents and I enjoyed it. My older sister hated the drives, but I’m not sure how my younger sister feels about them. I must ask her.

These days, my husband and I like driving too. His parents never did it, but when we took them out they loved it! I love a road trip, but even a short drive around our city or region, to places we don’t normally go, is like a mini-break away. A mini-staycation perhaps? I like driving around all or any of the bays and coastlines of our city. The weather is always different, and therefore the views and atmosphere is different. This year though, because of incessant wind, we have tended to stay indoors. Apart from a couple of times in January, there have been few opportunities to get out of our car and wander along a different shore, to eat an ice-cream (without getting sand blown into it). And so our excursions have been limited.

Last week though, we ventured into the city. Usually we drive, but parking is disappearing in our CBD, and so we took the bus. That’s exactly what the Council wants us to do, but it’s a bit frustrating when we’re only 10 minutes by car! There were several exhibitions we wanted to see. My husband wanted to visit the Patagonian dinosaur exhibition that I’d seen at Christmas with my sister, nieces, and dinosaur-obsessed great-nephew, and I wanted to visit an art installation on the waterfront, and then a photography exhibition in one of the more interesting parts of town. We took our time, relaxed with a coffee by the lagoon, then went our separate ways, meeting up much later for lunch somewhere new, a visit to a book shop, and a stroll down the street looking at shops I had no interest in visiting, before another bus trip home. I admit I felt a little like a tourist in my own city.

It wasn’t exactly a mini-staycation, but it felt like one, simply because we hardly ever do this anymore. And we thoroughly enjoyed it. Usually, when I go into the city, I go for a reason, such as medical appointments, or shopping expeditions. I know exactly where I want to go, and visit specific shops – a gourmet food shop, or particular dress or shoe shops, hair salon, etc – or we choose a coastal restaurant for lunch, or we head out to other suburbs, where the parking is easy. Later we might drive in for drinks and dinner with friends. But I rarely go into the CBD these days. I spent enough time there when I was full-time employed, when I knew it all off by heart! I guess I can see the appeal of a staycation now. Maybe we’ll do it again soon. There are one or two more exhibitions I want to see, we could have a fancy afternoon tea somewhere or stay in for drinks and dinner, and it has been a while since we saw a play. Maybe we should even book a hotel room? Hmm. Staycations might be a good idea after all. One thing for certain is that next time, we won’t leave it so long.

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Missing out, but I’m okay with it

On Friday I decided to head out with a new phone to test its camera capabilities. I love my camera, and the quality of photos it gives me. But it is bulky to carry around, and camera phones are more and more capable. I decided to go to the south coast, because I’d get both long distance and close up opportunities to photograph. It was a bit gloomy, I couldn’t even see the South Island mountains about 70 kms (40 miles) away. There were spots of rain, but I wasn’t bothered, because the phone is supposed to be able to handle that. And later the sun came out, which highlighted the white tips of the waves. I wasn’t even too cold, but after an hour or so at a few different locations, my fingertips started to go numb, and I needed to call it a day.

It was a good reminder of the beauty that is so close to me, appreciating the tiny flowers on the stony shore, the birds, the waves, and the landscapes and seascapes.

On my drive home, I remembered that, should cloud clear, that night would be an ideal time to photograph the Aurora Australis, as it was all over the world. I decided I’d done enough at the south coast (the best place to see the aurora), and didn’t want to have to drive all the way back only to find it cloudy, and woke on Saturday morning to find that there had been the most amazing display, that it was visible to the naked eye, and my social media feed was full of wonderful aurora photographs. Oh well. Maybe next time!

These are some of my non-aurora daytime snaps from my phone:

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