Another Labour Weekend

It's that time of year again. Typically we have had a range of weather over the last few days. Sam and Jenny flew back on Saturday. There was a southerly front moving up the country and Jenny had another rough ride from Dunedin. The bad weather hit in the evening just in time for the final of the NPC in which Wellington played Canterbury. We came second.

Yesterday was pretty miserable in the morning but the weather improved through the afternoon and it was surprisingly warm watching the Phoenix take on Queensland. We came second again.

Today has been a wonderful late spring day. Sam and I walked down to New World in Thorndon to stock up on essentials for tea. He has a habit of "borrowing" my old clothes which he thinks might be coming back into fashion. This time he has acquired a leather jacket Noreen bought in Spain about 20 years ago. He has taken out the shoulder pads and it fits him surprisingly well.

We came back via Hill Street, overlooking the Beehive and harbour

and through the Gardens on a path he used to love as a little fellow. It goes over the Troll Bridge (Who's that trip-trapping over MY bridge?) and the stepping stones across the stream which have fresh water cray which are practically invisible in daylight but can be seen at night with a torch.

Art in Action

Yesterday we walked down to an Art Exhibition. It was jolly good with a wide variety of art types.
The event was held in Philosophy House which started life 100 years ago as a Salvation Army training establishment. It is now deeply philosophical and even has a philosophical cat (a Devon Rex I am reliably informed).
Philosophy House is on Aro Street, in the Aro Valley. It was originally a working class neighbourhood and has many old cottages
and interesting side streets.
Of course we had to stop for afternoon tea - this is the second in fact as we had the first at the exhibition.

On the way home we came up Devon Street, one of Wellington's narrowest, steepest and least straight thoroughfares. There was a big slip here a couple of months ago and the house is still unoccupied.
In the evening we had the first bbq of the season. Of course it rained. But not much.

Jane likes chocolate!
To prove we don't spend all our time eating, I've been busy in the garden this weekend. Here is a small retaining wall I put up to help the five finger and ferns get established.

A beautiful weekend

Jenny flew out early on Tuesday into the teeth of a stiff northerly. It was not a smooth flight and she was glad to get back to Dunedin. In some ways she was lucky because no planes could land before midday so there was quite a lot of cancelled flights and delays.

Since then the weather has steadily improved and the weekend has been glorious; still, warm, cloudless sunny days. I have been up on the bank caring for my mahoe forest and this afternoon we went for a quick walk around the Karori Sanctuary. Here is the boat plying its way across the lower lake.
There were many birds about with more song evident than I remember from before. This kaka was having a great time at one of the feeding stations.
Here I am on top of the lookout tower
overlooking the upper dam (emptied as it was deemed an earthquake risk).
Lower down we came across mother duck and her three ducklings. Earlier in the week Elwin and Bryony were up from Christchurch. We went out to a Turkish restaurant in Petone with Bryony's friend Tara. In case you're worried they are drinking apple juice and the bottles were put there for effect.
On Saturday we went to see Rain of the Children. It is written and directed by Vincent Ward. The film investigates the life of Puhi who the subject of his first film "In Spring One Plants Alone". That was a documentary of two years Ward spent living with Puhi and her son Niki in the Ureweras. The Tuhoe people occupy an area in the centre of the North Island. They did not sign the Treaty of Waitangi and have a proud history of independence. Puhi was the daughter-in-law of the Maori prophet Rua and lived in his settlement on Maungapohatu. It’s not always an easy film to watch but very thought provoking and some wonderful evocations of Tuhoe country and people. There is a trailer for the film here. Highly recommended if it comes to a cinema near you.

A grey day in Wellington

I thought I might have used this title before. No – there is A chilly day in Wellington and A grey day at Makara - but not this combination!

The weather has been slowly improving but yesterday was very windy and today damp, drizzly and grey.

Jenny came home for the Wearable Arts Show and we went on Thursday with her friend Rachel.
Today we went down for a late lunch at the Herd Street Brasserie off Waitangi Park
then had our photos taken in front of the fountain on Oriental Parade.