Washed ashore

A first for Kiwicommunicator – reblogging. I thought this post on Travelling with Ana was fascinating – the art that is created from found objects. Wouldn’t it be a thrill to see a project like this go global? Click on Washed ashore to read more.

Reusing materials appeals to me. The Waikato Times Business Section had an article on a tyre company making rubber matting from tyres that can no longer be used on vehicles. The company has recovered its initial investment and is beginning to make a profit. Good news all around.

Sneakers and polka dots birthday cake

Last year, Aria’s Nana Chelle blew us away with the exquisite Teddy Bear’s Picnic birthday cake that she made for Aria’s first birthday. We knew we were in for another special surprise for Aria’s second birthday.

There were pretty “2” biscuits (or cookies, as they are called in the USA). Look at the delicate floral pattern on the numbers and the wee flowers.

The little marzipan sneakers on the cake were perfect.

The polka dot cake inside the icing (frosting) was clever. Ball-shaped pink cakes had been cooked in a special pan. These cakes were then placed in the white cake mixture and the cake was cooked. When sliced, the pink balls came out as polka dots. So clever.

The birthday girl knew just what to do with those candles!

Antiques Road Show expert Lars Tharp lectures in Hamilton

Waikato Decorative and Fine Arts Society members welcomed having the opportunity to meet with Lars Tharp from the Antiques Road Show.

 

Ceramics specialist Lars Tharp lectured a full house of Waikato Decorative and Fine Arts Society Members at Southwell School last week. Titled “Tales from the Antiques Roadshow: One thousand ways to say I’m sorry”, his lecture gave an up-close and personal view of some of the Antiques Roadshow celebrities. Around 16 of a team of 60 specialists are involved in any one show. The majority have been auctioneers and a couple are academics – though Lars pointed out that museum staff are expected to observe the protocol of not delivering valuations.

Antiques Roadshow visitors arrive with approximately 10 pieces each (often rattling around in a supermarket bag – we don’t break anything, but often the people bringing their objects do, said Lars). Around 3000 people queue to show their treasures to the experts, which means that the objects shown in an episode have been chosen from upwards of 25,000 items. Lars stressed that one of the critical factors driving the choice of an object for featuring on the show was the story behind it.

One story that made a big impression was that of a man who brought along two pots from Japan – quite simple, every day pots, with some unusual runs in the glaze. The man’s father had been sent ashore after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and souvenired the pots. Glaze melts at 1350 degrees. The runs in the glaze were brutal evidence of the temperatures reached that day at Hiroshima.

Another story was of a woman who brought along a teapot with an unusual glaze. The teapot had sat on top of the cupboard for many years in the house in which the woman was born. Lars suggested it might be worth £3000. The woman said that the value did not really matter, as she would never sell the item. “What if I told you £6000?” asked Lars. “Now you’re teasing me. But no, I will never sell the pot,” said the woman. Sometime later the teapot went to the auction, achieving £16,000. The woman used the money to put towards the purchase of the house in which she was born.”

Lars recommends that visitors to London spend some time at the Foundling Museum – the site of a building where mothers who could not afford to keep their babies left their little ones. They would attach a piece of fabric to their baby and take away a matching piece so that if their circumstances changed they could go and pick up their child. The people running the home would change the baby’s name, so that scrap of cloth was the only means of identifying their baby. It is a poignant history. Clearly, we need to put aside another day when we go to London to visit family.

Palmerston North’s Esplanade again

 

Chill stillness in Palmerston North is rare. The usual raging winds sting the eyes and are distracting. I took a quiet moment to savour the start of winter at the Esplanade.

Playing at Palmerston North’s Esplanade

Iggy’s granddaughter Aria is the only grandchild we have living in New Zealand. Yesterday, at Palmerston North’s Esplanade, we indulged ourselves, doing what grandparents do. Iggy lives by the philosophy that it’s never too late to have a  happy childhood, so he had as much fun as Aria. (We both did, actually.)

We walked through the autumn leaves. (Thank you for the image, Renee.)

Iggy, Aria and Johnny fed the ducks.

Lots of people had fed the ducks before we got there. The ducks weren’t hungry, but it seems that Iggy and Johnny were.

Iggy and Aria climbed up to a platform for a view of the water. (Another lovely photo, thank you, Renee.)

Aria loved going down the steep and slippery slide with her father …

…but she also showed us how much she loved swooshing down by herself.

 

 

 

 

 

Hot air balloons over Hamilton

Over recent weeks, hot air balloons have flown over our home in the north of Hamilton – lots of aerial activity, in preparation for our big balloon festival.

What excitement when we looked out our kitchen window yesterday morning and saw the Remax balloon landing in the park across the road from the houses behind us.

Like many of our neighbours, we dashed round the block to see the action at the park close to hand. Our family from the USA watched on as the crew packed down the balloon. In the distance, we could see about 11 more balloons coming our way. We hoped some of them would also land at the park.

I thought this balloon was the most likely contender to land nearby.

We watched it sail over neighbouring houses. Iggy ran home for the car and we followed the balloon down nearby streets.

We arrived too late for the landing. The hot air balloon had landed in a nearby subdivision.

The final word goes to three year-old Ana, who described the flame used to heat the air to give the balloon lift as “dragon’s breath”.

 

 

 

 

 

Bracu

An elegant villa, set in an olive grove 4.5km off SH1 at the Bombay Hills, Bracu was the restaurant of choice for my birthday lunch. Bracu appealed first of all because of the flawlessy elegant setting. We sat on the verandah on cane seats, enjoying our gentle surroundings.The subtle Bracu branding printed on the waiters’ aprons, on the paper napkin holders and on the classy menus set the tone.

I loved the quiet. Apparently music was off the menu because of sound system problems. Usually there is classical background music. We revelled in the silence of the summer day and the ease with which we could hear each other throughout our three and a half hour indulgence in Bracu’s delicate dishes.

On arrival we were served our glass of wine and warm crusty bread with delicious oil from the Sumonivich Estate – Bracu’s olive grove setting.

It took little persuasion from VJ and our waiter that we should all – Iggy, VJ, Mum and I – try the degustation menu. The waiters were impressive, able to explain the complex combination of elements on every little dish – combinations and contrasts of texture, taste and temperature, mostly served with delicate edible flowers from the Bracu gardens.

Three dishes of tiny canapes were first. Seafood surrounded by five impeccable corn kernels served in a teaspoon, macadamia and cheese on a tiny crouton, pate on a tiny circle of toast topped with a caramelised walnut. The pate was so smooth. VJ thought the next dish – tuna with papaya, cucumber and a quenelle of cucumber sorbet was her favourite dish.

Before deciding on the degustation menu, I had decided to try the market fish (gurnard on the day we visited) with clam, courgette flowers and a tiny tartlet, served on a puree with a dressing of foam. It was great that we could all try this dish as part of the larger menu.

Gnocchi with a light sauce, tiny tomato and poppy seeds (not little hard things like the supermarket packets, though!)

Succulent beef on a rich reduction with baby vegetables fresh from the Bracu garden.

The sorbet and berry pre-dessert, garnished with an edible viola flower.

 

VJ changed her mind about the ultimate dish of the meal when we were served a perfect mandarin souffle with mandarin sorbet, to complete the meal. The souffle was risen to twice the height of the dish, had a perfect golden crust, and the softest, smoothest most intensely flavoured centre. I would find it hard to name any one dish as a favourite. For me it was the whole experience, the tiny details, the sheer indulgence of spending a day tasting, sampling and the happy chatting.

All credit to Bracu’s stunning chefs and friendly, attentive waiters. This was a birthday to remember!

 

 

Moonlight at Ponui

A magical moment off Ponui Island – a balmy evening, the company of friends, soft music, fine food, a glass of Pinot Gris and the moon rising from behind the hills.

Christmas cards

Keeping in touch with friends around the globe is one of the delights of Christmas. The email pings up with a newsletters full of family developments and achievements, these days chock full of grandchildren photos (I plead guilty, myself, on this one). We know that the stories are abbreviated (best to fit on a single page) and sanitised (the dirty washing can wait). It is the contact that counts.

Best of all is the pile of cards in the letterbox. We look at the stamp, examine the handwriting as a clue to the sender’s identity, and devour the year’s news over a cup of coffee. Some years I find beautiful and original cards that I am proud to send to my friends around New Zealand and the rest of the world. This year, the selection did not excite me. On the other hand, we have enjoyed the interesting selection of cards that have been sent to us.

This print of a watercolour is of the home and estate owned by the card’s sender. We look forward to spending a couple of nights there next year – a contrast to our humble suburban home.

Sent to us by a friend who is currently involved in a difficult legal situation, this cynical card had us laughing. Okay, it’s not in the Christmas spirit, but we loved the expression on the girl’s face.

Dunedin artist Di Wales painted her fellow choir members – singers in the City Choir Dunedin – and had cards printed as part of a fundraising campaign. I recognised the sender of the card instantly – front row, second from the left. Such a happy, colourful card – you can almost hear the carols!

This card represents the reason for the season – a commercial card. I like the triptych format and the gentle water colour style.

Another fundraiser – a great idea to combine sending a card and charitable giving – this high quality card with its delightful Tristan Tan illustration is a fundraiser for Severn Hospice.

Friends who are Greenies now living in Sydney hand made this card, using a wonderfully Australian recycled image. I love their choice of image, the time and care that has gone into crafting a card so beautifully for me, and the respect for the environment.  I have a pile of collected images for card making in a box, and my friends’ example has spurred me on to consider making my own cards next Christmas

 

To all my faithful blog followers and visitors – it continues to give me a thrill that you drop in to share the pleasures and the treasures of the Waikato and beyond. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. Just before you sign off this page though – how about you tell us which is your favourite card and why.

Home made bread

Who could resist?

A friend gave me her recipe for bread that does not have to be kneaded. The yeasty mixture is put into an oven on low temperature until the loaf increases in size, then the temperature is ramped up high to get a golden crust.

This must be the best bread ever. With heaps of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, it is not necessarily much cheaper than an artisan bread from the supermarket. However, you can make it in the time you would take to drive to the shops, so it is good value. The recipe makes two loaves or a dozen muffin-sized rolls – moist and delectable.

In the interests of science, I tested one of the rolls before taking the photo for this blog! Sorry! I just couldn’t wait.