Scarlet runners to be exact. You can never buy them, you have to know a good gardener or grow them yourself. In the olden days you could plant the and they would come up every year giving a bigger and bigger crop and you would not need to put in new plants for at least 5 years, now they last just the one crop and some times it’s not much of a crop. I planted them early and they leafed out and grew pretty fast, not much blossom and I have been checking regularly for beans as they take a up a big section of garden. I finally spotted some potential beans – only two clumps but I will watch them carefully. My gardening friends have been getting beans for weeks so I decided to dive in underneath and see if I have been missing something. One giant bean, that’s it. I am making it my mission to find some old heritage beans, this is my 4th year of trying to grow Scarlett runners and each time it’s been a disappointment. I have tried the packet of seeds, the seedlings from different locations, I am determined …. Watch for next years crop.
I have looked at Otanewainuku so many times and wondered what the view would be like looking back to Rotorua. It’s a native bush reserve, home to kiwi and Kokako. Head north and turn off the main road about 20 min out of Tauranga, then wind your way down a long gravel road to the scenic reserve. The mountain trail offered a 45 min walk up and 45 back, the anticlockwise route was shorter which meant steeper and it was, clambering up steps cut in the mud and tree root stairs, thank goodness for the shade. Earlier showers had dampened the track and if you stopped you could hear the light crackle of rain falling through the canopy. The first thing you notice are the huge huge trees and the supple jack vines. The north island bush robin would hop out on the track and happily dig in the leaf litter just a few meters away. Tui’s flitted in and out and you could hear the Kereru diving into the pigeon wood for the fat orange berries.
Me and treeView from the top, Rotorua carefully hidden by trees.
Travelling back via Te Puke just had to stop and pick Boysenberries. I love boysenberries and I confess I ate as many as I collected. There is nothing that says summer more than sun warmed ripe berries mmmm mmm mmm, to say nothing of juice stained fingers and clothes. Am I the only one who can’t eat berries without wearing some of them? A stop in Te Puke to wash off the evidence showed off some awesome street art.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, hope everyone is spending Christmas with the people that have a special place in your heart. I am planning a quiet Christmas with a couple of Barney’s young friends (96 and 93) over for Christmas dinner. We will eat nice and early so as not to interrupt nap time which starts at 2. My jersey bennys ( new potato’s for the Americans 😎) got blight and I was a bit worried when suddenly the plants just died, luckily the spuds themselves are fine and I have been enjoying them with green beans and courgettes from the garden. Christmas menu – pepper hot smoked salmon on sourdough with cream cheese and lemon for appetiser – filet steak marinated in smoked garlic, red wine jus, roast lamb and mint sauce, new potatoes in butter, steamed green beans and garden salad. Rhubarb croissant bread pudding with ice cream for dessert. Just trying to decide if I will make some crime brûlée as well. All my favourite things and leftover delight for the rest of the week. I love cooking and it’s so much more fun when you have an appreciative audience. Fingers crossed we have a nice sunny day. Fortunately ribs have healed and its time to get active again.
Pohutakawa in bloom on the lake just in time for Christmas
After all the torrential rain the gardens are starting to get some colour back. Visited my friend June, she has a small but delightful garden that has been keeping her active. She is on a mission to get me to drink tea, I might even succumb one day as she makes the best biscuits and scones and always has some just baked ready to tempt me to stay and chat.
I had a wander along the new waterfront to see how they have spent the 70 plus million they got from the growth fund. I discovered where they have put the old steamboat that used to live on the lake . Not enough tourists to keep it going, but before you feel sad, when there was, it was making a mint and has not been updated or had any money spent on it since the 70s. Those who have been out on it said it was an expensive blast from the past with weak tea and crap food. I know many in the tourist business who are struggling but at the same time there are some attractions that have needed a makeover and investment for years but were making too much money to stop and do it. I would like to think that someone may reimagine the old boat in some way but with it’s coal puffing pollution it’s going to need to be a pretty major makeover.
They tell me it will be up to six weeks for my ribs to heal and I have been taking it easy and spending lots of time reading and relaxing. Definitely a plus although my garden is growing weeds over the acceptable height while I am not being vigilant. Rolling on my side and taking painkillers definitely a minus. Outside my window my lilies have bloomed with so many buds ready to explode into colour it’s going to be riot. How does it get better than that!
Not much sleep after Friday’s celebration went really late by the time we finished the clean up, so Saturday was full on getting everyone ready and everything set up. My last job before the wedding was to stop and get ice for the wine and beer. I stopped at Lincoln New World, already in my full outfit feeling a wee bit conspicuous. Only one bag of ice left in the bottom of the freezer and on tiptoes I leaned in and stretched to get it, the freezer cover suddenly closed on my side. Hurt like the beejeezus but I got someone to help me get the ice and headed off. Sore but not too bad over the evening but WOW couldn’t lie down that night, got strangely worse and worse over next couple of days and I finally went to doc and found out I had fractured 2 ribs.
Another night of amazing outfits and ceremonies, two families getting to know each other and each other’s culture. Everyone was genuine and friendly and I felt welcomed and comfortable (except for those blasted ribs) the food both nights was cooked by the men, not sure about the goat curry or how chow mein got on the menu but it was good. As the night wore on the Kava came out and everyone relaxed more and more. Three days of full on wedding celebrations with all the setup and take down, outfits and traditional, spectacular and totally exhausting.
Sadly Covid meant that Joe and Shyna were restricted to 100 people at each ceremony and this was down from the 250 originally planned. I didn’t know quite what to expect, I had been to a muslim wedding before and the day before all the women got together and drew henna on the bride and on each other, so yes – another bad assumption – I thought this would be informal and all about the henna. No – the women were dressed in incredible outfits and the bride had the henna done earlier as it took over 7 hours. The brides family are Fijian Indian and part of the entertainment was a wonderful Fijian dance troupe, full of energy and smiles and everyone was ready to dance all night. The cleric allowed us to have wine and beer so there was nothing holding us back. The evening started early and we watched a glorious sunset then out on the football field to watch the lunar eclipse, what a memorable day on all counts.
So I needed an outfit for Joe and Shyna’s wedding (I am Joes honorary auntie) and as it was an Indian wedding I wanted to wear something respectful and appropriate and when do I ever get to wear something colourful and sparkly :D. Time, couriers, cost and dithering meant that I didn’t have time to have something made, but they offered the option of buying an outfit “unfinished” Now how hard could that be to just sew up the pieces, obviously unfinished meant at least it had been started. (not, as it turned out, a good assumption) I arrive Monday in Christchurch and the wedding was Friday and Saturday so I had a whole 3 and a bit days, plenty… I thought.(definitely not a good assumption) The package had been sent straight to Christchurch to make sure it arrived and there it was waiting for me at my mum’s place. She had opened it and quickly closed it again, everything was there but nothing was cut out and there was no pattern or any sort or a guide, just long pieces of material. First hurdle, find some sort of pattern, buy thread and start to hope this is not as hard as its beginning to look. Mum is a very good seamstress and I knew she would help me figure out what to do. (Not as it turned out a good assumption) After the first evenings discussion I realised that Mums short term memory is fleeting compared to my last visit, the same questions were asked and answered repeatedly, I was going to have to try and do this myself. Day one, I found what I thought would work as a pattern for one of the pieces and I got started. It didnt work, undo everything and try again, nope, try one of the other pieces with a different material, nope, undo everything, start again. Day 2, go shopping to an Indian store and try and find an alternative outfit, OMG how much! and it will take a week to be finished! back to spotlight and I found material glue. YAY!! The beautifully embroidered fabric was sheer, stretchy and unravelling as fast as I cut it. But I found some ribbon and with the help of plenty of glue I got the Duppatta (shawl)finished. Now just the Kameez and the camisole and the pants, no worries. Day 3 almost done on the Kameez, fast trip to Northlands and found a ready made camisole. Phew now to finish the Kameez. Ok we are missing pants/skirt but will have to worry about that saturday morning as fridays function is already starting
Saturday morning mad dash to Save Mart and skirt three sizes too small, safety pins and a prayer and its done.
It was a challenge and there were many times I thought I would never get it done, but it was also the longest time in many years I have spent working together with my mother on a project and we had fun. She loved the fabric and embroidery and although many things were repeated she gave me great advice and we laughed the whole time, at every catastrophe, at my crazy assumptions, at life, at getting old, at just about everything. I will absolutely treasure the whole experience.
Once a year 35 odd gardeners open their gardens to let strangers tramp through and this year it started fine and ended in a deluge, still the gardens were spectacular, passionate masterpieces by generous gardeners willing to share their knowledge and their seedlings. The rain curtailed most photos and it really is hard to really capture the magic – I spent 8 hours a day for two days trying to get around them all and still missed at least 10. All very different and all an absolute delight.
A week away, back to the same place at the mount, with the same spring weather bouncing from thunder storms, rain, lightening to brilliant sun and unrelenting wind. Along with lots of downloaded books and two puzzles and a determination to not cook at all except toast. I succeeded in finishing the puzzles, reading all the books and making scrambled eggs for the toast. Pretty high achieving week really… oh and lots of walking with way too much of it vertical. But as you have seen before my passion at the Mount is trying to,capture the sunsets.
Face full of seagulls
Looking back at the mount from One of the vertical walks
Last night with the storm just moving away and rain still softening the sky
In the middle of town there is a park that surrounds a large area of thermal activity. Huge old trees and winding trails through the thermal pools and steam vents, in places it’s like an English garden then around the corner it’s a wilderness.
The Traveling Kiwi 