Nelson the last week in May

At 6 am it was still dark and very wet - raining hard. I thought leaving Raumati at 7.00 to get to the airport at 8.30 was reasonably safe. Not so, the rain kept on and it seemed as though everyone had decided to take their car to work. We progressed the 55 kms to town at mostly 20 kilometres an hour. I arrived at the airport long-term parking yard at 8.55 - in pouring rain and unfamiliar with how the clicky thing works on my key set about locking the 3 car doors. The back one seemed dodgy but still hoping to catch the plane - leaving at 9.05 (ever the optimist), I dashed off - missed the plane. Caught the next one - at a cost.
Fran, my friend I spent the week with, stayed at Nelson Airport until it (the plane) arrived - she discovered her 'bonus' parking card doesn't work at the airport and got a ticket for $40. Already we are $100 and an hour and a half down. All was forgiven, by me at least, by the beautiful view  as I got off the plane. I stopped on the tarmac to take some shots.

We continued out to Fran's brother's house 31 kms from Nelson. Not the warmest day, first thing was to light the fire. The house has wonderful views of the Mt Arthur ranges and is surrounded by olive groves and apple orchards and the odd deer and a couple of bulls. But it wasn't presenting its best face this first day, although light snow on the tops was very pretty.But it was great to be staying in such a well appointed house - except that the showers weren't working above a piddle. The plumber arrived on Monday and fixed it the pressure and we both (Fran & I separately) washed thoroughly.
Fran took me all over Nelson. It is very picturesque.

Her partner kept us supplied with wonderful 'just out of the garden' vegetables - we ate well. We had fish'n chips at the Mahuna Pub - bit disappointing. Fish overcooked and scallops out of a packet.
On Monday we went to the WOW Museum. They had changed the exhibition only two weeks beforehand and there was Catherine's 'bunny' looking magnificent in his own special possie. Taking photos of the WOW entries is not allowed, but because I'm Catherine's mother the receptionist took some on my camera. Any resemblence between bunny and me here is purely coincedental. It is the best shot of bunny that she took however.

The museum also houses some wonderful old cars.

I always believed that these little 3 wheeled cars (actually 4 with back ones coupled)  were Fiats, but this is a BMW.




On Wednesday we went to the New York Metropolitan Opera. Armida by Rossini was showing. Apparently they film the performances and sell them all around the world to raise money for the Met. It was all very enjoyable - apart from the lack of icecreams. I bought a new purple cardigan in an up-market second hand shop, then we went for a walk in a cemetry with huge redwoods in it.
On Thursday we picked apples in glorious weather. Cleaned the house and packed to go home.

Fran, who has a horror of being late for anything, pronounced that we would be leaving for the airport at 3.30pm to catch my 5.05pm plane.We were there just after 4.00. The plane was 45 minutes late. Nelson Airport is particularly boring for an hour and a half - you can't even spend money on anything.
In Wellington the long term parking shuttle dropped me off at my little car - in a cold southerly also trying to rain. Little car was shivering and refused to go - flat battery. I'd missed something in the lock up 6 days earlier. A young AA man came (they're usually around 40 at least) and very cheerfully got it charged. He was most impressed with little car's style. It fortunately didn't stall all the way home. I had McDonalds for tea.

Busy little birds

For the past month the huge fig tree outside the office window has been full of birds - black birds, thrush, starlings, and seemingly armies of wax eyes. They have demolished nearly all the ripening figs. As the leaves are now falling their gorging is almost over.
Last week was completely taken over with picking up my new car, the previous two were moderately hectic while I researched what to buy on Trade Me and at Turners Car Action. My nephew went to bid on a bright orange Mazda Demio for me, but it was called in at $9,000 and he had set the limit there. I was a bit discouraged as it meant possibly another two to three weeks finding and deciding, and all my printing 'balls' are still in the air.
Well anyway, I became addicted and found myself constantly checking Trade Me second hand car listings, forgoing the European models which everyone delighted in telling me I couldn't afford to service. So I entered my criteria into the Suzuki tab. Up popped this little car. Its a little darling, I think, and met all the criteria. I did all the online checks available - it passed every one. I phoned the owner - I liked her. On the strength of all that I decided to buy it breaking two of my own rules - I did not get it AA checked, and because it lived in Hastings I didn't drive it! I can't bear to watch these Trade Me auctions so put an auto-bid on and went and watched TV. I bought it for the reserve.
Last Tuesday, I got up very early to catch the bus to Hastings. Picked up the car and drove it across to Wanganui so I could view Kate & Josh's little Maiha, stayed for dinner, and drove home. By the time I'd got through Foxton I was hurting, delightful but as it is the sports model it was a hard ride and I was getting tired  holding it on the road, and starting to ache.
The next morning I visited the tyre shop. They agreed with me that it was definitely on the too hard side, and discovered that its front tyres were a different guage to the back ones. They didn't think that was right so replaced them with matching ones. It is 100% better and allows me to relax and drive it. But its been sitting in the rain for the past five days while I get past a nasty, 'flu type head cold.
Leigh says she wants the Mazda. I'm pleased I've been feeling very guilty about abandoning such a good friend.

Progress I think

Busy and interesting time getting five projects ready to print - four heritage assessments and a history. All will finish up on the DOC website - three are already there. As well, the online booking flip cards booklet is all but - yea! I will put some covers up when they are printed.

At home when not working I have been making jellies - the plum and star anise is very yum but I only got a couple of little jars from 1 kg of plums. I always do jellies in small amounts and the plums didn't come down in price this year. The thing I discovered making both quince and the plum jelly is that it boils away and boils away and it isn't until the foam begins to disappear that it is ready to set. The flat orange thing is a quince cheese.

I've also been talking on the phone and more on the computer - sometimes using the video option which is quite fun. I find that Google Chrome produces the clearest picture.

I got a bargain on Trade Me with 200 more pavers at 25c each. Carting them home in the car was a bit nerve wracking particularly if I needed to pull up quickly. The car did very well I think, but now definitely needs its shock absorbers tightening up. Jack spent a couple of half days laying all the pavers around the back, and they look good even though they are all of different pedigrees - yet still the same size - and a bit uneven because of the uneven ground. I think he was disappointed with the result. The cheap pavers need an attack of '30 Seconds', and lot more sand swept in between to stop them from moving.

Circa: the journal of professional historians. PHA (Vic)

The shed gets an update

April has been really busy at work and at home. The most dramatic changes have been a garden spruce up from Mariann - much weeding, carpet and wet newspaper laying, and bark-nugget covering took place. Plus, the cutty-grass toi-toi was confined to  green waste at the dump - no more cut ankles as I walk past.
It looks very good, particularly when compared to photos of six months ago, the growth has been phenomenal. The great hope is that weeds will be minimal for a while.

And then Jack and Alice have painted the shed. I am really delighted - it just looks so smart and will now disperse Kapiti downpours with a lot more ease.

Time update

Been flitting around - Noumea, Christchurch, Melbourne. Working - journals and newsletters, historic assessments and brochure updates, not thinking to list them here. I will, and edit the other posts to make them more interesting, but not today.

When I fly I like to get a window seat and take out-the-window photos. This one is between Auckland and Wellington - I think just out of Auckland on the West Coast.

Una Chiesa al Mare: A history of the San Antonio Parish Eastbourne, New Zealand 1906 - 2006 by Jocelyn Kerslake

The coming of the Italians

There are many reasons why people leave their homelands and travel beyond their known territories. In centuries past there were few maps or charts, but men have always wanted to extend their horizons.Italian migration accelerated in the middle of the 19th century when there were disastrous crop failures which, socially and economically, inhibited the country’s development. But there were opportunities in the New World and great numbers of Italians travelled to and settled in, the United States.Those migrants and their fellow countrymen who came to New Zealand shores had one goal – the search for the “bella fortuna” – a better life for themselves and their families.The first Italians who sailed into Wellington harbour were mostly “passing through” and until the 1890s Italian settlement was spasmodic. Gradually those who sailed around Wellington’s bays, were enticed by their beauty and by the realisation that here, perhaps, they could continue to make their lives from the sea.Born in Stromboli in 1866, Bartolo Russo was the first Italian to settle in Eastbourne and largely through his influence the migration from that island to New Zealand began. He brought his family to Eastbourne in 1895 where he built a home for his wife, Italia, and their children. Conditions for Italia, as for all pioneers, were not easy. Although well provided with milk, fruit and vegetables, tap water was not available to her and she had a large family to care for.Other families soon followed, almost literally in the wake of the Russos. The two Della Barca brothers, Luigi and Antonio from Massalubrense sailed into Wellington harbour, saw “the bounty of the sea”, returned to Italy briefly, then having married, eventually settled in Eastbourne.

This book is beautifully enhanced with Lorette Eager 's drawings.