on a summer holiday

I've just returned to Wellington after a stunning summer holiday in the Coromandel. Gosh nothing beats a beautiful New Zealand summer! A good friend joined me for a few days and we had a mini tiki tour around Hahei beach and Cathedral Cove. Ahhhhhh!

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

the long straight road to geraldine

Last week we got out of town. We flew down to Christchurch to pick up our new old car from my brother. He feed us a home-cooked meal and gave us a warm bed to sleep in.  In the morning we drove on to Geraldine to visit James' brother. I loved the window views driving down, checking out the farm and hanging out with the massive cows, and a VERY yummy pizza. James loved the bunny hunt and driving the dirt bike. We did a lot of driving over the week so we are especially grateful that the car is ridiculously economical to run. I love the South Island. Everything about reminds me of camping trips. It's the sound of magpies, the way the light falls when the sun goes down, the smell of grass and saw dust and sheds. All that's missing is burnt toast and marmite.

yellow gorse flowers are beautiful in summer salads

a little beauty from a weekend away

inspiration. there are no words to describe this.

i flew to auckland on thursday afternoon to go to this. there were many wonderful moments. at the end of the first day everyone in the audience made a paper plane and sent them flying all at once.

i found the rustling of two thousand pieces of colour paper being folded so beautiful.

home for the weekend

i didn't go home for almost a year after the earthquake.

i guess i didn't want to see my city until i felt there was more hope. i think it's a bit like seeing someone you love really unwell, somehow it destroys your memory of them.... i didn't want to see christchurch because i didn't want my memories to change. 

what i loved about my time back home was that all the things i love most about christchurch are still there. and yes these things are different from how i remember, but somehow it's all still the same.

 the shipping crate shops on cashel street

some streets in the central city are still blocked off

i caught the ferry across from diamond harbour to lyttelton 

 i love you lyttelton coffee co.

this is the site where the building i once worked in stood.

there's a lot of love and hope in lyttelton. there are also heaps of cool people with great ideas.

so i can't wait to see it in a year from now.

by train, again

on friday james and i caught the ferry to picton, expored the picton aquarium, and in the afternoon we took the train down to kaikora. we spent a few wonderful days with my good friend, Mariann, and her family. while we where away we went diving for crayfish and paua, collected cockles for dinner, ate iceceam, learnt some excellect new card games and a lot of chips, played on slides and swings, fed the chickens, and ran around being monsters.

sleeping in the little blue caravan

He was part of my dream, of course - but then I was part of his dream, too.

from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

hello

i haven't forgotten about you. shall we make date on sunday afternoon? we can have tea and toast together.

away again

But where is "away"? Of course, "away" does not really exist. "Away" has gone away.

from Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart

away

"there is no away to throw things to."

in the evening

please come. and take me away with you.