Busy weekend

 Sunday week ago I did a Encaustic art workshop at Midland.  The workshop was held in the gallery of this beautiful old building.  Upstairs all the rooms are let out to artists as studio's.  You can see why I loved the building.  All chipped paint and this beautiful staircase in a lovely shade of blue, I had to take photo's in the lunch break.  the stairs where a bit difficult to photograph as it had short run of steps then turned.  Wanted to capture the colours and textures.

 this was out the back

 Oh, this was the encaustic art pieces I made, encaustic is made up of layers of coloured wax, was quite fun.

I finished them off at home, embedding heavier objects into the wax.

 On the Saturday, I spent the day with Phil at the fair in Claremont.  And like I just needed MORE old books to pack for Donnybrook, I bought these lovely old books drawn by the texture and colours. 5 for $15, rarely see any like this here and they usually want a fortune for them.  I think the language in them is Dutch but are they not beautiful.  You know my passion for old books, I have already used some pages in the encaustic art the next day, just a couple as I don't want to ruin the shape of the books.

breakfast

Auckland Botonical Gardens

The last day in New Zealand we met up with John's neice, Sharron, and she took us to the Botanical Gardens, knowing that I loved gardens.  These gardens are stunning, very well thought out.  I love this fig tree espaliered against the brick wall, certainly looks healthy

 This water feature reminded me of the koro, I bought one for Raymon in Tairua, lovely shape.

 this sculpture is fascinating, its all shovels, neat aye.

 Loved the cottage gardens, so much inspiration for me.

 stunning rose, can almost smell it

 a lovely vista for the eye to travel

 my favourite rose is these single roses, don't know what its called but it is impressive with its apricot centre

 doesnt it look great mixed with these purple fowers

 and this one looks like porcelain, love the colour and the show of stamens

 and then there was these cool cacti gardens set off amongst the rocks and boulders.  We had lunch there and then it was off to the airport

farewell New Zealand until we meet again

Howchow Reunion

 Not all these photo's where taken by me, most times by Peter, but it was my camera and therefore my photo's.  This was a photo I liked mainly because of the people in it.

 I wanted a photo with dear Auntie Sonja who seemed somewhat puzzled by all the going ons.  I know Auntie Val is our matriarch but unfortunately she couldn't be there.  There where so many missing who should have been there, mum, auntie Joan, Uncle George, Dennis and Bud it would have meant so much to all of them.  But their photo's where all there, I am sure they where with us in  spirit.  It is a pity this wasn't done 30 or even 40 years ago.  (Mum would have been 97 last week)  She would have been so proud to see all her family there.

 Sadly only one of Mums granddaughters was able to make it, but I was so pleased Donna was there and felt she belonged mixing and meeting her extended family.

 And Great Grandpa all your great grandchildren all gathered together in one large group, all from your son Eng Quorth and daughters Gone Kew, Jeanette, Annie and Alice.

 It was a surreal feeling standing here in front of the house our great Grandfather and our Grandfather lived in over a 100 years ago.  Was so great to stand here with my three sisters, so many of others didn't have all their family there.

 We have never stood all together around Nana and Grandpa's gravesite, wonderful to have this photo.

And the most important for Raymond our brother to have all his sisters gathered around him, I am sure he felt we where there, it was very emotional and I am so grateful to your Sharon, first for taking the time and effort to track down his burial site (I am sad to say in all the years that I lived in Gisborne I had never made that effort) in my teen years when I felt the responsibility of being the eldest I wished that Raymond had lived to be my big brother, it is lonely being the eldest, always the first to do things, how different things would have been if he had lived.  I am also so grateful Sharon that you gave him a headstone we should all have shared the cost.  I found it a very emotional day and in fact a very emotional whole weekend, so much love, hugs and kisses.  I really miss that enveloping family feeling.

Last days in Gisborne

 Poihirari Maori pa and meeting house, I was disappointed on trying to photograph this iconic New Zealand piece of history, it was not as I remembered and seemed to be dwarfed by the arched gateway that I don't recall being there when i lived here 30 years ago, was hard to capture the history and the importance of this site

 I captured this beautiful sunset on the last day before my sisters left on their various ways.  In memory of fish and chip meals that we had with our parents as young children spent here before heading home to the country had a lot of meaning to me but left me sad that everyone was leaving again

beautiful street scene in suburban Gisborne

Beautiful homes in Gisborne

John stopped for me so I could capture the beautiful natural bush in the Waioeka Gorge

View of the mighty Waikato river next to the motel we spent the night of John's birthday on our way back to Auckland

We sat by the river and watched rowing teams taking these long row boats out on the river, was a lovely peaceful sight

Gisborne my home town

 I love this photo of four sisters having fun and enjoying being with each other, actually what exactly where you doing sharon, I can see mischief written all over your face behind me, hmmm!!!!

 Waikanae beach where the river meets the Pacific Ocean, many memories of summer days spent here with family

 moss covered rocks make a nice photo

 Donna mimicking Young Nick pointing to Young Nicks Head, Nick was the cabin boy on the Endeavour with Captain Cook

 lovely little white church nestled into the side of the hill on the way up Kaiti Hill, a popular spot for young lovers, yeah I went up there when I was young as I bet you all did at some time or other

 At the top of Kaiti hill you get the most amazing view of my home town, the ever patient Peter took this photo as he did the other one of the four sisters.  Peter was so patient taking photo's of us with our camera's, often he had four camera's at once and still taking great photo's.  Thank you Peter so much.

This was a favourite photo that I took of Gisborne through the New Zealand flax flowers

beautiful, lush New Zealand

 I was so enraptured with New Zealands stunning landscapes.  Once we got away from the cities it was like traveling through England, everywhere it was as if someone had landscaped the countryside, I was in awe.  I know we struck spring the most beautiful time of the year, but we saw spectacular rhododendrons everywhere, I tried to capture with my photo's the beauty but also what I think of as the best of New Zealand, the gardens, the bush and the spectacular coastlines.

I fell in love with these beautiful sculptural trees that where just coming into the softest pale green leaves, I had to ask someone if they knew what they where, she thought they where weeping ash.  This specimen was one of about six or more and by the size of them I would say they where quite old, loved the way the branches reached out then entwined and twisted into an amazing sculpture.

 Looking down to the ocean as we came over the hill to Ohope beach, love the shape and form of the beautiful natural bush, so dense when looked down from above, it would be an adventure walking through it and imagining a moa or kiwi roaming looking for food.

 Long stretches of flat beaches between Whakatane and Opotiki, to early for the Pohutakawa's to be in bloom though.  In the distance is white Island.

 Waioeka Gorge, imagining all our descendants travelling this same route, always perilous, signs of large landslide last year.  I can recall getting out and walking while the car was driven through a landslide to afraid to be in the car.  Beautiful on this lovely sunny day but on a dark wintery day it can be threatening.

 I was so envious when I saw this fence smothered in pink and white clematis, oh that I could grow it like that, I wonder if it would do well in Donnybrook, will give it a go.