I'm over here now...juxtaposenz
16.6.10
7.5.10
Out on the street
I love Cuba Street. It like a compact version of Haight Street, San Franscico, South Street, Philadelphia, or Brunswick Street, Melbourne. I’ve been to all, and all remind me of home.
I love its eclectic collection of cafes, restaurants, op-shops, boutiques, art galleries, book stores and music shops, the fish market and fruit stores, and especially the bohemian characters that trawl between them. It’s grimy and busy, a little sleazy and naughty, colourful and black, old juxtaposed with the new.
A constant source inspiration.
Out on the Street by Space Waltz (1974)
6.5.10
30.4.10
On the mannequin
The other little project from the weekend.Some of you may be horrified that I pulled this poor dress apart and re-cut it, but honestly, it was in a sorry state when I picked up from The Costume Cave about 4 years ago when they had a massive sale of their collection. The lining and some sort of over skirt had been hacked off (bits of it remained), it had been dyed black (originally lemony yellow, judging by the stitching) and frankly, it was shapeless and ugly.
Doesn’t it look so much happier? And I received many compliments when I wore it.
I was going to make my own frogs closures, then saw the ones I’ve used in Wellington Sewing Services so decided to save myself the trouble.
26.4.10
Weekend project
Here it is. Imitation bone buttons from Wellington Sewing Services in Kilbirnie. In my opinion they have the best range of haberdashery in Wellington, and the ladies are lovely and helpful.Now all I need is for it to rain. Apart from the odd minute of drizzle here and there, it hasn’t rained in Wellington for more than 3 months. My yard is straw-coloured, with patches of bare earth, but I've had a bumper crop of tomatoes!
23.4.10
Shopping during a power outage
I received an invitation to a clothing sale at Dress for Success - the wonderful charity that gifts work-appropriate clothing to women on low incomes re-entering the workforce. They occasionally have an invite-only sale of the donated garments that aren’t really corporate enough - which usually means there’s some terrific vintage bargains to be found amongst the racks.Because of the power cut, I only had enough cash on me to buy one garment - this gorgeous green 70’s raincoat. I’m going to shorten it about 20cm to just below the knee, and use the off-cuts to make fake cuffs for the sleeves (they’re ridiculously short - about 5cm above my wrist). And find 4 matching buttons. Hopefully, a weekend project.
Oh, the top underneath is another project that should be finished this weekend - patience, my darlings. More about this to come...
21.4.10
Biography of my skin
When we bought our house, several luxuries got the chop, going to the theatre being one of them. Fortunately, I have friends working in the industry who occasionally flick me a free ticket.So last week I was given tickets to “Biography of my skin”.
Not being a fan of Miranda Harcourt (directly related to the “arch-manipulator” - Gemma - she play on the 80’s show “Gloss”) I was preparing not to like the show, but I loved it. Very touching, simply told, a fantastic performance (there were tears in my eyes at the end).
A terrific New Zealand tale, well worth seeing.
9.3.10
Summer reading
In summer I make up for my slackness during the rest of the year by having marathon reading sessions. I read in the garden, on the beach, in the park, on the sofa during the heat of the day, and late into the night if it’s a rippin’ good yarn.This year I started with the tome “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett. Set in the 12th century, Pillars tells the story of a stonemason and his family building a (fictitious) English cathederal, against a backdrop of politics, religion and war. Meticulously researched, extremely bloodthirsty in places (there were six pages of a bear-baiting scene I could not read), overall it gets a thumbs up.
Next, something completely different “Another Bullshit Night in SuckCity” by Nick Flynn. Reminds me why I love American literature. Semi-autobiographical, adult Nick builds a relationship with his homeless father.
SuckCity inspired me to re-read my copy of “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, picked up in a bookstore in San Francisco for a dollar. It’s exciting to think there may be more to come from Salinger, hidden away for all these years.
Finally, I returned to the 12th century with “Rubaiyat (Poetry) of Omar Khayyam”, a little suede-bound book I found amongst my grandmothers’ possessions, with a handwritten dedication inside the cover to “Little Jimmy” (my long-gone uncle, perhaps?)
1.3.10
18.2.10
12.2.10
8.2.10
Matiu/Somes Island
Matiu/Somes Island, viewed from Seatoun; vise versa; Wellington city viewed from Matiu/SomesWellington is finally enjoying summer, and the weekend in the city was buzzing with the Rugby Sevens (aka crazy costume party), One Love music festival, and final days of the excellent Yayoi Kusama exhibition all happening at once.
We packed a picnic and escaped the madness by taking a 15 minute ferry ride to Matiu/Somes Island in the middle of Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington harbour). Walking briskly, the island can be circumnavigated in about an hour; a leisurely stroll allows a deeper appreciation of the history, wildlife and views. No baby Tuatara sightings, unfortunately.
Top: Birdseye view, Middle (left to right): Kakariki disguised in the bush; Oystercatchers on the old wharf; Rare Little Blue Penguins in nesting box; Bottom: Sheep enjoying the shade in the heat of the day; Stingray at Queens Wharf.5.2.10
Freaky weather
Watched an unusual fog rolled in over Lyall Bay and the city yesterday evening, unusual because it didn’t cover us on the Miramar peninsula.Created quite a spectacular sunset an hour later.
A new flag for Aotearoa?
Tomorrow is Waitangi Day and once again there’s a debate raging about a new flag for New Zealand.I don’t feel as though I’ve seen a design yet that has leapt out and said “I’m the one”, and therefore am reluctant to support a change at this time. Of the options, Hundertwasser’s Koru design, although dated, is my favourite, and with a little modernizing could become acceptable to me.
Head over to nzflag.com to see the other designs.
4.2.10
Occupation and Resistance - Photos from Palestine
A family waits at the gate in the wall separating them from their agricultural land.I find it difficult to stay neutral on this issue when clearly there is a type of apartheid happening in Palestine. However, there are always two sides to every story.
Be quick - this exhibition is only on until Sunday.
1.2.10
The edible garden
After much discussion last year, SunnyJim suprised me one evening by arriving home with a kitset garden. After knocking it together in a matter of minutes, he then spent several weeks preparing the soil bed - layers of newspapers, seaweed collected from the beach, pea straw and compost. Once satisfied with the result, he packed me in the car and drove to the local garden centre where we spent a few enjoyable hours deciding what vegetables we would like to grow.We are now harvesting the fruits of his labour. I’m so proud of him!
26.1.10
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