The Face..The Icon of the Soul

When I sit at my table alone I always greet Bernie.
Well Bernie, I say. What do you think of that?
Without words she always says ..let's have another cup of tea!
Bernie is the art work of Bernie Kirkham a local journalist/artist.

While sitting with a cup of coffee this morning
reading the NZ House and Garden magazine, just arrived,
and gazing at Bernie, it struck me how many faces I have around my home.
I decided I will post pics of these faces to share.
I'd love to hear what you think of "my faces".

A Golden Oldie Taste of Aotearoa.. Poi E..used in the movie BOY

The Mountains in my Life..

I lived thirty years at the foot of beautiful Mt Pirongia.
Now from my new house, in the winter while the trees are bare,
I am glad to see Te Aroha in the distance.
The sun rises from behind these hills.

Pirongia, Te Aroha, Taupiri, Kakapuku, Karioi, Maungatautari, The Kaimai hills..

guardians of the Waikato basin.
While pondering these thoughts this afternoon
the clouds came down and hid Te Aroha from my view.

Do not take me for granted
the Mountain of Love seemed to say.
I was once a fiery volcano, my history is long and old.
Come drink my crystal clear waters
and heal your weary soul..

Happy Sunday with Victoria-Sofia..my little neighbour.

A wee poem for a Sunday Afternoon...

We put on our make believes
The Princess and me
and looked for some frogs
to kiss before afternoon tea..
we tried frogs in the picture books
and frogs made of glass
but the kisses were empty
and nought came to pass

so we took out our playing cards
and she made up the rules
on each of her ears she wore
sticky backed jewels
and we laughed in the sunshine
The Princess and me
until it was time to go home for her tea

A Doodley Collage..

since I gave up thinking
I now have time to notice
clouds
dreams
poems

wisdom

Winter morning Doodle..

this quiet time of reflection
long nights
snuggly warmth

I can see you Te Aroha ..far mountain of love
through bare winter trees
that in summer hide you from my view

I see the rising sun
blood red in the east
painting long shadows on my wall

how glad I am to be here
aware
on this winter morning

may the darkness of winter rest our souls
may the gentle warmth of winter sun tend our hearts
may the sharing of warm food bring us togetherness
may the stripping bare of old thoughts ready us for rebirth
when spring comes...

Daily Doodle with Collage

Small treasures...

a wooden fish and a golden pear
a Midas touch
an ancient metaphor

The Developmental Process Continues!

A year or two ago I wore glasses for driving and reading.
I was told I had one short sighted eye and one long sighted eye.
I thought that sounded a bit bizzare! Witch like maybe?
My eyes have changed.
I now can see wonderfully in the distance so I can drive without glasses.
However, I'm as blind as a bat up close.
I now own reading glasses.. a purple pair for working at the computer,
and a red pair for reading books.
I own a brown pair and a black pair too but I've misplaced them somewhere.
I also have a new pair of sunnies with a reading bit at the bottom.

I quite like my new glasses. They did not cost too much.

The problem will be having them with me when I need them!
Any hints?
I'm off to Laughing yoga,

The All Blacks and the Dunedin Knitters!! Thanks to Jill!

These are a Few of my Favourite Things...

just a doodle on a winter's day..the wheels on the bus!

the day is shining
a dancing skip in my feet
camellia pink

A Bus Ride Around Town..

The Orbiter buses travel around our city in a wide circuit
and for me .. now a senior citizen, the bus is free,
but I don't use the service very often.
It was another lovely day so off I went adventuring on the Orbiter.

A group of senior walkers hopped on and a lovely lady sat by me and chatted.
We discovered we had both been teachers and had lived on farms ..wife and mother.
She told me about the retirement village they lived in. It sounded like a good place.

Behind me sat a happy group of Kohanga Reo tamariki iti (little children)
with their Kaiako (teacher) chatting away in in the Maori language.
They were singing "The Wheels on the bus.." in maori.
"Haere ra" they said as I got off the bus. "Kia ora".

I did my shopping at Chartwell Square
where the mall was a buzz of children enjoying school holidays.
Back on the bus I was the only passenger until over the river
two happy women hopped on.
One was visiting from Dunedin, they told me,
and they were having a lovely time circling the city on the orbiter.

The bus delivered me to the stop near my home and I enjoyed the walk in the sun.
I snapped a photo of the camellias in the YMCA car park as I walked along.
Another lovely winter's day.

Perfect Winter Days in Aotearoa NZ..

Such a beautiful day again.
Today Bob and I made corned beef sandwiches for lunch
and read the Sunday Star Times in the sun,
and I taught my little neighbour Victoria Sophia how to do french knitting.
Her father brought over some of his HOT chilli chicken soup for me -
so hot it that made me gasp!
I think it has been a perfect day.

A fleeting pink sky
tomorrow a sunny day
no winter blues here

A Letter From "Miss Johnson" my dear teacher...doesn't she sound so lovely!

Hullo Joan, You made my day ! So good to connect with you.The sun is shining, and am just in from taking the dog for a walk, so feel like a quiet time with you.
I see you are a very artistic girl like your sister Shirley, who does beautiful art work. Shirley is also a lovely poet and writer, as well as a wonderful Mother.And a great friend to all who know her.
It is 61 yrs since the school opened at Matakawau, and I remember you as a beautiful child, big blue eyes, blonde hair, and with a decided lisp. In fact, you called your self "Joan Marthon", so that is what I wrote in my register. Towards the end of the first term, Mr. Galbraith came to me and said there was no known family in the district by that name. Fortunately, Richie sorted it all out ! !
There were over 40 chn in the Infants Room, so every child had to be responsible for their own little piece of space, and possessions. Hence the use of tins, pockets etc. Happy memories.


I too have a Ginko tree which I love when it is solid gold in the Autumn. I bought another small one to plant on the lawn but with the savage drought which lasted nearly 6 months, I think it may not have survived. Although the paddocks are green , there is little feed for the stock. Travelling on Wed. through Tuakau and Mercer, I see we are not so badly off as other areas.
I wish i lived nearer. I could almost smell your pinwheel scones cooking.
Lovely to hear from you, Much love,
God Bless, Elizabeth m A X X

Raglan By The Sea.

Happiness is a Sunny Day in Winter!

We went for a drive out to Raglan today.
A perfect sunny winter's day.
We ate fresh fish and chips
and walked down by the wharf where families were peacefully fishing.

The Doodled Bathroom!

A few more marks on the bathroom wall!!

Whoops... it's heading up the door!!

Quiet Spirit Winged Creature..

i've watched you
quiet on my ceiling
for three nights
small night watchman
silent

this morning
there you lie
on my dresser
your life so brief
and you so perfect

Bad Hair Day?

Bad Hair Days seem to be featuring on blogs today!
Maybe we could have a National Bad Hair Day
and really let our hair down!
Would that I had a head of thick crazy hair ...but I don't.
I have inherited the thin fair hair of my Mother's clan.
It was the bane of my mother's life.
I often think though how she would love the many products
there are available today to help us thin haired women.
Shampoos and conditioners that promise to add volume and bounce to thin hair.
Shaping balm and hair mousse and all manner of potions and goo.
But a bad hair day is a bad hair day and they just happen no
matter how many potions are about.

Sue My Hair Saviour tried a perm in my hair at my request not so long ago.
It was a bit alarming when the front roller was removed and the hair fell off too.
My fringe was extra sparse for a few weeks.
So... I'm telling you friends. You are in good company.
I know all about Bad Hair Days.

Five Years Old and My Very Own Tin

Memories are wonderful things!
When I held this tin in the deli at Vetro,
I was transported back to when I was five.
My mother was preparing for my first day at our new school.
I cannot remember what I wore but I remember clearly
her consulting a list of things I needed as a new entrant.

First she made me a cushion for sitting on the classroom floor at mat time.
Next she made a little hand sized cushion to be used for dusting off the chalk
on the child sized blackboards that ran along the back wall of the classroom.
Lastly she found a tin that was to hold my plasticine.

I think it was a baking powder tin. I can still smell the plasticine.
We each had a little metal tray and each morning we made things with our plasticine.
Did we make letters? I can't recall,
but when I held this Pelion tin in the deli I remembered my tin.

I bought the Pelion tin and the olives were delicious
but I couldn't wait to empty it and keep it.
Perfect for my gas lighter.
It gives me such a warm and wonderful feeling.
Miss Johnson was our teacher and I must have been happy,
to have such warm happy memories!
Thank you Miss Johnson!

Doodling on envelopes.
Nothing is safe when a doodler's about!
Another big envelope arrived made of lovely paper.
I just had to do it!
What a beautiful winter's day today.
Sunny and warm. Blue skies and fluffy white clouds.
I see buds on my day lilies.

A Doodle and a Leaf Out Of My Book..

I discovered this ginkgo leaf lying loose and pressed in my last year's journal.
When out walking I often carry home some small treasures.
In fact I have to be quite strict with myself
or my house would be filled with little treasures... and not so little!
At the beach I'm hopeless. I cannot resist picking up shells and bits of driftwood.
In my garden I have animal bones, white from age and sun,
that I found on some back road jaunt with Bob.
I have a rock at my backdoor from the metal road up in the hills at the Mount Peel Station.
Feathers, fallen leaves, cicada skins.. it seems a pity not to bring them home.
I think I have retained a gene from some ancient female ancestor who carried her pouch
while walking the plains , eyes scanning at her feet for herbs and gems.

I dedicate this doodle to her...

A winter's Day..

It is really chilly outside, and raining, but my house is nice and warm.
Friend Kay is popping in for a cup of tea
and I've made pinwheel scones.
Some essential oil is wafting from its little burner.
I'm listening to the radio and doodling today's doodle.
I'm happy!
First day of the Winter school holidays.
I hope the mums have lots of indoor activities ready for boisterous children!

A Winter's Day Doodle.

Ginkgo stands naked
golden garment at her feet
East wind stripped her bare

Arohanui America From Aotearoa/New Zealand

Happy July Fourth to American friends.

One of the lovely things about blogging has been meeting
fellow bloggers from America and as I go off to sleep tonight in
our little island nation of New Zealand
I am thinking of you!

In 2008 I flew from the UK to San Francisco. It was unforgettable.
It was the clearest day and I could see for miles.
I sat glued to the window while we travelled over England and Scotland,
Iceland and Greenland, and over the amazing expanse of Canada.
America looked like the most wonderful patchwork quilt.
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming ... Oregon, Nevada ... on and on
such a vast landscape... California...oh and of course..The Rockies!

The ten hour flight was like an hour.. timeless.
I arrived in San Francisco elated, not a sign of jet lag.
It was my first and so far only, experience of America.
I loved my week there. The people so friendly.
A big country.. and people with big hearts!

Stars and Stripes...

Awhitu, Manukau Peninsula.

I have been visiting my sister and her family
on the Manukau Peninsula.
This is where I lived as a child.
It is a very special place to me. My heartland.
On one side of the peninsula there are peaceful bays.
On the other side is the wild west coast and the Tasman Ocean.
I love the rolling hills, the winding roads, the windswept
pohutukawa and puriri trees.
Over on the far side of the harbour is the city of Auckland.
I have not lived here since I was 18 but visiting the peninsula
will always be a homecoming to me.

He piko! He taniwha!

The Waikato has a reputation ( held by those who have never lived here of course)
of being a very foggy place.
In the past I am told it was a very foggy place.
Before the swamps were drained for dairy farming,
the winter brought lingering days of cold, damp fogs.
The mighty Waikato River runs through our city
and fog often hovers over its waters in the early morning.
Three or four times during the winter the fog descends like a blanket
and by mid morning we know it is going to be a "Waikato Day".
The fog stays all day and it is cold and bleak.
I have come to enjoy these days. I call them 'cave days'.
Now I am retired I love to stay at home,
warm the house, make bacon bone soup and just snuggle in.

Yesterday I spent a lovely day with my friend Marie from Auckland.
Early it was foggy and I wondered was it to be a Waikato day.
We walked into town as the fog was lifting.
We visited our museum with its wonderful Tainui exhibits
and ate lunch at the museum cafe.
We checked out the local art at the Art's Post
and walked back home in the sunshine.
The fog was gone, replaced by the bluest sky and fluffy white clouds,
the sun warm on our backs in the nippy air.

Like the song says "everywhere you go.. take the weather with you".
It is something we live intimately with so we may as well like it when we can.
I've been reading in American blogs of storms and tornadoes..
now they sound terrifying.
This morning it is fresh and sunny here.
I know it is going to be my favourite kind of winter's day..
clear sky and warm in the sun.
How's your weather today?

Waikato taniwha rau!
He piko, he taniwha!
He piko, he taniwha!

The figurehead on Te Winika, the canoe at the museum.