Summer harvest

This summer has been great for growing vegetables. We have had so much rain and although we have been away for several weeks this month, the garden has kept right on growing and producing.

The photo is of some of my tomatoes. I was given some plants and have no idea what type of tomatoes they are, but one of the larger ones in the photo weighed around 480 grams which is just under half a kilo! The smaller tomatoes are the regular size ones.

Now is the Hour - Po ata rau.

Continuing my delving into the past. But this is a recent version of Now is The Hour (Po ata Rau)sung by Hayley Westenra at the conclusion of the Rugby World Cup last year(which was won by NZ- just).

Years ago, when I left NZ for my big OE(in 1968), a friend and I traveled to Canada by boat. In those days air travel was extremely expensive and there were still scheduled passenger routes by ship so we took the cheaper option and went on the 'Oriana' from Auckland to Vancouver stopping at Fiji and Hawaii on the way. The voyage took two weeks.

At Auckland when it was time for the ship to sail, we all stood on the deck and threw streamers to our families standing on the wharf. The ship's horn went and over the loud speakers they played 'Now is the Hour' as the ship slowly moved out and all the streamers broke. There were few dry eyes.

It was a very emotional moment and in my mind I could imagine the troop ships leaving our shores loaded with soldiers off to fight in distant lands. My father had left this very wharf 29 years earlier and had described the scene to me many times. He had asked his family not to come and see him off. He said his goodbyes back at home on the farm where they had a big family gathering to farewell him as he visited home on his final leave. He was one of the lucky ones who returned in one piece. His only scars were the ones that don't show - the loss of many friends and a lifetime of nightmares.

E Papa Waiari - Stick game

I quite like this version - mistakes and all!

Poi E - Patea Maori Club

I love to watch Maori song and dance. We all learned how to do the poi as youngsters, as well as stick games.
The beating of the poi represents the fluttering and the sound of bird's wings.

Tale of a swanny and a dog

'Swanndri is a trade name for a range of popular New Zealand outdoor clothing.

The item was widely worn by farmers, but in recent years its popularity has spread and it has become something of a fashion item. The Swanndri company also now produces a range of more urban-focussed garments.

The classic "swanny" or bush shirt is a heavy woollen garment with a lace up section at the neck. Although a wide range of colours and patterns are available, the traditional swanny pattern is a dark tartan which could be described as a 'reverse gingham', with thick criss-crossing stripes of either blue or red over a black base.'
(wikipedia)

http://www.swanndri.co.nz/

My brother, who spent some time in the 'bush' (NZ term for forest)usually pig hunting or shooting possums*, always wore his swanny. The swanny is the essential item of clothing for many New Zealand males who work on the land or enjoy outdoor pursuits.

One day he was in the bush with his dog when Rasta took off after a possum and after two hours of calling, Barry had to face the fact he was not going to come back. Darkness was falling so Barry took off his swanny and lay it on the ground at the place he last saw his dog.

He went off home and the next morning returned to the spot where he had left his swanny and Rasta was curled up on it asleep.

* possums are a pest here and are hunted for their fur. They are slowly eating their way through large tracts of NZ bush destroying the plants as they go. They were imported from Australia in the 19th century.

http://nz-links.blogspot.com/2009/01/polly-possum.html

Here is another old one!

Puha and Pakeha By Rod Derrett

Puha is a Maori name for a plant that grows wild - I think its is a 'sow thistle'. It is commonly harvested and eaten like cabbage. Pakeha is a term for a New Zealander of european descent.

New Zealand Gumboots Song

I came across this the other day - some (ancient) kiwi humour!

Christchurch

Christchurch has just had two very large jolts - a 5.8 and a 6.0. There are some reports of damage and liquefaction. As well as many shocked and scared people.

Last week we went to Christchurch for my niece's graduation. It is a city trying desperately to get back to normal.

My niece's little boy is three years old and when we arrived he was making a tower out of his leggo(duplo)blocks. When the tower was tall enough for him he proceeded to jump on the floor beside it. After several jumps it finally toppled to the ground. When asked what he was doing he said 'playing earthquakes'. he knows what liquefaction is and would point it out when we drove around the city.

The children of Christchurch live in a different world and have a different vocabulary and games from the rest of the country!

Season's greetings

I wish all my faithful blogging friends all the very very best for the coming festive season and for the New Year.

We will be spending Christmas celebrations with family, and celebrating a first Christmas with our newest grand daughter, born 4th July this year.



We also have a much loved family member seriously ill and facing a major operation on 28th Dec so will be staying around until she is through and out of danger. Then if all is well we will be enjoying our beachside holiday home as usual in early January.

The photo above is of our Pohutukawa tree, in full bloom at this time of the year. Our own NZ Christmas tree.

Little Blue penguins Released.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_cid=1&gallery_id=123007

Here is a link to a video of the release of a number of little blue penguins into the sea. They have been cared for and cleaned of oil in the last few weeks.

The ship is still stuck firmly on the reef but most of the oil has been siphoned off, and many of the containers are also now off the stricken ship. We are very very lucky that it hasn't broken up during some of the recent storms we have had.