New Year 2016

Well I tried to make the Memphis Belle my first stop of the new year, but it was closed, and I'm sure they needed the day off! So I drive further up Cuba Street and of course, my very first stop in Wellington was the Country Quality Hotel so it is fitting I have my very first coffee of the year here. A charming young waitress from Colombia served me with a date scone and a passable long black coffee. I can cope with that.

The café at CQ.

In holiday modein Wellington.

A new Sherlock Holmes of the right erashould be worth seeing, reminding me of my obsession with Sherlock as a teenager.

Louis XIV, madeby the French, spoken in English, what next will the  French do to please the Americans? Seriously, it should be an extra-good TV series and I'd love to see it

The critic says it is the best of the yearand I must say it was a great doco, 'The Ground we won'.

Wellington obviously has a bit of a hangover after last night's NY's Eve fireworks and celebrations. The city is ultra-quiet and it's beautiful to be in it, the sun is warm and caressing but a wet weekend is predicted. Ooh well, we have had a whole week of sunshine with no clouds, we probably need a shower or two to make up for this unusual gift from Nature. 

Time to prepare now for my ECK Seminar trip to Brisbane in a week. Next Friday I will be in the Hilton Hotel, Brisbane, sharing with the wonderful Diana Stewart Koster I have just been reliably informed. What a gift that is!  I look forward to seeing all my ECK friends in Brisbane for two days and then am spending two nights with old and good friends Jan, Rob and Jessie.

Then the rain came..

This morning dawned cold and damp so I made a quick decision to get to Wellington before the mad NY rush. A nice coffee with Tom and Brent in the sunroom, and I was off for the return journey. Am not rushed so am writing this at Masterton, and just ordered a coffee with bacon and eggs to sustain me till I have tea night. The coffee is awful, but then, at least it is hot.

I have had a wonderful two sunny days of RnR at Norsewood and certainly love that hamlet, especially with the sane presence of Tom to talk with and to learn from. He is a fount of information about all things Kiwi, and indeed I am grateful to him. His gigantic family, he has 103 first cousins at last count, are a source of both amusement and frustration for him, as he is essentially a private person and they are a very gregarious family it seems. But he copes with it, and his father, the patriarch who recently died at age 103, was certainly a real character and had a supreme influence on Tom's life, for the good of course. He has a totally different background to Brent's, whose family is dysfunctional in a very Kiwi way, and he keeps them at a good distance too.

Tom with coffee...

And me, warm in my polar fleece...in front of Tom's majestic vintage William Morris curtains from London.

Bacon and eggs at Masterton a very country meal, but edible, and no indigestion at present.

The drive on Kiwi roads is very pleasant and the people are so polite, especially the truck drivers letting me pass any time I needed to. The rolling hills and views are spectacular and it is really a beautiful region, the Wairarapa.  

This country is without a doubt a precious relic of former times, when life was still safe and slower, where people respected each other and wanted the best from the land. It is certainly a major reason for my loving the place, and the countryside is an absolute dream.

Richie got a gong but not a title

Home for a short rest before I caught my last movie for the year at the Paramount. It was a beautifully shot Chinese poem from the Seventh Century called 'Assassin', which was quite enjoyable albeit the story difficult to fathom sometimes. Am skipping the fireworks on the bay but will doubtless hear them.

I am now in bed at ten for a good sleep to bring in a healthy New Year! 

The Frenchman has just returned - he reeks of alcohol and hopes to sell his car in Auckland before he flies back to France on the twenty first. He is really a typical young man looking to find where he fits in the world, I am not sure if it will be in New Zealand...

Fond goodbye to the workers at Norsewood.

Norsewood change of air

A beautiful star filled sky, glittering in all its majesty, met us last night after a very late supper. The country mystique is never so evident as in a cloudless night when the galaxy of constellations show themselves in all their grandeur. It certainly was worth the mere three hour drive just for this vision outside the little village Post Office which is the home to Tom and Brent for their many escapes from the city and their work.

The simple newly-mown lawn..

The view from the sun-room,my bed room, of the one local hotel, which is still for sale and struggling for survival in this quaint Scandinavian village in the Wairarapa.

I wake refreshed after a distubing day, and immediately after my shower realise I have forgotten to bring the one thing necessary for all my trips away, my meds. I really must have been in a confused state as I drove out of Wellington, all too hastily, yesterday afternoon. Oh well, a drug holiday as they call it,  for two days, won't be something my body can't cope with I'm sure, but it is very obvious something strange was going on in my head yesterday and I need to be aware of it for the future. And it has to do with my housemate Niki I am sure of that. More work to be done in that area. 

Brent with morning coffeewith Tom's wonderful Uzbekistan bed cover at the rear...

Today, another perfect Wairarapa day, is one where we decide to drive to Napier to see the most Art Deco city in NZ, if not the world. Destroyed by the earthquake of 1934 it was rebuilt and now it is a great tourist attraction with its many building and shops boasting all things Art Deco. On the way at a small village called Waipawa, we stop to look in a second hand dealers and Tom happily finds the lamp   shade he has wanted for a long time. I also discover a gift for Gail, a lovely repro Victorian jewellery doll which I will send her from Wellington on my return. I know she will love it. 

Also (below) generous Brent seized the moment to buy me something which caught my eye. It was a Max Dupain print of Sydney's King Cross circa 1940s, showing the wet streets possibly with summer rain, and a couple of famous Sydney trams with a stream of smart limousines, similar to the ones my grandfather used to sell in Martin Place in the 1920s cutting throught the Cross. It was a great and much appreciated gift.

The Max Dupain photo...

On arrival at Napier we stopped at the port for some light lunch at an interesting looking Mexican café where we ordered somes eggs Florentine which unfortunately later had an undesired effect on my   stomach, or more exactly, the very rich mayonnaise, which caused me to get rid of everything in the garden of our next visit! This was to see the art of Fane Flaws, a very good friend of Viva and David who had given me his address. 

It was great to be taken all throught his eclectic home, with his, and his talented wife's art works decorating most of the rooms. It was a personal and very instructive tour, with Tom and Brent sharing some familiar moments of their past purchases of some of Fane's excellent and original work.

We stayed about half and hour at least, and when friends of Fane arrived  we happily left, my stomach feeling somewhat better after losing all its contents. Of course with his event came the recognition that my evil 'Muffin from Memphis' may not have been 'off' at all but it is my stomach which has now decided not to tolerate over-fatty foods. It is a lesson I have happily learned for the future!

So we returnd by a different route, always Tom showing me the sights if this spectacularly beautiful country. An hour later we arrived at the sweet simplicity that is Norsewood for some green tea and for me to take a nap and Tom and Brent to do some gardening work which is always there to be done.

Another full day with these good friends. Tonight I may even show them my short film of Theorem, that is if they are not too tired which may well be the case.

Going to Norsewood

Woke up to news that the French housemate LJ has to return next week to France, some mix-up with his work permit it seems. Probably the French bureaucracy at its worst, coupled with NZ's anal propensity to do things right all the time. But it is quite a trip back to France and he certainly intends to return,  however I don't think he will return to my place as he has now missed the boat, so-to-speak. All I have to do now is to re-advertise for someone on my return in January, as it's not worth doing much beforehand as I leave next week for Brisbame. Ah well, them's the breaks when you are a land-lord! At least he had paid a fortnight's bond money, thank god I had organisd that.

Hillary should win the Democratic nominationbut it will be a dirty fight to the end, no doubt.

UK in trouble with severe floodsglobal warming or what?

New gutsiness in Wellingtonwith a Bondi guy seeking to establish a chic spectacles outlet in Wellie.

I have just got my watch battery replaced for  $20, probably cost ten in OZ, but here I get a warranty card of battery life for two years. This is how to make money here, and the service to prove it.vin my hour's wait I buy an interesting book on George Plimpton, founder of the NY Paris Review, from Unity Books, and I miss not one, but two buses.

Now off home to pack for my Wairarapa trip as I had hoped to leave at two and arrive around six pm which would be good as I hope to avoid the holiday traffic. 

Well  a bit of drama! Just received a text from Gail on my return home. Gail, whom I had assumed wasn't coming to see me, had apparently arrived at the Memphis at 1.40pm expecting me there and now I am home and practically on my way to the country. I quickly decide to forego the RV and let her stay with Marie as she has been with her for the ten days already and didn't answer when I rang yesterday.

However later en route to Norsewood I regret my rather rash and selfish decision, as I realise she had made a special trip to see me and now I ring her to apologise and discover she is on the train back to Porirua where she has been staying with Marie. There had obviously been a serious misunderstanding as she thought I was at the Memphis for the afternoon, not just for the morning as I had texted her.

More than abashed, somewhat ashamed of my action, I now text her my abject apologies, but really I hadn't heard from her about coming at all, and I didn't know her situation. However I really could have abandoned my plans for Norsewood and left later, but now it is too late, it is done and I must live with it. I feel really bad and hope one day I can make amends.

My three hour drive to Norsewood is now filled with regrets that I have wasted Gail's trip to see me. I wonder now how I made this rash decision. It was possibly Niki's presence in the house that had had a negative effect as she had started house cleaning again and my thoughts were not clear. I really need not to allow her to come into my life in a negative fashion. It is a challenge which I must meet and win, as she is only being herself, even if it is a bit of OCD behaviour. As for Gail, I am sure she will forgive me, but the question is, will I forgive myself?

Suffragette....a good movie

The scene today at the Memphis is indeed colourful, but today as a summer extra Boxing Day holiday, it seems to be especially so. The place is buzzing as always, and of course Johnny made up for yesterday's disastrous Muffin by offering me free everything today. I had to tell him of the stomach poisoning just in case it could ever eventuate again. He accepted it must have been a rare one, but still vigilance is paramount in cafés.

This young English actress Carey Mulligan, whom I discovered in her first big role in 'An Education' where she showed just how good she is, shines again in this historically accurate account of the Suffrage movement in London in the early 1900s. Led by the great and famed feminist-activist Emmeline Pankhurst, portrayed in a small cameo by Meryl Streep, (who btw should have played Hedda Hopper in 'Trumbo' where she would have been perfect as the arch-bitch journalist), this moment in world history needed to be documented in film and the original footage at the end of the movie shows just how close to facts the film was. 

Women have always been stronger than men, the backbone of the family, but never have they been shown to be as resilient as thay had to be in times of such inequality. The UK gave suffrage only in the 1920s, whereas NZ and Australia led the world in the 1890s granting women the vote before any other country, something which we are constantly reminded of in this very liberated country I have chosen to live in.

The Memphis Belle is a small capsule of this liberal society and I enjoy so much the vision and interaction between the staff and clients here where the concept of the Maori Whanau - family - is always in evidence. 

Carey, being Carey...

Memphis clients...

And more...

Stone Soup, a local free alternative food newspaperwhich is certainly worth the read, gives good lowdown on affordable food and how to make it. NZ is after all, home to some of the best produced fruit and veggies in the world, and it's a good idea to know how cook and prepare them to the best of one's ability. There are some secrets divulged in this paper which one would never have known.

More lookers-in...

One of Johnny's bookswhich are strewn around the café for clients to read. I looked at this and decided it is one I really should have, so next step is to seek it out at the local bookshop. Then home to prepare some food for the trip to Norsewood tomorrow and perhaps even have a swim in the ocean, the weather is so warm and beautiful. The rest of Wellie is enjoying it so why not me?

Quiet Beauty of Wellie summer

Another wonderful warm Wellie day and the world is out on the streets for the post Christmas Sales.

Tom just joined me for coffee and said Briscoe's has an enormous sale on where he bought a dinner set for fifteen dollars. Trust Tom to get a bargain. I am tempted to go and have a look as there is always something in the kitchen I need.

Roger Donaldson,back in NZ to bring up his kids pof course. Has just made a doco on Bruce McClaren, the Kiwi formula One grandprix champ at age 22, youngest in the world but died in an accident at age 32. Will be a good doco though.

The charismatic Kiwi champ who  created a legend and a dynasty of motor cars with the McClaren brand.

Another famous Kiwi cartoonistSir David Low, emplyed by London during the war to help subvert Hitler!

But London is sucking UK dry according to the statistics. It is taking all all the funding to remain the world's top city, and become the most expensive on the way I am sure!

Below is Eddie in Bella. Just met his gorgeous Mum who told me he loves cars so I thought he might like to have a sit in the Bellissima of sports cars, the Z 3.

Eddie, a racing car enthusiast..

Green tea at Tom's

...feeling good!

After visiting Tom and having a cup of green tea I have recovered from the food poison from the warm muffin at Memphis. Poor Johnny will be mortified tomorrow when I tell him his custard muffin was toxic. I threw up twice in the drains outside Briscoe's and finally felt well enough to go and see Tom and Brent, who immediately said I had been poisoned. Home for a rest and cheese on toast to settle my stomach and then decided to see 'Suffragette' at the Miramar Roxy, a cinema which I have not yet visited and the 8.15 session is perfect.

It is a quick drive out, only ten minutes, and the Art Deco theatre is nearly empty but will fill up with Star Wars enthusiasts very soon. It is owned by film supremo Sir Michael Jackson, so it is a local icon and never empty. The bar and box-office service was fabulous, and the young people know their game here.

The great bar at The Roxy, where I am reading the Wellington magazine called Fishbone. The article below is most telling as it is a brother's lament on his younger brother's sucide and what he could have done to help him. This question of suicide seemsto be everywhere in New Zealand. Niki, my new housemate, suffered from a father who took his life when she was only eleven years old. One wonders if the children would ever recover from this awful phenomenon. I really don't think Niki has, and her behaviour shows evidence of it. I must constantly be aware of this in my relationship with her as it is quite delicate even at the best of times.

At least it's over for another year!

Am at the Memphis with Gloria who is telling me what a wild girl she was. As a chirpy 75 yo I believe her. She did all the drugs, had all the men, married two husbands who were both hopeless, also had three daughters but now is happily single and still working. She is a born-again Christian to boot, but doesn't bang the drum at all so I gave a her a few of my confidences too. She is really very nice and was meeting her two mad girlfriends from Porirua for a coffee so she invited them here to meet me. They were also very charming and we chatted a lot.

After yesterday's simple Christmas meal which still gave me stomach pains, from the Indian ice-cream I believe, I survived yet another Christmas Day to read the Dom Post giving more bad news of several drownings. 

Makes me remember the days when I was an 18 y.o. beach inspector at Wamberal on the NSW Central Coast, and spent everyday getting sunburnt and sometimes saving the lives of a few reckless Frenchmen. Those were halcyon days for me when I had left school and was free and discovering life, losing my virginity and trying a new amazing French drink called Pernod, smelling of licorice and miraculously changing colour when water was added. My strong yearning for Paris and penchant for all things French had begun early and it remained with me all my life.

Bad news....

Saw this pedal car last night, Kiwi ingenuity, or madness?

Oriental Bay full-on.

Next year I plan mu Christmas is atTe Rauparaha Arena at Porirua organised by boss Helen Brookes which will see me do no more Christmas entertaining, or eating the wrong foods.

Brothel keeper in Paris extraordinare....Madame Claude.

This is the new relationship...both are trans people having a 'normal' baby.

Boxing Day mayhem at Memphiswhich had to close at noon, they ran out of milk!

Keri Hulme, my next Kiwi writer to read, 'The Bone People', that is, if I can struggle through its darkness which permeates a lot of Kiwi writing.

Three fishermen on the beautiful bay...

Leaving Memphis early I caught a good movie at the Paramount, 'Trumbo', the story of Hollywood's witch-hunt in the late forties and fifties when the US was paranoid about communism. David Cranston from 'Breaking Bad' was great, and Diane Ladd as his wife also good. A very interesting, if not really top movie as I felt the normally great Helen Mirren was badly miscast. I would give it only three stars.

Am now making plans for the next few days and may do a visit to Norsewood with Tom and Brent for two or maybe three nights. They would like me to come I am sure and it's a good break from the house with the kids at home all the time. But Gail from Malabar has just phoned and may be in Wellington on Monday, so there's a surprise visit!

The stars of Trumbo.

A late drive for a cuppa with Ron as I didn't catch up with him over Christmas. Ron always has news of planned holidays to Thailand and now India. It made me realise it is time I booked my ticket to Minneapolis in March for the Springtime ECK Seminar. After I recover from that trip I may well take two weeks off to Oz in the middle of winter to see my sister in Perth and my newly separated nephew.

That should nearly account for another year and I really don't know where this one went to?

Sunny Christmas Day

With Niki's organisation, Christmas lunch, cooked by me, was marinated baked salmon, asparagus, beans and pommes de terre, accompanied by a great sauce made by her friend Chef Karen. I made it all ready, solo in the kitchen, and we sat down to lunch at the scheduled 12.30. Niki brought back her two best friends from where they had taken coffee at the Te Papa café at eleven, Andy and wife Gil, pronounced Jill. They are both in 'Sound'!

The view....

...cloudless and hot,

With a fake Christmas tree and baubles....

Tree decorated by Niki and Alice, LJ came later!At lunch on balcony....

Mou Mou enjoys Indian Ice Cream

..while Gil and Andy toast in iced peach tea

They stayed a couple of hours only as Niki promised, so I quickly washed the dishes and brought in the fold-up table which had served us very well indeed, perfect for such an occasion.

Now recovering, I am assailed with three invites to tea but will briefly visit Tom as promised with my orange cake, then go to see Pam with Dan and Ellyn on Vivian Street for an hour later. It has all, even in small portions, been a little too much.

Christmas Eve

It has been a challenging start to Christmas ...

First last night Niki has a few wines and starts to really clean up the kitchen, and she is a bit OCD in this domain. She wants to throw nearly everything out, including my soft butter, 'it was dirty' and many other condiments as well. Luckily I arrived in time to save a few things, but her more than inebriated state made me wonder,mand worry a little, what I have inherited here. This was after my collecting the exorbitant tiny ice creams from the restaurant Planet India, six for $45 ain't cheap in my opinion, but they will be tasty no doubt. I really should have done a deal. Niki is a generous soul but is also a bit rash in her spending methinks.

So I texted, as you do, my thoughts to N and she responded saying she recognised what I said and then apologised so all should be OK there I am hoping. Christmas is so fraught with unseen pressures and problems which seem all too ready to show themselves at this emotionally heightened time of the year, and it's mid-summer to boot. This is why my only good memories of Christmas have been in the Norhern Hemisphere, London or Paris. Let's hope this changes tomorrow, for the better.

Memphis abuzz...

...so I snacked with spinach and ricotta filo...

...two groovers who are typical of the holiday spirit now infusing Wellington with a vengeance, and the weather predictions are to be a fine and wind-free Christmas day...wow!

Tom just popped in for a morning coffee and also his plans are changing to a Christmas lunch and then sweets in the evening....a very sensible idea and I will partake of that and bring my orange cake along.

Home for a few phone calls to family in WA, catching up with sad news of marriage breakdown of favourite nephew and his French wife. It is over it seems, after seven years and two kids to settle on.

My sister is really distraught so it's good bro is over there to talk some sense with her. She is so close

to Christy her son, she will have a very warped vision about the mess I'm afraid.

Later I will ring Christy to gauge first hand the situation, but first a swim at Freyberg Pool to freshen up.

The food is ready for tomorrow and cooking it should be a breeze. Niki's friend Karen is a chef and has prepared sauces and all, for the salmon. It will be elegant and satisfying I am sure. The two French kids should be very happy with their invitations to Christmas lunch on the sunny balcony.