Let's hear it for the Politicians

Well, I'm pleased the Election is over. It was only slightly more entertaining than the World Cup (rugby, that is)...

There must be quite a few campaign leaders and politicians licking their wounds this morning, or fighting exhaustion as they start the new term.

I can't help feeling a bit sorry for Phil Goff; he got the message across and ran a brave campaign. Actually I feel for all of them, winners and losers - what a thankless task! Public office hasn't got any easier with social media, voter apathy, the 'sound-bite' requirements to contend with. I'm glad I don't have to see any more squirming performances on televised debates, billboards, or the old-school guys in suits standing on street corners shouting at a few supporters. They work pretty hard at election time and I admire them for having the balls to put themselves out there for public scrutiny, criticism and snipes.

Now it is over I look forward to seeing what National can achieve in the next three years.

Quilt-Essentials

We went to the Recycling Centre and dived headfirst into the fabrics and linen bin. Found lots of clean, newish sheets, pillow cases and beautiful old tablecloths in good cotton fabrics. I tried to choose retro looking patterns and plain colours and eventually decided on a bag full for only ten dollars.

That was about two months ago; since then I have been crazy-busy washing, ironing, cutting, designing, piecing and quilting them into covers. I haven't used patterns; just ideas that seemed to suit each one. They are all so different, and they each have their own personality. So I have given them names - Aroha, Cosmo, Bella and so on.

The great news is that two local shops want to stock them. Five of my 'babies' have gone to Black Cat Vintage, in Annesbrook Drive, and three have found a nice shelf at Madcat in Founders. (What is it about cats and retro-vintage shop names?) I hope people buy them, because then I can make more...

It's what quilting was supposed to be about - reinventing, or up-cycling fabrics into something new and beautiful. Its fun to be creating again - especially with the lovely view out over my trusty old sewing machine of the mountains and the sea.

Lizzie

Freak Accident Averted

So, its very hot and windy today. I went outside to check what had blown over in the garden - not much as Mario had staked the tomatoes and fruit trees. It was so nice and warm I decided to stretch out on the back lawn and look at the clouds moving across the sky. Dozed off, as you do. My eyes were tired from frenetic quilt making. I woke up eventually and sat up just in time to see the garden seat (yes, its a substantial piece of outdoor furniture, a two-seater) hurtle from the top terrace and land inches away from where I had been sleeping. It must have been caught by a very strong gust. I always knew it was dangerous to spend too much time in the garden!
Lizzie

Nelson

Long time since last blog, so a fast forward is needed to our arrival home a month ago to New Zealand. We decided to settle in Nelson and already feel very pleased with this decision. It was the family connections, the hours of sunlight and proximity to stunning beaches and beautiful hills that helped us make up our minds. I've joined the energetic team at Nelson City Council, in a fund raising advisory job, at an interesting time with local body elections coming up next month.

So the flavour of my life has changed from being a leaver (from London, Kingston University, Europe generally) to being a joiner (family and friends at home,the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, the Council, the Italian Club...)

I work four days a week so I now have the luxury of spending Wednesdays at home helping set up the new-old house and garden. (The house was built in 1961, so we are about the same age!)But I also spend a lot of time just enjoying the view - every day the sea, clouds and sands offer a different variation, depending on the prevailing weather and light.

It all feels very comfortable. As I have been busy stocking the cupboards, getting the vegetables sorted in our garden and making new friends I've been thinking that our travel adventures were great for focussing our minds and clarifying what we value in life, and in particular, the NZ way of life.

Lizzie

Sintra & Lagos, Portugal

We chose contrasting places for our first visit to Portugal.

Sintra, a green hilly Northern town near Lisbon with a small tourist centre and several amazing historic castles and palaces. The Quinta da Regaleira was a good choice; we had breakfast at a roadside inn and walked up there passed the line of public art sculptures. Decided to spend the day exploring the house and the grounds which were full of masonic references. The best part was going through the underground tunnels to the submerged tower which was supposed to represent the ascent from earth to heaven. Spooky, but we could have played for days.

We caught the train from Sintra to Lagos and, on the way, met David and Kate from Sydney. They provided good company and the five or so hours went quickly. The whiteness of the town was my first impression. The marina was bright with fluttering flags on small boats, and the tourists (mostly English) were traipsing up and down the long line of shops. We couldn't find a map so we got a taxi up through the strip of town to our hilltop motel which was pink on the outside and lined with tiles on the inside. We walked to the beach the next day but it was too breezy to really enjoy, so we went in search of our Aussie friends and had quite a few beers instead. The next night we wandered around the old town centre and felt sorry for the local tourist trade which seemed to be suffering from a reduction in numbers for this time of year. We watched a World Cup game in the square.

The night before we left we went to a restaurant and had grilled sole and fried squid (a whole one!). The owners wife turned out to be a Kiwi, Karen from Hastings. We chatted for hours then ambled home, happy to have discovered Lagos - but determined to return to Sintra one day.

Lizzie

Bergerac

We arrived from Paris via Bordeaux feeling a bit jaded as the past week had caught up with us. In Paris for the first two days we walked a great deal and got caught in several showers, but it was worth it, especially the Musee D'Orsay. But then Mario got a pinched nerve in his back and I got a headache which just wouldn't go away.

Bergerac became a place to chill out and relax. A perfect place, curving gently up from the wide Dordogne River and made up mostly of golden sandy coloured buildings and narrow streets. We felt we could easily find our way around and just start to enjoy the sunshine and wine. We booked four nights at the Europ'Hotel; a pleasant little place on the edge of the old town with about 20 rooms and a lovely clean swimming pool.

Now two days on we are less frazzled and we've stopped looking at our watches. The market on Saturday was really buzzing with more varieties of tomatoes, radishes and asparagus than I have ever seen before. Today there was some sort of town fete and they strung a hammock type netting alongside the Pont Vieux (quite a stretch, five arches). Locals were lining up to struggle across it, each crossing taking about 20 minutes.

Each afternoon and evening we sit down in the foyer and watch the World Cup games and try and figure out the French commentary. Our friendly hosts can't understand why we are supporting or interested in so many countries - NZ, Italy, Spain, Australia and England. Our French (with bits of Italian and English thrown in) is hopeless, so we cannot explain these things very well, it took us two days to get a good cup of tea sorted.

Lizzie

Goodbye London

Well, that's it! The flat has been cleaned and cleared, and cleaned again. Our neighbour has graciously taken our last minute pantry stuff and is looking forward to trying the NZ clover honey, crab paste and Japanese vinegar...hopefully not together. She even made us cheese and pickle sandwiches to have on the way to Paris.

I feel really confused - sad to be leaving so many good friends in London, terribly excited about the 7 weeks ahead with Mario around Europe, anxious about getting a job back in NZ, and all warm and fuzzy about connecting up again with so many friends and family back home in August.

Not surprisingly I didn't sleep very well last night - it may have been the fact that we'd given the bed and mattress to a charity and slept on a pile of duvets on the floor, or maybe it was the lingering smell of bleach from the spotless floors and walls...

So, here's five things I love about London:

The audiences - for all types of shows and concerts the audiences are generally well informed, enthusiastic and generous in their responses
The football - everyone knows a lot about it, everyone loves it; you can't help but watch it and become enthralled
The comedy - not just the stand-up, everyone's witty. I love the play on words, and the richness of the language, made better by the combination of so many cultures
The Thames - I've walked along beside the Thames most days on my way to work; it's never boring and there is always so much going on. People go mad here at the slightest show of sunshine and race down to sit, sunbathe, eat and fool around.
The diversity - London isn't England, it's the world

Ash

It's strange that something in nature can have such a profound impact on travel plans, and the activities that surround them.

I'm off to the London Book Fair tomorrow, and hoping its not too blighted by this strange turn of events. I have a conference on Thursday, with a keynote speaker from Australia; I wonder if he will make it. My sister-in-law is stuck here with us in London because she cannot return to her home in Sydney. Her job, studies, family all have to just wait for the skies to clear.

We all went for a bike ride today in Bushy Park; sunny day, lots of birds, no plane noise overhead. It was perfect.

I've always disliked airports - too many sad goodbyes and the accumulated anxieties of travellers waiting to leave, or people anxious to meet and greet. Now I expect they are strangely deserted, with pockets of optimists - or those who just don't have anywhere else to go.

I wonder how the struggling airline companies will survive the economic fallout from these losses. More mergers perhaps. Maybe this, when it eventually ends, have turned people in Europe back to ferry,coach and rail travel as a more preferred option in the future.

Maybe our Eurostar booking, to leave London for Paris early in June, will soar in value. But then it can't go on that long, can it?

Lizzie