Off to Tauranga

After a horrible day yesterday when the temperature plummeted from the 30s the day before to the teens and it rained, the sun is shining again and is apparently shining over most of the North Island.  This makes me very happy because I'm driving up to Tauranga today.  I shall have the top off The Handbag and I'm hoping for lots of stops for photos along the way.  I should have a signal on the laptop so I'll hopefully keep up the blogging while I'm away.

It's a Very Small World

In a previous incarnation - leastways it seems that long ago - I was a potter.  Actually, like most things in life, it was not as simple as that.  To cut out all the detail, for many years, until it was sold in January 2005, I had interests in a pottery on Lewis.  It made the widest range of pottery of any pottery in Scotland.  One day I'll do a proper post on the pottery and its history on Eagleton Notes.   One of it's unique ranges of pottery was a marbled ware called the Hebridean Range.  Last week Wendy was in an op shop (opportunity shop = charity shop/thrift store/goodwill) in Napier when she saw an egg separator made by the pottery in that range.

From the backstamp underneath I can tell that it was made pre-1997 when Fear an eich (a partnership between between my wife and I) was sold to a new company (of which I was the major shareholder).  It would be fascinating to know how it came to New Zealand.

The Swimming Pool: Almost Finished

Yesterday was a beautiful day so after the concrete being delayed because it was too hot (32℃) one day, too windy another day, too wet on a third day and, wait for it, the wrong coloured concrete on yet another day, the concrete was finally poured yesterday.  In a week it will have the surface treated and that will be that so far as the concrete is concerned.  The pool has had the solar heating completed this morning too.  So all that remains is the railings surround.  It's a shame that this morning the temperature is 12℃ and it's horrible and wet but I'm sure that tomorrow it's be back in the high 20s and the children will be back in the pool.  They go back to school on Monday so the weather should improve properly fo a while.  That would be really good 'cos I'm getting really fed up of 12℃ in Hawkes Bay in the middle of the summer.  It's probably warmer on Lewis today.

Who Needs Gadgets?

I recently be-moaned the loss of my food processor because of the failure of a crucial but tiny and cheap component.  So when I had to make a base for a cheesecake for a lunch to which I have been invited on Sunday I was rather flummoxed.  I use finely chopped digestive biscuits and ginger nuts in the base.  The old way would have been to crush them in a bag with a rolling pin but I don't have a rolling pin and Wendy has no idea where hers is after the re-organisation and new kitchen at The House.  I couldn't find a suitable hitting implement until I came upon my knife steel.  Wow.  I'll never bother using a food processor again!  Quick, effective and no washing up afterwards.  Perhaps I should review my use of gadgets in other areas too.

Agapanthus Alley

I was driving home the other day and as I came towards the end of the public road (the private drives start at the end of the Agapanthuses) I was struck by a scene I see and love all the time and decided to share it with you:

If I turn to my right and look slightly backwards I can see:

How beautiful is that?