Journey to Town

I have just posted on my Web Album http://picasaweb.google.com/rotowhenua/JourneyToTown a photographic record of the drive I make when I go to the centre of Napier.

Veronica Sun Bay and Gazing Bowl

The central feature on the seafront of Napier is the Soundshell (1935) with its outer Collonades with its three arches (The New Napier Arch and arches in memory of Robert C Wright and Harold Latham) and the seaward Veronica Collonade or Sun Bay (1934). The original Sun Bay was demolished in 1990 and a replica built in 1991 as a Rotary project. During the Art Deco Weekend (held every February at the time of the 1931 Earthquake) the Veronica Bell hangs in the centre of the Sun Bay and is guarded by the Sea Scouts. I'll tell you more about the Veronica Bell in another posting.
In front of the Veronica Sun Bay there was re-erected on 17 March 1993 a gazing bowl which had earlier (I hate to say it) been vandalised. The first bowl was glass (circa 1935) and the second chromed copper. The present one is polished stainless steel bolted to the ground. It was made in New Plymouth (NZ) and donated by Corinne and Russel Spiller.

A Lot of Not Very Much

Hi dear Reader

If you have come to the site today expecting a posting then I'm afraid you will be disappointed. I have been so busy either enjoying myself playing some game or another or looking after the children last night that I haven't prepared anything. I took the children to Burger King. Now I never thought that that would be something I would admit to never mind almost enjoy. It's not the place I'd take someone on a first date you understand but the food was actually acceptable and the service was so quick I couldn't believe it. The children thought it was great. It wasn't packed. The fact that you couldn't get into McDonalds must mean something. But, and this is the most important bit, Burger King serve what I used to know as Mr Whippy ice cream. Fantastic. We all had one. And here is the most astonishing part: an ice cream costs 50c ie less than 20p.

We got back and watched the film that Al Gore (the former next President of the United States) has made on the environment. Then a story at bedtime for Catriona (Rapunzel still lives happily ever after) and the children went to bed of their own accord. Are these really the children I know and love? Wendy and Martin arrived home and after a chat and a nightcap I made my way down to The Cottage and at 0100 fell into bed and a deep sleep.

Now wasn't that exciting!

Today was the Croquet Club's Christmas games and lunch and tomorrow it's the Petanque Club's Christmas competition and BBQ. Life is so hard.

McDeco McDonalds

I'm not sure that I've noticed this phenomenon anywhere else but there are some quite interesting McDonalds in New Zealand. The one in Taupo is an old (I think) DeHaveland Dakota. The one in Taradale - a suburb of Napier - is Art Deco. It was formerly the Taradale Hotel and in 1997 it was restored and converted into McDonalds. The decorative plasterwork inside was cast from original moulds used in the reconstruction of Napier and Hastings after the 'quake.

It's Installed!

I arrived home yesterday afternoon and the first thing I noticed as I drove up the drive was the absence of a coil of black wire. Telecom had, true to their word, connected the phone. So my phone is now working!

Today's task is to get an internet provider.

Memories

My Brother's Blog 'Rambles from my Chair' mentioned earliest memories today. Oddly enough Wendy and I had been talking of earliest memories and came to the conclusion that we often remembered very early things because we had photographs of them to 'help' us. That seems to me to be the case because I remember being at Auntie Maude's house and holding my Giraffe that Uncle Eric had given me. I can remember the winter of 1947 when I was 3 years old. Again I'm sure that is helped by photographs. I can remember standing outside Up-the-Steps (the bakery at the Rocket) when I was tiny and Mum was trying to put my mitts on my hands (the mitts were held together by string which went up the arms and joined them - I wonder if parents do that today). I also remember (much later) getting thrown out of the said Up-the-Steps for calling Eccles Cakes 'Fly Cemeteries'.

I cannot tell you exactly where I was when Kennedy was shot (although I can recall a lot of the aftermath) but I can tell you that when Roger Bannister ran his 4 minute mile I was sitting in the front room of Harry Grainger's house at 6 The Lynxway.

I wish that I could remember what I had on the shopping list I wrote this morning and left on the table. I wish that I could not remember the last two games of Croquet that I (allegedly) played in the match against Te Mata this morning. For me playing is a very personal thing. I never worry if my partner plays badly. Therefore it is no consolation whatsoever that I was not the only one who didn't do well and we lost the match to Te Mata yet again.

Phone Update

Well I am one step nearer having a phone. Today (Tuesday) Doug the Digger Man sent a digger with the appropriate attachment and when I got home this evening the cable had been laid. Telecom have said that the line will be connected on Thursday afternoon. I'll then have to set up an internet account to get on line but it's all looking very helpful. Watch this space.

Dining Out: The Old Church

Four of us went to a new restaurant on Monday which is a converted Mission Church. I'll go back and take photos because it was absolutely wonderful. The physical surroundings could hardly have been better for the purpose.

The menu is unusual and very reasonably priced and the food was very good.

However something was not quite right. The service was very lacking in something. It wasn't exactly as though we were not treated well but the front of house was not organised. We decided to go straight to the table rather than have a drink in the bar area first. Our bread and olive oil etc came just as the starter came which was after we'd had time to consume the first bottle of wine. (I was on the wagon because I was the chauffeur for the evening - driving June's car not mine I have to add). The waiter who served the vegetables shovelled them onto the plates. We arrived at 1930 and were waiting for our coffee and dessert at 2315. They haven't quite got that right yet! They were very busy for a Monday night and may not have had the kitchen staff they would normally have had but if it's like that at weekends then they might have problems.

The whole thing is design led. Very attractively designed I have to say. The cutlery was heavy and good to use. It made a big noise when dropped. It was dropped frequently. We put it down to nervous and clumsy staff but eventually realised that it was because the design of the plates made it almost impossible to take a plate away without the cutlery sliding off it. Every dish seemed to have a differently shaped plate. The wine glasses were unusual and not really to my taste but quite different to the norm. The cups at the end were certainly a talking point. The waitress could not put them down on the table easily or elegantly. I didn't have any difficulty holding the cup although it wasn't that easy not to burn your finger because you had to hold the handle in a completely different way to usual. However the left-handed person amongst us had difficulty and had to use two hands.

At the end they brought the account - no plate, no folder just a bill.

And the loos - well I may describe them another time - but if you had a small bum you might just not manage to stay above the plimsoll line.

All in all a medium score. Pluses: very reasonably priced for the quality, wonderful setting and pleasing designs - tremendous potential. Minuses: service, and lack of thought for the end user in some of the design.

Solar Heating

The Cottage has a solar water heating system and very efficient it is too. When I came the system had only just been commissioned and the water temperature was 24 deg. It went up to 29 deg on the first day (which was dull and overcast). I used the electric boost to get it to 45 deg. It now stays between 65 and 75 deg without using any electricity.

Until one day that is when it blew it's top. When I'd left in the morning, despite a very long shower, the water temperature was at 85 deg. Well the system soon gets alarmed at that and apparently - I wasn't here but the digger driver saw it all - it suddenly vented and the Cottage looked as though it was steam driven. I'm told the venting was quite spectacular.

It must have got rid of a lot of water because the temperature was down in the low 50s when I got home and dropped to 45 by late evening and then dropped more over night. It subsequently increased again and now seems to keep between 60 and 80 deg. How often it vents though I don't know.

Croquet: Such a Serious Game

Like any other sport Croquet has its lighter moments: