A Funny Old Day

It's been a funny old day.

I woke very early after an exceptionally odd night pony. I was being chased by someone for driving off in what turned out to be his toy radio controlled red car. How bizarre is that.

The morning started very warm and very misty but soon the sun burned the mist away and the heat set in.

I'd just got into the car and was driving away from the Cottage when I suddenly thought "Why am I hurrying off to play croquet when I have so much to do at the Cottage and it's a fabulous morning here as well as on the croquet lawn? I'm playing Association croquet this afternoon anyway." So I came back.

There is a certain something which appeals to my Protestant work ethic in the achievement of the washing on the line, the deck washed and scrubbed, the windows and frames cleaned and gleaming and the dust washed off the car.

The temperature on the deck during the morning was over 30 and I worked in my shorts alone - when out of the sun, of course. The deck was too hot too stand on for more than a few seconds where the sun hit it. It was absolutely fabulous. I'm sorry I'm not trying to rub it in because the UK is having such foul weather it's just that this weather is absolutely perfect for me even when working. I know that it wouldn't suit some of my readers anyway.

I forgot to say that this morning was an Elgar morning. Seemed just right.

For the first time I saw the swallows in front of the Cottage. They fly around up at the house all the time but I've never seen them down here even though it's only a matter of yards away. On the croquet lawns they fly around all the time skimming over the ground and collecting the insects. Sometimes they come so close that you can feel them as they fly by. They seem to have absolutely no fear of humans. Mind you when they can see how slowly we move I'm not surprised by that.

Whilst I was sitting having my coffee and doing a bit of a Times 2 crossword and listening and watching I became aware of a tickle on my foot. As suspected there was an ant on my big toe joint. I could only watch fascinated (for a few seconds!) as it tried to make off with a bit of skin left loose from a blister I got when in Taupo at New Year. I never thought anything would want to make off with my body or even a little bit of it.

Played Association Croquet this afternoon on a very hot and sunny lawn. Did quite well.

At about 5pm I arrived at a friend's to sort her Broadband connection and give some tuition on emailing attachments etc. Did that and sat down outside to some dinner. While we were eating, dark and very heavy clouds rolled in. I thought we would have a thunderstorm. We had just finished dinner as huge drops started falling and I raced to put the hood up on the car. The thunderstorm never came but it is now nearly 11pm and the rain has been coming down in stair rods for nearly 4 hours. The farmers will be ecstatic.

The Beat Girls

Every year about this time lots of the wineries have open air concerts. The most famous are The Mission Concert (this year Englebert Humpadink - substituting for someone who is still alive - last year it was Eric Clapton) and the Church Road Jazz Concert.

Askerne Winery has The Beat Girls. The Beat Girls present a high energy, fully choreographed and costumed show featuring classic hits from the 60's to the 00's. There is absolutely nothing flashy about the presentation it is just a really good show of musical and visual fun with a string of hits by everyone from The Beatles and Abba to The B52s and Kylie Minogue. The audience ranged from 2 to 92 and many of those were dancing! The Girls mingle with the crowd and are happy to chat to the youngsters and, in Catriona's case, they all autographed the peak of her lovely pink cap. I must get a photo.

As you can see the setting is wonderful in the midst of the vines and the countryside. The whole thing is a onderful excuse for a family picnic with music and dancing and friends (and good wine). We teamed up with Greg and Kendall and family. It was fun.

I'm over here! or Please Sir!

Ahuriri

When I went to one of the art exhibitions on Friday I saw a painting which I liked very much because the subject was unusual and rather imaginative. What I didn't know was that it was of a building in Ahuriri. When I went for my bike ride in Ahuriri later that day I photographed the building.

The Earthquake: Hawkes Bay 10.46 am 3rd February 1931

This day 77 years ago at 10.46 in the morning occurred the biggest disaster ever to hit New Zealand whilst it has been inhabited by humankind. Although it is known as the Napier or Hawkes Bay Earthquake it actually affected much of the Country. The shock brought down buildings between Gisborne and Waipawa. It toppled chimneys from Taupo to Wellington.

The impact can be judged from the letters, diaries, memoirs and photographs of rescuers who desparately worked to free victims from wreckage before the town was consumed by fire, of nurses and doctors who tended the injured in makeshift hospitals and the refugees who walked down broken roads with what they could carry from their salvagable belongings.

The wooden buildings of central Napier largely escaped the earthquake only to be destroyed by the fire that raged through the business district of the town an hour or so after the quake.

The official death toll was 256 with, despite outstanding efforts, two people unaccounted for. Over 400 were hospitalised with serious injuries. At least 2500 received minor injuries although this was never fully evaluated because many people with minor injuries never bothered to report them to the authorities.

The cost was not just death and injury nor was it just physical destruction of property. It threatened an already depressed economy - the second summer of depression - with complete ruin. News of the calamity even depressed prices on the London Stock Exchange.

The following are a few of the photos that appear on the Napier Government website. I will post more about the earthquake over the next weeks particularly in relation to the land changes that took place. The Wikepedia web entry is informative as is The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

Emerson Street

Emerson Street

Napier Earthquake building damage and the buildings today.

A Bakery in Hastings City Centre

In the centre of Hastings there is an award-winning bakery.

Flying Swans

Not on my wall but overhead. I just managed to grab my camera - a problem with digital cameras is the time they take to switch on. It takes a little bit of getting used to in New Zealand to realise that, here, all swans are black.

Music in the Street

I met a friend in town a few days ago and we went and had a coffee. Across the road this saxophonist was playing. Music in the street is common in Napier - sometimes small bands will be playing. This chap was very good indeed - evidenced by the number of $5 bills in his tray and the number of people actually getting up from their cafe tables and popping over to drop a coin. It was very enjoyable - helped, no doubt, by the fabulous sunny afternoon.

The Dentist, Hastings and a Day Out

I was up at 0600 this morning to go to visit Martin at 0845 in his Dentist capacity. The practice is in Hastings, half an hours drive from here.

June had decided to come over from Napier to see some art galleries in Hastings and Havelock North so we were to meet, see the galleries and have some lunch. June forgot that she had a hair appointment at 1300 so we saw only two galleries. I was not tempted by anything I saw in either gallery (thank heavens!). But I did spend some time after June had departed taking photos.

After I got home I decided that the late afternoon was so beautiful I would drive with the bike to Ahuriri and cycle round the port and take photos. It was both enjoyable and productive. I'll post the results soon.

Martin had brought fish and chips for dinner so that saved me making spag bollocks as planned. After some emails and blogging I went back to Wendy and Martin's to watch the very last and final episode of Green Wing - a zany spoof hospital drama in which one of the characters was Wendy and my Director in Comhairle nan Eilean so we just had to watch it.

The only blot on an otherwise Good Day was my blood test result. The PSA level climbs slowly but inexorably upwards. But, hey, there's planty of croquet seasons to be played so wotthehellarchiewotthehell.

Sunflower

At the back of the Cottage stands a single sunflower looking down into the kitchen window.

The Cost of Living

Whilst the economies of the world seem to be terrified of a recession, New Zealand has a budget surplus and a strong economy with high rates of interest compared with the UK and a very strong dollar against most currencies. So much so that in the three months since I've been here the value of the $ against the £ has risen about 18% ie it now costs me 18% more to live here with my UK income than it did three months ago. It's not easy to say whether the cost of living is overall much cheaper for a New Zealand resident though. Fresh foods in season are cheap but I reckon there's not much in it for many other foods. Wine's cheaper! Motoring is a lot cheaper with petrol at $1.70/litre. If petrol in the UK is about £1.70 a litre then the difference is about 2.5 times ie the rate of exchange at the moment. Ah well wotthehellarchiewotthehell.