Rococo confusion.... -#1294

Heringsgasse, Altstadt

Down the gurgler - #1293

A navigationally-challenged electioneering balloon in the Altstadt last week, drifting around to the whims of the breeze.

Just like a real politician.

(Gucki is now thinking: "You don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows"....)

Text: "Enough of nuclear power" - The Left party

I have it on reliable authority....- #1292

...that purple is THE fashion colour of the coming season.

Even for accessoires such as potatoes...

And while we're on the subject - #1291

Tulips from Amsterdam tralalaaaa

Headline - #1290

Feral rabbits preparing to pounce on unsuspecting consumer's wallet

"We've been noticing an increase in cases of this nature" reports PC Trevor Plod

"It always happens at this time of year and to be honest, we're stumped. The typical case is of a male citizen accompanied by his female partner whereupon  foil-covered replicas of small mammals of the Leporidae family will suddenly leap unassisted into the shopping basket and burrow down among the groceries and the first thing that the male notices is that they have infested the living quarters and his bank account is lighter by a considerable amount"

"We've also noticed that it's a seasonal infestation, as they magically disappear after Easter only to reappear in greater numbers the following year. The recent hard winter doesn't appear to have had any affect on their breeding patterns at all. In fact, they breed like rabbits, which is of course what they are..."

Spring is sprung - #1289

Not everywhere, mind you.

There's a micro-climatic zone just south of Mainz that's invariably a week or so ahead in the Vegetation Stakes and the locals milk it for all it's worth.

They start bombarding you with emails in February with a bracket of dates when they THINK the blossom might be full on, narrowing it down or extending it as the weather changes and then commit themselves to a date.

Which draws huge crowds who drift around "Oooohing" and "Aaaaahing" and consuming local wine and whatever the locals have set up on trestle tables in the vineyards and courtyards.

Last Saturday was THE DAY and I SWEAR I detected a smudge of pink almond blossom as we overflew the region on approach to Frankfurt, so we headed on down yesterday.

Quite a treat.

(If this was Minnesota, they'd probably have it sometime in August....)

Say what you like about aeroplanes - #1288

They might keep us awake at night (not me - I once slept through an earthquake and was only roused from my slumbers by the hysterical screeching of other members of the family) and they might be dooming us to an early death from scorching by fouling the upper atmosphere witn NOx, but aren't their contrails just the finest thing you've seen?

Choose your addiction - #1287

Satisfied Caffee Moguntia customer waiting for the caffeine rush to kick in.

And txting/smsing/twittering/facebooking his mates with the profound news that he's just knocked off a latte machiato and is lying in the sun

Lady Madonna - #1286

Not bad getting a road named after you.

Or a square, even.

Were I not on a diet.... - #1285

... and trying to shed 5kg (30km biking a day, burning 1000 calories), I'd have my laughing gear round this stuff.

In a flash.

Tempted at the Mainzer Kaffemanufaktur on the Champs Elysée Breitestrasse in Gonso.

Settled for a double espresso.

Zero calories

Pub crawl -#1284

What better way to finish off a vacation and segue smoothly into the daily grind than an evening at the Goldener Engel brewpub

Megastar - #1283

 

This captures Meg of Nelson Daily Photo fame as well as any photo I've seen.

Even if I say so myself.

Cheeky as always, glint of a smile in her eyes. 

Meg and Ben (who skipped before the photo op at the Suter Gallery cafe where met for lunch) generously let me encroach on their territory when I'm in the vicinity and thanks for that.

Back to MDP tomorrow.

Ho hum....

Second best - #1282

If I hadn't been so slack in getting things organised, there would have been a fair chance of grabbing a coffee with Petrea of Pasadena Daily Photo fame the other day.

As it was, she was out in Whereever doing Whatever while we were checking out the new Intelligentsia Cafe on E. Colorado and - on her recommendation - the Pasadena Museum of History and the exquisite Mad for Hats  exhibition.

A most enjoyable day, but as I said - second best.

At best.

Gullible.....#1281

.

.......I'm not.

Especially when it comes to sharing my fish and chips on Mapua wharf with avian predators.

Sod 'em.

Sounds loik yerve still got all yer MARBLES, eh - #1280

I told Isabel that I had an idea on how she can supplement her pension.

"You know those Farmers' Market competitions where you pay $1 to guess the weight of a pumpkin and if you win, you get $10?" I said.

"You could hang a placard around your neck, sit yourself down in the mall and charge people a dollar to guess your age. You'd clean up"

Tried out the theory on the proprietress of a Milford cafe.

She's out by over a decade.

"Sounds loik yerve still got all yer MARBLES, eh!" she screeched "What's yer secret then?"

"A glass of warm water with cider vinegar and honey every morning, dear" says Isabel.

So if you're in the Milford Mall and encounter an elegant, highly intelligent woman who did Meals on Wheels for over 30 years, is still doing patchwork and can recite the genealogy of the British royal family at the drop of a hat next to a "Guess my age' sign, here's a hint.

She's closer to 93 than 92.

And she'll likely donate the winnings to charity.

"A funeral shroud doesn't have pockets, darling" she said.

Opposites attract - #1279

 

Paul (of Auckland-West fame) and I could hardly be more different.

He left Western Europe to live in New Zealand in 1970.

I left New Zealand for Western Europe the year before

He's an academic. 

I once managed single digits in an exam in his field of expertise. (I had an off day, it was a REALLY difficult exam and I didn't really understand the subject matter in the first place...)

Somehow we stumbled over each others' blogs, it turned out that he wasn't yer typical Westie stereotype  (i.e. didn't drive a Holden V8 ute, wasn't a bogan, didn't have a mullet, neither macho, lawless, nor lacking in taste.) and he seemed the sort of guy you'd like to meet.

Which we did on Sunday afternoon in the Waitakeres.

What a treat. 

Just as I'd imagined him - softly spoken, subtle and witty - with a charming wife, Herta.

Went for a coffee at the Piha Beach Café.

Went for a walk on the beach.

This is what makes blogging worthwhile.....

Fantail - #1278

 

The Eurofighter Typhoon was designed with what they call relaxed stability (the tendency of an aircraft to change its attitude and angle of bank of its own accord) to increase manoeuvrability. If its balancing regulator fails, it crashes.

The New Zealand fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa - Maori name  Piwakawaka) appears to come from the same design team. 

It can turn on a sixpence in its search for insects and used to follow us through the bush, snapping them up in our wake as we disturbed them.

And insects there are in New Zealand. Ms jb - currently doing a fairly credible impersonation of the 102nd Dalmation in red - will back me up on this.

The surefire way to attract fantails back in the day was to mimic their call by rubbing a cork on a bottle.

What are you meant to do these days in the age of screwtop Stelvin closures.....?

You choose - #1277

 

I can't.

Late summer evening on Kina Beach at low tide.

Sharp as...- #1276

 Ross Johnston takes old sawblades, car springs, files and circular saws and turns them into objects of true beauty.

He sells them on the Nelson Market on Saturdays.

He finds wood from kauri tree roots that have been submerged in swamps for a century or more and crafts handles from them.

I have a small knife from a Holden car spring and a carving set that is immaculately balanced.

The carving fork negotiates a 90º transition from handle to prongs.

This is not craft.

This is pure art

PS I was there the other week (he always says "Haven't seen you for a a while" which is invariably true) and there was an American hanging around, compalning about the fact that you couldn't take the knives on planes.

"Of course you can" says Ross "You can even take them in the cabin up to Auckland and then you put them in your luggage. Of course, if you're going via Los Angeles, there's no point - they'll steal them right out of your bag. They steal EVERYTHING there"

American drifts off, muttering.

"Probably a baggage loader from Los Angeles, Ross" I said.....

Smile at the birdie....-#1275

All I ever wanted to be was an artist. Of course, life's not that simple. So, before launching my career in 1999, I slung whiskey, taught wikd and wooly adolescents and even did a stint in journalism. My BA in journalism is rarely put to good use, [with the exception of this artist's statement - Ed] but I still like spinning a yarn and reading the New York Times.

Barbara Franklet is cool beyond words.

She opened the Mockingbird Studio in Nile Street in Nelson in 2008, makes collographs and paper maché birds.

The latter she doesn't sell.

Unless she feels like it.

Or unless people pester her and she sells them one to get rid of them.

I'm led to believe that I fall in the latter category.....

Folk me.....#1274

 

 

Go to the Moutere Inn on the first Thursday in the month and you'll experience Folk Night.

We counted 22 folks, playing everything from acoustic guitars to mandolins to banjos to accordions to piano to percussion to tin whistles. 

Plus vocalists.

Traditional American/Irish/English music with them deteriorated into MOR Maori singalongs (Pokarekare ana anyone...?) and delved further into the depths of Herman's Hermits (Something good...?) before getting back on track with drinking songs.

I was worried for a bit, but overall - a great evening.

.

 They also serve beer...

What a night - #1273

The Canterbury Crusaders had already dedicated their game against the New South Wales Waratahs to November's Pike River mining disaster before Christchurch's earthquake hit and their stadium was damaged.

So 11,000 Nelsonians - most wearing red and black to support the almost-locals - turned up at Trafalgar Park the other night to watch them play in West Coast colours and enjoy a comprehensive 33-18 win over the Waratahs.

Dan Carter - All Black 1st five-eighths extraordinaire - scored every conversion and penalty he attempted and Sonny Bill Wiiliams - All Blacks centre (who - as far as I can work out - every New Zealand woman under the age of 70 wants to breed from) scored a try.

Took Steve and Robin (Dad was an All Black) along, sat/stood behind our neighbour Don (cousin was the All Blacks coach) so expertise was on tap en masse

 Captive audience

 Experts and non-expert

Don's head (left)

So how's YOUR weather, then....? - #1272

Not as good as this?

Thought so......

View from the place we're staying at in Mapua.

Alternative view.

To be honest, I think I prefer this one....

"X" hits the spot - #1271

 

 Our young friend Stefan Miller at Fresh Choice in Richmond on his first day as barista at the new takeaway coffee bar they've set up at the entrance to the store.

"Nervous?" he said "NERVOUS? I kept trying to adjust the grind to finer and kept turning the dial the opposite way. I'm getting there, though"

Good coffee and a good management decision to put him in charge. Clued up kid who impresses everyone who meets him.

They serve the "Toxic" brand from Pomeroys, which has a nice little story attached:

Through our closest friends ever, Isla and Bill Leslie, we met Graham and Gwen Thompson and at one stage I got roped into meeting Gwen and their daughter Leigh (a littlie at the time) at Heathrow when I worked there in the early 1970s.

Fast forward to the 1980s - Graham and Gwen move to Nelson as does Leigh with her son Hayden.

Start up Pomeroy's Coffee and now Leigh is MD and Hayden General Manager.

3º of separation is all you need in New Zealand.

6º is waaaay too much