Sunset, 30 October

It's been a week since Labour Weekend, traditionally the time to plant summer vegetables. Not at our place, because our garden is shady and cold, so we do everything a fortnight to a month after everybody else. Yesterday was a coolish, windy day, and I was tempted to light a fire. The weather has been very temperamental. Sunset was at around 8.30PM.

Help Protect The Dunes

The Nelson City Council put up this message all over Tahunanui Beach. I think this is eye catching, and very good for sending a message to many people including kids.
Protect dunes so the beach stays for us to enjoy!

Bye Bye The World

Remember the cruise ship The World? Well, I took this photo when the ship was deperrting from port with my film camera. Now it's ready to share with you. Here's another shot.

Port of Picton

This is a panoramic view of the port of Picton from a lookout on Queen Charlotte Drive, a windy but scenic road from Picton to Havelock. Unfortunately we did not catch any ferry this time. We're over here this weekend.

Holy Cow!

He is made out of a huge tree stump in the middle of paddock. What an excellent work!

Another shot here.

Picture Frame

Same fruits stand as On The Rural Street Corner in Brightwater. It looks like a picture frame that never features the same picture.

Pile of Wood

This is a close-up shot of the arch made by the pile of firewood. It is pretty amazing, eh? More at Not a Woman of Few Words.

Stand Still by Ben Foster

"Stand Still" by Ben Foster at Mac's Sculpture Symposium, Nelson Arts Festival 2006. I think this is stunning. More at Not a Woman of Few Words.

Diwali, Nelson Style

We're lucky we've been invited every year since 2003. My love is the Indian dances, (I especially like boys-in-white-garb dances) but I also ask a lot of folks if I can photograph their costumes, and yes, if I can touch them or see the reverse side.

As is the norm in Nelson, it is a hand-made family affair, though this year for the first time it was not pot-luck but catered; the food was good but not specifically a Diwali feast. I would like to know how to make the dry chickpea/garbanzo beans dessert, if anyone knows. More.

Time Out

During the Nelson Arts Festival week, I found this guy cruising in CBD. Today he was parked on Bridge Street. I couldn’t resist taking a snap.

The Festival ends tomorrow.

Plate 2: Big Sister Contemplates

You've got to be quick to catch children doing interesting things. Moments earlier, Little brother was caught climbing on the rocks under the sculpture, and was hoisted away. Grownups are funny; Big Sister now contemplates her plan of action.

I was hoping to show you some more picture from the Nelson Arts Festival or around town at Festival time, but I'm still stuck at home with the cold. Gosh, darn. At least I have the Nelson Diwali tomorrow, so I have my fingers and toes crossed.

Gum Trees

On Port Hill, one of the nicest residential areas of Nelson. Our good friend Trish grew up in the house opposite these trees. This is for you, Trish.

Young Sculpture Enthusiast

From the Sculpture Symposium. The piece is "Iron Lung" by Nigel Peterson. The boy was playing hide-and-seek.

More sculptures here. I know y'all haven't seen them, because I expect at least one of you to object/rejoice a mild-mannered (who??) weaver putting a picture of a marble p*&#s on her blog!

One Afternoon at the Beach

This is a typical evening scene at Tahunanui Beach in this time of the year. People enjoy their evening beach works while others kite-surf.

Tahunanui Beach is the kite surfing capital of NZ. Although it is too little close to the flight path, being virtually next door to the airport.

PS: Click photo to enlage for better look and another shot here.

The World in Nelson

The cruise ship The World was in Nelson the weekend; it was one of the largest cruise ships to call on Nelson. This is a residential cruise ship; the people aboard are not passengers, but live more or less permanently on this boat. Nelson residents were not allowed to get too near it, but we went and had a peak nevertheless, and from her backside, it wasn't particularly interesting. (The man in red-and-white is our good friend Warwick, with his boys; Warwick is part of our November Theme Day story.)

I've bent the DP rules to show you how big this boat is. More here.

Apple

It is a close-up shot of apple flower from my yard. I have two mature apple trees (not huge ones). I believe this is Royal Gala and the other one is Granny Smith.
Here is a shot of a Commercial Apple Orchard taken in Brightwater on another day.

View from the Brothel

My friend Claudia lives in the house which was the first brothel in Nelson, also known as the Pink House. She happily posed for me in front of the window overlooking The Cut. I have shots with her wonderful face, too, but she looked too happy, so I chose a 'shady' one. Afterwards, we went to the Sculpture Gala, part of Nelson Arts Festival.

St.Michaels at Brightwater

This is where I found the little family posted a day before yesterday.
[Edit] Not in this paddock but in the front yard of the church property.

Nelson Arts Festival Starts Tonight

Nelson Arts Festival officially starts with the Masked Parade tonight. There'll be lots of performances, exhibits and tours in the next ten days.

Nelson was/has been long considered the nation's art/s capital, with a nationally known weaving program at the Polytech and a large number of potters opening studios in the 80's. It still has a fair number of art practitioners of many disciplines, but the city has been going through an identity crisis in the last few years symbolised by two issues.

First was the move of Wearable Arts Festival (now knows as WOW) to Wellington; convener Suzie Moncrieff started the show in a paddock in Brightwater (with the help of, among others, Eelco Boswijk) in 1987; since around the 10th year, rumors were rife she wanted to move the show to a bigger city, and off it went to Wellington in 2005. This was devastating to all of us who felt a kind of ownership of the show, having previously donated much volunteers hours and energy. Wearable Arts was also the only annual event which brought visitors to Nelson on regular basis, and was the main event of the Nelson Arts Festival.

The other is the long and troublesome upgrade plan of the Bishop Suter Art Gallery, the name itself being a point of contention. The Board wanted to upgrade the building to improve storage, increase administration area, and to move the gallery into the new millennium, with the help of some foreign money and influence, and at the cost of a much-loved but underutilized theater, and a portion of the adjacent Queen's Gardens. This, in a town where the only other theater is begging. The community did not approve, the upgrade is on hold, and the board structure is going to be changed in the next months.

The Festival seems to have evolved from a showcase of Nelson arts to the rest of the nation, to something for us locals to get stuck into and enjoy. We'll try to post a few pictures from the Festival.

(Doesn't the poster look a like the flag of Japan during WWII? Cringe... Ben, thanks for the pic.)

Follow Me

I found this family in the front yard of St. Michael Church at Brightwater. Father was little behind and the one kid looking at him while others following their mother.

Eelco Boswijk

Not sure when his 'head' was installed, but I found this a couple of weeks ago. It's a pity he's positioned in such a strange way - at the edge of the tables, looking at nothing in particular. (He's somewhere between the far left pillar and the red umbrella, looking further left here.) Knowing Eelco, he probably would have loved to be put right in the middle of the tables, or at least right outside the Cafe door. Maybe I'll ask him the next time I see him.

I was listening to his ex-wife Christine's interview on National Radio, and found that in the 60's Chez Eelco used to host intimate theatre and low budget movies as well as musical gigs and art displays. What a funky, truly Nelson kind of place it must have been! (This link will stay alive until around October 27.)

Big Little Birds

In front of the Tasman District Council Building at Richmond.

Smoko

Smoko, (many people used to have a cigarette at this time), morning/afternoon tea, whatever you call it, it's nice to have a break with your mates. In New Zealand, you must have some bickies (cookies) with your coffee or milky tea, preferably with some chockie smeared on it, but lately biscotti have become very popular, too. This cart is at the top of Trafalgar Street, at the bottom of the Cathedral steps, besides the whale. There is another coffee cart on the Trafalgar and Hardy Streets corner. They both serve good coffee.

In recent time, public locations where smoking is still allowed have been diminished greatly, but many people still call the small kitchen in the work place "Smoko Room".

(My workshop was fantabulous. None of us 12 participants will never be the same as weavers again; more thoughts elsewhere in due course.)

Loaded

Lighthouse on the Boulder Bank and a ship in port. Look familiar? Yes, I took this on the same day as I took this picture. The lighthouse was the subject of our very first post.

Where Blokes Gather

This is at Hope (name of town), the pub at the side of main road.
This is where all the broke gather and talk about..... You know.... Sports…

PS. I’m sure they do have a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu as well. Not only for blokes, but family is also welcome.

Up Close and Personal

To answer for Kete's Request, here is a close-up of the statue posted on 30th September.
Click on picture to enlarge for better look.

Picton Ferry Port

This is the Picton terminal of Inter Islander ferry, connecting the South Island to North Island (Wellington). When there is no boat, it sometimes turns into a playground for kids. Picton is about an hour and 45 minutes east of Nelson; the ferry ride to Wellington takes about three hours.

Alma Lane Mosaic by Tejas Arn - Part 2

This is the other half. It is few maters away from the fish posted yeaterday.
The fish is looking at this one.

Alma Lane Mosaic by Tejas Arn - Part 1

According to the Nelson Public Art and Sculpture Walks map, "(This work) was completed in 2005. The bright colours represent the primary produce of the Nelson region, including seafood and apples." Tomorrow I have a less criptic representations of the said produce.

Yeah Right!

This was seen at front of local pub on Hardy Street.

Tui is the name of NZ Native bird and also a brand of beer. Tui Beer ads have been very popular, with the top part (or the left half on a billboard) changing all the time; there are even competitions for the Tui ads, and some hilarious billboard came out at election time last spring.

[Added from comment:]
Try http://www.tui.co.nz/yeahrightintro.asp. If you refresh the page, it will randomly changes the statement.
Something like:
“I was reading her T-shirts – Yeah right“
“The perfect body in 3 minutes a day. – Yeah right”

Have a fun!

Airplane Weeeeeeeee!!!

Daylight Saving Time started today and New Zealand is 13 hours ahead of GMT until next March.

Tomorrow I leave for a week-long, mind-blowing, body-combusting, once-in-a-lifetime weaving workshop in Paraparaumu, taken by (that's Kiwi Speak for "taught by") American weaver Randall Darwall. Ben will mind NDP for the week.

This is my high-flying taxi; you all enjoy Theme Day!