Lunar Eclipse
Random attempt at photographing tonight’s lunar eclipse with looong exposure but without a tripod, in very strong southerlies:
Wellington by Night, as seen from our hill:
Spring! Weekend!
Aloha all!
Spring is nigh! Sure, the winds will turn tonight and we’ll get a few days of brisk southerlies and some rain, but after last weekend, the Feestpaleis Board of Directors declare winter officially gone. history. see ya next year. Why? Because we had such a great weekend.
Friday
In the afternoon, I joined Willemijn and our friend Shelley on a great little walk in the hills over Days Bay, on the other side of the Wellington Harbour, which we crossed by ferry.
Stunning views of our beloved little city.
Clear blue skies, bright and warm sun, hardly any wind, and native birds: Tui, Pīwakawaka (fantail) and Kererū (native woodpigeon).
Saturday
I took it easy and woke up slooowly with coffee, my laptop and some relaxing music, while Willemijn was extremely busy planting natives, doing grocery shopping, playing ultimate, swimming and enjoying a sauna.
The weather was friendly and we sat outside on our lawn, soaking up some rays, before The Feestpaleis Liquid Chemistry Department (consisting of Willemijn and myself) headed over to our friend Cedric who celebrated his birthday with a cocktail party.
As I was driving that night, I drank only water, but had heaps of fun mixing Cosmopolitans, because they were so enthousiastically received, especially by our lovely friend Kat:
Sunday
Hmmmmmm…. late breakfast in the warm sun, with the best views in the world. What more do you need?
While Willemijn went to play pickup (ultimate games where anyone who shows up can join in), I went surfing. YES YES YES! The south swell was still rolling in, and it had eased down to friendly longboard waves, highly suitable for feeble old people like me. It was fantastic to be out there again after almost two months. I had a few very fine rides and with a huge grin I cruised back home, where I found a note telling me to hurry up to Belgian cafe “Leuven” where a bunch of friends were enjoying mussels, Hoegaarden and Duvel.
After this weekend, we can handle even the strongest southerlies. bring it on!
Golden Elvis
Golden Elvis was a present from our close friends in Utrecht who found it for us a few years ago on the local Queensday Vrijmarkt. We set up a special place for him in our kitchen:
Conservation award
Since February, I have been involved in the Island Bay Coastcare Group, replanting natives on the exposed dunes on the beach of Island bay. Yesterday, we have been awarded a Conservation Award by the regional council!
“… In recognition of a meritorious contribution to conservation – for energizing the community to care for and restore the dune remnants at Island Bay Beach”.
Two of the founders of the Island Bay Coastcare Group, Nick and Ted:
Lynch
We saw David Lynch’s Inland Empire yesterday. Strange, bewildering, scary and exciting. And weird! I’m not going to write a review, there’s plenty of those on the web. But if you like Lynch, make sure you go see it. It’s amazing that you can watch a three hour movie, have no idea what it’s about and still be on the edge of your seat during the entire film. I’m not even sure how I rate Inland Empire, compared to other Lynch films. I really have to see it again.
