Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words

 – Mark Twain

 

Keep calm and carry on

Advice to British people during WW2 and also on the radio during today’s earthquakes.

 

16 August. 2.30pm: Just had a huge earthquake in Marlborough. 5.16pm The strength of the quake has now been upgraded from 6.2 to 6.6 followed by a 5.4 tremor minutes later. It’s the same fault as the 6.5 four weeks ago in July but not one they experts know about, it's not one of the main fault lines. 5.32pm. Another quite big shake. Followed by lots of little ones and all the windows are rattling. Just before 6pm a 5.2 shale. Weather today: Cloudy and cool.

    When it happened I was writing this blog and dived under the table clutching my cellphone and holding onto the legs of the table as the house rolled and jolted and trying to contact my father to see if he was OK but he wasn’t answering, probably having a sleep. It seemed to go on and on and then there were aftershocks. I heard a voice calling. It was my neighbour from next door (down below), checking to see if I was OK.  I crawled out from under the table and went outside. While we were standing there the water in the swimming pool started sloshing around though we couldn’t feel the ground moving. The following might be a bit muddled and maybe in note form as I am quite shaken and my fingers seem to be hitting the wrong keys. This was the strongest quake I have ever experienced. We had lots in Papua New Guinea while I was living there but they were mild. I am worried about my brick chimney which is close to the bedroom but it would cost about $2000 to take it down. I’ll just keep checking for cracks and leaping out of bed to shelter under the sturdy tables in the lounge or kitchen.

    3.30pm: Still experiencing some aftershocks from the strong earthquake (6.2?) off the coast of Seddon near Marlborough at a depth of 8 km (shallow) in the same area as the previous 6.5 one. Even though this was apparently smaller than the big one a couple of weeks ago it felt much bigger. It’s the sound as it comes that is the most frightening and the cat takes off. Also there was a 4.5 jolt around 7pm last night which I didn’t feel because I was driving to a meeting. It was a strong enough jolt, enough to spill one writer’s coffee in Blenheim (not me). There have been a series of aftershocks between 5.5.and 5.7 since the big one at 2.30pm. Seismicity in the North Island as well but the experts are not sure if it was the same earthquake. The quake was felt as far away as Auckland and as far south as Christchurch. No reports of injury. In Blenheim there are reports of a multi-storey building being evacuated, Stadium 2000, the library and the police station and two houses in Seddon were badly damaged especially chimneys.

   SH1 is closed between Blenheim south of Ward and near Kaikoura while the bridges are checked and there are reports of slips. People will need to go via the Lewis Pass if they want to go South. Trains in Wellington have been stopped while tracks are checked and the tunnels and there will be no trains out of Wellington tonight. NZ Bus is operating as normal. Wellington University has been closed, Rutherford house has been evacuated and there are reports of some people trapped in lifts and hundreds of people are out on the streets in Wellington, traffic is bumper to bumper, hardly moving as everyone is trying to get out of town. A lot of people are walking home. It’s quicker to walk. The stock exchange is closed. No Tsunami threat according to the news on the radio I am so pleased that I went to the supermarket yesterday as I often go out in the late afternoon on a Friday. Power cuts in Seddon/Ward as the sub stations have tripped out as they do apparently in earthquakes. Some low voltage electricity lines have snapped as poles move in different ways so people are being asked to be aware. Some power is out in Redwood, Raupara and Cloudy Bay.Wellington airport was closed for a while and the airport is now open after the runway has been checked. Wellington airport website has regular updates. My other neighbour rang as she was in the garden and could hear the ivy rustling around the big concrete water tank on the bank above this house which was put in place by the US marines during WW2.

   The experts say the aftershocks will continue for quite a long time, days probably, some of them today have been magnitude 4 and 5. I haven’t seen the cat since 2.30pm. NZTA is sending tweets to people to give them information. All highways are clogged but if one highway eases NZTA will tweet about this.
Other news (written before the earthquake at 2.30pm.)
   Our team did so well at the last quiz night with local knowledge and matching books with authors that we came 2^nd and won a $30 voucher. Unfortunately I opted out and went to a talk at the Kaipupu Gallery about trapping pests in forests and missed out on the bottle of wine and the basket of chips even though I contributed significantly on this particular occasion! What a turnout at the pests’ talk and one presenter (from the floor) said NZ could be pest free in 20 years.
   One of the writing groups I belong to, Writers of Picton, held a junior short story writing competition recently to encourage younger writers. See The Seaport Scene, 10 August for a lovely photograph on the front page and the winning stories inside near the back. More next time.
   The boy band, Moorhouse, who came 4^th in the X factor NZ have just signed a recording contract with Sony I’m so pleased for them as I loved their style and I am sure teenage girls will be supporting them.
   National Poetry Day is today and I can’t believe Marlborough doesn’t have anything arranged. We have had Open Mic events at the libraries in previous years. I posted a comment on my Facebook page. Here’s what they did in Nelson and what we have often done in the past.

 National Poetry Day  Friday 16th August  - Open Mic at the Nelson Library

 The Nelson library is organising an Open Mic event in the library as in former years.

It will run from 12.15 to 1.30. Bring along your favourite poems and/or your own poems.

Also the Poetry Wall will be up again in the Nelson Library.

   Horizons book launch is on 10 September at the Nelson Museum. This is an anthology of short stories that were winners in the Page and Blackmore Competition and 3- poems that have appeared in the Nelson Museum window. My poem ‘Picton Perspective’ is one of the poems included. Copies of the anthology will be available from Page and Blackmore after the launch at $20 or $15 for those attending. I was considering going but these earthquakes are unnerving.

   Looking forward to a trip to Elizabeth Lissaman’s pottery studio in the Awatere Valley next Wednesday. It’s the same day as my regular poetry group but exciting events like this take precedence for me. In my opinion cultural occasions like this don’t occur often enough in Marlborough though we do OK in the performing arts area. The Combined Colleges performance of Jesus Christ Superstar was outstanding. I went on the first night and the audience gave the cast a standing ovation. If they hadn’t closed the curtains eventually we would still be there. Duncan Whiting was the Director and Jeanne Mark (Marlborough Dance Centre) did the choreography. These events are very well supported in Marlborough with most nights being almost booked out and the last two nights were Sold Out.

 Recommended Reading:

 Into the River, Ted Dawe (Young adult, an award winner but controversial)

Dickens in Love, Robert Garnett

The Yes No Book How to do less ... and achieve more, Mike Clayton (the NO part has already worked for me. 0ffer a little help but don’t overload yourself).

 

Film:

 

The Red House (set on Waiheke Island and in Beijing, very interesting, sub titles)

 

 

 

 

 

Be regular and orderly in your life so you may be violent and original in your work

-    Gustave Flaubert, novelist

26 July: Another calm sunny winter's day.

Had lunch at a local cafe on Wednesday with several poet friends and a lovely golden retriever called Frith, followed by a walk along the shore and round the marina. It seems more like spring than mid-winter. I had pumpkin soup (gluten/free as they don’t use thickeners) and gluten free bread and was shouted a glass of Fishtail Sauvignon Blanc. The conversation ranged from metaphysics to marriage.

   The quiz group I belong to came second to last on Wednesday night. We were very pleased as we got a $20 voucher to spend at the bar next week. We always do well on the section ‘Food and drink’, and 'Pot luck' (general knowledge), and very badly at ‘Sport’ and any entertainment question involving music after the 80s or celebrities and ‘action’ movies.

Earthquakes

   Sitting looking out over the harbour was what we all needed after the scary few days here in Marlborough. On Friday there was an earthquake centred near Seddon followed by aftershocks and on Sunday just after 5pm (5.09pm) a 6.5 quake was felt followed by a series of aftershocks, some quite big as well. I was in Countdown in Blenheim when the big earthquake happened. It was the noise that was worst and seeing cans flying off shelves and bottles of cream and cold drinks splashed all over the floor. The floor rolled beneath my feet. Everyone was so shocked – they didn’t know what was going on to begin with - and  just stood there looking around, no-one dropped to the floor as they were supposed to do. A couple of tills were quickly closed, the lights flickered and then the shaking stopped and staff started to clean up and then people went back to shopping. I had only gone in to buy some yoghurt for my father. In other supermarkets in Blenheim the shop closed and shoppers were walked outside by staff who then cleaned up and re-opened a couple of hours later. They say it only lasted for 20 seconds but it felt like a lot longer.

   The worst thing was I looked around and there was no furniture to get under, none of my big sturdy tables like at home, no obvious doorway to stand in (though this is apparently not a good idea). Did you see that woman in the TV One studio running around looking for a doorway and then heading back under a desk? She said she had always planned to run outside but changed her mind.

   The TV News seemed rather fixated on Wellington but there was damage here too especially in Seddon, pictures falling, broken china, water mains bursting, goods falling off shelves in several supermarkets, broken bottles in the bottle stores. Mainly it was frazzled nerves and sleepless nights waiting for aftershocks or another ‘big one’. I felt one today while typing this. Sometimes you don’t know if it really is an aftershock or if you are imagining it. It’s rather like going on the ferry or a sea voyage and feeling the ground swaying for some time after even though you are back on land again.
   My temporary neighbour who is still waiting for word on the future of her Christchurch home suggested everyone needs a ‘go bag’ ready for an emergency with items like your wallet,  makeup, any medication people take, important papers and so on. She also says to always keep your cellphone charged up and she takes her laptop if she has to leave the property.

   We are now being flooded with information on what to do:

   ‘Drop, cover, hold’

   Get under a piece of furniture but only take a few steps to get to it (3 metres at most). At the very least stand by an exterior wall and well away from windows.

   Don’t go outside until the shaking has stopped (though it seems that lots of people do) then avoid glass on the ground that might have fallen out of window frames and other debris.

   Don’t use your cellphone to call, just text as the lines get overloaded with everyone using phones at the same time.

  Now there is a rush on emergency supplies like torch batteries, toilet paper and water. For some reason I stocked up a while ago but I can’t think why. It might have been with all the bad weather being forecast and thinking I might not want to venture out for a few days.

   I am going to go to the hardware shop to get some coated curtain wire and hooks to secure my books on the numerous bookshelves, my glass jars in the pantry and the china on the dresser, some heritage items from my mother and grandmother. A Christchurch friend of mine said that after the first quake she picked up all her books off the floor but after the February quake she just left them on the floor. I am not sure of the current status of those books of hers.

   To take our minds off it all the royal baby has arrived, a boy, named George Alexander  Louis who had his first public appearance with his parents Kate and William. Apparently a media statement was issued online and on Twitter as well as the traditional way of putting a notice up outside Buckingham Palace. Some people were disappointed at this departure from the norm.

   Jackie Thomas won the X-factor beating Whenua and Benny. I was quite keen on Moorhouse with all their different personalities from ‘Elvis cool’ to cheeky. I don’t really see how you can compare groups with a solo act but in 'New Zealand’s Got Talent' we also had jugglers and dogs. Those pauses between acts are enough to put you off watching. There always seems to be another ‘break’...

Literary things

   This week the Man Booker prize short list has been announced with one NZ author, Eleanor Catton, on the list and also the nominees for the NZ Post Book Awards.  I am pleased to say that I have read several of them. I really liked Eleanor Catton’s first novel The Rehearsal.

How can we help keep our art quake-safe?

   To end this blog I have the following useful information for you. I received this from a local gallery owner so am going to include it here and also put it on my Facebook page. I had never heard of ‘quake putty’. See www.thediversion.co.nz  (Winter Hours: gallery open from Wednesdays-Saturdays from 12-5pm.)

This is a direct quote from an email received:

“I’m sure Christchurch collectors have found their own solutions, but the unnerving swarm of earthquakes rocking Marlborough, Wellington and beyond, has prompted several people to ask me how to keep much-loved artworks safe when the earth moves…

Paintings, prints and works on paper on the wall:

-          Firstly, press in the tongue of the picture hook, so that if the cord jumps, it’s less likely to jump off the hook

-          Make sure all pictures on the wall have two hooks. If the cord comes off one, you’ve got a backup. This also helps generally with imperceptible quakes and trucks going past, to keep the pictures hanging straight. If you are currently using one hook, put a new one in either side of the existing placement and the work will hang in the same place.

-          Try to make sure one of those two hooks is nailed into a stud/beam, as those just in gib can be jiggled out

-          If you want more security, put screw anchors into the wall, and use hooks that are screwed in rather than nailed in. But again, press the tongue of the hook closed to prevent the cord or wire jumping out.

I am also currently enquiring about special quake-proof picture hooks and hope to have these in stock within a week, let me know if you’d be interested in these.

-     In addition, you can use museum quake wax or quake putty behind the bottom corners of the picture frame and press it in against the wall. Tested this on a painting in 2011 in Christchurch and it was the only one that didn’t move in a 5.7 quake!

Sculptures, ceramics and glass objects:

-          Use quake wax, quake gel or quake putty under the base to secure it. It may not prevent every heavy object from tipping in a violent quake but it will stop them jiggling across a shelf or dresser or sideboard, and will stop most from tipping or sliding in a moderate quake.

-          Can also be used behind decorative wall plates to hold them to the wall

-          It might be useful to put tall or heavy items at a lower level or on the floor for the next few weeks (and secure them with wax too!) until the nature of this swarm of quakes is better understood.

What’s the difference between quake wax, putty, gel and other adhesive products like

Blu-tak? Firstly, the products are created for the purpose and don’t leave an oily residue on either the object or the wall/shelf surface when you remove it. They are also designed to firm up after application so they have a strong hold.

The wax looks like a clear candle wax but is malleable with the warmth of your fingers, and then hardens after you have applied it and left it. The gel is the easiest to remove or lift, so suits objects you move more often. The wax is better for objects you seldom move and are happy to dust around, it can be removed with care. One of my Canterbury artists has been using it to secure his sculpture maquettes and models for the last two years, very successfully. One of the best presents I ever gave him!

These products are removable, some more easily than others, without residue and without any damage to the object.

After recent enquiries for advice, I have decided to stock some of these products for sale at The Diversion Gallery. Prices range from about $12 for gel and putty or a small pottle of wax up to $30 for a large 350g pot of quake wax.

If you are interested in putty, gel, wax or hooks – please email me on bspeedy@thediversion.co.nz as soon as possible, so I can ensure we get sufficient supplies.

This is not intended to replace professional curatorial advice on care of artworks – just a personal self-help guide based on our own experience and what we’re doing with our own collection!”

  

 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

Life is short

Buy

the

shoes

[It's true. I don't know who said this or where I saw it maybe on Pinterest but recently I bought a fabulous pair of brown Overland ankle boots. I feel so good when I am wearing them.]

Friday 12 July: Cold with driving rain and gusty. The wind started in the night and kept me awake. The Southerly roars down the gully and the noise is accentuated by the large gum trees in the shared driveway. The Desert Road is closed.

The recent wild weather reminded me of a time when my parents lived in Simla Crescent in Khandallah, a suburb of Wellington. My father used to go to auctions mainly to buy paintings but occasionally he would bid for a case of wine. He would return home triumphant and store the bottles often in the cardboard carton in his cellar in the basement. He would produce a bottle from time to time saying: ‘this is a German Riesling’. He had been very impressed by a dinner he went to at the Chateau du Bois de Rocher in France where each course was matched with a different kind of wine. He often talked about that dinner.
   One day after torrential rain the storm water drains couldn’t cope and a stream of muddy water poured down the hill from a new subdivision up above. No-one was concerned but the next morning my mother went downstairs to put some washing in the machine and the whole basement was flooded. When the water had subsided, with the help of a chain of people holding buckets, my father checked on his wine. To his horror all the labels had come off the bottles.
   From then on he would produce a bottle of wine and putting it on the table would say: ‘I have no idea what this is’. Sometimes we didn’t know if it was red or white. Sometimes it was undrinkable, other times it was splendid and we wished we knew what it was so we could go and buy more.
   They retired to Ngakuta Bay in the Marlborough Sounds long before the region became well known for its Sauvignon Blanc. They drank gin and tonic mainly and Lindauer bubbly at Christmas or at a dinner party. For some reason when I was there no-one ever remembered to get a lemon from the prolific tree in the garden and I had to negotiate the back stairs which I considered to be totally unsafe because they were almost vertical. To my mind a gin and tonic wasn’t the same without a slice of lemon. When Sauvignon Blanc became the drink de jour we often chose Stoneleigh. It was a good wine to go with lunch of barbecued sausages or salmon done in the smoker. One day we decided collectively that it was too sweet, maybe it had something to do with the vintage. I’m learning more about this now. 2010 was a very good year for Pinot Noir and wine producers say 2013 is going to be an excellent year for Sauvignon Blanc – one of the best in a long time.
   Last Friday I went with a friend to the Picton Wine Club dinner. It was held at Café Cortado and the invited guest winery was Two Rivers. What a great evening. Each course was matched with a different wine and there were vegan options on the menu. So most diners had half shell mussels with parmesan and pesto,‘freshly caught’ blue cod, lamb cutlets, venison and a cheese selection. I had canapés of eggplant and salsa verde and whole sherry mushrooms with the Juliet Riesling 2012, garlic portabellos (mushrooms), on ginger and sesame bok choy with ‘Convergence’ Sauvignon Blanc 2012 and Clos des Pierres Chardonnay 2011, pea risotto with roast capsicums and red onions with the Awatere selection Pinot Noir 2011 and honey roasted winter vegetables topped with a herb crusted tomato and Guinness glaze (magnificent) matched with the Altitude Pinot Noir 2011. Actually some of us misheard and thought it was ‘Attitude’ which seemed an interesting description for a wine. The last course was a fruit and nut selection with chutneys with a Late Harvest Riesling 2008 which I thought was a little watery. My mother was very keen on Late Harvest wines, they should be syrupy, and add richness to the dessert. One phrase that amused us was the description of a wine as ‘seamless on the palate’. What does this phrase mean? To my mind it could be that the flavour passes you by and is almost bland. Of course that’s not what the presenter was thinking so maybe an explanation was called for.
    It was a bit of a shock at the end of the evening to hear my name being called out as the ‘poet in the room’ to ad lib a poem as the resident Wine Club poet was away. He usually comes up with a limerick or two. So I raved about the Pinot Noir from the Awatere Valley saying it was ‘to die for’ but as my co-presenter and compassionate supporter pointed out we were still here. So I moved on to saying a few words about the Sauvignon Blanc, named ‘Juliet’ after, I think, the mother of the vineyard owner. Not a brilliant effort but the diners were satisfied as there was a ripple of laughter. When I sat down I realized that sitting across from me was another poet who could probably have done better at such short notice.
   I love all these wines that originate from a particular valley, the Wairau, the Awatere, the headwaters of the Waitaki Valley in Central Otago (Ostler Wines), and are named after people who have a special place in the hearts of the winemakers, a mother, or a young woman, vibrant and full of life, who passed away too young.
   In winter I always drink red wine. My favourite Pinot Noirs at the moment are Whitehaven (when it’s on special), Forrest Estate (the merlot is also good), and Two Rivers (recently discovered, it is rich ruby red in colour, full bodied and with a lingering mouth feel!).
   Anyway next week is our Marlborough Writers’ group mid-winter dinner at Raupo, one of my favourite restaurants because of the eco design of the building and the location on the river. We have to write 100 words on the topic ‘Sauvignon Blanc’. Most of us hoped we could just party with no homework.

Recommended:

Book:

 

Create your Writer Platform: The key to building an audience, selling more books and finding success as an author by Chuck Sambuchino

Film:

 

Silver Linings Playbook (two neurotic characters and an equally weird father but worth watching for the dialogue).

           

 

 

 

 

Katherine Mansfield

If we are ever together down the Kenepuru Sounds come off with me for a whole day will you?

Katherine Mansfield in a letter written to her sister Jeanne in October 1921.

 

Tuesday 2 July: Cloudy, overcast start to the day, sunny in the afternoon with a northerly wind.

Last week’s storm in Wellington damaged the house at Downes Point, Days Bay on the eastern side of Wellington Harbour that inspired me to write my book Katherine Mansfield in Picton (Cape Catley, 2000).  For a number of years in the 1980s I owned a property across the road from this house and remember how fierce the storms could be with waves crashing across the road leaving debris behind and once the road to Eastbourne was closed because police considered it unsafe for driving.

   Occasionally my father would ring from the quiet seclusion of the inner Marlborough Sounds and ask what the conditions were like when he heard of a storm forecast for Wellington. I had a sun room with concertina windows that opened out to give a panoramic view of the bay and harbour - lovely in the summer and on a sparkling June day in winter but worrying in a storm. However the house always seemed to withstand the onslaught and the seaweed deposited on the beach during such weather was good for the garden.
   So it was a shock to hear about the destruction of the house which began as a little holiday cottage bought by Harold Beauchamp for his family holidays. From about 1898 the family holidayed on the eastern side of the harbour which had access mainly by steamer. They rented houses at Muritai and by 1906 the family owned the cottage at Days Bay.   In 1907 and 1908 Katherine Mansfield spent time at this cottage sometimes with a friend like Edith Bendall (June 1907) or with one of her sisters (March1908) as noted in her letters. She records that she and her sister were bored with life in Wellington:

   O the tedium vitae of 19 years! So have come here, where we bathe and row and walk in the bush or by the sea.

    Katherine Mansfield left New Zealand for England in July 1908 travelling by herself and determined to become a writer. She did not return.

   During the storm massive waves crashed over the front of the house and over the roof. Inside the water was ‘waist high’ and storm damage to the interior has revealed some of the original wall paper from 1906. The original cottage had been extended over the years. I recall visiting with a friend and seeing the slipway inside the house for launching a dinghy and the largest toilet I have ever seen.

   The book Katherine Mansfield’s New Zealand by Vincent O’Sullivan (Steele Roberts, 2013) has an image of the cottage as it looked when Katherine Mansfield stayed there (on page 51). The design is similar to the Beauchamp house at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds in the same publication (image on page 54). This house fell into disrepair over the years.
   One of her longer stories, ‘At the Bay’, is set at Days Bay and at Muritai. It was one of the last stories she wrote in the period 1921-1922.
   It begins:

   Very early morning. The sun was not yet risen and the whole of Crescent Bay was hidden under a white sea-mist.

   Wow. My computer spell check does not like the above sentence fragment!  While I concur that the setting for ‘At the Bay’ is mainly Days Bay and Muritai I suggested in my book (see page 32), that all sorts of memories went into the writing of her stories. It is not easy to distinguish fact from fiction much as readers would like to be able to. In a letter to Dorothy Brett Katherine Mansfield said while writing the story she had ‘wandered about all sorts of places – in and out’. In October 1921 she wrote to her sister Jeanne, thanking her for a birthday present and sent her a copy of the London Mercury which contained the story ‘At the Bay’. In the letter she reminisced and asked her sister if she remembered certain incidents from their childhood:

   If we are ever together down the Kenepuru Sounds come off with me for a whole day will you? And let’s just remember. How Chummie [her brother Leslie] loved it too. Can’t you hear his soft boyish laugh and the way he said “oh – absolutely!” I’m sending you a copy of the Mercury in case you didn’t see this story. Tell me if you like it. Just for once – will you?

   The story ‘At the Bay’ was re-published in 1922 as part of a collection titled: The Garden Party and other Stories.

Here is some further information about the storm and some links provided by the Katherine Mansfield Society:

 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10892092 

Video recording showing the inside of the cottage following the storm:

 

http://www.3news.co.nz/Katherine-Mansfields-former-summer-home-hammered-by-storm/tabid/309/articleID/302397/Default.aspx 

Recommended film:

Lincoln (great acting)

Books:

The Childhood of Jesus by J M Coetzee (unusual plot)
Mad Girl's Love Song: Sylvia Plath and life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson [life before she meets and marries poet, Ted Hughes]

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may never know what results from your actions. But if you do nothing there will be no result.

–Mahatma Gandhi (seen at the ‘Seeds of Hope’ exhibition)

ʘ Thursday 13 June. Cool, overcast beginning today, some blue sky later. Very still and the outlines of the hills are standing out more than usual.

   Had fun at the Wine Club evening recently. Jim Jerram from Ostler Wines in the Waitaki Valley in Central Otago spoke about the wines they produce and the limestone terroir and cool climate that helps to produce them. We got to taste a pinot noir from a variety of vintages including the award winning Caroline pinot noir. Interestingly when Jim asked the audience which of the three pinots they preferred there was a very mixed response, about 1/3^rd voted for each year’s vintage. www.ostlerwine.co.nz

   Our weekly Quiz team continues to achieve its goal of coming second to last. In fact last night we had $60 to spend at the bar having been second to last twice in a row and winning the Baffler question last week. The answer was a ‘crocodile’ and we guessed it on the second round along with four other teams so there was a play off and we won. So last night we bought a bottle of merlot and a bottle of chardonnay (Kim Crawford – not much choice really, and did you know Kim is male not female?), and $10 worth of chips to share. By filling out the prize vouchers our team is in the draw to win $5000 in a national competition.

   Two of the people in our team ride a tandem bicycle and have taken part in the grape ride on it so if you see them struggling up a hill near you please shout encouragement.  

Eco Artists Exhibition

   I am collaborating with a Christchurch glass artist in an Eco Artists’ exhibition to be held in Wellington in September in the Department of Conservation National office atrium (DOC’s exhibition space in central Wellington).Together we are looking at the Kaipupu Point project. This is a very good example of a community working together along with the Department of Conservation, Port Marlborough and local businesses. The theme of the exhibition is: ‘What are you, (whanau, group and so on), doing for Conservation Week?’’

   We hope to express through art the concept of cooperation with DOC, local businesses and the community and the importance of looking after the land and the flora and fauna associated with Kaipupu Point and the Sounds. With the recent DOC restructuring it is worrying that there may be fewer resources to achieve this.  I can’t say too much about the artwork itself except that it will incorporate a poem of mine and an interpretation of photographs of mine and also some sketches. You will have to go and see it.

   At Bookchat this week we wrote down our ‘Top 10 reads’. Some opted for a ‘desert island’ list or a ‘trip to Mars’ list and others came up with books they would like to read again. The Collected Works of Shakespeare and the Bible featured and for some of us the Shorter Oxford Dictionary. It’s huge and unbelievably heavy and in two volumes and I refer to it a lot. The local bookshop owners were very pleased when I bought it (a birthday gift from my father), as it cost a considerable sum of money. I have just voted in the Whitcoulls’ Top 10 competition. The incentive was to go in the draw to win $1000 worth of books! It only takes 5 minutes to vote but I might have been better off spending the time reading Life after Life by Kate Atkinson which is now overdue from the library.

‘Seeds of Hope’

   I volunteered to sit on the ‘Seeds of Hope’ exhibition and saw this quotation about sustainable development. It’s a phrase that gets tossed into a lot of discussions and I thought this was a good definition:

   ‘Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising      the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.

[From: Brundtland Commission report: Our common future, 1987]

And:

Future generations

Life on earth

Country

Family

ME

 Notes: 

  *We continue to await the outcome of the proposed Clifford Bay move.    

   *A couple of the local cafes are now offering lots of gluten-free options so that’s progress.

   *The editorial in the latest ‘Listener’ has worrying news about book publishing in this country – not great news for writers.

Recommended reading:

The Rosie Project, George Simsion [I laughed a lot]

Recommended Films:

Silver Linings Playbook – [funny/sad and a great ending]
Song for Marion [sad, take a tissue]

Recommended CD

‘The Latin Soul - Jennifer Zea & the Antipodean Collective’, produced by Nathan Haines [purchased by mail order from ‘Everyman’ shop in Hardy Street, Nelson – easier than encountering the claustrophobic shelving in the Warehouse.]

 

 

 

 

 

Poems come from where they have always come from, they dance in themselves as they always have, they sing to us as they always will and we will not need to be told what we feel or which way our inclinations lean ...we will dance and sing.

- A R Ammons

[Quotation from a postcard produced by the New Zealand Poetry Society]

17 May: Overcast this morning followed by heavy rain all afternoon.

 

An old friend (in the sense of knowing someone for a very long-time), invited me to be part of a weekly quiz team so you’ll be pleased to know I’m having more fun. Our goal is to be ‘second to last’ as that team receives a bottle of wine or a $25 meal voucher.
   Looking at the reverse of the above postcard I see I wrote ‘scanner’ on the back and I am reminded of a time when I had to have a card sitting in front of me before I could begin any writing activity. I had a number of laminated cards showing different scenes or with quotes in a pile on my desk and would prop up the relevant one when I sat down to work. Now I just start. I am fortunate to have a lovely oak writing desk which belonged to my mother and a sea view out the window. The desk is at right angles to the window so I am not too distracted though I did see the Kaitaki hit the wharf during the high winds the other day. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like at Clifford Bay?  Yesterday I was told a story by an ex-drover that he couldn’t sit on his horse in the strong winds they get down there because he would have been blown off. He had to dismount and lead the horse.

Poetry 
   We had such a good poetry meeting on Wednesday morning. The convenor had been sent a small reddish pink stamp by a friend in Australia, postmarked Picton, NZ, 1894.  Our task over the last four weeks was to write a poem based around the stamp. What a variety of poems, humour, travel, history, genealogy, family. We are all so talented! Our convenor wants to send a copy of all the poems to her friend. I would like someone to make a small booklet by scanning the stamp to put on the cover and include all the poems just for ourselves. Last night at our Marlborough Writers’ meeting I was shown a slim booklet published by Cold Hub Press, they call the format ‘poetry chapbooks’. Talk about serendipity, that’s exactly what I had in mind.
   Sadly the poetry workshop with James Norcliffe has been cancelled though he will offer one in Nelson in June. Having received only one registration (from me), and a query the organisers wondered: ‘Where were all the Marlborough poets?’ Let’s hope it doesn’t put people off organising future workshops. We had a very successful two day workshop with poet, James Brown a few years ago. I still treasure a syllable poem I wrote as a pre-course exercise he set, based on the theme: ‘My First Home’.

Picton Foreshore management plan

   The Marlborough District Council is suggesting there should be a management plan for the Picton Foreshore. A discussion document will be available later this month and people can make submissions. This is a good idea as I don’t want to see a proliferation of memorial seats. I would quite like to see the wall where the murals are made into a memorial wall where families could purchase plaques from an engraving company. I admired the one by the Cathedral in Christchurch and this gave me the idea. Past well known individuals could also be remembered like Arthur Penrose Seymour whose name used to grace the Foreshore entrance where the wishing well used to be in the 1970s. The sign was removed at a certain point because the area was more commonly referred to as the Picton Foreshore rather than Seymour Gardens. Also novelist Nelle Scanlan was delighted to have a memorial to her in the form of an oak tree planted on the Foreshore in the 1930s. The seedling came from the Seymour’s garden. She said in her autobiography that it was her ‘only living memorial’. I have searched for this tree over the years, enquired at the Picton Museum and can find no evidence of it. It’s a bit disconcerting how heritage can be forgotten. That’s probably why I spent so much time writing the Chronology of Picton and Queen Charlotte Sound, (Volume 1), available from the Picton Museum @ $25. A plaque for Nelle Scanlan would be fitting.
   The foreshore is so attractive now with the promenade, the wide open spaces and the planting and the view of the harbour. Let’s hope no-one suggests moving the palms like they did in Blenheim to make way for the new theatre. They weren’t even transplanted to another site like Grove Road which would have improved Blenheim’s main entrance. They were just removed. Another thing I don’t want to see is an apartment block in Wellington Street. This was part of the original plan. I think it was fortunate that the recession came along because Council had to work to a much tighter budget and guarantee a return on their investment so we got open space which is good for the soul. And even though the toilet block is very visible it’s OK. I think the signs are what redeem the building. I wonder what will happen to the old brick ‘Penny-in-the-slot toilets’ near the museum built in 1874 for the first railway station. There is such potential there, a fernery, a hot salt water spa, or simply a historical curiosity with a plaque. Last time I peered through the bars of the iron gate there was an unsavoury looking old mattress and piles of rubbish inside. Hopefully visitors never venture anywhere near that eastern corner of the museum.

Katherine Mansfield Sculpture

   As I mentioned in my last blog the sculpture of Katherine Mansfield was unveiled recently in Wellington. I would love to have been there. I emailed a friend of mine who fortuitously was in Wellington visiting relatives. She and her husband took a bus to Midland Park on Lambton Quay and she said a young child was holding Katherine Mansfield's  hand. Here is a review written by Wellington author and KM tour guide Kevin Boon who attended the opening.

 

                                                Mansfield Unveiled

The statue of Katherine Mansfield ‘Woman of Words’ was unveiled at Midland Park, shortly after six p.m. on the evening of Wednesday, May 8^th. It is a magnificent monument to New Zealand’s most acclaimed author and arguably, one of the best modern sculptures in the world.

   Despite the chilly evening, a large crowd gathered to celebrate the occasion and they were addressed by representatives from the Wellington Sculpture Trust, the Wellington City Council, the Katherine Mansfield Society, the Birthplace Society and other organizations that had supported the project. All were proud that this memorial to one of Wellington’s most celebrated and cherished citizens now stands on the corner of our busiest street, where Katherine Mansfield frequently walked.
   The sculptor, Virginia King, then described the philosophy behind the sculpture and some of the frustrations and difficulties its creation presented. It is constructed from steel and perforated with samples of writing from a wide variety of Katherine Mansfield’s stories and diaries.  The face is a mask, in keeping with a statement Mansfield once made and the hair is formed from one of her shopping lists, but it is Mansfield and modernist in every sense.
   Cathy Downes provided an excellent performance of The Dolls House, which was greatly appreciated by the audience. The unveiling was led by the mayor, Celia Wade-Brown, although all hands were required before the 3.3 metre statue was revealed. Illuminated from within it was admired and applauded by all present. Finally, many of those present adjourned to the Astoria Café where this historic occasion was convivially celebrated.

© Kevin Boon, 2013

 

 

Look deep into Nature and you will understand everything better.

–  Albert Einstein

Friday, 10 May:  Beautiful day yesterday but wild and extremely windy today with rain forecast.

   A Katherine Mansfield sculpture has just been unveiled in Midland Park in Wellington. Words from her writing are etched into metal and I believe her hair is created from metal strips containing the shopping lists that appeared in her Notebooks. The sculptor is Virgina King. See www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org and Beattie’s Book Blog for photographs.

Salmon farms update
  
   The Ministry of Primary Industry granted $600,000 to the Salmon Improvement Group from the Sustainable Farming Fund to study deformities in king (chinook) salmon in New Zealand. The Marlborough District Council is going to have a close look at the latest monitoring results for NZ King Salmon fish farms in the Marlborough Sounds (Marlborough Express, 26 April, 2013, p.5).

World news
  
   Having just got over worrying about North Korea and its nuclear threat now we have Syria and the alleged use of the nerve gas Sarin and whether US President Barack Obama who says Syria has crossed ‘a red line’ will now be obliged to do something. Israel seems to think he should in case the weapons of mass destruction fall into the hands of terrorists. Fortunately as a distraction I am reading a lovely book about the White House garden and Michelle Obama. It’s very inspiring and yesterday I planted leeks and bok choy and added compost to one garden bed.

Queen Mary and Captain James Cook display [Spectrum 21 April 2013]

   Some of you know I am writing about Captain James Cook and the time he spent at Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound (over 100 days).  I heard an interview with Dame Anne Salmond on board the Queen Mary. Interestingly the captain said that a lot of New Zealand is best viewed from the sea like Auckland and Wellington Harbour and the Marlborough Sounds. The ship is circumnavigating New Zealand following the route that Cook took in the 18^th Century. When they were in the ballroom the captain said there were male escorts available on the Queen Mary for women who didn’t have a partner.
   An exhibition of Cook memorabilia from the Museum of New South Wales is currently on display on board the Queen Mary. There is very tight security. There are letters handwritten by Cook to John Walker, his mentor in Whitby. Also among the items is a handwritten account of Cook’s first days in New Zealand in Gisborne. Joseph Banks, the wealthy naturalist who helped fund the First Voyage thought they had discovered Terra Australis, the continent that was presumed to exist on this side of the world to balance the European continent. This was the secret mission of the First Voyage as outlined in written instructions to Cook. Generally it was thought the purpose was to observe the Transit of Venus. You can hear the interview on Radio New Zealand National’s website. Cook also wrote to his wife Elizabeth in England also but apparently she destroyed all the letters.

Katherine Mansfield Celebration Weekend  

   The programme outlined below makes me wonder if now I have the rights back I should look at having my book Katherine Mansfield in Picton published as an e-book. It’s out of print now. It was selected by the NZ Society of Authors to be on show at the Frankfurt Book Fair last year when New Zealand was the guest Country of Honour.

   I would like to add the photograph of Katherine Mansfield sitting in a deck chair in France as it seems to symbolise the more relaxed lifestyle in Marlborough. Also when Granny Dyer (nee Mansfield), Annie Beauchamp’s mother, brought the three children to Picton for Easter (c. April 1889), when Katherine Mansfield was only 6 months old, I stated in the book that the Beauchamp parents were in England. In actual fact they didn’t go to England until November. Also I would put all  the endnotes at the end of the book rather than at the end of each section.

Programme (to be confirmed), celebrating the 125th anniversary of Katherine Mansfield’s birth in Wellington, (born Sunday, 14 October 1888).
   Note the ferry trip from Wellington to Picton in the South Island on Saturday, 12 October to view places associated with her and her family that inspired her short story ‘The Voyage’. Very exciting.

Celebrating Katherine Mansfield

A long weekend of tours, events and performances celebrating the 125th anniversary of Katherine Mansfield’s birth in Wellington.
Friday 11 October – Monday 14 October 2013

Tentative Programme

Day One (Friday 11th) Registration, Concert & Cocktail Party 6.00–9.00pm
A cello and piano concert at St. John’s in the City followed by a cocktail Party at the Thistle Inn.

Day Two (Saturday 12th) The Voyage 8.00am–5.30pm
A return voyage on the Inter-Island Ferry to visit the homes of Katherine Mansfield’s paternal grandparents in Picton, view the sailing vessel Edwin Fox and visit other sites.

Day Three (Sunday 13th) Katherine Mansfield’s Wellington 10.00am–5.00pm
Morning Programme: Thorndon & Karori: commencing at Katherine Mansfield’s Birthplace and visiting the Zigzag, Katherine Mansfield Park and other nearby locations associated with KM and her stories. Travel by bus to Karori to visit Chesney Wold and Karori School, before proceeding to the Thistle Inn for Lunch. Afternoon Programme: At the Bay: Travel by bus to Eastbourne to visit the cottage at Days Bay once owned by KM’s family and the ‘At the Bay’ house at Muritai. Return to the Pavilion at Days Bay for afternoon tea and a reading of ‘At the Bay’, before returning by Harbour Ferry to Queens Wharf.

Day Four (Monday 14th) Katherine Mansfield’s Birthday 10.00am–2.00pm
Meet at the Sculpture of Katherine Mansfield in Midland Park. Proceed on a conducted tour of the Wellington Writers’ Walk, stopping for lunch on the waterfront.
(The afternoon is free for people to visit Te Papa Museum the shops, etc., before the Celebration Dinner)
Celebration Dinner 7.30 pm. Including readings and items relating to Katherine Mansfield.

To register interest or for further details please contact the organiser: k.boon@clear.net.nz or P.O. Box 22011, Wellington 6441, N.Z or (04)4793264

http://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/

[Note: above item copied from NZ Society of Authors e-newsletter, 10 May 2013 www.authors.org.nz]