If we breathe the scent of goodly grass, the fragrance of spices, the aroma of good fruits, we pronounce a blessing over the pleasure.
Shmuel Y. Agnon

Ce qui embellit le désert, dit le petit prince, c’est qu’il cache un puits quelque part…
“What makes the desert beautiful,” says the little prince, “is that somewhere it hides a well.”

Tu deviens responsable pour toujours de ce que tu as apprivoisé.
“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Le Petit Prince

Perhaps it was a moment of inspiration, a flash of insouciance that made us come to the decision that we needed to go up there. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, a sudden revelation among the vibrating greens of the soon-to-be-harvested vines, a kiss of day’s end along the bird netting. Whatever it was, the decision was made. (more…)

Kia ora tatou:

I had a phone call this am, pointing out that it is difficult to find the newsletter signup. Hmmm….

Try this.

On the title bar, to the left of the featured image, you will see contact. Go to this page.

When you get there, you will see a link to newsletter, which takes you to a new page. Click on it.

Fill in the boxes, and click submit( at the bottom of the page).

Voila.

Hope that helps.

Ka kite ano.

Ka hinga atu he tete-kura – ka hara-mai he tete-kura. As one fern frond (person) dies – one is born to take its place. -Whakatauki (Maori Proverb)
Whaia e koe ki te iti kahurangi; ki te tuohu koe, me maunga teitei
Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain-Whakatauki (Maori Proverb)

Tane Mahuta, the god of the forest and the birds, and Hineahuane, the woman made from the earth, had a daughter Hinetitama. Hinetitama or the Dawn Maiden was the only female god. As Hinetitama grew, Tane Mahuta began to wonder who would be her husband. He consulted with his brothers but they told him that it was his decision. Tane Mahuta then took the form of a man and Hinetitama fell in love with him and became his wife. She gave birth to Hinerauwharangi.
Then one day the wind whispered to Hinetitama, “Who is your father?” On another occasion a wave asked the same question. Hinetitama then became curious as to the identity of her father. Realizing that she had no recollection of him, she asked her husband. He told her to ask the posts of the marae. Suspecting the truth, Hinetitama asked Tane Mahuta a second time. He then made a particular gesture. Shocked, Hinetitama told him that she would leave him and go to the lower world. Her words were, “The path of Tahekeroa to the lower world shall be laid down for all time. From the Muriwaihou I will look up to you and our offspring moving in the world.”
Tane Mahuta objected but Hinetitama was determined to leave him. Her final words were, “Remain, O Tane Mahuta to pull up our offspring to the day, while I go below to drag them down to night.” Then Hinetitama chanted karakia to weaken the power of Tane Mahuta. Next she told their children to go to sleep. Finally she went down to the entrance of the lower worlds. There the guardian of Tatau o te Po tried to dissuade her, but Hinetitama remained determined and said, “Let me remain, that I may catch the living spirit of my descendants in the world of everlasting light.”
Hinetitama changed her name to Hinenuitepo. She was the first to take the path to Rarohenga and she stands at the end of the path to welcome her children. The legend says that though the body of man perishes the spirit of the deceased goes to Rarohenga where Hinenuitepo, the guardian of death, will care for it.

Kia ora tatou:

Some time ago I wrote to Jeanette Fitzsimons, leader of the New Zealand Green Party on the subject of the windfarm on the Lammermoors. Today I received a reply.  Here it is in full. I have to say that my position since then has changed, that I am seeing the whole issue in a new light( no pun intended) and that I think there are bigger issues at stake… More on that later.

Dear Tony

Thank you for the link. Your photographs of the Lammermoors are really stunning.
As proponents of empowering people the Green Party are pushing for micro-generation options and the solar hot water programme is a part of this approach. (more…)

Kia ora tatou:

It has been three months in the making, but I am nearly there.The exhibition to mark the end(completion) of my residencywill open officially on February 16 at 6:30pm, just on four months since I moved here. I am showing it in the Rail Shed behind the Information Centre in Ranfurly, and it will run for 2 months until April 16. If any of you are abl to make it down for the opening, I would love to see you there. Come and have a glass of wine, some nibbles, and enjoy the images.

For those of you wondering about the title, it really describes how the landscape has affected my picture-making . Over the time I have been here, I have come to realise that the winds come from every direction, and that Ranfurly sits in the middle of it all. There is no question that my fascination with the skies has grown, and more significantly, with thehe patterns of the weather, and their interaction.

It is impossible however to live in a small rural service town without being fascinated by the way in which the element(al)s affect the cycle of life here, and I have tried to draw reference to that as well.

If any of you are passing by, it would be wonderful to see you.

After the opening, I will be around for a few days, then I am off to the Wairarapa for a fortnight to teach with Freeman Patterson. I will be back in Ranfurly in early March to tidy things up and start packing, for my next move to……

Ka kite ano