Tag Archives: summer

by

A great vintage

Grapes 2013

One of the advantages of a long, hot and dry summer is that the country has many happy vintners. The 2013 vintage is shaping up as a cracker right across the country so if you’re a fan of New Zealand wine keep an eye out for some fabulous treats.

At our place we share a very old vine with our neighbours. Over the years it has spread it’s way down the boundary fence and now covers about half the length bringing that Italian feel from our back yard right down to the front door.

Every year it produces eating grapes and usually they are, how would you put it – sour, really sour. This year the long dry spell has been their saviour. Rich and sweet they have been a hit with our friends and rellies – so much so that friends planned  a pick and run mission last weekend to clean out the last remaining bunches.

As a result, our grapes may not be up for grabs this year but any bottle of wine from New Zealand with 2013 on the label will be worth grabbing – believe me.

by

Only 20 days of water left

Dry Lake Bed of Mojave Desert

Wellington has been experiencing a drought. It has been a dry summer and with no rain in the last 6 weeks all outdoor garden watering was banned a few days ago.

By  Sunday we were down to 20 days of water left in the reservoirs around the city.

Presumably once that’s gone we will be forced to drink wine and bathe in champagne. And friends, any spare bottles of Perrier you have sitting in the cupboards, please send it this way urgently.

If you sense a little cynicism in this post it is only because I am a Wellingtonian and I just knew that the good weather couldn’t hold out forever. Yesterday and today the rains arrived.

Good news for the garden but bad news for the Wellington water supply – apparently. Because the catchment area streams and rivers have been so low and full of dust and dirt, the recent rain washed all this muck with it and became too dirty to be purified by the Wellington water system.

So the irony is that after 2 days of solid rain we have 2 less days of water available. Now, where’s that champagne?

by

The fleet is now complete

356 Outside Gate

A week ago I picked the 356 up from the Powerhaus with refurbished brakes, a tuned engine, new battery and new “stop it leaking oil onto the road” thingies.

The last time I drove it was onto a transporter heading to the Powerhaus before Christmas. All four brake drums had seized so it was more dragged than driven. It was a sad sight.

But now it’s back and better than ever. All it needs now is a wash and wax and it’s back to showroom condition.

by

A car for a summer’s day – thankfully we’re having a few.

Summer has hit with a vengeance and the forecast for the next week is sun and lots of it. An ideal chance (in fact the only chance) to dust off the Porsche 550 replica and put some miles on the clock.

When one long, hot, dry day is followed by another, the complete lack of a roof is no longer a problem.

The more I drive it the more impressed I am with the way it handles and performs. I’m especially impressed by the way it pushes my eyeballs to the back of my head every time I accelerate on a straight and then pops them out on stalks when I brake.

Luckily it also goes around corners – but always with a slight sense of menace that next time, if I’m not careful, it could end badly – in the harbour or over a bank.

Tonight it got photographed just as the sun was setting parked outside the house.

The year that was

Everywhere I look the last 12 months are being reviewed – news, sports, politics – the best of, the worst of – clearly this is the time of year for reflection. Never being one to miss a trend, here’s our year in review.

It started in a cold UK and ended in a warm and sunny New Zealand. Along the way there has been travel, adventure, triumphs and sadness. Going back through the photo album, a few images leapt out.

by

Home again

Poppie asleep on Minnie

After just over a week on the road we arrived home last Thursday. It had been a great break but we were all exhausted.

A huge thank you to the whole Pohara team who are now, once again, spread all around the globe.

Pohara panorama - 5 shots stitched together using Photoshop

Pohara panorama – 5 shots stitched together using Photoshop

by

Attention to all Ford Falcon fans

On Christmas Day we flew from Wellington to Nelson to spend time with Jean’s family as part of our Christmas break. Mike, our brother-in-law, kindly lent us his spare car to get around.

But this wasn’t your usual “spare car”, it was a 2005 Ford Falcon FPV 320 Boss ute. Now I’m not an expert on Australian muscle cars and all I know is that it goes like stink and the best way to drive is with the window down listening to the V8 in action.

I’m sure at least one of my lovely readers can provide more information about the car – you know who you are.

Ford Falcon Boss 320 Ute

Ford Falcon Boss 320 Ute

by

Here comes the sun

From the end of May to the middle of August our house loses the sun.

For the other 10 months of the year it basks in the golden glow but for the darkest depths of winter the sun teases us as it passes over the front fence never coming any closer. This was one of the reasons we decided to spend July in Europe each year usually returning just as the sun started to creep inside again.

Over the last few days we have seen the sun start to return – much to the delight of Poppie who spent this morning asleep on her recently adopted rug on the stair landing, warmed by the sun.

For Jean and I it means that summer is that little bit closer.

A little more about Wellington

There’s a saying – “you can’t beat Wellington on a good day”. But sadly at this time of year those good days are few and far between.

Today, after rain for the last 3 days, it was a good day. I was driving back from the city around Oriental Bay, one of the more affluent parts of the city, and the temptation to stop and take some photos was too strong.

Oriental Bay is only 5 minutes drive from the city centre and is a favorite spot for Wellingtonians – everyone from families walking dogs through to lunchtime joggers.

Until a few years ago the beach was just rocks and boulders but the city council decided to re-sand the beach, building break waters at either end of the bay to keep the sand from washing away. For the most part it worked with only an annual top up of sand and some re-distribution from one end of the beach to the other being needed.

In summer the beach is packed with locals making the most of this inner city asset.

One year ago today

July 12 2011 – we were staying in the lovely Villa Greta in Positano on the Amalfi Coast. It was a scorching hot day with the temperature hovering in the low 30′s (celsius) with hardly a breath of wind. The ideal day to wander down to the beach – in this case our local, Arienzo Beach. “Local” means directly below Villa Greta down 239 steps. All very well going down but an absolute nightmare coming up on a hot day. But well worth it for a lie in the sun and a fine pasta lunch at the beach club.

July 12 2012 – I was sitting in my study in Casa Kainui, Wellington. The sun was shining and I thought about taking a wander down to our local beach – Hataitai Beach. The temperature was hovering in the low 10′s (celsius) with a brisk wind blowing from the south- no, it’s not quite the same.

A perfect day
by

A perfect day

Wellington has not had a good summer. Apparently the weather has been generally cold, unsettled, blowy and not what you expect from a kiwi summer.

This week that’s all changed and today was a cracker. To prove it, I captured a shot of a young lady enjoying the afternoon sun – her identity remains a mystery.

It wasn’t quite a Tuscan sun but it wasn’t too shabby either.

We’re here and the weather is …

… beautiful.  As we hoped, it’s back to summer clothes for a wee while. Yesterday we wandered down to the beach at Positano.  The village is still busy but that summer crush of people has gone and everyone seems more relaxed.

The restaurants we know were open and all the shops seem to be having sales – a truly dangerous combination.

In fact we sat in Buca di Bacco’s La Pergola restaurant right next to the beach and had lunch.  The ceiling is a mass of greenery which is now starting to turn red and orange as the leaves realise it’s autumn.

Sitting there without the heat of summer was delightful – and it was an ideal spot to snap some photos of the beach to show that summer is alive and well, and living at Positano.

by

Last of the summer wine

As summer turns to autumn, every week there are less and less visitors staying at our place. The days are still fine, sunny and hot – unusual weather the locals say.

From the height of the season when there would be kids, adults and inflatable toys everywhere around the pool, today there was just us. Bliss.

by

House on a hill – Autumn

As summer recedes and autumn takes hold, the landscape around us once again changes, revealing yet another Tuscany.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.