Auckland's Chinese Lantern Festival

 I bit the bullet on Friday and attended Auckland's lantern festival. My aversion to crowds meant that I have avoided it for the last few years but when I heard it had moved to a much more spacious venue I thought it was worth another visit.

Living in a large multicultural city has great benefits; there are numerous authentic, ethnic restaurants around the city serving delicious food from all corners of the globe and an increasing number of cultural festivals to enjoy. The downside is that there are also large crowds attending those same festivals.

2016 is the year of the Monkey

  Since Aucklanders of Chinese heritage now make up 10% of Auckland's population it is fitting that the Lantern Festival, timed to coincide with Chinese New Year, has become one of New Zealand's most popular festivals.  Held over four days it is a combination of stunning lanterns,specially created in Sichuan, China, which are hung from trees and scattered around the gardens, cultural performances and asian ethnic food stalls.  No wonder it is popular!

I think I played it just right this year.  I arrived early in full daylight.  Found parking very close to the venue, bought my dinner before any queues had formed and enjoyed the slowly developing spectacle as the sun went down and darkness descended. I watched martial arts displays, musical performances and, of course, the lion and dragon dances. Having viewed all the lanterns in their glory I made my way home as the crowds continued to swell to almost impossible proportions.  I felt very content if not slightly smug as I passed the food stalls with queues of 50 or more. Nevertheless the good thing about the new venue, the Auckland Domain, is that there is plenty of space surrounding the festival area to picnic and watch the festivities from a distance, away from the crush, if it gets too much for you.

Here are some of my photos from the night, they don't really do the lanterns justice.

To Cruise or not to Cruise? - that is the question

January 1963 aboard the MV Willem Ruys, England to New Zealand
"Our gang" - I'm on the far right

When I was 14  I traveled by sea from New Zealand to England  with my parents and three of my brothers.  The trip took around 5 weeks and was absolutely wonderful.  All those weeks of freedom, hanging out with other teenagers all day, indulging in heaps of innocent fun, no chores to do, entertainment and meals laid on and our parents relaxed in the knowledge that we were safe and happy.  15 months later we made the return journey and it was just as good.  Stops at exotic ports along the way were an exciting added bonus. They were some of the happiest times of my early life and are etched deeply in my memory.  Curiously I have never felt the urge to go on a cruise again.  Partly, I think, because my late husband suffered terribly from sea sickness and wouldn't entertain the idea, but also because I saw it as an activity for either the elderly or for young and rowdy party animals.  Nevertheless, when my brother rang and invited me to join him, his wife, and a couple of their friends on a very short cruise I jumped at the chance.  4 nights at sea seemed like the perfect tester to see if I liked it or not. So here is my list of the pros and cons of cruising:

THINGS I ENJOYED:

1. Getting up early and walking around the ship when everyone else was still asleep.  Morning is my favourite time of day and having a deck to myself to enjoy amazing sunrises was bliss

Sunrises at sea are spectacular

2. Being mesmerised by the dark navy blue sea, the frothing whitecaps and the ship's wake

3. Sharing meals and company with friends and family. We had a delicious meal at the premium restaurant one evening.

4. No telephone, no internet, no news,  no chores, no cooking = no stress

5. Good quality shows in the theatre

The beautiful, captivating, endless sea

6. Unpacking my suitcase and not having to pack again until I left the ship

7. People watching - an endlessly fascinating pastime

8. Dolphins at sea and tug boats and pilots in port.

9. The Great Gatsby Party - a theme night on our particular cruise - loads of fun

The Great Gatsby Party - everyone got into the spirit of the night

10. The adults only Oasis bar on the rear deck

11. The gentle almost imperceptible rocking that lulled me to sleep each night

12. The feeling of well being from huge lungs full of fresh sea air

THINGS I DIDN'T ENJOY:

1. Crowds of people

2. Too much noise.  It seemed every time we were settled in a quiet bar for a chat a quiz competition or band started playing. Most of the entertainment in the bars was pretty cheesy. Several times we had to pick up our drinks and move elsewhere for some peace

3.  As above, trying to find a peaceful spot to settle with a book.  I did manage to find somewhere each day but it took some doing

At last!  A quiet place to read

4. The feeling of being trapped aboard

5. The short time in port. It is impossible to get to know a city in a few short hours.  I like to really get to know a place, mix with the locals, eat local food etc.  It didn't matter on this cruise because I had been to the one city we visited many times before but if I was going on a longer cruise I would feel cheated.

6. From my observations over many years I have noticed that prices suddenly go up in shops when a ship is in port and small towns get over run by large numbers coming ashore.  Some passengers like to wear their ship board ID cards proudly around their neck when they come ashore.  Big mistake!  You are advertising yourself as a cruiser and therefore fair game.

There are many grades of cruise ship from pretty basic to 6 star so it is a good idea to do your homework before booking a cruise to see what best suits you.  Some ships cater more to families and the young party set, others cater to the older generation looking for peace and quiet and yet others cater to everybody.

As you can see my "Pro" list is longer than my "Con" list.  Would I go on a cruise again?  Yes, I would, but it would be for the cruise itself, not to see the world. Cruising is a  relaxing, stress free holiday but  to see the world properly and get to know a people, place and culture, requires longer time ashore than a cruise can provide. 

Agapanthus - Beauty or Beast?

  It is agapanthus time and my home city of Auckland is awash with waves of these pretty blue and white flowers dancing gently in the breeze.  Native to South Africa, agapanthus seems to have found its dream location in Auckland and has spread so fast and naturalised so easily  that whole streets are now lined with these invasive plants.

  Their ability to cover scruffy banks, edge long driveways and resist salt spray originally made them a popular choice for low maintenance gardens but now the genie is out of the bottle and there is no stopping them.

All these photos were taken on the riverside walk behind my home.

When my garden was first landscaped the designer put in a few agapanthus plants.  I was delighted because they have fresh green foliage which looks good all year round and then those lovely cool flowers which bloom in the heat of summer.  However, it didn't take me long to realise what a nuisance these plants can be.  They produce prolific seeds which seem to be able to germinate in the smallest of cracks and, if left, will spread through the garden choking everything in sight.  I promptly took to digging them out, (they are almost impossible to poison), hard, sweaty work due to their dense root mats.  Even now I find the odd plant popping up here and there and I quickly deal to it. Also, snails love hiding in their thick foliage, a pain for the home vegetable grower. Agapanthus have become so invasive that the New Zealand Department of Conservation, concerned that they are now choking native plants, has classed them an environmental weed.

  Interestingly my daughter-in-law, living in London, bought some agapanthus flowers at a florist for an eye watering price and is keen to establish a plant in her garden.  It seems that what is a weed in one country is a rare and exotic beauty somewhere else.

Another good thing is that bees love them

  Despite their nuisance factor they do make a magnificent sight when in bloom, hide a multiple of sins and I enjoy seeing them each summer. Just one request, agapanthus, please stay out of my garden and our pristine bush and please leave room for our native plants too!

Travel - Don't forget to remember. With thanks to Bill Bryson!

Well  the Christmas / New Year break has come and gone and I have to say it was probably the weirdest one I have ever experienced.  On the 23rd of December I was struck down by a strange bug.  My Doctor called it a flu but it wasn't like any flu I'd ever heard of before.  Every symptom, apart from debilitating lethargy, and loss of appetite, was from the throat up.  I won't bore you with the grizzly details but suffice to say I spent the whole break feeling miserable.  Christmas Day was bizarre.  My son and daughter-in-law put on a brunch for several relatives, many of whom I hadn't seen for months, and I was completely unable to utter a word, my voice entirely gone.  I suppose many would say that was a blessing! My son based in London, ever the comedian, gently asked, when I told him that all my symptoms were in my head, if that meant I was imagining it all? I wish!  Anyway, as luck would have it, the weather here in New Zealand was glorious for the best part so I spent most of the time lying under an umbrella in the sun reading Bill Bryson's latest book, The Road to Little Dribbling. What a delight.  Bryson has such a relaxed, easy style, peppering his accounts with laugh out loud humour and wry observations making the book the perfect antidote to my flu.  And it also got me thinking.

WE DON'T LOOK BACK ENOUGH

 For those of us who are passionate travellers, life gets to be about the next adventure, the next journey, the where-can-I-go-that-I-haven't-been- before type of thing.  We are always planning and saving for a holiday somewhere, indeed, anywhere.  But how many of us actually sit and ruminate on past travels.  Sure places we have been will come up in conversation or on a TV programme and our minds will flash back briefly to our experiences there but do we ever just sit and relive past journeys.  In fact, once the photos have been carefully placed in an album and shown off to anyone interested, or even those who aren't, how often do we take time to go through the albums again?

In his book Bill visits several places in England that I had visited over the years and barely given a second thought to since.  Beautiful places like Tenby in Wales " ...it is exquisite - full of pastel-coloured houses, sweet-looking hotels and guest houses, characterful pubs and cafes, glorious beaches and gorgeous views " (B. Bryson) or the uniquely beautiful Yorkshire Dales where I spent many happy hours with my son and his family. Bryson views the spectacular Ribblehead Viaduct and mentions in passing the picturesque village of Malham where he used to live and  where I enjoyed lunch. His praise for Oxford is fulsome. He refers to it as "...the most improved city in Britain" (B.Bryson) particularly enjoying the improvements to the museums and the pedestrianised main street. I have a very soft spot for Oxford having spent several weeks there when my son lived there and I came to know and love it well. Haunts familiar to me such as Woodstock and The Trout Inn all get a mention as does the TV series Morse.  I even, at one stage,  harboured a burning desire to be the lock keeper at Iffley lock, in the story book village  just along the river from Oxford "I found myself transported to a Cotswold village, or something awfully like it" (B.Bryson)

Here are some photos from my albums of the places mentioned above:

 Tenby, Wales - I noted beside it " A really delightful town"

 

 The Trout, Godstow, a short walk from Oxford. I spent many happy times there.

 

The  spectacular Ribblehead Viaduct, Yorkshire Dales

A wintry day in Malham, Yorkshire, the village Bill Bryson lived in for 8 years

These are but a few of the memory joggers for me in a book crammed full of them and I have to say that despite feeling ill and rather miserable I found it a pure delight to read a chapter, close my eyes and rest while going back in my mind to my memories of the place I had just read about. What a great distraction. So, thank you, Bill Bryson, I am well now and your book was just what the Doctor ordered. I promise I will look back more often but, of course, I will keep looking forward too!

So there we are then,

DON'T FORGET TO REMEMBER YOUR TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES

 The joy they bring you can be life long if you take the time to think back over them.

My Garden is dressed for Christmas

I love my garden especially at this time of year when everyone is frantically rushing around, the malls are packed, the roads are clogged and the social calendar is fit to burst.  A quiet half hour in my courtyard at the end of the day is the perfect antidote.  It is time for peace and quiet reflection on all the good things in life and for counting blessings.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and, if at all possible, take some time for quiet reflection.


For some reason this video won"t play.  You can see it on my Facebook page A Wandering Widow Solo Travel

Auckland's Winter Gardens - Victorian Charm

The Winter Gardens, Auckland Domain

I never have to go far from home if I want to have a wander. Auckland is blessed with lots of parks and beaches in every direction. In fact right opposite my home is a 50 hectare farm park where I enjoy a walk amongst the cows, it's a slice of country in the city.  Sometimes, though, when I feel the need for a change of scenery I head to the Auckland Domain. Yes, New York may have its Central Park, London, its Hyde Park, but Auckland has it's Domain. At 75 hectares  not quite on the same scale as the other two, I grant you, but  like them it is a lush, rolling green oasis in the heart of the city and a popular place to hang out and relax. The impressive, classically designed, Auckland Museum stands proudly overlooking the park
where pathways wind between massive trees, through flower beds and sculpture gardens. It's a perfect place to people watch and there's always something to see. Last time I visited an Indian family was holding a gathering in the picturesque Victorian band rotunda, the women dressed in saris so beautiful that I sat for some time admiring them as they fluttered about like a flock of exotic birds. For generations children have swarmed to the duck pond to feed the ducks although this practice is now frowned on. Apparently the over generosity of the children was making the ducks ill. If people watching is not your thing you will often find a cricket or football match or a free music concert and once a year the Domain hosts a Teddy Bears Picnic for children, big and small. When you feel the need for refreshment you can have coffee or tea or buy a luscious ice cream from the quaint Kiosk, built in 1913 for an exhibition as "the ideal New Zealand home".  For tourists, strolling the Domain is a refreshing break from sightseeing.

One of my favourite spots is the Winter Gardens.  I love them.  Opened in 1913 the two Victorian style glass houses face each other across a fishpond and this old world charm is part of the attraction for me. It is like stepping back to a simpler, less hurried time, a chance to just stop and smell the roses. One glass house is heated and contains permanent  tropical plants, palms and exotic species, the other is temperate and provides an ever changing kaleidoscope of glorious flowers which change with the seasons. It is a tranquil place and you would be hard pressed to find anyone there without a smile on their face.   Pausing to admire the foliage or sitting on a park bench to marvel at nature's artistry is pure balm for the soul.  It is a photographers delight, where even an amateur like me can get some pretty shots. Here are a few I took on my last visit.

 

Christmas Cake mmmm...mmmm!

I'm one of those people who believe no Christmas decorations should go up before the 1st of December.  It's crazy how Shopping malls now try to preempt each other, even decorating in early October.    I realise they have commercial interests to feed but, come on, there is nothing worse than seeing tired decorations and dying Christmas trees before Christmas even arrives. In Victorian England Christmas trees were not decorated until Christmas Eve but I think that's holding off the joy just a bit too long..

Also, nowadays, there is a move afoot to "get rid" of Christmas lest non-Christians are upset.  How silly is that?  I greatly enjoy the festivities of other cultures.  They add colour and joy to life and it is not necessary to believe in what they stand for to get great pleasure from them.  For a lot of people Christmas has nothing to do with religion anyway.  Historically it was a pagan festival  later adopted by Christians to celebrate the birth of Christ, whose actual birth date is unknown.  It would be a very sour grinch who didn't enjoy taking part in the giving of gifts, the feeling of goodwill and the joy of children at Christmas time, not to mention the office parties, gifts from bosses etc, etc.

Enough of the moaning, though, I love Christmas.  I love the spirit of goodwill, the family gatherings,  the decorations and the carols.  The whole nine yards.  And I love Christmas cake.  That is one thing that IS best done early.  A rich fruit cake, especially one doused in brandy, improves with age.

Last weekend I  made my Christmas cake,   I was in my happy place, enjoying the delectable aroma filling the house as it baked.  I made this cake for the first time last year and it was popular with everyone who tried it.  Even my daughter-in-law, a professed hater of fruit cakes, asked me for a slab to take home. It is not my original recipe, I got it off the internet, (Channel4-4food) but it is worth repeating here. It is quick, easy and contains apple cider and brandy.  

MIRIAM'S CHRISTMAS CAKE 

(It's not mine but that's what the family call it)

INGREDIENTS

900gms dried fruit - I use fruit cake mix

300mls dry apple cider

225gms soft brown sugar

225gms butter

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange

2tbs black treacle

170gms nuts - almonds, hazelnuts, pecans

4 large eggs, beaten

225gms plain flour

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1/2 (half) teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 tablespoons brandy

METHOD

1. Chop fruit if necessary so it's all about the size of a raisin.  If you use fruit mix this step is unnecessary.  Put the fruit in a pan with the cider and bring to the boil.  Cook for 2 - 3 minutes and leave to cool.  Fruit should absorb all the cider, if not drain it.

2. Cream the butter and sugar with the finely grated zest.  Add the treacle.  Add the beaten eggs and mix well.

3. Sieve the flour with the spices and fold into the mixture with the fruit, the chopped nuts and some juice from the orange to get a dropping consistency.  You may not need to add the juice.

4. Line an 8"/20cm cake tin with two layers of baking paper.  Wrap a thick layer of newspaper around the tin and secure with string.  Place the tin on a baking sheet with a few layers of newspaper between the tin and the sheet.

5. Spoon the mixture into the tin, smooth it down keeping a hollow in the centre so the cake will rise evenly with a flat top.  You can decorate the top with almonds at this stage if you wish.

6. Put it in the oven and bake for 3 to 4 hours at 150c or gas mark 2 checking now and then.  If the top starts to brown too much, cover with a couple of sheets of baking paper.

7. When the cake is cooked prick it all over with a fine skewer and pour over the brandy.  Leave in the tin until cold. Mmmmm-mmmmm!  You can then decorate however you wish - my family prefer the cake unadorned.  If not iced you can "feed" it more brandy once or twice before Christmas.

Step 8 - Clean up - oops, I seem to have used a lot of bowls!