scenes from the weekend

+ the cabinet restoration is finally done and we carefully measure, then hang it and i spend the next 45 minutes carefully arranging the shelves inside and finding just the right container to pot the string of hearts plant into

+ taco friday is abandoned in favour of fish baked with preserved lemons, fresh dill & chilli, accompanied by simple winter greens

+ the final (gruesome) episode of hannibal is watched by the humans, whilst the cat wanders the house trying to find a way out

+ saturday morning, there’s handsome bacon & egg sandwiches for breakfast, then

+ he mows the lawn and i potter around in the garden

+ theres a trip to the local landscaping yard to buy scoria for the muddy driveway

+ trees damaged in the recent storms are chopped down, or trimmed to prevent potential future disaster

+ lunch from palm beach fish & chip shop is eaten at the beach, followed by a walk in the water. i chase the gulls, hoping to make a photo that accurately depicts how it feels to be here

+ i wander along amongst the sand & shells, searching for cats eyes. the sunshine makes everything glitter

+ he finishes some work, the cat sleeps, i go back out into the garden, planting seedlings, sweeping the leaves off the deck, collecting macadamia nuts that have blown off the neighbours tree

+ the fire is lit

+ last nights dinner was so perfect, it is repeated for the evening meal

+ ping pong summer was rented and watched. the trailer made it more appealing than the movie ended up being. we are both disappointed

+ more bacon & egg sandwiches are made; the morning meals also on repeat

+ a walk before chores is proposed. which turns into a walk in the regional park, watching oyster catchers, a heron, plover & kingfisher stalking in the shallows

+ then, we take a drive to see where the road goes and end up at another beach where i collect two bags of pine cones from the wrack at the shoreline

+ we have wood-fired pizza for lunch on a little bench overlooking little oneroa

+ then head to island gelato for a scoop of summer

+ a request on the waiheke community facebook group is answered by two kind ladies and we end up with masses of limes and lemons, some lovely new connections and i am invited in for tea & cake and come home clutching an edible posy an a lovely yellow rose. i am humbled by the generosity of this island community

+ the small storage loft in the bedroom is cleared in preparation for the arrival of the builder this coming thursday

+ baby beets are baked, courgette is flash-fried & chicken is marinated

+ 1/1 cats surveyed are not at all happy about their confinement, but seem otherwise content with their new living arrangements (specially the chicken dinner)

+ it was the perfect balance of work, rest, play

[visit weekends collected for a beautiful article from our newest contributor, Sarah Elwell – and join in if you like]

have a great week everyone!