Charmaine’s cousin Audrey had her 90th birthday at the end of January , and we took a trip to Wellington/Whanganui-a-Tara for her party. We have quite a few lesbian friends in Wellington whom we hadn’t seen for some time, so we stayed four nights, and caught up with several of them. Our AirBnB purpose-built cottage […]
Waitangi Day on Awhitu
February 19, 2019 by 1 Comment
For almost thirty years we’ve spent Waitangi Day on the Awhitu Peninsula, mostly at Tahuna Pa, near Waiuku, for a celebration of Ngaati Te Ata young people’s achievements, and sports and music. This year was very different. We were invited to the opening and blessing of an ancient path at the Manukau Heads at 5am […]
Friday 8 February
February 19, 2019 by 1 Comment
34 years ago today Tanya came to dinner for the first time at Charmaine’s little cottage in Clarence Street, Ponsonby. And that, as many of you know, was the beginning of our relationship. We still share strong political beliefs and values in common, and mostly enjoy each other’s very different strengths. So we happily weave […]
Round and about in the city
February 19, 2019 by 1 Comment
Tom Scott, New Zealand cartoonist and writer, has scripted two plays about his parents. We saw The Daylight Atheist, a one-man portrayal of his alcoholic and abusive father, and Joan, a two-person somewhat kinder presentation of his mother’s life, a few hours apart on Saturday 16 February at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. We both found […]
Solstice greetings to you all..
December 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Saturday December 22 is the longest day of the year and promises to be warm here, of course. To our Northern Hemisphere friends and family experiencing the Winter Solstice on Friday 21 December, stay snug, and we’re glad the days will be lengthening for you from now on. We wonder what you will be doing […]
Violence against women
December 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
In our last newsletter we celebrated women winning the right to vote in New Zealand- with some cautions about the very different meanings of suffrage for Pakeha and Maori women. This month, sadly, we have to acknowledge the continuing acts of violence by men against women here in Aotearoa, and the continuing exclusion of women’s […]
Opposing the Violence
December 19, 2018 by 1 Comment
Most of you will know that recently a young English backpacker was murdered on the night of her 22nd birthday in Auckland, and her body dumped in the Waitakere Ranges. There has been an unprecedented outpouring of anger and grief throughout Aotearoa as a result. It’s as though both women and men have had enough, […]
…and finally, a good place to stay…
December 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
…a small town whose population increases from 3000 to 10,000 for a couple of weeks over Christmas and New Year, every year, but outside this peak Christmas period offers a lively, diverse community, every outdoor activity you can think of , and outstanding places to stay, to eat, and to explore: Whaingaroa-Raglan As part of […]
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