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| day of pottery |
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| day of pottery |
Friday, March 23, 2007
A day of pottery
We met a lovely woman at the fiji museum and her and her mom make pottery. We asked if they would teach us how they make pottery in fiji, and they we happy to teach us at their village. The village is about 1/2 hour by car from Suva, before the airport. They collect the clay from the river bank of the Rewa River, and make all sorts of traditional pots and little pigs, ducks and bura's to sell at the museum. I made a little pig and Josie made a little pot. We had a great day and feel very inspired to do our own pottery here at the house.
Being creative
I don't remember how this creative endeavor started but this is just a sampling of what we are doing:
I remember now, we went to an outdoor craft market and decided that it would be fun to do a table, and since it is only one Sunday a month it is not a huge commitment. We have now decided we won't do the craft market, too unpredictable with the weather, so we are currently looking for other venues.
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| creating |
I remember now, we went to an outdoor craft market and decided that it would be fun to do a table, and since it is only one Sunday a month it is not a huge commitment. We have now decided we won't do the craft market, too unpredictable with the weather, so we are currently looking for other venues.
gifts and valentines day
Stan and I went out with Josie and the family for valentines day! We went to Stan's favorite restaurant.... McDonald's, thats right McDonald's for Valentines day dinner. Look at photo to understand...
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| gifts and valentines day |
Getting use to the heat and the military
Well we are now back home in Suva and getting use to the humidity again. Here are some random photos. It is interesting that while I was taking a movie with my camera of the pot holes and a military check point my camera died!
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| getting back into the groove! |
March 24th
Well I have great news, Josie has lent me her old camera and my dad is sending me his old underwater camera! So soon I will be taking tons of pictures again. Also I am home today working on the computer writing up my labs that I did yesterday for class, so I can work on the blog at the same time! The internet connection has been very slow so it has been near impossible to down load the pictures, but today it seems to be working. So finally! drum roll please... PICTURES:
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| denarau weekend |
Friday, March 09, 2007
March 10th 2007
March 10, 2007
I am sorry for not working on the blog, several things have happened that have stopped me. The worst is that my camera has gone on strike!!! It will turn on but it refuses to take any pictures! I think it is the humidity. I tried to find a place to get it repaired but it seems they have to ship it to Japan and it will cost me hundreds of dollars. So I will take a hairdryer to it and see if that will help. A piece of advise to anyone buying a camera, if you plan on taking the camera to a really humid place for an extended amount of time buy a underwater camera even if it never enters water.
The other reasons I have not worked on the blog is that I have started school!!!!! I am two weeks into the program and loving it. I am taking textiles and apparel, I have 3 classes; the first is the apparel class which is learning to make garments and sewing. The class final project will be a fashion show, where the students will have to model there originally designed evening wear. My second class is an art fundamentals class it is a total blast, tons of homework that I love, and again a huge finally project. This project is to explore a major theme like death, birth, and or ritual and apply it to a medium that you enjoy working in with a pacific flair. I have not decided what I am going to do yet, but I do have a few ideas’ floating in my head. My last class is the textiles course, basically the chemistry of fibre’s. This class is a distance class so I have to be very motivate to stay on track and stick to the time line. I have 7 labs to do for this class, like burning fabric and pour acid on it and things like that. And again a final project! On Masi, which is fibre cloth that is made and used in many Fijian ceremonies, it is the same as ngatu in Tonga. I am really enjoying this project since I feel somewhat comfortable with the process of making Masi after watching Stan’s mom make it. I am glad I took so many pictures of her working through the various stages of making Masi; they will come in handy with the paper.
Very exciting news Stan’s sister and youngest Tua ofa has joined us. Ana is taking a double major in English and geography and will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts. Well that has you up to date with my life. I do have pictures to down load and I promise I will get to it in the next week. Josie has kindly lent me her camera so that will be a lifesaver. We are off to a village about 1 hour from Suva to spend the day with a local potter; she is going to take us through the whole process of pottery in Fiji. From digging the clay to firing the pieces, I am totally excited. More news and pictures soon!!!
Jay
I am sorry for not working on the blog, several things have happened that have stopped me. The worst is that my camera has gone on strike!!! It will turn on but it refuses to take any pictures! I think it is the humidity. I tried to find a place to get it repaired but it seems they have to ship it to Japan and it will cost me hundreds of dollars. So I will take a hairdryer to it and see if that will help. A piece of advise to anyone buying a camera, if you plan on taking the camera to a really humid place for an extended amount of time buy a underwater camera even if it never enters water.
The other reasons I have not worked on the blog is that I have started school!!!!! I am two weeks into the program and loving it. I am taking textiles and apparel, I have 3 classes; the first is the apparel class which is learning to make garments and sewing. The class final project will be a fashion show, where the students will have to model there originally designed evening wear. My second class is an art fundamentals class it is a total blast, tons of homework that I love, and again a huge finally project. This project is to explore a major theme like death, birth, and or ritual and apply it to a medium that you enjoy working in with a pacific flair. I have not decided what I am going to do yet, but I do have a few ideas’ floating in my head. My last class is the textiles course, basically the chemistry of fibre’s. This class is a distance class so I have to be very motivate to stay on track and stick to the time line. I have 7 labs to do for this class, like burning fabric and pour acid on it and things like that. And again a final project! On Masi, which is fibre cloth that is made and used in many Fijian ceremonies, it is the same as ngatu in Tonga. I am really enjoying this project since I feel somewhat comfortable with the process of making Masi after watching Stan’s mom make it. I am glad I took so many pictures of her working through the various stages of making Masi; they will come in handy with the paper.
Very exciting news Stan’s sister and youngest Tua ofa has joined us. Ana is taking a double major in English and geography and will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts. Well that has you up to date with my life. I do have pictures to down load and I promise I will get to it in the next week. Josie has kindly lent me her camera so that will be a lifesaver. We are off to a village about 1 hour from Suva to spend the day with a local potter; she is going to take us through the whole process of pottery in Fiji. From digging the clay to firing the pieces, I am totally excited. More news and pictures soon!!!
Jay
Thursday, February 15, 2007
feb 2nd Auckland
Well we had high hopes for this day, but it all fell apart. We decided that we were going to move hotels so we could be very close to the airport, since we had to be there at 5am. Josie and I decided we would take the bags to the new location and then go and pickup the girls and head off to the museum. Well the freeway goddess had other plans. We located the location of the hotel on google search only to find out that we were in the right location from the map but the hotel was not there. To make a very long driving story short, what should have taken us 20 minutes tops (hitting every light) took us 3 1/2 hours, thats right 3 1/2 hours so needless to say we missed the museum and had to get quickly ready for the cirque. The cirque was amazing as always and our dinner was fabulous. Auckland's visit was short but it was time to head home...
Feb 1 Auckland
Josie's mom is going to watch the kids so we can shop!!! We hit the streets running
(there is a lot of ground to cover) we start the morning navigating the freeway's of Auckland, the goddess of overpasses got us to our first destination of Ponsonby Street safely. After several hours of walking the streets we jump back into the car to again navigate the streets to get to our second shopping destination of Parnell street. After a long day of browsing we head home for Josie's birthday dinner with her family.
(there is a lot of ground to cover) we start the morning navigating the freeway's of Auckland, the goddess of overpasses got us to our first destination of Ponsonby Street safely. After several hours of walking the streets we jump back into the car to again navigate the streets to get to our second shopping destination of Parnell street. After a long day of browsing we head home for Josie's birthday dinner with her family.
Auckland Jan 31st
Well we have arrived in Auckland, Josie's mom Jackie picks us up at the airport. We go to Jackie's house for lunch and then I go back to the hotel for a nap while the kids go play in a park. I head back to Josie's mom's for dinner. We are to bed early to get ready for a head spinning next day!
tuesday the 30th
Today we spent the day doing errands like buying oil paint for future paintings. Shopping along Lambton Quay, picking up supplies for a deaf school that Josie and the family help out at. We ended the day with a family dinner and then home to pack our bags.
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| From tuesday 30th |
Monday the 29th
Today we woke up and knew it was a perfect day to drive the coast. The sun was shinning and there were no clouds in the sky. We headed to Paekakarik to walk along the beach. We then went for tea and to browse some galleries. Once we were finished we continued on to Paraparumu a little sea side village that hosts galleries and skate boarding parks. Here we went for lunch and a play in the park with the girls. We headed home to enjoy a family bbq, where I made my mom's famous fruit cocktail cake.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Sunday
We start the day with a lovely walk through a cemetery, I could have spent the whole day there. Very inspiring I would love to take my pencils and sketch book out and sit and draw. Then home to get ready for the teddy bear picnic. It was a lot of fun till the winds picked up and started to blow things over. Lastly Nanette, Grant, Josie and I went to see Menopause the Musical and I laughed so hard I cried. Very funny and bang on!!! Watching my mom go through it they covered all aspects in song!
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Saturday
Well we decided that Josie and the girls were going to go swimming and they are going to drop me off at Cuba street so I can explore some more!!!! I decide to leave cuba street and weave my way through the downtown core. I didn't even get lost!!! After checking out an art store and looking for painting supplies Josie picks me up and we head back home. We have a fabulous dinner, and then Josie, Grant and I are off to a play. The play is about a local author that died in the early 1900's, Kate Mansfield. The play was a one woman show and the actress was spectacular. After the play we went out for a night cap and then Grant showed us the authors home, which is a historic landmark in Wellington.
Friday in Wellington
We decide to spend some of the day on Cuba street. A very funky area of the downtown core that supports local artists, clothes designers, tattoo artists, cool cafe's and more. Stephie and Freya were troopers but I don't know if the day will make them into future shoppers or non-shoppers. We went home to have a feast of fish and chips, which were great. I had never had kumara chips before, they are a sweet potatoe, very good. After dinner we packed up snacks, drinks, wine for the adults and we headed down to the Botanic Gardens to listen to a night of Jazz. It took awhile for the crowd to get into it but eventually we were up dancing at the front of the stage. I predict that Freya may have a future dancing at raves.
Te Papa Museum
My first full day in Wellington begins at the Te Papa museum. A very cool interactive museum that stimulates the senses or in my case over stimulates the senses!
Wellington
After a very long flight down to the southern hemisphere I have finally arrived to New Zealand.
I arrived January 24th Wednesday (left Vancouver the 22nd) Josie and the girls welcomed me at the airport and took my weary body back to Josie dad's house.
We had a wonderful dinner that night and I was welcomed by Josie's family; Grant, Nanette, Catherine, and Caroline.
I arrived January 24th Wednesday (left Vancouver the 22nd) Josie and the girls welcomed me at the airport and took my weary body back to Josie dad's house.
We had a wonderful dinner that night and I was welcomed by Josie's family; Grant, Nanette, Catherine, and Caroline.
Monday, January 29, 2007
pottery finale
My last night with the group, hard to believe that my time is done and that I am heading back to the southern hemisphere. I feel like I have stayed about two weeks too long. I am not as excited about going to fiji (my missing Stan over rides this initial feeling) and I am now starting to nest back into my old life, definitely time for me to go.
let it snow let it snow let it snow
I decided after all the cold weather we were having, I was going to bring Fiji to Canada and had a Polynesian Dinner. Unfortunately most of the pictures were fuzzy, martini's may be the cause.
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