Comments On A New Zealand Summer

The Pohutukawa tree is New Zealand's most beautiful Summer sight. These two are in full bloom and shelter a picnic site in Auckland's Cornwallis Park.

In the last post I mentioned a friend from New Zealand who visited Sissinghurst Castle during one of our Summers so I chose this picture as reminder of a summer down under and of her visit. The view is of the Cottage Garden at Sissinghurst with Pat preparing to take a picture. This was toward the end of July when the famous white garden was at its end.

When I first went to live in NZ I was told that the place is a "just like England" and I was told I would settle in fine. It was true, I did settle in fine but the land nothing like England. There were sheep and cattle, English cars, English language and English goods and English migrants. Apart from that NZ was a place with its own character and the longer I lived there the more I came to appreciate what it was. NZ is a multicultural land with two main languages, Maori and English; it has a Polynesian flavor and has been influenced by early Australian colonial styles. It has developed its own identity and in particular since the nineteen seventies has had to depend upon its own development and trading preferences. In 1984 NZ was declared a Nuclear Free nation that upset the rampant Australians and annoyed the Americans. It also cheesed off ( or should that be fromaged ) the French who sent a couple of spies to damage the Rainbow Warrior.

Although NZ still has ties to the Mother Country it has its own way of government and identifies more with Australasia and the Pacific Rim nations and trades with Japan, China, India and the USA as well as keeping up trade with Europe. The need was generated when the EU refused to allow Britain to keep Australia and NZ as preferred trading nations and thus giving them an unfair lead into the EU. The result is that although the ties are maintained NZ, and likewise Australia, have developed separately even to the point of requiring would be emigrants from the UK to prove their place and gain points. I went over as "Ten pound Pom" which was actually twenty-five pounds with a trade. Today you have to fill a requirement for your services and can qualify from most places.

However , getting back to my cultural exchange; my friend who is an elderly but sprightly globe trotter, enjoyed the trip and today after some six or seven years have passed, I remembered the Pohutukawa tree. I remember too the Pacific sky, clear and bright, the hot summers, queuing in the line at Uni to enroll with the sun baking us in February; the Cicadas chattering, the Tui piping loudly, the Fantail flitting in the Manuka; Maori spoken in the streets; bright Polynesian clothes and the brightly decorated stations wagons filled with a whole family. I have the body memory of a motorcycle under my butt as I ride through the twisties on the back roads, the dusty unsealed roads firt only for four-wheel drives, tractors and off road cycles; the sudden tropical rainstorms and steep tree clad hills.

And here in England?

I learned to appreciate our gentle hills and the organised landscape; the woodlands, the villages and the stately homes and gardens and understand that although I long for the freedom of NZ and Australia, there is a special joy in discovering the paths and bridle-ways of rural England. So this year, armed with a digital camera, I will blog my way around south east England.

Pat in Rye, Sussex.

Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens

The entrance to Sissinghurst gardens and castle on a busy May weekend.

In this enclosed section of the gardens between the old gate and the tower the climbing roses on the wall are at their youthful best and as an introduction to the gardens is one that grows on you during the season. Famed for its white garden and spring avenue Sissinghurst has much else to offer. Set in the Kent countryside close to Biddenden, Goudhurst and Tenterden in the weald there are woodland walks as well as the splendid gardens that can be taken from the estate itself.

Below is a picture from the rose garden showing the tower.

This year my sister and I missed the spring display of bulbs and the day of our visit saw the way the season was developing from spring to early summer as bulbs, already dying down, alowed the new spring growth to take over. Fresh green nut leaves, fruit tree leaves, budding summer roses, the established glory of azaleas and the pungeant aroma of wisteria took centre stage as newly planted sunflowers and the promise of sun drenched herbs prepared for the hot summer sun. As if to deny the summer its entrance the Magnolias displayed their last blooms and under the trees bluebells blossom.

We did not walk the cool woods but enjoyed the stroll around the lake wishing for more time on the day for a lengthy exploration.

Opposite: Azaleas at Sissinghurst

Okay, so too much purple prose?

But that is how spring in a well laid out garden grabs you.

There is something else as well. That is language. The first is the language of the wild life; the bees kept in the grounds, the song of birds feeding their young, the buzz of insects, the soft gabble of ducks and the unseen creatures rusting in the undergrowth. The next is the calling of children as they are introduced to their heritage. And then comes the languages spoken by the visitors; German, Dutch, French and Chinese to name a few creating a song that brings Sissinghurst alive.

I have a friend in New Zealand who loved Sissinghurst and she, like many others in the antipodes know of the gardens and know of the white garden and its one central rose bush. She, like many others, travel from all parts of the world to see it.

And I, like these visitors, am also glad .

Me trying desperately trying to look as if I am enjoying myself under a wisteria just outside the herb garden

Publishing a book

As the author of a self published book entitled Star Reach a sci-fi novel using Lulu I had to edit my tale and present it for publication without the aid of an editor. The value of an independent examination of your work is not only a necessity but is so highly useful that any mistakes you make in the content, style and layout can be corrected professionally and objectively. With the self publishing route the writer needs to look for aids to help him or her get it right. So when I found Writer's Helper website I decided to check it out. Here are a couple of quotes from their site to help out.

If you want to sell your work to a traditional publisher...You probably know that only one in ten submitted manuscripts gets even a first read at a publishing house. That manuscript is error-free and written in a compelling style.

If you want to self-publish...You face an uphill battle against the idea that all self-published material is second-rate. The idea has a solid foundation in reality. To overcome the prejudice, self-publishers who want sales must be better than the rest.

The above two pieces of advice hit home and highlight the struggle many writers have reaching that quality, unique selling point they search for. Luck, or being in the right place at the right time is not always a substitute for good writing and as one of my mentors always drummed into my mind was the phrase "The art of good writing is re-writing" . The art of editing is to know what to re-write and how.

As a tool to help the budding author to publish a good, readable and interesting book whether it be fiction or fact Writer's Helper might be the answer. Click the link at the top of the page and afterwards tell me what you think.

Scotney Castle - Kent, England

If there is one pleasure of Spring in England that I indulge in more than any other that is visiting the gardens of stately homes and old sites in our corner of England. To drive through the lanes and take in the spring blossom, the trees and hedges bedecked with fresh green leaves, birds flitting around busily feeding their young and to enjoy the uncertaintity of an English spring day is the highlight of a working week.

And Scotney Castle? The National Trust estate offers a view of the Victorian house that dominates the highest point and overlooks the valleys west of Lamberhurst and a Folly built around a twelth century castle complete with moat and gardens. The pictures on this page show some of the early showings - above is a view of the quarry that now no longer used as a sorce of building material became a garden of Azaleas and Rhododendrons. The pictures show some of these and some views of the grounds.

The trip was to take the opportunity to walk, my sister and I do this most Saturdays, with the object of finding Bluebells. As you can see from the pictures we were successful. The sight of a carpet of Bluebells, the scent of them as the sun warms them is a magic memory from my childhood and one that, like a pilgrimage, I seek out each spring. The idea is to walk the pathways, to walk them in all seasons and to enjoy the changes and with that sense of wonder retained from childhood, those innocent days of never ending pleasure, to enjoy the sight.

The grounds of Scotney Castle take advantage of the valley in which the castle was originally built and provide the visitor with hilly walks that open out the views and like all National Trust properties they are well looked after and above all conserved as close to the original as possible. My perception of these places is that we are trying to encapture time and keep it for the future. The problem is that all the properties have evolved over the centuries and we may have lost the original intention of the gardens. As for the buildings, we cannot continually expect to preserve them without spending much care and time on preservation and conservation work. we have to accept that eventually we may lose the buildings and rely on photographic evidence of their former state. We can hold off the ravages of time for a period but eventually we will have to concede defeat, but in the meantime we can enjoy them and their history. The gardens however are dynamic entities that can be constantly replenished or changed according to needs. For example Scotney has removed the bamboo stands that dotted the upper valley floor having realised that bamboo is likely to take over. Likewise the Rhododendron bushes beside the moat have been drastically pruned which will no doubt allow healthy growth and give pleasure to generations of visitors as they eventually grow and bush up instead of take over and smother the area.

The place is worth a visit and with the exstensive estate walks and the paths that link with Lamberhurst is well worth including in a weekend excursion. There are a number of pubs in the town and more in the area where good food, beer and accomodation can be found.

Paintings and Painting

This is a photo of The Billabong which was painted in acrylic on a canvas board. I am influenced a little by Salvador Dali although I do not claim to emulate his works or his style and my observations of the Australian Outback.

My friend and mentor, Bob Collins, suggested that I look at the use of yellow as a background for my work and as a result I chose to use yellow ochre and base my color choice on that.

His wisdom also dictated that I convention usually avoids the use of black and white so I have deliberately chosen to use both in my work. He also informs me that using canvas boards is also frowned upon by our English artists, so, I use them if not exclusively but because they are useful.

My normal method of preparation is to first apply a coat of Gesso with a tint of ochre and let that dry for a day or two before applying the base color. As acrylics are water soluble the choice is to water them down or apply straight from the tube or pot. In this picture I applied the paint watered down enough to make it pliable and mixed some white with it to tone it down a little, and covered it with two coats on two consecutive days. Next I then used ochre, lighter yellows and cadmium yellow, white and red to outline the desert and the rocks. The Ayers rock shape was painted in brown and red straight from the tube and applied one color on top of the other as the fancy took me.

The sun was made up of heavy applications of titanium white and light yellow in circles to blend in with each other that created a sense of hot, powerful sunlight that eliminated all shadows except the suggestion of reflections in the water.

The details of trees, intended to be stark and sparse as it is a picture of the harsh outback, cling to the rocks and offer life as supplied by the water.

The incidentals such as the trees and rocks were painted with diluted color to give a soft contrast to the stark desert. The yellow ochre shows through the painting and changes the depth and tone of the color added. I have to say I was pleased with the result.

Why have I chosen to talk about my painting?

The reason is simple - as a mature person interested in all things I had decided to take up water color painting and asked my fellow poet Bob Collins who is also a local character and recognised artist on the Isle of Sheppey to give me some instruction. Bob has a unique style and I like his work very much so I was happy when he agreed to take me under his wing. I started on water colors and like all beginners found them hard but satisfying. Some of the paintings I produced were 'all right' but when I discovered acrylic I found a way of expressing myself in a less restricted medium and began to explore. Now I am happy to go back to water colors having learned to appreciate how color can be manipulated. I am more disciplined, more capable of seeing the form of a picture and able to develop my own style without getting bogged down with convention and yet enjoy the way water colors can take shape. I have begun to understand the pleasures of painting and appreciate the versatility of water colors as well as the flexibility of acrylics.

So, I want to share with you the pleasure of creativity and to encourage others to take up a hobby doing something they have never done before.

In addition, when I get going for real I will explore the vast amount of knowledge and talent out there in the real world and pass on what I have learned.

Introduction to James Apps

The picture was taken on a club ride in New Zealand - me acting the fool looking for ships beside my delightful R65.

This is the first posting by the author using this most fascinating media and like most beginners is feeling his way around; an ancient child with a new toy metaphorically sucking it to see what it tastes like. Forgive me if I am clumsy but have patience and read on to find out what I am and what I do.

I am a motorcyclist who has ridden in the UK, New Zealand and Australia. I started riding in 1959 and only in recent years stopped actively riding but still on two wheels in my mind and my memories.

Since I was a child I have either owned or claimed ownership of a number of cats and as a result I have written poems and stories concerning motorcycles or cats. For a selections of these and a deeper profile of yours truly click HERE for my website: http://www.jamesapps.org.uk/

As for my interests, apart from motorcycles, biking in general, poetry, shorts tories and cats, I am also interested in issues such as global warming, ecology, curious about what is over the next hill, Zen thoughts and practice, the study of Aikido and Tai Chi, music ranging from Carmen, symphonies, rock music, American Country, Irish Folk, Australian Folk, Folk music, Frank Sinatra, Tom T Hall, Reggae, Hymns and anything that takes my fancy.

I like to discuss silly conspiracy theories and claim to be a fan of Wierd Al. Among my favorite books are Catch 22, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, A Brief History of Time, Three Men in a Boat, The Wind in the Willows, Now we are six, Alice in Wonderland, The Thirteen Clocks, The Half Men of O, Slaughterhouse Five, Ragtime and Terry Pratchett's Disc World novels to name a few from a huge list of well remembered stories.