The Librarian

Last summer's weather lacks many redeeming features. I don't think I was the only one who decided last April that a summer without sun just isn't . And I swear it has made this summer all the better. I keep on noticing all the simple summer things. Picking a basket of apricots, riding down a (small) rapid in an inner tube, having my cup of tea and christmas cake in a shady spot of the garden. My beach bag is brimming over with bookish goodness. Here's what you'd find if you tipped it out on the picnic blanket:       The latest Frankie and Extracurricular mags       A borrowed copy of series 3 of The Good Word       New albums Sad but True , Carry Me Back , and Wreck and Ruin and an amazing, 'unputdownable' book called Room . Wishing you a year of sunshine, good reading, and plenty of take-a-skip moments (and an outdoor bath too - I cannot recommend them highly enough).

A friend of mine once declared my beloved Gillian Welch album to be 'hipster librarian music'. He was insulting it. I don't know if he would have liked the gig I went to on a Sunday night last month....but me, I was in heaven. The Lyttelton Rough House Revival came to town, and despite feeling quite muddled up routine-wise, I slipped into my dancing shoes (yes, Mary Janes like any other hipster librarian), downed a glass of champagne, and braved Napier's nightlife (this story is better if you remember it was Sunday). Clearly not many other people were as brave as we were, because the Cabana was quiet, very quiet - until the gig started and then it got quite noisy, and well, very.....hot! Hands down one of the best gigs I have been to in a real long time. If you fancy a bit of hipster librarian music - and I personally can't recommend it highly enough :) - then check out these guys https://www.facebook.com/theunfaithfulways?fref=ts or these guys htt

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett I found my 12 year old engrossed in this picture book the other day. When she finished it she sighed a happy sigh. Because she knows just how much happiness a bit of extra yarn can bring.

I went to out-of-the-way petrol stations, bought my groceries at expensive supermarkets, and always, always kept my blue and white card at the front of my wallet. I was a girl on a mission, lured by the idea of free stuff . Feeling the constraints of parenting on a single income, I was determined to get - no, I was single-mindedly focused on getting - enough Fly Buy points to order a treat. And, when Fly Buys finally wrote to say I could go shopping on their website, it didn't take me long to decide what I wanted to spend my hard-earned points on. Lynda Hallinan had just taken the helm at NZ Gardener magazine, and she'd given it quite a makeover. With its new layout, fresh, stylish photography, and inspiring articles, NZ Gardener was the mag of the moment. So, I spent my points, and that year I took my first real foray into gardening. Quite a few years later, with a few years of gardening under my belt, I still enjoy Lynda Hallinan's writing, and her infectious e

Four years ago we went to France. We travelled with my husband's mum, who, delighted to be returning to her homeland with her little entourage of wide-eyed Kiwi family, took us on a whirlwind trip to all her favourite places. One of those places was Giverny, the little town in Normandy that was once home to Monet. In preparation for our trip, I purchased two children's books for the girls, about a little American girl Charlotte who goes to live in Giverny with her parents at the time when Monet and his many disciples are painting 'en pleine aire'. The first book, Charlotte in Giverny , brings Giverny to life, and gives context to many of the famous paintings of that era. My girls loved Charlotte, and spent many hours poring over the books, with their delightful illustrations and collaged pages. The trip to Giverny was made all the richer by having a story, and a character, to link it to. In the second book, Charlotte in Paris , Charlotte's visit to Pa

Sometimes it really hits me just how many and varied are the responsibilities of parenting. There's stuff like the values we model, and then there's other stuff like making sure they get to all their teeth when they brush. It's a big gig. It's a gig that gives me infinite joy, ( oh, and sleepless nights occasionally too ) but I don't take the responsibility lightly. I'm conscientious, that's just how I'm wired. And I'm also a librarian.  So, imagine this: I go to my daughter's parent/teacher interview, and am told that my child is doing just fine (good), but....there's one thing....(uh oh) she could do with extending her reading . As I walk past the empty playground after the meeting I erupt; "bwah hahahaha". Because the irony certainly isn't lost on me.  But, I'm so glad for that parent/teacher meeting.  It got me to thinking. Both my older children have been hooked on reading book series - ch