Matariki

I put up my Matariki stars this week. I used a branch which blew down from the kauri tree, as it had such a lovely shape to it, and hung it over the mirror. Matariki, or the Maori New Year, marks the time of year when the constellation Matariki (or the Pleiades) becomes visible in the sky. It's seen in the early morning just before dawn, and is sort of like a symbol that the harvest work is done, plenty of food is stored, and now is a good time to celebrate and spend time with your friends and family. That's how I interpret it anyway, and I like to put up my star decorations (there are seven, one for each star in the constellation).  It's also a good reason to catch up with friends and family for a nice meal or even a coffee break.

Anyone else celebrating Matariki this year?

The buzz word on everybody's lips today is snow... yep it's in the forecast again. Christchurch is not supposed to get snow every winter, but for the past two years that's happened. The news reporters are taking great glee in advising that this could be the worst winter storm in 20 years, and isn't that exactly what we need? Yesterday we had heavy rain that flooded a lot of streets and properties (drains are still not working properly due to liquefaction and damage), and of course many houses are still quake damaged. I'm hoping that it won't come to pass as badly as they are predicting, but just in case it does I'm well stocked on food, petrol and extra blankets. Not much else to do but batten down the hatches and wait it out!