Chrysanthemum is an important kids' book. It has a message which is delivered with wit and grace. Chrysanthemum is a mouse – when she gets to school she is teased about her name. She is unsettled by this but reassured by her parents (who would give a child such a hard name to spell?) And then a teacher comes along whose name is Delphinium.
Visitors to Wellington need to take time to see the Bucket Fountain. It's been there as long as I can remember (ie a long time) and is one of the iconic (if somewhat kitsch) sculptures in the city.
It was apparently installed in Cuba Mall in 1969. There are a variety of buckets which tip over when full and cascade down – not always into another bucket.
Part of the fun is that passers-by can get splashed particularly on windy days – and Wellinton has quite a few of those! So as not to get offside with friends in Wellington I need to say that no city is as beautiful as Wellington on a fine day.
In 2016 one of the larger yellow buckets was stolen over night. Disaster. The Council appealed for its return and it was – anonymously and now painted a psychedelic pattern. The Council, having a bout of good humour, said it was an improvement and re-installed it.
The Last House on the Street is very well written, as I have come to expect from Diane's work.
But although it is an easy read in the sense of being told fairly straightforwardly, it is hard in some of the topics covered.
These include racism in the South (North Carolina) in the mid-Sixies and its aftermath in the current. Ellie is a child of the 60's – she's white but throws herself into the civil rights movement. She falls in love with a black man and that's where the trouble starts.
I think the author was brave tackling racism from a white perspective. I'm not American but the story rang true to me.
This is another time shift story – to be honest, I would like some of these authors to go back to telling a story with only one time line – but this is a winner despite that.
For other reviews of books by Diane Chamberlain - see these posts - The Stolen Marriage The Dream Daughter Big Lies in a Small Town The Secret Lives of CeeCee Wilkes
This is the second in the series of books featuring Frankie Elkin as the chief protagonist. This one was even scarier than the first. A real thriller with a flawed but fantastic heroine.
The premise of how Frankie decides to get involved in the search is not particularly believable.
I enjoyed it, but not quite as much as the first book – Before She Disappeared
I will look out for the third in this series – which is not out yet.
For a bit of fun, it's back to 1972 for this somewhat risqué novelty song. It was actually Chuck Berry's only US No 1.
When I was a little bitty boy
My grandmother bought me a cute little toy
Silver bells hanging on a string
She told me it was my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Hmm, and then mama took me to grammar school
But I stopped off in the vestibule
Every time that bell would ring
Catch me playing with my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
I don't know how Berry kept a straight face!
If you want to know what makes these pork chops wacky (and delicious) just head on over to this post by The Midnight Baker. Hint – it's in the gravy.
I ordered The Library based on posts by Book'd Out and Rachel's Random Reads.
The book wasn't quite what I expected – and this turned out to be a good thing. The threatened library closure is actually pretty incidental.
This is really about 2 different characters who strike up a unusual relationship. An introverted teenage boy living with his heavy drinking father and a feisty 72 year old lady who lives alone.
You'll love Maggie and empathise with Tom who is not only living in a difficult environment but is also bullied at school.
This old painting is of Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth. The women in the picture seem serene. They are glowing.
The artist trained Michelangelo in fresco techniques.
He was the eldest of eight children. He initially trained as a goldsmith.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
If you want a charmingly illustrated story about a Yiddish farmer who re-purposes things when they get old and worn, this one's for you and your littleys.
The book was published in 1999 but was actually a re-illustrated version of the book the author wrote in 1977.
The illustrations are lovely and the little cut outs just add to the fun.
Bluff (at the bottom of the South Island) is famous for its oysters. The season is on right now. A dozen fresh oysters will cost you about NZ $30 (about US$20) – so pretty pricey.
Now, I have never willingly tasted an oyster. My father used to slurp them down raw and it looked and smelled so disgusting that I couldn't face it.
I like other seafoods but oysters are a step too far.
For those of you who like them, Bluff oysters are supposed to be special. They grow naturally in the Foveaux Strait – not farmed. It is a New Zealand native.
Every year there is a festival – but this year's has been cancelled (covid, again)
Do you like oysters? What is your favourite way to eat them?
