by Juliet Batten | 29, Jul, 2022 | Seasons Newsletter
A winter vision In the sheltered quiet of winter, a woman is knitting She dreams a future into the stitches She makes sure the colours are bright. She will plant a river bank when the earth warms She is planning a food garden She is planning acts of... 
by Juliet Batten | 7, Jul, 2022 | Seasons Newsletter, Uncategorized
A profound cultural event has just taken place in Aotearoa: the first Matariki public holiday. At last, the new year has come into alignment with the seasonal cycle of Aotearoa! — the return of the sun at winter solstice; the return of the stars at... 
by Juliet Batten | 16, Jun, 2022 | Seasons Newsletter, Uncategorized
Photo: Anne Dean Ruffell What does Matariki mean to you? Can you remember when you first saw Matariki? I can. But it was by another name. In my early twenties with the help of a little star book, I began to explore the night sky from the balcony of my... 
by Juliet Batten | 12, May, 2022 | Seasons Newsletter
I found this blog that I wrote nine years ago. It awakens memories of my years at Te Henga, the cycle of the kumara and the excitement of harvesting with the community. I thought you might enjoy it too. The kumara garden lies hidden between the dunes and the... 
by Juliet Batten | 28, Apr, 2022 | Seasons Newsletter
Every Sunday my Aunt Jessie would visit the graveyard. The graveyard lay on the other side of town, a little further out than our house, so it became a natural thing for me to join her at our gate and run alongside. This is how I came to explore the...