by Juliet Batten | 2, Jul, 2021 | Seasons Newsletter
Mānawatia a Matariki! Matariki has risen and it is time to celebrate. Welcome Matariki! Why has Matariki become so popular for both Pākehā and Māori, to the extent that in 2022 it will become a public holiday? Is the adoption of this festival just another... 
by Juliet Batten | 20, Apr, 2021 | Seasons Newsletter
Outside the dark, noisy café, a woman sat on the pavement. ‘You’ve caught the sun,’ I said, as I stopped to talk. ‘Yes’, ‘it’s sweet autumn’, she replied. I agreed. ‘These fine days feel as if they could last forever.’ ‘But they... 
by Juliet Batten | 6, Nov, 2020 | Seasons Newsletter
When walking in the park yesterday and saying hello to a tōtara tree that I like to visit, I checked to see if any of the spent flowers were now turning into berries. To my surprise, I discovered one bright berry hidden amongst the leaves.... 
by Juliet Batten | 11, Jul, 2019 | Seasons Newsletter
It’s June, and here in New Zealand an important event has occurred in the night sky: the return of Matariki, a beautiful star cluster that many will know by its European name: The Pleiades. Matariki the wanderer dips above and below the horizon,... 
by Juliet Batten | 9, Apr, 2019 | Seasonal inspiration, Seasons Newsletter, Uncategorized
The leaves were ankle-deep on Alfred Street. I scuffed through them, enjoying their crackle, while stopping to pick up handfuls to throw in the air. There I was in my red stockings and brown duffel coat, approaching the man whose job it was to rake up...