Waiata o Aotearoa

Wie geht's?

The world famous in NZ Wander To Wozza's Music Club (a.k.a. me and two amigos), has embarked on a new playlist that should be of interest. It's a quickfire 30 favourite songs by Kiwis from each of us. We're only just a week into it, so you can watch our progress in real time as I add three songs to it daily.

It's called WTWMC - Kiwi Pik n Mix.

The thing I've noticed already is the vast range that Kiwi music covers through the years and through the genres. So far, my favourites and G-Whizz's have tended towards the seventies bands we grew up with, but Kevy's are much deeper cuts of recent Kiwi musicians. It makes for a thrillingly eclectic mixtape.

Frinstance, in these early exchanges G-Whizz has chosen his first ever single purchase (My Son John), and I went for a song by Chapta from 1971's Loxene Golden Disc, one of my first albums [Kevy's first album was Mental Notes btw]. These seminal exposures to music and Kiwi music specifically are indelibly imprinted into our senses and brains.

And if you're NOT interested, well, you should be. This is our music, as in our shared NZ history. It's different to the rest of the world, and, most importantly, it still holds up!

Check out that playlist, will ya!

Love and peace - Wozza

Well if you don't know how to do it, I'll show you how to walk the dog (Rufus Thomas)

Top dogs.

Wie geht's?

Thanks to Jacky and the girls' influence, we have always had pets. The list is long but off the top of my head I can think of a hamster, love birds, mice, canaries, lorikeets, cats, horses and of course, dogs.

Most days we find ourselves surrounded by our current crop of pets: Laney, Gracie, Rey and Jerry. They love us, and we love them. Our empty nest isn't so empty after all.

Grace

Jerry

Rey

Laney

It's always hard when we have to say goodbye to one.

Sadly, we had to say farewell to Tango this week. That was hard because he's been part of Jade's life (and also our life) for 12 years. Rest in peace, Tangie.

He joins an illustrious list of canine friends that we have had to say goodbye to over the years.

So, raise a glass and remember/celebrate all of the pooches - from Wynton, Bazil, Dukie, Finn, Dory and Tango to our current buddies Rey and Jerry. 

Love and peace - Wozza

There's a world where I can go and tell my secrets to (The Beach Boys)

Wie geht's?

I'm enjoying this weighty tome, and I mean weighty - feels like it's about 7kg. 

I love The Beach Boys' music and I love California (the actual place and the mythic place of eternal youth and endless summer). The two go hand in glove.

Jacky and I have loved our Californian adventures with Samantha; traveling the Pacific Coast Highway between Monterey and LA.

Heading up the coast last time was during a freak storm - lots of rain and rocks hitting Fanfa's car in dramatic fashion. That was very unlike the sunshine of our first trip down the 101 from San Francisco.

Have you ever been south of Monterey?
Barrancas carve the coastline
And the chaparral flows to the sea
'Neath waves of golden sunshine
And have you ever been north of Morro Bay?
The south coast plows the sea... 

(From California Saga by The Beach Boys)

The Beach Boys book is made up of pictures and interviews with the key players and they are clear about the mythic California created by Brian Wilson and his lyrical collaborators in their songs. But it's not like mythic California didn't exist before the Beach Boys sang about surfing and cruising in cars. Like the Okies trying to escape the dust bowl, that mythic ideal has lured the people for a long time.

Travelling that coastline (and those falling rocks reminded me) is important for the soul. From time to time, it's great to reconnect with important stuff and realise how insignificant we are.

As The Beach Boys' California Saga reminds us - the eagles continue through their generations and the land endures (and puts up with us) but 'The world has changed in [the she-eagle's] time; humanity has multiplied, but not here'.

Getting a glimpse of that from time to time is good for me. That's partly why I'm drawn towards the Pacific Coastal Highway and those California myths. 

As Rumi says: When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

And after all, the best coffee and donuts on the planet are at Big Sur.

Fun, fun, fun. Love and peace - Wozza

Stop wandering about!

Photo by Imran Abdul Jabar on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Happy new year to my family and friends and to the interweb's blogosphere!

This is a great message from Marcus Aurelius to start off the new year:

Stop wandering about! You aren't likely to read your own notebooks, or ancient histories, or the anthologies you've collected to read in your old age. Get busy with life's purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue - if you care for yourself at all - and do it while you can.

Love and peace - Wozza

They all asked about you down on the farm (Little Feat)

Heading around the corners of the garden shed now - had to add more wire and trellis.

Wie geht's?

So, what's the go at Maple Grove? I think I hear you ask...

Having polished off the rest of Jacky's trifle, the Christmas tree and the rest of the trappings have been packed away for another year and we are in that lull between December 25 and the new year.

All the wet weather we've had in Takapau has been brilliant - you can read the repercussions of that on my Jewels For The Thirsty post for last week.

Maple Grove is currently playing host to Jade's pooch. Tango is having a lovely holiday at his second home - following me around and going for a daily saunter around the paddocks as I harrow.

The WTWMC amigos are wrapping up the Loved Ones playlist in the coming week, so I've been happily immersed in listening out for some Kiwi gems to celebrate Barbara of the Auckland Simmses (Kevy's mum).

And finally, with all the humidity and rain, the passionfruit vine has gone ballistic!

Mmmm...passionfruit!

Love and peace - Woz

How I'll hate going out in the storm (Dean Martin)

Wie geht's?

My to-be-read pile is pictured. Left to right, there are three stacks: non-fiction (non-music related); fiction; music books.

The photo doesn't include a book I've just started - Alan Alda's Never Have Your Dog Stuffed. It's an autobiography and I've roared out laughing quite a few times so far. 

It probably should have been called Don't Notice Anything (his mother's advice when visiting friends) because he notices everything!!

His early life was dominated by his father's burlesque and vaudeville career and his comedy instincts are in his DNA, but his writing skills are all his own.

What a talented guy. Comedy is about timing and to get that right in the written form is especially difficult. Bravo!! I salute him!

Here's an excerpt for you, describing the massages he had to endure when he had polio aged 8:

Three times a week, I was laid out on the dining room table in my Jockey shorts while a physical therapist took each of my limbs and tried to unscrew it from its socket. Sometimes she ripped an arm off and had to plug it back in again, but usually she was satisfied just to keep bending it until I agreed to turn over playmates who were members of the French underground.

Merry Christmas! Love and peace - Wozza

Poi E whaka-tata mai (Patea Maori Cub)

Wie geht's?

Keegan's birthday is on the 19th of December. A big un too, this year - his 40th! That's him fresh home from Westown Maternity (New Plymouth) in 1984. Back then he weighed 8 pounds.

His origin story is here.

As it states in that post, I compiled media stuff from the week he was born in '84. Here is a random selection:

• The horoscope for those born this week - count your blessings, rather than your grievances.
• Gremlins and Cannonball Run 2 were on at the movies in New Plymouth. 
• It was raining in NP on 19 December 1984.
• Everton were top of Division one this week (hard to believe) and Arsenal were 4th.
• Billy Joel's An Innocent Man was the top album and Poi-E by the Patea Maori Club was the #1 single.

Happy birthday Keegan! Suggest you fire up the popcorn maker and watch Gremlins tonight to celebrate.

Love always - dad