Day 4: L3 - 27 years, Fish & Chips, Pavlova, Oysters and Connections
So it's 27 years today since Dad died suddenly. He was 56.
Had a few phone catch-ups, did a bit of admin but felt rather aimless all morning. Unproductive. Flat. I watched the 1pm Live Update - first time for a while. Felt even flatter! They need to zhuzh these up a bit, they've become very transactional, not very inspirational.
Shortly after that I felt unusually tired and quite chilly. It wasn't cold and I'd had a decent sleep.
I went and lay on the bed, felt like a dead weight. Closed my eyes, drifted off. It's the first time I've done that mid-afternoon in years. But somehow this seemed more productive and inviting than wandering around listlessly doing nothing much in particular. I really didn't understand this fatigue thing, it's most unlike me. Oh well, sometimes one must just succumb.
An hour or so later I got up. Back to the computer. Still not finding much focus or gusto but got on and did some stuff. It was then that I realised that my out-of-character "lying down time" was at the very same time-frame as Dad's last half hour of life and first half hour of death, 27 years ago.
If my memory serves me correctly, he died at 2.11pm.
It happened right here at Omaha. In the ambulance. While it was still on the property.
I am on that very property today. Alone.
Saturday 1st May 1993 was a gloriously sunny day. And a terribly tragic and life-changing one.
Friday 1st May 2020 is a calm and mostly sunny day. And an incredibly surreal one.
I tended to a few emails and phone calls, then took myself off to the beach around 4pm.
There were a few hardy young souls in swimming. The sun glinted on the peninsula where Dad's ashes were sprinkled. The rest of the beach was cast in shadow. Poignant timing or what?
And somewhere, in and around the land and water he loved so much, and amongst the blue sky and fluffy clouds above, Dad's spirit resides. As does Mum's.
I feel sad they aren't here to see and enjoy the Omaha of today, but happy that I am able to stand on this beach and say hi. I'm sure they are both looking down, proud of the new era Omaha that continues the legacy. And no doubt shell-shocked at the state of the world. As a doctor, Dad would have had a thing or two to say about it all - and I strongly suspect we would have been in total agreement on things.
I felt better after my walk. Did some more admin. Looked at some old photos.
Neighbour Peter popped over with a welcome glass of rose and we sat on the deck and chatted for a bit, keeping our bubble-distance. He is missing his fishing. I am missing his smoked fish gifts! Hmm, missing fish in general ...
Which leads me to dinner ...
Rothko, the restaurant attached to Sculptureum, is now open for pick-up meals Fri/Sat/Sun in L3 so, in honour of Dad's love of fish & chips (and my hankering for them), I placed an order. Dad also enjoyed red wine, so I ordered a bottle of their Barrier Blend red for good measure.
It was quite surreal driving into the property all alone - beautiful twinkling fairy lights guided me up the driveway, not a soul in sight. An impressive elephant-head sculpture welcomed me as I pulled up and had my car reg checked for ID. My meal was placed on a sanitised table, I hopped out to collect it and, after a quick chat with the masked lady who brought out my bag of goodies, I was on my way. Great system.
Yum - tucking into fresh fish (terakihi) and chips (oven ones are not the same), with coconut tartare and a side of shaved fennel, was heaven. It's the first meal I haven't cooked in ... well, we all know how long! And the first fish I've had in even longer.
Dad would have enjoyed this meal. He was a huge fan of battered fish and chips. Throw in a few oysters and he was in 7th heaven. When we used to come up to Omaha for the weekends as a kid in the 1970s, we always used to stop at Tony's in Warkworth on Friday nights for a big feed en route (it's now a cafe). This was a weekly ritual for years and years, and I have to say I looked forward to it as much as he did. The fish was always fresh and delicious and it was one of those exciting outings in a decade of limited options. I can still picture the five of us sitting in the restaurant, all '70s decor and friendly service and banter. And the freshest fish.
All that deep fried stuff didn't help Dad's heart though. As alluded to in a previous post, he liked a bit too much of it just a bit too much.
I settled in to watch the livestream of Royal NZ Ballet's 'Romeo & Juliet'. The costumes were ornately simple, the set evocative, the dancing excellent. And that Prokofiev score is so brilliant - just the right blend of pomp, suspense and heartbreak.
The Sculptureum Barrier Blend, a great combo of cabernet franc and merlot carmenere, went with it very well indeed!
I was once lucky enough to see Rudolf Nureyev dance Romeo in his own production of the ballet in Paris - at the Palais des Sport, in 1978, on a school trip. Pinch me. I still remember sitting in my seat in the huge auditorium waiting for him to appear. I hardly dared believe I was about to watch my ballet legend in action. And then he danced ...
Magical moments right there. I was 15.
It's now called the Dome de Paris - a giant aluminium dome, venue for all sorts of concerts. It will host some events at the 2024 Olympics in Paris I believe.
BTW, Nureyev also sadly died in 1993 (Jan), aged 54, of AIDS related illness. Like Dad, way too young.
Another Nureyev connection ... the famous racehorse Nureyev features in the breeding line of Saintly Way, the horse I have an interest in! SW has won one race ... let's hope he can dance his way strongly to the finish line again come springtime once racing is back in action.
So next weekend the RNZ Ballet are livestreaming their production "Black Swan, White Swan". I saw it live - a modern interpretation, clever and insightful. I simply didn't want it to end. I'll be tuning in again. Check the website for info and times (you can also watch R&J on Sat/Sun this weekend if you desire - it works really well as a ballet).
https://rnzb.org.nz/rnzb-live-in-your-living-room/
Pavlova ...
On the subject of swans and iconic ballet dancers, I got to thinking about Anna Pavlova. I remember reading her biography - "A Dancing Star" I think - as a teenager, and the pictures that formed in my mind as I read it were so vivid. Russia, poverty, a waif-like wannabe ballerina, high discipline, high emotion, hard work, iconic names, overcoming adversity - and lots of spirit. Her story enthralled the young ballet-mad me.
And then, just a few years later, aged 20, I actually ended up sitting in the very theatre where she had sat with her mother (in 1889) and decided there and then that she wanted to become a ballerina. That was the Mariinsky Theatre (was Kirov) in St Petersburg (was Leningrad back in 1982, also had a stint as Petrograd).
I saw an opera that evening, alas not ballet - "The Tsar's Bride" (OMG 4 acts, sooooo loooooong and traditional and not my thing!). I wouldn't highly recommend it! But I do recommend going to that beautiful theatre if you can.
Pavlova's signature piece was, of course, "The Dying Swan" - a dance she performed around 4,000 times in her career. Below are two clips of her dancing this piece circa 1905. The first is kind of speedy B&W film style of the day, but the second is slowed to normal tempo. Same dance, but the emotions come through quite differently, as you'll see. Fast or slow, it touches the heart.
Her knees are frustratingly "turned in" (my purist ballet approach being nit-picky about technique) but there is no doubt that she was a highly expressive and incredibly flexible dancer.
Really, she doesn't dance the dying swan, she IS the dying swan.
BTW she kept swans in a pond at her English country home.
She died of pleurisy in The Hague in 1931, aged just 49. Way way too young.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkFSBkl9mmo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s__C1s-ohQ
And that dessert ...
Anna Pavlova toured to New Zealand in 1926, being greeted with cult-like status. Apparently the Pavlova cake actually has its origins in Germany where it began as a torte and somewhere in the US evolved into its current form. So it's neither NZ or Oz who can lay claim.
Whatever, the good old Pav (my favourite dessert) does justice to the lightness, fluttery delight and ethereal quality of Pavlova's dancing. Who cares who devised it - I care more about devouring it!
AP had a deco look/feel and I love this photo of her and a splendid beaded headdress. And a haunting look that just implores you to take a second glance.
LUNCH: Poached eggs on toast
DINNER: Fish & Chips from Rothko
OMG - I was about to post this but then got distracted and watched a short clip about the White Island eruption and survivors etc. The explosion occurred at ... 2:11pm. The very same time as another tragic event mentioned early in this post.
Connections - they are everywhere. Just need to look!
SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Oysters ...
I mentioned Dad loved oysters.
So do I.
But I didn't for years - until I actually had the gumption to try them. When I was 30.
OMG, I immediately lamented all those oyster-less years. I'd missed out on years of deliciousness!
Whilst Brett and I have loved and enjoyed oysters for a long time, the boys - in the same vein as me - did not.
They hated them. Until they, too, tried them!
Now they can't get enough of them either!
Bummer for us - either have to buy way more oysters or enjoy only half the amount!
Dad was always encouraging us girls to love oysters, but at the same time knowing that there would be less for him if we got the taste. He was pretty glad it took decades! Unfortunately, I had only a few months of oyster-loving moments with him - I discovered oysters when I was 30 (thanks to his perseverance); he died when I was 30. Oysters are now synonymous with Dad!
Thankfully there is a wonderful oyster business about five minutes' from Omaha - Matakana Oysters. They have an old green shed from which they dispense an array of oysters farmed in Mahurangi. Out back is the most extensive vinyl record collection I've ever seen. And in the shop - great music and comedy galore. These guys know how to entertain. Sadly they're closed right now - but I can't wait for them to open. I'm lamenting my oysterless lockdown.
When I went in just prior to lockdown, I had a load of laughs with the guys - see photo below, this is what I encountered. Look at that mask! It gives the flavour of things in that green shed.
May they open very soon! I want to enjoy their humour and their oysters again very soon.
Had a few phone catch-ups, did a bit of admin but felt rather aimless all morning. Unproductive. Flat. I watched the 1pm Live Update - first time for a while. Felt even flatter! They need to zhuzh these up a bit, they've become very transactional, not very inspirational.
Shortly after that I felt unusually tired and quite chilly. It wasn't cold and I'd had a decent sleep.
I went and lay on the bed, felt like a dead weight. Closed my eyes, drifted off. It's the first time I've done that mid-afternoon in years. But somehow this seemed more productive and inviting than wandering around listlessly doing nothing much in particular. I really didn't understand this fatigue thing, it's most unlike me. Oh well, sometimes one must just succumb.
An hour or so later I got up. Back to the computer. Still not finding much focus or gusto but got on and did some stuff. It was then that I realised that my out-of-character "lying down time" was at the very same time-frame as Dad's last half hour of life and first half hour of death, 27 years ago.
If my memory serves me correctly, he died at 2.11pm.
It happened right here at Omaha. In the ambulance. While it was still on the property.
I am on that very property today. Alone.
Saturday 1st May 1993 was a gloriously sunny day. And a terribly tragic and life-changing one.
Friday 1st May 2020 is a calm and mostly sunny day. And an incredibly surreal one.
I tended to a few emails and phone calls, then took myself off to the beach around 4pm.
There were a few hardy young souls in swimming. The sun glinted on the peninsula where Dad's ashes were sprinkled. The rest of the beach was cast in shadow. Poignant timing or what?
And somewhere, in and around the land and water he loved so much, and amongst the blue sky and fluffy clouds above, Dad's spirit resides. As does Mum's.
 |
| Omaha Beach photo of the day - sunshine on Dad's fishing spot |
I feel sad they aren't here to see and enjoy the Omaha of today, but happy that I am able to stand on this beach and say hi. I'm sure they are both looking down, proud of the new era Omaha that continues the legacy. And no doubt shell-shocked at the state of the world. As a doctor, Dad would have had a thing or two to say about it all - and I strongly suspect we would have been in total agreement on things.
I felt better after my walk. Did some more admin. Looked at some old photos.
 |
| Dad - a beer on the patio at Hapua Street, Remuera (1970s) |
 |
| With Dad - Home to NZ for my 21st - 1983 |
Neighbour Peter popped over with a welcome glass of rose and we sat on the deck and chatted for a bit, keeping our bubble-distance. He is missing his fishing. I am missing his smoked fish gifts! Hmm, missing fish in general ...
Which leads me to dinner ...
Rothko, the restaurant attached to Sculptureum, is now open for pick-up meals Fri/Sat/Sun in L3 so, in honour of Dad's love of fish & chips (and my hankering for them), I placed an order. Dad also enjoyed red wine, so I ordered a bottle of their Barrier Blend red for good measure.
It was quite surreal driving into the property all alone - beautiful twinkling fairy lights guided me up the driveway, not a soul in sight. An impressive elephant-head sculpture welcomed me as I pulled up and had my car reg checked for ID. My meal was placed on a sanitised table, I hopped out to collect it and, after a quick chat with the masked lady who brought out my bag of goodies, I was on my way. Great system.
Yum - tucking into fresh fish (terakihi) and chips (oven ones are not the same), with coconut tartare and a side of shaved fennel, was heaven. It's the first meal I haven't cooked in ... well, we all know how long! And the first fish I've had in even longer.
Dad would have enjoyed this meal. He was a huge fan of battered fish and chips. Throw in a few oysters and he was in 7th heaven. When we used to come up to Omaha for the weekends as a kid in the 1970s, we always used to stop at Tony's in Warkworth on Friday nights for a big feed en route (it's now a cafe). This was a weekly ritual for years and years, and I have to say I looked forward to it as much as he did. The fish was always fresh and delicious and it was one of those exciting outings in a decade of limited options. I can still picture the five of us sitting in the restaurant, all '70s decor and friendly service and banter. And the freshest fish.
All that deep fried stuff didn't help Dad's heart though. As alluded to in a previous post, he liked a bit too much of it just a bit too much.
I settled in to watch the livestream of Royal NZ Ballet's 'Romeo & Juliet'. The costumes were ornately simple, the set evocative, the dancing excellent. And that Prokofiev score is so brilliant - just the right blend of pomp, suspense and heartbreak.
The Sculptureum Barrier Blend, a great combo of cabernet franc and merlot carmenere, went with it very well indeed!
I was once lucky enough to see Rudolf Nureyev dance Romeo in his own production of the ballet in Paris - at the Palais des Sport, in 1978, on a school trip. Pinch me. I still remember sitting in my seat in the huge auditorium waiting for him to appear. I hardly dared believe I was about to watch my ballet legend in action. And then he danced ...
Magical moments right there. I was 15.
It's now called the Dome de Paris - a giant aluminium dome, venue for all sorts of concerts. It will host some events at the 2024 Olympics in Paris I believe.
BTW, Nureyev also sadly died in 1993 (Jan), aged 54, of AIDS related illness. Like Dad, way too young.
Another Nureyev connection ... the famous racehorse Nureyev features in the breeding line of Saintly Way, the horse I have an interest in! SW has won one race ... let's hope he can dance his way strongly to the finish line again come springtime once racing is back in action.
So next weekend the RNZ Ballet are livestreaming their production "Black Swan, White Swan". I saw it live - a modern interpretation, clever and insightful. I simply didn't want it to end. I'll be tuning in again. Check the website for info and times (you can also watch R&J on Sat/Sun this weekend if you desire - it works really well as a ballet).
https://rnzb.org.nz/rnzb-live-in-your-living-room/
Pavlova ...
On the subject of swans and iconic ballet dancers, I got to thinking about Anna Pavlova. I remember reading her biography - "A Dancing Star" I think - as a teenager, and the pictures that formed in my mind as I read it were so vivid. Russia, poverty, a waif-like wannabe ballerina, high discipline, high emotion, hard work, iconic names, overcoming adversity - and lots of spirit. Her story enthralled the young ballet-mad me.
And then, just a few years later, aged 20, I actually ended up sitting in the very theatre where she had sat with her mother (in 1889) and decided there and then that she wanted to become a ballerina. That was the Mariinsky Theatre (was Kirov) in St Petersburg (was Leningrad back in 1982, also had a stint as Petrograd).
I saw an opera that evening, alas not ballet - "The Tsar's Bride" (OMG 4 acts, sooooo loooooong and traditional and not my thing!). I wouldn't highly recommend it! But I do recommend going to that beautiful theatre if you can.
Pavlova's signature piece was, of course, "The Dying Swan" - a dance she performed around 4,000 times in her career. Below are two clips of her dancing this piece circa 1905. The first is kind of speedy B&W film style of the day, but the second is slowed to normal tempo. Same dance, but the emotions come through quite differently, as you'll see. Fast or slow, it touches the heart.
Her knees are frustratingly "turned in" (my purist ballet approach being nit-picky about technique) but there is no doubt that she was a highly expressive and incredibly flexible dancer.
Really, she doesn't dance the dying swan, she IS the dying swan.
BTW she kept swans in a pond at her English country home.
She died of pleurisy in The Hague in 1931, aged just 49. Way way too young.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkFSBkl9mmo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s__C1s-ohQ
And that dessert ...
Anna Pavlova toured to New Zealand in 1926, being greeted with cult-like status. Apparently the Pavlova cake actually has its origins in Germany where it began as a torte and somewhere in the US evolved into its current form. So it's neither NZ or Oz who can lay claim.
Whatever, the good old Pav (my favourite dessert) does justice to the lightness, fluttery delight and ethereal quality of Pavlova's dancing. Who cares who devised it - I care more about devouring it!
AP had a deco look/feel and I love this photo of her and a splendid beaded headdress. And a haunting look that just implores you to take a second glance.
LUNCH: Poached eggs on toast
DINNER: Fish & Chips from Rothko
OMG - I was about to post this but then got distracted and watched a short clip about the White Island eruption and survivors etc. The explosion occurred at ... 2:11pm. The very same time as another tragic event mentioned early in this post.
Connections - they are everywhere. Just need to look!
SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Oysters ...
I mentioned Dad loved oysters.
So do I.
But I didn't for years - until I actually had the gumption to try them. When I was 30.
OMG, I immediately lamented all those oyster-less years. I'd missed out on years of deliciousness!
Whilst Brett and I have loved and enjoyed oysters for a long time, the boys - in the same vein as me - did not.
They hated them. Until they, too, tried them!
Now they can't get enough of them either!
Bummer for us - either have to buy way more oysters or enjoy only half the amount!
Dad was always encouraging us girls to love oysters, but at the same time knowing that there would be less for him if we got the taste. He was pretty glad it took decades! Unfortunately, I had only a few months of oyster-loving moments with him - I discovered oysters when I was 30 (thanks to his perseverance); he died when I was 30. Oysters are now synonymous with Dad!
Thankfully there is a wonderful oyster business about five minutes' from Omaha - Matakana Oysters. They have an old green shed from which they dispense an array of oysters farmed in Mahurangi. Out back is the most extensive vinyl record collection I've ever seen. And in the shop - great music and comedy galore. These guys know how to entertain. Sadly they're closed right now - but I can't wait for them to open. I'm lamenting my oysterless lockdown.
When I went in just prior to lockdown, I had a load of laughs with the guys - see photo below, this is what I encountered. Look at that mask! It gives the flavour of things in that green shed.
May they open very soon! I want to enjoy their humour and their oysters again very soon.
 |
| Matakana Oysters - in the Green Shed |
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