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Last week in Dunedin was the busiest time we have experienced since The World Cup.

Two international conferences and an ARTS FESTIVAL all happening at the same time.

On the menu for the Arts Festival were Interactive Activities & Workshops, Installations & Exhibitions, Performances, Open Building & Tours, Musicians & DJs and plenty of other bits and pieces. Some of our Guests came especially from the North Island (Auckland & Whangarei) and they enjoyed it all tremendously.

AND then a letter was printed in our main newspaper “Otago Daily Times”:

STREET ART, ….

I fear that should the DCC and building owners continue to allow increasing painting of these, it will succeed only in creating a gloomy, dull image of our city. …. I urge authorities to use restraint in approving any further desecration.

Reading this letter I remember that years and years ago, as a young adults often do, group of us were involved in long and heated discussions on how to save the world. Very different views were expressed but one in particular made my sister turn to me and say: “do you think they have different brains?”.

Well, I think this applies to the letter writer published in the ODT, just judge for yourself.

Corner of Jetty and Princes Streets before

Corner of Jetty and Princes Streets after

Stafford Street, My mate John’s delivery yard:

Stafford Street, My mate John’s delivery yard:

How can anyone call it DULL, and there are some more starting with the long steps leading to “scarifies” house:
(“Scarfies” is a local name for students)

There are many more, and this “more” is work in progress

Dunedin Street Art may be controversial, is it art? is it graffiti? But most certainly it is NOT desecration or dull.

I rest my case. Viva Dunedin!!!!

Ewa & Keith
Fletcher Lodge

276 High Street,
Dunedin, New Zealand
Phone:
+64 3 477-5552
Free Phone: 0800 THE LODGE

Email: [email protected]

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On the same holiday, Summer 1956, I met another 9 year old boy, Janusz and we have kept up our friendship ever since. He is a writer, journalist, TV journalist, producer of TV serials etc. We shared various holidays and proms, thanks to his mother I passed my Latin exams at Warsaw University, we knew each other’s girlfriends/boyfriends, husbands/wives. My father and I laughed reading his first attempts at short stories, and, as he from his teenage days swam against the tide, we all understood why communist censors would not publish any of it. He visited my parents after I left for the UK to show off his first born daughter. Recently he made a documentary program about my mother.

Ola, Janusz’s better half, dog & I

Janusz was delighted to see me again, especially because I was wearing sharp pink trousers (thanks to a last minute shopping trip in Auckland with Stephanie May) which complemented his “lime green” trousers (he was told recently by a friendly ‘do-gooder’ to dress according to his age in dark colours).

So now back to Warsaw, as you can see in the photo we are sitting at a cafeteria.

This little dog is waiting for his owner outside a shop.

 Dogs in Warsaw

As the whole of Dunedin’s City Centre is a no go area for dogs, I was so surprised to learn and see dogs everywhere in Warsaw. You can take them into bars, cafés and restaurants. They walk freely with their owners on the main streets and shopping precincts, they ride free of charge on busses and trams.

And this one is riding in a tram.

Warsaw transport

I do not know if there is another major city in world where you can comeback after forty years and find that the main routes for busses and trams remain the same. The ones I used 45 years ago tram nos 15, 9 & 7 still go through my old street of Grojecka and bus 116 drives from Zoliborz (my first home)  past Warsaw University to Wilanow just as it always did.

The only difference is the actual trams and busses.  Originally rickety, noisy things with open ended platforms, from which your could jump on or off or between the stops are gone, they have changed into futuristic, very long vehicles with bendy carriages. They talk to you in between the stops letting you know where you are, where are you going to. Television screens confirm your routes and display news flashes. It was on a tram that I learnt of Serena Williams win at the American Open.

The post Return to Poland, continued appeared first on Heritage Inns.

(read also Ewas first post on her trip home)

My mum asked me to look through my old desk and sort some stuff that I had left behind. Taking into account that I left home more that 44 years ago I was not sure what was she talking about.

It turned out to be no easy job as before me the desk used to belong to my grandfather and is huge with very deep draws. One of them was full of old letters from my friends, family and my first boyfriend. We met on summer holiday, he was from Krakow I lived in Warsaw so after the summer camp finished we corresponded for a while.

Letters From the past

Here is a rough translation of some of the lines:

These old photos

Ewa!!!

I received your letter for which I thank you warmly. I also collect stamps, but I have a small number only 59 from 14 countries. You have much more, can you send me some. We also have some snow but it has melted by now.

Dear Ewko.

Thank you for your letter and stamps. Please send me your photo………Do you have a bicycle, because I do not.  Nothing more to write about.

I graduated to IVth level. We also have a lot of homework. You told me that you also graduated with some Bs and As, I got 3 Bs and rest were As.

And right at the bottom we can read his proud announcement:   My 10^th birthday was in May.

At the back of the lower photo he wrote:  I am sending you a photo of my younger brother. He is the one with teddy

The post Letters From Poland appeared first on Heritage Inns.

Hi, I have just come back from a marvelous 3 weeks in Poland spending most of the time with my Mother, Sister and friends. It was a lovely time of the year, late summer, with warm sunny days but not too hot.

Over next the few days I will bore you with some bits and pieces, but let’s start with the New Zealand connections.

My sister lives near the historic part of Warsaw just behind the Botanic Gardens, on the main street leading to them is the most fabulously restored old palace. Facade is completely restored, but when you get through the huge entrance door into a quadrant you are into old/modern world housing restaurants and offices. Amongst others our own New Zealand Embassy…… just have a peek.

New Zealand in Poland

New Zealand Embassy Name Plate

New Zealand Embassy

Outside New Zealand Embassy Quadrant, Wasaw.

Quadrant Roofed Over

Embassy Quadrant

Superb Historic Buildings

Eat your heart out Historic Places Trust and Dunedin City Council trying to stop development of a run of historic houses in Prices Street in Dunedin by the investors with similar ideas they say in the name of “preserving” history, but in practice letting it to fall into disrepair.

A Taste of Home !!

A Taste of NZ in Poland

On my second day in Poland I was invited by my friend, Ania, for dinner. Incidentally I met Ania on my first day in school where we remained friends for the next 16 years, when we both studied Law together at Warsaw University. After graduation I left for England, Ania remained in Poland, but we never lost touch. So, there I was in her house looking at the fruit bowl and could not believe my eyes, see for yourselves.

New Zealand Kiwi Fruit make it to Poland

So, there you are two NZ connections in Poland !

The post Ewa in Poland appeared first on Heritage Inns.

Dunedins Rhododendrons

Every year in October the City of Dunedin celebrates one of New Zealand’s loveliest sights – the exotic beauty of the City’s Rhododendrons. Here a fortuitous partnership of soil and climate combine to give one of the finest Rhododendron growing areas in the world, thus earning Dunedin the description of Rhododendron City. Originating from areas as diverse as the Himalayas and the sub-arctic tundra regions, experts consider the Rhododendron to be uniquely suited to Dunedin. 

Fletcher Lodge

As Dunedin starts it annual Rhododendron Festival in our famous Botanical Gardens, I just need to sneak into my back yards to see this splendid 2 storey high tree and to enjoy our own rhododendrons.

…..

Around the City

As well as Dunedins many public gardens residents and visitors alike are invited to enjoy some of the many fine private gardens thrown open during Rhododendron Week

Ewa & Keith
Fletcher Lodge

276 High Street,
Dunedin, New Zealand
Phone:
+64 3 477-5552
Free Phone: 0800 THE LODGE

Email: [email protected]

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“Paper Chase”

After a fantastic winter, we are now experiencing a glorious Dunedin Spring. The Azaleas look particularly beautiful this year, the Daffodils have come out and the Tulips are also now emerging. There is so much work to do in the house and garden at this time of year and I have been spending hours clipping, trimming, tidying and sweeping. With my hard work and the splendid spring flowers, the garden is beginning to look ready for the summer months ahead.  

Tulips at the door

A corner of Fletcher Lodge Garden

Azalia

Azalia

Fletcher !!!!

Fletcher…. Banished

Meanwhile, Fletcher has been unimpressed by a short but nasty downturn in the weather. When he eventually ventured outside for a healthy run in the park, he ended up covered in mud and was not allowed back in the house. He had to endure the indignity of a bath in Dunedin’s “most southern dog wash in the world”.

Fletcher in Clean Mode

Dogs hate baths

New Kiwis

Olga, Nadia & Michail in traditional old Russian dress at their Citizenship Ceremony

An important event in our lives recently was Olga, Nadia and Michail receiving their New Zealand citizenship in Dunedin’s Town Hall (as can be seen in the fantastic picture). Olga is the housekeeper in the Lodge, and she works with me on absolutely anything that needs to be done ranging from drapes-making to gardening. Olga was a music teacher in her native Russia and Nadia (12) has taken on this passion for music. She is sweet and quiet but comes alive when playing the piano. Michail has a PhD in Biochemistry & Microbiology, and works for the University of Otago in the university’s research unit.

Ewa & Keith
Fletcher Lodge

276 High Street,
Dunedin, New Zealand
Phone:
+64 3 477-5552
Free Phone: 0800 THE LODGE

Email: [email protected]

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Every July in Dunedin is sweetened by the CADBURY’S CHOCOLATE CARNIVAL.

Dunedinites have been celebrating their love of chocolate for over 10 years, dedicating an annual carnival to the sweet treat.

But organisers have added a few surprises to this year’s programme, including a house that’s definitely good enough to eat. The chocolate house was one of the features of Dunedin’s Chocolate Carnival .  A team from Otago Polytech had the challenge of building a life-size house and painting it with 90 litres of melted chocolate. “Quite difficult to keep it warm enough to be able to make it spread easily,” says chocolate carpenter Graham Burgess.

“But yeah, we had a lot of fun. Students kept an eye on things as well and were quite keen to taste bits and pieces as we went along. ”

The team’s also been designing a new machine to release the 25,000 giant Jaffas for their annual race down the world’s steepest street.

But the icing on the cake was the chocolate creations of English food sculptor Prudence Staite. Bored of working with stone while doing an art degree at university, she turned to chocolate.

“I’ve always been obsessed with food, and always obsessed with art, so pretty much I fused that together at the age of two,” says Staite.

She’s worked in the Cadbury factory for more than a week making chocolate sculptures and decorations to go in and around the chocolate house – everything from an edible fireplace to chocolate cushions.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/217123/video-baldwin-st-jaffa-race

Here short history of chocolate – Food of the Gods:

The origins of chocolate can be traced back to the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations in Central America.  ‘Theobroma cacao’, meaning ‘food of the gods’, was prized for centuries by the Central American Mayan Indians, who first enjoyed a much-prized spicy drink called ‘chocolatl’, made from roasted cocoa beans.

The Aztecs introduced cocoa to the Spaniards, who took it back to Europe in the 16th century. However it was very expensive, so only the rich could afford it. Chocolate was exclusively for drinking until the early Victorian times when a technique for making solid ‘eating’ chocolate was devised.

August is going to be pretty hectic in Fletcher Lodge, we plan to paint the front of the house, carry on working on the second bedroom in the Sobieski Suite and carry on with landscaping our gardens. Hopefully, as most of my activities are outdoors, (painting and gardening) the weather will change for the worst, so I will not feel guilty by attending New Zealand International Film Festival.

Kia Ora from Dunedin

Ewa & Keith  Rozecki-Pollard

Fletcher Lodge, Dunedin

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