Memorandum Monday - minimalist

I can't think of anything new that I did or learnt over the weekend - even the (unsuccessful) resolve to make sure I have something new to share is not new. 

So just a wave to everyone and wishes for a good week

and a photo taken 10 years ago when I lived in Wellington, New Zealand in a house up the hill so that on foggy mornings I looked out over the top of the cloud and had to walk down into it on the way to work

Monday Memorandum musing on camellias

I thought I'd better snap some of the camellias I see on my walk as the current wind will probably blow a lot of the blooms off the bushes - such a delicate flower.

I do like to see all these anonymous looking bushes suddenly bloom for a short time each spring. 

But I'm more used to seeing white blooms as those were dominant in New Zealand where they are also used as a symbol of women gaining the vote.  They even feature on the $10 note which has a picture of Kate Sheppard who led the suffrage campaign.

Back in October 1893 when the campaign to give women the right to vote had succeeded in legislation being introduced in parliament, the women campaigning gave each member of parliament who they knew would support them a white camellia to wear on their lapel. 

The legislation passed- the first country to remove a gender qualification for parliamentary elections.

The day is still marked in New Zealand with many women attending a celebratory suffrage day breakfast, including several hosted by government ministers and senior women in other walks of life.  Often these include singing several suffrage songs.

I attended may such breakfasts while I was there and all the celebrations of the 100 year anniversary of women's suffrage in 1993.

Amazing what thoughts a pretty flower can trigger

Waving to you all and wishing you all a good week

me on Monday in December

you find me reminiscing about Christmas when the sky if bright blue and there is plenty of good light - as we approach the shortest day of the year when daylight is overcast I sought out photos of New Zealand Christmas where the daylight is longer and brighter at this time of year:

The tree is a pohutukawa and is covered in red November/December and is known as the Christmas tree in NZ and features on lots of Christmas cards.  The giant bauble was in the main square in town and provided lots of lovely reflections. The giant Santa winks - it has been displayed on that corner of the main street in Auckland for decades.

Waving to you all and hoping your build up to Christmas day is fun and stress free.