The Design

Right now, we are close to the end of the design process…

We have fantasized about our new home, we have been presented with concepts, we have talked about the merits of various types of brick, and now we are signing off on the design and nearly ready to put the plans to Council, with the hope that we can start building in the Spring…

So what is the design like exactly?

Well, it is a series of three brick two-storey rectangles, joined by glass corridors… think industrial, think mid-century, think white painted brick…

The first rectangle will house a garage/laundry/toilet on the ground floor and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor.

The second rectangle will house a kitchen/dining downstairs and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor.

The third rectangle will house a 1½-storey living area.

Here are some photos of how I imagine it will look when it is finished... or how it will feel… kind of :o)

The Art of Resting

On the last weekend in June, I went on my first ever yoga retreat (restorative yoga) with a girlfriend. A whole weekend of blissful child-free pampering at the Mana Retreat Centre… what could possibly be nicer? Arriving in the dark/wet was quite stressful (and we were late, of course). But all that tension and concentration melted away once we arrived. The welcome was warm as was the delicious vegetarian food… simple yet presented with care.

We read the schedule in front of the fire, had our first taste of restorative yoga and got an early night, in anticipation of a full Saturday and Sunday.

For our accommodation, I had chosen the option of being further away from the main centre building, but this had the benefit of more privacy. Our 2-bed sleepout (with separate bathroom a few steps away) was further up the mountain, either a 10-minute walk or a short drive back to the main building. Waking up somewhere new when you’ve arrived after dark is always exciting – the weather was clear and still and we felt a sense of expansiveness watching the sunrise over the Firth of Thames…

The course leaders, Karla and Neil had suggested a silent space prior to the first class. I was a bit peeved at first, no chatting to my girlfriend, but after that first morning, I began to see the benefits of no talking – my mind cleared, leaving behind all the mind chatter, and I felt calm and relaxed. Listening to the gentle clinking of breakfast dishes and the cries of kaka (rare native parrots) that routinely circle the Centre building, I appreciated this composition of sounds so different from my normal weekday rush.

The restorative yoga concentrated on reconnecting us to our breathing as we worked through a number of very relaxing postures or asanas (with the aim of giving ourselves an impeccable level of comfort). The sessions were just the right balance of serious enquiry and playful relaxation.

To do this we used props; by the end of the session the floor was a sea of blankets/bolsters/cushions, and I was making a mental inventory of my blankets etc. at home.

I spent some of my spare time at Mana exploring the many walking tracks. Even in mid-Winter we were blessed with sun, so it really was a pleasure to get outside and enjoy the lush and varied environment. Having enjoyed the morning silence, I had to escape the dining room from time to time, finding even occasional small talk a bit much. I really felt that I connected to a quiet space inside myself, that rarely gets a look in, in normal life.

As well as the pleasure of just walking, I was very happy to try watsu for the first time. This is a night-time candle-lit massage in blood-temperature water in a special outside pool, and really the most amazing thing. I really encourage you to try it if you haven’t. Another woman there described it as like being a child on a swing with your father pushing you, and I felt it was the closest thing I will ever experience to returning to feeling like a really small child, feeling safe and nutured. That sounds such a cliché, and I have always had a healthy skepticism for ‘rebirthing’ experiences, but this was something else… so relaxing and enjoyable; a truly unique experience.

Not my photo. I found it here:
http://integratedthaimassage.wordpress.com/massage-2/watsu-3/

After the watsu I wasn’t sure how I would feel, but actually I felt great and energetic so I decided to walk alone up to the Sanctuary, which is a private non-denominational chapel. Some of the others had walked up before to listen to the bells and do some singing. I had a lovely sense of anticipation before going inside – seeing the lights shining out into the darkness.

After a very good deep sleep and more delicious food, I realised it was nearly time to go home. I was looking forward to seeing my family again, but wow, what a great weekend…

(If you like the sound of this, the same teachers are doing another restorative course in September 2014. You can find information out about it here: http://www.sacredmoves.com/events/the-art-of-resting/)

Lantern Festival

At the Steiner Kindy, they have a mid-winter Lantern Festival every year. For the last couple of years, Jack and I have made the biscuits. This year Jack asked if we could bake an extra batch, and eat them all ourselves! Once you have tried them, you may wish to do the same...

Here is the recipe:

175g butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 cups flour

3 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1. Soften the butter; stir in the brown sugar. Whisk the egg, then add slowly, alternating with the flour and spices. until all the ingredients have been worked together to form a dough, which you can knead a little into a ball. Then refrigerate it for a couple of hours. 

2. The dough will really firm up, so slice the dough into 'rounds', then roll it out to 1/4 inch (or half a centimetre) thick. Cut into star shapes.

3. Bake for 10 minutes at 175 degrees C. The points of the stars should be brown; then you know the biscuits are cooked through. Enjoy!

Meet our architect...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11259133

Bread...

Following from a couple of recent bread photos that ended up on Facebook, it seemed like a good idea to share my bread recipe with you :o)

I make my own bread because

1. you can’t beat the smell of freshly-baked bread;

2.  it tastes heaps better;

3.  I can work my frustrations out on my kneading; and

4. Vogel’s and other commercially-made loaves have milk powder in them (and I am trying to cut down on the amount of dairy I am eating).

So here it is…

Ingredients:

1 tsp active dried yeast

500ml tepid water (blood temperature)

500g high grade flour/wholemeal flour

extra flour for dusting

handful sunflower seeds

small handful sesame seeds

extra virgin olive oil

bread tin that can take 1.5 litres water

Put the yeast into a large bowl. Add the tepid water, and leave for 5 minutes or so. (The amount of water you add at this stage dictates the size of the loaf. I started by using 300ml but my loaf never filled the tin, so I gradually increased it to end up with the right amount of dough).  

Add enough high grade flour (I use a mixture of white and wholemeal about 2 thirds to 1 third) until the mixture comes together when stirred in the bowl. I start with a whisk and then work up to a wooden spoon.  Add the salt and as soon as you can, tip the whole lot on to the bench and start kneading… another sprinkle of flour, another bit of kneading… When the dough feels pliable and elastic, but not sticky, put it back in the mixing bowl you used earlier, with a layer of oiled cling film tucked in around the dough, and a clean tea towel over the whole bowl. I put it on a sunny window ledge until the dough has doubled in size. This can take several hours, so I usual start this process when I am going to be home at lunchtime or am around for most of the day, say at the weekend.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, add a large handful of sunflower seeds and a small handful of sesame seeds to the dough and knead it again. This gives you the flavor and texture of the seeds without having the trouble of getting them to stick to the top of your loaf.

Once it is all mixed in, grease a bread tin with extra virgin olive oil, and put the dough in it. Cover with the tea towel and leave to rise. Once it fills the tin, bake in a hot oven for 35 minutes or until the bread is nicely brown on top, and has a hollow sound when you tap it. You can always stick a skewer through the centre just to make sure.

Wait 10 minutes if you can bear to, and then slice, spread thickly with butter, jam or whatever is your favourite, and try not to scoff the lot in one sitting!

The Brief

The Brief

We have decided this build that we are going to use an architect to help us design our new home.

One very useful resource has been the website of NZ Institute of Architects (http://talktoanarchitect.co.nz).
It gave us the framework for writing a brief... 

Here is some of the information that we gave to three architects to start the conversation to see if they were interested in us... and we in them…

About Us

As a family, we consider ourselves to be eco-aware, creative, book readers, gardeners (things we can eat), cooks, design-conscious.

We are building a new home because we have lots of ideas that wouldn’t fit into the first home that we built (and designed ourselves). We want the opportunity to work with an architect who will hopefully offer us creative solutions and stretch our ideas. We don’t want to play it too safe, design-wise. We would want to build the house ourselves, using our construction business and its sub-contractors.

We love this area. It’s a great community and we have work and lots of friends here. We have bought an acre section near our existing home that we hope will give us outside space, a north facing aspect and external and internal privacy.

Here are some images we like:

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, California http://www.bcj.com/public/projects/project/102.html

MW Works Architecture, Washington

http://www.mwworks.com/Projects/Case-Inlet.php

Crosson Clarke Carnachan, Whangapoua

http://ccca.co.nz/projects/hut-on-sleds

Pekapeka house

Patersonson architects

http://www.p-a.co.nz/pekapeka%20house/pekapeka%20house.htm

Howe House by R.M. Schindler, 1925

Olsen Kundig Architects, Seattle

http://www.olsonkundigarchitects.com/Projects/46/The-Brain

Home is a refuge from the busy world, relaxation, somewhere to plan new projects/ overseas trips. Somewhere warm, comfortable, beautiful and functional. No bling/artificiality, but very stylish. Our new space should be casual, welcoming, light, modest, edgy (industrial), with private space and family/entertaining space. We would also like some ideas for hard landscaping around the house, and how the house may fit into the wider landscape.

We currently have an orchard, garage/workshop, timber store, art studio, sleepout and a modest 3-bed house.

Specifics: Likes and Dislikes

We like board-formed concrete, painted brick, steel windows with glazing bars, natural materials (timber, wood, stone), timber weatherboards, board and batten, negative detailing, modernist styling, reclaimed materials, Lifemark principles and exterior finishes used inside.

We like Art Deco and 50s Californian design.

We dislike fake materials (plastic trying to be wood, concrete trying to be tiles, etc).