Dakota's Journal

I just got back from a dinner party at my sisters house, it was another event set to my sisters standards, finely rolled cutlery, decorative plates, ornate glasses, silver forks and chandeliers from every corner of the room. I really enjoyed my self, it was a great time to catch up with my sister. We had delicious fillets, grilled capsicums, salads and baguettes, a simple and light summer table. And the summer table wouldn’t have been complete without a few glasses of wine here and there. We had quite a few salads too, mainly Turkish salads, fresh chickpeas, artichokes, that type of taste, with that went light Humus, dolma and beef Shawarma. And I nearly forgot to mention the Tabbouleh. Tomatoes, fresh olives, cilantro, and I’m reminiscing over fish fillets too, grilled lightly on the outdoor BBQ with splashes of tangy lime juice and cumin, and a few more glasses of wine, balanced with avocado spread…

 
This was one of the more simple salads, so simple, yet so flavorful too. Fresh Italian tomatoes, lettuce leaf, cucumber, chickpeas, and a light dressing which was made from Italian olive oil, chopped garlic and lemon juice. 

A few conversations later, my sister gave me a tour of her house… She’s been redecorating for summer, the new details, whether they be small or extensive, look great. I could move in tomorrow.

She completely redecorated a few walls, with a few feature walls… Like the silver leaf paisley patterns she florally embedded all over the place, particularly in one part of the living room entrance. 

 
And then, in the bathroom are these Arabesque paintings on the walls. These flowers remind me of the intricate flowers painted on Turkish coffee cups. I quite like the design, but also, in addition to the design, I really like the texture of the paint. It looks amazing on the walls. 

 
And then, in addition to the paintings lay these stones in the bathroom. My sister had them tiled on parts of the bathroom walls, it looks amazing in the evening! And, they’re also tiled upon the floor of the shower, which is incredibly spacious and modern.

My favorite feature of the kitchen was this mirror, it’s large and encrusted with New Zealand Paua shells, all around the edges. The purpose was to add depth to the wall, which stares at a rather intimidating double door refrigerator. Stainless steel only, of course, says my sister. 

 
In the living room is this chair, which I really like. It’s mainly woven and constructed with Indonesian woods… Located right in front of the bay windows, it seems to be a great relaxation area for reading. You can see the stars in the evening too, just beyond the window seat. 

And, to correspond with the oak wood floors and Iranian rugs in the living room, my sister has some ornamental carvings too, and perhaps a string of colorful tribal beads may lay tangled upon them.

In the late evening, everything comes to life with light, depth and intricate shadow, particularly these dangling chandeliers that my sister has featured in every single room of the house. The reflection of the somewhat sharp shadows from the light appears to be intriguing in the slightest, but more so, quite relaxing. 

Those are all of the photographs I have compiled so far, but perhaps at the next dinner party I’ll capture a few more, especially of the art on the walls. I really liked my sisters house, and the new interior for summer looks great, I’m looking forward to more dinners together this summer. And the food today was superb, I really enjoyed my self. Especially that salad and the fillets with lime juice. 

The view of these quaint houses by the seaside was simply breathtaking, the many painted colors glistened with reflection against the face of the ocean, it was like a view in the far Mediterranean. You could see the clouds for miles, they were as white as swan feathers. New Zealand during this month looks picturesque everywhere you go, the flowers are starting to bloom out of the winter, the trees are starting to shed the light upon their leaves, everything looks stunning. Near the harbor stood a field of blossom trees, because it is now spring, the entire field was pink and white with petals…

The petals were white and as delicate as Origami cranes, the wind was still, and the sky was as blue as turquoise, one tends to awe. 

 
“From turquoise skies lay lime green leaves and the blossom petals turn as green as their surroundings.” 
 

“Glared from the corner of my eye stalk thousands of pink blossoms too, the spring sun shines vividly on them like the aura around a religious painting. The clouds are splashed against the blue skies, from the view below. Picturesque.”

Later in the afternoon I had coffee in a local café before going to Te Kopua, by then the clouds had dawned rain, but regardless, the ocean was stunning.

In summer local children crowd this jetty to go swimming, and during the summer nights, couples stand here to view the moonlight. Only in transition does it seem in the slightest, quiet. An elderly man passes with his fishing rod, perhaps hoping to catch a few fillets. I can still smell the aroma of coffee, and the Gabuchi caramel slice lays brimmed with flavor against my lips. 

Before I left, I went to observe these newly renovated apartments, apparently these two structures used to be historic concrete plants, the location in which they are stood is AMAZING, directly in front of the ocean, as high as they are, I can only imagine what the view will be like when they are completed. I love the texture and the color of the concrete too, it has age and artistic character.