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𝓢𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓞𝓯𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼
I have been SO excited about sharing with ya’ll my latest baking creations- especially this year’s Halloween macaron! These little beauties are filled with either strawberry or cookies & cream buttercream and are sure to put the EAT in Trick or Treat this year!
Be sure to check out the videos !
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Second up a Moena Moxham recipe… Blueberry & Lemon Entremets!
Pumpkin- ghosts template by the epically talented Katrina @sugardevotion - please go check her out! She is the character macaron maestra!
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Blueberry & Lemon Entremets
Purple Cake - Layers from bottom to top:
Milk chocolate, roasted macadamia, caramel brittle & feuilletine croustillant
Blueberry mousse
Blueberry + white chocolate mud cake
Blueberry crémeux
Lemon marzipan cake
Lemon & black pepper gelée
Mirror glaze decorated with gold leaf & edible viola + wood sorrel grown in our garden 💙
Mini Lemon Cakes - Layers from bottom to top:
Lemon marzipan cake
Milk chocolate, roasted macadamia, caramel brittle & feuilletine croustillant
Blueberry crémeux
Lemon mousse
Mirror glaze decorated with gold leaf & edible viola 🍋💛
I hope you enjoy seeing what I have created!
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𝓢𝓟𝓡𝓘𝓝𝓖
In my opinion, there is nothing more fitting for a dreary, Lockdown day than to celebrate SPRING with a BANG! Feast you little geezers on these dem goodies 🤤… I just have to apologise that I can’t indulge your tastebuds in the experience too! oooph; what a tease 😝
Lychee, Mahleb & Ruby Chocolate Pâté Sablée Tartlets
(layers from bottom to top) sweet short pastry tart shells, Mahleb frangipane resting underneath a sharp and floral lychee & lime gelée, nestled under a lychee + Callebaut Ruby Chocolate mousse with fresh raspberry pearls.
These glorious wee tarts are decorated with vanilla, cherry & raspberry buttercream roses, pansies, daisies and leaves ♡
Mahleb
Mahleb (also spelled mahlab, mahalab, mahleb, mahaleb, mahlep, or mahalep - whew!) is a spice from the sour, black St Lucie Cherry predominantly found in the Mediterranean & Middle East. This unique spice comes from within the kernel of the cherry stone and has a completely unique flavor; a little sour, very floral- with hints of almond and notes of cherry and roses.
Ruby Chocolate
Ruby chocolate is a new chocolate variety made from ruby cocoa beans. These beans have a natural red/ pink colour. The chocolate is characterized by a slightly sweet & sour berry flavoring which is mildly acidic. Ruby chocolate’s cocoa solid percentage sits it between white and milk chocolate; around 42%. This new variety of chocolate was introduced to the culinary world in 2017 by Barry Callebaut; a Belgian- Swiss cocoa company.
Sound on 😉
𝓐𝓻𝓽𝓼𝔂 𝓱𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓡𝓾𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓼
ヽ༼ ຈل͜ຈ༼ ▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿༽Ɵ͆ل͜Ɵ͆ ༽ﾉ Adira, Darzia and I are always keen for new creative hacks when it comes to making things from materials we can find around the house to entertain ourselves! So during these upside down times while in Lockdown 2.0; I thought I’d share with ya’ll some of our favourites (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
These materials can be easily sourced, grabbed from the recycling bin or purchased at the supermarket! Woop (✿◠‿◠)
Here are our top 4!
☆(◒‿◒)☆
Photo curtesy of artfulparent.com
4) PUFF PAINT
1 cup Self Raising Flour
1 cup Salt
1 cup Water
+ Food colouring
+ Large mixing bowl
+ Several small bowls
+ Cardboard cut into shapes that fit into your microwave- make sure any staples or metallic materials are removed first, especially if recycling/ repurposing!
+ Spoons, brushes, cotton buds, potato stamps etc for applying the puff paint.
Instructions:
Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
Add the water and mix until smooth.
Separate the mixture into small bowls (however many colours you are using)
Microwave cardboard on 20 sec bursts until paint is puffed and semi dry.
Leave in safe dry place overnight to set.
Photo curtesy of aercmn.com
3) SLIME
1 tsp Metamucil or Psyllium Husk Powder
1 cup Water
+ Food colouring
+ Microwave safe bowl
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together, nuke in the microwave for 4-5 mins, stir, re-nuke if needed. COOL
The more you cool, then heat to almost bubbling over, the more rubbery the slime will become.
Store in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator
For some reason this slime can release the food colouring and stain clothes a bit. The other recipes do not, but it’s nice to know as a mom which things may be a play in the tub game before filling it for a bath!
Photo curtesy of modernparentsmessykids.com
2) PLAYDOUGH
1/2 cup Salt
1 cup Water
2 Tbsp Cream of tartar
1 cup Flour
1 T bsp Vege oil (Sunflower, Canola etc)
+ Food colouring
Instructions:
Mix the flour, salt, oil and cream of tartar in a large pot.
Mix food colouring into water.
Add wet to dry.
Cook on a medium heat for 4-5 mins while constantly stirring.
When mixture becomes ‘doughy’ remove from heat and start kneading- careful, can be quite warm.
When desired texture is reached, play dough is ready!
Photo curtesy of simplisticallyliving.com
1) RAINBOW RICE
1 cup Basmati or long grain rice
2 Tbsp White vinegar
1/2 tsp Food colouring
+ Zip lock bags
Instructions:
Pour 1 cup of rice into a zip lock bag.
Mix vinegar and food colouring in a stain proof bowl. Pour over rice in bag.
Zip lock and massage until colour is even. Pour onto a plate or open bag and let ‘dry’ out before storing. The vinegar takes a few hours to evaporate and leave the rice coloured.
*♡+ ლ(▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ლ) ┐( ͡◉ ͜ʖ ͡◉)┌ (◡‿◡✿) +♡*
𝓔𝔁𝓺𝓾𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓔𝓷𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓼
Welcome to my newest collection of jewelled edible creations. I am rather fascinated with French pâtisserie techniques at the moment and am excited to share with you my beautiful Entremets which are French multilayered decadent deserts.
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There is now a new collection of my baking on my website called ‘Sweet Treats’. Pop on over to see my new macaron flavours and baking delicacies or follow me on Instagram to see my edible art freshly baked!
Delectable boxed delicacies on request
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𝓜𝓘𝓝𝓔 & 𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓹𝔂 𝓒𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶𝔂 𝓒𝓻𝓾𝓷𝓬𝓱𝔂 @ 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓸𝔀𝓼𝓮
100% cashmere wearable, snuggly rainbows are on display and for purchase at MINE: The Dowse Art Museum’s design store.
Come down and feeeeeeeel them all up and over for yourself! but I warn you… you’ll not want to leave without taking one with you, which is peachy because I’ll be at Dowse’s late night special event ‘Crispy, Creamy, Crunchy’ from 3:30- 5pm talking cashmere and showing ya’ll how to play with and wear your gorgeous new acquisition.
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… aesthetic pleasures!
CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR MORE INFO ON THE EVENT
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𝓔𝓭𝓲𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓐𝓻𝓽
Pleasures for the eyes and tastebuds!
Bouquet Macaron filled with miniature piped roses & daisies made with naturally coloured and flavoured raspberry buttercream.
Pretty AND so very very yummy!
Yuzu Macaron filled with Yuzu ganache.
Feijoa Macaron filled with Feijoa buttercream & fresh Feijoa créme centre.
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𝓛𝓪 𝓓𝓸𝓵𝓬𝓮 𝓕𝓪𝓻 𝓝𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓮
Vanilla Macaron Filled With Vanilla Buttercream, Vanilla Custard Center & Decorated with White Ganache Rose Buds
Well Hellloooo there!
Over the last few months, while enjoying Summer, I have been baking macaron!
These delectable morsels are the perfect treat to wander off into daydreams and wonderful thoughts with; while having some well deserved down time to relax and revel in the sweet pleasures of life! They are infinitely able to be adapted to different flavours and combinations, and extremely rewarding to make.
So what are these little things you may ask?…
Turkish Delight Macaron Filled With Rose Ganache and Real Chocolate Covered Turkish Delight
“A macaron (/ˌmækəˈrɒn/ mak-ə-RON) is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food colouring.
The macaron is traditionally held to have been introduced in France by the Italian chef of queen Catherine de Medici during the Renaissance. Since the 19th century, a typical Parisian-style macaron is presented with a ganache, buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two such cookies, akin to a sandwich cookie. The confection is characterized by a smooth squared top, a ruffled circumference—referred to as the “crown” or “foot” (or “pied”)—and a flat base. It is mildly moist and easily melts in the mouth. Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavours that range from traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to unusual (foie gras, matcha).”
Earl Grey Macaron Hearts with Earl Grey Custard centre and Swiss Meringue Earl Grey Buttercream
Macaron are finicky, and an ongoing project of adjusting measurements and process to get perfection.
A special thank you to Camila from piesandtacos.com & Mimi from indulgewithmimi.com for sharing your macaron passion, advice & recipes about macaron. I encourage you dear reader, to pop on over to Katrina from Sugar Devotion’s Instagram page, oh my gosh- Katrina, you set the bar & drive me to keep practising!! Ladies, you are all such creative and inspiring artists & women!
Swing over to my Instagram stories and the ButterBING section of my website to see regular postings of my little morsels and other treats & things I’ve been making & creating =^+^=
Rainbow Macaron Filled with Vanilla Marshmallow Ganache
Caramelised White Chocolate Macaron with Caramelised White Chocolate Ganache & Dip
𝓑𝔂𝓮 𝓑𝔂𝓮 2020! 𝓗𝓔𝓵𝓵𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓸𝓸𝓸𝓞𝓸 2021!
What a year… What a YEARRR 2020!
To you all- may 2021 bring a reprieve from the troubles of 2020!
Below: a little video I think rather helpful in this time of chaos and disruption and to help remind us of the powerful and positive way to progress though or lives using meditation and intuitive thinking xo
With
Love
Moena Moxham
𝓓𝓪𝓻𝔃𝓲𝓪 𝓢𝓪𝓷𝓪𝓪
Welcome to the world beautiful daughter 🙏🏻
Darzia Sanaa
Darzia- (derivative from Darzi) Hindi for DARING= पुरुषार्थ
Sanaa- Arabic: brightness, radiance and Swahili for art/ work of beauty
9.59 pounds, 4.350kg, 1:22pm, 31st of March 2020
❤️❤️❤️
ᥴꪮꪜⅈᦔ- 𝟙𝟡 🦠
Dear Doctors
Nurses
Paramedics
Police officers
Homecare & retirement home workers
Pharmacy and other medical workers
Grocery store personnel
Delivery people
Transit workers
Airline and shipping workers
And anyone who works with the public and cannot stay home
Thank you, thank you, a million times THANK YOU
Keep safe everyone and most of all, don’t loose your sense of humour.
These times will pass, and new opportunities will arise.
❤️❤️❤️
𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓟𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓹𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼
Manila
My arrival into the Philippines was more harrowing than I had expected. Less of circumstances and more of mindset, I was exceptionally homesick for my partner, and my gorgeous 19 month old daughter. So much so I was miserable. “Why have I uprooted myself; I’m pregnant, life’s circumstances are so in the air right now, and here I am on the other side of the world without my loves and those whom give me purpose far behind me.” I wanted to politely excuse myself from my upcoming business meetings and u-turn. Never before I had felt so compelled to run back home.
And then I remembered the many trips around the world solo to strange places, and I delved deeper past the gloss and positive memories into the realities of what my journeys had been and felt like, and I remembered the pain, the upheaval and afterwards the satisfaction of pushing faaaar out of my comfort zone to seek. I remembered how I enjoy building new relationships and questioning my thoughts and beliefs. I recalled how I am a sucker for challenges, and slowly after sleep and many tearful Facetimes, I began to return into myself.
Perhaps it’s appropriate to point out at this period to those of you who have followed my many sojourns around the world, at how violent this process really is. In hindsight I believe I may have not imparted this clearly, and so lulled my readers into thinking that these trips have been easy; cushy almost; flights of fancy perhaps. They have never been so, and seem to have got harder if anything now that my heart has multiplied into bouncing bundles of joy. Travelling for me is rough going; my body gets knackered, my mind gets muddled, my emotions heightened and I shake any former sense of balance into complete chaos. Not to mention the enormous amount of work it takes on limited budgets to negotiate deals, meet with clients and prospective collaborators aaaand navigate new environments with new social customs and expectations. There is something addictive about this process, yes it is intense, but also immensely satisfying because I love seeing and feeling how much I have grown and learned post process.
So, arriving at my AirBnB in Manila, after 11+ hours of travel I was relived for a soft bed and a place to put up my swollen and aching pregnant feet. As I surveyed the room I came across a book- ‘What Does It Mean To Be Human’ by Frederick Frank, Janis Roze and Richard Connolly, and started to flick through.
“To be human is to break the ties of cultural conformity and group-think and to use one’s own mind. It is to recognise good and evil and to choose good. It is to consider with the heart. It is to act with conscience.
To be human is to be courageous. It is to choose the path of compassion, rather than the path of complacency. It is to break the silence and be an unrelenting advocate of human decency and human dignity. It is to sacrifice for what is just.
To be human is to breathe with the rhythm of life and so recognise our kinship with all forms of life. It is to appreciate every drop of water. It is to feel the warmth of the sun and to marvel at the beauty and expanse of the night sky. It is to stand in awe of who we are and where we live. It is to see the Earth with the eyes of an astronaut.
To be human is to be aware of our dependence upon the whole of the universe, of the miracle that we are. It is to open our eyes to the simple and the extraordinary beauty that is all about us. It is to live with deep respect for the sacred gift of life. It is to love…
To be human is not always to succeed, but it is always to learn. It is to move forward despite the obstacles.
We are all born with the potential to become human. How we choose to live will be the measure of our humanness. Civilisation does not assure our civility. Nor does being born into the human species assure our humanity. We must each find our own path to becoming human.”
David Krieger - Founder & president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
I found enormous comfort in these words. I had just spent over 11 hours berating my confused psyche for different choices. I felt guilty about my decisions to come overseas and I was being haunted by hindsight on some of my decision making in the previous 24 months. I felt I could have done better, I was upset I hadn’t picked up on the subtle nuances of confronting and complicated situations I had been presented with and I was uncertain standing on the precipice of enormous change in my personal circumstances; I was agitated and worried. I felt compressed under the weight of responsibility which had hit me in full relief on the flights; for my daughters, for my family, for my future.
Frankly I was panicked. I had slipped into great anxiety- the what if’s, the should of’s and the racing brain pacing back and forward trying to patch together what I thought the future would hold. I was shocked after many years of managing this condition, at the ferocity it was overtaking me and the corkscrew it was sending my mind into. I needed to reset, to breathe, to strip back to basics; to faith and to logic.
And then there was this prose. I felt as if I had entered a cathedral. My heart rate returned. I valued that my decisions had been made with the best of intentions at the time with the information available. I had tried to choose what was right and was just, I had fought for love and for truth. Sadly even with these positive cornerstones, the outcomes to my choices had been devastating for my family and my partner. I had watched him being persecuted, harassed and bullied. I had watched others lie, withhold evidence and use their financial power to overwhelm us and restrict all available resources. I had watched first hand the power of evil and corruption in full force and the impact this had on others. I felt spiritually eroded, we both felt beaten.
So when the opportunity arose for me to travel to the Philippines to meet with some rather heavy shakers in creative empowerment, I jumped at the opportunity. I needed to grow my cashmere scarves business and I had other projects in mind where I could involve the indigenous weaving communities in the Philippines. I was excited to meet with female power players inspiring other women to create sustainable business practices which could provide for their families. I needed time to think, to heal and to plan how I was going to provide for my family going forwards.
Anxiety maligns what it means to be human; to try, to fail, to try again with better intentions. It rears up at times of uncertainty and distress. It is that voice in you head, albeit sometimes wanting the best, that is critical and judgmental. It can harass and berate but it must be calmed for life is full of uncertainty and obstacles. It can be seen as a road of problems strung together with lights of happiness and wonder, but it is by no measure, for most people, smooth sailing. As they say; God laughs at those who make plans. We need to be kind to ourselves when these divert or take a corner, the other way was simply not where we were meant to go. One has to be prepared to take chances, be courageous within these and deal with the consequences. That can be heartbreaking at times and downright discouraging. Yet without these pitfalls, we wouldn’t learn the true meaning to value, respect, bravery and resilience; we would underestimate what it means to cherish life.
I had also continued the cycle of persecution. I had become so used to this being enforced by others I had slipped into doing this internally. I was angry and I was unforgiving to my soul, I was being eaten by regret. I endlessly went in loops reprimanding and criticising myself. Effectively I was continuing to let those who had hurt me continue to do so. I was letting the monster of their presence invade my psyche and overwhelm my ability to rise above the pain of the past. I was forgetting to action the greatest human gift of all upon myself; forgiveness and mercy.
…”Once upon a time there was an old woman who used to meditate early on the bank of the Ganges. One morning, finishing her meditation, she saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the strong current. As the scorpion was pulled closer, it got caught in roots that branched out far into the river. The scorpion struggled frantically to free itself but got more and more entangled.
She immediately reached out to the drowning scorpion, which, as soon as she touched it, stung her. The old woman withdrew her hand but, having regained her balance, once again tried to save the creature. Every time she tried however, the scorpion’s tail stung her so badly that her hands became bloody and her face distorted with pain.
A passerby who saw the old woman struggling with the scorpion shouted, “What’s wrong with you, fool! Do you want to kill yourself to save that ugly thing?”
Looking into the stranger’s eye, she answered, “Because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, why should I deny my own nature to save it?” Then I understood… I saw that Reverence for Life is the essence of humanity.
And that is what we have lost. We “defend” ourselves by threatening the globe and our own level of civilised humanness with it. We have chosen technological progress and financial profits over the needs of human beings. We have bartered the quality of our own souls; we live the denial of Reverence for Life.
But we have become a society of machines and business degrees, of stocks and bonds, of world power and world devastation, of what works and what makes money. We train our young to get ahead, our middle-aged to consume, and our elderly to be silent. We are sophisticated now. We live in stadiums, not galleries. We listen to rap music, not Mozart. We talk about ideas for getting ahead rather than about our ideas for touching God. We are miles from our roots and light-years away from our upbringings. We have abandoned the concerns of civilisations before us. We have forsaken the good, the true, and the beautiful for the effective, the powerful and the opulent. We have abandoned enough-ness for the sake of consumption. We are modern. We are progressive. And we are lost.
So what do I believe in? What do I define as human? I believe in the pursuit of the spiritual, the presence of pain and the sacredness of life. Without these, life is useless and humanity a farce.
To be human it is necessary to think again about what matters in life, to ask always why what it is to be human is to listen to the rest of the world with a tender heart and learn to live life with our arms open and our souls seared with a sense of responsibility for everything that is.
Without a doubt, given those criteria, we may indeed not live the ‘better life’, but we may, at the end, at least have lived a fully human one.”
Joan Chittister, OSB - Joan is executive director of Bentivision, a resource centre for contemporary spirituality. She is an international lecturer and widely published author.
Manila has great poverty nestled in-between towering high rises, ancient churches and people hungry for the trappings of commercialism. I felt heavily the Chineses influence on interaction; an environment where one needs to be on their game and lacks the bubbliness and joviality of it’s neighbouring Buddhist asian nations. It feels by comparison on initial impression, quieter and more reserved. Manila is the most densely populated city in the world (42,857 people per square kilometre), almost twice it’s closest counterpart Mumbai, and once here it’s not hard to see why this city throbs with an ache and longing.
Manila’s history has been bloody and fractured. Filipinos are intimately acquainted with persecution, being taken over by Brunei, the Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, British and bombed by the Americans. This history is harrowing and recent. I was intrigued how my own recent experiences of oppression and abuse were being mirrored in my environment. I felt compassion and empathy and started to understand better their polite reservedness and determination.
At the National Museum I was enthralled with their contemporary art collections, in particular the Art Protis textile works of National Artist, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz. But I was most moved by the large scale paintings of the wars and invasions in Manila. They were distressing, shocking and tragic and moved me to tears. I was haunted by the rendered faces of the children slain and the women raped. I cried, and cried for those caught unfairly in the middle, for my own misfortunes, for the unfairness of conflict and the collateral damage of those caught in crossfire.
And then I felt consoled. I was in an environment where I was not alone and one that had much to teach me. People here are intimately acquainted with tyrannization and they had fought forwards for their culture, for their families and for a better life. If anyone knew the heartbreak of leaving my family behind in NZ it is the women and men of the Philippines. People here are intimately acquainted with having to rebuild from nothing or split up to work for the greater good of all. Overseas Filipino Workers or OFW’s as they are known make up 2.3 million (2017) people who are exported to overseas nations to work and send income back to their families in the Philippines. That’s 1/2 the population of New Zealand. Often they work in substandard conditions and are frequently taken advantage of yet, in order for their families to get ahead they rely on this international income to help their families out of poverty, provide income for education and hope for a better life.
“I call the high and light aspects of my being SPIRIT and the dark and heavy aspects SOUL.
Soul is at home in the deep shaded valleys.
Heavy torpid flowers saturated with lack grow there.
The rivers flow like warm syrup. They empty in huge oceans of soul.
Spirit is a land of high, white peaks and glittering jew like lakes and flowers.
Life is sparse and sounds travel great distances.
There is soul music, soul food, and soul love.
People need to climb the mountain not simply because it is there.
But because the soulful divinity needs to be mated with the Spirit.
Deep down we must have real affection for each other, a clear recognition of our shared human status. At the same time we must openly accept all ideologies and systems as means of solving humanity’s problems. No matter how strong the wind of evil may blow, the flame of truth cannot be extinguished.”
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama
Cebu
It is with now being located further South in the Philippines that these writings from the Dalai Lama have an even greater effect. Being here reminds me of Bali. Great towering high-rises lay unfinished and dormant next to shacks and slums and then a mega mall. It’s grubby and grimy and raw with a stretched infrastructure and yet within all of this is undisputed beauty. His writings made me remember two poems I had written a few years ago.
This being my first trip back to South East Asia since having Adira and being pregnant with Babushka #2 has affected my awareness of the poverty in this area of the world in a pronounced way. I am deeply saddened seeing the street kids and beggars, I find it increasingly hard to navigate. I ache for my daughter and I am distressed for these souls. It strikes at the core of my maternal compass and I find it forcing me to reflect on the harsh realities of life and the luck of some and not others; of dissatisfaction; our human compulsion to want more and our desires to provide and protect our loved ones.
It was a breath of fresh air, literally, to get out onto the city fringe to see the Taoist Temple, The Temple of Leah and visit the Jumalon Butterfly Sanctuary. My guide at the latter was a gorgeous, well spoken and intellectual 17 year old woman who had recently moved from the country to live in Cebu and attend University. I had the good fortune to meet one of Prof. Jumalon’s elderly daughters and visiting the sanctuary was one of the cultural highlights of Cebu. Next time I return, I need more time to relax- a must go is the Mövenpick resort and to Bohol to see my tiny furry little friends, the Tarsier.
The butterfly’s are mainly free to come and go from the wild garden, and I was lucky to view many while sitting in the shade and taking in some peace while protected from the calamity of the city. Prof. Jumalon was a fascinating man, he was a lepidopterist, accomplished artist, traveller, researcher, graduate teacher, and even at one point, designed the Philippine Peso. His passion for beauty is evident in his artworks and the legacy he built for his family and community.
A female Troides magellanus, the Magellan birdwing.
The Temple of Leah is not a homage to the Star Wars character, but rather a newly built (2012) shrine to Leah Albino-Adarna, the late wife of Teodorico Soriano Adarna. They were married for 53 years and this building has been dubbed Cebu’s Taj Mahal. Located on top of a hill in Cebu City, Temple of Leah is seven storeys high. The gate opens to a driveway that leads to the main courtyard, with granite floors and a marble fountain at the center.
The structure was inspired by ancient Roman architecture complete with Doric columns made of granite. Various Grecian statues adorn the corners and different parts of the building. Although there is not much to do once here, it really is only the entrance way and the facade, there is a terrific view of Cebu and nice benches to indulge in an ice-cream or two.
Argao Weaving Community- Cebu
I was extremely excited to be invited by Anya Lim of Anthill Fabric Gallery to visit one of their local Cebu weaving communities. Anya was one of the main reasons I had traveled to the Philippines. Anthill is a trading and training hub for indigenous/ ingenious livelihood seekers. Anthill is a social enterprise which believes in local, sustainable production and creating zero-waste fabrics. These materials are then fashioned in to garments, accessories and home-wears for local and international markets and designers. They are empowered to give women purpose, skill and the opportunity to build a livelihood from creative textile application. Anthill actively promotes buying local, to buy indigenous and consciously consume.
Anthill brings enormous value and purpose to the communities it collaborates with across The Philippines. Hearing the stories from the women in Argao first hand of what it means to be able to provide for their families and loved ones, was extremely moving and emotional. One of the elder weavers was moved to tears when she explained how she had been able to buy herself, for the first time, a refrigerator and what that had meant to her and her family. She no longer endured the shame and judgment of having to share her neighbours. Other women had been able to repair their houses, buy better food and move their children to better schools.
Making a difference in peoples lives, by considering how and what you buy is a powerful way to combat mass consumerism. It is impossible to want to live any other way after you have seen the positive impact, considered choice can have on our communities.
So now nearing the end of my trip to The Philippines, I feel greatly developed from my experiences. Has it been easy?- no, but I have had time to think and to heal, to reprioritise and consider my options going forwards, and this really is a luxury. I have new opportunities with fascinating forward thinking companies headed by passionate, educated and empowered women who want to make a change in the world. I feel lucky that I have had, at this most difficult time in my life, the opportunity to stand outside myself and gain new perspectives.
It is a wonderful thing to want, to desire to grow and to yearn for the best for those around us. Without this drive fortified by passion and love, we would remain complacent and happy to settle. Change requires energy, dedication and vision, qualities which take an enormous amount of energy themselves to sustain from a creative or their team. The most productive thing that can result from great pain is to compassionately recognise what has happened, then refocus on what is most valuable and make positive change to create more of this.
𝓗𝓾𝓰𝓼 𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓒𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓭𝓼
Find your luscious new layer in the four Zambesi stores - Parnell, Newmarket, Ponsonby and Wellington or online at moenamoxham.com
Making the perfect gift- the scarves are presented in bespoke eco-conscious repurposable packaging.
The perfect place to store your scarf or other trinkets and keepsakes.
ABOUT CASHMERE & PASHMINA
Identifying the difference between Cashmere and Pashmina can be difficult as the wool of both has the same origin: the cashmere goat. Both, cashmere and pashmina, are exceptionally luxurious yarns and textiles. However, although cashmere and pashmina both refer to the same sort of product, there are subtle and unique characteristics that set them apart.
WHAT IS CASHMERE?
Cashmere is a term used to refer to the fibre obtained from the cashmere goat or clothing that is made from this. The texture of the cashmere is luxuriantly soft, strong, very fine and light and in turn gives very good insulation.
Cashmere yarn is made from the soft fleecy under layer of a goat’s coat with the finest wool often found on the underside of the neck. These goats produce a double fleece that consists of a fine, soft undercoat or underdown of hair mingled with a straighter and much coarser outer coating of hair called ‘guard hair’. For the fine underdown to be sold and processed further, it must be de-haired. De-hairing is a mechanical process that separates the coarse hairs from the fine hair. After de-hairing, the resulting "cashmere" is ready to be dyed and converted into textile yarn, fabrics and garments. Cashmere is collected during the spring moulting season when the goats naturally shed their winter coat. Animals in Iran, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Australia are typically shorn of their fleece, which can result in a higher coarse hair content and lower pure cashmere yield.
Cashmere goats are found in high altitude nomadic herds across the world, typically in Mongolia, China and Iran where the large fluctuations in temperature make conditions more suitable for cashmere growth. In Mongolia, the goat population grew from 5 to 20 million in the period 1990-2009 due to an increased demand in cashmere. China is the worlds largest producer of cashmere with an estimated 10,000 metric tons per year.
As defined by the U.S. Wool Products Labelling Act of 1939, as amended, (15 Action 68b(a)(6)), a product may not be called cashmere unless it is made from the fine undercoat fibres produced by a cashmere goat, the average diameter of the fibre of the product does not exceed 19 microns (human hair is 50-70 microns), it does not contain more than 3 percent of cashmere fibres with diameters that exceed 30 microns and the average diameter of the fibre may be subject to a coefficient of variation around the mean that shall not exceed 24 percent.
WHAT IS PASHMINA?
Pashmina refers to a type of cashmere textile first woven in India. The fibre is also known as pashm (Persian for wool) or pashmina (Persian/Urdu word derived from Pashm, پشمینه / pašmina, meaning ‘made from wool’) for its use in the handmade shawls of Kashmir. This wool is harvested from the Pashmina goat also known as Changthangi, a breed that is indigenous to the high altitudes of the Himalayas in India, Nepal and Pakistan. Pashmina textiles are usually spun, embroidered, dyed and woven by hand.
Pashmina products, mostly fine scarves and blankets, are known for their softness and warmth. Due to the expense of pure cashmere, the most commonly found composition is a 70% pashmina/30% silk blend. However, the term ‘Pashmina’ is not a labelling term that is recognised in the US or a textile labelling term used in other Western countries.
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), or Harappan Civilisation which populated the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent (Mongolia, Nepal and Kashmir) in c. 3300–1200 BC used pashm yarn to make garments and items of craft. Along with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley Civilisation was one of three early cradles of civilisations of the Old World, and of the three, the most widespread. References to woollen shawls appear in texts surviving from between the 3rd century BC and the 11th century AD. However, a popular notion in Kashmir is that it was the 15th-century ruler of Kashmir, Zain-ul-Abidin, who founded the local wool industry by bringing weavers from Turkestan.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CASHMERE & PASHMINA?
Cashmere and pashmina can both be categorised as wool products that are derived from mountain goats. Technically the yarns are very, very similar (with small variations in the breeds of goat), but each have their own distinct ‘cultural’ identities.
Cashmere is a product that is made in countries such as China, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Iran, New Zealand, Turkey, and other Central Asian Republics.
Pashmina is a premium product exclusively produced in India, Nepal and Pakistan from the Changthangi goat. The traditional producers of Pashmina Wool in Ladakh region of India are a tribe known as the Changpa.
On average, Pashmina fibres are known to be finer and thinner than cashmere fibre which makes them ideal for the production of lightweight apparel.
Pashmina is mostly hand woven and spun while cashmere is usually machine worked.
Cashmere is an umbrella term recognised internationally for the finest goat wool under 19 microns. ‘Pashmina’ can only be used interchangeably with ‘Cashmere’ if the yarn is of the finest quality and has come from the high altitudes of Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, Kashmir or Pakistan.
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Aaaand - If you haven’t already- catch me in the latest edition of Wairarapa Lifestyle Magazine talking about art, life and adrenaline!
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'6 𝓞𝓾𝓽 𝓞𝓯 10' - 𝓘𝓷 𝓓𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓞𝓯 𝓖𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓐 𝓢𝓱𝓲𝓽 - 𝒷𝓎 𝒯𝑜𝒷𝓎 𝑀𝑜𝓇𝓇𝒾𝓈
Today I was sent a link by a friend to this nifty wee comic by Kiwi writer and artist Toby Morris of The Side Eye.
The dialogue is on topics close to my heart which those of you who have followed my blog over the years will be well acquainted with. I am fascinated to see that there is more discourse happening about who we are as New Zealander’s, how we behave and our ingrained social practices. These themes are also discussed in the essay with my artwork ‘Tall White Poppy’.
I have copied and pasted this to share. All copyright and credits belong to Toby Morris, The Side Eye & The Spinoff
𝓩𝓪𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓼𝓲 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓵𝓵 | 𝓜𝓸𝓮𝓷𝓪 𝓜𝓸𝔁𝓱𝓪𝓶 𝓕𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮 & 𝓝𝓮𝓫𝓾𝓵𝓪 𝓟𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼
The following ‘Nebula Paintings’ are on display and exclusively for sale at the gorgeous new Zambesi Parnell store.
Check out Moena Moxham Scarves while you are in!
'ETHER'
Acrylic, glitter, matt varnish on stretched canvas, wax seal signature, Ø 607mm, ‘18, 1/1
$3000 NZD
‘SERAPHIC TABLE'
Modern side-table, acrylic, glitter, resin, seal signature, Ø 400 x 455mm, 2019, 1/1
$3000 NZD
'FIRMAMENT'
Acrylic, matt varnish on stretched canvas, wax seal signature, Ø 607mm, 2018, 1/1
$3000 NZD
ZAMBESI PARNELL
287 Parnell Road
Parnell
1052
Auckland
t. +64 9 308 0363
Opening Hours
10am - 6pm Monday to Friday
10am - 5pm Saturday
11am - 5pm Sunday
MID-CENTURY FURNITURE & NEBULA PAINTINGS
All other pieces are available to purchase through Moena Moxham.com
MOENA MOXHAM SCARVES
NEW DESIGNS LANDING SOON!
Just in time for Winter- Moena Moxham 100% cashmere scarves with unique designs from the paintings.
Available in all Zambesi stores - Parnell, Newmarket, Ponsonby and Wellington and for pre-order below.
p.s super luxurious extra thick ‘Cashmere | Pashmina Laddakhi’ scarves arriving after June
‘ETHER’
140cm² (55”²), 100% Cashmere, Eyelash fringe, Hand finished labelling, Reversible design
PRE-ORDER by ‘Pay Now’
‘FIRMAMENT’
140cm² (55”²), 100% Cashmere, Eyelash fringe, Hand finished labelling, Reversible design
PRE-ORDER by ‘Pay Now’
‘MISCHIEVOUS’
140cm² (55”²), 100% Cashmere, Eyelash fringe, Hand finished labelling, Reversible design
In Stock Now
‘ETHEREAL’
140cm² (55”²), 100% Cashmere, Eyelash fringe, Hand finished labelling, Reversible design
PRE-ORDER by ‘Pay Now’
‘YAYOI’
140cm² (55”²), 100% Cashmere, Eyelash fringe, Hand finished labelling, Reversible design
PRE-ORDER by ‘Pay Now’
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𝔸𝕍𝕀𝔸𝕋ℝ𝕀𝕏 | 𝓣𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓮𝔂 𝓒𝓾𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓼-𝓣𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓸𝓻
Recently I was blessed to have the honour of spending a day and a half with a hero of mine- aviator Tracey Curtis Taylor aka ‘Bird in a Biplane’. Tracey has organised and piloted multiple flight expeditions with historic aircraft across Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and America and has devoted her life to the art of flying and inspiring others with her passion. She is a pioneer of aviation both today and of yesteryear.
Tracey has completed multiple transcontinental routes in her biplane, the Boeing-Stearman "Spirit of Artemis". These ‘journeys of a lifetime’ (she has lived many) have been pinnacles of a life filled with achievement and success. Achieving both her personal and commercial licences, gaining her instructor rating and also participating in aerobatics and formation flying- there is no holding Tracey back. She is equally motivated and compelled to inspire and encourage others, especially women, to achieve their dreams and goals.
In addition to being immensely talented, she is also just an incredible person, her experiences have filled her with a knowledge and enthusiasm for the world and our inhabitants which is optimistic, educated and endearing. It was a delight to be able to talk with her in depth about life, her loves and living dreams.
Her latest movie is to be released this year in 2019, trailer below.
‘BIRD IN A BIPLANE’
HIGHLIGHTED JOURNEYS
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA to GOODWOOD, ENGLAND. 2013
In 2013, Curtis-Taylor flew Spirit of Artemis in an eight-week journey, covering over 13,000 km, from Cape Town, South Africa to the Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex, England. The journey comprised a total of 38 legs and 110 basic VFR flying hours, and followed the 1928 flight of Mary, Lady Heath, from Cape Town to Cairo, Egypt, travelling over Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. The journey took five years to prepare for, including finding a biplane which would cope with the heat of Africa.
FARNBOROUGH, ENGLAND to SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. 2015-16
On 1 October 2015 Curtis-Taylor departed from Farnborough, England, flying in Spirit of Artemis, arriving in Sydney Australia on 9 January 2016. The journey was inspired by pioneer aviator Amy Johnson, who flew solo from England to Australia in 1930. The flight path was across 23 countries in 50 legs. She was accompanied by a small support crew in a modern plane who documented the journey for her movie.
Several stopovers were scheduled into the flight, often with the aim of introducing Curtis-Taylor to local communities and to inspire others, particularly women. In Dubai, the plane was part of the Boeing display at the Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates, while Curtis-Taylor was a keynote speaker at the International Aviation Women's Association conference.
In Pakistan Curtis-Taylor was hosted by Squadron Leader Saira Batool of the Pakistani Air Force, and visited a school in Karachi with female Pakistani mountaineer Samina Baig to speak about their adventures and to inspire the children. In Singapore, she met with girls and women involved in the UN Women programme Girls2Pioneers.
US TRANS-CONTINENTAL FLIGHT. 2016-17
In spring 2016 Curtis-Taylor started a US Transcontinental Flight, with multiple stops along the historic US Airmail Routes, flying from Seattle to Los Angeles and the Transcontinental route from LA to NY. The trip was cut short by a crash in the desert, at Winslow, Arizona, due to a loss of engine power. The NTSB investigation reported that "a gray / tan liquid was drained from the carburetor". She and her co-pilot were uninjured but the Boeing Stearman was badly damaged. It was airlifted from Phoenix to Hungary, where it was rebuilt in time to attend the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow, which celebrated Boeing's centenary year. She returned with her Boeing Stearman to LA in June 2017 and finished the flight across the USA with a finale at the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport NY. This completed her World Flight, flying across five continents. On both US tours the Stearman biplane was shipped across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as it does not have the fuel range or instrumentation to cover such distances.
🛩️ 🛩️ 🛩️
𝓩𝓪𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓼𝓲 | 𝓜𝓸𝓮𝓷𝓪 𝓜𝓸𝔁𝓱𝓪𝓶 𝓢𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓿𝓮𝓼
I am absolutely delighted to announce that from Monday, Moena Moxham Scarves are available for purchase in New Zealand at the drop dead gorgeous Zambesi boutiques in Wellington and Auckland.
In addition to their own brand, Zambesi also stocks international labels such as Rick Owens, A. F. Vandevorst, Bernhard Willhelm, Maison Margeila, J. W. Anderson, Adidas Y3, Simone Rocha and Vetements.
Zambesi Locations :
**JUST OPENED** ZAMBESI PARNELL - 287 Parnell Road, Parnell 1052, Auckland
ZAMBESI BRITOMART - 56 Tyler Street, Britomart 1010, Auckland
t. +64 9 303 1701 e. tyler@zambesi.co.nz
ZAMBESI PONSONBY - 169 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby 1011, Auckland
t. +64 9 360 7391 e. ponsonby@zambesi.co.nz
ZAMBESI WELLINGTON - 103 Customhouse Quay, CBD 6011, Wellington
t. +64 4 472 3638 e. wellington@zambesi.co.nz
The Zambesi stores and fashion label are iconic in Australsia and synonymous with luxury, quality and all things chic. It is an honour to be sold through New Zealand’s premier fashion boutique.
“Founded by Elisabeth and Neville Findlay in 1979, Zambesi possesses a consistent and unique signature and is proudly made in New Zealand.
Zambesi epitomizes individual spirit, redefining convention with an ironic practicality, confirming its reputation in the global market for strength, beauty and independence.
Designer Elisabeth Findlay works instinctively, taking carefully chosen cloth in unexpected directions. History and memory contribute strongly to Elisabeth’s attitude toward design. The clothes reflect both realism and imagination.
Designer Dayne Johnston takes a disciplined hand to Zambesi Menswear. His work results in extremely well cut, wearable garments that capture attention with their clever detailing. Those unique details sit alongside precisely tailored nods to traditional and utilitarian menswear, resulting in a refined masculine style.
Zambesi believes in creating pieces that endure. One collection evolves into the next, building a timeless wardrobe for its faithful customers.Zambesi garments are proudly made in New Zealand at their dedicated Auckland workroom, with the exception of hand-crafted artisanal beaded and sequin items, and select accessories which are produced offshore.
Zambesi has flagship stores in Auckland, Wellington and Melbourne, and supplies selected stores across Australasia. Online store www.zambesistore.com ships worldwide.”
𝒞𝓊𝓇𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝓎 𝓁𝑜𝒸𝒶𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃:
𝓙𝓪𝓹𝓪𝓷 | 2014
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