Jennifer Lamm and Simon Misdale at Saturday’s Titirangi Book Market. Jennifer is the president of the Auckland Ex Libris Society, and Simon is in the process of making a linocut of her book plate. Their society is Australasia’s oldest surviving bookplate society, looking back over a history of nearly 80 years. They have regular meetings with discussions covering a wide range of topics, not surprising as bookplates are meant to reflect aspects of the backgrounds and history of their owners and their interests, and a great deal of technicalities and stylistic matters go into the design of these objects. In 2005, a book by Ian Thwaites and Rie Fletcher celebrated: 75 years of Bookplates: Auckland Ex Libris Society 1920–1960 (Puriri Press, now out of print).
The Book Market was one of the events under the auspices of the Going West Books and Writers Festival 2010, whose main activities will take place at the Titirangi War Memorial Hall from September 10-12 (next weekend).
John and Margaret Davy entertain the crowds at yesterday’s Titirangi market (last Sunday of every month, 10am-2pm). Their folk tunes of Irish, Scottish and other backgrounds are a splendid accompaniment to either a cup of coffee or a more vigorous shopping experience. John is the organiser for the performances at the market, and every now and again we get to hear him also in various combinations and styles, here with his wife Margaret, an accomplished player of whistles. A treat.
Sunday was a beautiful day to enjoy the market at Titirangi (every last Sunday of the month, except that the April Market was held on May 2, because of Anzac Day). Yesterday’s post showed some of the colour of the occasion, here we bring an additional collection of impressions.
From left to right, top to bottom:
Phil Toms entertains,
Pukeko Bakery tempts,
Monni paints faces ($3 for little images, $5 half and $10 full face);
This traffic control box can be found outside 366 Karangahape Road (map). It is one of numerous boxes decorated by Doug Ford (one of his murals was featured here on January 15). This one is “adopted by the Greens” – we will come across other adoptions in due course. When I met Doug at the Titirangi markets last year, he told me that these adoptions were no longer acceptable, but I did not understand why.
On the last Sunday of every month (except December, when it is scheduled on the second Sunday for last-minute Christmas shopping) Titirangi has its popular market: arts, crafts, produce, good music and food, make sure to be there tomorrow; from 10 to 2.
