Musings of Waipu minister

A Conscientious Bloody Clergyman Curated by the Waipu 150 Trust. $45. .. .. .. .. .. ..

This large book (480 pages) contains the diaries of Reverend William Levack from 1952 to 1964, the period when he was Waipu's Presbyterian minister.

The title is how Levack, himself the son of a Scottish Presbyterian minister, described himself.

Writing a daily diary is in itself a conscientious task. Writing a diary which can be read with interest and/ or enjoyment is something else again, especially if it provides valuable information or history on matters of importance, or which give insight into the topics covered.

In all these spheres the author succeeded. The majority of entries record daily events, and he was a very busy family man as well as a minister. He became a dairy farmer in a small way, sailed and boated and fished, (catching kahawhai), married couples and conducted funerals, brewed his own beer and drank a lot of it, gave talks and sang songs, for he was much in demand.

Other entries are banal and short, everyday stuff of normal life — shopping trips, fixing engines, going to the dentist, calling on parishioners, suffering from the flu, complaining about the wet and the cold, planting a garden, etc.

Yet most escape being boring because he was an erudite man, and his writings are wry, dry and pithy. Of a wedding in Maungaturoto he wrote: “The bridegroom was a Swede called Gronwell, with a young brother as best man who made the most appalling speech I have ever heard. The bride was a very lovely redhead, also being a Blue Nose Finlayson.”

The book, like its predecessor The Pride of The Lion, is a tribute to the remarkable community of Waipu and district — people who help each other and help themselves. They take great pride in their history and their culture, are determined to preserve their values, and ensure they persist in future generations. Copies from the Waipu Museum.

— Graeme Barrow

Sarah Heeringa says the most interesting and welcoming homes are not made merely through shopping. “Creating a home with personal style and a feel-good vibe is not achieved by slavishly following fashion trends. Ultimately, it's more satisfying and the result is going to be more authentic if we can arrive at our own decisions about what we like and how we are going to furnish the spaces where we live,” she says.

This is why Heeringa produced Upcycling with Style where readers can give unwanted objects a new life — turning them into items of beauty.

We asked her a few questions:

What inspired you to write

Upcycling with Style? Upcycling with Style is my second book on this topic (my first book is Reclaim That). Once you upcycle a few pieces of furniture you start to look at things in a new way. You see possible projects everywhere! It can be a bit addictive. I live in an old villa with lots of scope for upcycling projects inside and out. It made sense to document what I was working on and before I knew it I was making another book.

Do you feel in today’s society we have too much choice of homewares?

Homemaking is important and it can be a really creative pastime. What is not great is buying cheap furnishing that have been made in polluting factories or by using unsustainable materials and poorly paid workers. Invariably these cheap homewares are only fashionable for a short time and then they break or people get tired of them and want to toss them away and buy something new. This trend in homewares is called ‘fast furniture' — and it shares many of the same problems of fast fashion. It's not a smart way to furnish our homes. It's also terrible for the planet and a dumb use of precious resources.

What are the benefits of upcycling?

There are lots of reasons to upcycle.

■ It saves timber, metal, fabric and other valuable resources from going into landfill.

■ It helps you to unleash your creativity and learn new skills.

■ It's a way to furnish our homes with quality items for a fraction of the cost of buying them new.

■ Upcycling means having things around us that have more significance than if we'd just bought them.

■ And upcycling is also deliciously counter cultural — allowing us to enjoy lovely things while neatly side-stepping consumerism and throw-awayism.

What have you currently upcycled?

A recent project was to buy 12 metal chairs on Trade Me. Using waterbased enamels from Resene, I repainted them in shades of white, retro blue and green. They are now arranged around our long wooden outdoors table. Perfect for those lazy summer meals! Total cost: $33 for the chairs, plus the paint.

Do you find consumers today struggle to find their own style? If so what is your advice?

If you buy everything from the big box stores you can end up with a home that lacks personality or doesn't feel particularly welcoming.

It seems to me that the most interesting and welcoming homes are not made merely through shopping. Creating a home with personal style and a feel-good vibe is not achieved by slavishly following fashion trends.

Ultimately, it's more satisfying and the result is going to be more authentic if we can arrive at our own decisions about what we like and how we are going to go about furnishing the spaces where we live.

Do you feel the younger generation are anti consumerism and more likely to try and upcycle?

I hope so! I have four (mostly grown) kids and they have all found their own style from shopping at secondhand clothing stores. I think they belong to a smart upcoming generation who knows that we can't keep repeating the wasteful consumerist habits of the past.

Is upcycling tricky to do?

One of the brilliant aspects of working with second hand furniture and materials is that it gives you great freedom to experiment and try something new.

What is your favourite piece you’ve upcycled?

One piece I am enjoying at the moment is an old mirror that I mounted on a garden wall. Previously it was a gloomy and dull looking corner. Now when I park the car I see a profusion of green with flowers reflected in the mirror.

Do you have another book in the pipeline?

The next book project is to finish a family history I have been working on together with one of my sisters.

Go to sarahheeringa.com.