Open Writing

...People are also given the idea that all Maoris wear grass skirts, are covered in tattoos, and that they will be greeted at Auckland airport by some fierce warrior, brandishing a spear and screaming at them in some strange language, before he lays a sprig of greenery in front of them and steps back to see if they will accept his peace offering. It just isn’t like that. The chap in the blue uniform, smiling at you as you hand over your passport, is probably part Maori, but he will greet you with, “I hope you will enjoy your stay in New Zealand.”...

Glen Taylor thinks there's a place for local customs and traditions - but a show for tourists should not be allowed to mask real problems.

Continue reading "I Want To See A Maori" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 12:04 PM | Permalink

...But it is not just the body, but the mind, which we must keep working as we strive to hold back senility. My husband tackles the cryptic crossword in the paper, each morning, and worries if he doesn’t finish it in twenty minutes. He worries even more when he comes up with a difficult clue and I give him the answer straight away Minds work on different wave lengths I tell him...

Glen Taylor is using her brains to stay in step with fast-striding new technology.

Continue reading "Use It Or Lose It" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 11:46 AM | Permalink

...Just south of Dunedin harbour lay Taieri Mouth, a long established whaling station and the entrance to the Taieri River which ran inland to the high mountains in the west, it was an access route to the interior. Since time immemorial man had always used waterways for travel, so it was not long before a thriving ferry service got underway up the Taieri and from there one could sail across Lake Waihola to the Tokomairiro Plain. In time, with the advent of the Gold Rush, an inland road would be established to be used by the Cobb and Co coaches, but for now it was by boat and shank’s pony...

Glen Taylor concludes her account pf the hardy Scottish folk who settled in South Island, New Zealand. To read the two earlier episodes of this fascinating history please click on Kiwi Konexions in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Journey's End" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 10:10 AM | Permalink

...What a debt of gratitude the white settler owed to the Maori in those early days. They were shown which plants were edible and which were poisonous, which could be used to cure illnesses and which skin problems, they were taught how to make quick shelters for temporary accommodation and how to prepare and weave flax into clothes and mats and covers. They learnt where the best fish and eels were to be found, which shell fish to look for and which birds made good eating. Too often the white colonialist tended to think that he was bringing civilisation to the native population when, in fact, the native knew far more about the land than he did and had customs which needed to be respected just as much as his. In those very early days the white man and the Maori lived in harmony together...

Glen Taylor continues her account of the arrival of settlers from Scotland in South Island, New Zealand. To read earlier episodes of this account please click on Kiwi Konexions in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "And So It Begins" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:12 AM | Permalink

Glen and Martin Taylor received a phone call in the middle of the night - a call telling them that their beloved daughter is suffering from incurable brain cancer.

Glen shares with us her thoughts at this most terrible of times.

In this family season the thoughts and prayers of Open Writing readers are with the Taylors, mother, father and daughter.

Continue reading "We Are Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made Of" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 12:14 PM | Permalink

...The steerage passengers were crowded below deck in an area 50 yards by 12 yards. They were allowed to keep one month’s supply of clothing, a blanket, cooking pot and plate and mug, the rest of their belongs were stored in the hold. Their beds and quarters were benches running on either side and they had buckets for slops. How they must have wanted to emigrate!..

Glen Taylor continues her account of those hardy Scottish migrants who left their homeland for a new life in South Island, New Zealand.

Continue reading "Ship Ahoy" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 11:14 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor writes of the anticipation which brighten's the chilliest winter's day.

Continue reading "Anticipation" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:14 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor presents the first in a series of articles about the settlement of Otago and Dunedin in South Island, New Zealand.

The story begins with terrible heart-rending events in distant Scotland.

Continue reading "The Clearances" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:12 AM | Permalink

Winter brings stern weather to New Zealand's South Island - but Glen Taylor refuses to be overwhelmed by gales, snow, frost - or physical setbacks.

To read more of Glen's columns about life Down-Under please click on Kiwi Konnexions in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Now Is The Winter Of Our Discontent" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 07:56 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor tells of a state of the art new prison which was recently opened in Milton, New Zealand. But will the opportunities to change lives that it offers result in the end of crime?

For more of Glen's fascinating articles please click on Kiwi Konexions in the menu on his page.

Continue reading "The Milton Hilton" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 10:42 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor tells of the hardships faced by folk in the north of England - hardships which down the decades have produced a special kind of people who enjoy a self-mocking let's-get-on-with-life kind of humour.

(Glen refers to an article which announced that according to a poll Huddersfield is one of the happiest towns in England. That article, which appeared on March 30, can be read by clicking on About A Week in the menu on this page).

To read more of Glen's entertaining words please click on Kiwi Konexions in the menu on his page.

Continue reading "“Ee a’n’t it bin grand lass.”" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 12:08 PM | Permalink

...The box is bulging. It is too full to close and it beckons me. The computer lurks on the desk and my fingers had better get busy. The time to commit all this lovely research to print has arrived and the publishers are waiting...

Glen Taylor, after undertaking a mountain of research, is now writing the history of a church hall in her home town in South Island, New Zealand. Glen gathered in folk who had regularly visited the hall, fed them scones, prompted them to tell stories, set the tape recorder going - then listened wih delight as living history poured forth.

Continue reading "What Is An Apostle?" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 11:28 AM | Permalink

...Announce that you are from New Zealand in any other part of the world, particularly Australia, and you are greeted by loud baa-ing. We are not all associated with sheep but sheep and New Zealanders seem to be synonymous, so baa-ing and “more sheep than people” follow us around and we cash in by selling woolly jumpers and sheepskin rugs to tourists...

But times they are a changing in New Zealand, as Glen Taylor reveals. It's the continentalised land of good wine, shopping malls and shops staying open until late in the evening. Though New Zealanders are still accustomed to six-week summer "shut-downs''.

Continue reading "Will The Last Person To Leave Please Turn Out The Lights" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 11:44 AM | Permalink

Christmas and year's end prompt memories and contacts with old friends. Glen Taylor contacted Greta, a friend since the days when they were both teaching at the same school. They shared a host of happy "remember whens'' - and now Glen shares some of those memories with Open Writing readers.

For more of Glen's columns please click on Kiwi Konexions.

Continue reading "Remember When" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 10:08 AM | Permalink

In this supposed time of peace and good will, Glen Taylor casts a sad eye on a world filled with ranting, raving and rage.

Continue reading "Peace On Earth" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 07:56 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor tells of topsy-turvy weather in New Zealand.

For lots more of Glen's words please click on Kiwi Konexions in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Global Warming" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 07:09 PM | Permalink

Glen Taylor recalls time shared with her beloved granddaughter.

Continue reading "Memories Linger On" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 10:10 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor captures the joy of dipping one's toes into the sea.

Continue reading "While Paddling" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:14 AM | Permalink

"The lazy quiet land of sheep and dogs became a veritable hive of activity. Things had changed dramatically and the Mackenzie Basin even got its own airport. By the 1970’s work was well underway and in the 1980’s five power stations were in operation, power production had begun....''

Glen Taylor continues her historical narrative of the changes that have taken place down the decades in New Zealand's spectacular Mackenzie Country. To read the first two episodes of this story please click on Kiwi Konexions in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Dams, Lakes And Stars" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 10:10 AM | Permalink

...The folk of this land are more at home on horse back than behind the wheel of a car. They have weather-beaten faces with crinkled eyes, shaded by cowboy hats, and their hand shake is strong enough to break bones. A hardy group, more capable of laughing than crying, with a stoic acceptance of the hand life has dealt them and a “she’ll be right” attitude to all difficulties. A breed of people accustomed to the hard life...

Glen Taylor continues her vivid word portrait of the Mackenzie country, the glorious and grand hill country in South Island, New Zealand, where sheep runs of thousands of acres were established a century and a half ago.

To read Glen's earlier article on this land please click on Kiwi Konexions in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Mackenzie Country" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:34 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor, with an added dash of imagination, weaves a rich historical tale involving a rogueish Scotsman called Mackenzie and his dog Friday, who between them helped to open up large areas of South Island, New Zealand, more than 150 years ago.

Continue reading "Mackenzie And His Dog" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 12:38 PM | Permalink

The violent deaths of two infants at a drunken drug-filled party in New Zealand prompted columnist Glen Taylor to ask the vital question: Who do we blame?

Her well-considered answer will startle and challenge you.

Continue reading "It Shouldn't Happen To A Dog" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:44 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor tells a hilarious and unforgettable tale of an attempt to make a sheepskin rug.

Continue reading "The Saga Of The Sheepskin" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 10:12 AM | Permalink

In this delcious slice of prose Glen Taylor tells of a birthday meal prepared by a young chef who 'ates cooking.

Continue reading "I 'Ate Cooking" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:18 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor's poem features an old New Zealand coach road which is now a 30-minute bush walk down the Catlins to the beach. Goods were brought in by ship to various jetties then taken by pack horse to settlements. A lot of these old trails are now very pleasant bush walks.

Continue reading "The Old Coach Road" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 10:18 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor, after a visit to her favourite place, Golden Bay, sees a modern-day canvas city, and reflects on the huge changes in camping holidays since the days when she and her husband Martin headed for the Yorkshire Dales carrying heavy army-type packs with wooden frames, a canvas ridge tent and bedding rolled on top.

Continue reading "Camping Isn't What It Used To be" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 10:34 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor expresses Good Friday thoughts in this simple yet profound poem.

Continue reading "Calvary" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 12:00 PM | Permalink

Glen Taylor writes of one of the finest citizens in the British Commonwealth of Nations - and of the New Zealand landscape in which he trained before conquering the world's mightiest mountain.

Continue reading ""We Knocked The Bastard Off''" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:22 AM | Permalink

Lots of memories were revived when an old church hall was demolished in Milton, New Zealand, as Glen Taylor reveals.

Continue reading "The Old Hall" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:32 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor finds good news in neighbourliness, and toasts the new year with the message “Go well and prosper, and care for each other.”

Continue reading "A Toast To 2006" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:48 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor, as she celebrates in sunny New Zealand, invites us to remember the gentle man who was born on this day.

Continue reading "Another Christmas" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 07:30 AM | Permalink

Sea lions, albatrosses, penguins....and much more besides. A Scottish relative was shown some of the world's finest natural wonders when she visited Glen Taylor and her husband Martin in South Island, New Zealand.

Continue reading "Elderly Aunts" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 11:14 AM | Permalink

As November 11 - the day for remembering those who gave their lives in war - approaches, Glen Taylor writes movingly of her visit to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Continue reading "Lest We Forget" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:46 AM | Permalink

"The first thing we encountered as we left town was indeed a kangaroo. “Thousands of ‘em around here,” said my down to earth son-in-law to be...'' Glen Taylor vividly recalls her first journey into the Australian Outback.

Continue reading "The Outback" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 12:06 PM | Permalink

"...we look further across, to the edge of the bay, and see the pelicans coming in to land like Boeing 747s, their webbed feet dropping like undercarriages...'' Glen Taylor and her husband Martin enjoy the tranquility if their Australian winter hideaway.

Continue reading "Across The Bay" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 11:40 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor takes a flight across the Ditch, from New Zealand to Australia. Glen's description of the rigmarole of air travel is so vivid you will begin to feel your knees pressing up against that all-too-close-seat in front of you.

Continue reading "Across The Ditch" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:30 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor wrote this poem while on holiday in Nelson Bay, Australia.

Continue reading "My Lady Moon" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:10 AM | Permalink

"The lone aborigine stood on the headland, watching the boat, as the fear rose inside him and he felt the unrest in his land. He looked back to his spirit ancestors and their struggle to establish order in his land, the order that had lasted for 50,000 years...''

This is the first of a series of articles by Glen about Australia.

Continue reading "Once There Was A Dreamtime" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 07:58 AM | Permalink

"We have all had it at some time, the dreaded Writer's Block...'' Glen Taylor considers those horrid times for authors, and public speakers, when words and ideas refuse to flow.

Continue reading "Writer's Block" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:14 AM | Permalink

In this column, which both witty and wise, Glen Taylor emcouragingly points the way to a happy retirement.

Continue reading "The Last Of The Summer Wine" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:01 AM | Permalink

While rummaging in an old cupboard in the church vestry Glen Taylor found a tall black metal jug. The ideal container for a display of autumn leaves, thought Glen. But as she cleaned the jug she discovered that it had a very special significance...

Continue reading "Restored" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:01 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor tells us something of the history of her favourite place in all the world - Golden Bay, New Zealand.

This is the concluding article in Glen's series on Golden Bay. For the earlier articles in the series click on Kiwi Konexions in the menu on the right hand side of this page.

Continue reading "May The Sun Always Shine On Golden Bay" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:02 AM | Permalink

New Zealanders and Australians today celebrate ANZAC Day - a day to commemorate the citizens of both countries who were killed in war, and to honour returned servicemen and women.

Glen Taylor, who lives in South Island, New Zealand, has written a special poem for this solemn day,

Continue reading "ANZAC" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 12:10 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor says that the problem of bringing a species into a country, where none of its kind has existed before, is that there is nothing to prey on it. No balance of nature can be maintained and things get out of hand.

Glen provides a fascinating brief history of New Zealand's opossums -
and tells of an enterprising couple who have built a thriving business on "our furry little friends''.

Continue reading "The Naked Possum" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:01 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor reflects on how, despite sceintific bravado, a natural event can reveal the insignificance of Mankind.

Continue reading "Tsunami 2004" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:43 AM | Permalink

In America, and other lands too, old folk are being "herded'' into retirement villages, there to live in nice, neat bungalows in quiet cul-de-sacs. Glen Taylor, in this invigorating column, writes of a New Zealand couple whose idea of retirement living is vastly different to the cosy norm.

Continue reading "Retirement Villages" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 07:31 AM | Permalink

"Below us a crowd of kids are running along the banks, throwing their pet dogs into the creek and jumping in after them. Wet through and covered in mud...doing what kids should do, doing what kids used to do, enjoying themselves, running wild, uninhibited and unthreatened...'' Glen Taylor writes with captivating enthusiasm about one place in the world where things are as they should be.

Continue reading "Carrot Cake And Cappuccino" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:24 AM | Permalink

The minibus party arrived at Cape Farewell to hear a woman, whose feet were dangling over a two hundred foot cliff, singing "Abide with me'' at the top of her voice. Glen Taylor tells of the day she blushed to the roots of her hair.

Continue reading "Cape Farewell" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:15 AM | Permalink

"The silence of sitting together when no words are needed...'' Glen Taylor mourns the death of a close friend.

Continue reading "I Lost A Friend" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:01 AM | Permalink

"In the distance eight great humps were silhoutted against the sky...'' Glen Taylor tells of a deeply emotional day when eight great sperm whales, each nearly 10 ft high, lay stranded on a New Zealand beach. Seven of the whales had signed their own death warrants to lay beside and protect one of their friends, who was dying.

Glen says she will never forget that day - and you will not forget her moving account of what she saw.

Continue reading "The Day The Whales Came" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:01 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor's beautiful and profound poem about whales stranded on a beach brings an important message to humankind.

Continue reading "Whale Stranding" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:23 PM | Permalink

After reading Glen Taylor's tempting column you will have to accept, however reluctantly, that you haven't lived a full life if you have never experienced poet's night at the Mussel Inn.

Continue reading "Poets Night At Mussel Inn" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 05:06 PM | Permalink

In a vivid letter to a friend Glen Taylor details what Christmases are like in New Zealand.

Continue reading "Christmas Downunder" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 09:15 PM | Permalink

"Don't walk across the road when trouble's on your side,'' says Glen Taylor in this simple, yet profound poem - a poem to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

Continue reading "No Christmas?" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 07:10 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor takes a walk down the lane in Golden Bay, New Zealand - her Earthly Paradise.

Glen will be bringing us further reports from this quiet and sublimely beautiful corner of the world.

Continue reading "The Walk Down The Lane" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 06:55 PM | Permalink

"And there it was glistening in the sun, far below us... Lush green pasture.. Mountains sheltering a warm calm bay. A Shangri-La...'' Glen Taylor describes her own particular paradise in South Island, New Zealand, with such enthusiasm that you will feel your life is incomplete if you never visit Golden Bay.

Continue reading "Where My Caravan Has Rested" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Did you wander down those leafy lanes, scenting jasmine and the rambling rose? Did you see herons, spoonbills, gannets, as tides changed the mud flats into a shining sea of blue? Glen Taylor's poem is about her treasured New Zealand hideaway, Golden Bay.
Commencing in Open Writing next Saturday Glen will present a series of vivid prose portraits of Golden Bay, a place for folk who realise that at the centre of life there should be tranquility, rather than speed and rush.

Continue reading "Golden Bay - Bypassed" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:03 AM | Permalink

"Our skis were something out of the Ark. Mine a pair of Canadian ex-serviceman's overland skis, designed for somone six foot six, and me a mere five foot nothing. Huge things, as wide as the planks you use to build houses...'' Glen Taylor relishes the memories of her early skiing days in Scotland.

Continue reading "Skiing In The Good Old Days" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:00 AM | Permalink

"Shearers in smelly shirts and thick boots were heard singing 'Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine' as they headed for the pub. Farmers, ploughing fields, bellowed out 'Be still my soul'. And little old ladies, getting round on scooters, sang 'I'm a fish bowl Christian' while petrol pump attendants did the descant to 'Peace like a river'.''

In this glorious column Glen Taylor describes how the combined church choirs of Milton prepared for the big day when the telly men came to town to film them in full voice for the popular New Zealand pogramme "Praise Be''.

Continue reading "When Telly Came To Town" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:00 AM | Permalink

"How well the brain locks away in its memory things best forgotten,'' says Glen Taylor in this poem about a first glimpse of the world.

Continue reading "First Memories" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:00 AM | Permalink

What is a poem? Glen Taylor ruminates entertainingly while searching for an answer to that question in this poem about a poem.

Continue reading "A Poem" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:00 AM | Permalink

"You are a tree severed from its roots and planted as a cutting in foreign soil...'' In this straight-from-the-heart column Glen Taylor reveals the down-sides and up-sides of going to live in a distant country.

Continue reading "The Flip Side Of Emigration" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor may see hair that is turning grey when she looksin the mirror, but bright shining eyes relect a happy and fulfilled life.

Continue reading "Reflections" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Here's the second episode of Glen Taylor's account of a classic hike in New Zealand. Reading Glen will make you long to lace on a good pair of boots and join her up there in the fresh mountain air.

Continue reading "The Routeburn - A Bit Of A Walk - Part 2" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Picture yourself looking out over a vast valley far below, a roaring waterfall at your side and snow clad peaks all around. Glen Taylor makes you long to be striding out on the mighty Routeburn hike.

Continue reading "The Routeburn - Or A Bit Of A Walk - Part One" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:00 AM | Permalink

This cheeky little creature enjoys eating windscreen wiper blades. And what fun, if he breaks into your car! Leather seats! The perfect feast! There are some unusual encounters to be had on the road to Milford, as Glen Taylor reveals in this vivid word portrait of New Zealand's glorious natural wonders.

Continue reading "The Road To Milford - Part Two" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor takes us on a tour of her beloved South Island, New Zealand - to places where, armed with a fishing line, a supply of good books and plenty of food, you can forget the world exists. Reading Glen is the next best thing to seeing the sights for yourself.

Continue reading "The Road To Milford - Part One" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 12:00 AM | Permalink

Glen Taylor tells us how class 2.OL was introduced to the history of the Otago gold rush. Lucky 2.OL! This was teaching as it should be done.

Continue reading "Gold Fever" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 11:00 AM | Permalink

So what do you do when a Hooker sea lion is chasing you along the beach? You can smell the sea air, hear surf crashing onto the sand in Glen Taylor's vivid description of a heart-stopping sea-side encounter.

Continue reading "Surf And Sea Lions" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 01:48 PM | Permalink

Glen Taylor introduces us to the land that she so dearly loves.

Continue reading "The Land Of The Long White Cloud" »

Posted by Glen Taylor at 01:35 PM | Permalink

New Open Writing columnist Glen Taylor delineates the impulses which compel her to write.

Glen will be regularly sending us features and poems from her fabulously beautiful homeland, New Zealand.

Continue reading "What And Why I Want To Write" »

Posted by at 09:10 AM | Permalink