The newest addition to Wilhelmina Wellington’s family-only Boxing Day lunch is sitting there, stunned. For Chelsea, yesterday, the mum who raised her teased her for wearing shoes at the Christmas barbecue. Today, the woman who gave birth to her, Karin Kapiti, is sitting beside her at an Edwardian rimu dining table, saying, “The entire arts […]
Entries Tagged as 'helena'
Meeting The Wellingtons
December 28th, 2011 1 Comment
Tags: chelsea · helena · holidays · karin · Wellington · wilhelmina · will · winona
As Hutt As It Gets
November 25th, 2011 1 Comment
Helena Hutt’s family grumped their way through dinner. Helena has joined the home-grown artisanal wagon, and her two sons balked at silverbeet yet again. Matters were not helped by her husband Henry saying, “If you don’t eat your dinner, we’ll sell you to Aunt Karin as indentured laborers.” Everybody went to bed in a huff. […]
Tags: food · helena · hutt valley
The Thirties House
October 12th, 2011 Comments Off on The Thirties House
Winona, at her sister Helena’s house to survey baby hand-me downs, looks around and sighs. She remembers when this house on a Hutt Valley hill was the archetypical Wellingtonians-in-their-thirties house. In these newly acquired abodes, the purchasers spent all the money on the mortgage, or the baby, or the mortgage and the baby. The house […]
Tags: helena · real estate · style · winona
Snow Business
August 16th, 2011 1 Comment
The lovely weather break in August is cancelled. School is cancelled. Every discussion that is not about the phenomenon of snow in Wellington is cancelled! Fingers fly over phones throughout the region, sending updates to friends and family. Helena Hutt is snowbound on her scenic Hutt Valley hill. She bundled her children up and sent […]
Ready to Rumble?
December 13th, 2010 1 Comment
Sometimes, when you live in the Hutt, you have to be hard as. No nonsense. Rough as guts. This is one of those times. The black SUV circles the parking lot, then circles again, the driver spewing profanities. Finally, it wedges into a space and disgorges its passengers. One, two, three tough-looking blokes, in stubbies […]
Tags: food · helena · holidays · hutt valley
Beggars and Pirates
November 1st, 2010 1 Comment
Sunday night, Wilhelmina Wellington twitches as the doorbell rings yet again. A silver-haired Kiwi dame of the old school, she hadn’t thought of Halloween at all until her husband, Walter, appeared, asking “Have we got any lollies, love? There’s the most adorable littlies at the door!” This is the first year the increasing Halloween nonsense […]
Tags: helena · social mores · walter · wilhelmina
Wellington vs. Melbourne: The Case
August 11th, 2010 Comments Off on Wellington vs. Melbourne: The Case
Winona wondered who would actually call her, instead of sending a text. It’s her sister, Helena. To her delighted shock, Helena is inviting her on a long weekend to Melbourne, air fare and hotel paid, “…if you’d look after the boys a bit? Henry and I could have a little time together, it would be […]
Tags: helena · migrants · other cities · winona
The Escape Plan
August 2nd, 2010 1 Comment
Sunday, Wellington was hammered by vile weather. Shops were quiet while Facebook and TradeMe hummed. Woodrow the Weta contractor, didn’t really notice – he was working – but he does take periodic breaks. Little does he know he’s messaging Willow. Wazzer the bar manager wishes to God she didn’t have to work tonight. However, she […]
Hutt Chub
June 14th, 2010 Comments Off on Hutt Chub
It’s harder to stay skinny in the Hutt. As in all suburbs everywhere, this is due to driving replacing walking. Kapiti Coast denizens are not so deeply afflicted because they are always going for long beach walks. Now that her sister Winona is back, staying slim as she gets around Wellington on foot, Helena Hutt […]
Tags: blokes · helena · hutt valley
The Starfish
May 11th, 2010 1 Comment
“Get in the car! I said, get in the car! Get in the car NOW!†Helena Hutt takes the deep breaths familiar to any mummy trying very hard not to scream at the children. Right now she is driving them all to an ear specialist doctor, 30 minutes and a parking nightmare away in Newtown. […]
Tags: geography · helena · romance · social mores