Don't stand in my sunshine!!

Don’t stand in your own
sunshine ....

Without challenges in life, I stagnate.   I continue to do the familiar,  the comfortable, with no thought that there could be something more to life than what I already know.  Challenges force me out of my rut.  They force me to look at who I am and what I’m capable of.  They make me stand alone and survive when I don’t think I’m able to.
There’s definitely a Tui moment in there somewhere .. I’m sure of it!

Indy!

There’s nothing missing from the person I am. I don’t have to search for the requisite skills that I need to face whatever is thrown at me. It’s all already there. I’m a complete and perfect package .... 100% equipped with the tools I need to make my life what I want it to be.  
We all are. 
Until we’re faced with a momentous upheaval in our lives though, few of us realise that we already have all the bits and bobs necessary to survive.  We don’t have to search for anything ... it’s all there ... right within us.

The rather oddly shaped stick she found this morning!

Moving to NZ two years ago forced me to face my fears.  I was comfortable in SA.  I had a thriving business that bought me so much pleasure,  a loving and growing family, a marvellous circle of friends who uplifted and supported me.  Everywhere I went was familiar and had a comfortable feel to it. I didn’t need to move elsewhere in the world to appreciate all that I had.

But move I did and despite the initial home-sickness and the still ever-present nostalgia for the known and familiar ... I’m enjoying it here.  Yes I’ve missed, and still miss, my friends in SA tremendously but, this morning for the very first time, I realised just how very much I’m enjoying making new friends here and how much each of those new friends adds to the person I’ve become.  As with my friends in SA each of them adds their own special brand of uniqueness to my sunshine.  They bring out the best bits in me and I hope I bring out the best bits in them.

Starting my business here hasn’t been plain sailing either. I suppose in SA it took several years to build up and I had a network of friends and family who supported me.  I never had to advertise.  The work came ‘word of mouth’ as friends of friends and friends’ businesses commissioned me for various projects. Here, it’s just me .... all on my lonesome .... trying to make an impact on my new world.  It’s scary!  Suddenly all those doubts and insecurities flood my mind.  I know what I create is unique and beautiful but will anybody else!

Fortunately I have the best canine model in the world for much of my work!  I never intended for my hound to become the focal point of my work .... but once again, you grab what you’re presented with and run with it.  The photo opportunities I get on the beach every morning with her are superb. She is so photogenic as are many of the hounds we meet. 

This morning we met Julia’s Indy, another Chocolate Labrador.  He’s huge, much taller than her and he doesn’t get to come to the beach as frequently as she does as his favourite human works several days a week!  He had such fun though ..... hoovered the beach a lot .... and found the smallest of balls to chase!!!  It looked so incongruous .... this large lean chocolate Labrador chasing this tiny green ball!!

He also re-arranged the log that the gulls perch on in the bay.  My hound, as is usual, had the requisite stick in the mouth .. not a log this morning .... and Indy decided to fetch the one he could see in the water.  The only problem was it was huge!!!  But Indy’s not a big dog for nothing.  He pulled and pulled as hard as he could and it moved!!  I think the gulls will be pleased. There are so many more perches for them to sit on now!

All these characters I meet on the beach every day .... both human and hound ..... are filling my world with new thoughts and ideas.  They make me so aware of how much goodness is out there and I love that they do. 
That sunshine ..... it’s just going to keep on shining ... there IS no other way!

.... mud .. guts ... and glory!

Obi and soccer ball ... and my hound and rugby ball!

And so .... one week to go till the end of RWC 2011.  The majority of my Kiwi friends are delighted that their Flightless Fowls are through to the final ... and yes, maybe they deserve to be there ... but France certainly don’t ... and nothing anyone can say will ever make me think any differently.  The players at RWC have given their all ... it’s sad that the same can’t be said of the match referees and the IRB in general.  Sadly, the calibre of refereeing has not been up to scratch and leaves a blot on the copybook of RWC 2011.  New Zealand itself has been a tremendous host.  The country and the people have opened their hearts and their homes and welcomed visitors and players alike with huge enthusiasm and warmth ... the vibe has been awesome and I’m SO proud of my adopted country!

On my ramble this morning, so many people commiserated with me over Wales’ loss on Saturday night ... the general consensus was that they had been robbed of a place in the final.  They were all delighted that I’m still proudly flying my flag ... and that I will continue to do so till the end of the tournament despite my disappointment in Saturday’s result.  I love the way my flag has bought people out of their shells ... they chat to me so enthusiastically about rugby and life in general ... so many want to know where ‘home’ is seeing as I fly a Welsh flag ... AND what I think of living in NZ.

I was told this morning that I kick my hound’s ball incorrectly .... I kick it with my toe instead of my foot .... no wonder I have such a HUGE hole in my takkie!!!  A gentleman walking on the beach had been watching all the dogs at play .. and my hound had pinched someone’s soccer ball and was having a great time dribbling ... yes, dribbling it ... along the beach with her paws.  He’d been watching me kick it for her ... and he’d seen the Welsh flag .... so he came over to chat and show me the correct way to kick her ball .... which I’m still unable to do .... it’s hard unlearning a bad habit!!

See the soccer ball .... and she's carrying the rugby ball
.... not for long though!

Rugby ball forgotten about .... we only want the soccer ball now!!

If she could have done, she’d have bought the soccer ball home with her today instead of our rugby ball ... she was having so much fun with it!  The owner of the dog who’s ball it was, kicked it out to sea and she struggled to get a grip on it to bring it back to shore.  I could see her head bobbing further and further away as the elusive ball headed off to Rangitoto .... hound in hot pursuit!

I wondered if her disinclination to bring the rugby ball home was her way of telling me how disappointed she is with RWC ...... nah .... she’s only a dog .... what does she know about the glorious game of rugby and all its ridiculous rules.  Would that rugby could be played as it used to be played ..... mud, guts and glory .....

Pete at the coffee shop had an interesting analogy for a good referee ..... he likened a ref to a flight to South Africa ... you’re not aware of whether or not the flight was good .. you can’t remember what the cabin crew were like .. you just know you’ve arrived at your destination.  A good ref should be unobtrusive .... allowing the game to flow ... but not directing it .... you should be unaware of his existence until the final whistle blows ... something maybe the IRB needs to bear in mind in the future ....

In the meantime I have it on good authority that my Sharks are performing delightfully well back in good old SA .... a home semi-final ‘nogal’ ..... methinks I need to sort out some live-streaming to be able to watch the semi’s and the final over the next two weeks!  My Bokke and my Dragons weren’t able to lift my Yayness levels ... maybe my Sharkies will!!

I have POWER ... in abundance!!

How can you not LOVE mornings like this!!

St. Heliers Bay .... MY bay!!

Grrrrrrr ..... my morning didn’t get off to as good a start as what it normally does ... despite the glorious blue skies and sunshine!!!  My system crashed ..... YIKES ...... not a good thing for one who is addicted to .... yes ... addicted to .....  her connection to the big wide world out there!!  That’s what happens when you live at the arse end of the world .... you need this funky little collection of gizmos and gadgets to keep you CONNECTED!

I moped off for my ramble having left it trying to recover itself .... not knowing what I was going to come back to ......

Kohi Beach ... the next bay along

.... but miracles do happen ... it had recovered whatever it had apparently lost and was ready and raring to go.

I'm chatting to the ladies in the picture below and she's wanting her
ball thrown!!

I did wonder if it crashed in sympathy with Steve Jobs death this morning ... he was still so young .... and has left an amazing mark on our world.  He was once quoted as saying “I want to put a ding in the universe” ..... wow ... he sure has done that .... there can’t be many people who don’t own or haven’t owned an Apple product ... and I’ve added the “haven’t owned” especially for my oldest lemming as he is very anti-Apple but HAS owned an iPod ... hmmmm!   RIP Steve Jobs .... your visionary outlook will be sorely missed.  I, for one, love Apple products and I wouldn’t be without my iPhone!

Rosemary, Carol and Vi

My ramble took longer than expected today ... I got delayed chatting on the beach to some of my other dog walking buddies ..... they sit on the bench most days and catch up with the news of the world .... and of course, rugby is a hot topic at the moment!!  There’s so much excitement with the build-up to the Quarter Finals this weekend ... everyone has their own opinion of who’s going to win ... and why!  Flags are out in abundance and I’ve been so impressed at the number of Welsh flags I’ve seen ... which brings me to an interesting thought ......

How come if RWC is happening right here in NZ and all of the flags of all 20 countries are being displayed here, there and everywhere .... are people still unsure of which flag belongs to which country?  A mother in my coffee haunt today informed her friend that I had an Irish flag in my backpack .... IRISH .... with a Welsh DRAGON on it!

Contrary to the popular belief of SOME of my Kiwi friends .... and a CERTAIN South African friend, the only teams heading home after the matches in Wellington this weekend will be Ireland and Aus!!  My Bokke will be taking on the Flightless Fowls in the Semi-Final .... and then the nation .... the New Zealand one that is ..... will be in mourning ...

SHUCKS .... I hope that doesn’t mean I won’t be able to get my daily fix .....

Life has MAGIC ..... I have POWER .... in abundance  ... and OH YES, dreams DO come TRUE!!

Back to the beach for lunch today  .... it was just too beautiful to resist!

I'm sure it's a male phenomena ....

My WORLD!

Wake up World .... I’ve got places to go ... people to see ... and smiles to share!!!  Time .. she waits for no-one .... and especially when the sun’s shining and spring is in the air!

Heading towards my favourite view of my world!

Gorgeous BLUE skies!

I wake up every day CHOOSING to be happy .... each day is a new start .... an opportunity to begin afresh ... to put aside the stresses and failures of yesterday and focus on TODAY ... AND .... more importantly THIS moment in time.  I need to channel my energies into what I'm doing right now, not what I've got to do when I get back home home .... housework - blah .... washing - even bigger blah .... what to make for dinner - blah blah blah!!!

More Cherry Blossoms blooming!

I love the creativity of what I do  so I could focus on that but there’ll be time later in the day for that!  Right now I just want to be IN the moment ... I want to FEEL the sun on my face .... and SHARE in my hound’s enjoyment of our ramble.. These moments are what I see through the lens of my camera everyday and
I LIKE what I see!

I could write a book about
moments in time ... there are so many priceless memories that touch my heart and make me feel so positive about this world we live in. This Chinese proverb came to mind today when I was chatting to Sebastion’s human, Carol, on the beach.

 “The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it”

Sebastion, Carol’s Labrador,  is all of 14 years old and, in his advancing years, is struggling with stairs.  He still thinks he’s a puppy .... I’m sure it’s a male phenomena .... oops .. left out the word ‘dog’ there  .... and leaps down 3 or 4 stairs at a time only to end up unable to walk after he lands at the bottom.  Carol thought her only option was to sell-up and move to a house without stairs ... a bit of a scarcity in NZ as most houses are on several levels.

SO ... she’s having a STAIR-LIFT installed .... with a platform for Sebastion to stand on .... she’s doing what “cannot be done”!! I’m eagerly awaiting the job to be started so I can take pics of Sebastion using his stair-lift.  I asked her if the company doing the installation where surprised when she told them it was for a dog .. but they weren’t ... apparently they’ve done a few stair-lifts for dogs before.  I love that there are people out there who love their dogs so much that even in their advancing years, nothing is too much trouble .... lucky Sebastion ... he is dearly loved!

Molly and Lilly ... the beach hoovers!

Not only is Carol a dog-lover but she’s as nutty about rugby as I am .... possibly even more so!!  She doesn’t like Graham Henry one little bit so isn’t going to be supporting the FF’s.  She believes, like I do,  that SA will be in the final .... and we’re both hoping it’ll be against Wales
.... tall order I know but stranger things have happened.  My loyalties would be so torn if both my teams ended up in the final .... who would I support!!!

Just for today though I’m visualising the FF’s winning RWC ... it’s a fleeting thought and it’s only happening today .... tomorrow I’ll be back on track visualising my Bokke lifting that Webb-Ellis Cup!!!

I can do this!!

Still flying my flag for Wales!!

I felt so proud of my adopted city today!  In the supplement in this morning’s Herald ... which I’ve read courtesy of my neighbour cause she’s away .... there’s an article on the Kiwi Experience ..... Overseas visitors ‘take’ on NZ, and Auckland in particular.   The one comment which I loved and is how I’ve felt since being here was “I’m having trouble finding a Kiwi who’s not friendly and smiling .... even if this place was a desert, it’s the people that would bring me back.” ...... and that came from a South African!!!

That's what makes this country so awesome .... Kiwis in general are a laid-back people with an awful lot to smile about and an awful lot to be grateful for. Yes .... I occasionally meet the few whingers who have nothing better to do than find something to complain about but, for the most part, people here are really happy .... and that happiness is infectious.  Because they're happy, they go out of their way to show kindness to others .... to  lend a helping hand .... to give someone a hug .... to just lend a shoulder to cry on ..... it's a microscosm of what our world should be like .... and I love it.

Sebastion ............and ......................Abi

There’s a genuine concern here for the welfare of others too ... volunteer work and community service is huge.  I’ve recently volunteered to help the Foundation for the Blind, specifically with the Guide Dog arm, and they’ve sent me a pile of forms to complete.  I looked at all these forms ...... I need Police Clearance ... I need 2 referees to vouch for my character (hmmm ... that might be tricky) and there’s a whole host of personal information I have to provide them with ... but, despite all this red tape, there’s a whole army of volunteers who’ve been prepared to struggle through all this just so they can be of service to others.  It makes my heart feel so good ..... but I’ve still got all these darn forms to complete if I want to help out too!!

My beach at lunchtime ... the tide was really low!

I had thought of volunteering for puppy walking ....  you have to provide a home for the puppy for the first 12 months or so of it’s life until it’s assessed for it’s suitability as a ‘seeing eye’ dog.

The kids thought it was a great idea .... another lab puppy in the house .... Gav wasn’t so keen. The only downfall though is the puppy isn’t allowed to be taught to retrieve ANYTHING ...... NO BALLS .... NO LOGS ...... NO NOTHING AT ALL!!   I can just see the confusion on my hound’s face ...... a retriever that isn’t allowed to retrieve!!!

He's allowed to lie in the middle of the boardwalk ... he's 14 years old!

It does make sense though ..... can’t you just picture it ...... a blind handler walking down the road with well-trained Labrador who loves to chase balls ............. and someone throws a ball ... hmmmm .....

The next step on the agenda once the volunteer work is on track is to find me an outlet for my cards.  I’m going to have to pluck up the courage to go ‘cold-calling’ ......... not something I’ve ever had to do before .... but I guess it’s a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Sometimes in life we become so accustomed to the way things have always been though, that it takes a major upheaval like moving countries to make us aware of the enormous strengths we really do have ...... I ROck!!