I still can't navigate

“Be like a tree.  Let the dead leaves drop.” 

~ Rumi

Everybody has days that no amount of coffee, chocolate or wine seems to fix. 

I love chocolate 

and coffee

and wine

... especially the sparkling variety, so am frustrated beyond measure when neither one nor the other alleviate the irritations of the day.

And, at the end of the day, that’s all they really are.

Irritations.

Minor ones really when compared to what others elsewhere in the world face 

on a daily basis, just to survive.

As I reflect back on a day that didn’t quite live up to expectations 

I remind myself to be grateful for what I have and where I am.

Especially the happiness bubble that is the hound.

No matter the hours I work,

nor the time I’m away over the weekend,

she is MORE than delighted to see me on my return.

She would have loved to have been with me at the festival this last Saturday 

but I was overnighting at Yvonne’s, so she couldn’t.

I love being at the Boulevard Festival.

There’s an abundance of beautiful crafty and creative people show-casing their wares to one and all.  This festival ALWAYS has a lovely vibe!  The various artists performing on stage, each proficient in their own genre, only ADD to the ambience, as did the beautiful weather.  

It has everything a festival should have, and more.

I felt as if I was in an art gallery fielding questions left, right and centre about the various pieces I had on display.  I get SUCH a buzz from the interest shown in what I do!

Sales might not have been brilliant but the festival itself was wonderful.

The day wasn't done with me yet though.

One would assume, from the number of times I’ve been to Orewa, 

that finding my way to Yvonne’s would be a piece of cake.

BIG mistake.

I should know NEVER to trust my navigational skills.

As I confidently headed out on the road I believed led to Silverdale, thoughts of the spa and the bubbles I would shortly be imbibing filled my mind.

Instead of heading to Silverdale though I was heading to Whangerei!

Google, the arbiter of all things inane, did eventually manage to get me to my destination ... via Warkworth.  What should have been a 20/25 min run took me well over an hour.

What can I say.

Not only am I STILL blonde but I’m also STILL navigationally challenged.

Some things never change.

Tuesdays are mine.

Reflections of reflections!

Magic is when life doesn’t go as planned but works out well anyway.

Having a foot missing doesn't hinder this little girl.

Contentment is a much maligned word.  It doesn’t come from having everything you want in life, but from being content with one’s situation, whatever that might be.  

I have moments when contentment settles over me like a second skin.  

I love those moments.

I also LOVE my day off.

Tuesday doesn’t come round soon enough

It’s always filled to the brim with fun and fabulousness.

THIS Tuesday saw the hound and I up bright and early.

Yes.

Early.

5.30am early.

Even on my day off.

We hit the viewsite to catch a sunrise.

Sunrises though don’t always happen according to plan.

The low pressure system ridging in over North Island has bought clouds aplenty.

Clouds for the sun to hide behind.

The skies WERE a beautiful pink though and the glow over the city as the sun raised it’s head was breathtaking.

The hound and I BOTH wallowed in the waves when we hit the beach.

She retrieved logs whilst I threw them.

One particular log was even carried back up the hill to the landy.

Not by me.

Our brief interlude at Animates to wash the hound turned out to be anything but brief.

The landy, as is it’s wont at inopportune times, wouldn’t start when the time came to head home.  

Patience is becoming a strength.

Taking the flatmate to collect his scooter from the motorbike man was next on the agenda.  

A repaired scooter means no more midnight pick-ups from work. 

Yay for NOT having to drive into St. Heliers in my pj’s anymore.

The afternoon just kept getting better.

Lunch and shopping with my buddy.

Spa.

Bubbles.

Need I say more.

Time isn’t important on a day off.  

There will ALWAYS be a zillion and one things to do, 

but Tuesday’s are mine and therefore time IS irrelevant.

It’s a choice I’m happy to make.

Downtime is necessary.

I more than realise that now.

“Don’t explain your philosophy.  Embody it.” 

~ Epictetus

Bouncing back

"Take your time,

think a lot,

think of everything you've got."

~ Cat Stevens (lyrics from Father and Son)

My little glimpse into the life of a tripod hound this week was enlightening.

Here was this little hound with only 3 legs and he thought he was normal. 

As he raced through the puddles nothing was held back.  

No leeway was expected and none was given.

He wasn’t limited by his obvious disability.

NOT that it was obvious to everyone.

Everytime a new hound arrived to share in the fun, he’d race up to them.

None were as fast as him.

Especially not the “tank” dog.

He didn’t bounce through the puddles, he PLOUGHED through them.

Except when he walked on water!

THE hound of course had a log to carry.

Logs are way more interesting than a tripod hound.

That little tripod hound got me thinking though.

Struggles shouldn’t be seen by us as disabling either.

They shouldn’t hinder us.

Or stop us.

Adaptation is often necessary.

If a situation can’t be changed, it should be embraced as, 

no matter how difficult a struggle might be, 

there is something enabling about it too.

If we’re lucky, we bounce back as a better version of ourselves, 

able to do good in a broken world.

Hopefully gracefully, just like the Tripod Hound.

I like that thought, though bouncing GRACEfully isn’t part of my repertoire

As we zoom into January my world is still full on busy.

Holidays over the festive season are non-existent when you work in the fashion industry.

EVERYONE wants to shop.

Now it’s the January sales!

Disarray and chaos abound.

Time out at the Spa on Kaipara is becoming a regular necessity.

Even the drive up is a chilled affair.

The bubbles in the spa are warm and the bubbles in the glass are cold.

A symbiotic relationship like no other!

Add to the mix time-out with my buddy, 

no mobile signal and cuddles from her hounds

 .... all 8 of them .... 

and all the disarray and chaos of the week evaporates.

It’s a good feeling.

“A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing.  

She goes where she will, 

without pretense, 

and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself.” 

~ Maya Angelou