Taking a Break - Katikati Haiku Pathway

I'd heard about the Katikati Haiku Pathway and finally I got to visit it!

 Again, there were tui everywhere - this time enjoying the harekeke flowers.

 And then the haiku on the boulders.

 The walk runs along both sides of a small river.

 

 Evidence of recent wild weather.

 Not on the actual walk, but a very fun sculpture.

Taking a Break - A Walk Around The Mount

I love my life, and I love where I live. When I was younger I wanted to travel, and enjoyed seeing a little of the world. Now I am largely content with staying home. There is always more to see and learn: my outlook is becoming more focused on the details of life rather than wider vistas. Spending half an hour watching the miracle of tiny preying mantis babies hatching out excites me to a degree previously experienced through more obvious adventures.

But sometimes it is nice to go away, although a few days is all I can cope with before I feel the can-we-go-home-now itch.

Last week Mac was working in Tauranga for three days and Rebecca was available to animal / house sit, so I went too. First thing was a walk around the base of The Mount - I've been visiting for nearly 60 years, and always do this walk, which never fails to be breathtakingly beautiful.

Just two pohutukawa trees were in flower, and were incredibly noisy as they were full of tui delighting in the first nectar.

 

 I love the shapes of pohutukawa trees too.

I have climbed to the top a few times over the years, but probably won't do so again - I really don't like heights. As in, I get dizzy and faint, and have panic attacks.

 Matakana Island

 I took about 20 photos trying to capture the seal playing in the water!

 There was a very bad smell at one point. I thought it was a dead something, but someone pointed out the bird nests above - the smell was bird poo.

 This little guy hopped along beside me for about five minutes.

 New life arising out of the remains of a dead tree.

 And next to this beautiful nature spot - the port,

 and the tourist service centre.

 

The beach is lovely - but still I prefer the wild west coast.

November Reading

Novels

When She Came Home by Drusilla Campbell
A very powerful book about a woman who is a marine and has come back from Iraq with PTSD. It is about relationships between children and parents, between her and her husband, about right and wrong and conflicting loyalties. I struggled to keep reading at times, other times I couldn't put it down. A book to make you think and rethink. Definitely recommended.

The Mistress's Revenge by Tamar Cohen
A crazy story of an affair, marriage, children, obsession and full of twists. I really enjoy the way this woman writes:
"I often worry that I have somehow made Daniel less than he was when I first met him. That I have reduced him, like over-simmered stock."  Recommended.

The Keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas

Story of a Jewish family and their losses, of both people and possessions in WW2, and the reclaiming of some in the present day.Somewhat far fetched but quite good all the same. The author lives in Cambridge, New Zealand.

Down To Earth by Melanie Rose
Michaela parachutes out of a plane and when she lands she finds she has been missing for 6 1/2 years. Some people think she deliberately ran off, others that she was abducted by someone, or by aliens or some kind of magical force. The reactions of both Michaela and the other people in the book are very unrealistic and in the end, hey! Unexplained magic! Don't waste your time.

Trust by Kate Veitch
Mid-life crises, teenage angst, affairs, discovering one's true passions and talents, a gay son, as well as a gay friend - it sounds dreadful but actually I really enjoyed this book about families - and trust. Recommended.

Archipelago by Monique Roffrey
A father and daughter on a journey out of grief, out of normal life. Far fetched but still believable. An exploration of that crazy, unreal space we are left in after the loss of someone dearly loved and pivotal to our lives. beautifully told.

Non-Fiction

Making Journals by Hand by Jason Thompson
Book Art Studio Handbook by Stacie Dolin & Amy Lapidow
Two books that I have been pouring over and being inspired by - I need to clean out the craft room, clear the beekeeping gear to one side, and get creating!



 

October Reading

Children's Books

Pepetuna by Denise Whitmore is one of the most delightful educational children's books I've seen in a very long time. In fact I think it's the best I've ever read, but it's a long time since I regularly read children's books so I may have forgotten some. The review on Fishpond says, "From the time a tiny puriri moth's egg falls onto the forest floor, this book follows the life cycle of that moth - Pepetuna. For five years Pepetuna hides in the puriri tree, eating and sleeping until the time is right. Then one warm spring evening, he pushes a hole through the door of his home. He crawls out with his strong new legs and breathes the fresh air. Then he stretches out his beautiful new wings, ready to fly up into the moonlight ...for just one night. Through the clever use of illustrations showing the first five years of a young child's life, the reader can experience the concept of time and how long it takes for Pepetuna to grow and be ready for that single night."

It's gorgeous. Pepetuna's story is told in words illustrated in multimedia colour, while the human story is black and white drawings and without words.

I bought a copy and sent it to my friend who is a children's librarian in Alaska. I think I'm going to have to buy another copy just for me.

Non-fiction

The Secret Life of the Grown Up Brain by Barbara Strauch. The best part of the book is, that by her definition I am still (just) middle-aged! Or maybe the best bit is being told that forgetting names, and why I went into the kitchen isn't necessarily a sign of dementia of some kind. But essentially, a long version of the magazine articles that tell you to exercise, eat right, and keep your mind busy.

Novels

The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens
A story of a woman whose husband doesn't come home, and her search for him which turns into a search for herself. Interesting, quite enjoyable, but I felt it just didn't explore some promising issues deeply enough to satisfy me.

The Wedding Bees: a novel of honey, love and manners by Sarah-Kate Lynch
Light-hearted, warm look at love and life, and how they are affected by the past. A bit shallow, and the idea of bees having a conciousness that allows them to become attached to humans, and that they might act to help an individual is just plain irritating to a beekeeper!

Someone Else's Wedding by Tamar Cohen
A story set in the 36 hours before, during and after a wedding. Narrated by a woman who has two daughters but is still grieving for her late life baby, who died. Can't say too much about it, because it would spoil the psychological twists and turns, but I highly recommend it.

A Walk in our Bush

 We went for a walk in our bush today. We need to do it more often, not just when we have grandchildren here. It is such a magical place. Today Mac and I were accompanied by Spike the Cat,

Sammy, the six year old granddaughter,

 and Bob the Dog.

 We are so glad to see the nikaus coming back in the bush - there were only a couple when we came here, due to horses being allowed to graze there.

 Looking across the stream to the neighbours' island.

 The supplejacks can be hard to get through in places, but

 are great to swing on.

 I don't like spiders, but I love their amazing webs.

 Spike didn't seem to trust the little bridge that the boys built last time they were here.

 Spike ran up a tree trunk to join Sammy in the tree hut - and actually fell out!

 He was then extremely embarrassed and attacked Bob the Dog, blaming him for the fall! Poor Bob. Mac grabbed Spike and threw him in the stream where Spike had chased Bob. He was not a happy catty!

 And home.

Of Apple Blossom and Orthodera novaezealandia

Is it a sign of senility

or maturity

that I don’t notice

the helicopter flying low

because I am absorbed

in the apple blossoms,

in how the pink buds

of the eating apple

are so much softer

than the vibrant red

of those of the cooking apple;

and that the old barn

is of interest

not because of people

and possible adventures

but because

of the praying mantis nymphs

struggling

to escape their egg case,

and the spider’s web

threaded across it?