Fossage

Flying saucer

I am travelling in the South Island at the moment to visit friends and family. I'm staying in one of my most favourite spots at the moment; Governor's Bay in Banks Peninsula - the home I am staying in looks right out over the sea and back toward Lyttleton. Such a beautiful place. Thank you Ghazala and Anna-Claire for having me.

Today was a new experience for me, Anna-Claire and Lyndon invited me to go plate-smashing with them today. We trekked up the hill and met Lyndon at the Sign on the Bellbird, along the Summit Road in Christchurch. Lyndon had a car load of very old plates and cups for the Super Shed/ Dump Shop.

First we neatly arranged the plates in piles

Then we set to throwing them in all different ways together toward the old brick shelter. A new experience for me, it was fun, releasing and therapeutic. Afterward we sat and listened to the bellbirds; a kind of meditation together. Then we cleaned and swept and took the plate debris with us. We left the little stone shelter cleaner than when we arrived.

Here a few lucky ones that were saved. The plates reminds me of Erik Carlyle.

Women's day

Yesterday was Mother's Day - I call it women's day. It's a perfect opportunity for women who care about each other to get together and celebrate the connection they have with one another - whatever that may be. It's a time to celebrate the contribution made by the wonderful women in your life.

I took my mum and one of her closest friends out for lunch on the tutukaka coast - yum!!

Thank you for all your kind comments since my last post! Yes, I am going to India - good guess!! I head off at the end of June on an internship with CNN IBN, a 24 hour news channel run predominantly by Indian people but part of the wider network of CNN. I will be there for two months, then will spend another three months traveling to other parts of India visiting friends. Then in November I am off to the UK. I would love to hear your travel stories and advice!!

socks and jandals

I have returned for ten days in silence, it was wonderful, but meditating for ten hours a day was never going to be easy. In the end it was a fully rewarding experience that I would whole-heartedly recommend to anyone. The socks with jandals was something of a fashion statement I made on my course, I forgot my slip on shoes, so it was those or my running shoes. I loved the look, I also got quite into meditating in my pijamas, something else I recommend. The book in the background is Gregory David Roberts, "Shantaram" - it's a little taster for my future posts. I have so much to tell you about the adventure I am about to head off on for work and personal reasons. I hope I will also get to post once a week while I am on this adventure. It's nice to be back even if everything is very bright, colourful and there really are too many things to choose from!!!