This is the oracle card I drew today:
Patience
"Now is the time to learn, study and gather information. Enjoy being a student, because in the future, you will synthesize your knowledge into action.
Although you may be aching to begin a new project, now is not the time. You are in the vital phase of gathering right now. This means that you're meditating, channeling, taking classes, interviewing experts, and other means. In all of life, there is a time for gathering and a time for planting.
It is too soon for you to decide how you will use the new information that you're absorbing. You may have some ideas, though, so it might be wise to write them down for future use. Soon enough, you will be called into action to apply your knowledge in useful ways. When that happens, you will be very busy and work very hard. Allow yourself to be an empty vessel into which Heaven pours the contents of its library of wisdom. Your unique talents will blend with this wisdom, and synthesize it into a new and important way to bring peace to this planet."
How freaking relevant is that?
21.2.09
3.2.09
I was attacked with hugs by Fritha and Rowan when the bus arrived in Hastings. It has been so good to be with family and I find that extending beyond the two of them to everyone who calls the farm home. Right now Fritha, Rowan, Kelli and Katrina have all moved into the main house. David has been MIA since I arrived, but we hope he'll be home from Auckland soon.
Almost as soon as I arrived I fell hopelessly ill. There were several days when I couldn't even make it out of bed and found myself so well cared for by Fritha and Rowan. I am still not completely recovered. I can trick myself into thinking I'm well but then a wave of dizziness or nausea will creep up on me and I'm off my feet again. This has made it difficult to fully appreciate the scale and wonder of the farm but I have been exploring slowly. There are more fruit trees than I could imagine or locate. So far I've found plum, grapefruit, avocado, orange, olive, pear, apple, feijoa, tamarillo and fig. Some of the harvests I've already missed but many of the trees are still bearing or ripening fruit. As soon as my camera comes back from being repaired in Auckland I will have lots of photos to post.
We are in the midst of doing significant work in and around the main house. Tomorrow the new satellite internet is going in, about which I am thrilled. It has been an hour long process just to send an email and I am looking forward to being more connected.
Until then...
Almost as soon as I arrived I fell hopelessly ill. There were several days when I couldn't even make it out of bed and found myself so well cared for by Fritha and Rowan. I am still not completely recovered. I can trick myself into thinking I'm well but then a wave of dizziness or nausea will creep up on me and I'm off my feet again. This has made it difficult to fully appreciate the scale and wonder of the farm but I have been exploring slowly. There are more fruit trees than I could imagine or locate. So far I've found plum, grapefruit, avocado, orange, olive, pear, apple, feijoa, tamarillo and fig. Some of the harvests I've already missed but many of the trees are still bearing or ripening fruit. As soon as my camera comes back from being repaired in Auckland I will have lots of photos to post.
We are in the midst of doing significant work in and around the main house. Tomorrow the new satellite internet is going in, about which I am thrilled. It has been an hour long process just to send an email and I am looking forward to being more connected.
Until then...
22.1.09
Here, Somehow
It is always a welcome sight when the sun rises after nearly twenty hours on various planes in total darkness. In those long hours only the occasional brilliantly illuminated ship and then, eventually, a tiny Pacific island would send a beam of confirmation that the earth was still beneath us. The dawn began to blush past the tip of the wing. The clouds cleared except for a cluster of pink meringues seemingly swimming in the muted silvery grey of the ocean. The coast of Queensland was just beyond that cloak.
I transferred to Air New Zealand in Sydney and was off to Wellington. I guess it's strange that I always fly into Wellington instead of Auckland but I can not resist the view down the south island. First it's the stretch of the Tasman Sea crashing against the sand down the west coast. Then the mountain ranges come into view, dominated by Mount Cook, always topped with the long white clouds that Aotearoa is named for. Then we swing around over the Marlborough Sound and the rough waters of Cook Strait. The whole progression just makes me very happy.
Totally exhausted from two days without sleep I passed effortlessly through immigration and customs, though I did put 22.1.2009 as my birth date. I promised myself I would not sleep until at least 21:00 so I geared up for the windy day outside. I spent some time in Te Papa, the free national museum, but all the dark exhibits were encouraging my comatose state. After some exploration along the pier and down Cuba Street it started to rain and I went back to the hostel to read, stupidly choosing my comfy bunk instead of a common area chair.
Five hours later I woke up. This did not aid in my acclimating and resetting my internal clock.
I feel strange, in a lot of ways, to be here. It felt wrong for the first time to be leaving New England. Hopefully a plan for my future here will emerge and I will begin to feel more certain and enthuiastic. Maybe I'm just jetlagged and a dose of family time with Fritha and Rowan will do me good. On to Hastings tomorrow!
I transferred to Air New Zealand in Sydney and was off to Wellington. I guess it's strange that I always fly into Wellington instead of Auckland but I can not resist the view down the south island. First it's the stretch of the Tasman Sea crashing against the sand down the west coast. Then the mountain ranges come into view, dominated by Mount Cook, always topped with the long white clouds that Aotearoa is named for. Then we swing around over the Marlborough Sound and the rough waters of Cook Strait. The whole progression just makes me very happy.
Totally exhausted from two days without sleep I passed effortlessly through immigration and customs, though I did put 22.1.2009 as my birth date. I promised myself I would not sleep until at least 21:00 so I geared up for the windy day outside. I spent some time in Te Papa, the free national museum, but all the dark exhibits were encouraging my comatose state. After some exploration along the pier and down Cuba Street it started to rain and I went back to the hostel to read, stupidly choosing my comfy bunk instead of a common area chair.
Five hours later I woke up. This did not aid in my acclimating and resetting my internal clock.
I feel strange, in a lot of ways, to be here. It felt wrong for the first time to be leaving New England. Hopefully a plan for my future here will emerge and I will begin to feel more certain and enthuiastic. Maybe I'm just jetlagged and a dose of family time with Fritha and Rowan will do me good. On to Hastings tomorrow!
19.7.08
homemade sushi travels quite well
The rest of our time in New Zealand was so lovely. We hopped around the coast, visiting lighthouses and small hidden cottages. Every kilometer brought us closer to Fritha and Rowan and suddenly we were in Napier, hearing their voices on a payphone!
Fritha treated us like queens and it was nice to be with family once again. It's been quite a trip for that. Rowan was large and in charge, as Gwill had promised, and I treasured those moments with him. He is wise and excitable and musical and thoughtful.
We organized a two day tramp through the ethereal Whirinaki forest. This involved driving several hours to the national park and then having a guy drive us to the start of the trail and bringing our car to meet us at the end. Sort of complicated but well worth it. There was a bit of a late start and much of our tramp to the bunk house was in the dusk and darkness. While moderately frightening, this allowed for a peaceful moonlit time in the woods and the sighting of a rare owl. Arriving at the hut we found a group of hunters having a blokely time. They were alarmed by our homemade sushi dinner and tried to get all of us to eat venison. As I lay on my bunk trying to turn the snores from below into soothing lullabies, Maggie and Stacey (Fritha's sister and her husband) arrived! They had left well after dark and clung to the narrow path walls the whole three hours. We had been sure they wouldn't arrive at all as they had just flown in from Chile and had to make quite a journey to meet us. Incredible to see them again! The next day we all high tailed it to the end of the trail to meet our pick up.
Jessica and I had a day of rest back at gorgeous Tauroa farm in Fritha's precious cottage then headed back to Wellington to catch our flight back to the states. On the way I got a speeding ticket. Bollocks.
It is surreal to be back in America. I am living in Winter Harbor and commuting an hour to Bar Harbor most days. Forgetting what it means to sleep quickly... It's good to be near family but hard to be away from my favourite hemisphere. Counting down the days until November 23rd.
All photos from this trip should be up so until next departure, be well and happy!
Fritha treated us like queens and it was nice to be with family once again. It's been quite a trip for that. Rowan was large and in charge, as Gwill had promised, and I treasured those moments with him. He is wise and excitable and musical and thoughtful.
We organized a two day tramp through the ethereal Whirinaki forest. This involved driving several hours to the national park and then having a guy drive us to the start of the trail and bringing our car to meet us at the end. Sort of complicated but well worth it. There was a bit of a late start and much of our tramp to the bunk house was in the dusk and darkness. While moderately frightening, this allowed for a peaceful moonlit time in the woods and the sighting of a rare owl. Arriving at the hut we found a group of hunters having a blokely time. They were alarmed by our homemade sushi dinner and tried to get all of us to eat venison. As I lay on my bunk trying to turn the snores from below into soothing lullabies, Maggie and Stacey (Fritha's sister and her husband) arrived! They had left well after dark and clung to the narrow path walls the whole three hours. We had been sure they wouldn't arrive at all as they had just flown in from Chile and had to make quite a journey to meet us. Incredible to see them again! The next day we all high tailed it to the end of the trail to meet our pick up.
Jessica and I had a day of rest back at gorgeous Tauroa farm in Fritha's precious cottage then headed back to Wellington to catch our flight back to the states. On the way I got a speeding ticket. Bollocks.
It is surreal to be back in America. I am living in Winter Harbor and commuting an hour to Bar Harbor most days. Forgetting what it means to sleep quickly... It's good to be near family but hard to be away from my favourite hemisphere. Counting down the days until November 23rd.
All photos from this trip should be up so until next departure, be well and happy!
5.4.08
Drunken Sailors
After a very long driving day out of Auckland we arrived at our hostel in Whanarua Bay. I loved this hostel when I stayed there several years ago. I made a reservation while we were still several hours away but when we arrived well after dark, the already inebriated owner was startled to see us. He didn't remember speaking to me though he had taken the reservation and copied down my name and credit card number. They didn't have a room for us, but the campervan was available which turned out to be a comfortable and comical place to sleep. The door didn't lock, or even fully close, but the window did look out onto the bay so that when we woke the water greeted us first. The owner, who is a very friendly Maori fellow, decided he would awkwardly attempt to engage Jessica and at one point came into the campervan while I was in bed with my pajamas on while heavily intoxicated. The high point of this hostel, besides the fact it is basically a treehouse that looks like it's out of Swiss Family Robinson, is that they let you use their sea kayaks for free. We enjoyed several hours of paddling about the bay once the sun began to shine. This is an extremely relaxing stop on a long drive around the cape.
From here we are heading further east and on towards Hawke's Bay.
From here we are heading further east and on towards Hawke's Bay.
2.4.08
Thanks for Visiting Pokeno: Home of Pokeno Bacon!
It didn't stop raining for the three days we were in Wellington but I was exceedingly happy to be in New Zealand. We rented a car and began to head out of the city. The clouds cleared and the sun started to illuminate the harbor. So beautiful!
We ventured through the gorgeous Tongariro Crossing and on to Lake Taupo for the night. Sitting by the lake we witnessed a breathtaking sunset.
Today we pushed on, unintentionally, through to Auckland. It's a small country and sometimes you're there before you can blink. The hostel we had booked for tomorrow night was full when we called to switch dates but the owner put us up in his sweet B&B in Ponsonby for the same rate. While here we'll be visiting Will and Iona, who we met in Irkutsk, Russia and doing little else. I will attempt to make Jessica bungy jump from the Auckland Sky Tower but I do not anticipate being successful.
We ventured through the gorgeous Tongariro Crossing and on to Lake Taupo for the night. Sitting by the lake we witnessed a breathtaking sunset.
Today we pushed on, unintentionally, through to Auckland. It's a small country and sometimes you're there before you can blink. The hostel we had booked for tomorrow night was full when we called to switch dates but the owner put us up in his sweet B&B in Ponsonby for the same rate. While here we'll be visiting Will and Iona, who we met in Irkutsk, Russia and doing little else. I will attempt to make Jessica bungy jump from the Auckland Sky Tower but I do not anticipate being successful.
24.3.08
Four Seasons In One Day
I have been terrible about blogging, I know. When my journey is winding down I always kind of fall apart myself and there's no energy to describe a time so rich and full of adventure. But my post on Indonesia will come. It was remarkable.
We flew into Perth and spent several weeks with Dad. It was so so so wonderful to see him, after so many years. We had a grand time. Other than a brief side trip to the Kalbarri National Park, eight hours north, we stayed in Perth for the duration of our Western Australia visit. On this journey to Australia it was all about family for me.
The beaches in Perth are the nicest that I've seen in the world. On days when the temperature climbed above 100 degrees we visited the beach every day. We'd bring George, the dog, and he'd grandly display his neurotic tendencies while we played with the ball. (The video is one of George in the car as we drive towards the beach) On lazier days, when George was sleeping at home, we would float on our backs and let the salty waves dance our bodies out to sea and back to shore. It was hard to leave Perth and harder to leave Dad.
Now I am in Melbourne with Ross. Seriously lazy days. It has been typical Melbourne weather with 100 degree days bordering 70 days. Let me tell you my body is not used to 70 degree days! It feels frigid to me! On the Saturday before Easter we went on a decadent chocolate shop tour that I mapped through the city. We have been sloths but this trip about visiting family and that is being accomplished if nothing else is.
We flew into Perth and spent several weeks with Dad. It was so so so wonderful to see him, after so many years. We had a grand time. Other than a brief side trip to the Kalbarri National Park, eight hours north, we stayed in Perth for the duration of our Western Australia visit. On this journey to Australia it was all about family for me.
The beaches in Perth are the nicest that I've seen in the world. On days when the temperature climbed above 100 degrees we visited the beach every day. We'd bring George, the dog, and he'd grandly display his neurotic tendencies while we played with the ball. (The video is one of George in the car as we drive towards the beach) On lazier days, when George was sleeping at home, we would float on our backs and let the salty waves dance our bodies out to sea and back to shore. It was hard to leave Perth and harder to leave Dad.
Now I am in Melbourne with Ross. Seriously lazy days. It has been typical Melbourne weather with 100 degree days bordering 70 days. Let me tell you my body is not used to 70 degree days! It feels frigid to me! On the Saturday before Easter we went on a decadent chocolate shop tour that I mapped through the city. We have been sloths but this trip about visiting family and that is being accomplished if nothing else is.
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