Those quiet moments when you just need to forget your troubles - listen to your kids

Sometimes I just need to get away from my troubles. I've had a few worries of late, how to pay the bills, what my future holds workwise and how would I get through Christmas. Inaya though reminded me yesterday that we live in a special place. She suggested we went for a walk into the bush. It's been a while since I've really spend any time down there just walking through and looking around. With the crazy dog in tow, Inaya with her archery gear in hand we both decided to go and forget both of our worries and fears for a while.

I had almost forgotten how beautiful our farm really is. When you get so entangled up in your own troubles, get too busy and can't seem to find the time to even find a spare half hour just to go and walk, look and take in what nature can bring. So I stopped, and looked all around at the old totara trees, the ferns on the edge of the stream bank and listened to the sound of Tui and water. Maybe it was trying to tell me something. Telling me I needed to come again and just .......listen.

And the lesson I learned from our journey together into the bush last night? Sometimes our children can be far wiser than we give them credit for. Sometimes we need to stop and listen when it all gets too much.

And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” ― Haruki Murakami

Congratulations to my amazing three children

I'm one very very proud mum this year.  I have three daughters all wonderful young women who are coming very much into their own. My eldest daughter just finished her final exam and now has"Doctor" in front her name.She's just accepted a position down country and is really looking foward to her new career. After nine long years of study she deserves to have a holiday. And then my second daughter Inaya (photographed above) came home tonight with her St John Youth Cadet (Maungaturoto Division ) of the year award, and Gold Group Cadet of the year award. She also achieved a rank of Corporal and her First Responders Badge. My youngest daughter Michelle, is singing and taking an active part in our local community theatre group. She also created two backdrop sets for the theatre's 1001 Arabian Nights production. Awesome for a young woman who has autism as a daily challenge. Happy me!

Summer is here

It's nearly the end of the year, and summer has come. It's been hot, humid and I'm glad we're still getting rain. I went to Auckland Zoo again at the end of November to meet up with my friend Shar who is doing a thesis on human/elephant relationships. She was going to be filming that day, so before I went to meet up with her, I stopped to check out the new meerkat enclosure Auckland Zoo had recently completed. It was perfect to get a photo of one of the female meerkats on look out duty in the early morning summer sunshine. Right now I don't know if I'm coming or going right now. The girls don't finish school until next week, and yesterday I forgot all about picking them up! Ooops! I wasn't that late thank goodness! I'm glad I had my girls even if it was in my late 30s. They've been a real joy in my life, as well as a precious blessing. I found the Terrorist sleeping on the driveway this morning. Silly moo just doesn't get it that she's a cow not a person. But well even cows have intelligence. While I was doing some research recently I cam across a photo of a rather wrecked looking car from the 1920s, that had met with a rather unfortunate demise at the bottom of Piroa Falls which isn't far from where I live. I titled it "Push it over the gorge" The Great Maungaturoto Insurance Scandal of 1926. Have a read it's hilarious. You can read it here