Growing through adversity

Time to "work"

In the build-up to my one year anniversary arriving in NZ, my digestive system has been a bit...um...awkward, combined with a slight headache that'd pop in and out of my day/night.

I don't normally have a digestive problem unless there is something big going on, as in massive re-arranging in my body.

I've been having a great time all year since I arrived. It has felt like a holiday. On the odd occasion I'd have to do a bit of esoteric work, but mostly it has been a "work" free/"being in service" free time.

Waiorongomia Valley Gold Mines, NZ

Greg, Ashlee and I went to Te Aroha (means the loving in Maori) to go walking, or "tramping" as it is called here.

We wanted to climb Butler's Incline, something we'd planned for a while but never got around to doing.

We knew it would be difficult, lol, but had no idea how difficult.

One year anniversary

Celebrations!!

I arrived in Auckland one year ago today, to start my new life.

Can you believe it's been a year?

I can't.

It's flown by.

Am I pleased we made the move? Yes is the short answer.

Health and healing

I have been reading three books at once.

Lol...this reminds me of my first days on this journey, devouring as much reading matter as possible to fill up that insatiable desire to understand.

The first book I received as a gift at Christmas called Show Me the Money, Honey by Ian Wishart.The second was something I came across randomly called The Divided Mind by Dr John Sarno and the third is Molecules of Emotion: Why You Feel The Way You Feel by Dr Candace Pert.

Leylines

I wondered this morning as I was vacuuming, how come I'd not seen any info on leylines in New Zealand.

So I turned to Google

Post sad times

Today is a far smoother day, the feeling of hopelessness and lethargy taking a back seat.

I started getting a sore throat yesterday from the bottleneck of unexpressed grief. I was so tired of the waves of sadness, the constant welling up of my eyes and the permanent lump in my throat. But as the throat was getting worse, I had to give in and cry some more.

Sad times

Today is a day for listening to Enya.

The past few days have been filled with grief.

Sense8

Our daughter (and many friends on FB) has been raving about Sense8 for a while.

Greg, Traevis and I finally sat down and watched a few episodes on Netflix. It was very slow in the beginning but by the 5th episode it all started coming together.

This and that...

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

I unexpectedly find myself chanting this at odd times.

Many years ago, when Ashlee was a teenager still at home looking for "something", a friend of mine who is Buddhist, suggested that she attend some of the meetings.

To permanent residence or not...

Something is pulling me away from applying for permanent residency.

I currently have a three year visa that allows me to work and live here in NZ. I can renew this, so its not a problem as far as staying here is concerned. Our plans were to apply for permanent residency - I have enough points to do so. But...

It's this niggle that I spoke about before.

Mount Pirongia, New Zealand

A short walk through another stunning forested area (of which there are many). It was lovely and cool.

Wairere Falls, New Zealand

We took a drive to Wairere Falls. It was meant to be a gentle walk up to view the falls.

Luckily my common sense (named Greg) told me to take a pair of hiking trainers with "just in case". Glad I did, and that I actually wore them. Good thing I listen to my common sense, eh?

How Bizarre

The song "How Bizarre" has been floating around in my head for days.

Life is taking/going to take, what many of us are experiencing/will experience as rather bizarre twists and turns over the next few years. These may turn out to be oft said words for me...lol.

Lavender farm, Waikato, New Zealand

I've always had a dream of living on a lavender farm in...France.

Who knows if that will ever happen. Whether it does or not, I love lavender.

Greg knows about my lavender love and always manages to find a lavender farm for us to visit, no matter where we are in the world.

True to form, he found one close to where we live in the Waikato. It's very small, but beautiful.

Looking back: 2007 to 2016

It's been a time of reminiscing, going back over the last 9 years to see how far we've come.

We arrived in the UK in 1998 with nothing but four suitcases of clothes and toys having left everything behind (including debt) to start afresh. We also had very little money, but as money was freely abundant in the forms of loans without security and we went crazy...as you do coming from a closed society that had been in isolation due to sanctions.

Growing, culling, time out, regrouping, rejuvenation and regeneration

We discovered a ground covering that has prickles. Now that it's summer we are walking barefoot on the grass and this is how we found out about it.

So, as Greg had been using white vinegar to get rid of other "weeds" with great success, I thought I'd give it a try. Getting rid of weeds is a sore point - what is defined as a weed? Every country has their version of a weed. What one country believes is a weed is considered exotic in another. As far as I am concerned plants make their way to your garden because you need their uplifting vibration.

Karangahake Gorge, Coromandel, New Zealand

Greg and I spent the day here. Beautiful location of an historic goldmine and railway...and a very long walk that went on for kilometres.

Karangahake Gorge

Situated at the base of the Coromandel Range, the Karangahake Gorge Historic Walkway follows the old railway line between Paeroa and Waihi, giving access to impressive remains from the mining and railway eras.