An Adventure
and a favourite
“C” Word

Dear Reader

A long awaited adventure

For my birthday last September, Neil gave me the gift of a Hot Air Balloon ride. Weather and other events intervened and the adventure never made it to the calendar.

I’d nearly forgotten about it when Neil suggested that we book it ‘soon’. And last Tuesday at 5.30am we met the pilot, crew and other passengers at Hamilton Lake! It was quite an experience – Neil and the other male passenger were honoured with helping inflate the balloon. Then after the safety briefing we climbed on board and were on our way.

I’d forgotten how glorious the city is. We truly live in a beautiful part of the world and I am grateful for an abundance of the two natural features that feed my soul – trees and water. The photo above shows that abundance and, from the air, the treescape and the river and lakes are indeed the heroes.

The wind dictates the direction, and, to some extent, where we can land. After just over an hour we landed in a farm paddock.

The adventure continued with deflating the balloon and rolling it up, packing everything away and scooting back to the lake for a coffee and snack at the Verandah cafe. Definitely a birthday present that will remain in my mind and heart for a long, long time to come.

“C” Word – Connection – again

The balloon ride accentuated for me the scope of this word I’ve chosen again, Connection. Spending time with loved ones creates memories to look back on and talk about over the years, strengthening our connection. Spending time in nature (was the balloon ride a nature experience? I think so), strengthens our connection with our Earth Mother.

From since I was a little girl I have loved trees. Climbing them, running to them for solace, nibbling at the gum leaves, hugging their trunks, hiding behind them when we played our games. Trees were then, and still are, my breath, my strength, my friends.

We lived in the mountains when I was a child, in a place with few water ways. Every Christmas holidays we’d go to the beach. Water became another constant in my life. When I allowed my second youngest daughter to leave New Zealand and go to Australia to my sister’s place to live, I took solace in the sea, wading out to my waist, allowing my salty tears full of pain and grief to merge with the salty water until I started to see a way forward without her.

At times of decision making, of grieving, of loneliness, I turn to the bush and to the sea. So many memories flood in right now – memories of how I was given the resilience to go forward during those times. I am so grateful to have had nature to turn to wherever I’ve been.

From the air balloon we saw our home, so close to the river, and surrounded by treed parks, roads, streets and walkways. And it thrills me to have viewed the urban place where we live from the air, to see the boundaries of the river and gullies, to store the memory of this adventure and how my soul has again been replenished through both the connection with nature and through deepening my connection with Neil by sharing this experience.

An Event Reminder

Ages of Pages
27th April 2024
Claudelands Event Centre
Hamilton, NZ

This is an amazing event that I’m thrilled to participate in this year. I’ll be sharing a table with Pat Backley, who’s books I adore.

The event is billed as: a book event where readers can meet over 70 authors, buy books, and have them signed in person. Multiple genres, from NZ and Australian authors. All ages welcome. Free entry.

Facebook page for the event is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agesofpagesfans

My thought for Living Life in 2024 and beyond:

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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