Living Juicy

Golly, I didn't mean to disappear!

I have been keeping up with Sunshine Vintage & doing some very necessary & deep emotional work. Meantime...the world swirled on around me & then quite suddenly it came time to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. Surely that can't be us...35 years!

We took some time off & went north for a couple of nights to stay in Gisborne. Although I spent a good deal of time as a child visiting with my grandparents in the little town of Wairoa I had never been to Gisborne before.
We passed through Wairoa on our journey & stopped at a great little cafe called East End in the main street (well there aren't really many others, actually-streets or cafes).
We loved this creative design in the entrance.

Look who we saw peeking out from her little feather bed in the rafters of the veranda...Mrs Swallow.

We went & found my Nan & Pa's old house in Campbell street.
I always loved that old Pohutukawa tree.

Then we found where my other grandparents had lived awhile.
Wairoa is where my parents first new each other.

The road to Gisborne is windy & hilly but soon enough you can see down the other side.

We were advised to use the back entrance when we got there because.......
there was a night food market & fundraiser for the old steam train being set up right in front of the motel.



Goodness, we didn't expect front row seats!
We were even given vouchers by the motel people & found ourselves a lovely cheese platter.
All the food offerings were capped at $5 to make it affordable for families & to encourage people to try new things.

The train has been restored by volunteers over the course of the last 30 years & what a marvellous old thing it is.

Rob remembers a train much like this from when he was a child in Nairobi, Kenya.

Lots of palms all around Gisborne...they love the sunny seaside climate.

We found a marvellous & large bookshop.
Fun Christmas tree idea.

Just around the corner we walked by the beach as the sun went down.

We found a wonderful ancient Pohutukawa tree along the way that looked so inviting some of us climbed up in to it's welcoming arms. Cool hut.

 I love it when the tuis fluff themselves up like ninnies.

We searched out all the op shops & found the thriving Farmer's Market on Saturday morning just near the museum.
Walking along the river bank we came across this very cleverly painted building.

The skies were so blue & the wetlands around some parts of the river most intriguing.

It's a real shame that the rail link has been closed so everything has to travel by road or container ship.
But we soon realised that the main route in to town for people, is the well used railway bridge.

And the primary pastime for many on a hot & sunny Saturday afternoon is sitting on that very bridge egging each other on & hoping that your courage might pass on by & help you face your fears & jump!

Posturing helps!

Next morning there were more goings on in the road out front.
Around breakfast time there assembled an entire vintage car club.
They set up a little christmas tree & piled up a mountain of parcels that will be given to needy kids.

The whole thing began to take on a hilarious life of it's own.

After a bit the Sallies turned up to play some Christmas carols, but alas, there was no choir.
Soon enough some willing volunteers stepped in to sing-a-long. Not sure they knew any of the words but their enthusiasm was welcome.

On our way home we stopped at Morere springs. New Zealand's only hot salt water pools.

I spotted a new wild flower on a bank as we passed by. I've taken some cuttings...not sure what it is so do let me know if you're familiar with it. 

Many times we have felt so alone through the years...the indifference of our families a harsh & palpable thing. So we were over-joyed to receive such nurture & warm hospitality on our journey, the enveloping of arms of "you're just fine" enabled us to relax & know that yes, indeed we are.

On our return home my lovely friend Gina sent me this:

We didn't just take a nice little holiday, we journeyed in celebration of connection. We talked about the transformation through the years, the waking up to so many things & the vital necessity of juice. 

Living juicy means being truly alive & vibrant & growing & having resonance.

It means not boring the heck out of each other with the sameness & stuckness.

Living juicy brings sweetness to life.

In each other we find home.