Thank you

I got asked to do a small presentation about parkrun to a community organisation. A small casual Saturday morning chat for 30 mins.

They wanted to understand parkrun and the community feeling of how anyone and everyone is included.

Especially with a focus on mental well-being. 

It was a fun 30 mins and generated some great questions.

They gave me a small gift as a thank you, totally unexpected.

However, what made it even more special is the lady that organized it, via someone else, took 5 mins to ask the other person about me.

And what did she discover...

1 - I don't like coffee

2 - I have a sweet tooth

So, my little thank you gift was not a voucher for a local Cafe to get a coffee, but a box of homemade brownies and biscuits.

Taking the time to find out one or two small things is all anyone wants and it makes a huge difference. 

Sun, Sea and Sand

 I have arrived in Rarotonga, and it is warm enough to make me very happy but not hot enough to be tropical.

The island is actually behind NZ on the date line, so whilst we left NZ on Sat 1 Aug, we arrived in Raro on Fri 31 July. This has caused my phone to start getting confused with when and where to allocate pictures I have taken, as it has already gone through 1 Aug and then suddenly, I am getting it to do it again. It got very confused lol 😀 Therefore, there are several posts going to happen all on the same day because technically, they kind of happened on the same day somewhere in the world!

After finding the accommodation, a quick walk to see the beach was definitely needed.

It was just as I remember it from 2 years ago and I am so glad I have come back. I can feel the stress leaving my body just in the first evening.

Winter Sun Trip

 At the start of the year, I got the idea to go and find some sunshine and warmth in the middle of winter. A weeklong trip was secured to Rarotonga, Cook Island.

Today I left NZ to go in search of the sunshine.

Despite the cold weather in NZ, the morning bloomed amazingly and was a spectacular scene at the airport whilst waiting for the flight

Just a quick 3.5-hour flight and then hopefully the sun will be shining, and I can relax for a week.

Sunset

 Even the sunsets can be spectacular, and I love and appreciate them every day

Colours of the World

 Autumn is well and truly here and it is beautiful.

It is just amazing how the different shades come together to create magic

28 Years

 Today, at 11am, I have been in New Zealand for 28 years.

I wouldn't change any of it 💖

Beauty in The World

 Colour, it is everywhere and I wonder if we appreciate it for what it is?

I pass this bush every day at the door into work and I am fascinated as I watch the multiple different purples come out in the flowers

I have been looking at and aweing in the wonder of nature this year and the beauty that naturally surrounds us

Holdson Jigsaw

 Holdson has become my least favourite puzzle brand recently, after all the issues I have had with them, I have found the other brands to be a better quality. Will only get them off of marketplace now and not purchase them brand new.

Just not worth it as getting very bored with their designs and actually saw the other week, that they had taken a design that I have already completed by another brand and it had been reimagine, by the artist, to create a new one, but it was only small subtle changes that had been made so knew I had already done that design. 

New Holdson design

Come on, at least come up with new designs!

Are they that desperate for images to use that they have to work with the same artist from another country and recreate, when they could come up with something new.

Doughnuts

 Some days, to get through Friday you need something special.

Today, my car had a mind of its own and drove to the best little doughnut shop in town, at 7am, and I took a large box of treats to share at work.

Whilst my appetite is still not great, I did manage at least half of a doughnut and everyone else appreciated breakfast on this cold winter Friday

Sunrise Day 2 in Hospital

 Like yesterday morning, I had a perfect view of the sunrise, well when one is awake at 5am, what else is there to do?

We do get spectacular sunrises and fog in winter here in my part of New Zealand and this morning did not disappoint at all. The city was blanketed and amazing

The netting you can see through the windows is there to protect the building from birds. Many an incident with pigeons coming in through open windows and making a mess of the ledges outside the windows, so this netting hangs all the way to the first floor from the top of the building.

Sunrise

 The hospital sits sort of up on a hill, not that it is that noticeable, but when on the 8th floor then you do have a good view of the city. Obviously, the direction of the ward I was in also meant I got to see the sunrise.

And wow, was it spectacular on the first morning.

Interflora

 As I spent half my life in the UK prior to moving to NZ then I still have many connections and family back home. I completed all of my schooling in England, and my nurse training. I was 27 when I moved to NZ.

So, when I heard that a very dear friend had lost their mother then I needed to pay my respects. Now for obvious reasons, attending the funeral was not going to be a happening thing, so the next best was to let them know they were being thought of.

With online shopping a way that has made the world so small nowadays then sending flowers was never going to be an issue. Although I am always wary of what I am going to pay for and what actually arrives?

This time, I was happy with what arrived, and the flowers received were appreciated for the gesture that they were intended.

Already

 I totally understand that nowadays, with the cost-of-living etc, that people need to prepare and plan and organise, but Easter eggs in January seems a little far from Easter?

Is chocolate at Easter really that big a deal that people will need to start buying it 3 months in advance, so they have it, or is it just that it is chocolate, and people will buy it in a different shape to eat at any time of the year?

Dragon Fruit

 I have always wondered about this fruit.

What is it, where does it come from, what does it taste like, what do you do with it?

So, I did what any good person does nowadays, I googled it....

Dragon fruit, or pitahaya, is a tropical fruit from a cactus native to Mexico and Central/South America. It has a bright, scaled skin (often red or yellow) and white or pink flesh dotted with tiny, edible black seeds. The teste is often described as a mild, slightly sweet mix of kiwi, pear, and watermelon. It is a source of fiber and can be eaten fresh, or used in juices, jams, and other dishes.

And then I bought one from the supermarket (they were on special) and gave it a go.

Verdict: Don't bother, no taste or flavour. Weird texture and what you would do with it then I do not know. If a good source of fiber, then maybe it would work in a smoothie, but only so you got some extra fiber as I don't think it will affect the flavour or taste in any way.

Google suggested: How to use it

Eaten fresh on its own, added to fruit salads, blended into juices or smoothies, used in jams and ice cream, and can be used to make wine.

So, next time you see this in the supermarket and have that moment of wonder. If it is on special, then give it a go. You might just like it, or not! Me, not so much, I'll pass thanks.

Life is about trying things.

Nowadays, I am all for trying things, pushing myself, finding happiness in the odd places and appreciating everything I see and do.

Helping Others

 My time to once again, take an hour and help others

Computer Games

 Computers came into our lives so many years ago. I remember the BBC computers at school in the 80's and the cassette tapes that you had to load to get something to run. At school, that meant Frogger, a computer game that got you having to get the frog across a busy road and the river via logs or things floating and of course, as you progressed the road got busier, and the water ran faster and the chance of dropping the frog in the water got higher. 

As we know, computers still took time to come into our lives. When I moved to NZ in 1998, I brought a laptop with me to enable me to email my parents. I had moved 12.500 miles away from them, on my own! At the time Compuserve was the platform of choice but it was not the best.

However, compared to today, anything was clunky and slow, just have to remember dial up broadband to make most people have heart palpitations!

And so today computers are everywhere and in everything that we do. Just look at what you are currently doing, reading about someone else's life on a computer.

Gaming is something that is huge, not just as a recreational aspect but as a money-making growing company aspect. Gaming is astronomical in how it has grown and the impact it has on people. You want to grow something, farm something, shoot something, build something, drive something slow or fast, create something, run something or live someone's life then computer games will let you do this and there are many to choose from.

Apart from the basic games of Minesweeper and Solitaire, the classics that are still great to complete then I ended up with The Sims

The game that allows you to create a family and live their lives. I started playing back in the early 2000 and still play it 24 years later. Ok, not all the time but it is still my go to game of choice.

Until someone introduced me to Disney Dreamlight Valley

An animated game with Disney characters where you run around a land, meeting Disney characters and completing missions as you become friends with them. It has some farming, some creating, some building and can be addictive at times. Ok it is not going to sustain as long as Sims, because once you complete all the available missions then there will be limited gameplay to complete and unless updates become available, which has been happening, then there will be times of no play or anything to log on for. So, it will definitely become an occasional game rather than a daily habit.

However, it suddenly became my game of play this year. Something new to focus on when everything else has been crumbling around me, getting out of hand. I am enjoying the lighthearted no cares happy side of life that it creates, the little life lessons that Disney like to teach, having fun, loving family, taking care of and think of others.

So, whilst jigsaw puzzles have taken a slight back seat to technology at present, it won't be forever, just whilst my brain focusses elsewhere for a moment.

Life, Marriage and Love

 Life is a funny thing, everyone wants different things out of it.

Some are after achieving career success, others want a large family or no family. People chose careers for totally different reasons and then all end up together. What one student takes away from their time at school is totally different to someone else, but they still went through the same classes and subjects. Some know exactly what they want to do, others have no clue and never really do.

I never knew what I wanted to do in life, I had no career aspirations or amazing moments of enlightenment. My work life just developed but I knew I always wanted to get married and have children.

I loved children and for a period when I was younger then I wanted to be a nanny looking after children. It never transpired but I did go into a profession that deals with people and considers them, although it wasn't my choice, it was a direction suggested by a careers lady when I didn't get all the exam qualifications from school that they felt I needed? Well, all I can say is look at me now....I have a Masters degree and pretty sure there were people who never expected that when I was little.

As for family, then yes, all I ever wanted was to have a family. I wanted to meet 'the one' when I was young (20's) and have a settled life. Obviously it never happened that way. I did eventually meet someone when I was 29, I can honestly say that I don't think he was 'the one' or 'the love of my life' but we worked and it was good and we supported each other. We did go on to have children, 2 gorgeous boys, that I think amaze him all the time, especially as he never really was that interested in having children. So I am always grateful for what I was able to give him and experience, which he had never thought he would do.

We did everything backwards, we met, we moved in together, we got a mortgage, we had children, we got married

And then we separated after 22 years.

My decision, my pushing, and I followed through on all of it. He never totally understood why, but he was supportive enough to let me go so if there was any chance of a reconcile it was in a supportive environment.

We have now been apart, in some form since Oct 2021. But through it all we have still been mum and dad and an amazing family unit. In fact we have got on so much better since I left. I think the boys have seen a better parenting unit in that time. I know their relationship with their father has developed better in the past 2 years than they actually had before I left. We have family dinner together, at the house, at least 1-2 times a week. We still have activities that include both of us and I have stayed at the house on many occasions in the past few years because we do not hate each other, we just can't do marriage.

I have to admit that in fact leaving the house has been the worst thing for me! From a marriage point of view then no, it was the best thing, but from a mother point of view, then I cannot even start to fathom how I ever got to a point that I walked away from the family home and left my children there? They were 16 and 18 at the time. We were always safe and there was no threat, but I was very unhappy, and I had to show my children that sometimes you have to put yourself and your own mental wellbeing first and then it will assist the relationship you have with others.

Whilst we temporarily separated in Oct 2021, there has been some talk over the past few years, but we needed it to all take its own natural way and despite words from him expressing how he doesn't want the marriage to end and he was honest that if I left then it would be the death of the marriage, I always knew the marriage was over. I just couldn't go backwards with how I felt and how he was.

Today, he finally admitted that he is happy with how things are and lets keep it this way and I agreed.

So today, our marriage officially ended.

No more trying to tip toe around each other with having difficult conversations, no thoughts of why something isn't happening.

The thing is, we get on so well that I am moving back to the family home.

Yes, you read that correctly, I am moving back to the family home and no one has moved out, but it is not a backwards step because in an unconventional way, different to many others in our situation, we do well in the same house and can live well together as long as you take out the marriage part. He just doesn't have what it takes to sustain a relationship whereas I love being in a relationship and want someone who will be with me and alongside me. So as long as the expectations are removed, which has now happened, then we do living together well.

I am going back to be with the boys for a little longer before natural progression of life happens, to work on the house, to have some company after living on my own for the past few years, to pay off the mortgage and do you know what....it works really well. We do living together in the same house very well. We did it amazingly during Covid lock down.

It will seem odd to many people but we are doing our life and not anyone else's. We are doing what works for us. Even if the boys move out, which is on the cards for one of them in the next month or two, I can see us happily living together in the house as flatmates for quite a while. Obviously if things change in life for either of us then things will change, but for now, it works, it suits everyone and we are both happy.

Isn't that what life is about?

Jigsaw 7 - Birdwatchers

 And yes, it was only yesterday that I finished the last one and suddenly I am posting about another one.

Well, as mentioned yesterday, I am off work for the Easter period and I was in the mood, so I started the next one and had nothing else to do.

Sometimes you have to work on you and if that means staying home, seeing no one and working on a jigsaw in 24 hours, then take the moment and enjoy the time.

Ok, this was not a difficult one to complete so that may have been half the reason it was finished so quickly

Loving Me

 Loving anyone is hard work but I love this...

I got this off of Facebook and there was no author supplied but on further searching I have found that it comes from this beautiful book

parkrun weather

 Saturday morning again and parkrun day

This was the weather across the countryside as I drove to parkrun at 7.30am!

Think we are in for some gorgeous sunshine today when this all burns off, which is does very quickly and easily at this time of year here in the Waikato.

Oh, and yes, I was stopped on the side of the road to collect these shots.