Dreamyoga.co.uk Blog

Even though I’m a Piscean  water has never been a comfortable element for me.

When I was five I was skipping home with my family from Mass one Sunday along the edge of London’s dirtiest stretch of canal. I was in a state of bliss when the sun blinded me and I fell in. Now we had a family dillema! My father,the great John Wayne look-a-like always made sure of his satorial elegance, particulalry on Sundays. So this morning he was attired in yet another brand new suit. Should he jump in and save his daughter’s lifeand ruin his expensive new suit? The dark yellow water had closed over my head for the fourth time when Mum persuaded him to jump in, so I was dragged out, thrown on the tow path and given a thorough telling off.

In my teen years I could see what fun was to be had in the water (and also what it did to your hair) and didn’t venture in again until the early 90’s when I took my PADDI diving course.

We practiced all week in a local swimming pool, during which time I consumed enough pool-water to really challenge my digestive system and make me very sick indeed!

Our open water dive took place in November in Lake Coniston in the cold North West of England. The freezing wind whipped off the top of the grey water as we struggled into massive inflexible padded diving suits, lots of ’stuff”was arranged around my head and neck and I was attached to two heavy gas bottles. The group waded off joyously into the water, I tried to follow, too quickly, tripped on my flipper and fell into three foot of water and floated off carried by my two oxygen tanks, soon to be rescued by my instructor.

By the time I was back in position everyone else had jumped off a natural ledge in the lake and I could see them twenty feet below. My scissor jump to join them was a disaster, I kind of fell forward disturbing all the loose stones and muck on the side of the incline and fell at the feet of the group minus mask and breathing apparatus. I signalled the instructor that no I didnt want to try again I wanted to get back up to breathing Oxygen again and stop filling up with water and debris as soon as possible. Much as my Dad chucked me onto the tow path my instrucor dumped me on the side of the lake, still attached to gas bottles. I lay there totally exhausted, unable to move for over an hour, while the group came up laughing and joking, having passed their dive course. No one acknowledged me and I was divested of my gear and sent off home.

A month ago in New Zealand on my way to the Cook Islands I made the life-changing desicion that my luck on and in the water was going to change. I bought a snorkel and mask - destination Aitutaki and the biggest lagoon in the world.

The lagoon was at the bottom of my garden and on the first day I put on the gear and walked into the water up to my hips, I bent at the knees and put my face in the water, I thought I felt something brush past my leg and set off for the beach in fright.  The next day I swam about a bit keeping my eye on the depth of the water.

All around the lagoon coral wall the sea could be seen splashing dangerously over the top, sometimes in huge waves. Fishermen told stories of having large Tuna ripped off their rods by ravaging sharks around their boats way outside the coral safety wall. Each day I watched and took photos of this safety net between me and the ocean. The sea on the other sideI’d heard was hundreds of feet deep.

I went on two snorkeling tours of the lagoon with Captain Fantastic in exchange for reflexology treatments. When we got to the snorkeling site in the boat I was really quite scared at going into the deep water, but Captain F held my hand and took me all around the corals and showed methe wonderful fishes, it was all so marvellous I began to feel a bit hysterical! I was so excited I wanted to laugh but couldnt.  Wile he showed me how sea cucumbers squirted fluid out of a little hole at the end of their cylindrical shaped bodies Captain F asked me spend the night with him on Honeymoon Island to further my snorkeling career, I declined and the next time we went out he totally ignored me and held hands through the trickey bits with a plumptious american lady called Nancy.

So on my next tour I decided to go with Kristene and Fred and signed up fortheir adventure trip in the outer canyons, luckily Kris liked reflexology too. It didnt occur to me for a moment that outer canyons meant beyond the sea wall. So I’m chatting away to a nice german lady when we whizz out of the wharf along the reef and OVER THE SEA WALL!!

I nearly died - I went into a state of shock and as Fred stopped I said I’d stay behind and look after the boat. I searched over the side into the very deep water looking for large grey shapes coming towards me at speed. Fred said “come on, stay next to me, you’ll be fine” So I did, there was miles and miles of deep blue water below, long thick fingers of coral made up the outer canyons. Fred had said stay close, so I did, he couldnt get me away from his side, a couple of times we came up to the surface for a discussion and he asked me what I was doing - I said “staying close to you”

We swam about for 30 minutes, no grey shapes, though I kept an eye out - just in case. And we saw amazing and gorgeous fishes and it was all perfectly marvellous.

I’m on my way home tomorrow. The Cook Islands were wonderful, extremely HOT and heaven for mosquitoes. I had my choice of two lovers the King of Aitutaki (no less) and Captain F, they werent a particulalry desirable pair but itwas flattering anyway.

I wont come here again, there is a massive economic difference between the $500 a day tourists that come here and the very hard up locals. You had to watch your purse, a husband can take his wife to court and cannobolism only ended here 150 years ago, if not later.

Must go

Most of you may be too young to remember the words to Raw Hide, but it started with Moving Moving Moving 

I left Great Barrier Island three days ago, I thought I would be really sad but all is amazingly well, perhaps I’m growing up- at last.

On the five hour ferry trip across to Auckland I met a  a one-man-band who plays loads of instruments at the same time, turns out his neighbours in Portugal are really good mates of mine - small world eh?

Moving on the Barrier got a bit beyond a joke. After I left Murdocks, because his daughter was turning up, I moved to Angela’s shed (which was the most beautiful shed anyone has ever seen) and apart from the massive invasion of rats, was a fabulous place to live with amazing views, but she had it rented out for Easter, so I had to move - again! Then moved into the ex’s for three days because I had absolutely nowhere else to go and I knew, if nothing else, he is always very generous and kind, but that could be nothing else but temporary as the energy between us just crackles. After three days with him I was told I could stay in the apartment next to The Outpost and general store, a very elderly and almost blind old guy had lived in there and I could have it for three weeks free of charge if I cleaned it up.  Well………….. what a mess. It took eleven hours to clear one large room and kitchen bathroom. Suffice it to say I could not eat or drink anything in that eleven hours because I was gagging so much at the filth of the place. I’ll spare you the details!

So for my last three weeks I lived in what was a goldfish bowl, big windows and glass doors all around on three sides with a public walkway around each side,and the public to-ing and fro-ing from the shop and Cafe, gazing through my doors and windows. In the background all the time a massive generator making a helluva a racket.

But, I have also been enjoying myself- of course. My birthday was awesome (thats an NZ  phrase, I promise I won’t use when I come back)

I hired an open topped car and went to look at the South of the Island where I’d never been.  After a two hour drive I came to a big organic farm and picked herbs with the owner and bought small local bananas, tiny delicious tomatoes, some Kumari ( fabulous purple Moari potaotes) and the aubergines looked so good I bought some of those too, and I don’t even like aubergines. Later on down the road I stopped and bought some rocket and eggs from a freind of a freind.

Then on to the east side and Maybe’s Beach which is the site of the biggest shipwreck in NZ. Lovely rolling turquoise surf, where I found a small black stone in the shape of a fish, I’ll show it to you when I come home. Then I crossed to the west side and found an ancient Moari settlement with the most wonderful natural swimming pool at the end of the village, I rolled around in this very beautiful, clear deep pool for an hour, what an incredible atmosphere this place had! Then  off again to catch the little shop in Port Fitzroy before it closed.  A crowd were sitting outside with drinks celebrating St Patrick’s so of course I had to join in with a couple of glasses of champagne - somebody has to do it!

I left feeling very relaxed and drove along with the sun shining on my hat through all the little windy roads. Decided to get one more look at the sea before it got dark and stopped at another lovely beach, Whangapaua,  where I walked out knee deep in water for an hour, when I turned around the sun was setting and I walked back through water which looked as if it was on fire towards the bright red mountains!

Back in the car to Tryphena, made a sumptuous meal with all the lovely fresh food, put the best frock on and off to the Irish Pub, the One-man-band I mentioned earlier was the very brilliant entertainment. Danced loads and loads and ended up on the beach at midnight, in the moonlight, kissing a man I’d never seen before or since. He came back to my place, did my feet and dissappeared - perfect.

The following weekend I was invited to a great wedding, Tim is an Australian Cartoonist and Indira the local headmistress here,  and ex punk band lead guitarist. I arrived in style in the Pooh Wagon, a freind, Andy empties all the septic tanks and on his way home gave me a lift to the wedding.

The couple had organized a Hungi. A Hungi is a large pit dug into the ground, then hot coals are lain down, then baskets of meat and fish and then vegetables in separate baskets. All is covered up and slow-roasted. The effect is fabulous and each vegetable tastes exactly as it should without any taste of flesh or smoke. Great day, free bar for three hundred people and all assisted by the ever-present mosquitoes.

Talking of which, I still have problems with but its definetly getting better, the big lumps I have on my forehead don’t itch at all.

Staying in Auckland with a pal and off to Aitutake on Monday for a month. Going to buy snorkel and goggles - even though the prospect of getting in with those whales and sharks absolutely terrifies me. . .  . . watch this space!  A woman diver on the Barrier was recently nudged by a shark which came up behind her………can you imagine? I think I’d have poohed my pants.

Here is my address for Aitutaki from 1st -29th April

Sonja and Tauona Rael

P.O. Box I

Aitutaki

Cook Islands

While I’m there I’ll get a boat to One Foot Island which is said to have one of the most remote Post Offices in the world and send you all a card - DO NOT THROW THE STAMP AWAY the guide book says they are valuable.

Then after a few more days in Auckland and three in Singapore be back home ready to start a new term

Love to all of you - this computer I’m on can’t seem to let me respond to emails or access anyones address - so I’m going to try and tell you “blogs up” but maybe you’ll just have to find out for yourselves if I can’t manage it. Grace x x

Bit of a surreal evening. Murdock has friends really high up on a hill behind us in the bush. Last night we went up there on the Quad bike, it took 40 minutes, in a hurricane, the weather was really wild. Up at the top the wind was so bad we could hardly stand on the high top balcony of the house. Nice evening, dinner with very interesting people - and then, in the pitch dark back on the quad. Flying along though the wind and rain with bushes and grasses against our faces, over tiny little bridges across swollen rivers - and then in the middle of the track five hairy little white and black spotted pigs, never saw anything so cute. With my eyes hazy from the speed, the wind and the weather it felt a bit like an hallucination - but that can’t be after three glasses of Honey Mead?

I ran a fabulous workshop today. A reflexology demonstration in the morning, scrummy  lunch brought by everyone and then a long Yoga Nidra in the afternoon, it took about three hours and went down terrifically well. The house was high up over Whangaparapara Harbour on Harpoon Hill , wind and rain howling around all day. Perhaps I’ll do one when I come back to Lancaster. 

Moving again tomorrow - sick of it now. Murdock’s daughter coming home with a freind so no room for me here. Will stay with another friend 2moro then hoping to rent a house on the beach in Tryphena.

Here for another month - till 27th March, then off to Aitutaki where I have rented a tree house on the beach for the first few days. I thought the lagoon was safe there apart from a few nicely coloured little fishes - but looking at the guide book there is a picture of a bloody great big hump backed whale swimming along! 

So not sure when I will be on line again, as nearest internet cafe 15k away. But please write to Outpost address, its always lovely to hear from you.

Would be looking forward to coming home if I had anywhere to live, but my truck is parked on a farm now, on which it is parking only,  and my previous space is no longer available. Feel a bit tired of the moving about. So, though a lot of this travelling and freedom is all very well and exciting and interesting it would be nice to go home -wherever that may be ………….. but at the moment I would not give this up for the world and am really looking forward to my house on the beach and then Aitutaki - funny old life isnt it?

The title phrase means “get a move on”, which I’ve felt for a while I had to do with this blog. Dags, it seems, are woolly appendages which hang from the rear end of sheep because they don’t wipe their bottoms properly when the go to the tiolet.

I’ve moved out of the jaws of hell! Been having massive stressful situations where I was living and moved last week- felt I hadn’t slept properly for weeks and weeks and was very anxious and aching all over. Now I’m about 10 km from Tryphena which has been the center of my Universe for several months, and on the east coast , which is less peopled, wilder and has much more dramatic scenery. A very kind man called Murdock has taken me in, he does lawns, keeps bees and is a writer, it is so peaceful here. I’m having the best sleeps of my life, completely silent at night apart from the distant ocean and the rain on the tin roof.

It is a bit of a palaver getting about. I have to walk down the track in the bush, then through some fields, over a little wooden bridge and onto a small road, down the small road and onto the main road where I hitch a lift to Claris - where the airport, library and post office is  or in the other direction to Tryphena.    Sometime I get a lift with Murdock.  We get on a quad bike down to the fields, then into a van for the next bit and then sometimes change into the car if more than 2 of us are traveling, like when we go to the movies in Tryphena and the neighbour comes too.

The neighbour has an amazing history, she is daughter to Veronica Lake, a movie actress from the 40’s and 50’s. The movies club had a Veronica Lake night to honour her mother. One side shot of her during the movie showed a bit of a swelling round  the waist and that was the start of the pregnancy of the neighbour, isn’t that a nice story?

Some of the movies have been great. It all goes on at a local club where the screen is pulled down over the TV and we can all order food or have proper tea out of really old fashioned china tea services. I’ve seen the Magician, Star Dust and Zietgiest is coming soon.

Other forms of media are strange. A sports commentator was talking on the radio recently saying how glad he was that a player had been withdrawn from a team  he said “at least we won’t have to see him picking his pants out of his butt crack anymore” this was national NZ radio! can you imagine anyone on Radio 4 saying anything like that?

I got a lift from the DOC (department of conservation) He said he’d been watching 4 Brutus Whales off the coast, he said they were bubble-netting. The whales swim round and round in a circle creating lots of bubbles, the fish get trapped in the circle of bubbles and then the whales pop up through the bubbles scoring all the fish - clever eh?

My sister has been here for a few days before she travels the mainland, we had a great time, hired a car, soaked in the thermal hot pools  and had appropriate arguments to which all sisters are entitled, best of all she bought me a lipstick, haven’t had anything coloured for ages on my face, I felt terribly sexy when I got that smacked around my chops

The weather has been glorious, I went swimming yesterday and the water was beautiful, I feel so lucky to be here - though Paradise can sometimes be very difficult.

Thinking of you all - amazing results from healing work - all is very well - lots of love today on St Valentines XX

Its all got so exciting here I can hardly bear to tell you what is happening next! About a month ago I applied for a job on Aitutaki. This is one of the Cook Islands and must be one of the most beautiful, pristine Islands in the world, surrounded by an enormous lagoon.

I actually didn’t know what a lagoon was really. But its a beautiful stretch of water all the way around an island where the nasties (ie sharks and such) can’t get in and you just swim around in turqouise paradise. Supposedly you have to watch out for Stone Fish, treading on one of these can be lethal, and as you can imagine they look just like a stone (bit unfair really). Also Cone Shells are fairly horrid, since when you pick them up they shoot out a barb and next thing your dead!

So I applied for this job in the Garden Cafe (4-6 hours work a day for bed and board)  and heard nothing at all until yesterday when I received an email telling me to come for April. Everyone here is green with envy because its a very exclusive Island and you generally have to sell your soul to the devil to get there or have bags of money.

Being that I’m such a lucky and blessed person my freind Jo did her PHD research on Aitutaki and is freinds with their Queen and is going to get me an intro. Can’t imagine what that will be like! I met our boring old Lizzie when I was a kid and it wasnt a bit interesting, but if this Queen is anything like the King of Tonga (who lives only up the road from Aitutaki) it could be very interesting indeed.  Not sure what to wear?

Apart from that, all  things as normal here, we are expecting a hurricane tonight so everyone is battening the hatches.

My beautiful, intelligent and kind freind Tessa rang this morning at 9am. We had a fabulous chat, so nice to hear Lancaster news. She said she was having a Gin and Tonic. I thought Good Lord Tess must be going thro it drinking at this hour, forgetting of course it was evening in U.K. Still not sure how that works.

My younger sister is coming from Ireland next week, we are going to hire a cabriolet (13 quid each a day) and drive around the island in grand style.

Forget to tell you, the Barrier Bulletin (our local rag) has hired me to write (interesting articles) about the island and people. First one should be out next week. I’m afraid I’ve given the local men a bit of a hammering and have been told I can expect gun fire over my roof, if its not one thing its another…  eh?

Heading home in May , all things being equal, but at the moment I feel anything could happen.

Missing you all in Lancaster   With love Grace x

Post Christmas life here is very busy, and as promised half the Universe has turned up and is throwing their empty coke cans into that beautiful torquoise sea!

New years Eve was marvellous all dancing our heads off at Tryphena Club ’till 2am. The feet keep walking in for reflexology and if that were not enough I have also been leaning rather heavily on other branches of my expertise.

Last week there was a large fair here on Medlands Beach, a really stunning part of the Island. I put on a huge floppy hat covered in blossoms, a big belt with many little bags hanging off it containing crystals and other magic, some magenta lipstick and took my baskets filled with Crystal Ball, Divining Rods etc…..and the notice went up that Gypsy Deepwater the Fortune Teller would be on hand to see into the future.

There were queues outside my little jewelled tent all through the afternoon to witness my Pyschic Bean Throwing.         Never heard of Pyschic Bean Throwing ? I’m not suprised because I made it up that very morning. You ask the lady (its nearly always a lady) to hold the handful of beans and think about their life and what they want and need from it. Then you ask them to throw the beans in front of them. The way they throw the beans is quite spectaculalry individual. Some with great abandon from amazing heights and others cupping their hands over the ground. Then you tell them they are adventurous or very cautious and they, in their turn,  are astonished that you could have sussed that out.  We all had lots of fun and actually a bit of fairly worthwhile pyschic and healing stuff did go on.

I stayed so long that my lift was full so they said go with Peter you will be fine. It turns out Peter was going the 10 miles home on a quad bike, luckily for me the crash helmet was so big that it came in front of my eyes and I couldn’d see a thing, so I wasn’t as scared as I suspect I should have been!

Tonight I am running my first Yoga Class and a bit freaked out, anyone would think I hadn’t done it before, hopefully all will go well.

Just been out for a run in the car with Eric the acupuncturist, Eric is completley mad and has a beaten up VW. We were going to have a look at a beautiful little house that a few of us may want to turn into a healing center. So I tell Eric not to go up the track because its difficult to turn around. Up the track Eric goes and turns round on the edge of a precipiece one side  and very high ground at the other, next thing he’s stuck right across where he can’t move with the exhaust sticking into the high ground and the bonnet hanging over the descent. I got out of the car immidiately and began to run away because I couldn’t bear to see Eric die. All I really wanted to do was get the camera out of my bag so I could get a shot, it looked so funny. Eric was a little anxious and sweating, if he moved he would go over the edge!!!!!     After half an hours fragile machinations and maneouvers we escaped, he said “wait till you see what I can do in a 4 track vehicle!”                      Perish the thought. 

The sun is shining, it is very hot indeed and all is very very well.  Lots of love to all of you. Grace

Thought that would catch your eye! I don’t mean three men in the biblical sense for breakfast, but had a really nice few hours with John (who films volcanos) Don (who is a historian) and Eric (hilariously funny acupuncurist)  all very interesting chaps and great company,  and they washed up. Had a small peice of wheat during breakfast and had to sleep off the effects till late afternoon, or perhaps the Bucks Fizz did it?

I’ve had a really lonely couple of weeks, all my friends here got incredibley busy and I didn’t see a soul for ages,  missing all you lot at home and a really close relative comes to the North Island on holiday, half an hour by plane from where I am and is “too busy” visit, I can’t say how this has dissappointed me.  The accumulation of this and the grey, cloudy hot weather took me into a real tail spin.  

But Christmas day was such fun. In the evening went to a party up in the bush and dared myself to walk home without putting my torch on. There are no street lights here and with the cloudy sky it was totally pitch black - what fun! Took about an hour of feeling my way along looking for the edges of the road with my feet.  

Tried to call children, freinds and relatives when I got back but the phone lines were down.

The weather really picked up on Boxing day and its been clear skies and intense heat since. Lots of people diving. Talking to a woman who was diving for crayfish. She saw one poking out of a hole pulled it out and realised it was attached to a HUGE Moray Eel, she dropped it quickly and her partner who only saw crayfish and no eel rescued it for her, the eel then dropped the crayfish which they brought home, it lay in the freezer for a few hours before it was eaten for dinner. I heard there were loads of Stingray about. Fuuny that no one minded Stingrays before that Aussie guy got killed, now we’re all freaked out about them.

Went for a swim yesterday - the water was so beautiful, I’m not very brave so didn’t stay in long, also couldnt stay on the beach too long because of the heat, though I do have a huge floppy hat now that covers most of me and the tan is building up nicely……I’m not trying to make you jealous, just getting you interested in coming to see for yourselves.

It is strange being a Reflexologist here and not a Yoga Teacher. When I tell people that I also teach Yoga they give me a strange look. A few of us Alternative types have decided to set up a day of healing- one of them said shall we get the local Yoga teacher in for it, I just can’t convince them that its what I do.

Must go - exchanging massage with brilliant german woman for reflexology -its my turn today!

Have a glorious 2008 - I’m going to!

The population of the Island is in fairly rapid decline, 15 years ago there was 2000 people, when I was here in february there was 800 and at present there are only 600 permanent residents. Recently the ferry left taking a family with children and an older couple, there were tears in church that morning and a big send-off on the wharf. Young families can’t survive here unless they are well heeled, when a child gets to senior school age they have to pay for boarding schools in Aukland.

But we are about to be invaded …….. during the christmas period we will get over 10,000 visitors who will come for the January holiday- its Summer holiday time here. Already the roads are much busier caravans, bikes, tents and the two harbours are filling up with boats, I’m told the boating community of New Zealand will all arrive shortly! As long as they don’t swim much! there are lots of Jelly fish and Stingray out there at present, a little child got stung yesterday by a Jellyfish- poor little sausage.

So the shops are filling to bursting with goods. The carrier gave me a lift yesterday she said that people are used to leaving stuff on the wharf for several days after the boat comes in, but this years alcohol is getting stolen from the shipment and everyone is upset about it. Can you imagine leaving everyone’s Christmas booze, brandy and champagne etc,  on a train station open to the public and it being left there for several days untouched in the U.K!

The phones and the internet was off for a couple of days at the start of the week. The sky has been overcast and the solar power system that feeds the radio waves bringing communications in packed up completely, as soon as it all came on again everyone was arguing over who had the most urgent phone call or email.

The local mechanic died last week, very popular gay man. There was a huge funeral and I heard that ”Everyone on the Island was at the community center, the Shelias had made a huge pile of food and the guys were drinking beer”

It was so hot today that I lay on my bed this afternoon completley flattened by the heat.

Nobody can miss an episode of Coronation Street here, I thought it was weird that people in England liked this - what on earth can people on the other side of the planet see in it?

We’ve had a pretty big earthquake across on the North Island, nearly 8 on the richter scale, which is really stronge - 22 quakes in all and millions of dollars worth of damage!

The social set up of receiving guests is very different here as to how we do it in England. Everyone sleeps together, I think its a Moari thing that main stream New Zealanders have taken on.  When the Moaris meet in the Mari (meeting house) they all sleep together, hundreds of people all in the same room, farting and snoring together, sounds like great fun to me. When I was here last time someone asked if I wanted to stay over, when I realise it would entail sleeping with her I decided not to stay, as I wasnt sure what was going on. I’d be fine now (I think) .

The Jacaranda tree is flowering, I’d never seen it before. The most beautiful light blue flower verging on violet.  There is also news of the New Zealand  Storm Petrel which was supposed to be extinct, there has now been some definite sightings.

All is very well here. Love to you all at Christmas. I will be entertaining three bachelors for Christmas breakfast and eating Christmas dinner at friend Paulines. Doesnt seem like Christmas at all in this heat but I’ll do my best to have fun. XXX

Max and Linda have been away for 5 days so its me and the chooks, goat and sheep. The mother Ewe and I are the best of pals now, we walk through the long field together to  collect the eggs she leans her shoulder against my leg and looks up at me all the time as if she really loves me, possibly to do with the fact that she gets a treat at the end of the egg run, but who am I to spurn loving looks- just hope they don’t have her for lunch while I’m here.

It hasn’t stopped raining since they left, totally torrential and non-stop. Linda moved all the chook houses before she left the result being that the chooks can’t find the doors to get in. Last night in the pouring driving rain the silky-hen cockerell decided to sleep in a tree with a couple of the harem, they were all soaked and too high for me to reach, so I shook the tree and got half-drowned,  he screamed the place down, flew up in the air, hit the barn and slid down the wall dead! at least I thought he was until I picked him up and he became all beak and claws, after a few laps of the lawn I managed to catch him by the tail and chuck him into the coop and he lay there feigning death again, but all was fine in the morning, glad chooks dont have long term memories. 

Yesterday during the only 3 hour break from the rain went for a walk with some freinds to a place called the Needle, it turns out the reason they call it the Needle is because its very high up in the bush and with a -thrilling -ascent. I found the ascent first and thought I was in the wrong place because all I saw was a very long straight up piece of rock with a couple of holds on it and bush either side several hundred feet below.  I told the others we were going the wrong way and walked around for another half an hour until we came back to the same place, John said “this is it”. Susan refused to go up and after thinking about it I did do it but only by looking at what was directly under my feet and hands and not looking down at all, it was terrifying, But the view was wonderful, being able to see both beaches at either side of the island by just turning your head - carefully

Going to a party tonight and staying at friend Pauline’s who has a beautiful deck high up over the sea and 2moro night staying at her sister Joss’s out in the bush, both really lovely women. Viv, my freind I stayed with here before who now lives off island,  turns up on Tuesday for a week so it will be great to have some time with her and have a larf.

last week was the best ever for reflexology treatments - 11 in one week, if this carries on I’ll be flying my own airplane home.

Had thought about going to Venuatu after I leave here - but the lonley planet really very negative about it particulalry for single women, it seems if you turn up by yourself it must be to find a man and you can have one immediatley but it may not be one of your choosing.

 So decided to go to Aitutaki instead, its one of the Cook Islands - quite a long way from here- you have to fly to a remote island called Rarotonga and then a 45 minute plane journey from there, the next little island called One-foot island has one of the most remote post offices in the world! Aitutaki is surrounded one side by a lagoon made up of a coral reef, which means most of the nasties such as sharks etc dont get in and its not affected by the tide and bigger sea, so you just float about looking at the pretty stuff - hopefully. All down to whether I can get the cash together of course.

Missing you all in Lancaster , I have to stay in a lot because of the rain just now, so my mind gets filled up with all of you, as they say 

 WISH YOU WERE HERE

X

I’ve been very much missing all the spiritual input I get in Lancaster with the Yoga teaching and my Subud meetings and of course the wonderful Quakers every Sunday. Its been a bit of a spiritual desert for me here so this morning I went to the sweetest little country church, the view behind the altar was incredible and we had a lovely service led by a Minister from Aukland with lots of input from the congregation, a very romantic bearded wild-looking Irish man ( the kind Hollywood would take ages to get into costume) stood up and cried while everyone held up their hands and blessed him.

After the service someone asked me if I’d like to help in the meditation group, I said that would be great but I did teach a Hindu meditation technique. A woman came over and  gave me such a tirade about the only true church was the Christian one and the only entity we should be worshipping was Jesus, she actually said that Christianity was the only right way to go. I retaliated with ” then most people on the planet are wrong in their spiritual practice?” the response being that she was the only one that was right and we all had to watch for the way the devil arrives amongst us. The Minister was standing next to us and said she had to agree that she thought I was in the right.  I’ve written them a letter to say I wouldn’t be returning to their church and mentioned the words bigotry and fearfullness and the fact that the reason I had been reticent about coming to a small Christian community church was that I may receive the exact behaviour I did.

Apart from that Summer is hotting up, we had the Santa parade yesterday with Santa Claus, clowns, faires and children singing carols all in the boiling heat - bizaare! There were huge cream cakes stalls, a bar, and masses of second-hand goods for sale. I bought myself a beautiful pale blue ensemble for $3 (thats 1 pound), got 2 new reflexology clients, had 2 small bottles of champagne and 2 very large cream cakes., the whole day cost me $18 (6quid) . Will spare you the details of what my digestive system thought of all that later …phew!

The sky here at night is beyond description - I’ve never seen so many stars anywhere else in the world, just one lot of stars behind another and then more behind that until it makes your eyes ache seeing how far back the stars go. In the morning the Kakas (an extremely rare form of parrot type bird about the size of a chicken)  turn up like a pack of hoodlums, screaming and shouting and carrying on. The move slowly along the branches of the Pohutakawa  trees (just coming into flower) and with their bills low down and creep up on each other making the others squawk, sometimes hanging upsidedown to amuse the group who all appear to laugh.

Lots of Tui now with their double voice boxes making wonderful noises, not only in song but in flight. The aquamarine and yellow kingfishers are so common that I hardly notice them anymore. The New Zealand pigeons are a technicolour version of ours and about three times the size. some are so fat they can barely take off!

I wish I could draw you an outline of the sky where I live. About a quarter of it is the flat bit that goes down to the sea 5 minutes walk away. The rest of the land seems to go straight up and forms a huge curve of a bumpy, rocky, tree-y high bush. Its awesome (as they say here) In fact its either “awesome” or “sweet as” here.

The whole of the front of my little house is surrounded by a roofed and trellised porch. Through the trellis pushes a heavenly scented very lush jasmine, some Monstera (that we grow inside with huge waxy leaves with holes in them )and a Pandora Vine also called a Beauty Bower with fabulous pink flowers. Outside of this big fat roses, succulents and Aloe Vera. Inside the porch I have set up a little herb garden with my favourites, thyme , sage , nasturiums, lemon balm, parsley and garlic.

Since I’ve been here I’ve been reading loads and in my books and on the radio there has been a lot of discussions of Dicken’s Great Expectations. I think I had too many great expectations of my love life when I arrived, but still too difficult to talk of that now - but I will talk soon (ish) 

Watch out for my New Year card on its way - its a hoot !!!

trying a little experiment my blog directions say if I put [contact-form] in like this people can respond to my blog - not sure I understand, its probably wrong

but we’ll see