First Family "Farm" stay

midway through a beach walk



my breakfast view (hard to see it, but the Pacific is in the background)


Just got back into Napier after my first "farm"stay in Haumoana -- I put farm in quotes because this wasn't a farm, it was a house in the suburbs (which are similar to the idealized version of suburbs in the states, ie teeny streets, everyone knows each other and each other's business, corner stores and local libraries. oh and local fish and chips shops, so i guess they're not entirely the same).

The woman I was staying with was going through a bit of family trauma (and 'a bit' is an understatement), so the Capricorn that I am, I helped her get her life back in order (or so I like to think). Yeah so.... it wasn't the experience I was expected (although I should've expected that, ha!) I did find ways to keep myself occupied and relatively enjoy myself (it was hard to not let the trauma affect me, sensitive soul -- sniffle, sniffle -- that I am). I spent most of my free time walking on the beach or reading books like I've never read books before. I finished Perfect Health (Deepak Chopra) and the Immortals -- I managed to finish the Immortals in 2 and a half days, which I feel is quite the feat. (Those of you that don't know what this book is, its over 500 pages of gossip re: JFK, RFK and the lovely and tragic Marilyn Monroe. I finished the book feeling incredibly pensive last night, and thinking that J Edgar Hoover is a douche, and that RFK was kinda naieve. I'm sure the entire book is factual.)

I'm off to Wellington this afternoon and quite siked about it -- everyone I've talked to about Wellington raves about it (or at least has postive things to report). I'll be there three nights and I'm thinking of it as a bit of a vacation (I know, I know, I'm sure lots of you are thinking this whole trip is a vacation -- but I did work the past week, in some senses). After Wellington I'm off to my next farmstay, on the complete opposite side of the island (a whole 300 kms away! it's like, a lot or something...).

Hope all is well in the states, although from the NZ news, it seems it isn't (gotta love those LAPD!).