Back Home in New Zealand

A few days after landing in Christchurch and sorting out the house and garden well enough to leave John there to get over the last part of his illness, I flew to the middle of the north island to visit my daughter and her family. For the first time in his young life, I’d missed my grandson’s birthday when I was overseas so his party was postponed until next weekend, while I’m still here with them.
Having been completely spoiled by my relatives in America with great dinners out and happy conversations filled with laughter and love while staying at my sister’s stunning house in Manhattan Beach, I got used to being wined and dined and treated to treats of every variety although we were mostly hanging out close to home there because of John’s weak condition. So often they came to us or picked us up or brought us food while Penny and I tried to keep John eating and hydrating and finding some humor in being sick while on a vacation.
And I got used to being spoiled like that. And really, it’s no different here.
From picking me up at the airport, well over an hour away, probably more like an hour and a half, then driving us around to another town sort of nearby to buy some fabulous honey and great plants that attract bees back into our natural world, seeing the fat sheep in one paddock and the fully grown ostriches in another, then laughing about silly jokes we were making up on the long ride back to their home, it’s more of the same here. I am being treated like a queen.
Thinking about this in retrospect, I’m receiving so much loving kindness that’s been heaped on me now, just like over there, not to mention the 6 weeks my son, Jake, took out of his time, to stay at our place to watch our many animals and house while we visited with family we hadn’t seen in years---it’s all a lot to take in.
So, now that cat’s out of the bag, I’ve decided to just immerse myself in the lifestyle here, which oddly enough is similar to the way we were treated on our trip. With Julie’s amazing cooking and her outstanding coffees, and her mouth-watering daily baking, it isn’t difficult to enjoy the time spent with them. And with such generosity that’s being extended to me, as I sneak myself into their very full lives for a few weeks, I am again feeling like some sort of royalty.
Elijah has been waiting for this visit for a very long time and I feel quite delighted to finally be here with them on this small farm where my daughter has become a planting expert at long last, growing everything from seeds that are not genetically modified and coming up with results to rival the commercial growers. Meanwhile Ginger and Midnight were beginning to run out of grass on their usual paddock after months of inclement weather with far too much rain so Elijah had to open the gate for them to graze where the grass is a bit thicker. Although the rhythm of these days revolves around the land, there is a similar feeling of being welcomed completely back into their lives, as if I’ve never been gone. And that is what gets me tearing up or guffawing like a hyena. It’s just all so heartfelt and endearing. Pure love is such a gift, so unexpected, but when it comes so naturally it’s so welcome.