Shifting the Kaleidescope... Again
Landing with a bump!
I’m rising this week just before sunrise, quickly dress and call Rover the white standard poodle I’m looking after for November, and we set off for a walk in this tiny seaside village of Tairua. Yes I’m back in New Zealand, and wearing much heavier clothing, breathing harder, swearing a little more, and picking up dog poop beside the lake; I’m worried about the dog ranger because Rover prefers to be off-lead. Rover is exceptionally well behaved and trained to be off-lead, so I’m hoping those fears are unfounded, despite the warnings of $300 fines dotted about. But it makes me think back to the many roaming dogs of Bali, who on reflection are rarely on-lead, manage themselves and their respective two and four-legged relationships extremely well.
How very far away Bali seems today!
I was fortunate enough to be upgraded by AirNZ on the way home, so slept well, arrived at 6.30am feeling quite fresh and with a short nap after lunch, slipped qiuckly back to ‘normal’ with no jetlag. Yay! Five days of repacking, reconnecting with a few wonderful people, and then off north to the Coromandel for this new house-sit.
And then things hit me. First, despite no issues with Bali-belly, gastro or any other forms of illness while away, my first day in Coromandel saw me totally felled by some aweful bug. Emerging 24 hours later, in time to wave ‘ta-ta’ to my hosts, I bounced back quickly enough to simply be grateful for my general good health. In fact, I’ve been complimented so much on looking younger, fresher, fitter, and fabulous that I’ve come to realise I’m truly at my physical best right now and totally put that down to the low stress, high quality fruit and food lifestyle in Bali.
One week later, I’m listening to Sean Plunket relating his past week of holidaying in Bali, and comparing the ‘news of the day’ dramas there, vs how appallingly misinformed we are in New Zealand by our legacy media. It certainly makes me think about the things that are important, real, and imagined. Stress here is rapidly aging so many of my fellow Kiwis - that’s suddenly blindingly obvious.
Financial stresses, paying the rising cost of living, commuting woes, and healthy living being all about supplements and gym membership - is that really how we live now?
My morning walks are delightful, reflective, and I’ve resisted listening to podcasts or news programs - prefering to listen to the birds, watch where my feet go, and talk to myself about the day ahead. Two walks a day with Rover mean I’m still averaging 4+Kms per day, so loving the fitness boost and how my clothes fit better lately.
When I return ‘home’ Rover and I venture out to take care of the critters. Grabbing an ‘eggpron’ and silver topped cane from the umbrellas and sticks bin, I trek through the jungle growth leading to the sheep pen and ‘orchard’. Two sheep require a mugful of pellets, and there are fresh herbes, oranges, and a variety of food plants available for harvest.
That done, we move to the chicken coop. The cane is particularly useful for waving ahead of my footsteps to bash away errant palm fronds and cobwebs along the way. Through the first gate, round the bend, and pushing through the overgrown garden beds and I hold the dog back from coming through the main gate. Here I put down the big stick, hand in pocket to grab some pre-loaded kibble to bribe the chickens to flurry away so I can get into the open pen. Down the treacherous blocks, lift the lid off the bin and scoop out the chicken feed… scatter it and watch the silly birds squawk and flap about in their impatience to outdo each other for the best breakfast.
Opening the coop I count and collect the eggs, put them into the uniquely tailored egg-pron, I carefully retrace my steps back to the main gate where Rover waits impatiently watching the chickens who he seems to know smell remarkably like dinner.
I think back to the roaming chickens and dogs and how much they co-exist peacefully in Ubud without fences. But, we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto! :-)
Some yoga end meditation before finally preparing my own breakfast of deliciously fresh eggs, watching the tides roll in from the deck. It’s not all bad, but I do miss the warmth of Bali.
