A baker proudly opens the oven and steam rushes out to meet them. Momentarily, they’re distracted because they can’t see; their glasses have fogged up. Baking forgotten, they remove their glasses, wipe the lenses and replace them before proceeding to… Read More »Foggy lenses
It was our first pilgrimage. We got professional advice and chose what we thought were the ideal shoes. When we went for practise walks, I got blisters; that was normal for me. We listened to podcasts on blister care and… Read More »A little friction
Te Aroha. In english, it means ‘the love’. It’s a place in New Zealand with hot mineral baths, historically known to be healing waters. A few years ago, I climbed its mountain. Where it was most demanding, I chanted the… Read More »The waters
An instruction, written on a temple in Ancient Greece; its insight valuable enough that we still quote it today. Know thyself doesn’t ask who you would like to be, nor who you wish you were. It encourages the practice of… Read More »Know thyself
When we first moved here, we were surrounded by buildings going up. Gradually, the building subsided and instead of the banging and whirring of progress, we settled into the peaceful serenity of nature. I didn’t realise how accustomed I had… Read More »We thought it would be better
I like a bit of drama. If you ask me how things are going, I’ll tell you the exciting bits and the roadblocks because those things make a good story. Imagine then, my surprise last week as I was processing… Read More »Practise makes progress
We sat on our folding canvas chairs listening to the concert. In front of us, thousands of young people stood or jumped to the amping music. Dazzling lights and images danced with the rhythm. Midnight edged closer. I wore a… Read More »The lull of comfort
Last week we snorkelled on the Great Barrier Reef. I wasn’t sure what I was in for, but we found Nemo and lots of Nemo’s friends, including turtles that spoke with an Australian accent (well, Australian turtles anyway). Between snorkelling… Read More »Finding Nemo
I had two twelfth birthdays. It was great, I spent the day at school with my friends then went to the airport and got on a plane to Hawaii. The international date line sits between here and Hawaii. I left… Read More »Vices
Ever get a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and realise that you need to change? Yesterday I wore a scarf, and it looked fine until I put on a jacket. Then, the scarf hung down and looked out of… Read More »Catching a glimpse