Tuesday

Our social life is picking up some. Rosemary and Graham were up for the week-end, and we enjoyed ourselves cooking together, helping move appliances (refrigerators and washing machines!), watching a DVD of an Eagles concert – good company, good food, good music.
Graham barbecued some chicken for us, and we devoured some kumara chips (kumara is a yam-type vegetable that is a staple here.)

On Saturday, Rosemary took us into Turangi (10 miles distant), for shopping etc. To our surprise almost all the shops closed by 1:00 p.m. It's been a long time since I've been in villages that do that. On the way back, we saw again the steam venting from the thermal fields of the near-by volanoes – will put up a picture as soon as I get one. And, we drove to a nearby hill-top which has been sectioned off for more high-end housing development. I'll try to include some of the better photos of the view from that beautiful spot.

And, yesterday (Sunday), Dave and Colleen who run the Omori store, invited us for fish and chips. Dave has just opened a Chip Stand, and had some fish from Saturday that needed to be eaten – we were willing guests. Yum – a fine moist reddish tinged ocean fish (Tilapia?), in a light crispy batter, perfectly golden brown, cooked to a T. And the accompanying french fries were equally well prepared – the chip stand is open on Friday and Saturday nights, so we know where we're going for dinner this Friday!

While we ate at the picnic table near the store, Krishna joined us – she's a new employee for Dave and Colleen and will be doing the cooking at the chip stand – she's of Italian and Maori descent, and acquired her name from her Italian yoga-practicing mother. About 25 – 30 years old, Krishna has just returned to Omori which is the seat of her father's "Iwi" (tribe), after living in the bush (woods / forest / remote area), in a community where many live in shipping containers. She was without running water for a number of years. That was her choice – she'd grown up in the City of Wellington, and decided to go 'back to the land', as part of her commitment to the environment. I understand that shipping containers are a ready solution to housing shortages, one that is used in many countries where the climate allows. Krishna had several windows in her, and found it quite acceptable. She talked of her great appreciation for running water and flush toilets, grown from the necessity of carrying buckets from the creek some distance from her home. Her commitment to the environment continues to be strong – she'll move to a home with composting toilet as soon as possible. She is particularly interested in how art reflects culture. We talked briefly about the different experience of aboriginal peoples in NZ, Aus, Canada and U.S., and I know we'll have lots more conversations.

I spent more than an hour on the phone yesterday with Colleen's internet help desk, trying to figure out why my laptop wouldn't connect with her router. After lots of conversation and experiments, the fellow concluded that her router is higher security than my laptop could connect with – ah well. However, she offered to let us check our mail when we go to the store (which is at least daily, if not more often). So Margaret continues working on her book, and sending chapters off to her editor, and I continue blogging!!!

Are any of you putting comments up? I'm not seeing any, but wonder if you're seeing the "Comment" box at the very end of the blog?? Pls let me know if you see it, because I can try to figure out how to put it up top. Also forgive placement of pictures – haven't mastered that yet.