First day out of Auckland

I was thinking all sorts of things driving out of Auckland today. What they were, I can't remember. A pity, but you can hardly stop on the southern motorway and jot them down before they float off.

Like the photo at the left;  dandelion seeds, they were there, now they've gone...maybe they went off germninate on fertile ground somewhere.

One of the things I was thinking is how very lucky I've been, in this running away thingy, to have had such marvellous help and people believing in what I'm doing, when I can hardly believe I'm doing it myself. I left Ian and Belinda's this morning after being thoroughly spoiled for several days and now I'm at Isabell's in Waihi, tapping away at her table. It was so good to re-discover Isabell: another example of the one degree of separation so prevalent in NZ.

And the wwoofer I picked up by the Bethells Bridge on the way out of the Bethells Valley (a couple of days ago) turned out to be someone who had corresponded with me when I was a wwoofer host. NZ is soooo small. I hope Stuart manages to make it back to the Mana place in Coromandel which is apparently, a very cool place to wwoof, with lots going on.

Today I visited Natalie the quilt maker near Ngatea. I want one of her exquisite quilts when I'm in funds again. So good to catch up...she directed me to Highway 2, thorough the Hauraki plains to Ngatea where the girls' great-grandfather Mick was town clerk and his son young Des launched his career as a clever wordsmith...

The photo downstairs is for you Belinda and Susie. It's by Theona from Kohukohu in a style you recognise xxxx