©hk photography
©hk photography
©hk photography
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A to Z Challenge – Whoopee
WHOPPEE: to express exuberant joy, to rejoice noisily
Hopscotch, a favourite game of mine when I was a child.
It is wonderful to see that hopscotch is still played today. And whoopee that children are outside playing and enjoying their environment.
©hk photography
©hk photography
A to Z Challenge – Universe
UNIVERSE: All existing things, the whole creation, the cosmos, the world, all mankind
Here is a snippet of my universe
A to Z Challenge – Silence
SILENCE: Absence of sound, stillness
Silence screams in my head.
I am still, lost in moment of nothing.
Energy ripples through mind, body, soul.
I am awakened and surrounded by the stunning noise of life.
A to Z Challenge – Reflect
REFLECT: Go back in thought, meditate or consult with oneself.
I sit
And reflect on actions, comments and thoughts of the day
Which ultimately affect my life and ripple through others
Could have – should have – did I – why?
Breathe
Stillness
Let go
Push away thoughts of today, yesterday and tomorrow
Concentrate on now
Breathe
Stillness
Let go
Warmth on my face
As sun seeps through window
Eyes closed, relax
In tune with the noise of life
Birds fluttering, chirping
Distant sound of radio chatter
Occasional car hums by
Heart beat
Then nothing
SiLeNcE
MotionLess
ENJOYING NOW
A to Z Challenge – Quandary
QUANDARY: State of perplexity, difficult situation, practical dilemma.
Some questions just can’t be answered.
A couple of years ago, I was in my local supermarket standing in the aisle where the water is housed. I was after some water with gas – the fizzy type.
I was distracted by someone in my peripheral vision.
She was about 80 years young
Immaculately dressed
And small in stature.
She stood beside me and perused the shelves of water at her eye level, my chest level.
We acknowledged each other with a smile, eye contact with an understanding that maybe we had known each other in another time. Like minded humans, very comfortable.
Standing together mesmerised at the incredible selection of water.
Spring water, natural spring water, well water, still water, natural water, sparkling water, water with vitamins, water and lime, rose-water, water for energy, organic water and on and on. Water in plastic, water in glass, water in cans, water in boxes. 6 packs, 12 packs, single bottles.
Finally a choice made. Reaching on tippy toes for a glass bottle, she clasped it firmly in both hands and read the label.
Looking up at me with a perplexed look on her face she asked a question
“How do they know that this 1000 year old pure spring water expires in May 2016?”
A to Z Challenge – Pen Friend
PEN FRIEND: col Pen Pal – friend with whom one corresponds without meeting.
Pen to paper – who writes anymore
I can’t remember when I learnt to read and write. As a young child, reading and writing was something I did at school, and when the bell rang for the end of the school day, I played. At home, reading or story writing was not something my parents encouraged me to do.
My sister and I were brought up in the days of that classic saying “children should be seen and not heard”. There was no encouragement from our elders to actively participate in conversation or debate, and critical thinking was definitely not on the radar. To interact with adults was considered rude. Our contribution to problem solving was never required, even if the problem was related to us. Our opinions were considered unimportant as decision making was the responsibility of grown-ups.
So my sister delved into the world of books and in a simple turn of a page escaped into the worlds of fantasy and adventure and I discovered the world of writing. As a youngster, reading was not something I enjoyed, but at the age of ten, I found and replied to an advertisement in a magazine for a pen pal. This was the start of a long letter writing relationship with a girl from Malaysia who was exactly my age.
I grew up on a small Pacific island in the years when the sight of an aeroplane was a novelty. At school, we were allowed outside to watch the Calibration planes fly over and land on the airfield nearby, a truly exhilarating experience. Now, the thought of corresponding with someone from the other side of the world was a bigger thrill especially when our letters could be in those planes flying overhead. I was so excited receiving her letters addressed to me. I would devour every word that spilled off the pages and imagine her life in Malaysia and hoped that she would be doing the same with my letters. In my best handwriting, I responded to every comment she made; celebrating her achievements and sympathising with her disappointments. Meticulously I wrote my news, and surprisingly I had so much to tell her. This was my way of overcoming the “seen but not heard” philosophy of my parent’s generation. Someone was hearing me. I felt liberated. Several pages later, the letter was neatly folded, inserted into an envelope, addressed, stamp attached and posted. The wait for her reply seemed forever, and that reply sometimes took weeks to arrive. I was never disappointed. For the first ten years our letter writing was fervent. We were pen pals!
A to Z Challenge – Neat
NEAT: brief, clear and pointed, cleverly phrased, epigrammatic, deft, dexterous, cleverly done, tidy, methodical.
According to http://www.urbandictionary.com
NEAT: Wonderful, terrific, cool, clean, orderly, tidy , serving a spirit straight without ice or mixer.
I wrote my first diary in 1974. It was a small 5cm by 8.5cm brown Holiday and Travel Book, given to me by Mum. I was a 16-year-old New Zealander, off on a school geography trip to the Fiji Islands. The travel book was to record my trip.
The A to Z challenge prompted me to read this diary again in search for ideas for the challenge. Several things jumped out at me.
- I have lost contact with all but I person I write about on the trip.
- My hand writing was incredibly tidy (NEAT)
- My group of friends were quite naughty for 70’s standards.
- We could never replicate this trip today, Health and Safety regulations would deem the trip to dangerous.
Two words I used frequently in this diary are NEAT and GEE, which were common slang words used in the 1970’s. Neat – this is cool and Gee Wiz –oh wow! So I was using pretty CooL (another 70’s favourite) words. Here are some more 1970’s slang words/phrases: GroovY, SToked, Nifty, TotalLy AwEsoMe and MaY the ForCe be wiTh You.
In my diary, everything I enjoyed doing was “really neat”. A bus driver was really neat, I met some really neat people. We had neat fun. The fish were neat. Then there was GEE. Gee I felt sorry, Gee I had fun.
The ultimate entry was – “GEE the market was NEAT!”
I can’t say this diary was the most exciting read, however it was factual and reading it transported me back to my penultimate year at high school, and the fantastic opportunity our Geography class had going to Fiji. It also reminded me of people I once knew and left me wondering what happened to them.
A to Z Challenge – Majestic
MAJESTIC: Possessing stateliness or grandeur, imposing
Tuesday’s usual trip from the Kapiti Coast to Wellington
Takes me through familiar landmarks
which remain as constant as Tuesday follows Monday
Passing towns and suburbs
where people are going about their daily routines
Trains worming towards the big city
Cars inching forward in traffic jam
Pass Whenua Tapu cemetery
and a keen eye notices a new monument decorated with flowers
At Paremata
a little apprehensive
wondering if she will be there today
moored between road and rail bridges
Heading south the view between the bridges
is hampered by passing traffic, concrete walls
and walkers
NOT TO BE SEEN
So the wait begins, and as the day unfolds with regularity,
I head north for home
The motorway not so busy this time
as commuters are now parked in office buildings,
shops, universities, coffee houses
Before Paremata
I position myself for the ultimate view
I am not disappointed
I see her sat upon still water
that make the inlet
where fishers catch sprats
She is majestic
this small little boat
I smile as a drive past
KATE
Kate ©hk photography
A to Z Challenge – Life
LIFE: Active part of existence, business and pleasures of the world
Playing trolley tag in the supermarket
Aisle much narrower than the norm
Harassed employee unstacks
then restacks shelves
Clutching coupons he appears agitated
Scrutinises then grabs selected product
Must be a big specials day
Shopper dithering over meat selection
all I want is the lamb shank displayed in front of her
I lean on trolley and wait my turn
Be patient
I wonder
What they are thinking
as product mechanically put in trolleys
Choices made
Would I buy that?
Checkout
Pimply faced boy starts the operation
Lamb shank scanned
Loyalty card swiped
Card inserted, pin keyed
Payment made
There done!
A to Z Challenge – Kindness
KINDNESS: There is no entry in my 1976 Concise English Dictionary. The nearest I could find was KIND.
KIND: Of gentle or benevolent nature; showing friendliness; affectionate; kind-hearted
KINDLY: Kind, kind-hearted, pleasant, genial
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com define KINDNESS as: The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate:
I am overwhelmed by KINDNESS from family and friends. After my recent diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease and impending surgery, I have witnessed what KINDNESS is.
Generosity, compassion, affection, goodness, grace
Unconditional love experienced first hand
I am humbled
Thank you to everyone who has shown me KINDNESS
I intend to pay KINDNESS forward with love
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love – Lao Tzu
A to Z Challenge – Jim Jams
JIM JAMS: Delirium tremens; fit of depression or nervousness
Delirium tremens: a severe psychotic condition occurring in some persons with chronic alcoholism, characterized by delirium, tremor, anxiety, and vivid hallucinations
Stop! I thought jim jams were pj’s, pyjamas, sleep wear.
This is when my trusty dictionary is replaced by Google. So what does google say:
Colins Online Dictionary:
- a slang word for delirium tremens
- a state of nervous tension, excitement, or anxiety
- (informal) pyjamas
So how did pyjamas morf into jim jams?
A to Z Challenge – Honour
HONOUR: respect highly, confer dignity upon, acknowledge
I honour my mother
She has the reputation of being a master “ei” maker on the island of Rarotonga.
An ei is a garland made of flowers worn around the neck or on top of head.
Mum picks flowers from her garden with the love and care that bestows any living thing, respecting the gift of nature. In her garden frangipani, gardenia and hibiscus flourish.
Frangipani ©hk photography
Gardenia ©hk photography
Hibiscus ©hk photography
She creates each ei with joy and tenderness, her hands gently transforming flowers into beautiful garland, a story unfolding. She looks on with pride as she gifts them to family and friends.
Mum and I wearing her “ei” ©hk photography
Visit A-Z Challenge and see what others are writing about.
A to Z Challenge – Gift
GIFT: Thing given, present, donation, virtue looked upon as emanation from heaven, natural endowment
BLOOD DAY
Always the thought that on the day
my GIFT of blood will not be required
Iron level must be above 120
This is a good day, level 125
I can gift blood
My 10th donation – later to find out my last
GIFTED back a T-shirt “Save Lives, Give Blood”, drink bottle and pen
As a thank you
Making fist and squeezing repetitively
to ensure perfect flow
Reading book nonchalantly
as pump works to fill bag
then
Blood packaged, labelled and stored
Forced recovery
Warm milky instant coffee in paper cup
served by volunteer
Cream cracker with marmite and slice of cheese
or plain sweet biscuit
Conversation with familiar donor
My last donation…..
A to Z Challenge – Footprint
FOOTPRINT: impression left by foot.
©hk photography
A to Z Challenge – Dilemma
DILEMMA: Argument forcing opponent to choose one of two alternatives both unfavourable to him; position that leaves only a choice between equally unwelcome possibilities.
I was perplexed after reading the meaning from my 1976 dictionary, as this was not my understanding of Dilemma. I get the bit where one has to choose, but the unfavourable or equally unwelcome possibilities got me. Could you not have a dilemma over favourable or equally welcome choices? Or is there another word for that state of mind? I checked online dictionaries and there are no positive dilemma’s.
Synonyms for Dilemma such as predicament, quandary, perplexed, conundrum and muddle, conjure up unfavourable possibilities for me.
So here’s a DilemMa
Must I stop thinking that making a choice between a delicious slice of carrot cake or an exquisite chocolate brownie a DilemMa, because both are favourable and equally most welcome to me!
A to Z Challenge – Beauty
BEAUTY: Combination of qualities, as shape, proportion, colour, in human face or form, or in other objects, that delight the sights.
©hk photography
The smell and colour of summer explode into life.
A glorious time where abundance is a word thrown around freely when it comes to summer fruits.
My plum tree drips with ripe and falling fruit and invaded by Kereru.
I hear before I see – a loud whooshing sound rips through the air and Kereru lands on plum tree branch. An incredible balancing act unfolds as bird starts feeding on plums. Dancing between branches Kereru gets the best vantage to select and feast on the perfect plum. I watch bird pluck plum and gobble it down whole; sometimes losing them to the ground below, to be picked at by ground dwelling animals, or composted back into the earth.
The Kereru is the New Zealand native wood pigeon. It is magnificent, a bird of BEaUTY and delights my sight.
Kereru in my garden – ©hk photography
A to Z challenge – Apprentice
APPRENTICE: Learner of a craft, bound to serve, and entitled to instruction, beginner, novice.
My 58th year as an earth bound apprentice
learning the craft of life
Hungering:
For new experiences
Unknown adventures
Realisation for dreams
Energised:
By what I have already experienced
And lessons learned
Humbled:
At the majesty, dignity and beauty of planet earth
and sacrifices made to support human life
By the generosity of friends, loved ones and strangers
Graduate:
When I leave the planet
A to Z Challenge 2016
A to Z Challenge using all the letters in the alphabet reminds of my typing class at high school.
No computers back in the 70’s just a manual type writer, with a metal cover hiding letters allowing just enough room for fingers to push keys and type.
The quick brown fox jumps of the lazy dog
This sentence used every letter in the alphabet! And we practiced, practiced and practiced.
The correct hand and finger placement for speed typing important and enforced in class. Fingers always hovering over middle row of letters; asdfghjkl
I never did master using all 8 fingers correctly, instead my fingers dance over keyboard searching for the right letter. Mistakes made, but now quickly erased or corrected with the back space key or spell check.
The concise Oxford Dictionary of current English, 6th edition 1976 was my bible before internet and online dictionaries. I still use my trusty dictionary, albeit less frequently.
The first entry in this dictionary is:
A, noun, plural A’s. First letter of the alphabet; (Mus.) sixth note in diatonic scale of C major; first hypothetical person or example; highest class (of road, academic marks, population as regards affluence, etc); from A to Z, over the entire range, completely; from A to B, from any place to some other place
This 1976 dictionary is where I will get my A to Z words and meanings from.
Enjoy
Sometimes
Sometimes rheumatic fever = rheumatic heart disease = heart valve damage = heart valve replacement……
I never in my most gloomy moments thought I would be inflicted with a heart condition.
Preparing myself for double heart valve replacement, the usual doom and gloom thoughts fill the spaces in my mind reserved for such occasions.
Why is it easier to think of the negative rather than positive? I push and pull myself through these thoughts and try to tether myself to the positive.
The last 6 months have been filled with doctors and hospital appointments, hospital admissions and discharges, work and all the emotional stuff that reveals itself in times like this.
Holding myself in limbo I process what has unfolded and come to terms with how my life will be post surgery
Then finally acceptance, belief and trust replace anger, blame and fear
I am ready to move into the next lane on my freeway of life and embrace all that it offers
ROAD BLOCK
That dreaded phone call, the day before surgery
Heart races, anxiety heightens
I know the conversation
“your surgical date has been deferred”, spoken as if doodling
I stop listening to the reasons why – everything a blur
Devastated
New date given, but be prepared for the “possibility of postponement”
Those negative emotions forced to the fore again
I am back at that place of anger and frustration
REFOCUS
Road blocks are temporary
Nourish your Heart
5 months after diagnosis
1 month before surgery
This topsy-turvy 5 months has brought to the fore emotions hidden in dark places
Anger, shame, guilt and fear
They jack in the boxed out from the abyss so quickly, danced in frenzied style and taunted my psyche.
And consumed my every day
Advice from a good friend
“Nourish your Heart”
Push the jack of negative emotions back into its box
Find emotions worthy of my attention
Joy, love, compassion, trust
Remove fear
Only then can I
Nourish my heart
Me
Take one fifty something woman
Toss in four ethnicities – Cook Island, Niuean, German and English
Add lashings of passion, poetry, sport, FAMILY, spiritualism, health and wellbeing, PHOTOGRAPHY, craft and travel.
Combine with oodles of thought, questions, ideas and reflection
Mix well together.
This is a blog for musings about my life and experiences on planet earth, a place for poetry, writing and photography.
Enjoy my take on life.
Side Swiped
She was manic, busy and energetic – clearly loving her work. Her time running out and my appointment at least 30 minutes late.
I sat there feeling guilty for wasting precious time of this very busy woman.
Trying to access my files on her computer
Asking a colleague for help to make my documents visible and finally achieving it.
A pause from her suggested something may be up, but she had her game face on, and no emotion showed – a good sign I thought.
Her questions, my answers all appeared to tick the “you are healthy” box.
“So lets check that echocardiogram” she said.
Alone I sat in the room with examination bed and curtain at one end. Messy desk topped with artificial hearts, papers, stethoscope and cup of tea at the other end. Cream walls.
Waiting seemed like forever – I practiced my apology for wasting her time
The door flew open and the words “you are in serious trouble” spilled out, followed by “you have severe heart disease”. She loomed over me explaining exactly what she had seen on the echocardiogram, but I heard nothing. Those words “severe heart disease” echoing inside my brain.
What! When? How? Why? Visibly shocked.
I am a fitness instructor, how could this be. I cycle, run, exercise for leisure and for occupation.
“Did you have rheumatic fever when you were young” she asked. “I have no idea” I mumbled
Diagnosis – Rheumatic Heart Disease
Within an hour, I was a patient. I work with patients.
Within an hour, I was prescribed medication. I never take pills.
Within an hour, my life changed.
Three words side swiped me – Disease, Patient, Medication
Prepare for valve replacement surgery
After paying for the consultation, I sat in my car feeling totally alone
How do I tell my family?
Short Story
Early for me, but not others
as I pedal my 30km circuit
watching the action unfolding for a new day
Sun just starting to warm the day, but cold air hits hard as head wind tests my stamina.
Sand rustled up by wind catches my breath and salt from wave spray stings my eyes.
Seagulls fight over dead fish washed up on beach, a gift from the ocean
People on the hunt for the best coffee house
Where coffee is the stimulus for conversation
Some absorb daily newspaper – mostly bad news
I am moving at supersonic speed, in my head
Realistically a slow pace hard up against that unforgiving head wind
I look forward to the turn round, where the wind becomes my ally and gifts me a quick return home.
Let the scene write itself
Mangaia
Draped in light caught through Ironwood trees
Branches hang limply, long needles entangled
and some fall to shield earth
A soft hue meanders over church of old
Monuments to the dead scatter surrounding edges
Looking further back to what remain
of traditions long gone
Rubble reminds me of past ceremonies
where descendants once gathered
A bone of an ancestor lies abandoned
caught between the then and now
Apprehension grabs my solar plexus
As I wonder who this bone was?
My writing space
My space to write
Is where I feel comfortable
Where inspiration and creativity explode into words
Where I can pluck the gift of wisdom, catch ideas, harness knowledge and life experience
And turn them into verse
I am a hunter and gatherer of thoughts, notions and ideas
Jotted on snippets of paper, used parking tickets, napkins and collected to remember the moment
Then gifted to any one who wants to read
My space to write is everywhere
Why do I write
Day one of writing 101 and I have drawn a blank…
No words to write
No thoughts to ponder
A blank page, a soundless voice
Where are the words that create the stories of life
I search
Nothing
Closed eyes look deeper into the abyss of creativity hoping to find misplaced inspiration.
Perhaps tomorrow
The Writer
Creative juices
are thin like a watery broth
lacking flavour, body and texture
The desire to write is strong
but the void stronger
Find a way out….
Walk into creative spaces
and form stories
Choose the right ingredients
to pollinate the soul, heart and mind
then WRITE!
Passing Lanes 