Day 1: Level 3 - Indi the Cat (at the beach), People's pasts and Perfect things

So today is first day of Level 3. There's definitely a bit more noise about the place, with builders back in business and a general gentle hubbub of a more active community.

Another fantastic day weather-wise. I went for a beach walk after Michael left to go back to Auckland (around 5pm). Indi the cat joined me and trotted alongside me all the way there. She often does this at twilight, but rarely in the daytime. She'll never venture onto the beach itself, but waits for me by the top of the dunes. I tried to coax her onto the beach today but no, she was content to wait.

Parts of the white sand on the beach are squeaky (top part nearest the dunes), parts of it are not (between squeaky sand and dark wet tidal sand). After wondering what makes sand squeaky or not, and unable to come up with a reason, I researched when I got home.

To squeak, the sand must be very pure and spherical, and of a certain size. The sand needs to contain quartz/silica. And temperature/humidity plays a part too.

Tick to all those things at Omaha today. Nearer to the wet tidal sand and things change. The squeaky/non-squeaky separation is like an invisible line. Interesting! Well, I think so anyway!

Omaha Beach photo of the day - Indi the cat taking a look at the seaside

After I'd surveyed the beach, she trotted all the way back with me, frolicking in the ice plants and grasses along the way, bounding around having a lot of fun in the fresh ocean air. BTW Indi is a Burmese/moggy cross - and fortunately she got the best traits of each. She's quite the ideal cat.

These are rare photos of our Indi - she's camera shy and is often camouflaged so most photos of her are hopeless.
Against a backdrop of white sand ... gotcha!

Earlier, I'd sat out on the deck in the early afternoon doing a Sudoku and almost boiled, it was so hot.

Had a long conversation with a racing stalwart from Hawkes Bay, fellow Owners Fed board member Tony Lyndon - to glean his bio. We spoke for 1.5 hours and OMG I downloaded so much info. Such an interesting journey of life. He did stints as an apprentice jockey, trainer, stud manager and worked in fields other than racing too. His daughter Maree Lyndon was a successful female jockey in the pioneering days of Linda Jones et al. I remember Maree well, she raced in Malaysia and Japan - and was the first female jockey to ride in the Melbourne Cup (1987).

I've yet to meet someone who's been involved in racing a long time who doesn't have a thoroughly intriguing life story to tell. Now in his 80s, Tony's backstory  in the racing realm and beyond is really quite something and I was hanging off every word as he related all sorts of incredible stories. I intend to write up an article about it to share on the new Owners website that I'm working on. Perfect fodder. And you don't have to be into racing to enjoy his story!

Oh how I love to find out about people's pasts - I do it often because I'm genuinely curious, and love every moment. Whether it's via a serendipitous Facebook conversation, a chance meeting in a park, a successful google, planned research, or a planned and productive phone conversation, it's all good and if I'm still yakking an hour later (which I often am!) that's perfect. I go out of my way to find out about people, it's what I love to do.

There are people I've met in life who I may get to know on the surface through this or that ... but do I really know them? No, not until I make that effort to do so properly. It doesn't mean you have to become bests friends (although you can!) but it does mean you get to understand the person behind the name, the human behind the story, the person you didn't know until you took the time to know them.

Connecting authentically with people you don't know that well but would like to know better really only requires purpose and desire ... and time and effort.
All too often people don't make the effort to discover and uncover the ins and outs of other people in their world ... and only end up finding out about them at their funerals.
By which time they discover they didn't actually know the person at all ... but wish to hell they'd taken the time to find out about them.

Pick up the phone, find out about that person now, while they, and you, are alive and well. You never know where it may lead ...

Brunch: sweetcorn, cheese, ham and onion toasties - with a chocolate milkshake (just like the old coffee shop days!)
Dinner: a long-roll burger adaptation (actually, two long-roll burgers!) And gooey caramel slice.

(What's with those people queuing up at ridiculous hours for ridiculous hours to get a hit of fast-food, McDonalds and the like - it seems even sadder than the queuing for loo rolls).

Another stunning moon and Venus-filled twilight viewed from the deck. No wind, stunning night-light. Our western sky view is pretty cool.

Quiz night tonight - good fun although our score wasn't flash. Learning and laughs, that's the main thing ... it's great Tuesday night entertainment and we've done it every Tuesday since lockdown when going to usual pub quiz wasn't an option,


SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:

A FEW PERFECT THINGS

Some things in life are just spot on and make you smile. Whether an actual thing or an experience, the joy/beauty/thrill of them lingers. 

Actual things:

• A cat's profile (mostly short-haired ones!)
• A bright Full Moon
• The perfect ocean wave
• A candle flame dancing
• A racehorse in action
• A sunflower in full bloom
• A butterfly
• The interior of Church of Spilled Blood (St Petersburg)
• The exterior of St Basil's Cathedral (Moscow)
• David Bowie

Experiential things:

• The taste of coriander (unless you have that unfortunate gene that makes it taste like dishwater!)
• Listening to Franck’s Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano (written when he was 63) - or Sibelius Violin Concerto. Even better if played by Anne Sophie Mutter. 
• Sipping a glass of the best red wine
• Making first ski tracks on a powder bluebird day
• Tasting all things vanilla
• Viewing sunsets and sunrises from an aircraft
• Soft sand between your toes
• Connecting with people

These are just a few of my favourite thing sof perfection ... for starters.

I'll add more in future posts.

Here's Indi's cat-face profile! 

Indi = individual (and she sure is that!)