Day 16, L3: (49 days since lockdown) Level 2, New Cal, Accidents and Greece

A miserable sort of day here; gloomy and showery and blustery. It's the last day of Level 3.

As Level 2 alights upon us, a measure of excitement seems to be building around the land, like a train gaining speed. 

Let's hope the train doesn't hurtle off the tracks! 

I have to say, I won't be heading to a mall any time soon. Yuk then, yuk now. But a restaurant outing has huge appeal!

I didn't go the beach today, weather too horrible. But I did reflect back to tropical days in New Caledonia last October. I led a "Racing in the South Pacific" tour there and boy did we have fun. We stayed in Anse Vata, a lovely resort area, right near the racecourse. We enjoyed a fab VIP night at the races. And plenty more besides. What a magnificent place, I loved it. Such a great trip, and so many friendships made. A fabulous group of people. Racing attracts such people I think! I hope to return soon and explore further. When we can! I hope to lead a trip there. When I can!

So here are today's beach photos, New Caledonian style. 

Anse Vata beach, New Caledonia

Napoleon, the hump-headed wrasse at the Aquarium

Outside the Hippodrome racecourse, ready for a VIP experience

Amedee Island - a wonderful day trip (note snake in foreground - they're highly poisonous!)

I spent today working to refine my website and travel offerings. Level 2 means things can get moving in the local/regional realm.

I cater for seniors, semi-actives and those who need assistance in an innovative way that I don't think has been done before. 

Everything is so different and unknown post-Covid in terms of travel so it's very tricky to pull together new offerings. 

It's doing my head in to some degree as suppliers don't really know where they're at or what to charge, and it's all new territory for us all. There is a sense of pulling together more than ever. 

There's still more work to be done, but I'm getting nearer to launch/promotion time. And I hope my offerings will get people travelling again. 

More info to come in following posts when I hope to be shouting from rooftops.  

But meanwhile for an overview of where I'm at, check my revamped website https://www.beyondlimits.co.nz/

First stop - a very special trip of discovery that I'll be leading in Matakana & Environs ...

Check the Trips tab of my website for more info on this fab small group trip!

I was working away today and my neighbour appeared with some freshly made leek & potato soup. Yum. I'd just been wondering what to do for lunch - and voila, it magically appeared. Delicious. 

LUNCH: Leek & Potato soup courtesy of said neighbours

DINNER: Blue cheese and crackers, pita and humus, a bit of grazing (the L&P soup filled me up, I wasn't hungry enough for proper dinner!)

It's just me here, so cheese for dinner is okay! I'd never get away with it if Brett/boys were in house!

Evening - online quiz with the team. David Seymour was the online guest, godson of one of our team members. It was fun, although a few sound issues. We did reasonably well. As did David. 

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:

Covid days ...

The more I think about what has gone down in this world over the past few months, the less I can comprehend it. 

I've also been pondering what a suitable analogy might be as to the feelings we've all been going through ...

The nearest I can get to is that it's kind of like being in the limbo-land when you learn that someone you love has been in a terrible accident. 

And you're far away and can't actually do anything to make things right. And even if you were right there, you couldn't do anything anyway. 

But the positive thing is that you know they're going to make it through and it will ultimately be all right. 

And then after all that angst and turmoil, everything changes, and nothing is quite the same.

Hopefully this hasn't happened to too many people - but this scenario has happened to me twice. And it changed my world.

The first time was in 1986. I was living in London and answered the phone one Sunday morning. It was Dad and there was a tone in his "hi" that told me something was wrong. Add to that the fact that speaking by phone was for special occasions back in those days and I was immediately on edge.

"Mum's been in a car accident," he said. I remember standing there holding the wall-phone receiver in my hand in utter disbelief. I'd never known anyone who had been in a car crash before. And now my father was telling me that my mother had been in one.

Before I had a chance to say anything or ask how serious it was, he reassured me "she's going to be okay." Phew.

I then learnt that the accident had happened several days earlier and that it had been touch and go. There'd been a strong chance that Mum could have died as a result of her injuries. OMG. 

Dad had elected not to call me until he could tell me one way or the other - either she's dead or she's going to be okay. Thankfully it was the latter. 

I can still recall both the shock and relief, feelings far removed from each other but simultaneous in that moment. 

I'm still not sure whether holding off telling me was the right call or if that's what I would have done in the same circumstances (probably not) - but it did save me several days of hideous worry about what might happen. 

But was Mum really going to be okay? It was a long road to recovery, but Mum was a resilient woman and, yes she pulled through amazingly well. 

Then a year later, in 1987, I got a phone call from Mum. There was a tone in her "hi" that told me something was wrong. Phone calls were still for special occasions. I braced myself. "Dad's fallen off a ladder," she said. Oh. It didn't sound as bad as a car accident. But it was in fact very bad. Dad had smashed his leg to smithereens. He had pins and screws and was laid up for weeks, even longer than Mum was. OMG. 

What I guess I'm alluding to with these scenarios as being a sort of analogy to Covid is that something hits us, it's unexpected and it changes the way we look at and deal with life. And the future ultimately becomes different ... as it certainly did for me with the accidents ...

You see, at the time I was engaged to the lovely Chris and we had set our wedding date in 1986. Mum and Dad were planning to come over for it. Alas, Mum's car accident meant they couldn't come. We postponed and made a new date for the following year. And then Dad had his accident, so they couldn't come for that date either. They said to go ahead without them - but I wanted them to be there and by this time things had changed a bit and I was having second thoughts. There were signs; I heeded them, and, hideously painful as it was, I ended the relationship. 

Chris and I had had a blast together, very special times. Leaving was hard, as it always is, but life called me in a different direction. I was 26 and I listened to the call. We'd spent four fantastic years together. Chris and I had a gorgeous flat in London, cats, chattels, and many beautiful travel experiences. And much more. It was a very sad time but every fabulous experience we had together added vital ingredients to the make-up of me. And then it was over. 

I was travelling a lot at that time for work, which took the edge off things a bit and required my focus. I also made a trip home to see my parents post-accidents. That was a very cathartic visit home, and I loved every moment of it.  

They say people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime - meeting Chris was reason galore, and it was for several wonderful seasons. He taught me more than I could ever have imagined about so many things, it's hard to explain. Parting was the right call but he's an ex I hold close in my heart for all the glorious and enlightening times we had together in many fabulous places. These photos were taken in Greece, our first holiday together. 

I worked for the Greek Consul in Auckland in 1979, and every day I dreamed of  going to Greece. And not much later, I did go there (and several times subsequently). 

Chris and I backpacked our way around the Peloponnese. We climbed Mt Parnassus. We visited Delphi. We went to Olympia. And Athens of course. 

I turned 23 on that holiday. It was awesome. 

    

Athens & Olympia, Greece - 1985

On top of Mt Parnassus - I don't look hugely amused - it had been a long slog!
Chris was a mountaineer, I was definitely not! But I did it!

 

Turning 23 in Greece - good fun!

 

Some people may wonder why I share so much personal stuff - but I say, hey, it's reality and I'd rather share it in life than have people find out at my funeral (which, as I've alluded to before, is where most people find out most things about most people's lives). 

 

If you don't know about the person's life already, or find out about it through the eulogies etc, then you're sure to find out about it at the wake or whatever. People share stories and insights amidst death that they never would when the person was alive. The person's life finally comes to life. 

I say share these stories during life. And that's what I do.

Life is for sharing. Share who you are and what you do. There's nothing to be afraid of - unless you're ashamed of yourself. 

And as a last note - there's a very interesting follow-up story on all the Chris fiance story. I'll share it in a future post - it's unusual and involves music I love and a guy that looks just like Chris!

BTW - this post published at 3.25am - my kinda normal bedtime!!