Day 16, Level 2.5: Haircut, Creativity, Big Sand Island and masks

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Time to head back to Auckland today.

I did a bit of clean-up, pack-up, tidy-up - although, being just me there (and Indi the cat), it remains reasonably clean and tidy. One person in a house = not a lot of mess and mayhem!

Went to Matakana for a hair cut. Jolly good job too as it was my [relatively new - since Covid] hairdresser's last day in the salon. What? Please no! She has a wrist injury which obviously doesn't combine well with hair-dressing - especially the fiddly art of colouring (which I haven't had done to my hair in decades anyway, so I wasn't putting her to extra toil). 

Once the wrist has improved, she intends to be a mobile hairdresser - going to people's houses. Yes please, I said. Come to Omaha, combine the haircut with an afternoon at the beach! Yes please, she said. Deal done. I have her phone number and from now on - private appointments in my own home. Perfecto!

I've only had three hair cuts with her but I like her a lot. She's late 20s, has two young boys (6 and 3), lives way out on the Kaipara harbour at Tahora (it's very remote). She has a gentle smiley personality blended with humility and a touch of restrained quirkiness. And fabulous hair! It's a gorgeous mix. 

Today she mentioned she was supposed to go the WOW Wearable Arts Show this year - but of course it was cancelled. She was gutted. Had never been to the show before. I mentioned I'd had 8 garments in the show. That sparked a creative conversation that lasted until the final mirror reveal of new haircut. Turns out she is keen to explore her creative side - and having enforced time off could give her the opportunity to explore this (even if the dodgy wrist may get in the way of things). She shared some stunning photos of her sons at sunrise on Big Sand island in the Kaipara (reached only by 4WD at low tide). Beautiful. She wants to paint the images. I said - just do it! And tonight I researched Big Sand Island - awesome. Birdlife, sand dunes, fishing. And truly incredibly remote. That part of the Kaipara is about as far away from even village life as you can get.

 
 
https://www.visitwellsford.co.nz/media/com_jbusinessdirectory/pictures/companies/186/IMG3033.jpg


I told her about my happy time spent in Pigment art store a couple of days earlier, and encouraged her to go take a look and get going on her creative journey. Holding a brush in hand can be a gentle thing, so her wrist will hopefully cope, in time, once she's got it right. 

As I left - with my fab new "do" (she's a great hairdresser) - I said I'd be in touch and for her to "get arty". Aimee is a lovely and talented young woman who I think has much potential. Next time I see her for a hair cut - at home in Omaha - I hope she has started that creative journey.

Back in Omaha, I had much work to do, while keeping an eye on Indi cat to make sure she didn't venture off. In the afternoon the rains came down, and that was a good thing, as it kept her in her cosy sheltered place on the deck. Packed the car, popped her in her catbox, and we headed back to the city. Boy was it windy back in the city. Howling a gale.

After a catch up with Brett I headed to quiz. Our Shadee Bunch team had a fun night and so good to be out socialising in some sense of normalcy. After floating around at the bottom of the table, we kicked into gear on the run for home and ended up fourth, much to our surprise. We LOVE our Tuesdays - the bar/venue is great, the staff are fantastic, the food is fabulous, the quiz host is lovely, and the general atmosphere and vibe is spot-on. It ticks all boxes. And it's 5 minutes drive from home. Perfecto!

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Masks ...

I've been researching and investigating mask options and have invested quite a bit of time in it.There are masks and there are masks. And even more masks. And a wide range of prices. And shipping prices. I was familiar with all this when doing masquerade masks so know the ropes re importing stock from China. But this new face mask craze/phase has created a mask-maze. What to choose!?

I've looked at hundreds of mask styles by now. It's exhausting! But, masks are here to stay, so might as well get back in the game ...






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