Please stay

Weird, today's unshakable song has been please don't throw it all away, I don't want to be the one who's going to have to beg you stay, please stay. And it kept trundling away in my head while I tried to allow my mind to sink deeply into my breathing. Keep imagining it dissipating, as though you're spraying liquid into the air and watching the mist of drops heavily sink and seemingly disappear. I sometimes wonder what triggers individual songs. It'll be a phrase I think and a song with that phrase in. Evidence of my mind's tendency to get stuck in loops. Not all loops are harmful though, it's not something to fear.

I am currently choosing between a mud experience and a Maori experience. I'm thinking the former as being a less rigid timetable driven thing with opportunities to meander and drink coffee and the possibility of electing if I want to interact or not with other people. France kind of prepared me for the solitude thing. Ooops. So much so that actually I don't really notice if I'm interacting with other folk or not. Although I do kind of miss some kind of drinking companion. I cannot quite manage to go into a bar on my own. Plus side is that it's cheaper this way too!

Planning the quickest ever scurry through a few chapters of Open Uni this week so I can send the books back to the UK and not lug the damned heavy things around. When will they make a kindle version I wonder … or an online log in. Bloody paper weighs a tonne. Thinking of sending home / abandoning a few things. The weight of my combined bags is doing my head in. Admittedly I am now carrying a couple of gas cannisters too which isn't helpful to overall weight. I left my karrimor sandals at the last place I stayed, having replaced them, function wise with a pair of shoes which have about a quadruple purpose, functioning as flat pedal cycling shoes, light weight walking shoes, running shoes and indeed beach sandals. Made me sad but the old sandals have given abundantly of their time. I'm hopeful the new shoes will also prove to be good bar going footwear. Hmm.

My face is carrying a touch of the sun. Spent 3 hours bimbling mostly in the shade yesterday wearing factor 30. Hmm. Now upped the ante to factor 50, and will renew frequently. And I have a hat. It's lilac.

Things that made me happy today:

The hostel has a dish washer!

Showers are resplendent in their powerful hot water goodness at 6:15am. Which being an old gurl seems to be my normal waking up time but it does mean I avoid the young folk queues.

The tourist info woman said “choice!” to me, possibly instead of a “thanks” or “nice one”. It made me smile. It made me feel I am properly in New Zealand, which of course I am.

I discovered that there is a tree here which genuinely grows flowers which look like ornate Christmas baubles.

I have cinnamon muffin splits for breakfast possibilities this week. I don't know what they are but they make my entire room smell like Christmas.

Twinings make a tea called “New Zealand Breakfast”. How cool is that?

Long incoming e-mails. Make me smile and perhaps dance a little. Within the confines of my room.

Time, just time. I have time all to myself. I can walk mindfully along the lakeside (mostly because my blistered feet still hurt). It's just unimaginably restful.

Mo & John from Sale. How we ended up on the same tour as each other living just a few miles down the road from each other in the UK I don't know. But as Terry Pratchett knows, a million to one coincidence happens one time in a hundred.

Fresh apricots. In December. Soft, slightly furry pieces of sharp goodness.