Nightly New Zealand News

 Sunrise yesterday at the farmhouse B and B

You almost can't go wrong in a place like this, because everywhere you turn there will be beauty. Usually I listen to audio as I walk hours and hours every day, but because my surroundings are so distracting, I have forgotten all that. 

For instance, the spot upon which I have chosen to write to you is on a cliff overlooking the South Pacific Ocean, with lawns, and trees, and flowers, and a path of steps down to the beach that was once a piece of cake to descend. But of course things have changed in 50 years and when I tried the path the other day... it wasn't pretty.

Overlooking the South Pacific from the cliff

The beach at the bottom

Inside, as I write, are my kind and loving host and hostess, watching their nightly fill of New Zealand news. I can barely hear it where I sit, but it is fascinating. There is something about weather, something about sports, maybe the occasional Australian shark attack, and then the gradual swing toward politics. 

It is amazing how similar this all is to where I come from, if you take the trouble to find news coverage in a house devoid of cable. There are streaming services for this but they aren't fascinating. As a result, I am (usually) the most ignorant American in the room if the talk turns political.

But my host and hostess don't mind this. They think of other people before themselves, and behave accordingly. When I came last week for this visit, they moved out of their cottage bedroom and gave it to me. They are staying in the nearby dorm and in this and a few thousand other ways, have made me feel as if I am on Cloud Nine. That is the grace of God being shared out from an endless Source, and I am inundated with it.

It will soon be time for us to say goodbye, and me to climb into another plane. We will visit the Howick Historical Village tomorrow, and then have pizza to celebrate the beginning of a new school season. These grandchildren have been off for the month of January so parents are switching gears, and children are beginning to look thoughtful. I wonder what kinds of pizza these wonderful young people like? I must ask! What if it's BBQ Chicken and Ham with Pineapple? That would be a fun coincidence. 

And it's terribly important that I get this right..

See you along the way!

the SconeLady

Shenanigans on the dining room floor,

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