Jenny Burrell

Yes, it did rain and there was a howling gale for our two days in Wellington but we visited museums and had an apartment so were able to cater for ourselves. It had become a rare treat to buy ingredients and cook an evening meal! I never thought I’d be in that position. Isn’t life a funny thing!

We arrived late afternoon and, while the weather wasn’t too bad and it had stopped raining, we went up the cable car and had a pleasant walk down the mountainside, through the botanical gardens. The light was beginning to fade as we arrived at the supermarket and bought ingredients for a Chilli Con Carne. Delicious and washed down with a smooth New Zealand red!

The highlight of our two weeks in New Zealand so far was our visit to the Gallipoli exhibition at the Te Papa museum! This has been the most visited museum in New Zealand and I can understand why! The displays were magnificent! Ta Papa joined forces with Weta Workshop who were responsible for the special effects in films such as The Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit trilogies and Blade Runner 2049 amongst others. The significantly larger than life models (2.4 times larger!) of eight ordinary New Zealander’s tells the story of the war through their eyes.

I cannot do justice when describing the workmanship! I was gobsmacked! There was a fan blowing gently down on a soldier and the fine hairs on his fingers were ‘tickled’ by the breeze! The detail to every aspect of those depicted was truly astonishing! I was very tearful as I took a poppy and wrote a message on it. Visitors were given this opportunity. Apparently over a million poppies have been collected to date and the number just keeps on growing. The exhibition, which enthrals all age groups, will remain open until after Anzac Day 2022! Hurry, time’s running out ………

We dropped the car off and walked back to our apartment in the pouring rain. My umbrella finally folded as the last of the spikes holding it up were ripped asunder! I threw it into the nearest garbage bin and soon looked like a drowning, miserable ‘rat’, hunched against the elements but soldiering on! We stopped at the supermarket and bought chicken pieces and found a curry mix in a bottle that was gluten free! What joy when I eventually got out of the bath and sat, warmed by the heater and a glass of NZ red, watching the sun setting on our final evening in North Island!

What an adventure and we still had another eight days before we flew to Australia to catch up with new arrivals in my sister’s family. Adding to the ambience of our little apartment was the warm glow I felt when remembering that I still had three more weeks of holidays. I didn’t have to go back to a manic catch-up at work! What joy! What bliss! Life was good! 👠

We head down North Island to the the Art Deco city of Napier. It rained throughout the whole journey! We follow the directions to our next accommodation, a ‘beautifully restored single storey 1890’s residence’. It stood nestled in a quiet cul de sac on Napier Hill and was indeed beautiful! Breathtaking! The floors, ceilings, windowsills and most of the furniture was from kauri wood and worth a fortune!

We unpacked and drove into Napier looking for a restaurant for our evening meal. It was still pouring with rain, the sea and sky had merged into a dense grey mass and even the commuters looked miserable, heads bent as they left their warm offices and trundled home. We parked our car and, umbrella held firmly on one side so as not to blow away in the howling gale, we made our way to the first restaurant we found open. It didn’t look very salubrious but had maintained the Art Deco style throughout although required some ‘tender loving care’!

 The next day we booked a walking tour to see the collection of Art Deco buildings. There were also some impressive statues which would be well worth a visit. But there was a catch. It was still pouring with rain and blowing a gale! I needed to get my priorities right! I was on holiday and no one knew me. Our last day in Napier with no control over the weather! I could either stay in my beautiful warm room, curled up in bed with a good book (which I had) or get out there, puffer waistcoat, jacket and umbrella and ‘do’ Napier!

I ‘did’ Napier! But I’m going to be honest! I didn’t enjoy it! In fact, I really didn’t enjoy anything of the walk for two hours clutching my umbrella with one hand and trying to keep the tiny speaker in my only good ear with the other! Seen one Art Deco building you’ve seen them all! I know I was pathetic but no two people are the same! My husband loved the tour, took hundreds of wet photographs, revelled in the architecture and enthused over the statues. He hung on to every word the seriously loquacious Australian (can you believe?) guide bleated on and on about! We studied the designs in detail, piece by tedious piece, brick by cold, wet, insanely boring brick!

But we had an escape route! Oh what joy! Our car parking ticket expired after two hours! My husband had to physically drag himself away from completing the tour of the theatre and the final film show to avoid getting a fine! I cannot describe the sheer bliss of sitting in the warm, comfortable car, heated seat on, dry, survived!

We ended the day on a high by having a six course meal at a restaurant recommended by the owner of our apartment. She also provided the taxi. We included a wine tasting with every course, mainly from the local Hawke’s Bay vineyard. Delicious and well worth ironing my only smart outfit which had been left to atrophy at the bottom of my suitcase!

What a surprise the next morning. We woke up to a golden glow in our bedroom. The sun had finally made an appearance. We sat staring out at the Pacific Ocean, a glorious shade of azure blue, mirroring the cloudless sky. 

But the sun is fickle. As we head down the Highway towards Wellington for our final two nights on the North Island, clouds returned to remind us that this had been and still was one of the wettest Springs on record! The sun played its favourite game, ‘now you see me, now you don’t’ and then vanished behind a black storm cloud which guided us into Wellington! And another two days of gales and downpours ….👠

We loaded up the car and headed  for the State Highway and a little village called Thames. Rain and wind remained our constant companions but we soldiered on in the hope that we would leave the bad weather behind!

The brochure described our boutique bed and breakfast as having stunning views of the Kauaeranga river on an acre of beautiful countryside. There was a spa pool and patio with access to our own private garden! We would be close to local beaches, bird watching and a base to explore the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula. All fine and well if we had the time.  We didn’t! We were arriving in the evening  and leaving early the following morning!

The bed and breakfast apartment was all the brochure said it would be! Our hosts were lovely. We drove along the very winding road of the peninsula as the setting sun cast its glorious crimson glow over the horizon. The sun, like a golden orb, created a glistening path stretching across the shimmering waters of the Pacific Ocean.  It narrowed as it reached the shore, waves that lapped gently over the sand sparkled like millions of tiny diamonds.  The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, we headed to a small town called Katikati to meet up with friends we had made thirty five years ago in a little mining town in South Africa called Secunda.

Who would have thought that, so many years later, we would meet up on another continent. Our lives had moved in such different directions yet it felt as if we had just popped in for a chat, like old friends! We spent a wonderful few hours looking at photographs, swapping news of our children and grandchildren and just enjoying each other’s company. Like we used to over dinner or cups of tea in Secunda!

Then on to Rotorua and our next accommodation, a lodge set in two acres of lush grounds nestling on the slopes of Mount Ngongotaha. It was the smell that ‘welcomed’ us into the spa town and followed us until miraculously vanishing as we started the climb up the side of the mountain. The air became fresher and cooler and the persistent rain finally abated, our first sight of a blue, cloudless sky for days! But it was cold, very cold! Out came my puffer jacket and favourite black jeans as my ‘go to’ outfit for the evening meal! Certainly not up to my usual standard! But no one knew me and probably wouldn’t see me again ……. whew!

The next day was my birthday in New Zealand. Not in England! Bizarre! I got a card from my husband and our host baked a gluten free chocolate birthday cake. Delicious! My Australian relatives sent texts and Facebook messages but I had to wait for later that evening before relatives and friends in England caught up with us!  Threatening grey clouds had replaced the cloudless blue of the previous evening as we drove to the Waimangu volcanic valley. The threat of rain was always present but we walked the entire route to the bottom of the valley and  back up, not catching the bus like the rest of the tourists! Earned a brownie point from my Fitbit who got really excited when I reached twenty thousand steps! I celebrated with a couple of glasses of red wine and a delicious steak!
The next day we went to the village of Taupo and walked along the beach, the blue sky had returned and added some warmth to the sun. We went to Te Puia, a Maori heritage site and watched in awe as the huge Pohutu geyser, the star of the show and the largest active geyser in the Southern Hemisphere, erupted spectacularly up to 100 feet, as it did twice every hour.  Geothermal hot pools gurgled along the route which were used by Maoris for cooking, washing, bathing and preparing flax down the centuries. Fascinating! We ended the afternoon with a visit to the kiwi sanctuary, peering through the gloom at these strange nocturnal birds with spiky feathers and long, pointed beaks.
We headed back to our accommodation as the sun set on another enjoyable day and watched the four resident alpacas getting fed, greedily digging their noses into packets held out to them by other residents. I packed my suitcase, again, in readiness for our next adventure, Napier, the Art Deco capital of New Zealand! It had begun to rain and the temperature had plummeted. Grabbing my old faithful puffer jacket we headed out to the town for our meal and a warming glass of wine. I could get used to this …..! 👠

 

We left Hong Kong and set off for New Zealand, landing in Auckland on a sunny afternoon. We collected a car and found our way to an apartment near the city centre. All good so far.

The next morning we awoke, bright and early, watched as a shower of rain made a brief appearance and then the sun heralded the start of another exciting day. We drove up to Paihia, a little town where we had booked a coach trip the following day. Alas, as we headed up north the rain became our constant companion!

On our arrival that evening we wandered into the town armed with my umbrella and had a delicious meal on the quay, watching a large cruiser anchor just outside the inlet to the bay. Walking back to our apartment the wind picked up and the rain became significantly heavier. Lying in bed a bit later the wind had morphed into a howling gale and rain lashed down on to the flat roof making sleep almost impossible!

The owner of our apartment had left us a continental breakfast because we were meeting the coach at 7:15 am the next morning. The rendezvous was in front of a motel about a kilometre down the road. I really didn’t feel like going and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck inside a coach with masses of people breathing and coughing, fogging up windows!

The strength of the wind had mobilised our patio chairs and table and hurled them against the iron railings. This clanging noise periodically rose above that of the wind and rain, sounding like heavy chains hammering against steel! When the alarm finally woke me at 6:00 am the weather hadn’t changed! I really didn’t feel like going on the trip and voiced my concern! But we made our way to the meeting point and climbed onto the coach to join the other intrepid looking travellers.

The name of the tour was the ‘Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach Day Trip’. We visited the magnificent Puketona Kauri Forest and saw the majestic kauri trees. These giant trees have become protected as their very versatile wood was exported around the world, leaving one of New Zealand’s once prolific species on the brink of extinction. We visited the most northern point of North Island, Cape Reinga and walked along the cliff to the light house. We saw the meeting of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean as they crashed together like two powerful giants rushing headlong into battle. According to Maori legend, spirits depart on their journey home to Hawaiki at this historic site.

We ended what turned out to be a most enjoyable journey, with a drive along 90 Mile Beach. The coach left lone tracks in the sand for miles! We had been so lucky all day as we followed the patch of blue cloud, keeping just enough distance between the rain and the sunshine.
When we arrived back at the meeting place I held onto the umbrella as we walked up the steep hill to our apartment to collect the car keys. We found a small supermarket and bought some cheese, biscuits, grapes and a bottle of wine.

Sitting in our cosy bedroom cum sitting room we listened to the storm showing no sign of abating. We were comforted in the knowledge that we didn’t have to get up early the next morning as we were heading down the coast to hopefully significantly better weather!

I am very grateful that I don’t have a crystal ball! I would not have enjoyed the evening as much as I did if I had known that the next stop was going to be as wet and windy as our current one! Alas, we can’t control the weather! But we can make a concerted effort to enjoy ourselves despite it! 👠

 

 

We landed in Hong Kong a few days ago. Filled with trepidation I was not looking forward to spending five days here! Five days of potential protests! Five days staring at the four walls of our hotel room!

But this hasn’t  happened. We have been out every day. We have passed two protest pickets. The first one was in Kowloon. It was small but noisy. Not at all intimidating and quite exciting! The next couple of hours passed calmly and without any incident. We boarded the ferry back to Hong Kong island without any sense of foreboding.

We made our way into the centre of the city and climbed steps up the side of a bridge to cross over the street. As we neared the top we could hear chanting. We looked down. Thousands of people, most dressed in black with some wearing masks, were chanting what sounded like ‘Freedom Hong Kong’. Police cars, their blue lights flashing ominously, had surrounded the protesters. I took a photo on my phone and we hurried across the bridge and into the station.

It was heaving! A kind young girl helped my husband and I get tickets for the MTR (the underground train) and, after dicing with death just to get onto the escalator, we boarded our train. It was 4:00 pm and not yet peak hour but the station was amass with people of all ages hell bent on getting out of town.

We got back to our hotel and I had a long soaking bath. It left me feeling less stressed and much cooler! Having lived in South Africa for many years I was always on my guard. It was indoctrinated into us to hang onto our handbags. Seeing luggage or bags left unattended always resulted in a check to find the owner or reporting it to the police. ANC bomb threats were a part of our lives, much like the IRA in Britain. But time has moved on and the terrorist threats in England are largely only highlighted at airports and wherever crowds gather. They don’t affect our normal daily lives.

But we had survived unscathed and I moved on. The next day we went on a coach trip to see the world’s second largest Buddha. The cable car ride up to the top of the mountain was spectacular. We had glass windows and a glass floor so views were totally unrestricted!

It was another blisteringly hot, humid day so the climb up 260 steps to reach the Buddha was more of a challenge than usual! We had a halfway rest break when a Chinese couple asked us to take a photograph of them standing in front of the Buddha and they returned the favour.

We then moved on to a small fishing village where the main industry is drying fish. They are the lowest caste so cannot live on land. They have built their houses on stilts above the water or live on their boats. Bizarre in this day and age! It gave poverty a whole new meaning seeing how they had to survive. Without their small dried fishing industry (fascinating once your olfactory senses became immune to the strong smell!) they would have nothing.

Sunday morning we tried to get to the top of one of the small hills, climbing steps between huge tower blocks which is where the majority of people live. We had been warned to be back by 2:00 pm as that was when the protest march had been predicted in a park very near our hotel. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and relaxing in the cool and safety of our very pleasant room.

Later on we went back up to the 41st floor and had a most enjoyable meal watching the spectacular light show. Lasers and moving pictures formed a magnificent background as we had panoramic views across the whole coastline.

We fly to Auckland today. It’s raining so we are once more immobile. Not ideal but have little desire to get wet and clammy before our long haul flight. So it will soon be goodbye Hong Kong, hello New Zealand…. 👠

There is a problem with my tablet! There was an upgrade a couple of weeks ago and I have lost my WordPress app! One would have thought that I could get this link back without too much of a problem! I can’t! All I get when reporting the issue is a request to change my password. I have changed my password twelve times! I have requested to stay logged in. I have saved the link to my favourites. I still cannot click into the app and write a blog!

So I have all but given up! I spent Friday evening battling my tablet! I tried logging in through my Apple ID. I was advised that this had failed so to try again later! Agh! I have turned the tablet off to reset. No joy! This is where I miss my job. The only time I ever miss my job! There is no IT department to report the problem and wait for the knock on my office door. A young child would sit at my desk, hit a few buttons and, hey presto, all would be back to normal!

I have no practical gene. When I needed help with excel spreadsheets I knew who to turn to. When they weren’t able to help I used to play around, get the result I needed but never able to replicate! I used to illogically get around problems, never understanding or able to backtrack and find a logical route to any problem solving. I just used to ‘get there’ in the end!

The same has happened now. I have found a circuitous route to login to my WordPress account and write this blog. Perhaps a human will eventually get back to me and reset the link. I shall continue to live in hope ……👠

 

I have to pack again! I don’t want to sound ungrateful or churlish but it does fill me with dread! This time we are away for almost six weeks! I can barely manage the usual two week holiday so six weeks is just way outside my comfort zone!

But I have started, one whole week early, by sorting through my earrings drawer and separating them by colours. This will make packing easier so that is why I claim to have started! I can’t, however, understand how easily I lose one earring so have a number of odd ones which I have finally thrown away!

I do, however, think we have a resident jewellery ghost. Either that or I am misplacing things and should begin to worry! I’ll probably worry anyway because that is what I do, but I am hoping that it’s not me! I am brave now because my husband doesn’t go away anymore. I wouldn’t be quite so blasé if I was home alone!

I’ll give an example. I have a ‘thing’ about watches. I have well over a dozen, all in different colours to match most of my outfits! But they didn’t cost the earth. I bought them from two shops in the States, one in Naples in Florida with a friend and the other in a pretty little town called Kennebunkport in Maine. They are fashion watches so cost a few dollars each but don’t look cheap. I also bought a significant amount of batteries ( they all use the same size) so won’t run out for years!

I think the resident ghost has a ‘thing’ about my watches and ‘borrows’ them! When we visited my family in Boston in July my husband and I dropped our hired car off at the garage and walked back to my son’s house. It was very hot and humid so I removed the chunky gold watch I was wearing to help tidy up the kitchen. I was sure that I had taken the watch back to our bedroom but when I got home to the UK it was gone! I searched everywhere then finally gave up, convinced I had left it in Boston.

I keep my watches in a makeup bag. When we returned from Boston I put the watches back into their bag. This is when I realised that the gold watch was missing. I packed, then repacked the bag and it definitely wasn’t there! Last Saturday we were going out with friends. I was wearing gold jewellery and voiced my concern that my gorgeous gold watch was now missing so had to chose another colour. I emptied the bag and chose a black one. Packing the watches back I noticed a small plastic bag in the corner. I pulled it out and was gob-smacked when I realised it was the lost gold watch! Strange but true!

I can quote similar instances about earrings and necklaces. Not a lot of people believe me when I tell them and my husband thinks I’m weird anyway so get no sympathy from him! My mother-in-law used to lose silver objects in her old house so she would be my most receptive ally. She has also told me that she asks St. Christopher to help her find missing items so maybe that’s what I should do from now on!

I digress! Back to packing! I have an added problem! We go to Hong Kong for four days. It will be warm. We then fly to New Zealand. Their weather is very changeable at this time of year but certainly not warm. I could have had two bags with a total weight if 40kgs. I can’t because we are catching trains and flying interstate in New Zealand then on to Australia. I can only pack 23kgs so I’m stymied!

But, I have started packing. I now have a bathing costume, joggers and trainers and my knee straps on the bed in the spare room. I have a few pairs of earrings and some necklaces in a bag. There are multi vitamins and my ‘beauty’ tablets, a winter jacket and a pair of pyjamas. That’s it so far.

I’m going to sleep on it and continue in the morning! 👠

Last weekend two cousins visited, both from South Africa. One still lives there but the other lives in London and is the husband of my Aunt’s daughter, therefore making him a cousin by marriage. They were going to the Manchester United v Leicester football match and had seats in a box! The excitement was great!

Let me explain. The cousin still living in South Africa has been a Manchester United supporter for many years. It has always surprised me how men can avidly support teams from nowhere near where they live and even in other countries! But I can’t understand their devotion to football anyway! This is a Mars trait. I’m from Venus! Although there are some women who are staunch football supporters as well so probably shouldn’t make this ‘sweeping’ statement!

The cousins arrived on Friday night. Their sheer joy was plain to see! They couldn’t have been more enthused if they had won the football pools! My husband is NOT a Manchester United fan! Being a sports fanatic and, like all sports-minded males, an expert on all things football, he was soon adding to the euphoria as the beers flowed!

I served the meal, tidied up (this time without complaining that I had cooked so husband had to tidy up!) and made myself scarce. I periodically popped in to check if they needed anything (damn I’m good!) then retired to a hot bath and bed. I agreed the time they wanted breakfast in the morning so set the alarm and snuggled down to read my book before drifting off to sleep.

If I had thought that the excitement of the previous evening was huge, Saturday dawned, clear and bright with the atmosphere at breakfast tangibly electric! I do enjoy seeing people happy and soon felt as if I was part of this magical experience! We laughed and joked as we ploughed through our full ‘English breakfast’ then cheered them on their way! Walking back into the house felt as if we were stepping into a morgue! Suddenly the bubble had burst. All I could see was a mountain of washing up, even after the dishwasher had been loaded and turned on!

The rest of the day followed at a more subdued pace. The visit to my Mother in her care home was even more depressing than usual! I had to wake her and she was not in the best of moods! I tried to cajole her by reading from a picture book but that seemed to have the opposite effect! I left early rather can cause any further distress.

But the sun had come out and our ‘teak house’ 🏠 at the bottom of the garden was warm and inviting. My husband and I treated ourselves to a gin and tonic and checked the football results. Manchester United had won on a penalty, which my husband insisted had to be ‘dodgy’ and we awaited the arrival of the two boys.

My husband was outside preparing the barbecue when I heard raucous laughter and went to the door. They both came in bearing gifts, flowers and wine and then told me about their adventurous journey home. I have not laughed so loud and so long for a very long time!

They had parked their car at the Navigation Road tram station. Getting to the grounds had been a doddle. Getting back, however, had been a challenge! When they arrived at the tram station it was heaving! My cousin rushed to get into the carriage just as the doos were closing. Cousin-in-law didn’t make it so watched helplessly as his relative, with a look of sheer panic on his face, vanished into the sunset!

Apparently a number of frantic text messages followed as my cousin had forgotten where the car had been parked. Unfortunately so had cousin-in-law although he said he would have recognised the station when he saw it! Finally, finding a map of the metro system at the far end of the coach, my cousin recognised the name ‘Navigation Road’.

Feeling calmer he sat down and relaxed. When Navigation Road was broadcast on the tannoy system he was waiting at the door, in time to alight as the tram stopped. But the door didn’t open. He banged on it, jumped up and down, stamped his feet then looked around frantically at the passengers who were staring back at him, bemused! ‘I needed to get off here’, he shouted, waving his arms wildly as the tram moved off!

‘You should have pushed the button,’ a man informed him! I can only imagine that the carriage must have been filled with Leicester fans because people up North are reknowned for being very friendly! My cousin was proudly wearing his Manchester United scarf so was obviously not one of them!

So the journey took him to the end of the line, then back to Navigation Road! He didn’t even have to push the button! The doors opened! He walked to where he knew the car had been parked. It wasn’t there! Cousin-in-law had decided to move it, maybe to confuse him even more! There must have been a logical reason but I can’t remember what it was!

I can’t give justice to this story as facial expressions and actions speak significantly louder than words! There are no trams in South Africa so not a typical mode of transport. Apparently there was a sign in the coach reminding passengers to push the button but, when panic sets in, signs are easily missed!

But, memories were made and Manchester United won. My cousin has visited the hallowed football grounds at Old Trafford! My husband, who seriously detests Manchester United and their supporters (they behave like this on Mars!) remains on good terms with my family! He shared his beers and his home so bears no visible grudge!

Laughter is definitely a good medicine! Happiness and enthusiasm is so easily shared! A good time was had by all! Thank you, cousin and cousin-in-law. You are most welcome back. Anytime! 👠

I lay awake last night not able to turn off! I had built up 18.5k steps so was physically really tired. Unfortunately the steps must have stimulated my brain (some scientists do call the brain a muscle!) and it had gone into overdrive!

When going to bed I had followed my usual routine of completing the easy crossword puzzle in the Telegraph, then reading my book. My husband was pondering over the cryptic crossword so muttered every now and then but there was a relaxed atmosphere in the room. I had long turned off the television sick and tired of the Brexit debate. I just wanted it over and done with so that the country could get back to normal! The news remains full of it and our MP’s are an embarrassment and need to sort themselves out once and for all!

My husband turned his light off at 11:30 pm, said goodnight and immediately rolled over and fell asleep! I carried on reading a couple more chapters before switching off my light, still wide awake. I thought I could relax my aching body and eventually drift off to sleep.

I have a family issue at the moment so worked through a few scenarios, gave up and revisited the walk with my friend earlier. We had sunshine all day with only a slight breeze. The temperature was perfect for some relatively gently exercise and the chosen route proved idyllic. The wild roses and produced their end of season hips. The brambles lining the little country lanes were heaving with red and black berries, soon to be collected for jams and crumbles. Ferns were still green as were the leaves on the majestic oaks, pines, ash, chestnut and other indigenous trees grown up over the years.

Unfortunately I didn’t linger too long over nature before moving on to the topics of our conversation. My friend and I are both quite political and follow the news . We do have the same views, which helps, but it doesn’t stop us from having heated debates over the way our government and parliament have behaved over the last few weeks! With little or no walkers on the road we could vent our spleens as loudly and with as much gusto as we liked! We had animated conversations about the prime minister, the opposition leaders, various MP’s and the Speaker of the House! Put us in charge of Brexit and it would be done and dusted by the end of this month!

Once more I tried to relax and calm down. I took a few deep breaths and moved on to our forthcoming holiday. We’ll be spending three weeks in New Zealand and two in Australia. I have never been away from home so long so went through my list of ‘what ifs’. This caused some stress and I felt as if it would be best to get up, go downstairs and read my book. But I persevered.

I moved on to my wardrobe. As explained in an earlier blog, packing is not my strong point! This time I am determined to get it right! I’ll go with two colours which should limit the amount of clothes as my choice would be restricted. So I thought about black and navy. But lime green, orange, white, silver, gold and florals all go well with both these colours. If I just packed black and navy trousers and shorts I could wear an unlimited amount of coloured tops! This brought me back to square one so decided to forget about packing until I had checked the weather. It would at least help steer me towards the type of clothing if not the amount!

I looked at the alarm clock shining brightly on my bed side table. It showed 4:10 am. I needed to get up at a respectable time as it was Wednesday and the exercise class at my mother’s care home. My friend was giving the lesson but I needed to arrange the music. I got out of bed, took my book and glasses and went downstairs. I read until 6:00 am before going back to bed. I set the alarm for 9:00 am. Ample time to arrange the music and perhaps three hours sleep! Alas, I only managed two!

But, I’ll survive! I’m not having to make any executive decisions or ensure money deposits have the right number of noughts! I also don’t have a forty minute drive to and from the office, putting up with imbeciles on the road! Life could be a lot worse! I’ll try sleeping again tonight …..👠

I always thought that I could dance fairly well. I don’t mean ballroom dancing or even disco or club dancing. I mean going to the gym and doing the exercise dances. Twenty years ago when I last did an aerobic dance class I wasn’t too bad!

So last Thursday I booked the ‘Twenty Twenty’ class. Twenty minutes dance, twenty minutes step and twenty minutes abs. I felt confident that I could give it my best shot but was slightly concerned about my knees not being able to cope with the steps. I climbed Ben Nevis about ten years ago and damaged my left knee. My right followed a few years later but, with the help of knee straps, they haven’t stopped me from doing anything!

The warm up was easy! I could manage the moves without any problem! I even became quite excited at the prospect of learning a new dance. I wandered if I could convert some of the movements to chair exercises for the residents on a Wednesday morning when I have to give the class! The instructor began showing us a new routine. We sashayed, stepped back, kicked our right leg forward and did a mamba. All was going really well and I was feeling confident!

Then we had to sashay from one side to the other moving forward, turn, perform an intricate four step, then sashay back. Alas, this was too much for me to handle in the allotted time. My balance is not good but the quick turns and cross over feet left me lucky to stay upright! We had to do this routine first starting with the right foot and then the left, with no breaks in between. This was the first time for the whole class but I”m sure the others must have been given a heads up and practiced at home! Or I am even worse than I ever imagined!!

We moved onto the twenty minutes step routine. Once more we were warned that it was new and also that it was not going to be easy! That should have been my cue to make a quick exit! But I didn’t! I soldiered on regardless of the potential embarrassment that was bound to ensue. If I thought that the dance routine was difficult, it was nothing compared to the step! The instructor gave us a choice to stick to the easy moves or follow her. There was no way that I was going to even attempt the intricate double hops, sideways kicks and then jumps off the front of the step, turn around and leap back over to face the front! It was so bad that I forgot the easy options and stood still until everyone faced forward and we started with the other foot!

But I have decided that I will be back next week! If I was able to hold my own twenty years ago I can do the same now! Because I have to see the instructor (it is awkward wearing varifocals so don’t wear glasses) and I am deaf in my right ear, I position myself in front on the left. This means that my lack of skills are clearly visible to the rest of the class! I can’t even remember enough of the moves to practice at home! Trying very hard to have a ‘glass half full’ I am sure that one day soon I’ll have a Eureka moment! I’ll miraculously find the confidence to leap over the step without fear of broken bones or nails. I’m holding the thought of dancing like a professional and twirling around the room like the woman who stood behind me and kept on trying to bump me off the floor! I’ll embrace the power of positive thinking! I’m up for this challenge! Watch this space ……… 👠