Tuesday 31 January 2012

The Weekend Reviewed

It seems like an age ago that I set off on a sunny Saturday to drive to Tauranga about 300k via Taupo, Tokoroa, Tirau and over the Kaimai Ranges.  There is definitely something therapeutic as well as thrilling in driving in an open-top car in the sun on roads perfectly designed not for the large cruisers but for the nimble cars like the MX5.

The reason I was in Tauranga was to attend an Aftermas at Katherine's.  It was a wonderful and diverse gathering of friends on a warm afternoon to share food and conversation.

Because of the distance I stayed two nights: two nights when I didn't have, or wasn't aware of having, a night-mare nor even a dream.  I wondered why because it is exceptionally rare for me not to wake in the morning with a dream or, more often, a night-mare.  I very rarely wake during the night though.  So what was different about these nights?  I was sleeping in a caravan and I slept the sleep of the dead until - and herein, I think, lies the answer - I was woken suddenly and without my usual natural wakening. The first morning it sounded as though a harrier had crashed into the roof and the resultant alarm calls from a Blackbird made me think that it had possibly have been the subject of the attack.  The second morning at some hour when the dawn must just have cracked the sky because it still seemed dark to me, a Tui started up its melodious but loud and piercing racket song what felt like about three feet from my head.  I never use an alarm but wake naturally.  Perhaps I'll try setting an alarm for pre-dream time.

The highlight of the food so far as effort was concerned went to this fruit salad made by Katherine's elder son and his partner.


My journey home was via Rotorua and was equally enjoyable. 

9 comments:

  1. Wow that watermelon is fantastic.

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  2. That fruit salad really looks delicious. As for sleep and dreams I doubt you can program it (as they say we go through several dream cycles during the night), but of course you could always try! Meanwhile, I'm glad you got a couple of nights of reprieve!

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  3. Gosh, what a lot of effort they'd put into making that fruit salad.

    Presentation goes such a long way to making a meal taste good.

    SP

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  4. Fantastic fruit salad!! How creative some people are, when I make one, I just chop up everything bite-size and chuck it in a bowl...
    He he the racket/song made me laugh!

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  5. The most adventurous I've ever got is using a scooped out pineapple after I've used my de-coring gadget.

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  6. I love the fruit salad - well done them! I must try that next summer.

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  7. Did you know that when you remove a comment you don't remove the link to your identity? Having commented with the wrong identity that was what I wanted to do. I wonder if the author, GB, can delete the comment entirely?

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  8. It really was a lovely salad presentation! But best for taste (I think) was your cheesecake Geeb, which I sneakily kept back with the excuse we had too many desserts... so we didn't have to share it!

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