unchanged

Gosh, I'm still dragging myself around, staying up late and getting up equally late. The transition back to this time zone is harder than when I went there. Perhaps I pushed myself to get switched around - lots of activities and excitement made it easier. Back home it is quiet with not much to do except for a trip to liquidation yesterday and some baking today. I suppose there is no rush.

It is a beautiful day: sunny, -2C, and hardly a breath of wind. I walked up and down the laneway, taking photos of the dogs against the brilliant white backdrop and wished that Carm had snowblowed me a path all around the field (which is a totally ridiculous wish as that would be at least 500 m. I thought of the lovely days in Wellington and remembered the nights the wind buffeted the caravan so much I could hardly sleep. I pulled on the wool/cashmere sweater that Kirsten gave me and was warm.

While I was gone my wonderful kitchen time died. It was a three timer unit from Williams Sonoma that I really loved. Carm ordered a replacement which seems like it should be the same thing but it keeps fubaring on me which is a really big drag as when you having a timer going, having it zero out is aggravating (to say the least). I NEED to rely on it! Prepare for some overcooked food :-(

The dogs have mostly settled back to me being home. They do follow me a bit more than usual and when I got home from yesterday's outing Kabira put her head in my lap and cried and cried. She's the most sensitive of the pack. Spike shows up beneath my feet at odd times, perhaps checking that I'm still here. Bella checks too, but not as much as the other two - she's more Carm's dog.

I like today’s quote but wonder if I, myself, have altered. Or have I wasted the opportunity for change and come back the same as I was when I left? I’ll have to think about this. Does a trip away change you? I think if I had gone somewhere like India or China or other place where the culture is so different from ours and where many people have so little I would not be the same when I returned. As it is, New Zealand is very much like Canada and I wasn’t challenged in any way.

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”

~Nelson Mandela