Purpling toenails slowly falling off from blistered hikes
Ripening tomatoes, thick, vibrant, juicy treats
Salty ocean swims, whipping west coast wind, turbid water and chaotic waves
More muddy river swims and biking without a destination
Kitten melted in puddles on the floor, struggling to take off her fluffy coat
A cacophony of cicadas, the complex chatter of tui and the honks of peacock
Visiting cherished friends, time apart vanishes between laughter and shared kai
Cuddling babies - their soft, sticky hands and new teeth
Long evenings at the farm, golden-hour drenched over hills and flowers
New tracks opening tunnels to unexplored areas through walls of stingy gorse
Loss of a dear friend, welcoming the depths of grief and praise
A forest vigil - candles, flowers, tears, memories and silence
Dinners on the long table, fresh garden grilled on the bbq, a mutli-bless of speeches and laughter
Packing boxes of summer kai for the people, a rainbow spread of delights
More and more friends and family getting the virus
Vaccines, protests, riots, confusion
Sleeping in hammocks, under crown-shy kānuka
Kayak fishing, a gang of deep, circling kingfish
Forests of thick bamboo, waterfalls, ferns, giant rata
Flittering pīwakawaka, swooping kererū, the inquisitive pause of a young deer
Friends, helpers, visitors, dogs
Apples and apples and apples and apples!
A circle of women, celebrating and despairing for the earth.
Dancing barefoot, expressing life stories through stones and flowers, hushed tones and bold steps
Enjoying the sweetness of homegrown watermelon, plums and strawberries
Collecting seed, storing past and future stories
Bumblebees resting on echinacea pollen
Sunflowers blooming, inspiring, drying and drooping
The sharp turn into autumn as the air cools overnight
Summer melts into the distant horizon
Moving north to greet old friends
