Wednesday, May 7

Tequila Sunrise

This rose is called Tequila Sunrise. It is very beautiful, & to me, could well represent my Beloved departed Aunt. She had a heart of gold to me, & was never less than loving & caring. I hope, if there is an afterlife, she is resting in peace & love.



My sad journey to farewell her, began at 3am. I caught a train down to the Airport at 4am, & it was quite eerie travelling along in the dark outside, in the lit carriages, with snoring passengers who were obviously workers commuting on a trip they were used to. I watched as they woke to some mysterious clock of their own, to proceed to their job destinations.

I had quite a lot of time to fill in at the Airport, & was quite happy to sit & watch the passing parade. I must have looked friendly, as several people struck up conversations. It is always interesting to talk to diverse peoples.

At last I was above the clouds. Luxury of a window seat, alone. Three seats, all to myself. I love flying, & love flying alone, for some reason. Above the clouds the cares are just as present, though. No cessation of grief or worry.



The Waikato area of New Zealand's North Island, has suffered a severe drought this year. It is normally green & lush. They have had a little rain, which has superficially greened the rolling paddocks. I liked the image of this rainbow over the Waikato farmland. Those glowering skies did bring rain.

I was thrilled to hear & see, this tui singing his heart out, in my Aunt's Kowhai tree. This Aunt was unwell, & unable to attend the funeral, so we called to see her. It is sad to think I may not see her again, as she is 80, & has failing health.
The Tui is very indistinct, but I could not get a clearer photo, & the Kowhai is the biggest one I have ever seen, I think.

These are the Pine Forests of Tokoroa, which is in the region where my Aunt lived. The pollen lies thick upon the road, & all the surrounding areas. I cannot believe people don't suffer massive sinus problems, living amongst it all. As you can see, we had a good clear road, with no traffic to contend with. Pity we took a wrong turn! haha.


This is a new feature in the little town where I was born. My brother is on the left enquiring as to the whereabouts of toilets, which I was in dire need of! I stopped to take this pic, was very impressed with the carving, & would have liked the chance to ask questions about it all, but time was pressing- along with my bladder!


Here is my little Great Nephew, the first night I arrived in Auckland. He was so bright & at almost 6 weeks was on the verge of smiling at us.

Here he is asleep in my arms, the morning before we left for the funeral. He is just gorgeous. He is the apple of his Grandmother's eye- well both Grandmothers. As he should be. His lovely mother K brought him up for me to cuddle the morning we left to travel.

And here he is, a week later, after our return. He was smiling & so alert & happy. He is just beautiful of course, & is progressing really well, & sleeping almost through the night. It felt so lovely to cuddle his little vital body, & watch his smiles.



My return flight was crowded, so no luxury of the window seat. I was scrunched up in between 2 other women. My flights were with Emirates Ailines, & they certianly provide nice food, & also have inflight movies, with individual screens & headphones. I could not be bothered watching a movie, but gave my headphones to the girl on my right, & let the girl on my left watch her Hindi movie on my screen, as hers didn't work. The flight was just over 3 hours, so not long really.
I struggled with baggage at the train, on the return. I got lost & couldnt remember where to get my train home. After struggling with my heavy case, I must have been looking very stressed, as a kind gentleman offered to help me out. The train was very crowded, & I struggled to find a seat, under the baleful glare of a nasty fat man, who spread himself defensively over 2 seats, & tried to guard the other 3 seats facing him. I threw my case onto the seat in the corner, & glared right back. I felt very tempted to thank him loudly & sarcastically for his lack of manners or help, but really didn't have the strength or the breath left. What a time to get an asthma attack!
I noted he was wearing a shirt with a Westpac logo. His son joined him shortly after I had arrived, & I could see it must be their nightly ritual to meet in those seats. I was doubly disgusted when they left the train at a suburban station, so really, they could have caught any other train home, & left the Countrylink train for genuine Countrylink travellers.
As I alighted at my home station, I was huffing & puffing, waiting for the very crowded lift to the platform, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. There stood Gom! Imagine my surprise. It turned out he had caught the train to the Airport to meet me. He had not told me he was intending to do that. We missed each other, of course, & then he was panicking, as he knew I had no house key, & thought I may have got home ahead of him. We were both glad to see each other, even though I could have used his help earlier.
Next morning we had visitors arrive to stay, & they have just travelled on, yesterday. I still feel I need a day of sleep to catch up. I have still not had my cry. My brother & I tore about the countryside visiting rellies, & catching up with aging family members. I am still feeling all the swirling emotions from so many events.


My beloved Granddaughter had her 19th birthday on Monday, & we all went out for a slap-up Yum Cha lunch. I am still kicking myself for not taking photos!!! I hope my brain catches me up soon!


The beloved Cousin, who has just stayed with us, has her Birthday tomorrow. My 90 year old Uncle will turn 91 on 14th. My eldest son has a Birthday on 25th. This is a busy month for birthdays in our family.

Amerca, These Brown Eyes.







22 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, you really do need some 'me' time, don't you? Hang in there.

I too, like flying alone. Shame you could not have had the same peace on the return journey. Thanks for sharing you pics.

Mike said...

Wow, you've been busy. Sorry part of it was under such sad circumstances. I have traveled alone so much in my lifetime that I actually prefer to travel with someone now. Seems to make the trip go by so much faster.

Hope you get a nice rest Meggie.

Blue Moon Girl said...

Sorry I am so late to the game here. I have been very remiss in blog commenting for awhile now.

I'm very sorry for the loss of your aunt. It sounds as if you had a sad, but lovely trip. Your Great Nephew is simply gorgeous!

I hope you have gotten your good cry in. Everyone needs that once and awhile. I also hope you finally manage to get a little rest! You're making me tired just reading all of this.

Stomper Girl said...

Yes, I hope you get some rest Meggie! Your great nephew is adorable.

Katie said...

*hugs*

The Sagittarian said...

I like flying alone too, its great to read uninterrupted or daydream or whatever.
Make sure you get some "me" time, Meggie - a nice long stroll along the beach with a mini-bottle of bubbly should do nicely (unless you cna manage a large bottle...)

ancient one said...

So glad you remembered to take pictures when you went home. Your nephew is so sweet and handsome. I'm glad GOM was there to meet you when you returned.

I'm having a busy month too! Wedding on the 17th and Family Reunion on the 25th

Mary said...

I believe you have inherited your aunt's loving nature and heart of gold.

And as others have said I hope you find the space and peace to have that cry!

quiltmom anna said...

Hi Meggie,
It sounds like you gave your aunt a grand send off and that you made some wonderful family reconnections even though it occurred under such sad circumstances. Your new grand nephew is a handsome little one.
I enjoyed looking at the photos from New Zealand -it looks like it would be a beautiful place to visit.
What is a Yum Cha lunch? I am glad that GOM was there to meet you- there is always something nice about being met at the airport or the bus station- it has a loving welcoming feeling when one is coming home from a journey.
Take time to catch up to yourself Meggie- each of us grieves in our own way and in our own time-
Hugs to you,
Regards,
Anna

Anonymous said...

That was thoughtful of GOM to come and get you - even if his plan didn't quite work.

Lone Grey Squirrel said...

Again, sorry for the loss of your aunt. Glad though that you had a safe trip. I could imagine your joy and relief after that long journey to meet GOM at the train station. God bless.

Kitty said...

Beautiful pictures Meggie - and an even more beautiful baby.

I'm sure your Aunt is at peace now, and probably with you for some of the time too.

Take care. x

Joyce said...

The pictures of NZ make me want to go there. Your great nephew is so cute.
I was at a memorial service for an uncle last week and seeing all the 80 plus year old relatives and neighbors was a sobering sight. I don't see many of them often and they all looked so frail. IT reminded me that I'm not getting any younger either.

Thimbleanna said...

You need a rest, Sweet Meggie! I love your posts -- so interesting to hear about your travels. And thanks for mentioning how long the flight to NZ was -- just yesterday I was telling someone that my son in Sydney hopes to go to NZ at the end of his semester there and they asked me how long the flight to NZ is -- so, I guessed! I was close, but a bit short. ;-)

smilnsigh said...

Oh my Dear, I hope you'll soon have the time to rest, and to have that cry. And to do all you need to do, to come to closure with all of this. And after such a trip, you have more than your Aunt's departure, to come to grips with. The aging relative too...

Please... Rest... Cry if it will help... Do what you need to do... Please...

Gentle hugs,
Mari-Nanci
Smilnsigh

Paula said...

Still sending warm thoughts to you, dear Meggie...

fifi said...

Babies really are pillows of love, and such medicine for sorrows. There ought to be baby-cuddling stations, where you can go and cuddle a baby if you need to and don't have one handy.

Lovely tale. An adventure. Sad, yes, but an adventure all the same.

molly said...

You needed to come home to catch your breath if for no other reason!

Leslie: said...

Good to see you back on the blog. Some people can be so rude on public transportation, can't they? But it was so loving of Gom to meet and surprise you! Take good care, enjoy all the birthday celebrations, and remember your aunt with love and fondness. That rose is absolutely stunning!

LBA said...

That looks like a big/alert boy for 6/7 weeks !!!

Tanya Brown said...

Catching up a bit ... I dart in to read your entries when you write them, but don't always get to drop a note right that instant.

Thank you for the fascinating photos of New Zealand. It's a place I'd like to visit, and the thought that you grew up there seems incredibly exotic.

Great Nephew looks very cuddly. Just looking at his photos, I feel a palpable desire to pick him up and drop a kiss on the top of his head. Isn't it nice that at that age, they can't escape when we want to hug them? No, they simply have to sit there and patiently endure being snuggled and cooed to for hours. Bwahahahaha!

I'm glad you made it home safely. It sounds like it was quite a trip, good in many ways, but also bittersweet and mentally and physically tiring.

Anonymous said...

Happy bithday to your Uncle! Isn't that little prsson just beautiful! I just love babies at that stage they are so snuggly and smell so good ... most of the time!