Holidays, Volcanoes and Back to Work.

2010 has started well for me so far. Chiefly because for the first time in what feels like years I've had 3 weeks off all in a row.  I could get used to it so it's just as well I'm back to work tomorrow.

Last week I made sure there was enough food in the house and petrol in the car so Rosie and Tom would not notice my absence and went to spend a week with George and his kids  in Masterton.
                                                        

Having a holiday with a sibling is fun because after so many years of independent living it's like getting to know a new person without all the hard work because there are still so many familiarities. On the day I arrived we went to the latest exhibition at Te Papa.    . " A day in the life of Pompeii".  It was amazing. I would go to Wellington just to see that on it's own. Did you know that before Vesuvius, the Romans had no word for Volcano? They had never experienced one before. So when the mountain was erupting they had no way of knowing what was going to happen next and of course no evacuation plan or disaster relief package. Things don't change much over the years. Look at what has happened this last week in Haiti.

Anyway moving on - the Pompeii exhibition seemed to develop a focus for our holiday because we decided that we would spend a few days checking out some of our own volcanoes. We mapped out a journey that would take us up past Ruapehu, and then include having a go at the Tongariro crossing.   
And finally if time allowed we would look at Mount Egmont. 

For me the highlight of the trip definitely  had to be the day we spent walking up in the mountains although the little boys would disagree. They did well . Reuben is only 7 and that day he walked over 15 kms.

Words often seem to me to be such an inadequate way to communicate the depth of an experience. If only we were more highly evolved creatures we could look into the eyes of another and they would immediately understand how we felt.   Perhaps some photos might do the trick.

 

 

Lastly here's a photo of something we saw at the Turangi national trout centre whcih made me think about how we understand our day to day reality.

We went to the viewing chamber where you can see the trout under the water. It immediately made me think of the Truman Show. Do you think those trout know there is a world that exists above the water? A huge, vast world that is inaccessible to them? What say there is a world just outside our line of sight? What would we think if only we knew how to see it?

Well enough from me I think. Yes it's time I went to work and started thinking sensible thoughts.

Have a great sensible week everyone. Cheers Marg