november

we gave up watching ‘regular’ television years ago and now just buy all our tv series using the itunes store or watch on netflix. my current favourite – suits.

another surprising month for me. i haven’t embarked on any ‘new’ exercise regimes recently, and i don’t ‘diet’ but the constant commitment i have to exercise and taking care of myself seems to still be paying off. more jeans gone from my drawer, replaced by a smaller size.

there was a visit to christchurch to see family. and i got to hang out with one of my sister-in-laws that i’d not previously spent much time with. we had a load of laughs, bonded over shopping (for – amongst other things – those new jeans for me) and glasses of wine.

and i spent a morning at castle hill. i’d just been sitting on top of a stack of rocks pondering something i’d read about the dalai lama naming the place as the spiritual centre of the universe and what do i see below me? a van full of monks! so perhaps there was some truth to that.

then i hopped on a bus to queenstown to run a half marathon, with a foot/ankle issue, so i’m trying to get things sorted out before i commit to another event of a similar length. i don’t want a short-lived long-distance running career so i’m working with a physio and a chiropractor to treat the underlying cause now that event is ticked off my list.

today i’m feeling a little sad, as i write the last daily dispatch to my little list of 31-day subscribers. it’s been so much fun writing a little note to them every day and has made me realise just how varied and amazing my days are.

during the month, my 5dmkii stopped working properly. so i’ve sent it off to the camera hospital, crossing my fingers in hope that whatever needs to be done to repair it can be done quickly so i have it back in time for christmas, because…

i’m thinking about that already, planning and eagerly anticipating a tramping holiday. i have made a list of all the gear we need, and formulated a basic menu. there’ll be home-made turkey jerky and christmas mince pies, and we’re testing some tramping food to see what we can take that is light, wholesome and low on packaging.

i come across these photos of iceland and show them to Nic. the trip we had planned for 10 days in august 2012 (that never happened) feels like unfinished business. two trips in the winter to that beautiful country leaving me wanting to explore it in the summer and these photos just add to that desire.