I have just uploaded a few photos from the garden, the beach and the park. I could add some images of the Waikato river and Hamilton gardens, and this group would then give something of the backdrop to our summer days. The holiday period is officially over. Children are gradually creeping back to school in unwilling fashion, and adults equally so to work. Some of the hottest days of the summer have been upon us this last weekend, so the desire to return to lazy days under canvas is still strong. Instead of this we walk; round the nearby park first thing in the morning to get the body going, along the river in the late afternoon to refresh the body, and along the beach at Raglan when time permits the journey there and back (c.45 mins each way). And, although we have no barbecue, (as most here do) we do not cook but we do eat in the garden as often as possible (me perhaps more than Rupert)
The garden is one of my greatest fustrations. We are literally fenced in in a back section. Although I have more square metres to play with than in Winchester and certainly a lot more coming over the fences from the five surrounding properties (including a prolific orchard, a beautiful large walnut tree and grapevines), there is no depth and there are no vistas beyond. I remember nephew Phil helping me to plan the plot in Winchester and encouraging me to make sure there was view beyond the garden gate.
It seems that fences are a more recent phenomenon, emerging as sections became smaller and individual privacy felt threatened. The garden is for me a refuge and place of peace, yet any home and garden is part of a wider space, be it urban or rural. To be able to look beyond from the security of one's home and garden and also to absorb but not be overtaken by the wider community is perhaps symbolic of the human condition. To be at peace within oneself, whatever the weather, whatever the environment or the daily routine is perhaps the secret of contentment.
So, if I do have a new year's resolution, it is to retain the 30-40 minutes of meditation in my daily practice. Over and over again I have proved its value. And yet it is always the first thing to slip. Funny that! Doing what we know is good for us is so often more difficult than doing something good for someone else. And the irony is that the someone elses usually would benefit more, if we had taken care of our personal serenity first!