All ready for an adventure! Am just waiting for my visa to come through!

I know it's not about what everyone else does, but everyone else's cars (in the 365 Gallery) looked so nice and tidy and shiny inside!  So I went with an outside shot where I could better disguise that my car needs a wash.  Rain overnight and this morning = roads flooded and closed, with our little town totally cut off for a little while - -lucky my car did not need to take me anywhere today!  Yay for the first day of spring!

My Mum is helping me prepare for my upcoming move by altering some of my clothes (I am short so everything I buy needs to be taken up!) and making a skirt for me because I can't find any I like.  It's driving her a bit crazy!  She is in her mid-70s and I am in my mid-40s - I should be able to do my own tailoring ... but it is something she has always done for me - I am very lucky. The perfect photo for this prompt!

I was just taking some shots of the new plum blossoms and when  I reviewed them saw a great prop, which I didn't notice at the time, was captured in this one!

So many delicious indulgences in the gallery! Sadly no such indulgences in my house today.  I did however give myself permission to spend the afternoon indulging in my love of photography and flowers.  Thanks CY365!!

Just where I happened to be yesterday.  Lake Taupo with the snow covered mountains looking spectacular in the background - a moment in time I wanted to capture.

For some reason, the only part of yesterday's prompt that stuck in my head was 'berries'! So I thought - oh lucky I am making a blueberry and macadamia cake today.  When I re-read it later, I saw it was patriotic/red/white/blue!  Even though I am not in the US I could have done lots with that ..oh well...blueberries it is!

It was a funny photo day today ... one where I had to let go of what I thought should have or could have been.  I am a runner - I could have done a running shot - never mind that I was a little stiff from a 21km off road race in the weekend.

One of those days where my vision was not really in alignment with my energy, and where the gallery and FB is full of superb images representing strength, which from one point of view were momentarily sources of intimidation, as opposed to wonderful inspiration.  (and wonderful inspiration did win out in the end).  

One of those days where I take my photo the best I can and know that it is enough. And funnily enough the photo ends of being of my yoga mat and blocks, which is always a place where I can find quiet strength in what is, even if just for the briefest of moments

My Mum's sewing room held lots of inspiration for my photo today ... she is still busy sorting my clothes ...

Me and my Mum shopping in the supermarket.  We don't shop together very often so today's photo will be a nice memory keeper.

I love the gallery today! Filled with such gorgeous pictures!  Inspired by another picture of saffron in the gallery, I got out my saffron which is left over from when I was living in Morocco not so long ago.  It was still wrapped the way it was bought at the market - wrapped in a page ripped out from a magazine or newspaper - and the aroma from these tiny strands when I unwrapped it was still divine! 

When I saw today's prompt I thought about the things that constituted my own finish lines and accomplishment of goals.  And then I thought about the times I thought my life was heading in a particular direction, a finish line if you will, but how my path had diverged elsewhere.  And the thought that kept coming back to me was how some days the biggest accomplishment we can have is to simply show up. To show up for ourselves in the best way we can. And that is absolutely enough.  And how showing up often occurs in our simplest and quietest of moments.

Sometimes if we just pause to look for the light, it is the tiniest of things which shine brightly for us.  Sometimes pausing to see is the best we can do when the world outside seems incomprehensibly chaotic, crazy and cruel.

Being able to spend time photographing the pure beauty of a simple flower is a reason to celebrate.  Celebrate the small, but oh so good things in your life.

These tiny golden orbs mean spring is on the way - natures signs of renewal and growth - bliss!

I am loving how the prompts this week are leading me to our gorgeous spring flowers!  The contrast of the golden pollen balls against the vibrant petal colours is very special!

These beautiful golden blossoms come from one of our native trees - the kowhai.  They are the favourite food of one of our native nectar eating song birds - the tui.  I spent today working with some of friends and colleagues on a book.  We are close to publication and the title of this book is '"E koekoe to hui, e ketekete te kaka, e kuku te kereru: Kaupapa Maori Psychologies in Aotearoa/New Zealand".  The first part of the title translates as ' the tui sings, the kaka chatters, the pigeon coos' - referring to the importance of hearing the many different voices we all bring.  I tell you this because the room in which we worked had an enormous kowhai tree in full blossom right outside.  All day as we worked, we were kept company by the singing voice of a single tui.  Then late afternoon the tree about 10 tui sat in the branches gorging themselves on the nectar. To see one tui is always exciting for me. To see this many, at one time, which I have never done before, is an absolute blessing.  It would have been great to have got a shot of the birds but the tree was so big that is was impossible for my phone see the birds.  This shot is from a small tree I spied as I was driving along. That is a bit of a long winded way of saying I love these blossoms and the birds they represent.

This has been such a great week to capture all the gorgeous blossoms we have at the moment - am not quite ready to let it go, so today's photo is a chance to capture a gorgeous pink peach blossom. Today was spent running around attending to a whole heap of tasks needed to get ready to leave this Sunday for my two year assignment in Vanuatu. This simple blossom reminds me the nature is forever in a cycle of renewal and growth and everything appears at the time for which it is right.

Last day in NZ before I fly out for a new adventure.  It's always difficult to leave, no matter how much I am looking forward to where I am going.  Tears flow always.  I was lucky enough to have a very dear friend drive me to Auckland where I was spending the night before flying out the next day.  It made an emotional day go much easier for me.

And here I go ... Port Vila bound!

My first full day in Vanuatu.  The beauty of the Pacific where we are all connected.

The end of day ....

A quick shot taken at the cultural centre of the islands which make up Vanuatu - the most linguistically diverse country in the world! And I hope to visit as many of those islands as I can!

The view from where we have our bislama language lessons - a gorgeous garden planted for the tenants of this apartment building and occasionally their visitors like me!  Outdoor classrooms are the best!!

Even though I don't know that many people here actually get to watch many games, the level of support for the ABs is phenomenal! There are so many AB and silver fern flags flying from the backs of trucks you would think that is already our national flag!  This truck is pretty dedicated though!

Church at Erakor village.

Lunch being prepared the traditional Ni-Vanuatu way.

A beautiful bouquet of island flowers from the garden of my family in Erakor village.

The vibrant green of island leaves.

Taking in the view at lunchtime under a shady tree on the waterfront ... and what a stunning view it is!