A Forgotten Update......

It has been too long,.. sincerely too long... although in just under two years (as I look back on my list of 101 mihana) a fair amount of accomplishment has been conquered I would say.. And as this year of 2015 nears its rear end to a final close, and with October 2016 being the very deadline of my "mihana in 1001 days", it is best that I take some well due time (as an officially holidaying kaiako) to update THE "101 in 1001 days" list - and I do unduly apologise for the longevity of this here post..

"So, so, sew your pants up" - as Didee Louisecake would say..and in the grand tradition of Julie Andrews: Lets start at the very beginning, its a very good place to start:

No. 6 - Fly in a Wakarererangi/Plane. Now does this mean actually fly the wakarererangi? hmm... Today I'll take it as literally "to fly IN a wakarererangi" - of which I happened to do many times since January 2014. I flew to Auckland for a super fast 24hr mihana in April of 2014, and in the winter of 2014 I hightailed it to Lake Hawea in Te Wai Pounamu/The South Island (four wakarererangi in total - one being delayed due to thankfully having to be sprayed down with defrosting orange stuff), and then of course April this very year to the Gold Coast with one of my favourite human beings...

No. 11 - Plant an orchard of fruit trees. Although I did nail this mihana by becoming the kaitiaki of a beautiful piece of Mangaweka land in August 2013, which already nourished a good number of fruit trees, I have since planted a Mulberry tree, a black boy peach tree, a pear tree, harakeke and a good number of eucalyptus trees..

No. 16 - Buy a print of the 1590 painting "The Green Lady" by Vladimir Tretchikoff. After a relatively easy amount of bargaining in a secondhand shop in Taihape, this particular print now graces my 'Wahine Wall'..

"The Chinese Girl (popularly known as The Green Lady) from 1953 is one of the worlds most popular paintings due to it being massively reproduced in the 50's and 60's. This painting is well known for the unusual skin tone used for her face - a blue-green colour which leads to its popular name, 'The Green Lady". According to the artist, Vladimir Tretchikoff, the original was destroyed in Cape Town even though controversially there is no proof that such an event occurred.." 

No. 17 - Leap about in a puddle. This was accomplished with much belly crippling laughter at the Byron Bay Blues Festival while trying to make my way to the exit in the darkened rain - wrapped up in a disposable poncho if I may add... A young lass happened to accidentally splash her way through a puddle, and instead of flipping my wig which I believe would have been an easy thing to do, I purposefully proceeded to leap myself to oblivion in my gumbooted feet and completely saturate her while she continued to wonderfully join me in a good ole fashioned 'puddle drenching' mihana! Not one word was spoken, but laughter near done bought us both to our knees and we departed after an awhi/hug and my new tablecloth skirt will never be the same again...

No. 24 - Learn to play barre chords on the guitar. I loved this mihana and its continuing evolution! Ole mate Dave, founder of GOLDBEARD GUITARS in Wellington, Aotearoa, patiently gave me a spontaneous 90 minute lesson, and lo and behold the world of guitar playing opened right up within my fingers! Who ever knew I could play an 'A' three diversely different ways!? I love this good bloke - go forth and make a guitar with him..

No.32 - Make Snow Angels.. Backing the truck up to July 2013, the time of  Takurua hūpē nui/Winter - beautiful spontaneous mihana with a beautiful wahine to the snow collected on the Desert Road which involved snow angels, planking, bootless ukulele playing, and a beautiful koru sculpture.. and some gorgeous bone chilling coldness indeed!

No. 34 - Teach Kapahaka to the Tamariki.. Oh if only I could post a video clip! But with confidentiality and all, one must endeavour to keep our wee ones safe... Kapahaka professionals the tamariki and kaiako of Taihape Kindy are becoming, and they honestly bring me to tears with their passion and hearing little snippets of waiata floating about the kindy as tamariki go about their daily mihana xo.

No. 35 - Get my very first tattoo.. and in March of 2015 this did occur; with a korero shared just recently reiterating that 'Yes, as human beings we do reach an age where we feel our stories need to be told...' whether that be orally, written or in an art form, or any form really.. My story has indeed begun..

No. 36 - Find out my blood type... A+...

No. 38 - Chuck out or donate clothes I do not wear.. An ongoing mihana that is both satisfying and challenging in the sense of will I.. or won't I.. or who would like this? grrr.... as was once said "if in doubt, chuck it out"..

No. 46 -  Host a Mad Hatter's Tea Party... and holy toletto what a tea party it was!!? My one year anniversary of kaitiakitanga of this beautiful land in Mangaweka, without skipping a beat one must add, turned into a gathering of unique individuals and the grandness of "Heavy Folkin Metal" bringing the barn down with their musical geniusness and generosity; even while being electrocuted by the power chords shorting out in the persistent rain.. I do recall a moment of suddenly pausing upon my front porch watching many Mad Hatterer's dancing their beejeebers off in the full swing of magical Madness and feeling ridiculously satisfied and loved.. 

No. 49 - Make My Own Deodorant.. Yes, yes indeed with organic coconut oil, some powder that starts with 'A' whose name evades me right now, and tea tree oil and lavender.. Although I now commandeer my deodorant from the legendary lass of WAIREKA ROAD NATURAL PRODUCTS - a true inspiring genius indeed..

No. 53 - Celebrate Matariki.. Of course! Why wouldn't you? This has become a annual tradition in our kindy for tamariki, whānau and kaiako alike..

'Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as Pleidaes. Matariki rises in mid-winter and heralds the start of a new year. Matariki literally means the 'eyes of God' (mata ariki) or 'little eyes' (mata riki).


No. 54 - Star Gaze at the Ward Observatory in Whanganui.. Having never been there before, I literally leapt at the opportunity in May of 2013 as part of the birthday celebrations of a marvellous mama... Spell binding stuff this ole star gazing mihana and I even got to spy Jupiter.. or was it Saturn? Mars?.. hmm.. looked like a glow in the dark sticker on your bedroom roof that the interior painter painted over instead of carefully peeling off..

... and the last mihana of the day (although there are more to tick off) as there are lawns to mow, sewing to conquer and the ironing of a crochet heart bunting.... all the while officially on holiday if I may say so myself - of which I actually can because these are my ramblings, ramblings which belong undoubtedly to me... 

No. 61 - Encourage someone else to write a 101 mihana list.. Now this very point inspired me to finally revisit my own list today as I shared korero with a wonderful wahine whom I have at least one toe on the same waka with - a storytelling wahine who indeed makes me laugh until I burst in one moment only to bring tears to my karu come the next... She is off to courageously compile her very own list of 101 mihana before the sun sets on this yearningful year....

GO forth and prosper human beings.. 

Latin of the Day:

"Respirare populus spirant.."

(Breathe people, breathe..)

Te Tau Hou Hari.. xo.

And a new year it is at that, and I must admit that 2013 sure did run me a little ragged and saw my "101 Mihana's in 1001 Days" looking rather neglected... but..... in my defence, I bought a homely home, leapt on stage for the Bad Girls Musical, polished off my teaching degree upgrade and buried my Nan and rubbed a mama's feet while she gave birth to a wee lass...

And to strike off a few Mihana's on the list:

No:2 Learn to draw peoples faces - In the summer I had a quick fire lesson, learnt the ins and outs and decided to concentrate on one aspect of the face until I mastered it, beginning with the eyeballs..

No: 5 Complete a "Photo of the Year" trick which I started on the first week of January 2013, and completed in the last week of December 2013.. Do click below to view grand pikitia from all whom were involved..

 SILVERFAIRY 2013 Photo of the week

No: 11 Plant an orchard full of fruit trees - Although I have not quite accomplished this, the grand piece of land I purchased in 2013 already has the beginnings of an orchard.. Plums, two types of apples, peach, and blackcurrants, and today I discovered an apricot tree with one lonesome apricot...

No: 13 Clear out the Storage Unit - Done and dusted, and now EVERYTHING that I own is on the half acre of land that I own..... Still bewilders me on a daily basis!

No: 26 Graduate with a Bachelor of Education ECE - Truly done and dusted!

No: 37 Make a hanging clothes dryer frame - No need too... The homely home has a grand one hanging above the fire place....

No: 40 Read all of George R.R. Martin's books - Done and dusted!

No: 48 Master Cider Making - Hmmmmm....... After picking apples from a tree that was planted when I was a wee one and fermenting them for a fair while with sugar and ginger, the taste was parfait... except the bottling technique was a failure - loosing 3/4 of the bottle in fizzy mess that was known to strip the colour from a cardigan, when first opened... yet delicious!

No: 58 and 59 Keep my office space under control/Recycle all paper from my office space - Before the 2013 teaching year finished, I rehashed my desk and the tamariki made loads of recycled paper, pots and seed bombs with the mountain of paper collected.. I even bought a wee filing system to manage important papers!?

No: 66 Buy a pasta machine and make beetroot pasta - I am now a proud owner of a red stainless steel pasta machine.. Next step: Beetroot pasta!

No: 68 Wear lipstick for a whole day - Do four nights in a row count? and once for a whole afternoon? I was led astray in an act of rehearsing for four months and then performing the Bad Girls Musical in the Taihape Town Hall with a grand cast under the direction of Wendy Revell.. Never in my whole life have I worn soooooo much makeup at once!

No: 76 Visit my Nan once a month - now this I was accomplishing until I was very blessed to spend her last 5 days with my Nan in June 2013.. These days were full of stories, laughter, tears and grand whaanau, and on the 26th of June she left us for a new journey, the same time that a mama's waters broke... and coincidentally enough that mama had been my Nan's nurse leading up to her maternity leave... I was asked to deliver Nan's eulogy, a blessing in its own sense but trying to write down everything that made my Nan sooo beautifully unique, was like trying to catch the wind - near done impossible... Miss her face dearly xo.

Mollie Finucane

11^th July 1933 – 26^th June 2013

And well... shoot the cat and stuff the turkey, I like to think that'll do for now.....

Hebrew of the week:

שמור על קור רוח עד שאחרי בית הספר

"Keep cool til after school"

"Gudrid the Cattle Farmer..."

After watching 8 episodes of the 'Vikings' series from the History channel, some how or other I have this faint feeling I may just have a wee bit of Viking blood running through these here veins of mine.... If yelling and roaring like a banshee and adoring dressing up as a bear or a wolf is any indication..? Perhaps? But wait... when one puts her name into a "What is your Viking name" generator on the interweb and comes up with "Gudrid the Cattle Farmer"? please.... That wouldn't even scare a rabbit in a tiger's costume....  but my sissa's name, "Arnora the Skull-Cleaver"? Now that's impressive indeed.... the hairs are standing up on my arms.... a name that nightmares are made of... Sissa, you are unbelievable! A long, long, long time ago, when the concept of being a qualified early childhood teacher was but a speck in the ginormity of this grand universe, I was gifted the name of "Maaori Viking" by a Luxemburgian Lumberjack... & if i recall correctly, this was due to the act of stirring up a great fire, with a great length of driftwood, in a great fire pit, ontop of a great hill in Paakaraka, with locks plaited to either side of my head....(I miss that land)... WHAT IS YOUR VIKING NAME? I dare you to investigate.....

Now to the 101 deeds in 1001 days? any progress? why yes I do believe soooo.....

But NO: 14 - Keep the worm farm alive... I dearly do doubt it at this point in time. Poor wee beggars. There is a possibility that I have overfed them, but I will deliver my worm farm to that of the kindergartens worm farm and will endeavour to reinstate it somewhere else down the line.... now if it were cattle, the inner Viking, Gudrid, would have it all under control!

NO: 4 - Conjure up a Taihape Ukulele Orchestra. Done and dusted! Grand sheila's meeting once a week, who are daring to open up their musicalness to play as a group of 9 - a roopu.... and many more turn up due to word-of-mouth! I may just have to put a cap on the numbers as its beautifully bewildering, but more to come on that front I promise... although lets just say, I aint never heard such a blessed ukulele rendition of Nancy Sinatra's "These boots were made for walking" in my whole life as a redheaded wahine.... shivers up the spine people, shivers up the spine....

The West Cork Ukulele Orchestra in the middle of Winter - Most delightful time of the year!

NO: 90 - Master Backgammon .... Indeed! After upcycling a very old board that was left behind in an op-shop, I am hooked (Line and sinker).. and able to kick some right Royal booty! I do wonder if the Queen plays? hmmmm.........

& NO: 39 - Plant "No Dig" gardens.... With piles of straw, poo and saturated newspaper, I am now on to my 2nd "No Dig" garden - with the first being full of chard and lettuce, and a blueberry tree.. A blueberry tree I hear you say? Why yes indeed.. Blueberries grow on trees.... I'm really not too sure if I have ever thought of how blueberries grow but if I did I would guess on a vine or maybe not  because they are a little like currants and cranberries yes? and don't they grow on bushes? But wherever any berries of any sort grow, I must say I do enjoy eating them. Visit the Greenhaus garden (click) on the outskirts of Taihape - blessed land full of all types of trees, vege seedlings, rabbits, chooks.. & classically, you name it & I bet Vanessa and Toby will have it....

And on a chilly note of winter.. I do believe it is gladly around the corner, and I am glad it is.. A break from the blinding sun and a time to put your hermit shoes on... and a time when you gladly wrap up in the natural fibres of wool - Glad, glad, glad! If not, your mad.... Now, "are you ready boots? Start walking......."

Maaori words of the week: 

Takurua hūpē nui

- winter, when your nose runs.. 

(hūpē = snot...)

Ticking off a few tricks during the holidays indeed......

N0 43: Get a zip put into my Dr Marten boot - done and dusted, and the grumpy shoe repairer man was overcome with laughter (& I'm thinking it was the first ever time he has laughed in his WHOLE life because afterwards his face seemed to ache - how do you think I feel after a whole year of non-stop laughter?) as I leapt about his shop with the greatest of joy at FINALLY being able to put my boot on my left foot without breaking any bones because it was tooo tight about the ankle - Oh Lordy Lord!

But.... I must now suss out the $65 to do the other boot.... You wouldn't notice unless you had your very own scrutinizing shoes on but the right boot tends to not be one that you can just whip on as you run out the door - & yes, that is what I do on a daily basis - run out the door! Really? And now to teach the Taihape Ukulele Orchestra "These boots are made for Walking" - Nancy Sinatra....

N0 51: Help Kyle & Shellie restore their Teepee... Done! We harvested 12 new bamboo poles from a secret spot in Taranaki with a saber saw (I WANT ONE!), of which seems rather gentle compared to a meaty ole chainsaw... The bamboo was as thick as thieves and i've come to the conclusion that cats shit in bamboo groves to deter folk from harvesting it (the bamboo that is). On our journey home to Waitoriki with a dozen very large and long bamboo poles stropped to the roof of the van, I could smell cat shit... and it wasnt until I got home to Taihape that I discovered a whole heap of cat shit stuck on the side of my steel cap boots that I had stashed in the back of my wagon at the end of the bamboo harvest day - Raaaargh! & I innocently believed the cat shit fumes were just lingering up my nostrils!? Anyhow, the teepee was erected with the fancy new poles and the skin was heavily sprayed with "Wet and Forget".... I will post an updated pikitia of the teepee in mid May, until then here is one when it was last erected in the summer of 2007/2008:

....and N0 82: Pay for a strangers coffee.. Well, I didn't exactly do that but whilst on a coffee/op shop mihana yesterday with Mrs Wilton in Taihape, I ventured inside to order a soy flat white in a tulip cup (as you do) and the lovely front-of-house lady put a mark on my coffee card - alas it was not my coffee card but a 'Paula Bentley's' coffee card... The lovely front-of-house lady said she would then mark my actual card but I declined, which then meant that Paula Bentley's very next coffee purchase would be a free one according to her lovely coffee card! Surprised? do believe she will be.....Thankful? Best she be, because I know I would be... When passing through the lovely township of Taihape, call in to the SoulFood Cafe - you may just recieve that much-coveted free coffee......

Bengalese of the week:

 " আমার সম্পর্কে এবং কফি ডাল এবং গাজর মত হয় "

 - Me and coffee are like peas and carrots.

101 mihana's in 1001 days...

N0 60: "Fall in Love". 

One wonders how specific one is meant to be?

Hmmmm..........

I must admit on the very next day after creating this list,

 I travelled to Whanganui and opened 3 late birthday presents....

and...

I fell in love!

No. 1 - with a deep red velvet handbag

&; No. 2 - with a "Love Everybody" painting 

that was lovingly made for me by mama Denita Tizard.... 

She tried to hide a photograph of this painting by posting it on her blog.....

Click here to understand our mission 

with this particular painting.... http://denitatizard.blogspot.co.nz/

But anyhow... to fall in love? I must reassess my specificness...

101 Mihana's in 1001 days

Right... it has been a very long time indeed and I've only just realized how much I adore the treats of writing and also the tricks to accomplishing a mihana (mission) - not just a New Years resolution mihana but the challenge of 101 mihana's in 1001 days.... yus, I am about to obliterate my procrastinating shoes... Denita Tizard - have you not told me about this sort of trick before? http://dayzeroproject.com/

The Mihana:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days. That's roughly 143 weeks, 
32.8 months and 2.74 years... roughly...

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic.

Why 1001 days? 
Many people have created lists in the past - simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a grand period of time  - more grander than a year. 1001 days allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing certain tasks such as overseas trips....

The Start Date: January 22nd 2013.

The End Date: October 20th 2015.

Those goals struck out have gladly, and lovingly, been accomplished...

April
Hmmmm...... Folllowing is my list, not in order of preference or in the order that I will whip them out but in the order that they leap into my head (and  I've started with a couple of tricks that I previously wanted to conquer this year and have been proudly successful in nutting out!)... Yup...

1. Clear lungs of tobacco for forever.
2. Learn to draw people's faces so it actually resembles them. 2013
3. Talk someone into teaching me how to use a chainsaw - its just like a lawnmower yes?
4. Conjure up a Taihape Ukulele Orchestra. 5/13
5. Complete a "photo of the year" trick - Started January 2013, completed Dec 2013.
6. Fly in a plane. April 2014, July 2014 & April 2015.
7. Dance on a roof in the rain.
8. Master the art of bread making.
9. Travel with a caravan on the back of my wagon.
10. Throw gumboots at the Taihape Gumboot day.
11. Plant an orchard of fruit trees  August 2013.
12. Plant a wild area for tamariki to leap about in.
13. Clear out my storage unit and give most of it to the Op shop September 2013.
14. Keep the worm farm alive.
15. Ride a flying fox.
16. Buy a print of the 1950 painting "The Green Lady" by Vladimir Tretchikoff. November 2013.
17. Leap about in a puddle. April 2015.
18. Teach a four yr old to play the ukulele.
19. Buy a wooden box drum.
20. Paint a Scottish mural..
21. Bake a Rainbow cake.
22. Write in this here blog at least once a week for three months solid.
23. Clear up any debt.
24. Learn to play barre chords. 2014.
25. Write at least 3 sassy blues tunes.
26. Graduate with a Bachelor in ECE October 2013.
27. Reshape my chicken wing arms.
28. Learn how to do a fishtail braid.  4/13
29. Hike in the Ruahine Ranges.
30. Take a grand photograph of my whaanau.
31. Sew leather patches on the elbows of my cardigans.
32. Make snow angels. July 2013.
33. Drink 3 litres of water a day for two months.
34. Teach kapahaka to the tamariki. 2015.
35. Get my very first tattoo. March 2015
36. Find out my blood type. September 2015.
37. Make a hanging clothes dryer frame August 2013.
38. Chuck out or donate clothes I do not ever wear. Ongoing.
39. Plant 'No Dig' gardens full of vege's and herbs.  5/13
40. Read all of George R.R martin's books November 2013. 
41. Make toasted muesli more often then not. Best to use coconut oil and honey.
42. Horse trekking at River Valley with Jewel Violet.
43. Get a zip put in my Dr Marten Boot  - 4/13 Its parfait, but now I should do the other one....
44. Paint on teeshirts with bleach.
45. Karaoke until the sun comes up?
46. Host a Mad Hatter's Tea Party. October 2014.
47. Sell Kimono's at the market.
48. Master cider making 2013.
49. Make my own deodorant. 2015.
50. Collate kindergarten recipes and publish - a fundraiser?
51. Help Kyle and Shellie restore their teepee. 04/13... Spray and walk away!
52. Have my dreadlocks professionally tightened just once!
53. Celebrate Matariki. July 2014.
54. Star gaze at the Ward Observatory in Whanganui. May 2014.
55. Hand sew something on canvas.
56. Sort my Europe photographs and make a coffee table book.
57. Make cheese from scratch.
58. Keep my office space under control November 2013.
59. Recycle all paper from my office space November 2013.
60.  Fall in love. 04/13.. But maybe I need to be more specific?
61. Encourage someone else to write a 101 list. December 2015.
62. Cover my lounge floor in sheepskins.
63. Visit Aotearoa's Stone Henge. February 2014.
64. Play a solo ukulele gig.
65. Be a Guerilla Gardener.
66. Buy a pasta machine (October 2013) and make beetroot pasta.
67. Do 30 random acts of kindness and don't let on.
68. Wear lipstick for one whole day!? September 2013.
69. Write a set of poems 2013
70. Spend a white christmas in New York.
71. Record an album of original children's songs on the ukulele.
72. Build an earth oven/kiln.
73. Stay in a yurt.
74. Sleep under the stars.
75. Drink 3 ltrs water everyday for two months.
76. Visit my nan once a month 2013.
77. Watch an outdoor movie.
78. Partake in a flashmob.
79. Make 5 different playlists and send them to unsuspecting characters.
80. Swim outdoors in the winter.
81. Give birth.
82. Pay for a strangers coffee. 04/05/13
83. Refurnish a piece of furniture. A wooden telephone seat/table recovered with an old favourite skirt of mine.
84. Get my full license.
85. Spend a whole day Op shopping.
86. Fix a cracked friendship.
87. Make at least one leather bag.
88. Road Trip with the girly pearls to somewhere none of us have ever been.
89. Gather kaimoana.
90. Master Backgammon. 5/13
91. Fill frames with prints of Mt Taranaki, and hang.
92. Have a girly weekend with my mama and sissa.
93. Write a children's story.
94. Brew beer. December 2014.
95. Get stuck in the mud at a music festival. April 2015.
96. Crochet a peggy square blanket.
97. Have chickens in the back yard. March 2014.
98. Mend someone elses socks.
99. Decoupage a musical instrument.
100. Take a good vitamin everyday for one month.
101. Be professionally fitted for bras.

Holy toletto! That was a mihana in its ownself..... All locked, loaded and ready to roll! A child told me today  "Paula Ann , you rock the party".... Thankyouness indeed little pop!

Day 17- What were you doing when Lady Di was killed in Paris 14 years ago?

Thankfully I was not in the wagon that was following Princess Diana's wagon the day that she died. Instead I was a content passenger in Abigail Noonan's beloved Anglia wagon, as it made its way home from Mighty Morrinsville..

To honour this day I do need to tell the whole story....

So as Julie Andrews would say: "Lets start at the very beginning"!

Miss Jayne, Miss Flea Delonghi, Miss (now Mama) Abigail, and myself had descended on our journey, from Taranaki to Morrinsville, on the Friday afternoon I believe, and whilst driving through Mount Messenger, the beloved Anglia became extremely overheated - I'm sure it was menopause, but Mama Abigail, I'm sure, would beg to differ.

My memory evades me at this point but I do remember, later that evening, driving between Ohaupo and Hamilton when her tyre blew out. We ended up on the right hand side of the ride, safely parked in a driveway, in the dark, with no wheel brace. A wagon was flagged down - and although they had no wheel brace, they kindly parked, safely, facing the beloved Anglia, with lights shining so all could see their way. Another wagon was flagged down, and as it abruptly stopped,the wagon behind it swerved and spun a full 360Degrees on the wet road - taking out a few other wagons in its path. One hit wagon flew at the very first wagon that had stopped, hitting it hard from behind, which in turn smacked into the beloved Anglia just as I had stepped out of it's path.....

Thankfully no one was hurt, although all wagon's were very unhappy as they were towed away. The beloved Anglia suffered a very minor dent (randomly enough in exactly the same place where I had been standing!) and the police officers kindly used their wheel brace to change the blown out tyre....

Phew.. I remember the beloved Anglia full were all very shocked and keen to get to our destination asap.. But that, dear followers, was not the end of it!

No, no, no...... We stopped in Hamilton to get coffee and to pass water at a service station, and then continued on into the township. After all we had experienced that day, a whiskey was what was called for.. But alas, Miss Jayney discovered, as we parked outside a Hip Hop bar (Abigail's choice), that her handbag was nowhere to be seen - and therefore, her precious belongings were also nowhere to be seen. Missy Jayne, and the beloved Anglia had been selflessly robbed....

By now the whiskey was yelling down the staircase of the Hip Hop bar, so Miss Jayne polished her beautiful face and we entered the bar.. After a few whiskeys, a dance or two to distract the minds, and some random sideways glances from huge Samoan Hip Hop blokes, we drove to Morrinsville to sleep the night away..... A huge evening!

To cut a looong story short, and please do excuse the longevity of this novel, as we left Morrinsville to return home to Taranaki a few days later, we stopped atae petrol station to fill the beloved Anglia with precious petrol.. As Mama Abigail re-entered the beloved Anglia, she proclaimed, " Oh my goodness (well something along the lines of), Princess Diana is dead"...

Following stunned silence, not one of us believed her, but as Mama Abigail reported just this evening, "Why would I joke about something like that?"... precisely.....

.........................and now that is a true story......!

And I do believe that Camilla should have sung the following song on Charles and Diana's wedding day all those years past.... it just might have stopped a whole lot of shenanigans ya?

Day 13- If you could change one law what would it be, and why?

One of the many Laws I would certainly enjoy changing would be Michael Laws and his political status in my hometown..

Thankfully, the majority of Whanganui voted in a Mayor who, besides being a strong wahine, genuinely cares for the people of this land - aswell as the land.. I'm pretty sure Michael Laws only cared for how his voice sounded live, and how many people he could offend while throwing his toys out of the cot... (She states while not wanting to sound tooo negative!)

But to cut a long story short, and before I get my forthright shoes on and write a novel, I think this Law can honestly be rectified by gathering together an old fashioned lynch mob to help Michael Laws pack up his bullyness and household goods into sturdy boxes, and move his ego right on out of town? And... maybe then take a leaf out of Bob Parker's book and tattoo it onto Michael's inner eyelids?

Italian Phrase of the day..... "Mi scusi, questa è la mia fermata"

Excuse me, this is my stop...

Day 11: What was the last thing you Googled, and what did you find out?

Please excuse the trickyness of this challenge - I've eaten all chalk and therefore need to mix up the days a wee bit... and have just got some MB power happening.. so to Day 11 before Day 10, on Day 29!?

The other afternoon, after confirming with the GP that "Yes, it is indeed a ganglion upon your wrist", I popped into mama Pamela Anne's (with an 'E') for a grand old pot of tea on the lazy Susan - Now in the interrim, I do not know of any lazy Susan's by nature.... My Aunt Susan works herself to oblivion, and I know of a fellow kindergarten teacher who contently seems married to her profession, and... I cannot think of any other Susan's....

So, returning to the pot of tea on the lazy Susan - I was gifted a beautiful pair of Blue Babushka earrings! Smiling from ear to ear.... and.. this evening I googled 'Babushka Shop Melbourne', to give her the address for her upcoming holiday, and...... discovered that there is indeed a 'Babushka' shop in Prague.... and they say you learn something new every day (although who are 'they' in the grand picture of it all?)... What I do know is I shall be placing my feet on Prague soil before October of this year.... and no doubt starving myself for a few days in order to make a few purchases from the 'Babushka' shop.....

A Sesame Street Clip that I do remember...

BABUSHKA: From Russian бабушка (bábuška, “grandmother, granny”), diminutive of баба (bába, “old woman”). Also known as Russian Nesting Dolls, and Matryoshkas, Babushka's make up a set of a wooden figures which separate, top from bottom, to reveal a smaller figure of the same sort inside, which has, in turn, another figure inside of it, and so on. The number of nested figures is traditionally at least five, but can be much more, up to several dozen with sufficiently fine craftsmanship. Modern dolls often yield an odd number of figures but this is not an absolute rule; the original Zvyozdochkin set, for instance, had an even number. The form is approximately cylindrical, with a rounded top for the head, tapering toward the bottom, with little or no protruding features; the dolls have no hands (except those that are painted).

Italian Phrase of the day: "Amo il mio mama"- I love my mama..

Day 10- If you could pick your 15mins of fame, what would you be doing?

15 minutes of Fame? I know exactly what I'd be doing......

Playing the grand ole blues/roots/jazz tunes, on the ukulele, in a set with one of the greats - maybe on the Stage at the Bowl of Brooklands in Taranaki? With BB King, or Richie Havens, or Bob Dylan or... or... or......?

Thousands upon thousands of people would be in awe - "did you happen to see that dreadlocked wahine who blew the socks off everyone that was standing on that grass that day..?!"

.. and... and Louis Armstrong would still be alive, and have caught wind of my tricks... and have personally requested I play a section on his next trumpet album.... maybe "The Very, Very Best of Louis Armstrong - Accompanied by the sweet tunes of Paula Ann Signal's Ukulele"...?

Please, leap into this daydream with me and take 2 minutes to honestly imagine your own name up in lights by Louis Armstrong, or whomever takes your fancy?....

Struth Ruth! I adore day dreaming on a sunny Sunday where the earth is still and Mother Earth is hopefully resting...... and also a day that I've found myself pondering on all the people who live rent free within my mind.... xo.

Italian Phrase of the Day: "Ti presento un amici mi, Louis" This is my friend, Louis....

I cannot honestly pick an evening that I last stayed up to see the sunrise - although I do have a vacant memory of waking up at Lisa's new whare very whiskeyed out and making my way to my own whare, sometime in 2009, and shadely watching the sun rise before literally passing out.....

Oooowah, and and there was the New Years in amongst the hills of Paakaraka when Amanda Jones (Nee Orme) and I leapt and laughed around the firepit until the sun rose - everyone else slept...

We witnessed the rooster and his girly girls waltzing up the driveway with such grace, and proceeded to do a voice-over in regards to their conversations of which we believed a rooster and his girly girls would conduct at such an early hour.... Grand laughter for sure!

Italian Phrase of the Day: "Adore voi" - I adore you..

Day 08- Take a photo of the weirdest thing you can find in your community and tell us why

This creature (it seems soooo alive) majestically appeared beside the Whanganui Awa around about the time mother earth put on her unsettled shoes - before random earthquakes destroyed Christchurch and Japan, and before sooo many peoples hearts actually stopped...

The fissures are meant to portray the Whanganui Awa, but when I coincedently found this 800kg steel ball, it immediately felt prophetic... someone out there knew what was coming.... maybe?

The artist prefers to remain anonymous, while the creator, David McCracken, has produced a masterpiece - it holds grand acoustics and would sound incredible with a whole heap of hearts beating a drum beat on its surface....

My heart beat furiously, early hours of Saturday morning, at the knowledge that recent earthquakes in Hawaii create a triangle with Japan and Aotearoa! To this day, anxiety stops me watching footage of the devastation because (a), it's entirely unbelievable yet sooo real, and (b), I'm leaping on a giant plane soon to see the world, and will be entirely helpless if anything major occurs.. what about my whaanau?

The photo's and video footage that have crossed my path remind me that we completely have no control over mother earth, and that enough is enough - we must take care of her, even if it is tooo late.... To be honest, I'm incredibly nervous.. Please do not think I am a scaredy cat though - just a wahine with a heart that is tooo big and quietly sensitive.....

Italian Phrase of the day:

"Ho bisogno del tabacco di aiutare i miei nervi"

- I have need of the tobacco to help my nerves

Day 07- Who is your all time favourite artist and what is their best piece/s?

Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring has to be, I must admit, one of fmy all time favourite paintings..... Today the painting is kept in the Mauritshuis gallery in the Hague - but where fore art thou is Hague?? Oh hold on one moment while I consult Google....

Ah ha.... tis the third largest city in the Netherlands, therefore I can sleep easy (aided by a few G&T's aswell) knowing that perhaps I may just be able to behold the painting in real life - very soon infact!

I myself, own a print of this glorious painting, of which I acquired in an auction to aid mama Lisa's journey to Vietnam a few years back... I must admit that mama Lisa has often enquired of buying it back but I cannot part with it - although if anything happens to me in my own wee journey, I have left specific instructions that it be delivered to her beautiful hands.. Not that I am expecting anything to occur, but best we be safe rather then ever so sorry.....

Above is a wee personal take on the painting - My dear sister Becks arrived home from Ghana with a head full of braids.. We wrapped her up and indulged in a photo shoot.... Blessed beauty she is indeed!

Italian Phrase of the day: Bellisimo!

Day 6: What is your daily morning routine?

I would wake most mornings looking, and feeling like this:

and now.................

Mostly, the smile is sooo grand, I'm often not too sure what to do with it......

So, where were we? Ah yes, my morning routine:

1. Wake to the alarm of the body clock (more often then not!)


2. Doze for a bit - light dreams of more sleep time


3. Literally leap out of bed with dreadlocks standing on end and sleep wrinkles on either side of my nose....


4. A visit to the wharepaku - as you do.....


5. Espresso coffee pot goes onto the stovetop...... Very important...


6. I'm practising 5 minute showers for the backpacking styles in Europe, and I tend to execute this while the organic, fairtrade coffee tis brewing....


7. A grand coffee, and some fruit and yoghurt with the sun upon my kanohi - and a quick quiet time to contemplate the day ahead (this was also the time to puff on a couple of hikareti - but alas, those days are looong gone and entirely missed sometimes)


8. Then, I whip the dreadlocks into place..... and brush up my teeth


9. and............. flee out the door at approx 7:30am, merrily singing "hi ho, hi ho, it's off to mahi I go...!"

Italian Phrase of the Day: Buongiorno voi merdina....

Day 05- Tell us something interesting and treasured that your mother or father taught you.

One grand thing I remember, at the age of apprx. 16 years, is a dream I had of my papa (he'd been gone say 8 years by this time).. He picked me up in his beautiful styley Holden Special 1967 vehicle, and took me for a driving lesson - my first one ever, and with column change!

When I learnt to drive in waking life (thanks ever sooo to my glorious cousin Kirsti and her ever trusty wagon which always ran happily on empty), I remembered a few tricks of the trade that my papa had taught me......

1. No need to keep your foot on the brake while you ride the accelerator
2. Window ledges are for resting your elbows
3. Always wear a seatbelt, always.......

And now my grand wagon that I adore, has been sold and is awaiting the installation of new CV joints - I will miss thee dearly and hope to behold myself a beautiful van on my return from the grand continent of Europe - of which there is only 12 weeks and 2 days until departure...... soo close yet sooooo far....

Italian Phrase of The Day: Quanto per quel vagone, per favore?

How much is that wagon, please?