Day 4 - staying at home

I really do think there is a slight concern that I am a little too excited to be staying at home. It is Sunday night of the first week of 'staying at home' and I don't have a suitcase out, a car, hotel or flight booked.... squeeeeee... I am staying home. I can just hear you all laughing, I wonder how long this will last. I too wonder how long this will last, but for now I am enjoying every moment of it. Today started with a bit of a sleep in, then out to the garden we went. For the longest time we have been meaning to tidy the bank. 

What a clearing we have made. It is so nice to begin to see the stone walls again. It's hard to believe that when we shifted in this bank was almost bare. The plants really had got away, so it was pruning and trimming til the chainsaw came out, then things got very real. 

I have almost no flowers out at the moment so it was awesome to pick a couple of branches and succulents to have some flowers with Mum's photo at the entrance. 

After a night soaking, I gave this old bottle of Dad's a scrub up and googled how to get a cork out of a bottle. Good old YouTube solved my problem. 

I inserted the plastic bag into the bottle, tipped it up and blew air into the bag. Carefully twisting to trap the cork in the folds of the bag then a great deal of effort to extract... and pop, out it came!  I wonder how many new things I can learn over this home time!  Love this new vase to add to my collection. 

I had a couple of hours working online again, then back out to see the tremendous clearing Grant had made. WOW - it is looking soooo good. 

A walk around the section after the clean up made us realise we have enough work here to last us a very long time indeed...

I love the colour of these cyclamen, a sure sign of autumn approaching, and I am also loving the brilliant autumn tones of cornus florida rainbow, thanks for the recommendation Leigh. 

The only slight blimp today... my phone reminding me that we should be checking into our hotel in Honululu... oh well... we can look forward to that all over again when the world is a safer place to be. 

Day 3 - first Saturday in our bubble

WOW what a day. I can hardly believe how much has happened in one day. Inspired by a post by my dear cousin from St Kilda, Melbourne, I dreamt of joining in a stair challenge. 

Up early and off I set to the stairs between McFadden Drive and Joe Brown Drive, just down the road. My first attempt was three laps... up the 87 steps, round the block, up again and again. I set myself the goal of three laps, so was delighted to achieve that on my first attempt. It bought back so many memories of our biggest winner challenge with Trevor back in 2009. I so remember when he would get us to do shuttle runs up and down, up and down. 

So, now, I've set myself a goal of achieving 10 laps by the end of lockdown. 

As the saying goes, the greatest views come after the toughest climb. I went up the top and stood for a few minutes looking down over the main highway into Dunedin, and not a vehicle in sight. We sure are staying home. 

Home for a truly stunning brunch... and probably needing another stair run after this lot. So grateful I remembered I had the croissants from Gabi's fundraiser. 

Bacon, banana, coconut yoghurt, blackberries and maple syrup.... YUMMO!

Another highlight... today marks the end of C25, the latest eight week challenge. After 8 weeks without coffee, this sure was an incredible treat!

A couple of hours working this afternoon on a blogpost was fun. Rach and I worked through a new approach. We made great progress and have a further catch up tomorrow afternoon. 

Finding a courier parcel in the mailbox was a wonderful treat. The tulip bulbs I ordered from the viewing day arrived. The sun was out, so what a wonderful chance for a bit of a clean up and a plant up. 

Rocking the covid19 look, I only wore this mask for a short time while I was handling the potting mix. I really don't know how people where them for long periods of time. It is so hot and uncomfortable. 

We were just cleaning up for the day when we heard our lovely neighbours chatting and an impromptu wine in the sun unfolded. After 8 weeks without alcohol, this was such an incredible treat indeed. It really is so awesome to see how this virus is positively impacting. We had an awesome catch up, all staying in our bubbles, across the drives. Looking forward to many more of these great fun, catchups. 

Another awesome discovery in the clean up was a bunch of soft toys, all thoroughly washed and hung out to dry for L's next visit. 

As the sun sets on day three, we do indeed have so very much to be grateful for. 

Day 2 - home in our bubbles

Agh yuss, I awoke early, had my drink of lemon in water and off I went. I must be physically tired... Today felt so much harder, I felt I was going so much faster. And indeed a 23 second improvement. I think tomorrow might be rest day. 

Home for a stretch, shower and breakfast and into a day of literally back to back online meetings. I am slightly concerned that we have had two days of full on intense online meetings. I kind of wish we took time to reset. So I am super excited that I have logged off for today, signed off for work for a while. 

Highlights in day included a fabulous session with colleagues working through a process, a deep process for ensuring our work meets needs. Thank you R, C and C.

Another highlight included a great reading and a new framework to explore. Thanks K.

Yet another highlight was working with M on our little bit of humour and fun for next Wednesday. 

Now, what about the rest of my bubble. Well... I am truly amazed at how much can happen in a day. Awesome work G.

Jasmine trimmed

basement tidied

Games and toys of yesteryear discovered...

And tonight... a walk around the garden and great new learning. Our Akebia Quinata - Chocolate vine is literally covering in pods this year. I opened one and it looked very like a passionfruit. 

Googling it and wow - so much new learning. 

Now... I must sign on and head to movie night with Netflix. 

Stay safe and well, and stay at home. 

Day 1 - Covid19 Isolation - 26 March 2020

Well here we are, one day in.

Not all bad at all. 

The reminder came through loud and clear last night for us all to hunker down in our bubble. I like the term bubble. So here I am in my bubble with Grant. 

I have a weird kind of excitement as I haven't had four days home since 2012...

I started the morning as the sun rose with a 5km run. I was delighted to take another 3 minutes off my fastest time post ankle injury. 

Pretty jolly happy about the whole new etiquette that has developed out there too. Friendly smiles, waves, and brief chats, and we weave our way around with great social distancing shown. Lots of bears in windows too, which is so cool for anyone out walking or 'going on a bear hunt'.

New learning with our first ever online shop. I absolutely love the grocery shopping. I love walking up and down the aisles, talking to anyone and everyone, so this really is a new experience. A little bit of a giggle to finish the list to realise there are no available delivery slots on the horizon... 

Lunch in the sun with my bubble buddy. I have to say it is great to have him home. It is weird that I am continuing to work online and he isn't as such, so it's great to take time to chill together in the breaks.  

It was a stunning day, so I spend a good part of it working outside in the sunshine. We had a great catch up across our teams at midday followed by a very special screening of a movie to celebrate and remember our dear colleague Anthony, who passed yesterday. 

I finished the day with my first F45 online. Oh my goodness, Gravity was tough. I really thought I was going to be sick. How hard it is to train alone... 'team training, life changing'... but for now we can carry on doing the best we can online.

So, day one, kicked into touch. So much to be grateful for...

My Boat, My compass...

Priorities

It’s comforting to use someone else’s priorities to guide our work. It lets us off the hook.

But the only way to do our best work is to realize that part of what it means to do our work is to own the priorities as well.

Your boat, your compass.

Thanks for another awesome thought provoking post Seth. So often I feel I am not navigating my own canoe. This really is a powerful prod. I need to own the priorities. I need to make 2020 a year that works for us all, especially the educators and learners I work with, but I also need to have a HUGE place in this for me and my wellbeing

Resilience

What a wonderful early in the early, early in the year read!

https://seths.blog/2020/01/toward-resilience/

Toward resilience


Apart <—> Connected
Hierarchy <—> Lattice
Them <—> Us
Winning <—> Interacting
Brittle <—> Flexible
Just in time <—> Slack
Excluded <—> Included
Willful <—> Perceptive
Fearful <—> Honest
Static <—> Bandwidth
Facts <—> Stories
Barriers <—> Bridges
Final <—> First
Shadows <—> Light
Consumption <—> Sustainability
Retribution <—> Justice
Once <—> Again

I think resilience is something I have been working on throughout my life. I am thoroughly liking this table. Great to reflect on as I work on my goals for the beginning of 2020. Great conversation starters in here too... 

MWAH day 2 - explore taha hinengaro

Exploring taha hinengaro - mental and emotional wellbeing.
Well, could I be in a better place, with a better activity in store this morning? I think not. Here I am in the very remote, very rustic, very beautiful Chatham Islands, and this morning I had the absolute pleasure and privilege of working with learners from the three schools in a beach clean up. There have been some very high tides recently and the beach is littered with rubbish high up the sand. 

So, here I am, on my first real decent walk since severely rolling my ankle. This has got to be so so good for my mental and emotional well being, as well as my physical well being. The wind was literally cutting through us, whipping the sand into our faces, blowing our hair and whistling around us.

Taking time to mindfully walk and look for traces of rubbish was so cool. And so devastating. Here we are 828km out from New Zealand across the ocean and the beach is literally littered with rope bits, net bits, and pieces of plastic. From large pieces, bottles, lids, all the way down to tiny little bits, beads of plastic. It is both horrifying and soul destroying to realise how the ocean floor must look, if this is what it tosses out in a storm. 

We really must do more, and make the changes to stop adding to this horrendous problem.  So while today is incredibly good for my taha hinengaro, it is also incredibly challenging. I'd like to do more of this, more walking and picking up at beaches, more thinking about the very severe impact we are making on our planet. 

MHAW day one - Whenua

So, day one of MHAW - Mental Health Awareness Week. First day of this week is exploring whenua, connection to land and roots. WOW what a day for this. Here I am out in Rekohu / Wharekuri, and today is a day at Kaingaroa for the Annual Cross Country Run. I woke up to this view.

A drive up to Kaingaroa was a fabulous opportunity to really think about the land, the place, and what I value. I have always talked of my biophilia. I have an innate need to be outside, and spend time in nature, especially around trees and water. The drive today was a wonderful opportunity for me to savour the very special place I am in. It is about an hour's drive and alongside the stunning scenery, I saw an incredible array of livestock; sheep, lambs, cows, calves, swans, and a constant stream of weka racing across in front of me. 

I had an opportunity to spend time out in the paddocks under a stunning tree to take photos of runners in the Annual Chatham Island cross country run.  

After work today I had the opportunity for some beach time, bliss. And the night ends with stunning views across the water. A truly great day for mindful connection to the land and roots. 

I value time with special people in special places. I value fresh air, open spaces, rolling waves, trees and fields. 

I also have the opportunity to claim my first digital badge for the week, and link it to this post, evidencing my participation in MHAW. 

Make my mihi 3

Wow, here I am launching myself into 'Make my mihi 3'!

So delighted to join in with this asynchronously. I am looking forward to catching up and being able to join in next week face to face. 

Today is all about mihi-ing to people in the room. At the heart of this is discernment - reading the room and responding to those who are here. Awareness and identifying the important moments is very important here. 

Step 1: An intro to your mihi (Starter)

Tēnā koutou

Kia ora rā (the rā gives the sentence more flow and makes it more emphatic)

Kia ora rawa atu (Many thanks)

E rere ana ngā mihi…….. (my mihi is starting to flow to you)

Tēnei ka mihi…… (This is me giving you a mihi)

Nei rā ngā mihi……(Here is my mihi)


Step 2: Who are you mihi-ing to? (Who are you greeting?)

E te/ngā

Kei te/ngā

(These two phrases go before a name)

Eg. Tēnei ka mihi ki a... (this is me giving my mihi to [insert name])

Ki a …. (to)

Ki a koe

Ki a koutou

E aku ……. (rangatira[chiefs]

‘My’

E.g. ‘E rere ana ngā mihi ki a koutou(.) ‘e aku rangatira’

Kia ora rawa atu e ngā kaiako kua tautoko i a mātou

Many thanks to our teachers who have supported us

So, here we go for the first three weeks... 

Tēnā tātou katoa e hui mai nei i tēnei ra.
Greetings to you all that have gathered here this dayNgā mihi nui ki a koe, e te kaikarakia.
Big greetings to you, the one who did the karakia

Tēnā koe, kei te kaiwhakahaere
Greetings, to the organiser

Kia ora rawa atu e ngā kaiako kua tautoko i a mātou

Many thanks to the teachers who have supported us

Tēnā tātou katoa e hui mai nei i tēnei ra.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koe, e te kaikarakia.

Tēnā koe, kei te kaiwhakahaere

Kia ora rawa atu e ngā kaiako kua tautoko i a mātou

Phew, I am just LOVING this new learning, now to practice it daily... watch out...

BOOM, recording and uploaded... 

What I have noticed is that I am becoming increasingly comfortable and noticeably more fluent. I do have a slight concern that I am taking on a lot, quickly. I need to revisit and practice daily.

Ngā mihi nui

AK

Make my mihi 2

Well here I am back for "Make my mihi 2". Delighted to be building on this. 

It is not necessarily about the length of the greeting, but more about the act and knowing it is important. This is so important for me to remember. I am retyping my first line and practising daily.

Tēnā tātou katoa e hui mai nei i tēnei ra.

Greetings to you all that have gathered here this day

No we are are building a raupapa, a sequence.

‘Iti te kupu, nui te kōrero’

Although the message is small, it speaks volumes

Today we are learning about mihi-ing to the kai karakia. 

The sentence I am choosing is:

Ngā mihi nui ki a koe, e te kaikarakia
Big greetings to you, who delivered the karakia

So the first two lines of my mihi are:

Tēnā tātou katoa e hui mai nei i tēnei ra.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koe, e te kaikarakia

And adding a third phrase in... wow...

Tēnā koe, kei te kaiwhakahaere

Greetings, to the organiser

So, three lines to record and remember...

Tēnā tātou katoa e hui mai nei i tēnei ra.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koe, e te kaikarakia.

Tēnā koe, kei te kaiwhakahaere

Teehee, four attempts, all uploaded... loving this new learning, and growth... bring on Make my mihi 3

Make my mihi 1

Wow, so delighted to be here in this space finally. I am catching up on a couple of week's worth of learning here now. 

Make my mihi

I am learning about a mihi, (acknowledging other people, greeting people in a room, greeting circumstances)  which precedes my pepeha, which is locating me, with maunga, awa. 

Over the six weeks we are going to work on 6 steps in our mihi. We will be looking at and thinking of who is in our room. 

Today I had the absolute privilege of working with Te Mako, who supported me with my mihi.

Tēnā tātou katoa e hui mai nei i tēnei ra.
Tēnā koe Hohepa mō te karakia
Tēnā tātou katoa mō nga waiata parekareka
Kei ngā nihowera naumunaumaā te kai
Tēnā koe Te Mako mō te akoranga hou moku
Tēnā tātou katoa

Tonight I am catching up and committing to uploading to the site. So proud to have uploaded a recording of week one. Woohoo, onwards and upwards...