"Sorry, I'm booked."
Twilight. A month after the shortest day of the year. I leave Masterton and drive south. The dusky blue sky hints at the thick fog that...
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WHO AM I?
Some call me retired but I'm too young for that. Some say I'm on a gap year, but there's no end in sight. What I AM doing is taking time out from the 9 to 5 to write, explore new opportunities and generally enjoy life in the beautiful Wairarapa region of New Zealand. This blog will capture my adventures, challenges and general musings along the way.
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marisaking
- Jun 3
- 3 min
Now hear this
I wouldn’t call it selective hearing exactly. The word “selective” implies the ability to choose what to listen to and not listen to. But...
41 views1 comment
marisaking
- Feb 5
- 4 min
These boots are not made for walking
I used to look down on second-hand shopping with all the snobbery of an Aucklander visiting the Eketahuna Inn. But after asking various...
34 views0 comments
marisaking
- Jan 24
- 3 min
Weed in the dead of night
“How are all the books today?” the grey-suited divisional manager asked as he strolled up to the pod of desks occupied by the library...
38 views0 comments
marisaking
- Sep 21, 2023
- 3 min
Of beds, cats and credit cards
When life starts to get a bit gritty, there's one place I often want to be, and that's in bed. For if a woman’s home is her castle, then...
36 views0 comments
marisaking
- Apr 27, 2023
- 2 min
Anzac Day
Up ahead, a row of braking lights, all turning right. Groups of the warmly-clad wait to cross the street. A priest cuts a clean white...
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marisaking
- Mar 28, 2023
- 5 min
Why I love Joan Didion
It is easy to see the beginning of things, and harder to see the ends. I love that opening line from American essayist Joan Didion in her...
65 views1 comment
marisaking
- Dec 7, 2022
- 3 min
Pity the poor agapanthus
Did you know that agapanthus comes from South Africa? Neither did my South African partner, who sacrificed two broken spades and a great...
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marisaking
- Nov 16, 2022
- 4 min
It's been four and a half months since my last post
A few readers have made gentle hints about the lack of blog posts recently. I have even been accused of “leaving us all hanging”. That...
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marisaking
- May 13, 2022
- 4 min
Ko Waingawa te awa
We worried, when we moved to Masterton, about how we were going to give Arki his daily exercise. It was no issue when we had a park-sized...
84 views0 comments
marisaking
- Mar 20, 2022
- 4 min
Another end, another beginning (part 2)
Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash Liminal space: a location which is a transition between two other locations or states of being....
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marisaking
- Feb 7, 2022
- 6 min
Another end, another beginning
One still, sunny morning in the week before Christmas, I opened the front door to find a white gift bag on the verandah. NOEL was written...
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marisaking
- Dec 21, 2021
- 4 min
And so this is Christmas
It’s taken me longer than usual to get in to the festive spirit this year. “Can it just be over already?” I thought as the first...
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marisaking
- Dec 4, 2021
- 4 min
The birds and the trees
The Card House garden is full of cherry trees. Some are well-established, and confidently streeetch! their muscular branches up and out...
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marisaking
- Nov 19, 2021
- 3 min
Welcome to The Card House
It’s one of my favourite sayings: When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. I had the chance to do that last weekend with a lovely group...
86 views0 comments
marisaking
- Oct 28, 2021
- 3 min
Let's go outside
This is my favourite time of year. As Spring gently glides into Summer it brings a sense of new possibilities, holidays and parties. I’m...
37 views0 comments
marisaking
- Sep 29, 2021
- 4 min
It's performance review time
That simple phrase strikes fear into the heart of many a Wellington office worker. Not because of the performance review itself; most of...
54 views0 comments
marisaking
- Sep 23, 2021
- 3 min
Shop 'til you drop (Wairarapa style)
When you live in a town of 2,500 people, you expect your shopping options to be limited. However, I was pleasantly surprised the first...
40 views0 comments
marisaking
- Sep 14, 2021
- 3 min
Featherston: We've got wind
Flying trampolines, power cuts, downed trees, lost washing, and the sound of rubbish bins skipping merrily down the street. It’s another...
39 views0 comments
marisaking
- Sep 7, 2021
- 5 min
Five things that made me happy during lockdown
We'll soon be back at Level 2. What a relief. I’ll happily wear a mask to the pub if I can drive to Masterton. Not to visit a pub; I need...
42 views0 comments
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