Thursday, January 26, 2012

Full tide Tai Chi

 The tide is as full as it gets. As I do my Tai Chi, I hear the water sloshing up over the nearby boat ramp.
 Despite the clouds, and heavy rain forecasts for the south island, the sky still has plenty of blue. The pohutukawa, long past flowering, watches over me from the cliff above,
together with banana palm and the ti - cabbage tree, with its distinctive spiky leaves.
 Mother shag, the full-tide visitor, is here once more. She sits patiently, doing her own sequence, which consists of a neck turn to the right,
 followed by a neck turn to the left. Then back to the right again. This is her Tai Chi, and we move in unison it seems.
Then she settles down, sitting like a hen, just watching the sea. I don't think she's looking for fish, because she has an alert standing pose for that. I imagine she has a full belly, and is enjoying the peace of the morning.
She reminds me that sometimes enough is enough. I've had a few busy days, tackling income tax, dealing with a computer breakdown just as I had almost finished, attending meetings, and running around town. Yesterday Inland Revenue sent me a letter to say I had a reprieve for another month.
Enough is enough. This is a day to enjoy, for me and mother shag.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

A restful time for you, Juliet, and what a wonderful spot for tai chi. I hope your computer problems are fixed soon. Taxes. Argh!

Juliet said...

Thank you Penny. Yes, this wonderful spot keeps bringing fresh inspiration. Computer and tax glitches have been put aside for today, but will still have to be sorted.

Lynley said...

I don't think I have ever seen a shag settle down like this one did near you Juliet. They are normally airing their wings or standing tall if they are on land.

I wonder if she was enjoying the Tai Chi energy movements?

Juliet said...

That's so true, Lynley. The shags usually stand pretty upright, and I haven't seen one settle down like this before. It felt as if she was completely at ease.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Juliet - still looks glorious .. I think of you now as I do similar exercises here looking out at the English Channel - not as picturesque!

Re commenting - I struggle with embedded comment boxes - so your pop up one is fine ..

Cheers Hilary

Juliet said...

Hi Hilary, I rather like the idea of you doing your exercises while looking out at the English Channel. Glad it's easier for you to comment this way.