Friday, August 17, 2012

Breakaway Day

 Do you ever yearn to break out, get away from it all, find wide open spaces where you can breathe freely and leave behind everything that has been clamouring to be done?
 Today was such a day for me. I knew I had to head west.
To do so I first had to break away from some constricting thinking, such as:
'You only go out to the bach if you can stay overnight', or
'Black clouds are gathering. It will be wet.'
'What about x, y, and z on your desk. What about revising chapter 9?'
But I didn't care. The coast was calling. As soon as I turned on to the north western motorway and saw the distant curves of the Waitakere Ranges, my heart lifted.
 I stopped at the organic growers and bought fresh green spinach, cut while I waited, manuka honey, and baby beetroot just lifted from the rich black soil. Above the garden, the taiwanese cherry was resplendent
 in its spring gown,
the camellia, 'Royalty', was dancing in her red dress,
 while high above, a tui song resounded across the valley, joyfully announcing that today, at least, spring is here!
 At the bach I sneaked up on a clump of daffodils that were brightly flowering. Will you turn your face to me?
 Yes, that's better. Thank you.
While the kawakawa is once again pointing its dainty fingers towards the sun, so perky and glad to feel the warmth.
Breakaway days - they are the best. I felt like a truant. I have returned to the city refreshed, after breathing in the wilds, the spring, and the sound of the surf. I had to sit down and tell you about this as soon as I arrived home. And now I am going to drink my cup of kawakawa tea, infused from the leaves I gathered today.
Do you need to break away - from routines, confinement, old patterns, jaded places? Then go for it! You will be glad.

15 comments:

lifeonthecutoff said...

A breakaway day - what we all need from time-to-time. How happy. How joyful this post is, Juliet, and I now for having read it. Enjoy your emerging spring.

Lynley said...

It must be break-away day today Juliet....I had the same urge and the same constricting thoughts BUT I went.

Not to a fabulous beach and out into nature but to research a mysterious person in my family tree at my nearby public library.

While the research was very worthwhile my heart was lifted by bumping into the mother of my grandchildren. The other beloved grandparents were caring for the wee ones at home so WE enjoyed delicious coffees, shared a decadent muffin, soaked up the lovely Japanese garden by the cafe and basked in the sun that had finally returned.

I was soooooo glad I played hookey.

Reading your tale of truancy made me laugh out loud Juliet and the photos, as always, gladdened my heart further:-)

Juliet said...

* Penny, I'm so glad you enjoyed the post, and I wish you some happy breakaway moments.

* Lynley, how delightful that you did the same. When the sun has become scarce, we've got to grab the moment. What a surprise meeting you had, and what a happy outcome. Nice to know another truant!

Thank you Penny and Lynley.

Unknown said...

Oh yes Break-away days. Playing truant. Retirement makes me feel I am playing truant everyday! Lovely post Juliet!

Juliet said...

Joan, I had a feeling that you might be a fellow truant. thank you for visiting.

Hotly Spiced said...

It's great that you can get out to these wide open spaces in a relatively short period of time. It takes a lot longer in Sydney! I love the sound of the organic roadside stall. Beautiful images of flowers that certainly make me feel that Spring is on its way xx

Juliet said...

Hi Charlie, yes I'm so lucky. It takes only 40 minutes to get to my bach, plus time for stop-offs. We are having some more sunshine today and it's definitely getting warmer.
Thanks for visiting.

cecilia said...

I used to drive up to Mahia when i had that feeling and as i turned under the railway bridge and zoomed up onto the beach i had that lifting of the heart.. I cannot tell you how much I long for that soaring absolute joy again.. soon soon.. celi

Ruth P said...

Wonderful description Juliet! Such a sense of refreshment and recharging... and beautiful photos. No flowers in our colder Central Otago garden yet, but I had a parallel 'recharging' time yesterday in glorious sunshine as I 'turned' our compost and found masses of worms waking from their winter slumber.

Marja said...

Good on you. I know the feeling so well. I sometimes have to push myself to go out when I feel stuck and then when I walk through the bush or along the beach evrything falls off my shoulders. So lucky to live in NZ

Juliet said...

*Oh Celi, you know just what I'm talking about! And soon you'll be able to be in the NZ wilds too.

* Ruth, so nice to hear of you having a good recharge yesterday as well. Those worms are a good sign of compost health, must be encouraging.

* Marja, you know the feeling too. Yes, we are so lucky to live here, with wild beauty never far away.

Thank you Cecilia, Ruth and Marja for your comments; much appreciated.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Juliet - I so agree .. and now I hope I'll have a few more break away days ..

I do love being free to roam .. and Spring is coming - our Autumn days are in the wings for now .. cheers Hilary

Juliet said...

* Hi Hilary, nice to see you here, along with the other free spirits who have responded to this post. I wish you some free roaming in the mellow light of autumn.

Anne Ruffell said...

Sometimes I just have to see a wide open sky and I walk ten minutes from home to the nearby fields and there the sky is stretching into the distance on either side above the gently rolling landscape. The fields are planted with different crops every year - golden wheat, blue linseed, white medicinal poppes, yellow mustard and one year when left fallow but ploughed they were full of red poppies. I make the most of it while I can as the developers are threatening to build all over these wonderful fields.

Juliet said...

* Anne, I remember these expansive fields from some of your photos. I do hope they can be saved from developers.