Day 6: Sat 07 Jan: Rain Rain Rain

On the morning walk, Alec gave us umbrellas and I wore my jeans, my clogs and my rain jacket.  He warned me I would be soaked from the knee down, as part of the walk is through think kikyu.  Right.  I’ll do it differently next time.

Molly wisely goes barefoot

Alec leads the way through the slippery mud

Dog gets ahead

the views are still gorgeous

new mushrooms have appeared

a wild strawberry patch in the forest

foxglove in the forest

Alec near a fern flower

Teri double protected from the thigh up

another magnificent tree

the pond in the rain

back at the house...we look at a papaya we planted yesterday

(I forgot to write about that)...

anyway...a rabbit got it last night.  Alec will cover it with a bottle

There was time today for lazing around inside.  I worked on the blog for the beginning days of the trip, while listening to Cat Stevens and Neil Young.  Alec baked a chocolate cake—part of being self-sufficient means being able to cook the things you like.  As it turned out, he had an electric mixer hidden somewhere, a perfect silicone cake pan…and he started the cake by melting a huge bar of dark chocolate. 

chocolate cake before

chocolate cake after--a "mud cake" extremely chocolatey and good

Will Alec part with the recipe?  

He also bakes all his own bread, every few days.

Using a bread maker.

On the evening walk, I wore crocs and my silk pants, rolled up. I took quite a spill on the slippery mud going downhill, hitting my left thigh, rear end, upper arm and shoulder.  Molly rubbed me down with some of Rixt’s magic tupakihi cream…(and I am sore but not very as of the next day).

Dinner was chicken baked with onions and garlic, and noodles with pesto. Molly had leftover lentil soup.  We watched While You Were Sleeping…and headed to bed.

Every night I have dreams of locating a different new place to live—always with the needs of others in my circle in mind...as well as my needs.  Balconies, sky views, dog runs, elevators, huge kitchens, kosher kitchens (?!) hiding places, outdoor patios, overhangs, woods. Some are underground, some are luxurious, some are on stilts, one was in a senior citizen residence.  Hmmmm…go figure...