An optimistic day

from w
Since recovering from a bad cough, every breath now is easy, and each day is full of pleasure. Today was such as optimistic day. About 6 a.m. Peceli said, 'By the way we're having some visitors from Fiji coming to Geelong today.' He had met them last night in Melbourne - a group had come to see the Flower and Garden Show and had finished their workshops, etc. and some were at a home Peceli was visiting. 'Okay, what shall we show them?' I said, wondering how to tidy the house in time. We decided on a cuppa here, then the Botanical Gardens and the Holy Week Floral and Art displays at Wesley Church, then lunch at Smorgies. The sky was dull with a little rainy for a change. I rang two Fijian women in Geelong to join the group for some of the day.

Well, it was such a delight to talanoa with the four visitors from Suva who came down to Geelong with Josie, for Siteri to help me with the morning tea, and then for Ema to join us at the gardens. We strolled around amazed by the lovely shrubs, trees, and flowers - the ancient trees such as the gingko, the tropical plants in a hot-house, the dragon tree, the desert cactus plants, the ferns. Then at Wesley we saw the Holy Week story set out with symbolic objects, icons, flowers, quilts. Then we had lunch together at the restaurant at the end of a pier.

There are sometimes lovely days like this when we meet with old friends and new friends and for a few hours we switch off from the anxieties that also call our attention.