 | My birthdays just keep getting better and better as each cycle comes and goes! Recently I turned eighty-eight and my birthday celebrations were absolutely awesome. As well as receiving messages from my New Zealand friends, I also received messages from different parts of the world including from a lovely acquaintance in Nova Scotia and I enjoyed two very special outings. |
Leading up to my birthday, my New Zealand friend Anne had said “What would you like to do for your birthday” and I replied, “I would love to go to McLaren Falls”, which is a large area of parkland set alongside Lake McLaren and just ten minutes by car, from Tauranga.
It is a beautiful area with many species of trees, all with different hues of greens, a lake, picnic areas and an abundance of wild life. One of the highlights of the park is the waterfall track where you can enjoy a short, easy stroll to the picturesque waterfall.
There were a lot of tourists there the day we went and as we were going down the path to the picnic area, they were coming back up, so I waved out to them and said “Hello”. They probably could not speak English but they gave me big smiles!
It was just stunning down there in nature, a perfect day - beautiful and sunny.
I really enjoyed watching all the wildlife – swans, geese, ducks, ducklings and pukekos (swamp hens) are some that I can remember. While Anne and I were watching we saw a pukeko running off with something in its mouth and a young lady was chasing after it trying to catch it, so we assumed that it had taken something that belonged to her.
I saw her later so I went up to her and said, “Excuse me, but did the pukeko take something of yours?” She replied, “No, we were feeding the ducks with bread and the pukeko came along and took a little duckling and was running off with it! I was trying to catch it to get the duckling back but the pukeko won!”
There was a tearoom in the park where we could get a cup of tea and a biscuit so we sat up there looking out at the gorgeous view. Anne gave me a basket of goodies and a beautiful bunch of flowers while we were having a cup of tea. I could not have wished for a nicer day to celebrate the beginning of yet another cycle!
But my birthday celebrations did not end there. The following weekend another friend Jeanette came over with her mum and Anne, and we all went to a garden center where we had lunch in the cafeteria before walking around. It was a new experience for me as I had not been there before – it was just lovely and I felt absolutely spoilt.
Being eighty-eight is much the same as being eighty-seven – it is just another day that comes and goes around, but I so enjoy celebrating each cycle.
When we reach our elder years we tend to be more comfortable in our own skin as we have seen it all and there is nothing that can disturb us. When we reach this place it is so easy to get joy from the simplest of things.
Dorothy C., New Zealand
You might also like to read:
https://www.joyofageing.com/ageing-joyfully/life-is-great-at-87
It is a beautiful area with many species of trees, all with different hues of greens, a lake, picnic areas and an abundance of wild life. One of the highlights of the park is the waterfall track where you can enjoy a short, easy stroll to the picturesque waterfall.
There were a lot of tourists there the day we went and as we were going down the path to the picnic area, they were coming back up, so I waved out to them and said “Hello”. They probably could not speak English but they gave me big smiles!
It was just stunning down there in nature, a perfect day - beautiful and sunny.
I really enjoyed watching all the wildlife – swans, geese, ducks, ducklings and pukekos (swamp hens) are some that I can remember. While Anne and I were watching we saw a pukeko running off with something in its mouth and a young lady was chasing after it trying to catch it, so we assumed that it had taken something that belonged to her.
I saw her later so I went up to her and said, “Excuse me, but did the pukeko take something of yours?” She replied, “No, we were feeding the ducks with bread and the pukeko came along and took a little duckling and was running off with it! I was trying to catch it to get the duckling back but the pukeko won!”
There was a tearoom in the park where we could get a cup of tea and a biscuit so we sat up there looking out at the gorgeous view. Anne gave me a basket of goodies and a beautiful bunch of flowers while we were having a cup of tea. I could not have wished for a nicer day to celebrate the beginning of yet another cycle!
But my birthday celebrations did not end there. The following weekend another friend Jeanette came over with her mum and Anne, and we all went to a garden center where we had lunch in the cafeteria before walking around. It was a new experience for me as I had not been there before – it was just lovely and I felt absolutely spoilt.
Being eighty-eight is much the same as being eighty-seven – it is just another day that comes and goes around, but I so enjoy celebrating each cycle.
When we reach our elder years we tend to be more comfortable in our own skin as we have seen it all and there is nothing that can disturb us. When we reach this place it is so easy to get joy from the simplest of things.
Dorothy C., New Zealand
You might also like to read:
https://www.joyofageing.com/ageing-joyfully/life-is-great-at-87