I was driving along the Avon River heading towards the east side of town, in Christchurch the low socio side, the other side of the tracks as it were, when I saw a family crossing the road. They were an ordinary family for this part of town, a youngish woman dressed in a sari and a man walking alongside her. She may have been of Indian descent as she was darker skinned, an attractive young woman. The man beside her looked a bit older than her, Pakeha/European, scruffy in appearance.
Why they attracted my attention was the wheelbarrow the man was pushing ahead of them. The couple were talking and laughing, obviously enjoying each others company. In the wheelbarrow were two children, aged around two and under one. They were both very cute, darker skinned with lovely curls. They were also laughing as the two adults interacted with them. A police car drove past and the couple waved, the policemen waved back and I could see them smiling at the group as I was.
The family stopped on the bridge over the river and the adults pulled out a bag containing, I am assuming, some bread for the ducks. The children were each picked up out of the wheelbarrow and encouraged to throw the bread into the water. They were excited, animated as the adults interacted with them. The lights changed and I continued on my journey. This family scene left me smiling, still am smiling as I picture them looking over into the river together, wheelbarrow on the footpath.
I have spent the last couple of days hobbling along with my extreme gardening injuries. The chiropractor smiled and shook his head. Extreme gardening he said doubtfully. Then I told him what I had done, he barely suppressed his smile as he put me back together. It appears I had put my back out but had also pulled a rather large muscle at the top of my leg, the one that joins to the hip and runs down to the knee. Yep when I do things I do them properly. So ice and some strong antiflams are the order of the day. I have had comments from others, comments about remembering my age. Thanks guys, not that helpful really. I will live to do more extreme gardening, it just may take a while before I can climb up to the orchard.
Tomorrow I am off to Wellington for a memorial service, a sad time, a time to support friends. It's been a while since I've been to Wellington, a regular stop in my old job. I just hope I can find a bed for the night, that one of my friends has a spare couch. I have to be back on Friday afternoon as I am presenting at a marketing launch. Hobbling onto the stage to present will be an interesting experience, one I am feel ambivalent about at the moment.
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