Walking via Lourdes

One idea I have for my 'next Chemin' is that I might walk via Lourdes. 

I have now found two different ways to walk there. The first way is via the Voie du Piemont Pyreneen, which runs a bit closer to the Pyrenees than the Arles route, and the photos on the website really inspire me to walk this way...

The second way is a more recently created route, involving a deviation off the Le Puy and Arles routes. I receive a (free) e-mailed French language newsletter 'Les Zoreilles du Chemin'*, and the latest issue has a snippet about this route. I don't guarantee the accuracy of my translation, but as far as I can work it out the facts are these:-
You will be able to download the maps for these routes in pdf form (from January).

1) You can leave the GR65 at Lectoure (Map 56 in the Miam Miam Dodo for Le Puy) and walk to Auch (Map 56 in the MMD for Arles), via the GR Coeur de Gascogne, for 37km. You then follow the Arles route (GR 653) to Maubourguet (Plan 62) for 71 km. A little after Maubourguet you take the GR101 south to Lourdes for 46km, passing through Tarbes.

2) You can also leave the GR65 at Nogaro (Plan 65 of MMD of the chemin du Puy) and head south for 39km towards Maubourguet, where you will find the GR 101 for Lourdes.

They say that the first option lets you walk more on the Chemin paths, but that it's advisable to get hold of MMD for the Arles route for the section between Auch and Maubourguet. The second option lets you quit the GR65 at the last possible moment, but you need to walk more on sealed roads between Nogaro and Maubourguet because this route hasn't been marked.

* (If you want more info about "Les Zoreilles" newsletter, just e-mail me via my blog profile.)

A personal note: I went to Lourdes for several days via train in 2006, and was prompted into quite a bit of religious reflection. (Here's a bit of a diary and here are some reflections.) And when I was walking on the Le Puy route, I was very conscious of Lourdes when I was 'near' it on the GR65. I am not certain about returning -I am pretty much an 'ex-Catholic'- but Mother Mary seemed to 'look after' me last time. Time will tell....

Pohutukawa in the Square

 It is still very muggy here, but this morning there was no rain and I headed off for a walk downtown. The pohutukawa around the city are coming into bloom in time for Christmas. These three photos were all taken around the Square- the top one by the Council buildings, the middle one by the ponds,

and the last shot near the Plaza corner, showing some of the ducks that have returned to the square now the breeding season is behind them.

And I saw another of these special stormwater drain covers, this one picturing inanga.

 I can't leave you without a couple of duck shots though.

 It was so humid, the ducks were just sitting there, so it was easy to sit on a nearby seat and take photos of them!

Kahuterawa Rd Walk

When I was training for the Camino, I used to walk on some of the country roads near town, and Kahuterawa Rd was one of my favourites. But since my accident,  I've been nervous of walking in the countryside with just a narrow verge beside the road. A few weeks ago I headed out onto Kahuterawa Rd with a friend: that 'broke the ice'. And today I stepped it up a notch- up as far as Green's Rd. 

 There were a couple of horses grazing, and a herd of cattle were in a paddock close to the road. 

Today these followed a pattern I've seen before. The horses gave me a few seconds glance, then put their heads back down and nibbled more grass. But the cattle seemed to find my presence more alarming, and stared at me straight down the camera lens.

 Summer was rampant: wildflowers grew in profusion all along the way.

Not so many wild flowers in this paddock though: looks like hay has already been cut and stored. 

And finally, another pukeko (swamp hen). The lens (20X) on the new camera certainly helps me zoom in.
(And if you want to know how this walk fits into future dreams, try my new blog!)

Fitness....

Those who know me from 'other blogs' might know I broke my distal radius aka the wrist 'nastily' mid-year, and I've had to be careful about what physical activity I've done for a few months. Walking the flat streets of my city is easy enough, but I've completely lost confidence about tackling some of the hillier, less predictable paths nearby. But the time has come to 'get over it'!!

The irony of all this self-protection is that today I fell over- not on a steep, uneven track, but at home in my back garden where I was too busy taking a photograph to notice the step in the way. Fortunately, whether my brain was protecting my wrist or just my camera, I managed to fall sideways along my arm rather than hand-down, and all is well!

So tomorrow morning I am planning to rise early and head up one of the rural roads that I used for 'training' for my last Camino. I imagine the soles of my feet might slightly complain by the end of it, but I am looking forward to being outdoors walking in the countryside for a few hours.

When I 'trained' and also when I walked the Camino, I carried a few short bits of inspiration each day in my pocket. (Except I learned not to do this when it rained: those particular bits of paper fell into pieces in my shorts pockets and never lived to enhance another day's reflection.)

Tomorrow I have chosen a song and a poem to 'accompany' me. The song is "We say thanks", a song by Fr Chris Skinner off his 'Awesome God' album. Thankfulness was something I realised I had to practise when walking the Camino. It was sometimes too easy to think about problems like sore feet /ankles, rather than remembering to be thankful for all the gloriousness in the landscape, the kindness of the people etc. And the poem I am carrying is 'Why I Wake Early' by Mary Oliver. It is always a special joy for me to walk early when the world is still waking up for the new day. But it has already gone 10pm here, so if I plan to walk early, I need to head off to bed pronto!!

Confession time! OK so I never woke up early- and my grandiose ideas of walking a 22km circuit had dropped to a more manageable three hour walk by the time I left home!!! But it was quite a 'symbolic walk' really: I walked up Kahuterawa Rd to the intersection with Green's Rd. And this was the very same walk I walked on my first  'training' walk in late-2007, getting ready for the Camino in April 2008... Hopefully this a beginning for my next Chemin!  (Some more photos from the walk are in my 'everyday' blog!)

Walking- a purpose....

 

people enjoying an autumn walk along a Christchurch beach

I think that our bodies are made to walk. And walking in the outdoors brings me a special joy, and a sense of thankfulness. A long walk brings a rhythm and simplicity of living that I deeply treasure. It is 'right' for me to walk, simply walk.

These words from the song  "Be Mindful" by Fr Chris Skinner SM perhaps 'sum it all up' for me:

 "There's a dance our bodies long to dance

There's a song our voices long to sing

There's a dream our  planets dreaming of

Sing and dance her dream upon the earth"

You can read the rest of the lyrics of this song here. The song is found on his Collection album.

In 2008 I walked along the Chemin de St Jacques from Le-Puy-en-Velay to Santiago. I never ever worked out whether I was a pilgrim, or 'just' a long-distance-walker. But I have since decided the question is not of any relevance or importance for me: the walk was what it was.....

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus

A visit to the Coolest Little Capital in the World...

After work on Friday I headed straight off to the Coolest Little Capital in the World for a family event... I arrived at my sister's with just a few minutes to spare before joining them all to catch the bus downtown to Courtenay Place. They live near Otari Bush, so it is not uncommon to see kereru and tui on the trees around their house: this evening I just had time to take a photo of this kereru before the bus arrived...

The event itself was held at Motel, a remarkable little cocktail bar in an obscure little lane, with an unobtrusive frontage.... It was a very sophisticated place- and we had it for our 'private function' until 10pm. My nieces were dressed up beautifully and loved the whole occasion. I was impressed with how well the staff treated all the children...

Next morning we had a little bit of time to explore at Otari Bush, before we left on a 'picnic'. This unfurling frond was on the street frontage outside my sister's place.


When I did the NZ Flora paper this year, we learned a bit about the botanists and explorers who were important in laying the foundations for our understanding of our unique flora. So I was delighted to see this plaque honouring Cockayne at Otari.

And after my studies this year, I also realised for the first time (!) what a remarkable collection of native plants there is at Otari, with collections organised in various ways, and  even including alpine plants..... I must go back quietly on my own one day in the holidays and have a Big Explore!

For Saturday lunch we had a 'picnic', that for weather forecast reasons we brought indoors. My brother-in-law is a remarkable caterer. He had catered for 24 for a picnic.... and here are our individual jellies with fruit!

Thank you extended-family for a lovely celebration!!

Corippo- Village of the Scettrini family

I have made a couple of visits to Corippo, the mountain village in Ticino, southern Switzerland, from whence my Scettrini ancestors hail. Here are three photos taken there in a springtime visit, in April 2006 (scanned from pre-digital film photos...)

To get there I joined a regular "Postbus" service headed up the steep, winding road into Val Verzasca. After thirty minutes you get a breath-taking sight of the village of Corippo, with its stone houses perched steeply against a mountainside. Corippo lies at an altitude of 560m, with mountains 2500m high around it. It was founded in the fourteenth century. I approached, very conscious of the link that I was making with my family's past. 

  

All the houses in Corippo are made of mountain granite, with slate roofs, in a design that is specific to Ticino. The house fronts all look out across the valley, built to face the prevailing rain direction. The buildings tend to have two or three floors with small rooms, plus an attic. Because of the steepness of the terrain, hay and wood were often placed in the attic at the top, from the upper side of the house. 

Locals in the village have always had a hard life with the rough alpine climate, poor soil quality, and steep terrain of the pastures.  In the nineteenth century, the goldfields lured many men away. Hence, the arrival of Giuseppe Scettrini on the goldfields in Victoria, and later on the West Coast...

Eight great-grandparents

Patrick RIORDAN was born in Curraheen, Co Limerick, Ireland, sometime in the late 1840s, the child of John Riordan and Bridget QUANE. He seems to have arrived in New Zealand aged about 21, c1868.

Mary BURKE was born in the Parish of Inchture, Perth, Scotland, on 21 August 1862. She was the first child for her Irish father, Martin Burke, who left Co Mayo around the time of the Famine as a child, and her Scottish mother, Ann PHILP. She emigrated with her parents to New Zealand aboard the "Mermaid" when she was still only a toddler, arriving in Lyttelton on 16 February 1864.

 Patrick Riordan married Mary Burke on 11 April 1882 at the Catholic Church in Lincoln. 

  

Jeremiah MALONE and Margaret RIORDAN (no photo) were the parents of my grandmother, Margaret MALONE, who was born in Ballinadrideen, Ballyhea Parish, near Charleville, close to the border of Co. Cork and Co. Limerick. Another of their daughters, Bridget,  also emigrated to New Zealand.

  

James LALOR was born in Co. Kilkenny Ireland, c 1840, to John and Mary Lalor. He seems to have reached New Zealand c 1866, becoming a goldminer at South Beach. 

Catherine ROWLAND was born 26 August 1845 in Heidelberg, Melbourne, to Christopher Rowland (who was probably a convict from Cork) and Margaret ARBUCKLE. Her younger sister Margaret also later came to New Zealand.

James and Catherine married in 1871 in the Catholic Chapel in Greymouth.

  

Francis Davis PAYN was born 1854 in "Les Ruettes", St Martin's parish, Jersey, Channel Islands. He was the son of Thomas Payn and Elizabeth MOURANT. He arrived in Canterbury in 1874 on the "Dilharee" with Philip Payn, and was one of three "Larrikins" who discovered the Larrikins lead in 1878 in Kumara. 

Johanna SCETTRINI was born in Sandhurst (Bendigo) in 1865, the eldest daughter of Giuseppe Scettrini (from Corippo, Ticino, Switzerland) and Catherine HENEBERRY (from Ballyporeen, Co Tipperary, Ireland.) The family moved to the West Coast and after living in Waimea (Goldsborough) for a time, settled in Kumara. 

Johanna and Frank were married in 1886 in Kumara.  

Water Birds

The other day I posted about some 'urban birds'- but now it is time for the 'real thing'!

This morning I went up Kahuterawa Rd for a walk with my friend Sue. It was my first time up there since breaking my arm: you needed to walk close to/on the road and I seemed to lack confidence about that, so it was great to have company. Down in some of the gullies we saw a few pukeko, which are rather shy birds, and tend to disappear when humans appear. Here is one hiding in the rushes- and we know it had a chick not far away.

When I left Sue's I was keen to return to the Lagoon to see how the various springtime young ones had been growing. I guess all the Lagoon birds get used to humans wandering quite close by: I found another 'nest' with some coots in it, only a few metres from the water's edge.

I think these young ones might be the same ones I saw two weeks ago, swimming with their parents who were actively feeding them. But they now seem to have lost the curious red/yellow markings on their heads, and seem to be foraging a little for themselves.

Last time I was here, I was almost falling over the many small cute ducklings. There weren't quite so many small ones this time, but I have to include at least one photo with some cute little ducklings!

Down at the Lagoon today I also saw these Canadian Geese, and for the first time I saw them with some goslings. They look very elegant here- but they are 'introduced' and have been causing some ecological 'issues', largely for farmers.

Well, time to go, and it does indeed seem like I have been posting at a record rate lately - making up for sparse posting during broken-arm-recovery then exam-swotting! I am sure it will all settle down soon....

The Infamous Palmy

Crazy Vet students do us proud. They deserve their 'ain't famous' tag!

Opera Company of Philadelphia "Hallelujah!" Random Act of Culture

H/T to Ironic Catholic, but I gather it is all over the blogosphere. I would love to sing in a massed choir version like this!!!

Square Edge- repainting

Recently Jayne, a fellow blogger from Oz, suggested I might like to visit the blog of Timespanner (from Auckland- but we won't hold that against her!) Timespanner had a recent post up about repainting old buildings, and in particular drew attention to how the Victoria Picture Palace Theatre in Devonport had been repainted, from a 'lolly-pastel' to a plain boring white, that allows none of the interesting details on the historical facade to be easily viewed. I am never a minimalist at heart, and on this building it appears to have been carried to its bland extreme.

However, here in Palmerston North, we have had a building- Square Edge- where the repainting job seems to have gone to quite the other extreme.

The bright colour scheme was clearly chosen to be bright, and to stand out. I have no problem with that per se, but I am not convinced the colours chosen are in harmony with either this building, or with its context in the urban surroundings.

The 'gray' bits you see on this building are not paint: they are stone. And I am not convinced that the bright blue and red paint colours harmonise well with this gracious gray. Perhaps on the clocktower part of the building they suit it well, but at ground level, they seem to have done it a disservice.

But the biggest 'sin' of this repainting job seems to me that the local 'context' has not been considered. The bright red paint on Square Edge now appears to clash with the red brick of the adjacent All Saints Church.

And here is a slightly wider 'context'. Nothing fits, and the buildings all look incredibly 'separate'.

But still, all that said and done, I appreciate seeing colours that do indeed celebrate the facade details, rather than wash them out in white, as on the Devonport theatre building Timespanner has shown....

St Paul's, Wesley

As I walked home, I was at first just looking at the Methodist Church to add another photo to my churches post (below).

But as I got closer, I noticed the magnificent doorway in the old building- and this doorway deserves a post of its very own!

 

I will let a few of the details just speak for themselves...

Religious Buildings

Sometimes when I set out on a walk with my camera, I am never quite sure what might end up taking my interest. Today the bright red sign about 'special evangelical meetings' at the Gospel Hall took my eye, and it made me think about those citizens of the city who attend services in one of these smaller, plainer, simpler church buildings.

Next I walked past the Emmanuel church, where quite often you see Pacific Islanders all dressed up on a Sunday. With its paler bricks, it tends to 'blend in' and be easily missed as you pass by. But when I looked more closely I noticed the interesting archways above the porches, and the glass cross in the tower.

The Catholic Cathedral is never easily missed: its tall spire draws attention from many directions in this flat town.

 Last church in today's collection is All Saints, the distinctive brick Anglican church on the edge of the Square.