The Good Life.

I like life’s little revelations, in particular when I am already feeling the world is wonderful.  Last weekend was my birthday and I was already in good spirits.  Call it Christmas cheer, birthday bliss or whatever, but I was feeling pretty pleased with the way life was going.  To celebrate my birthday, we took a road trip across to the West Coast of New Zealand.  It is a rugged coast facing out to the Tasman Sea, the physical and cultural buffer between Australia and New Zealand.   The Southern Alps which form the spine of the South Island force moisture from the clouds to soak this part of the world with up to 18 metres of rain a year.  It is a landscape of lush and vibrant colour, changing vistas at each corner and an absolute world away from the Canterbury Plains where we live.  If the destination sounds extraordinary, the road trip across the island is as remarkable. Disappearing from the Canterbury Plains, the road carves in to the foot hills, pirouetting with the braided rivers as each criss-crosses the valley on separate paths.  On their way to the ocean, the turquoise waters race past islands of brightly coloured flowers.  Verdant vegetation embraces the valley walls, altering in density and stature as elevations increase.   All around there is water cascading down the slopes in varying volumes, as though the mountains themselves are melting.  Where the hills fuse with the rising mountains, the still snowy peaks draw the traveller’s eyes further skyward to blink in the summer sunshine at the cobalt blue skies.  As the entire scene awakens my senses, I draw a deep breathe to capture this moment as Mother Nature reaches down to kiss my cheek.