Love from New Zealand

Sometimes I forget that it is okay to give everything to your art.  Why do I need reminders?  I have no reason to reserve energy as if I’ll need it for some greater future project.  There is no excuse for sheltering the pieces of myself that are vulnerable.  Those are the only pieces worth showing.  If I am unwilling to share completely, what am I sharing for?

A guest entertainer pianist played on board tonight.  She was absolutely stunning and excellent at piano.  If only I had practiced more…  Although, then I would have had to have done all of that practicing…

We are still in New Zealand at the moment, which is a hiker’s paradise as there are no poisonous animals or plants here.  There are lots and lots of trees of all different sorts and too many new plants for me to remember the names of.  I ran through some tall grasses the other day like I would if I were a little girl.  It was an experience I recommend to everyone.

I had to ask someone today what month is was.  That’s how much time has blurred together for me.  The sea has expressed more than its share of rockiness lately.  Last night we did our Motown show.  It was an awkward array of bodies falling into one another to the sound of Motown.  We finally got to the number where I get to sit on a stool (Tracks of my tears), and  I was very relieved to be off of my feet as they weren’t behaving well and kept threatening to pitch me onto my face.  Unfortunately, the sea sent up a giant wave and it wasn’t my feet that betrayed me, but the stool.  I “gracefully” (as described by guests witnessing my near death experience) got back up, caught the stool and resumed singing the rest of the song.  Luckily, most everyone was seasick so only about thirty guests saw my shame.

It’s been very rainy lately, but I’ve been shopping and bought some amazing dresses.  I never do that.  It’s been different, but nice.  I have been trying to decide what exactly to do for Valentine’s Day because we have an overnight in Melbourne, but we also have a deck show that night at 9PM.  I’m not sure anyone will be there and frankly I’d much rather go out for dinner than do British Invasion to an empty deck.  Hopefully it will all work out.  When we go back to Australia we will be sailing up the west coast this time.  Have you seen all the horrible floods they’ve been having?  Yes, I have been watching world news.  I know, I’m just as surprised as you are.

Someday soon, I will start writing these when I am fully awake and they will make more sense and be less stream of consciousness…but today is not that day.  I miss everyone so much!  Especially my parents whom I have been hoping to run into on facebook…hint hint.  Perhaps one day we will skype together?

 The picture above is from Auckland.  It is Jason being a painting on the waterfront.