Delighted again

We gotta keep generating joy.

On a recent Monday, after a week or so of illness I walked in Waimāpihi for the first time in a while. There are now signs saying "Kiwi live here. Please keep your dog on a leash." And although I knew kiwi had been seen along Highbury Fling up closer to the Zealandia fence line I didn't realise they were so close to where I live. Kiwi!

I have gotten back into this Alison Roman recipe. Perfect for this time of year. I mean I would eat this any time but it fits perfectly in transitional seasons or cold ones. So that's like three quarters of any given year and tbh I live in Pōneke. There are cold times in summer too. It's a year round goodie!

I am fairly sure one of the dahlias I over-wintered in a pot is sprouting.

The sun is coming back into the house. I'm sitting in it right now. The sun. It's so good.

In general, I haven't been finding reading that easy this year. Often the way it goes when things are hard at work. In this recent period of illness followed by another illness I have found my ability to read coming back and I've finished four books. It's not much but it's nice to read again. Some of what I read was fantasy and it was gently fat positive, queer and interesting. I couldn't quite believe it. I devoured it then ordered the second one.

Golden kiwifruit are very delicious and it's much easier to eat the skin of them than regular kiwifruit. And as we all know that's where many of the nutritional benefits lie. So yes, I eat them skin and all.

I put on an old dress the other day and felt like I was wearing teaching robes from another time. Sometimes it is fun to wear an outfit that feels closer to a costume but still remains an outfit.

I am still thinking about that coconut cake.

I used a bunch of alphabet stamps to make cards recently and although they came out wonky it was delightful and the people I made them for appreciated the wonkiness, in particular. I like being a messy kid again. I bought these stamps THREE YEARS AGO and they had just sat in a box at my desk, out of sight but still taking up space.

For reasons several of my team have needed to go to the ER in the last couple of months, but not at an ambulance level of need. So, members of my team have taken them there. I treated those lovely people afterwards. I enjoy the way when you surprise someone with a piece of cake or their favourite granny lollies they light up in a different way than they might otherwise. A tiny bit of giddiness. A small helping of delight.

My beautiful girlfriend sent me a video of her in a beautiful dress and oof. She pretty. Gotta tell ya.

I went to a fat cabaret show, Thickums. I saw (exquisite) opera. I saw someone doing a performance as a fly that made me laugh until I cried. I saw many other good and funny things. It's also the only type of drag I can really handle I think because I grew up in Ōtautahi with fat drag queens and I just cannot handle anyone else. Thank goodness for Hannah and Em Darling. Thank goodness for fat people.

If you like coffee have you had a vienna? Maybe you should? I've been delighting in them. The linked article calls it an espresso con panna but in Aotearoa I've only ever seen it called a vienna. Usually a long black with whipped cream and a little cinnamon. I particularly recommend the one at Amuse. While you're there eat a piece of the vegan cinnamon slice or if you're really lucky they might have ginger cookies.

I have been getting into word puzzles and learning maths. I've got a 70+ day streak on doing maths daily. I have been doing this in an effort to doomscroll less. It's pretty helpful. Particularly some of the word games get me into a flow state similar to writing poems which is interesting in of itself.

I made chocolate crackle recently for some of the volunteer baking I do. I made the grown up chocolate version of this recipe with gluten free rice bubbles (did you know they aren't usually gluten free, I sure didn't) so they were vegan and gluten free. They were also delicious and fun. I feel like the theme of these joys is doing things you might have enjoyed as a child.

I've been getting a bit of unsolicited feedback recently. It's easy to forget that you can make an impact on the world and people. Sometimes all it takes is a little joke, or letting someone know how their squat form could improve or even just checking in after someone has had a terrible day. It has been lovely to have these unnamed people reach out and tell me something meant something to them. One of them even told me I was hot which is of course, nice. Who doesn't want that. Not me. Please tell me I'm hot.

Someone reviewed IF WE KNEW HOW TO WE WOULD on Storygraph and said this

Her words detonate like bombs dropped with loaded precision. Dense, demanding, technically challenging poetry and/or micro fictions. Whatever the genre, a major achievement of craft and meaning.

Ignoring the pronoun, it's nice to be perceived. I don't always feel noticed for the craft or technique in my poetry so thank you random stranger.

On a recent Saturday Simon and I had dinner with two lovely friends: Anna and Sam. We were having a not-very-good weekend but going over to our friends' house, in daylight (recently it's been in darkness) and getting to eat delicious food with lovely people was truly just what we needed. We had very good deep chats and Anna made a pudding I'd shared on Instagram sometime, ages ago. What great friend behaviour to do something like that. You really have to pay attention to the ways you're loved by those around you. How lucky we are to have these two in our lives.

A poem I wrote has been accepted for publication. That's nice. I hardly ever send things out these days but how delightful the editors liked this one.

Thinking about how I'm going to ride my bike to the beach this summer is delightful.

I have been feeling nervous about handstands for a while this year. I've been doing them on and off just trying to get more confident with them and feeling like I'm in a better place. So I hadn't done them for perhaps two months for a variety of reasons. But during a Friday gym session I decided to do two and if anything they were easier. Being upside down doesn't exactly rule but it is very educational. And how I feel afterwards is joyous.

Cuddling.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. What a glorious film that was. So fascinating to hear everyone's interpretations. The wrappers. The KFC. The Gillian and Hannah. The everything. Loved it.

In two weeks we are going to Palmerston North and I am going to eat some new season strawberries and have the first Real Fruit ice cream of the season.