Nelson

Hello, gentle reader. I took a couple days off from the blog. On Thursday I was basically just nursing my wounds and yesterday I fell asleep when we returned from our afternoon out.

Woke up Thursday morning very stiff and bruised from my equestrian exploits. In class Lucy set me up with a lovely sequence of restorative poses on blankets and bolsters so I just relaxed and luxuriated in that. I hadn't slept well as was tossing and turning reliving the moment of being thrown off the horse so the restorative poses calmed me down and put my mind in a better place. Thursday afternoon I just read and relaxed in an adjustable lounger that John brought out for me which was like being supported by bolsters.

Friday morning I woke up very swollen. My right buttock was an incredible size! In yoga class I spend the time doing a series of modified sun salutations -- basically breaking down the elements of the pose and concentrating on each movement separately. Also concentrated on working on my bandha and breath control in order to support my body in movement. Since I need to work on this area anyway it was a good way to do it. Lucy compared the idea of the bandha as a spider web and that gave me a good visual clue to help with my work on it.

After lunch Kay, Hadie and Mayo and I drove in to Nelson for the afternoon. Kay and Mayo were leaving Stillpoint and am sorry to see them leave as both are lovely women and I have enjoyed getting to know them. I will also miss Mayo calling me Janine-san and making me chai tea. Nelson is a nice town with a great arts community. Musicians on the street corners, art galleries etc. We listened to a group of four women called "The Nancies" playing on one corner (they did a great cover of John Lennon's "Whatever Gets You Through the Night") and then went to a cafe for some lunch.

The whole town is filled with incredible hanging baskets. I loved all the flowers.


After lunch Kay and Mayo went to the tourist info place to get Mayo a room for the night and to find her a two-day trip to Abel Tasman park. Hadie and I went to do some shopping. I got some very exciting bandages and antiseptic cream for the arm wound and a much more exciting beaded necklace. Hadie bought some ink and paint brushes at the art store. We then did a walking tour of Nelson parking lots trying to find the car to meet up with Kay and Mayo! We finally found it and we went off to Kay and Mayo's bed and breakfast to drop off their bags. The B&B was a lovely old cottage with amazing woodwork and antique furnishings. While they settled in, Hadie and I went for coffee and dessert and then we all met up later at the evening outdoor art/crafts market and we looked around the stalls for a bit (ran in to one of the women from "The Nancies" and talked to her). There was a street musician playing Neil Young songs who was very good -- lovely voice. Then we said our goodbyes and Hadie and I drove back to Stillpoint, stopping at an organic farm on the way to pay for a veg box Hadie had delivered earlier in the week. I fell asleep right away once we got back and had a good night's sleep.

The weekend is free of classes but I will do some gentle movements later in the yoga room to work on my injuries.