Jan Marsh

DAY ELEVEN Sunday. My bodyclock hasn't changed with the end of daylight saving so naturally I'm up early. That gives me a chance to second-coat the parts of my window frames that need it and to re-do the windowsills with the red paint even more thinned

DAY TWELVE Groundhog Monday. I get ready for my piano lesson, signing in to Jitsi and placing the laptop on the stepladder so that the piano keys are in the picture. I warm up a bit playing the scales I've been learning and going over my pieces. At

DAY FIFTEEN The Thursday before Easter is the traditional day for hot cross buns and I've made Monday's purchase last so that I have one with my coffee today. There are a couple of squares of chocolate left too but I doubt they'll last

DAY THIRTEEN It's been a social day. I began with a meditation and chat with my sister. Then I had coffee and knitting with the friend who gave me some brightly coloured wool at the beginning of the rahui – I've started a turquoise beanie – and we

DAY FOURTEEN Is it just me or did the second week go faster than the first? It's always intriguing how quickly people adapt and make their lives work in whatever circumstances – sometimes to our detriment if we're accepting conditions we should protest against, but in this

DAY NINE Just as I finish my morning meditation, I have a call from my neighbour to say that her choir is doing an online singing lesson which will culminate in one minute of noise to acknowledge the essential workers. She's warning me so that I don'

Day One At first the jargon sounded funny, strange combinations of words or familiar words in different contexts. Why was it 'self-isolation' instead of 'isolate themselves'? Wasn't 'shelter in place' what people did when they were too late to flee bush fires

DAY TWO I'm awake too early. After a bit of tossing and turning I give in, put on my dressing gown and make a cup of tea. The cat, Po, thinks it's breakfast time so I feed her, even though it's only 5am, and

DAY FOUR Sunday and a day of connection. First the 9am meditation and a call to my sister, then our first online Quaker Meeting, an experiment with a certain irony because Quaker worship is mostly silent. Half a dozen of us pop into the screen and we sit in our

DAY FIVE Today is a day of new things. My piano lesson, which didn't work at all last week when we tried to do it on our phones, goes well. I set my laptop up on a small step ladder, the camera pointed down to the keys of

DAY SIX Another beautiful autumn day. I start as usual with salutes to the sunrise, breakfast with news on the radio, 9 am meditation and writing. I'm leaving the radio off more than I usually would, although I admire the dedication of our national presenters who are working

DAY SEVEN One week down. There we go, that wasn't so bad was it? At least, not for me. I feel very grateful that I'm in a good position to do this – already retired, in my own home with no worries about income and plenty to

DAY EIGHT We start Week Two. After the initial flurry of calls as we contacted each other to make sure we were all right, things have grown quieter. I still don't seem to achieve much but I stick to my routine and make sure that every day I

In Praise of Curiosity The sense of danger must not disappear: The way is certainly both short and steep, However gradual it looks from here: Look if you like, but you will have to leap. W.H. Auden 'Leap before you look' As a small child I was

We're often encouraged to be present or mindful, or reminded to let go of past and future to be in the 'now'. Why is it so hard to do? Distraction has its role. Sometimes we need to distract ourselves from difficult feelings or useless worry, a

Talking to strangers I love this autumn weather. The sea is calm, reflecting the cloudless blue sky and adding its own deeper notes, the air is fresh without being cold. As I set off towards the beach I notice a group of kayakers lifting their vessels into the water at

Lately we are becoming familiar with the term 'deferred maintenance', meaning, basically, that our built environment has been neglected and is deteriorating. We see the results all around us: yellow stickered buildings that do not reach building standards, even in towns that have not had severe earthquakes. Cold,

Rain, rain … We're a pluvial nation, apparently. As I write, it's raining again. Where other places suffer droughts, acid rain and other water worries, an abundance of H2O falls from our skies, greening our pastures and filling our aquafers. That's not to say we

Recently I bought a new pear tree which my grandson and I planted in the school holidays. What does it need to thrive? We chose a spot that would get enough sunlight and dug a good-sized hole, putting in several spadefuls of compost and some fertiliser. I carefully unwrapped the

My feeling that 'you don't speak for me' is particularly strong right now. A few days from our own election, and hearing about Australia's huge poll on same sex marriage, I need to clarify what I think and feel so that I can speak

A while ago, I allowed a man I had just met to put me in a headlock! Don't worry, he was a physiotherapist treating my neck. My friend's recommendation, combined with his very thorough assessment of me, earned him enough trust for me to permit a

My coach says: run on grass light shoes, thin socks the clever muscles of your feet find their balance he says. He watches as I run away and back with short soft steps he says: you have a nice style I see no reason why you shouldn't run.

The news that Trump will be the US President says something about the shadow side of human nature. We all have our Shadow and we can all put self-interest, envy and anger ahead of being the best of ourselves. Mostly the Shadow is not Evil personified as the cartoons portray

Dying to be Me Anita Moorjani Hay House 2012 Anita Moorjani writes about her experience of cancer and a crisis admission to hospital when her organs were failing. As her family gathered, mourning her imminent death, she found herself watching from a peaceful place in the loving presence of her