Because it was a beautiful morning we got up early and went down to Oriental Bay. The children’s playground on the beach by Freyberg Pool must be one of the most beautiful locations for a children’s playground in the world.
Wellington is a very pleasing city to look at. It fits the land and sea well. The geography of the land has dictated how the city is built. When I am in towns where the land has been more pliable in the hands of its people I feel uneasy. The flat grids of places like Christchurch or Palmerston North prove that reason has nothing to do with character or beauty when it comes to town planning. In Wellington people have been trying to squeeze what they need onto the sides of hills and up and down little valleys for 160 years. In Christchurch they merely tacked on another grid.
We walked along the waterfront from the playground to the library. There is a new statue clamped to the side of the wharf near Te Papa. It is a man who appears to be arching his back and leaning into the wind. He faces out to the sea, standing on the wharf's edge. If the wind failed you sense he would fall into the sea that washes and slaps the piers below. When you stand beside him you can see his face. His heavy lids are closed and his mouth is serene. He is at peace. The statue is called Solace in the Wind.
At the library I got out a pile of books. This one is a comic about friendship. Robot Dreams takes about twenty minutes to read. It is cute. A dog builds a mail order robot. They hang out. One day they go to the beach and the robot rusts up and stops moving. The dog leaves him behind. The rest of the comic is about how the robot and the dog eventually find new friends. The ending is wonderfully touching. The dog gets a new mail order robot. He takes better care of him. None of the other friends he has tried out since leaving his first friend behind have worked out. The original robot is found in bits and pieces at a scrap yard by a fox. The fox rebuilds the robot using a radio for its body. The robot is happy. He plays music and hangs out with his new buddy. One day he sees the dog with his new robot friend on the street, passing by the window of his house. The robot is shocked, then sad, and then thoughtful. He goes to the window and turns his music on. The music drifts out across the street to where the dog is walking. The dog hears the music and likes it. Carrying on down the street without even seeing his former friend he begins to whistle the tune and wag his tail. THE END.
Friendship is complicated and uncomplicated. When you’re Eleanor’s age you tend to make friends with whoever is around. It’s remarkable. When we were in the library a little boy came up to Cathy and they read a book together about fish. I think it would be nice if grown ups could do this. When I was in the mood I would like to think that I could go to the library, sit on a couch with a stranger and read a book out loud together. Mind you, to be fair, this isn’t friendship, this is making friends, the first bit of the much bigger thing called friendship. Eleanor doesn’t have friends yet, but she is making friends. She has a buddy at crèche called Tom. They like each other. They share a sense of fun and physicality. Tom came to Eleanor’s birthday party. When I went out onto the deck in the middle of the party I found Eleanor dragging Tom across the deck by his feet while he chortled with glee. Next time Richard comes over I must drag him across the deck and see if he likes it.
At the library I got out a pile of books. This one is a comic about friendship. Robot Dreams takes about twenty minutes to read. It is cute. A dog builds a mail order robot. They hang out. One day they go to the beach and the robot rusts up and stops moving. The dog leaves him behind. The rest of the comic is about how the robot and the dog eventually find new friends. The ending is wonderfully touching. The dog gets a new mail order robot. He takes better care of him. None of the other friends he has tried out since leaving his first friend behind have worked out. The original robot is found in bits and pieces at a scrap yard by a fox. The fox rebuilds the robot using a radio for its body. The robot is happy. He plays music and hangs out with his new buddy. One day he sees the dog with his new robot friend on the street, passing by the window of his house. The robot is shocked, then sad, and then thoughtful. He goes to the window and turns his music on. The music drifts out across the street to where the dog is walking. The dog hears the music and likes it. Carrying on down the street without even seeing his former friend he begins to whistle the tune and wag his tail. THE END.
Friendship is complicated and uncomplicated. When you’re Eleanor’s age you tend to make friends with whoever is around. It’s remarkable. When we were in the library a little boy came up to Cathy and they read a book together about fish. I think it would be nice if grown ups could do this. When I was in the mood I would like to think that I could go to the library, sit on a couch with a stranger and read a book out loud together. Mind you, to be fair, this isn’t friendship, this is making friends, the first bit of the much bigger thing called friendship. Eleanor doesn’t have friends yet, but she is making friends. She has a buddy at crèche called Tom. They like each other. They share a sense of fun and physicality. Tom came to Eleanor’s birthday party. When I went out onto the deck in the middle of the party I found Eleanor dragging Tom across the deck by his feet while he chortled with glee. Next time Richard comes over I must drag him across the deck and see if he likes it.
1 comment:
I think that would be fun. I'm a starter!
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