Monday Miscellany: No Kidding version

(albeit I am writing this on a Tuesday)

As I mentioned on A Separate Life, NZ is in the grip of a tropical cyclone at the moment. We are fine here in Wellington, but further north it is more difficult. I heard reports on the radio yesterday that on Sunday night, only a few people had turned up at emergency centres, though more were expected that day (and many more, following multiple evacuations, yesterday and today). I thought about the people who had gone early - maybe their houses had already flooded in previous events, or maybe they lived alone, or knew that they didn't have family around to help them. I can imagine being one of those people. Being childless does make us more vulnerable. But more aware of the risks, and the independence to look after ourselves. I hope the childless in the north of New Zealand are all safe and dry.

On a brighter note, last week I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Lilly (from a blank new page) and her husband who are touring New Zealand. (And I hope they are safe and dry today.) We hosted them on our deck for drinks, then dinner, then we talked and talked for hours, and farewelled them the next morning, happy that we had met, and made some new friends. What a delight it is to meet fellow No Kidding bloggers. We talked briefly about not having kids, but mostly we talked about other things. We met through childlessness, but we connected in many other ways. It was such a good reminder that we are all so much more than our childlessness. And Lilly and Mr Lilly (lol) were so much more - such delightful people, interesting, intelligent, thoughtful, active, adventurous. I am Not Kidding!

I am travel planning again at the moment - some of the final decisions to be made. It is interesting when I look at hotel sites. We're going to stay in a cottage that doesn't allow children, for safety reasons. That's a big plus for us. Hotel rooms noted as "family" suites often have a sofa bed. I like the look of them, because I like to have a sofa to lounge on after a busy day sightseeing, and when my husband is spread across the bed reading on his ipad. I think how cramped they would be with two parents and kids. I found a video of a panoramic route we are planning to drive. It was very informative, but was made by parents, who had to skip a lot of places because they had kids with limited attention spans. And as much as I would have loved to travel with children, I do have to admit that there are definite advantages to travelling without them.

A footnote: I love meeting fellow bloggers. There are a few who are serious about coming to New Zealand. I am happy to give advice in the planning stages. I'll try and help you see penguins. And I cannot wait to meet you!