Cry me a Volcano

I have a great respect for Arctic explorers. They are seriously nuts of course, but brave nuts. Can you imagine getting frostbite and still struggling on? Wow and wow! I went to the nurse last week to have a nasty piece of skin taken off my eyelid. She dipped the tweezers into the liquid nitrogen and then applied it to the offending skin ... and now I know why its called cryogenics. I tried really hard not to cry .... and managed to stay dry-eyed only by making inane conversation with the nurse as she administered frostbite to my eyelid. Ow! The ache was phenomenal for the next week. But on the plus side, my skin tag has fallen off. Poor thing decided that the frozen environment was not ideal. I was watching Antique Roadshow last week and this woman told them that when she got frostbite in her toes that she cut them off herself. She was all alone in the Arctic wilderness, but still, seriously nuts. I found the ache went all through my body and it was just a tiny little squidge of skin that I had frostbite in and not my whole foot. That level of cryogenics would have me howling at the moon. But then again tramping through miles and miles of snow all alone is not something I yearn to do.

On the opposite side of the thermometer ... have you seen the photos of that volcano in Guatemala? It reminded me of those school projects where you make a paper mache volcano and put coloured bicarbonate of soda inside the cone .. then add vinegar to see the eruption. The power of nature is awe-inspiring. Horrible for the people close to the volcano, but still amazing. And then Hawaii ... phenomenal. Can you imagine watching the lava rush towards your home and not being able to do anything at all to stop it? We did hear about a guy who put his foot into the lava to see how hot it was .... mmmm his Darwin award will no doubt be in the post. We live two hours from our volcanic plateau and yes, our mountains are also rumbling a little bit. Whether it's just in sympathy or they are really getting ready to put on their own light show, I don't know. Last time Ruapehu blew its top we drove down to Taupo and watched the drama from across the lake.... while playing mini-golf. Ruapehu stands with its friends Tongariro and Ngauruhoe with Lake Taupo on one side and the Desert Road on the other. We once drove around the mountains a few years back and noticed the fields alongside the road had an interesting decoration. The snowfields and paddocks were covered in bright orange objects ... and fluffy white sheep were munching their way through this orange bounty. It turned out to be carrots. I really should have taken photos because it was an amazing sight.

Maori have a story about Ruapehu. She was originally (yes, the volcano is female) married to Taranaki. (Which is also a volcano, but further to the West) Anyhow Taranaki went on a hunting trip and while he was away she was wooed by Tongariro. Taranaki and Tongariro had a mighty battle and Taranaki lost the fight. He retreated to the coast .. carving the course of the Wanganui River as he went. Taranaki rested at the end of his flight and his great weight has left an indentation in the land which has become the Te Ngaere swamps. But the story does not end there. Ruapehu still loves her husband and Taranaki still yearns for his wife. A mist that drifts from the top of his mountain sends a message to his wife that she is not forgotten and in the meantime, Tongariro growls in anger. If you climb the volcanoes of the Central Plateau, you can notice an area called Rua Taranaki where Taranaki once resided. A great love story tinged with neglect and infidelity, anger and jealousy. The name Ruapehu means "Two Explosions" in Maori. And yes, you can actually get frostbite on a volcano. The ski fields are a favourite haunt of the ski bunnies that stream through our town. But they are well covered with layers of ski bunny gear to prevent any chill from impacting on their fun. What does this story teach us? Don't go away hunting if you have a sexy woman at home? Or watch out for your male friends who stay home to 'help' out while you are away? Who knows? Love triangles are always fraught with dramas. Maybe that is what we can learn from this story, stay away from dramas or else things might become explosive.

We went to a boot sale last week with the grandchildren. Troy found a lovely beaded African buffalo at one of the stands. The woman was happy to sell it to Troy but we noticed her husband was looking a little sad. It turns out that he had not been keen to sell his treasured buffalo. When we said that we were South Africans he was much relieved to know that it was going to a home that would appreciate it. Of course, the conversation started with 'Where are you from?" He was from the Drakensberg and we were from the Zululand coast. But still, close enough. Funny how we still gravitate towards people with a similar background. The boot sale was good fun. We came home laden with odds and sods including a wooden tray. I said to the family that I have not had a tray for years and years and I kind of miss it. The idea of sitting on the couch with a tray for my hot chocolate and cookies perched next to me is something I enjoy. So what did my husband do? He went straight to the garage and made me a tray. Today he painted it a cerise pink colour and presented it to me for further embellishment. Ooooh now, what to embellish it with? Sparkles? Swirls, butterflies, flowers? The choices are endless. I did do a doodle that I quite like ... maybe maybe maybe?

Lots of love and stay away from frostbite-inducing cryogenic nurses with nitrogen loaded tweezers .... and volcanoes. Definitely volcanoes unless its to admire them from afar.