I Heart Hamilton

Hamilton is full of surprises:

On one of the coldest but most beautiful days I’ve experienced I went for a stroll around Gage Park, and discovered that it’s not only stunning outside

but that there’s hidden treasures on the inside.

 Inside a tropical hothouse that contains lush ferns. brightly coloured tropical flowers and a pond complete with waterfall and fat koi carp you can relax on a park bench and breathe in the warm wet air of the tropics whilst looking out the misted window at the sparkling snow. The greenhouse is open every day of the week, and is free - a bizarre and beautiful distraction from the wintery weather.

There’s all sorts of wildlife running around the place. At the waterfront iceskating rink - which is free to skate on, and only $6 for skate rental - two mythical creatures, fair and graceful, were spotted. 

A mid-afternoon Saturday skating session seemed the perfect time for Work-Wife and I to sport our matching unicorn onesies (like all housemates have), and we definitely made at least one little girl’s day who posed for a photo with us, and amused most of the other people at the rink. I was even asked if we were part of a special group. I like to think so. 

I am full of surprises:

After a fair amount of internet research, demonstrations from friends and coaxing from my yoga teacher, I attempted my first yoga headstand:

and have been practicing every couple of days since. I’m trying my hardest to learn to walk before I run, to build up to an effortless headstand in phases, to have patience and trust that as I keep doing other poses I am building the strength to make headstands easier. I think that’s the most important thing I’ve learnt in the last few weeks - to be gentle with myself and not rush things…although it’s taken a few tumbles and days of sore neck muscles to make me fully absorb the lesson. 

My time in Hamilton is coming to an end. My third and final Art Crawl is in a few weeks, and I have an out-of-control yarn collection I’ve got to make a serious dent in before I leave. I'll be making my usual cowls, gloves and tea cozies, but I thought I'd learn something new - so here's my latest (and possibly most favourite) achievement - the Cat Bum Coaster!

There’s going to be a fair amount of sitting around crocheting…I think there’s a park bench in the rainforest that’s got my name all over it!