I'm writing this blog in a coach preparing for my first day out of town, at the quaint university town, or city, of Palmerston North, or just Palmy, as the locals fondly call it. The weather has fortuitously given me the thumbs up, it will be fourteen degrees and no rain, and no wind. I was rushing a little to catch the bus as it was my first time and I wasn't sure where it left from. But on walking quickly through the underground tunnel at the Rail Terminus I overheard someone say to their friend, 'oh, we've got lots of time' and immediately I slowed down knowing I was OK. They had requested arriving fifteen minutes early which I belatedly read on my internet print-out, but all was well. They are very gentlemanly here anyway and wouldn't leave without me!
After coffee I discover the Palmerston North Museum and spend an hour profitably looking around at their special exhibitions. What really attracted me was a video, a continuous movie of interviews with people with certain 'disabilities'. It becomes bleedin' obvious that these people shown here are more real than many of the puppets who live in mainstream society. See picture below. Ben Morris who has Down Syndrome wants to be an actor, and feels great doing it. Creativity is the secret to so many of life's problems and this is shown admirably in this video. The video's title is 'Take a moment with us.' I was so happy to see it and I certainly took several moments to savour it. There is good work to be done in this area which I worked in many, many years ago. Who knows I may be able to contribute again. I'll keep you posted.
The two and a quarter hour trip went fast, the countryside green and lush like the South of France. It is clear why the Europeans love emigrating here. We arrive right on time and I have about four hours to discover Palmy, albeit on a public holiday so the town is likely to be deserted. However I am pleasantly surprised as I walk down the giant boulevards. Someone had obviously designed this town and there are some old majestic Victorian buildings in good repair and still being used, like the elegant Regent Theatre which is staging 'Hairspray' at the moment. Picked up a local paper and the said musical is well documented showing a young local talent being responsible for this lavish production. I'm sure it was a sell-out. The hope is expressed that Palmy won't lose his talent to the big world out there. I'm sorry to say, they most probably will.
The township is delightful especially on this spring Labour Day holiday, which I am told officially marks the beginning of the warmer season. I stroll down the Main Street, reach the city square around which everything is planned, and walk on another block looking for the Wabi Sabi Japanese restaurant where I had planned to eat, that is if my rendezvous had been forthcoming, which it wasn't. I soon pass by the said cafe and it looks OK.
I continue down the street and do a u-turn to discover another street full of cafes I had noticed earlier.
Here I notice a good place to have a coffee and snack, as I'm not too hungry. It is called 'Barista' and there is a warm buzz of conversation with a good mix of people, young students, families with kids, and oldies like me. The service is immediate and the coffee excellent. I would come again on another visit. My other goal today was to find the Cafe de Paris Inn, an interestingly named hotel with cheap accommodation where I might stay were I to return for another visit. I'm sure I will find it with no trouble.
However back to my big weekend which started on Saturday...or early Sunday morning at 4 a.m. to be precise. I was woken by a quiet but insistent knock on our outside front door so I stumbled out of bed, threw on some clothes and opened the door to a tall blue uniformed man, a policeman. Thinking my scooter had been blown into the bay I asked what had happened. He then asked me if my name was Paul, and told me my scooter had been stolen. The two young thieves had been accosted on Grafton Road not too far away where neighbours had alerted the police about a noisy pair of youths going crazy with two stolen scooters. He asked me politely to come with him to try and turn off the motor with my ignition key. On arrival it was to no avail as they had destroyed the ignition barrel and the key wouldn't work at all. Luckily we discovered that covering the exhaust with a towel would stop it. Suffice to say I was a bit shocked but we left the scooter there, as the boys had destroyed the headlights on hot-wiring the engine. I then came home to try and resume a few hours sleep as I would have to wait till Tuesday to get it picked up anyway, and then there would be a court case. Possibly I would get damages to pay for the repairs, I was told by the constable, at least I hope so. My poor scooter was not a pretty sight. However Constable Dale Horner was impeccable in his treatment of the 'event', as he called it, and told me the police station would in due time contact with me so I needed to keep a record of cost of repairs etc. Such is my life now in Wellington with the veil of innocence lifted! Still it' s not the end of the world.
The next day I spoke to my neighbour below me, who was probably woken by the affair. She commiserated with me and immediately offered to house my scooter in her garage, which was a generous offer indeed. I hope I won't need it however, as when it is repaired it will be under lock and chain. My naiveté is finally at an end, lol!
So there was the beginning of an interesting long weekend. Now back to Palmy....
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