Jackpot

It's 11pm and I have a dolphin your to be up for at 7am. I couldn't be happier because:

Susan picked me up from the airport (smallest airport ever). She is a 60-year old brit who moved here with her husband (Ladislav from the Czech Republic) in 1977. Susan is exactly what you'd expect: a kind lady with a sense of humor. Great to talk to. We have a glass of wine in their back yard once we arrive, and talk about many things. It's quiet here in Opua, about a 5-minute drive from Paihia. They live on a fairly rural street and are surrounded by woods.

Later her husband comes to join. We talk about how their son set them up with Netflix over Christmas, the "medical report" of bad knees and such, and how Ladislav watches tv on mute... All are things that my parents do. The other house guests are a young couple who live in wellington. The guy is from Scotland, the girl from Texas. They share craft beer they bought in Coromandel Peninsula, and Ladislav makes us drink some whiskey he created (and tells us why he doesn't like vodka - because when the communist party kicked him out and sent him to the coal mines, he would only drink vodka and got sick of it).

I'm currently listening to the sounds of a female kiwi bird in the bush behind the house. Yes, there are still kiwis and a very few live in the wild. I can't believe my luck that I'm listening to them right now.

Tonight, I'm feeling very lucky.