Nigel and I were in Hamilton that afternoon six years ago today for a family birthday party, and we’d stopped at the New World supermarket at Rototuna for some snacks for the party. I stayed in the car to help keep the dogs calm, and because the weather was weird at the time: It was a bit too warm to leave them in the car without all the windows open quite a bit (the one next to me was wide open), but also the afternoon was threatening the possibility of rain. A bit like today, actually.
A bit more than a decade earlier, Nigel and I were living in Paeroa, and when we drove into Hamilton (usually to get supplies we needed for renovating our house), we passed where the New World would be built. At the time, there wasn’t much in the area but a petrol station.
Three years after this photo, I was looking at houses in this same area, and one I was interested in was within walking distance of this shopping area. Unfortunately, the owners were selling the house themselves and had an, um, optimistic view of its value. If the house went on the market now—well, when the market recovers—it’d probably be on for at least 40% more than what they were asking in 2019 (the house I eventually bought would be worth at least that much more, too, actually).
These days I sometimes go to that same New World, though by myself. The last time wasn’t all that long ago, right after I’d met my mother-in-law and one of my sisters-in-law for lunch at a nearby café. I still like that area.
And all of that is what I think about when I see this selfie of me and the kids, with them earnestly watching for their other daddy to come back. Sometimes, I do that, metaphorically speaking, too, though it's usually only in memories or old photos. Just more to add to the memory pile.
2 comments:
looks like you have a dog growing out of your back
Are you sure I don't?
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