The Celestial Sea

by Marina de Nadous

  And then it is time to leave. Adrian accompanies me to the car and I hand him a package for his trip. “What’s in here?” he asks. “Open it once I’m gone,” I say. “And here’s my favourite book by Tom Brown which I know you will enjoy.” We kiss each other goodbye, lingering a while; reluctant to part. “Take care, My Friend and good luck,” I call from the open window of the van. I reverse and drive away, leaving my Prince to the paths of fate, knowing we have been blessed by Bursting Stars and Mountain Glory.

  The dogs are great company on the drive home. I turn off the main route after an hour to give them a run. It is dark by the time I reach the children. The six hours driving take their toll and once home I collapse in a heap. I telephone Adrian on his mobile to let him know I am home. “Thank-you for making the effort to drive all that way,” he says. “Shame we were disturbed beside the river and thank-you so much for the lovely gift; it makes me feel good.”

  I imagine him unwrapping the package——‘The Celestial Sea’ poem hand-written on a piece of painted paper.

  * * * * * * *

  The children and I keep ourselves busy over the next few days. Apart from running the show single-handed we have The Laird’s family arriving a couple of days after his own return from Fiji. So——lots to organize. One evening the telephone rings and Adrian’s familiar voice greets me lovingly. How wonderful to hear from him. He is in Chicago. “I’ve sent a general email telling you more,” he says. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

  From Adrian: 9th July e-mail from Chicago. Subject: Catching Up.

  Dear all,

  Here I am in a big, public library, getting free Internet access for 50 minutes, even free printing of 15 pages of info. Pretty cool. Well——this is my third day on the road, so to speak, and I’m in good shape. A little tired, but this is mainly due to staying up late while reading a very interesting book I found at the Seminary. The Seminary is like coming home. They had left a door open for me. The place is amazing. A huge brick building that would have housed four apartments but is now one big connected space. There are polished, wooden floors that are a bit saggy in places, long corridors, four kitchens, four bathrooms, twelve bedrooms, plus a number of libraries and study rooms. I like it. There was some food left here and it was all yummy, organic stuff——good cheeses and yoghurts and herbal teas. Yay! These are my sort of people. I should get to meet Gisela today. She has been my contact here and is a tutor on site.

  A funny thing happened as I got to the building last night. A little rabbit hopped along the pavement and disappeared somewhere into the Seminary grounds. Good omen isn’t it? I am reading a book by Tom Brown, a white American who was trained by an old, Apache scout. Really awakening for me again; like reading Don Juan when I was in my late teens; living a life with a deep awareness of the wilderness. Tom Brown runs a school called ‘trackerschool.com’ which I just looked up. He teaches four-day courses as part of his school, over in New Jersey. Interesting.

  I feel I am just about over the flu/cold I had before I left. The sinuses are a bit tender, but no exploding eardrums on the flight thank goodness. The stop in Los Angeles was pretty good. You wouldn’t believe the place I got to stay on Monday night. I looked up my travel guide and found a hostel on Venice Beach. They had a spare bed in a dormitory, so I found my way there on a shuttle and checked in. It cost $30 but was right on the strip along the sand, overlooking the palms and police, the shoppers and cyclists. I bought some jandals, {kiwi term for flip-flops}, sunglasses and a ‘tosta’ from a Mexican food shop. Then I headed onto the beach for a paddle and built a sandcastle. When I went back to the hostel I met my roommates who were, you guessed it, Kiwis! ——Twenty two-year-old fiancés: Sarah from Coromandel and Sean from Auckland; graduated students on the first leg of their O.E trip. {‘Overseas Experience’ for qualified Kiwi’s. Some are away for years, returning home with a wealth of experience and capital in their pockets.} Sarah was tired but Sean was keen to accompany me to a Blues Bar mentioned in my travel guide.

  So, off we taxied and had a couple of beers at this jam night in Harvelles Blues Bar. Sean was so excited and we had a good laugh. I really felt like dancing but the floor was only inhabited by trained couples doing their Salsa and sexy, dancing thing. Up I go and soon this tall, elegant, afro-American woman is dancing with me. I didn’t do too well with her and another guy who could do all that stuff took over. But I went on again and danced my little pants off. Good out breath. Back at the hostel our next-door neighbours were in full swing, playing cards and drinking. Such a mix of nationalities——all young and motivated, although a bit heavy on the alcohol and drug front for me. Friendly as anything. I felt a bit of an oldie but soon hooked up with a musician or two and my crusty old guitar. We had fun for a while until neighbours complained about the noise. Next morning I had an early swim and dozed on the beach until checkout time.

  I headed for the airport straightaway, and just as well I did. It took longer to check in for a domestic flight than it had for the international flight out of Auckland. They gave me a rigorous examination and luggage check. Apparently my courier thought I should have a good check over. Don’t know why? Must have looked suspicious or something. No cavity search, thank goodness!

  Anyway, all going pretty well. I’m getting to know the systems a little better, and how much things should cost. The heat isn’t too bad and all in all it’s looking good. A nice little taste of America. Met a few people. Looking forward to meeting the folk at the Seminary though. Feeling positive and comfortable there at the moment. The thought of spending time studying spiritual matters, reading, talking, practising spiritual acts and living that ‘Student-of-God’ life sure looks attractive. Finding the $20,000 or so each year, plus my flights, would be an interesting challenge. Hmm——we shall see.

  Righto, lots of love to you all back home. I’ll try and find a way to download some photos. You can e-mail whenever. It’s free, so I’ll check a screen everyday. Okay. Love and blessings,

  Adrian.

  2nd Instalment:

  Well, nearly at the end of my time in the States and I have had a marvellous visit. Chicago absolutely turns it on in the summer; huge free concerts, massive food festivals—I mean massive! There are hundreds of stalls——all the best restaurants have one, {as well as the not so good ones.} Thousands of people milling around; beer and Pepsi everywhere. A royal feast for the homeless people who aren’t too ashamed to rummage through the bins. I met a couple of these folk. I think summer is a good time for them. Winter must be hard. There are heaps of homeless people, sometimes sprawled across a footpath. I left my uncomfortable jandals that I bought in L.A beside a bin, knowing that someone would find them. I tried to wake a man with my boot size sleeping on the pavement, but he didn’t budge——so beside the bin they went. One of the characters I met was an old Blues man wearing a banana yellow suit. I ended up having a good laugh with him. He was celebrating his birthday weekend, or so he said, although it was only Tuesday! {I didn’t think of that at the time and shouted him a drink—then a cheap, taco meal—then a taxi fare home! Must have seen me coming}. Still, it was very entertaining.

  My legs are nearly falling off with all the walking I’m doing and my new boots still need to stretch more. The L.A jandals nearly sawed my big toes off. I finally found a shoe store and bought a pair of sandals. Ohh—the relief—mmm——ahh. It’s been beautiful weather here——cloudless, hot, muggy days. Absolutely cleared my cold up. Yeeha! I had to buy some shorts today to go for a swim in the lake. The only pair I found was bright yellow, flimsy nylon. Oh well; needed something there and then. When I reached the lake it was closed due to the high bacteria count. The huge amount of seagull crap is to blame. They are hiring dogs to chase away the pesky birds. Mind you, if you read the history of Chicago and what they did with their sewage before treatment plants were invented——well——it makes you think twice about stepping into that water.

  Lake Michigan is huge. In fact, the Great Lakes
hold 15% of the world’s fresh water! How’s that for a piece of useless information? The highlight of the day was surprising a deer in the Forest Preserve. I was stalking this little chipmunk that scurried past me——I was silently creeping around——noise, creak, rustle, noise. A loud crack nearby made me turn. There was a young deer, peacefully nibbling the foliage. I curled up into a ball, peering out from under my armpit, trying to resist the temptation to swat the scary thing that was biting me furiously. The deer suddenly noticed me and did this double take with a look that said; “Oh, my God, what is that thing?” It bobbed around a while, starring and starring and then with a snort it buggered off. I finally moved and managed to swat the mosquito, giant ant and black fly that were all biting me. No sign of the chipmunk either, but I thought it was a pretty cool, nature experience. Later, an Australian jogger told me that the deer are pretty common and almost tame——humph! ——I think he was jealous of my experience.

  Anyway, I had better finish there, before you get bored. The only other thing to mention has been meeting the priests, of course. What a lovely lot of people they are. We have had some good discussions. I feel better armed for making decisions on future directions, although nothing clear-cut as yet. Let’s see what Stuttgart brings. I must say that having had a small taste of mid-west America I am looking forward to Europe.

  I hope you are inspired, not green. Wish you were here of course. Dad tells me that winter has kicked in with floods and even snow in the North Island! Good luck folks. I’ve attached a few photos to warm you up. Take care, lots of love,

  Adrian

  11th July e-mail from The Mountain to Adrian. Subject: Biscuits.

  Dearest Friend,

  How goes it? You are much in my thoughts as you jet around the world. How are the sinuses? We are all fine here, except poor Rinky who has a mystery tummy bug. Cedric is asleep, the Go-Getter is driving us slightly mad with his hockey skills inside, the Bog-Brush is humping every cushion in sight, {why do female dogs do that?}, and your lovely doggie is guarding the fire, trying to keep some sort of order in this mad house! She makes us laugh, barking madly whenever we drive past the giant ‘Cow’ in town. Does she always do that? I am in Mouse-mode, interspersed with biscuit-making and Rainbow taming; trying to avoid the toast and chocolate.

  Well, I managed to speak to Jo, giving her July 24th as your arrival date at Gatwick, 9p.m. She said she would certainly be able to meet your plane and take you home. I enclose her e-mail address. I suggest you make contact as she is a busy lady and would need some warning. She is looking forward to meeting you.

  I also had a long chat with dear J.J. She will try and find some time to spend with you, particularly in the light of Rainbow knowledge. She is pleased that she knows that you know that she knows!

  Would you like a challenge for the week? Here goes:

  Find a tree you have never seen before and spend 15-30 minutes sitting quietly under its shade.

  Sketch the tree in your journal.

  Find out basic info on the tree and write it down.

  Write something poetic about the tree—could just be one word or phrase.

  There, lesson over for the day. Alternatively, you could just ignore the whole idea as far too much contact from your Lady on The Mountain. Take care, My Friend. I do hope the Seminary is proving inspirational and informative. Please don’t feel you have to respond; I just needed to give you the contact details. P.s——It’s cold!

  Special love and biscuits———

  From Adrian: 12th July e-mail from Chicago. Subject: Biscuits.

  Hello, My Dear Friend on The Mountain,

  Thanks for your e-mail and update on the dogs and family etc. Yes, my four-legged friend does not like that ‘Cow’. She even growls if it isn’t out when we drive past——mad as a snake!

  Anyway, this is my last night in the States and I have just spent it gardening. The grounds here needed some serious attention. The free festival is still going on, but I was quite content weeding away until ten o’clock. I could hear the bands quite clearly from the garden, and to be honest I’ve had enough of bustle and noise. Today I met the main priest at the Seminary. We had a good chat— nice guy. He lectures here. The course looks good—sounds good——I think. Just need to find $20,000 in one month——possible? Righto! We’ll see.

  So, I’ve had some very enjoyable times and had a pretty good taste of Chicago; summer at least. Ready for Europe though. Do you know who won the World Cup? Nice to talk to you the other day. Give my love to the family. Thanks for contact details for Jo and J.J.

  I’ll let you know as things progress. Take care, stay warm, think Rainbows.

  Adrian.

  20th July e-mail from The Mountain to Adrian. Subject: New e-mail address.

  Dear fellow Biscuit Nibbler,

  Just a quick message from a howling Mountain. I have my own e-mail address now! We are all well, although I am pretty hectic with a full house. Oops——here comes the rain——better dash; washing needs to come in. Speak again soon.

  Your Friend in a gale xxxxx

  From Adrian: 21st July e-mail from Stockholm. Subject: Biscuits

  Hello my Dear, Mad, Freezing Friend and Dog-sitter, Thanks for the little update. How about your own e-mail address! ——Fancy! You really are growing up.

  I hope the new term has started well? Have you caught up with Cordelia? I am currently in Stockholm and had a sidesplitting night out with my cousin John. We have such a hoot when we are together. Danced our little pants off; doubled over with laughter at some of the mad moves we were doing for each other. Poor, unsuspecting, Stockholm club-goers; people weren’t sure what to make of us. They must have thought we were gay. We had eyes only for each other. What a laugh.

  I will send you my general update, so I won’t go over all that again. The meeting with Jules went pretty well. She feels a bit pressured by me, but we were able to hang out a little as friends and students. It’s been pretty honest——so—the agreement is that I won’t wait for her but if The Angels weave it so and we are both free and single, then I will court her. Hmm——this is easier said than done as she is on my mind a lot.

  Anyway, on with the adventure. Have been in touch with Jo and she is very welcoming and flexible. I thought that I would change my travel plans so that I could do the music course, but I have changed back to the original dates. I now have a date of return from Ireland; so can see how she is placed. Right!

  I have to leave as John is taking me to see a giant naval battleship built in 1663 that sunk on its maiden voyage. And to the beach. No beers for me tonight!

  Lots of love to you. Thank you for all your love, support and care. Give my warm wishes to all family members and I’ll fling you my un-finished update. Catch you up later.

  Ciao for now,

  Adrian

  From Adrian: 24th July: General up-date

  Blissful days of catch-up. I arrived on the evening of a local folk festival here in Sweden, where they had all the old crafts. Things like shingle making, wooden basket making, lace-making and ironing in the old-fashioned way. There was some traditional, Swedish food too. Yuk! Tried some ‘Very Special’ herring and potatoes. I was warned that it was salty, but this was ridiculous——inedible! Even the Swedes didn’t like it. I also tried some Oef Kaka, or curd cheese lathered in delicious, raspberry sauce. Now that was all right. Lots of people came in their traditional costumes——different colours and styles from different areas. Like the Scots in a way. It was pretty good. In the summer everyone stays up very late because of the light; it’s amazing.

  My cousin John is doing really well; lovely, tidy apartment, eating well, {mainly organic}, respected at work, being a good dad, quite steady and secure and currently on a two month holiday. He’s on the lookout for a nice girl too—eyes on stalks, the both of us. It’s great fun being together, really comfortable and very amusing. Stockholm tonight. I’ve given up on looking attractive to get the attention of these bronzed, Swedish Venuse
s. I am just heading out to dance, dance, and dance. John just cooked a yummy chicken salad and we’re having a G & T before taking the subway into town.

  Last time I wrote I was in Chicago, so there’s quite a lot of catching up to do. I arrived in London at ten a.m and had to be back in the airport by five thirty p.m. I took the tube into town to see St. Paul’s and do one of the historical, walking tours. I needed a sleep, so I crashed out in one of the few, pigeon-pooh-free areas of the Cathedral grounds next to some very energetic kissers! St. Pauls was free——I was amazed. I did what you guys suggested and took the narrowing stairs right to the top of the dome. Others must have taken your lead because it was packed——pretty cool though. I lay down on the seats and gazed for ages up into the dome. Stunning, isn’t it? Just goes on and on, with the hint of more above——wow. They say the architect used to go there and do just that——gaze up at his own inspiration. The walking tour was a great snapshot of English history with remains back to the Middle Ages. I didn’t realize how brutal King Henry the 8th had been, with his destruction of so many Catholic churches and the acquisition of all that land of course. One interesting part was a little shop that up until last year had been called ‘Oliver’s’, {for the past five generations.} The guide said that Dickens used to walk that area and was inspired by the name for one of his characters——Just a story??

  That was certainly interesting but definitely enough sightseeing. I can’t really be bothered with it all. The odd thing will do me, but I feel I’ve seen enough museums, cathedrals and statues for this trip——boring, old fart, I know. But I do like the walking tours with all their stories and movement. I think I’ll do more of those when I return.