Bare Feet

Now that it is getting warmer and not raining so much, it is really feeling like summer. Unfortunately, it is also mid-November, and my brain seems to only be able to handle one of these facts at a time. When people talk about Christmas shopping (which, of course, they started doing weeks ago), I still figure that they will have to bundle up to go out to the stores. When people talk about going to the beach and having barbecues, I file that under "June" and look forward to the 4th of July. Which, in case you didn't notice, is double-wrong, since they do not actually celebrate American Independence Day in NZ. Oops. Anyway, in either case, I eventually have to do a mental double-take as the duplicity of my thinking becomes clear. I am not upset about this. In fact, there would have to be something really wrong going on for me to be upset about the weather getting warmer. But I am surprised at my inability to remember that it can be summer in December, and at my surprise each time it is brought to my attention.

The weather is beautiful here now. It is 20C (68F) and mostly sunny almost every day, and the wind has calmed down a bit, which feels nice. I have heard that spring is terribly rainy and windy, (which is what we've experienced so far), but that once summer settles in, we'll get a long stretch of good weather. I am optimistic that it is here, and I am really enjoying it so far. I am still liking sitting outside to read (now with Holly resting by me or chasing cats), and J and I have started doing some work on the gardens, which is nice. By the way, if anyone has suggestions on low-maintenance perennials and/or good pollinator flowers for a very mild climate, I would be happy to hear them.

Anyway, my main point is that here, shoes seem to become optional as soon as the weather does not require them. I saw a whole class of students doing sprints across the grass in P.E. today, all barefooted. J and I went out to a rather nice Indian restaurant for dinner the other night, and the couple at the next table were barefooted. The kids at many of the early learning centres leave their shoes in their cubbies for most of the day. People go grocery shopping, go to the bank, and who knows what else, with no shoes. I love it! My favourite barefoot family so far was a mom, dad, and two kids - the kids had shoes on, but the parents were barefoot. I don't know why, but I thought it was quite charming.

I think that the absence of shoes is a nice reflection of the relaxed outlook most Kiwis seem to have. They are not so bothered by little things, and would not see the point of a "No shirt, no shoes, no service" policy. Both J and I have noticed that people here seem to do what they like, and not worry about what other people do or like. Of course, this is a huge generalization, and like most generalizations, it can only be true to a certain extent. But I enjoy what I see of it, and I am happy to see people padding around town on bare feet.