Reflections on The Seasons

Summer is almost gone and Easter is around the corner.  Already the leaves are starting to change their colour and fall.  

What a brilliant summer we have had, but it does seem to come and go much quicker than winter.

I hope readers have had a wonderful summer, delightful holidays and made lots of memories.

For our family it was a ‘stay at home’ break.  My husband does not get holidays in summer due to it being a busy time where he works.  The rest of the family have only taken a short break, as we are all going to be heading back to our beloved Lucca in July.

It's two years since we were in Italy and from the day we arrived home we started saving again so we could go this year. This holiday is going to be extra special with my son and his family coming from Bangkok, and my daughter and family coming from Brisbane.  My family know how much we love Lucca so we all decided it would be the perfect spot for a family reunion. We now have quite a few Italian friends, who we will see while we are there, so it is going to be an exciting month.  

Last month I helped put on an opera concert for our Italian friends from Lucca, who run the LuccaOPERAfestival.  It was four months of hard work, but I am so proud we were able to see them perform here.  The concerts held in Auckland raised funds to enable young New Zealand Opera Students attend the Young Artists Programme in Lucca this summer.  I look forward to hearing of their progress and with some luck I may even see some of them while we are there. Being an event organizer is something I had never done before so it was a massive challenge, and I’m not sure at my age I could do it again.  In saying that it’s good to challenge oneself, but you also have to realise your limitations and appreciate what you are getting yourself into.  Maybe it’s because I am blonde or maybe it’s because my star sign is Scorpio, but I tend to take on challenges that are possibly a bit too much for me, but my stubborn nature always insists I can do it.  My family kept insisting I needed to take more time out, but I got there.  It ended up being a great experience and something I can add to my life tapestry.

The next little project I am involved in is the ANZAC screening of ‘Journey of a Story’ on the 23rd of April.  ‘Journey of a Story’ was released by our film company in 2011 and I feel honoured it has been selected as a Red Carpet Event for the centenary commemoration.

The film was based on my own father’s personal experiences as a POW in Graz, Austria where he was held for five years.  He was one of the fortunate ones who got to work on a farm so at least he was reasonably well-fed.  Towards the end of the war he escaped and was sheltered by an Austrian family under their house.  My father rarely spoke about his wartime experiences, like a lot of returned soldiers.  The memories were just way too painful.  Dad was on the Hellas which was bombed in Piraeus Harbour in Greece.  He was fired on while in the water, which he never quite got over.  

I know how lucky my family were to have my father return but the years after were difficult both for my father, but also for my mother and brother.  The sacrifices were enormous and something none of us should ever forget.  There are no winners in war but sadly our world has not yet worked that out.

Whatever your beliefs, the Easter/Anzac Day period is a relevant time to reflect on our shared experiences of what has come before and also where we are all headed together – as families and as a wider community.

I do hope you enjoy the season.

Read more from Kay Rayner here