khemari - life essays of caving, space, Antarctic winter-over, art, meditation and disability

personal stories in words and pictures of winter-over at Scott Base, Antarctica; caving adventure; space and science fiction; architecture, art and design; Buddhism and meditation; disability;
and, perhaps, other things as they turn up!

Although only in my late fifties I've ceased to work due to ill-health, and now count myself retired and a lady of leisure. Three months ago, under the impetus of the Wangapeka Study and Retreat Centre needing a webmaster, I bought a computer and now seem to have 3 websites on the go - Wangapeka, deepskysangha - a noticeboard for regional Buddhist activities in New Zealand - and this - khemari - the name means peace and as this is a paradise homepage it's peace in paradise! (nifty, huh!)

khemari came into being after several chance meetings this year with people out of the far past. After reminiscing of past events I started to realise there were stories to tell and photos to share. Some of my life was set in motion by the ambitions of childhood while other aspects arose seemingly by chance. Somehow they all came together to the Here and Now.

Each of these pages are essays in words and photos of some aspect of my life, sometimes forming as a separate piece, sometimes, like life, thoroughly interwoven one with the other -

personal stories in words and pictures of winter-over at Scott Base, Antarctica; caving adventure; space and science fiction; architecture, art and design; Buddhism and meditation; disability;
and, perhaps, other things as they turn up!

- the childhood ambition of an 11 year old girl in the 1950's backwater of Te Kuiti, New Zealand to go the Antarctic (and the Moon!) leads to being the first New Zealand woman to winter-over at Scott Base (many photos);

- the absorbing adventures and disasters of discovering and mapping caves on the West Coast of New Zealand;

- a keen childhood interest in space and science fiction that led to ten years in geophysics / solar system physics (see below for space photos and links);

- becoming committed lifelong to Buddhist philosophy and meditation (in 2005 the Wangapeka Centre is holding a 6 month residential Buddha Dharma Program and I will be posting a weekly blog of my personal experience on this website);

- retraining as an architect, working in a small way on Te Papa, the New Zealand National Museum, architectural design teaching, and developing a lasting interest in art and design (I even designed this website, including all the graphics and buttons)

- in the last 12 years becoming disabled - developing fibromyalgia and widespread early arthritis due to hypermobility - a life-altering experience, and a great leveller after all the ambitions of a lifetime!

personal stories in words and pictures of winter-over at Scott Base, Antarctica; caving adventure; space and science fiction; architecture, art and design; Buddhism and meditation; disability; and, perhaps, other things as they turn up!

- the childhood ambition of an 11 year old girl in the 1950's backwater of Te Kuiti, New Zealand to go the Antarctic (and the Moon!) leads to being the first New Zealand woman to winter-over at Scott Base (many photos);

- the absorbing adventures and disasters of discovering and mapping caves on the West Coast of New Zealand;

- a keen childhood interest in space and science fiction that led to ten years in geophysics / solar system physics (see below for space photos and links);

- becoming committed lifelong to Buddhist philosophy and meditation (in 2005 the Wangapeka Centre is holding a 6 month residential Buddha Dharma Program and I will be posting a weekly blog of my personal experience on this website);

- retraining as an architect, working in a small way on Te Papa, the New Zealand National Museum, architectural design teaching, and developing a lasting interest in art and design (I even designed this website, including all the graphics and buttons)

- in the last 12 years becoming disabled - developing fibromyalgia and widespread early arthritis due to hypermobility - a life-altering experience, and a great leveller after all the ambitions of a lifetime!

personal stories in words and pictures of winter-over at Scott Base, Antarctica; caving adventure; space and science fiction; architecture, art and design; Buddhism and meditation; disability;
and, perhaps, other things as they turn up!