It’s the principle that counts here – for those of you seeking employment or a business – there’s much gain to be made from correcting things. ‘Where there’s muck there’s brass’, the old saying goes. Many human activities – job roles or business enterprises are based on making corrections to situations. Cleaning, quality assurance, panel beating, surgery, hostage negotiation, fire fighting – the list goes on – are all essentially corrective activities. Often these activities are highly paid, and the people who engage in these activities are amongst the most respected in our communities. And if you find yourself in need of a skilled correction specialist – a plumber perhaps, a road-side rescue for you and your car, or dentist – you’ll know just how welcome these people can be.

Makes me feel proud to be amongst such creative and worthy companions.

Manifesto
08. Every day choose to bring about change.
14. Every day the ordinary can be the extraordinary.
42. Every day celebrate. Who you are. What you have achieved. Things that matter to you.

From my roller-coaster life I absolutely salute anyone who can hold down an intense job and home life and photo/write every day – it’s a big ask. If you are that person, can you at least not be slim, beautiful, have a great personality, rich in every respect, and love orphan kittens? If so I may have to remove you from the gene pool.

My mind is not entirely made up about what next for Fresh New Day – I want to explore some stories in greater depth, and I have a couple of other projects I’m considering as well, some ideally a little more collaborative. Meanwhile I’m set in my routine of making at least one photo a day, and ideally, writing in the same flow.

Some days I wonder if anybody is even faintly interested in what I’ve seen in the day, much less read my thoughts. And then when you least expect it, you trip over someone who talks about your work – likes it even – and suddenly you can go another day. Thank you all for your contacts, contributions, encouragement, and support.

Manifesto
01. Every day is a fresh new day.
20. Every day say thank you.
25. Every day your light shines for others to see.

In some respects Bach’s B-Minor Mass can be thought of as his greatest hits – it is essentially the summit work, the crowning glory of his life’s work. It’s hard to have a dry eye when you consider such a rich life collection. Thanks to all.

Manifesto
04. Every day is an opportunity to cultivate the promise of the future.
18. Every day express love. Some people need to hear it. Most people need to see it. Don’t take it for granted.
20. Every day say thank you.

Mmmm-mmm — Chilean guavas. I love fruit, and I’ve always had a particular attraction exotic fruit. As kids Mum would never buy us fireworks for Guy Fawkes – her position was that Dad worked too hard for the money to simply set fire to it. At the time I didn’t really have an opinion either way, but I really respect her for that decision now. We didn’t miss out a treat though. At about October/November pineapples and coconuts would come into the shop – very seasonal – and Mum would buy us one of each.

They’d be shared out among us all – the sweet spikey succulence of the pineapple, the unusual exotic flavour of the coconut milk, and the firm coconut flesh was enjoyed and commented on. School mates were envious of our packed snacks, and we didn’t miss the fireworks at all.

The Chilean guavas are on their way to becoming jelly and chutney – the jelly is just the most beautiful rich red colour and the flavour is superb – slathered with melting butter on hot scones – just divine. I’m not sure if these are genuinely guavas, originating from Chile – they are from our tree at home – we’ve grown them for years. They, and the subsequent jelly, are part of the family tradition.

Manifesto
06. Every day you make choices.
14. Every day the ordinary can be the extraordinary.
18. Every day express love. Some people need to hear it. Most people need to see it. Don’t take it for granted.

Malik dreams of striding across the veldt with a huge herd of African elephants. To trumpet wildly with the sheer joy of freedom. Ears flapping, charging, fending off the cackling hyenas, protecting the elephant calves from lions and other scourges. Reaching out to caress the young, to comfort the aged, to celebrate victories with the strong. To feel a part of the herd, to be valued, to belong. To remember, to remember true, forever — the elephant’s privilege.

Malik longs for the dawn when the cold night air concedes to the first fingers of golden light – the sun rising and the haze beginning to stir. Lizards scuttling among the grass tufts. The ants labouring in lines, the bee-eaters flashing colours and chattering in deep conversation in the thorn bushes. Later in the day the clouds will clot and lightning slashes at the air heaving with pounding rain. Mother Africa.

Malik wants to be more, bigger, better. Malik works in every way to become a superior elephant, not necessarily the herd leader (although that would be welcomed), but a senior and respected member of the extended elephant family. It is not to be. For reasons unknown to Malik, the dream will not, cannot, come true. No-one can bring themselves to tell Malik – some truths are too big to share.

Malik holds the dream. Anything to get through the day.

Manifesto
12. Every day love yourself.
25. Every day your light shines for others to see.
28. Every day you will be tested.

They don’t seem to pay much attention to the writhing words of global warming, pollution, recession, depression, recovery, woe is me … cherries just seem to figure it’s getting to be more hours of daylight, let’s get on with it.

Maybe they measure time in different ways – their clocks and calendars are more attuned to how our would’ve been just a few hundred years ago. Unlike us, cherries don’t have a profit motive warped into their every act. They do the best they can with what they’ve got. If we were humans we’d think they had something we aspire to – cherries have got faith in themselves, and faith that Spring will come around again, no matter how hard the Winter.

Manifesto
19. Every day make time for yourself.
20. Every day say thank you.
30. Every day use all your senses. Touch. Smell. Taste. Hear. See.

Blue moon, you saw me standin’ alone
Without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own
Blue moon, you knew just what I was there for
You heard me sayin’ a prayer for
Someone I really could care for — Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers

Some of the local gargoyles look so alone – it’s a sad and lonely life for many of them.

They’re not alone – many of the people walking around seem just as alone. In some respects they’re not alone – workmates at work, friends to meet up with over lunch or a coffee, and someone special – family – at home.

But still, alone. Numb.

People are often pursuing an interest or a long held dream they don’t – or worse, can’t – share with anyone else. Who can you talk to? Who listens? Who talks to you? How do you listen? These days of change consultation has come to mean being talked down to without much listening up going on. Heads up: We’re people, not blocks of stone.

Manifesto
15. Every day make a difference to yourself and others.
28. Every day you will be tested.
34. Every day focus on your dreams.

It’s not just the deciding on which images, at what size, and where, and a host of other decisions – we’re aiming for photos that make our respective subjects look respected and honoured, and that our work is worthy of being hung along side that of our fellow photographers. I’m grateful for the opportunity.

It’s one thing to have the idea of being an artist or a photographer, or any other activity in life, it’s another thing to give proof of it.

Manifesto
27. Every day pain is a sign of growing.
28. Every day you will be tested.
38. Every day be brave and give things a go. Use fear to trigger you into action.

Somebody, somewhere, is graduating. In Wellington it seems almost every second day there’s a graduation parade. When we were in the parade it was a great day. I was amazed how total strangers stepped up and congratulated us and wished us well. How nice is that?

I have a real fondness in my heart for the graduates and the whole parade and graduation experience. I appreciate how the graduates have invested years of their lives and thousands of dollars in their futures, and how this will change their lives, and those of their family’s forever. It’s great to see proud parents and grandparents, friends and families gathering together to applaud the efforts – not just of the graduates, but also of themselves, because it takes a team effort to get someone up to the next level. And this makes it possible for someone else to get there too. A real lifting of the social wealth of the community – over time everyone becomes more prosperous and richer in every respect. Congratulations to graduates everywhere.

Manifesto
04. Every day is an opportunity to cultivate the promise of the future.
09. Every day learn something new.
18. Every day express love. Some people need to hear it. Most people need to see it. Don’t take it for granted.

I’ve always thought with relationships, that it’s more about what you bring to the table than what you’re going to get from it. It’s very nice if you sit down and the cake appears. But if you go to the table expecting cake, then it’s not so good. — Anjelica Huston

Artifacts of the day – a wedge of a very fine, sweet cake, and a broken glass, last used for a drop of wine. So, what did you bring to the table?

In some cases, despite having a tough hide, people can be sweet inside. In other cases, despite their sharp edges and unpolished appearances, people just need to be worked with carefully and respectfully to bring out their full potential. If you peeled off the wrapping the cake was delicious. The glass, handled carefully, would still hold a suitable puddle of wine and you’d be able to drink from it with ease. The frisson of the sharp edges might even make the experience more memorable.

I don’t know how you peel off your own wrapper or smooth off your own sharp edges – for me that’s a work in progress. Maybe it’s not something you can do by yourself. That’s what friends are for, that’s what friends are for.

Manifesto
08. Every day choose to bring about change.
15. Every day make a difference to yourself and others.
26. Every day take action. Every small step counts.