Fran's journal pt. 2

Welcome to my monthly journal! Not very monthly at the moment as I am writing this second journal only a week after publishing my first journal.. oops. There are just so many stories to tell and I don't want to not write them.

I hit the pedal to the metal, usually to accelerate, this time to break! I turn the car around to drive back into the gravel road that will lead us to meet Kate. Carly and I have been on the road for 3 days now to capture and write stories for Shepherdess and this is our second to last story. Driving past the woodshed we end up at the impressive homestead of Davaar station. Kate greets us with a big smile on her face and welcomes us into their home. While listening to Carly interviewing Kate I am already thinking of the photos I’m about to take, it should be a story of the process from wool to sweater and the beautiful southland environment will not be forgotten. Along the way I will put that dash of adventure in the photos, as I always tend and like to do.⁠
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Read Kate’s beautiful story about using their own wool for @davaarandco in the new Shepherdess!⁠

www.francineboer.co.nz

The native birds are cranking, a sound you don’t hear too much in Queenstown. A bushy stream is trickling along when I get out of my car and Kimmi is waving at me from the top deck of her Queenstown home. Together with her partner Kent and her boys Senna (5) and Ezra (5 weeks) we start exploring their forest. We’re passing mature lancewoods, mushrooms, a miniature waterfall as Kent and Senna are admiring all this greenery. We are chatting about their beautiful property and end up at their veggie garden.

When I spoke Kimmi on the phone a week earlier she told me: ‘’I spend a lot of time in our veggie garden, even at 40 weeks pregnant I was working hard growing veggies’’ and from that moment I knew we needed to capture her in her veggie garden. The abundance of tomatoes, funky yellow cucumbers and corn made a great backdrop for portraits of Kimmi and her team.

‘’I always thought I wanted to become a midwife for the babies, but I soon realised I wanted to be there as support for the women.’’ Kimmi said while we were walking down her epic driveway. ‘’I wish I could show the women the faces of their partners the first time they see their baby, I see sheer panic, deep love and admiration for the women.''

It’s a week later, the photoshoot is finished and I have delivered the photos to Kimmi and Kent. Their reaction is all I could hope for, they’re happy as! However one question keeps coming back. What was the look in Kent’s eyes when he met Ezra? I'm gutted I didn't ask her this in the moment. I grab my phone and start recording my question, hoping Kimmi would like to answer it.

‘’BING’’ three voice messages back from Kimmi! I start listening and what Kimmi tells me is heartwarming.

‘’I don’t remember those first moments meeting Senna, I was exhausted, the labour was stressful, scary and complicated so I choose for an elective caesarean with Ezra. That was such a calm and beautiful experience.’’ Kimmi says with her friendly voice. ‘’They dropped the drapes and I was focussed on meeting my little boy. The midwife had her hands full and gave Kent the camera. It was his job now to take photos of this beautiful moment even though he was terrified.’’

‘’When I looked up to Kent, he was just beaming! He was so proud what just happened and that he was able to see and capture that beautiful moment. He realised giving birth wasn’t gruesome.’’ ‘’We are both just so happy with the experience and how calm we were. With each boy having a different experience.’’ Kimmi says as she ends her voice-message.

nearly at gorge river

‘’You go on'' I yell at James and point to the rocks in the distance. The wind is blowing hard and after walking hours on a sandy and rocky beach we are about to pass a cliff. James acrobatically makes a way through the big rocks. He looks minuscule from where I am.

I drop my backpack on the sand and grab my camera. So glad I took it with me, I thought while finding the right settings. I look up and see James has started climbing the rocks. Just in time to quickly take a few photos of J in action. I pack my camera back into the drybag and with force I sling my 15kg backpack onto my bag. Now it's my turn to tackle these rocks.

See you next month/week.

Fran

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