Kiingitanga Hui
Today is Tuesday December 26, 2023. It’s Boxing Day. Kia ora!
We had a lovely Christmas Day. I got up early to ring my daughter in Napier, and then I went to church. I was to read the gospel test, from John’s Gospel chapter 1 verses 1-14. “In the beginning was the word…” What a wonderful text: forget about Mary and Joseph, the baby Jesus, angels, the Magi, the shepherds, King Herod, Emperor Augustus etc. They are mostly wonderful, of course, but in verse 14 it says: “And the Word (ὁ λόγος) became flesh, and lived among us”. This is quite philosophical, and places Jesus Christ as part of God from the very beginning, and his babyhood, childhood and manhood was a mere interlude: wonderful for us, of course, since we celebrate his birth at Christmas time and then his death, in the prime of his manhood, at Easter – for our redemption, and our salvation.
After this JD picked me up, and we continued to prepare for family members in Wellington to come later that afternoon. So it was all quite relaxed, really. I prepared vegetables, and made cheese sauce, which kept warm in the food warmer, as did plates and vegetables as they were cooked. Our son from the UK had marinated chickens in a mixture of red wine, mustard, peppercorns, bay leaves, and lots of garlic. He took charge of cooking them, too! Our son who lives locally brought a grazing platter, which we enjoyed with non-alcoholic bubbly wine while the chickens cooked.
So we had chicken, new potatoes, salad, and vegetables with cranberry sauce for the main course. For pudding we had steamed pudding (Christmas Mince) and Ginger with butterscotch sauce. We also had custard, pouring cream, and three kinds of ice cream We also had raspberries (which were in perfect condition, although I’d bought them on Friday), strawberries with optional Amaretto, and JD made a fruit salad with other beautiful summer fruit. The only snag was that I’d bought a lemon to add to the syrup for the fruit salad, but when I cut the one I’d bought in half, it was rotten inside. Everything else worked pretty well, although my new potatoes weren’t how I’d wanted them to be. I should have roasted them instead of boiling them with mint. The peas cooked briefly with mint did work well. So we all ate far too much, and it was very enjoyable.
The next day (Boxing Day) was very quiet. We ate left over food, the dishwasher washed glasses, and things got put away. The next day, Wednesday, we watered my son’s plants, and went for a walk beside Oriental Bay.
On Wednesday it rained, and I was determined to get out of the house. JD dropped me off at the Penthouse Cinema to see the 1:15 pm session of the movie One Life. Many others evidently had the same idea: I couldn’t get into the cinema, the queue was all the way back to the front door. I had a few minutes to spare, so I waited my turn. But when I got to be served, the movie was sold out! So I had a cheese roll and a latté and wondered what to do next. I caught a bus into the city, and went to Unity Books, and the supermarket in Willis St. The bookshop was very busy, and I didn’t see anything specific to fascinate me, so I caught a bus home. I did manage to see the film a few days later, and it was very good indeed.
On Thursday afternoon my youngest son and his wife were to start their flight back to the UK, going via Auckland and Houston to London’s Heathrow. They got back all right, but sadly their baggage did not. (It did turn up after a few days, though).
The next day was fine again. I cancelled the home help from Access, and we did – what, exactly? I can’t remember.
On Sunday morning I went to church in Ngaio. We had lunch at The Peppermill Café in Porirua. It was wild weather in the morning, but fine in the afternoon.
On Monday January 1 I went to a friend’s house for lunch, and had a lovely time. I took her some cheese from Hōhepa.
Wednesday January 3rd.
Several things have happened: a large Earthquake in Japan, and a plane collision; Claudine Gay resigns as Chairman of Harvard. And the head of Hamas has supposedly been killed.
Thankfully, Apple podcasts seems to be working again. That’s a big relief, since when you’re on Apple podcast reader, it tends to keep on going; otherwise I wake up when a podcast stops.
It’s now Sunday again, January 7th, Epiphany Sunday.
This morning I went to church in Johnsonville. There were lots of us there, and it turned out there were many there whom I knew.
The minster spoke about the 12 days of Christmas, and what they represent:
- Baby
- Old Testament and New Testament
- The Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit
- The four gospels
- The Pentateuch: first 5 books of the Bible
- God created the world in 6 days
- On the seventh day (the Sabbath) God rested
- Xx (I can’t remember!)
- Fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
- Commandments
- Faithful disciples
- Disciples in all; 12 tribes of Israel
The minister also spoke about the magi giving precious gifts to the infant Jesus: golf, frankincense, and myrrh: gold being the most precious metal, frankincense used as a fine fragrance during offerings, or prayers; and myrrh being used for embalming. The minister made the point of myrrh being an expensive gift, showing in what honour the new born King of the Jews was held; he did not make the connection with Jesus’ embalming after death, although he spoke about women at the tomb of Jesus who had gone to embalm him (Luke 24). But he had risen! Death could not hold him. The minister did not make the connection of Jesus’ death being foreseen in the bringing of myrrh by the magi.
Yesterday I walked to the local shops, and bought more psyllium, raspberries, and vanilla ice cream. It’s really hard to get this rather nice ice cream! It was a beautiful sunny day. In the afternoon I visited a dear friend.
In the UK, there are major floods. Fortunately our son and his wife are not majorly affected. The Post Office scandal is also causing much discussion, since the screening of the TV dramatization Mr Bates vs the Post Office. I have listened to two podcast episodes that have been republished, going over this. I did know what it was about. UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, seems to be tone deaf about both crises. He certainly does not show empathy.
In the US, things grind on as Trump looks more and more likely to be the republican presidential candidate. The Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses are about to be held. Trump continues to say terrible things. Many so-called “normies” are realty concerned about this, as is the rest of the world. Will he ever be held to account? Once he becomes Republican candidate for the presidency, I doubt whether any court cases will go ahead. Meanwhile there’s ongoing confusion as some states rule that he’s not eligible to be a candidate for president. I would think this is crystal clear, but of course Americans will not take this off-ramp. Trump has referred this to the Supreme Court, who will address this issue quickly, but not his presidential immunity from being tried. Really and truly, this is just so frustrating.
Meanwhile, locally, water leaks continue to appear, although many have been fixed; it’s claimed that fixing spot leaks prevents major pipes from being replaced. Water meters are being considered; we’ve been warned about water shortages but it has actually been raining many nights, so perhaps there isn’t such a shortage after all.
It’s now Saturday January 20th.
I haven’t written for a few days; it’s been a rather frustrating time, with not really enough to do, and no movies on that I really want to see. I have felt a cold coming on, some days: it hasn’t really amounted to much though.
The main things that happened are that the concreting contractor has finally turned up, to put in a new drain, and resurface part of the driveway. So it’s fantastic that he has come at last; of course, the job is bigger than originally quoted for. The other thing that’s happened is that my guardianship (welfare and property) has expired. The mail deliveries have been haphazard; I juts got a letter advising me of this well after it had lapsed, and after the letter had been written. This gets renewed every three years; I wish I had kept note of this – there was no warning given!
Consequently it’s been a big job to renew it. There were multiple forms to be downloaded, and my signature witnessed by a JP (try finding a JP in the middle of January!), and I had to get my sons’ approval, including the two overseas. I had great trouble finding their changed addresses! Anyway, it took hours to fill out the forms, and then I affirmed the two affidavits and got them witnessed.
On Friday I cancelled my home help and went into the CBD to courier the signed papers to Napier. Thankfully, this was easy: I bought a courier pack, addressed it, after waiting for a writing booth, and lending someone my pen (they don’t have pens any more!), and then I handed it over to be sent. Hopefully that is all I have to do: a medical certificate is still required, and then I await confirmation of my guardianship.
It has been very hot and quite muggy here in Wellington. We’re not used to this! Nightwear needs to be changed often; the wonderful heat pump works well on its air-conditioner setting, but the cold air, unlike the warm air, doesn’t rise. So it’s cooler downstairs, but pretty hot upstairs, It’s very hot in the kitchen – so not much cooking takes place.
So what’s been happening? In the Middle East, the IDF is still killing people in Gaza; Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea, and a coalition of the US and the UK have been trying, rather ineffectively, to stop the Houthis. It’s rather complicated because the US has backed its ally, Saudi Arabia, in its war in Yemen. Of course, different strains of Islam are involved; it’s a complicated situation that I don’t really wish to understand. The shady involvement of Iran is there too, and Iran has been attacking a terrorist group (which I’ve never heard of) in Pakistan. The two countries share a border, apparently. Israel under Prime Minister Netanyahu shows no sign of stopping its attacks on Gaza; there are still big protests in many countries calling for a ceasefire.
In Ukraine, the war continues, although the Ukrainian forces had caused expensive damage in Russia.
Everywhere there is a right-wing government, it denies the ever-present reality of climate change. Here in Aotearoa, Māori are having a hui, in response to the coalition government’s express wishes to wind back its Te Tiriti responsibilities, and yet Prime Minister Luxon won’t go to the hui – it’s not a political event, he says.
We’re thankful here that things aren’t too bad, really. It’s hot – which is unusual! And drizzling today, not raining. We’re blessed, really. Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi nui.
Classic Barbarian 