Today is Friday March 15, 2024. Kia ora!
I just finished reading Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice on my kindle. I had read it as a teenager, of course, and his Buddenbrooks, but I reread it this afternoon in one sitting, I found it so gripping. Of course the theme of an older man “grooming” a very young, very beautiful youth would be quite distasteful today, but nothing intimate actually happens between them: the lad’s beauty is a feast for the eyes only, although there’s the occasional shared smile. But the story is so beautifully written, even in translation, that I found it quite absorbing, and of course I recognized the classical references, both to Zeus and Ganymede, and others, and Socratic dialogues with Phaedrus, with which I’m also familiar. The German protagonist is smitten by the beauty of the boy; in fact he’s so obsessed with it that he fails to leave Venice, even after the city is in the grip of a plague. I should have included a spoiler alert, but the story is probably quite well-known. I have that familiar feeling of frustration when a story I’ve enjoyed comes to an end, even though I wanted to finish it!
I’m also reading my Spies book, which is also extremely interesting, and rather long.
We had a busy day on Wednesday: we chose tiles for the front door step, although we can’t get anyone to lay them yet! Choosing tiles was frustrating, and I wished that I’d photographed the previous front door step. It had a rather nice pattern of different sized tiles, which I totally took for granted back in the day. When our driveway was concreted, the tiles were smashed up. After going to a second store, we found some tiles that will do, with a very helpful assistant. These tiles are quite different, but I think they’ll be nice. One has to be careful with outside tiles – most we looked at were for interior walls or floors, but weren’t strong enough for the outdoors. We were going to have lunch at the Cafe in Kaiwharawhara, but it was closed for training and staff sickness, so we had lunch at La Cloche instead.
On Monday I went into town, and got a new battery for my watch. It’s great to have it working again. I also posted my daughter’s Easter eggs. I looked at the pottery at Vessel, and saw a beautiful Japanese teapot there. The price was beautifully high!
We have been watching Wings on youtube, a television series set during the First World War about the RFC (the Royal Flying Corps, later the RAF). It’s old and rather grainy, of course, and the planes are terrifyingly flimsy, but it’s quite well written and well acted, with fascinating stories. The pilots flew with an observer, their mission being to observe what German troops are doing, although the odd German plane tries to shoot British planes down. Of course, they have engine trouble and various incidents themselves. Most scenes I can watch with a degree of detachment, but one episode really got to me, with a young girl being a volunteer nurse in a local hospital (spoiler alert: one patient has terrible nightmares and is terribly wounded), and her love interest, son of a blacksmith but a very good pilot, being court-martialed. Yes, he was at risk of being shot for cowardice, for disobeying an order, and for cowardice. Never mind that it was a stupid order, and the pilot is considered to be the decision-maker, and keeping the plane was important: we saw the range of stupidity between senior officers who were stupid, and lesser ranked officers and pilots who were brave and who knew what they were doing. There was an episode in the trenches, which offered a useful comparison between the pilots (who supposedly had it easy), and the men on the ground.
It’s now Saturday, March 23.
It’s been a busy few days. On Wednesday morning I had hymn singing, and then went into the city. I wanted to get a copy of Whale Rider for my granddaughter; I assumed Unity Books would be able to order a copy if they didn’t have one. But it was really complicated! The beautiful copy from the UK was very expensive, and they couldn’t get it in time; the lady serving me was very helpful, though, and advised me to try the lovely children’s bookshop in Kilbirnie, or Marsden Books in Karori, or a Paper Plus store – I think the nearest one is in the North City Shopping Centre. I was limited for time, so I walked to the lovely gift shop in the Fine Arts Academy on Queen’s Wharf. I navigated the pedestrian crossings, but there’s quite a geyser (severe water leak) outside. I didn’t find anything suitable there, although I said I’d bring JD back with me. Then I walked to Whitcoulls in Lambton Quay, and bought a paper back copy of Whale Rider. I then caught a bus to Bordeaux Bakery in Thorndon Quay, where I was to meet my cousin for lunch. Last time we were there it was very busy; not so this time.
Afterwards I crossed the road again – there was a crossing nearby outside , and a bus stop (but no seating). There are #1 buses every 10 minutes, so I thought I’d be all right, but a #25 and then a #24 bus went by. Then came a #1JW bus, which went right past me! I decided to walk to the next bus stop where there was a shelter, but when I got there, the stop was closed and there was a temporary bus stop 100 metres north! I found the temporary stop, where there was no bus shelter, only shade from the sun and one could sit on a wall. After not too long a #1CP bus came, so I caught that to the Churton Park shopping centre, and walked home. I couldn’t ask JD to pick me up since I knew he had another meeting! Anyway, I got home safely, although very tired.
The next day I had my Thursday morning singing at Khandallah, and on Friday a lady from Access was supposed to come. I changed the bed linen, and the towel, and then checked my schedule. She wasn’t coming, so I cancelled, not wanting to have a stranger in the house.
It’s now Saturday and lots of things have happened, the main one being an announcement by Catherine, Princess of Wales, that she is having treatment for cancer. What a shock this is, and how incredibly unkind many people and even news anchors have been, What sad and shocking news. I wish people had had the grace to leave her alone!
In other major news, there’s been a terror attack at a Moscow concert hall, and (so far) 40 people were killed; over 120 were injured. Isis have claimed responsibility for this incident. It’s been a while since the world had a terrorist incident of this nature.
In other news, Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin has announced that he will leave on 19 April! He’s quite young and was considered a moderate republican. The Congress has just passed a funding bill, but they have an even slimmer majority now with the departure of this person in addition to George Santos and Kevin McCarthy. Marjorie Taylor Greene is to file a motion for Mike Johnson to be removed as Speaker.
Oh, and Trump is desperate for money, so that he can lodge over $USD350m in order to lodge an appeal against the New York fraud case that found him guilty of overvaluing his assets.
This afternoon we went shopping – to New World in Thorndon. Although we didn’t buy as much as usual, the total seemed to cost more than previously. Everything seems to cost around $10, although many items were on “special”.
It’s now Saturday March 30th.
Last Sunday was Palm Sunday; I bought a big bunch of flowers from the dairy in Khandallah: they’re beautiful, but I had to get a very large vase to fit them!
On Monday morning I had morning tea at the café up the road with a dear friend whom I hadn’t seen for ages. I could have gone to Ray Good’s funeral in the Anglican church in Newlands, but I didn’t know Ray personally, although I knew of him, of course.
On Tuesday I went to Bible Study in Khandallah. We were reading Acts 10: 33-43 – a beautiful text that is related to Acts chapter 2, with Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit – to Jews who believed in Jesus, although they were not yet called Christians. But Acts 10 has a Roman centurion, asked by an angel to go and visit Peter, and God’s injunction to Peter that no animals were unclean, and that in fact Gentiles could be followers of Jesus too. After this wondrous event Peter preaches a wonderful sermon – perhaps the first sermon. The next chapter has Peter recounting this incident; the previous chapter has the conversion of Saul, becoming Paul, on the road to Damascus; he went from persecuting people who believed in Jesus to being an ardent one of them.
Afterwards I had coffee and a hot cross bun at a café nearby with a friend.
Wednesday was a busy day. I had hymn singing in the morning, and so got up early; after that we had a Te Reo Māori lesson, followed by lunch at the Khandallah Town Hall: delicious soup and rolls, followed by coffee and Easter eggs. I was enjoying this when I got a text from my cleaning lady, asking if she could come to my house early. My appointment with Access had been changed from Friday (which would be Good Friday) back to Wednesday. I left to catch a bus back to Johnsonville (it went all around Broadmeadows), which then turned into the #19 shuttle. Thankfully I got home before the lady from Access arrived. JD had had to go out, so I couldn’t ask him to pick me up.
On Thursday morning I had more singing in Khandallah, and then the Maundy Thursday service at 7 pm. A friend offered me a lift home, and I even managed to go to the supermarket there are buy JD a bottle of wine,
On Friday morning I was to join in a Walk of the Cross from Johnsonville Uniting Church via the Catholic Church, to St John’s Anglican Church in Johnsonville. I was to take part in the second to last reading, at the Police Station, and I had to keep track of my co-readers. As we went on, more people joined the procession, till there were perhaps 80-100 people! I had not joined this walk before, so I didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully it was a beautiful fine day with little wind. It had been cold, wet and windy the night before, but the weather in Good Friday was very good. At St John’s we had more hot cross buns and tea or coffee.
The rest of Friday seemed very quiet after all the activity. In Wellington the New World supermarkets are closed on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Meanwhile, other things have been happening. There has been a mass terror event at a concert in Moscow, where 137 people were killed. Isis J has claimed responsibility, and although US intelligence knew in advance and warned Russia, Putin is still trying to blame Ukraine, saying they were involved in some way. Meanwhile, four suspects have been arrested and jailed, and have appeared in court, obviously having been tortured. No human rights, there, then.
In the US, in Baltimore an important bridge has come down after being rammed by a cargo ship; only six people are thought to have drowned. What a relief it is to have Pete Buttigieg as Transport Secretary and Joe Biden as US President, then.
During Holy Week Trump has been touting a Bible – the King James version, the God Bless America Bible for $59.99 (remember that’s American dollars). Well, I’ve never paid for a bible, although I have several at home. He also wished Americans “Happy Holy Week”. That is just so uncomfortable. We say, Happy Easter, on Easter Sunday, but Holy Week is the most solemn time of the year for Christians. And, why does God just love Americans? The rest of us are out there, too, and some of us are even women and girls. Wait, I believe a young teenage woman gave birth to Jesus in his physical form. Also, although I love the King James translation, many churches use a different, more up to date translation, which has eliminated the “thees” and the “thous”.
It’s strange that in the US most programmes and podcasts continue as usual on Good Friday, although many Americans are Christians and earnestly follow some Christian religion. None the less, they continue work as usual. I remember when we were in Boston once for Easter, and it was not a long weekend as we are used to here. We did go to church there on Easter Sunday; it was rather strange, and very cold outside, although sunny.
Earlier in the week JD and I watched the three episodes of Escaping Utopia, on TVNZ On Demand. I found it very upsetting, especially the woman in India who was pregnant (again), but seemed to have died inside. How would she ever get away? Or get a current passport? I found it really creepy, not just Hopeful Christian, or whatever his name is, but the groom who kept his arms tightly folded despite sitting beside his new bride in her pink dress. There seemed to be no bibles, although some women quoted scripture; I saw no evidence of services, or even of prayer. People who had left seemed strangely normal! I thought of the people I go to church with, or the people at Hohepa: for the most part, they’re wonderful, good, kind people. I can’t imagine them being threatening or unkind.
It’s now Sunday March 31, Easter Day.
This morning I rang our daughter in Hawkes Bay. Then I went to church, where I was privileged to read the gospel text: Mark’s gospel, 16:1-8. They had had an early service at 7 am, where more than usual attended: about 20 people.
This afternoon I’m watching a Easter Vigil Mass at St Peter’s in the Vatican, in Rome. There is some beautiful singing, and reading of scriptures, in French, Spanish and Portuguese. The gospel text is the same as the one I read this morning! Pope Francis is evidently very frail: he is wheeled in in a wheel chair, but he actually finds the strength to preach, and what a beautiful homily it is too. I am very moved by the whole thing. He speaks, amongst other things, of the great stone being rolled away from Jesus’ tomb, and of his not being there – because he had risen. All objections, all difficulties have been removed that would separate us from God.
This Easter I have been reminded of the Easter four years ago, in 2020, when Covid 19 was ravaging the world, and we couldn’t meet safely. At that stage we did not have Covid vaccines, or anti-viral medications like Paxlovid. I remember St Pater’s Square being empty, and some very moving Easter services being celebrated with minimal religious, and a beautiful singer in New York singing “Christ the Lord is Ris’n Today”, alone. It was all incredibly moving. Zoom had a good workout, as we in Aotearoa could dip into services around the world (since we had nothing else to do!)
That’s it for now. Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi nui.
Classic Barbarian 