In some places, one in five of us has Covid 19.

It’s now Thursday March 17^th, 2022. Kia ora.

I watched Zelensky’s powerful address to Congress, and the accompanying video. Both had me in tears, too. Zelensky invoked Mt Rushmore, Pearl Harbour, the 9/11 attach (in which Americans were powerless), and Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” statement.  President Biden called Putin a war criminal. The Kremlin was quick to respond, saying this is “unforgiveable rhetoric”. Evidently Russian soldiers, misled about the conflict they were fighting, will be shot if they desert. A Fox journalist and a producer have been killed, although Russian state media have been showing clips from Tucker Carlson’s show on the Fox News channel. It seems that of some seriously dangerous places to be at present, Ukraine has to be at the top. It seems that sanctions are really hurting the Russian economy (such as it is); the journalist who spoke out on Russian TV fears for her life, and Putin’s head of security and his deputy (who dared to challenge him at his security conference right before the invasion), are under house arrest. Apparently Russia has seized 500 foreign planes still in Russia: a form of stealing, perhaps? 

We are getting many podcasts and videos reminding us of Putin’s brazen cruelty and readiness to take risks, such as the polonium poisoning of Litvinenko, and the attempted poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury. The poisoning of Litvinenko was not only inept, but caused a radiation scare in London. When UK police went to Russia to investigate the crime, recordings of an interview were mysteriously destroyed. The story was played out again, recently, on the British Scandal podcast (all 5 episodes). We’re also reminded of the brutal wars in Chechnya and Syria, as well as Putin’s aggression in Georgia and in the east of Ukraine, when Crimea was taken. He also swung the 2016 presidential election for Trump, and look how that turned out.  Aging white guys (amongst others) are wreaking havoc on the world.  There have been cruel female rulers, but they’re seriously outnumbered by the men (who despise them, by the way, unless they’re their nubile daughter).

On the coronavirus front, it seems the BA2 variant of omicron is wreaking havoc, however the rest of the world is determined to carry on “as normal”. In Germany, the Guardian reports 262,594 new cases, and 293 deaths. People are still dying of coronavirus in Australia, as they do in the US.  I see the price of travel insurance climbing dramatically, as if it weren’t already quite expensive to get comprehensive coverage in the before times, pre-2020. In China, the Guardian reported on March 15 that a total of 3,507 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms were reported on Monday across more than a dozen provinces and municipalities. Coronavirus continues to devastate Hong Kong. It seems the Chinese vaccine, Sinovac, is not very effective.

Here in New Zealand, our water is not fluoridated, because of sickness. Kenepuru Hospital (north of Wellington) has closed to visitors, after a small group of patients tested positive for Covid 19. They’re closing to all visitors for 3 days while they do more testing. In Wellington Victoria University is footing a $50,000 bill for cleaning up its Pipitea campus. The Hon. Chris Hipkins has tested positive, and, reading between the lines, he’s not feeling great. Meanwhile, our borders are reopening, and hospo businesses are cheering.  Well, perhaps there’s not much Covid 19 in other places, but here in the Wellington area, and in Hawkes Bay, we’re very hard hit. You’d have to be a brave person to see the sights. Cruise liner operators are looking forward to coming here again; I guess, while the photos are beguiling, I should be even more fearful of cruises than I was before. Infections can spread at the best of times, and this ain’t the best of times.

This morning I sent an apology for Tai Chi. I looked at my Access roster last night, and found, to my astonishment, that they’d scheduled someone for today (Thursday!) I’ve told them time and again that Thursdays are no good for me. You’d think it would be on my file. Anyway, I’m off to get my new lenses fitted, and hopefully I’ll be able to see better after this. That will be my brave deed for the day, and I hope to find somewhere in the CBD that will make me a cup of coffee!  Late this afternoon, I’ve booked to join a Q & A with Prime Minister Ardern.  I’m looking forward to that.

Prime Minister Ardern has unveiled a new history syllabus, and says that New Zealand’s traffic light system will be reviewed next week. She also hints that the mandates and vaccine passes may be reviewed too, depending on case numbers and hospitalisations. There is still a desire to protect the health system. In  Auckland, a father of four has died four days after receiving a Covid 19 diagnosis.

Apparently Wellington’s Transmission Gully Motorway will open at the end of March. I honestly don’t know what the rush is, since we have a marvellous expressway around the Waikanae area, ever inching further backwards and forwards. But there we are, the Dompost can say it raised an outcry, and got a response.  The road was a part business/part government entity, authorised by John Key, raising some questions about responsibility; and it’s in quite a dangerous area, with steep slopes, isolation, and some earthquake risk. It’s reported that the transport agency will defer a number of quality assurance tests required under the contract with the road builders, CPB HEB, because it believes the 27-kilometre road is now safe for public use. Use everything here at your own risk! Freedom! You’ve got it. 

Early afternoon we went into town to drop my glasses off to be upgraded with new lenses.  Then we went to Lower Hutt, where we had lunch at Tutaki again. Sadly I dropped by KN95 mask on the floor, and it didn’t seem right to put it on again, so I had to resort to my emergency supply of medical masks.  They feel much less protective! We came back to Wellington, but we still had to wait a while.  The new lenses seem good, thus far.  It was good to be able to drive up Molesworth Street to get onto the motorway north, but there’s still plenty of security visible around Parliament Buildings.

The 1 pm Covid 19 report was a little better than yesterday’s, but it’s clear we’re not “out of the woods” yet. Today there are 19,566 new community cases, and there have been 10 further deaths (including a person in their 30’s). There are 930 people in hospital, and 23 of these are in Intensive Care. It’s reported that of the 10 people who have died, one was from Northland, five were from Auckland, one was from the Bay of Plenty, one was from Hawke’s Bay, and one was from the Hutt Valley. Of these people, one was in their 30s, one was in their 50s, three were in their 70s, two were in their 80s and two were in their 90s. Four were women and were five were men. Demographic information for one person was not yet available.

Yesterday there was a demonstration by a nurse on how to take a RAT test. It looked complicated! It’s also reported that now there have been more than 64,500 cases of Covid 19 in schools, kura, and ECE’s in the last 10 days. This us an increase of 40% from Monday’s total. It’s reported that 1 in 18 Wellingtonians have Covid 19; in the East Cape town of Ruatoria, 22% have Covid 19.

It’s now Friday March 18^th.

This morning we went to New World in Thorndon.  There were lots of cars in the carpark, but the store didn’t seem too busy. Everyone is polite. JD is pleased because they have Guardian cereal again!  It hasn’t been stocked for ages; we feared it was gone permanently. On the other hand, I couldn’t find my Sanitarium muesli. But we did find everything we were looking for, except for a potato-topped pie and Black Doris plums. The prices didn’t seem too awful.  Late yesterday afternoon I attended a zoon Q & A session with Prime Minister Ardern. I enjoyed the session, but my two questions didn’t get chosen. I asked about protection for people like my daughter, who’s in care in Napier; I also asked about Labour’s commitment to dealing with issues like child poverty; I feel that treating employees better would help solve a lot of problems created by poverty. If people weren’t anxious about money, I would hope some if not all of them would see that their families have a better standard of living.

Today’s Covid 19 report is still concerning, with 5 further deaths, but there are (only) 14,128 new community cases of Covid 19. There are 943 in hospital and 25 in Intensive Care.  In Auckland Hospital things are particularly difficult, with people queuing to get treated in the ED, and coping with staff sickness. It does seem that people who are double vaccinated and boostered are much less likely to be hospitalised. Frankly, you wouldn’t want to be in hospital, with nurses and doctors under such pressure, and so much communicable disease around.

With regard to the conflict in Ukraine, there were hopes yesterday of a peace settlement; perhaps false hopes. Putin gave an alarming speech yesterday, talking about “scum”.  I listened to a bulwark podcast this morning which gave me a lot of hope, however, about Ukraine’s sabotage efforts, the amount of extra arms and drones being supplied, and Putin’s isolation in his corrupt country, where his armed forces are shown to be not nearly as efficient as he might have hoped, and their equipment isn’t up to much, either. Meanwhile, he’s increasingly paranoid. A theatre where people were sheltering was bombed in Mariupol yesterday, in a cynical move that further shows his complete disregard for human life, be it children or pregnant women. He seems determined to destroy Ukraine; one wonders what his endgame is. He has succeeded in one thing: uniting almost all of the rest of the world against him, and against Russia. Of course the Russian people aren’t all bad, but their leader is a terrible, monstrous autocrat. It seems that Kyiv is not in fact surrounded, given that three EU Prime Ministers were able to travel there by train to visit President Zelensky; Turkey’s Foreign Minister is evidently there today.  Plans to invade 3 other countries nearby have been leaked. The refugee crisis continues, compounded by the difficulty of obtaining visas for Ukrainians who want to go to the UK!  It’s not that UK residents don’t want them, it’s the UK government is very slow about holding interviews for applicants with all the correct documentation!.  I quote from Zelensky’s impassioned speech to the US Congress: “I see no sense in life if it cannot stop the deaths”. Ngā mihi.

Today is Tuesday March 15^th, 2022. Kia ora.

It’s hard to be cheerful today. It’s a bit cooler, and drizzly.  The war in Ukraine is still brutal and bloody. The US should do more! Admiral (Retd) Stavridis (Supremo) says the Russian troops are acting as terrorists, not an army.  Many voices, many retired generals (who are closer to the end of their life than the beginning, although I’m sure most if not all have children and grandchildren), are advocating more help for Zelensky, that the Ukrainians operate their own no-fly zone, that the Polish jets be delivered to the Ukrainians; furthermore, they don’t think that Putin will use nuclear weapons, and they think that the US and NATO should take more direct actions to reduce the violence against Ukrainians, and further impair Putin’s not-so-great armed forces. But, strange and unthinkable things have happened already in this war, so who knows what may happen in future?

Of course, there are diverse voices. Some say Biden’s not doing enough, some say he shouldn’t signal what he’s doing; we’ve been told that some moves may be secret until they’re done.  Others say it shouldn’t be an either /or decision, to go straight to MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction): there are steps one can take along the way.  I am having so much trouble with my computer this morning. I picked up new reading glasses yesterday, and I’m in a world of semi-blindness and double vision.  I know I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself, but it’s hard not to! I’ve been reading the prophet Zechariah, and he talks about a plague, and about an attack that has been interpreted as a nuclear attack, although I suppose it could be a chemical attack (Zechariah 14:12). I can’t find the plague reference now, but there is an earthquake and evidence of climate change, and general bewilderment. Scary stuff. I try to feel positive about the potential outcome of this war: Putin’s military weakness, Ukrainian bravery, the willingness of most countries (except the UK) to take refugees in and be kind to them; but Putin has demonstrated many times that he has no respect for human life.

US intelligence has gathered that Russia is seeking arms and assistance from China!  This is extremely interesting. It shows not only that Putin needs help, but also that US intelligence is surprisingly good.  A really interesting question would be how does Russia pay?  I’d let Russia and China argue over the payment issue – what currency, and when? So far, no one has raised this issue, to my knowledge.

In New Zealand, the Labour Government announced yesterday that fuel prices and road user tax will reduce, and also transport fares will be halved for 3 months.  This is a welcome announcement to counter inflation as seen in the rising cost of fuel. The price of fuel should drop by about 25%. I am surprised that this is not seen as major news. National does not react until the next day to say that the Finance Minister is “addicted to spending”. This reaction seems to be more newsworthy than the original announcement. JD claims that reporters have, as usual, screwed up the numbers, and the price of oil should be about 25 cents less; by the way, the oil price dropped last night too.  Actually, it was me that got it wrong – the reporter said the cost of fuel would reduce by about 8% or 25 cents. My bad.

Meanwhile, in China, they’re still pursuing a “covid zero” policy. How quaint!  New Zealand was pursuing a covid-zero policy until late last year.  We did feel quite protected with the four-level stages. We’d gotten used to it!  Many public activities did not take place until we were at level 1. Now, it’s a new world. The UK’s Guardian reports that In China a province of 24 million people have been put into lockdown as China tries to contain an outbreak of 1,437 cases. Omicron, it seems, is getting the better of them. Hong Kong is still in a really bad way. The coronavirus ain’t finished with us yet!

Before we have lunch I walk up to the local supermarket. There is still no hand-sanitiser in the container by the entrance!  There aren’t many people there, and there aren’t too many gaps on the shelves. I buy coffee beans (there are plenty), dishwasher detergent, and croissants for lunch.  They have Hot Cross Buns for sale featuring their new one – Gooey Peanut Butter Choc Cross Buns. I don’t buy any yet. I am puzzled by the inclusion of peanut butter. Last year it was chocolate, I think. Some people find the crosses offensive.

A new LRB arrives today – I seem to have missed the last one. It has a very interesting article about Dissolution of the Monasteries during the time of King Henry VIII.  Actually, it’s about two new books, but takes the opportunity, in its lovely way, of widely exploring the topic.  There is an article about crime investigation (or lack thereof) in India, and a review of a biography of King George V, which is also very interesting.  I do wonder  at times how these guys survive: you have to have some highly specialised interests to get the most out of this periodical.

We feel very badly affected by Covid 19 here. My grandchildren are still home from school, not because they have Covid 19, but because so many of their friends do.  At Hōhepa in Napier, my daughter and her house mates are being kept at home for their health and safety; thank goodness it’s such a nice home in a semi-rural area.  I’m doing it hard, and goodness, I don’t have much to complain about.  Metlink are cancelling services because of illness; JD went to the local bank, but even though the internet said they were still open, albeit with their very limited days and hours, they weren’t actually open, due to sickness. Federated Farmers say Fonterra should get out of Russia; goodness, I didn’t even know they were in Russia! Oh, and Simon Bridges, a former National Party leader, is retiring from politics. This will cause a by-election in the Tauranga electorate. Sickness has caused a reduction in TVNZ’s news services, and affected three super rugby teams.

Today’s 1 pm Covid 19 report is as follows: there are 21,616 new cases, and there have been a further two deaths; there are 960 people in hospital, with 22 in Intensive care.  The deaths are of a man and a woman, both in their 70’s, one in the Capital and Coast DHB and one in the Southern DHB area. The new community cases were in Northland (708), Auckland (6085), Waikato (2062), Bay of Plenty (1424), Lakes (633), Hawke’s Bay (1111), MidCentral (888), Whanganui (276), Taranaki (510), Tairāwhiti (446), Wairarapa (229), Capital and Coast (1584), Hutt Valley (987), Nelson Marlborough (524), Canterbury (2642), South Canterbury (217), Southern (1238), West Coast (43); and nine in unknown locations. Evidently the BA2 variant of omicron has become dominant in New Zealand. It’s even more infectious than BA1, but this may actually be a good thing, says Dr Bloomfield.

I am listening to podcasts again.  Some are recognising the Russian invasion of Ukraine as representing a seismic shift in terms of the world’s security.  There are different thoughts about what this may mean, for different countries.  The US tend to say that the US (under President Reagan) won the Cold War. That is just so incredibly annoying. Others are explaining Russia’s moves in terms of Germany’s reaction to the Versailles Treaty that they signed at the end of World War I; this is seen in terms of the difficult time Russia had  in the early 1990’s after the end of communism and the USSR. This might have represented a hopeful moment for the West; not so much for what became the Russian Federation. Putin has changed everything, and although most people if not all saw this conflict coming, given the build up of Russian troops on the Ukraine border.  Despite Donald Trump, the cooperation of the US, NATO and the EU is remarkable. 

It’s now Wednesday March 16^th.

This morning I got up early (for me) and went to hymn singing. It was lovely, as always, especially so since we sang “How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds”, and “Glorious things of Thee are spoken”, sung to the tune Austria composed by Josef Haydn. Afterwards I bought scones for morning tea from the café, but I had to wait to enter, it was so busy. While I was in there, people kept coming in!  I felt a tad uncomfortable there.  On the way there, we waited for a train from Johnsonville. I couldn’t see any passengers on it.

The Dompost was interesting this morning.  Luxon has said he will cut three taxes, meanwhile Prime Minister Ardern has cut fuel tax, and now Labour is accused of being spendthrift.  There was a letter to the paper from someone who visited Wellington recently, and found many things closed.  Jacinda should do something!  Well, she can’t, actually. Some outlets have closed because people don’t come, they’re too sick, or they’re a close contact, or they’re scared of getting sick. That’s not Prime Minister Ardern’s fault. Her government has protected us very well.  If extra money were given to hospitality outlets, or any shops, surely Auckland and many other places would cry foul. and it wouldn’t make more people come. We’ve all been affected by the coronavirus. We’ve all had to make changes in out lives. As it goes on, we get older, and most things become more expensive.

There’s another problem on Prime Minister Ardern’s plate: the price of houses is falling!  Dear me, many of us are relieved.  When they were rising, there was a chorus of “Why doesn’t the government do something?”  On balance, it’s a good thing if houses become more affordable. Many of us are buying and selling on a falling market; there’ll be more relief than dismay, I think.

The Hon. Chris Hipkins has tested positive for Covid 19, as has Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris. In Wellington, the hospital is having difficulty with increased demand and sick staff.  It’s reported that 15 percent of staff are off work at Wellington Hospital, 16 percent in Porirua and 8 percent in the Hutt Valley. I have just learnt that someone who attended church last Sunday has tested positive for Covid 19. Oh dear, it gets closer and closer.

Today’s Covid 19 report is the worst yet, there have been 24 deaths. There are reportedly 19,542 community cases of Covid 19, although some expert thinks the numbers of cases in Auckland and Northland could be much higher than stated. There are 971 people in hospital, and 22 of these are in Intensive Care. Of the 24 deaths, 8 died on Tuesday (that would be yesterday). 16 died in the last 3 weeks, but have now been publicly reported. These were notified to the Ministry of Health in the last 24 hours, as per the new standard around counting deaths due to Covid 19. Whatever the reason, it’s still a shockingly high number. Of the 24, eight people died at aged residential care facilities., bringing the death total to 141. It’s reported that of the 24 deaths reported on Wednesday, three died in Northland, seven in Auckland, seven in Waikato, two in the Bay of Plenty, two in MidCentral and two in Wairarapa. One was aged in their 40s, one in their 50s, four in their 60s, three in their 70s, eight in their 80s and six in their 90s. Eleven were women and twelve were men.

It’s reported that there are new community cases in Northland (661), Auckland (5318), Waikato (1834), Bay of Plenty (1347), Lakes (584), Hawke’s Bay (1049), MidCentral (802), Whanganui (231), Taranaki (663), Tairāwhiti (370), Wairarapa (208), Capital and Coast (1308), Hutt Valley (780), Nelson Marlborough (487), Canterbury (2385), South Canterbury (184), Southern (1203), West Coast (30); and seven were in unknown locations. Just 2.6% were detected via PCR tests. Of the Rat test results reported in the last 24 hours, 71% were positive. Hawkes Bay and Wellington are still being very hard hit.

Apparently, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced New Zealand’s border will open to vaccinated Australian tourists from 11.59pm on April 12, and tourists from visa-waiver countries such as the United States and UK from 11.59pm on May 1. Come here if you dare! I gather skiing operators are getting excited.

Apparently Nicola Willis, Luxon’s sidekick, is to be the National Party’s money honey (finance spokesperson).  The Penthouse sent me their weekly email sating what’s new on their screens, special offers, and suchlike. They warned, however, that they’re affected by sickness, and will post limited hours on the front door each week.  I guess I won’t be going there for a bit, then.  And it seems British sanctions are hitting Roman Abramovich harder than cynics may have expected.           

I’ll briefly summarise my thoughts on the conflict in Ukraine. European leaders from Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic travelled by train to Kyiv to meet with President Zelensky and offer him support, in an act of extraordinary bravery. A Russian news anchor apologised on live TV for telling lies about the invasion and about Ukrainians. There are fears that Russia will default on its debt. Meanwhile, Russians are bombing Ukrainian cities like there’s no tomorrow, even bombing the ruins as civilians try to escape. Today there are thought to be 3 million refugees.  And still the brave Ukrainians resist, and are reportedly attacking and destroying Russian equipment. Who’s “winning”?  Who knows. It is so sad to see those beautiful cities destroyed and those lives ruined. And by the way, the only time I’ve ever seen Putin or Lavrov smile was in photos with – you’ve guessed it – Donald Trump.

That’s it for now. Slava Ukraine!  Ngā mihi.

 Today is Friday March 11^th, 2022. Kia ora.

Last night I learnt that Prime Minister Johnson in the UK has frozen assets of 7 Russian oligarchs, including Roman Abramovich (the owner of the Chelsea football club). This sounds very impressive; but I fear there are strings attached.  And there are: Abramovich has taken his luxury yacht for a holiday.

This morning I hear that Ukraine claims a regiment of Russian tanks has been destroyed outside Kiev, and its commander killed. I have tried unsuccessfully to find out how many tanks that would be. (JD says 31). Photos show some destroyed, and claim the others retreated. In a nod to George Orwell, Russian people are now reading the classic Russian novel by Tolstoy:  Special Operation and Peace. Foreign Minister Lavrov seems to deny there’s a war on.

I am expecting someone from Access to come and do some housework, so I change the towels and bed linen. Eventually I get a call to say no one is coming today.  The government has relaxed leading rules for first home buyers.

I walk up to the local supermarket. It’s as though most precautions are no longer being followed!  The hand sanitiser container is empty, for the second day running; there are no trolley wipes here, and no one is sanitising the trolleys.  There don’t seem to be any shortages, except for the Havarti cheese slices that I like to buy; there are, of course, plenty of Easter eggs. I buy some to send to my daughter, trying to remember what I sent her last time.  There are two check out operators on today – I haven’t seen either of them before, although the one who serves me wishes me a good day. I always wash my hands when I get home, and wipe my phone with Dettol. If I can still smell the Dettol, I figure I’m good to go. I haven’t resorted to shopping in rubber gloves yet.

Today’s Covid 19 report is not good. There are 20,989 new cases today, and 7 deaths. Five of the deaths are in Auckland, one is in Waikato and one is in the Southern region. A new record number are in hospital 856, and 20 in Intensive Care, 10 of them in Auckland. Metlink advises that there are a number of cancellations or changes due to staff sickness; some train services may be replaced by buses.

The war in Ukraine is just desperately sad, with the bombing in some cities so intense that some dead civilians cannot be buried properly. All this is just so needless.  It seems a “no fly” zone in Ukraine is potentially very dangerous, and like the Soviet MIG fighter planes, carries many loopholes. I still don’t really understand how the Ukrainians can be supplied with so many weapons, and yet no NATO or US troops can actually be on Ukrainian soil, or fly over this vast territory – there seem to be some very fine lines being drawn here.  There’s a lot of military analysis, which is quite useful. Retired generals have some very worthwhile things to say. Admiral (Retd) Stavridis, himself of Greek origin, former Supreme Commander of NATO, talked about the handful of Greeks holding off the vastly superior (in size) Persian army at Thermopylae. There’s a lot of talk about von Clausewitz.

I am a bit behind with listening to all my good podcasts, but this afternoon the good folk at The Bulwark opened up their Thursday night Livestream (this is the third time they’ve done it), and I listened with great interest to Professor Eliot Cohen talking about the war in Ukraine. This is appreciated. Cohen pointed out that the Russians have yet to take control of a major city, or establish air control. Lawfare, normally quick to pontificate, are strangely silent on this issue, except for a podcast about Putin’s imperial dream, and an interview with a refugee. Could it be, I wonder, that several of them are Russian Jews? Others such as Skullduggery, Stay Tuned with Preet, and the Bulwark have not skirted this issue. English pods have been interesting too: The Rest is History, and We Have Ways of Making You Talk. I’m sure there’ll be many others.

It’s now Saturday March 12^th.

This afternoon we were supposed to go out for afternoon tea, but it was cancelled.  The country is deeply affected by Covid 19.In the city, some entertainment venues have closed, like the Victoria St Café, which I used to patronise and rather liked. They had nice Louise Slice there, and did a great omelette. Floriditas in Cuba St is also crying foul, although I don’t like their food as much. Covid 19 has hit the Gloriavale community on the West Coast of New Zealand. There is a “significant cluster” there, apparently. They are under the spotlight at the moment over several folk leaving, over whether workers are contractors – all income has to be given to the community, which is a charitable trust; alleged child abuse, and punishments which would now be regarded as inhuman. 

Today’s Covid 19 report again breaks records, not with new case numbers at 18,699, but with 853 patients in hospital, 17 in Intensive Care, and 7 deaths, bringing total deaths to 105. The deaths were three in Auckland, and one each in Bay of Plenty, Mid-central, Wellington and Canterbury, four males ad three females, and mostly elderly folk.

In Ukraine, things are complex. It’s reported that another Russian general has been killed (making three so far); and a large plane was shot down; evidently the Ukrainians sank a Russian ship (the one that was at Snake Island); but Russian forces have regrouped outside Kyiv. In Mariupol, a maternity hospital was bombed: Russians accused women who escaped of being “crisis actors”.  It seems that somehow Putin has claimed ownership of the sky, not allowing other airlines to fly over it; the city of Kherson is under Russian control, and although brave residents have protested, they are being very harshly dealt with by their Russian occupiers. One commentator pointed out it would take a great many Russian troops to occupy the country of Ukraine. Putin is doing nothing to endear himself or his regime to those inhabitants of Ukraine whom he would conquer.  There have been more references to the treaty of Budapest, including a letter in this morning’s Dompost, pointing out that Russia, the US and the UK guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty, including Crimea, providing they gave up their nuclear weapons. I guess it seemed a good idea at the time.

The mayor of the city of Melitopol has been captured by Russians. Fierce bombardment of cities continues.

It’s now Sunday March 13^th.

It’s now 3 years since the mosque shootings in Christchurch.  I went to church this morning, where there was beautiful organ playing, but no minister – until he joined us on screen. He’s a close contact – someone in his family has tested positive for Covid 19. He says he ‘s fine, but he did sound a bit husky. He joked that this is the closest he’s come to being a Televangelist! Afterwards, I buy some scones for morning tea from the café next door, and then go to the supermarket across the road. It’s just as well I did buy morning tea, because there are no bakery goods at the supermarket, due to sickness: no chocolate snails, brioches, muffins, apple turnovers, or bread rolls, or Hot Cross Buns (always tempting, often disappointing).  The verse though is so heartening: many times I would have taken you under my wing, as a mother hen (paraphrased).  That would be God personified as a female animal.

Today’s Covid 19 report is again interesting, in that total new cases are down, at 14,494, and down considerably in Auckland, but numbers of hospitalisations and deaths are up, with 896 people in hospital, (18 in Intensive Care), and 8 deaths.

Numbers of new cases do seem to have peaked in Auckland, but not yet further south. The numbers in hospital, and the deaths, are alarming, and I expect there’ll continue to be a “tale” for a while of severe illness and death. There were 4,509 new cases in Auckland today. Outside Auckland, the new cases were in Northland (440), Waikato (1,420), Bay of Plenty (931), Lakes (394), Hawke’s Bay (597), MidCentral (472), Whanganui (137), Taranaki (355), Tairāwhiti (289), Wairarapa (105), Capital and Coast (1,141), Hutt Valley (845), Nelson Marlborough (376), Canterbury (1,664), South Canterbury (93), Southern (703), and West Coast (18).

I get an update from Hōhepa this afternoon. They have had 5 cases of Covid 19 amongst residents, and there is a staffing problem with some staff needing to support their own families, or being close contacts of other family members.  I feel fairly confident in their ability to manage this situation, but it must be posing all kinds of problems. So far, the houses at Kapiti are all right.

I went to church to be comforted by the oasis of peace there.  I’m confronted by the minister being a close contact!  As he says, we can still worship the Lord our God. I enjoyed the organ playing.

In Russia, it seems that of the fast food outlets (e.g. Starbucks) pulling out, what has really upset folk is McDonalds pulling out – of its 850 outlets!  Deutsch bank is now pulling out too, and it’s believed the Russian economy is in serious trouble.  There are serious concerns about Putin’s health – about his puffy face, for one thing, and his evident isolation – how can this man hold the world to ransom? Apparently the Russians are seeking to attack ships that would offer aid to Ukraine. The Turks have blocked access to the Black Sea though the Bosphorus Straits – but they’ve blocked all ships, not just Russian ones.

It’s now Monday March 14^th.

This morning I get a text from my opticians telling me that my new reading glasses are ready, and I should make an appointment to pick them up. I ring, and am asked which day would suit. I explain that I’m pretty free all the time (seeing that almost everything is cancelled); I arrange to go in this afternoon.

In other news, Lydia Ko and former president Barack Obama have diagnosed positive for Covid 19, and actor William Hurt has died at 71. I remember him mainly for his part as C in the movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; he looked really old and washed up then. Perhaps it was the makeup.

In Ukraine, the barbarity of Russian troops continues. A Ukrainian defence base was bombed near the Polish border, and 35 people were killed. An American journalist has been killed. Another mayor has been kidnapped. Meanwhile, bombing continues, and refugees flood into first Poland, then Hungary. Yesterday there were thought to be 2 million refugees. I listened to a podcast in Skullduggery, an interview with the US Ambassador to Poland (Meta Brzezinski, brother of Mika and son of Zbigniew, where he said now much Poland’s security was helped by its NATO membership, such that they were willing to accept refugees;  he also said that President Biden’s sharing of US intelligence about the Russian attack had given allies a heads up about the coming invasion, especially seeing that it was in tune with their own intelligence. Notable comparisons are being made between Hitler and the Nazis’ “false flag” attack on Poland in 1939 which started World War II; In Ukraine, there’s a very moving video of a pianist playing Chopin in a seemingly untouched grand piano, in a otherwise bombed out apartment block.

The Covid 19 report here remains confusing: the total of new cases is 15,540, but there are 952 people in hospital, and there have been two more deaths. Of those in hospital, 19 are in Intensive Care. It’s reported that today’s new cases are in Northland (482), Auckland (4,730), Waikato (1,532), Bay of Plenty (1,023), Lakes (457), Hawke’s Bay (680), MidCentral (528), Whanganui (162), Taranaki (343), Tairāwhiti (262), Wairarapa (167), Capital and Coast (1,191), Hutt Valley (749), Nelson Marlborough (373), Canterbury (1,896), South Canterbury (130), Southern (795) and the West Coast (31).

School have been incredibly hard hit, with 46,000 cases from schools or early childhood centres in the last 10 days. It’s reported that there are 952 people in hospital with Covid-19 across North Shore (185), Middlemore (210), Auckland (210), Waikato (78), Bay of Plenty (34), Lakes (13), Tairāwhiti (3), Hawke’s Bay (23), Taranaki (9), MidCentral (20), Whanganui (3), Hutt Valley (23), Capital and Coast (61), Wairarapa (7), Nelson Marlborough (9), Canterbury (29) and the Southern region (12). 61 in Wellington!  I wonder if any are at Kenepuru Hospital.  22 new cases were found at the border.

That’s it for today. Go Ukraine! Ngā mihi.

With apologies to Gerard Manley Hopkins

It’s now Wednesday March 9^th, 2022. Kia ora!

This morning I learnt that Phil Goff, Mayor of Auckland, has been diagnosed positive for Covid 19; that President Biden says the US will not longer buy oil, gas or coal from Russia; and a second Russian general has been killed in the Ukraine. There is some doubt around this last item, and I don’t have the details yet. Hint for the US: turn the air con down! It doesn’t have to be so cold that you need to put a cardigan on!  Although, in deference, I have wrestled with heat pumps that have an aircon function, trying to get the temperature that’s right for me.  You also want a quiet one.

This morning I got up early and went to hymn singing. It was lovely, as always; there were very few of us there, and we sing in the church now rather than the organ loft so there’s plenty of room.  Afterwards I tried the chemist there for RATs; they said to buy them at the supermarket: a new lot comes in every day. I did that – buying two (the limit per customer) from the checkout operator. I also bought the last package of trumpets! And some more raspberries – I can’t go past them at this price. They’re lovely with jelly and ice cream. Anyway, the RATs cost $32.99 each! That’s rather expensive, but then when I unpack them I find there are 5 tests in each pack, so I bought 10 tests in all. They still require a deep nasal swab.

The news informs me that the isolation time for Covid 19 is being reduced from 10 to 7 days, at midnight on Friday. Presumably that’s if you’re diagnosed positive for Covid 19 (or are a household contact of someone who’s diagnosed positive). Household contacts require two negative RAT tests. It also told me there’d been a death in Tairāwhiti (it’s reported he was a 77 year old man with pre-existing health conditions). Today there are 22,454 community cases, and there have been 4 further deaths.  Today it’s reported that there are 742 people in hospital, and 19 in Intensive Care. Of the four deaths, two were in the Lakes district, one in Tairāwhiti and one in Counties Manukau. It’s reported that there are 715 new community cases in Northland, 2109 in Waikato, 1427 in Bay of Plenty, 633 in Lakes, 707 in Hawke’s Bay, 655 in MidCentral, 202 in Whanganui, 536 in Taranaki, 373 in Tairāwhiti, 166 in Wairarapa, 1879 in Capital and Coast, 1062 in Hutt Valley, 452 in Nelson Marlborough, 2024 in Canterbury, 120 in South Canterbury, 835 in Southern and 20 in West Coast. In Super Rugby news, the Highlanders have Covid 19 cases which they are managing before their game against the Blues in Auckland on Friday.

I am reading Providence Lost, by Paul Lay, about Cromwell’s Protectorate.  But, was religion an issue, back then! I trust we’re a bit more tolerant now. Whoever was in charge – the punishments were terrible, quite violent.  What a time that must have been. There were not only issues between Catholics and Protestants, but with Scottish Presbyterianism and the Quakers!  For crying out loud, they’re all Christian religions.

The situation in Ukraine continues to be awful, and makes me think our present problems are very minor, really. After all, although scared of catching Covid 19, I can still sleep in my own bed, have a warm shower, wear clean clothes and eat hot food, and make myself a hot drink whenever I feel like it. One wonders how long the brave Ukrainians can carry on, without such everyday “luxuries”.  There are accounts of mounting deaths and destruction by the Ukrainians against Russian troops; yet the people are repeatedly fired upon, even when traversing supposed safety areas, where a ceasefire had been declared.  In the cities, they don’t have running water, or power.  One hopes that food parcels can be delivered, as well as medical supplies. There are stories of hospitals being bombed.  Yet this madness continues, as Russians protest at home, at great personal cost.  What will Vladimir Putin do next? How desperate/crazy is he? 

There are reports of 11,000 dead Russian troops (yesterday it was 10,000), including three senior guys: the Russians don’t have women in their forces, evidently. A Major-General Gerasimov is dead, who commanded in Chechnya, in Crimea, and in Syria, so that will be quite a loss.  And the stalled convoy of tanks heading towards Kyiv? They have probably run out of fuel and food, and I wonder how their morale is keeping up?  Perhaps they can’t go backwards or forwards, and are stuck, in what is soon to be very muddy roadways.  At the Chernobyl nuclear plant, captured by the Russians, the staff have been kept on, and can’t leave, fearful as they are of nuclear disaster. It’s a fallacy to think that this plant doesn’t represent potential disaster at the best of times.

It is hot here again, after a few days of welcome fine, but cooler weather. That would be hot as in 23 degrees Celsius, which is not really hot, I know. It just feels hot, and has you seeking out bus stops – they always seem to be in windy spots.

It’s now Thursday March 10^th.

This morning I went to Tai chi at Mana. Evidently the police put bollards at the entrance of the side street last Wednesday to present campers from camping there.  Anyway, thankfully we were back today, and again, it’s a lovely fine day. In the afternoon I go for a walk up to the shops. There’s not many shortages that I can see, although they have no WCC rubbish bags in stock.  It’s a pleasant walk. The Guardian is shrieking about rising prices here; they’re not bothering me too much; I only buy things if I think they’re reasonably priced. I’m not trying to feed children or teenagers, but they’re not affecting me badly. As for the price of petrol, surely people should be using public transport, or car/ride-sharing?

The Covid 19 news is disturbing: one of Chris Hipkins’ children has Covid 19, so he’s isolating.  This seems to be making children very sick; most have only had one vaccination jab.  Today there are officially 21,015 new cases, with 97% of them diagnosed using RATs.  There are 845 people in hospital, with 16 in Intensive Care. Auckland Hospital is reported as being under pressure. In one hospital 1/3 pregnant mothers have Covid 19. Dr Bloomfield says there’ll be a change in the way deaths from Covid 19 are reported. If a person dies within 28 days of being diagnosed with Covid 19, they’ll be assumed to have died from Covid 19. The death total to date is 81 (91?) – still remarkably low for the population of this country. It’s reported that the new community cases are in Northland (689), Auckland (7234), Waikato (2016), Bay of Plenty (1392), Lakes (632), Hawke’s Bay (700), MidCentral (653), Whanganui (156), Taranaki (524), Tairāwhiti (353), Wairarapa (170), Capital and Coast (1858), Hutt Valley (1103), Nelson Marlborough (449), Canterbury (2021), South Canterbury (109), Southern (918), West Coast (26); and 12 in an unknown location. Dr Bloomfield says that most people in hospital are there because they are ill with Covid 19. The Khandallah Town Hall community group have again cancelled activities for next week, Monday 14 March – Friday 18 March.

My grandchildren who attend school don’t have Covid 19, but some of their friends are quite sick with it. Who says children don’t get it? Try telling that to the schools here.  And let’s be honest: children’s hygiene isn’t great at the best of times. This is not the Best of Times.

It’s certainly not the Best of Times for Ukraine. It’s universally agreed that the invasion is not going as planned from a Russian perspective, (a dead general’s papers attest to that), but the evil and cruel bombing of a hospital in Mariupol, and the difficulty in arranging safe passage for Ukrainian citizens, the seemingly  indiscriminate bombing of civilians, has shocked the world.  The US and NATO are afraid of starting a nuclear conflict; the issue of what actually starts a war is a good question itself. The Russians confirm that they have used thermobaric bombs, and there are fears of chemical weapons being used. It seems Putin is determined to wreck Ukraine, safe in the knowledge that he won’t help rebuild it.  Last night on Youtube I saw a planned press release, that was supposed to be issued after the successful invasion of Ukraine. It was scarily Orwellian in its language and style. It even spoke about Eurasia!

With regard to the stalled, lengthy tank convoy approaching Kyiv, the Independent Newspaper reports that the soldiers in the tanks may freeze to death, as a cold spell is expected. Evidently they’re not being supplied with food and gas. There are now stories of Russian troops robbing Ukrainian villagers, for something to eat.  The Chernobyl nuclear plant is now closed, but there are fears for its safety.  Many cities have no power or water. There are reports of wounded men.  For all that the Ukrainians are “winning”, and defiant though they are, they’re paying a terrible price. Yesterday it was reported that there are 2,000,000 refugees, now going to Hungary rather than Poland. Hungary and Poland are bastions of right-wing rule and authority, but they’re helping these folk rather than Putin, surely an interesting reaction. The UK has increased the number of visas it will authorise from 50 to 300. Well, that’ll make a huge difference, won’t it. Shouldn’t the West do something more to stop this terrible carnage?  If Trump had done what President Zelensky wanted, and freely given the aid approved by the US Congress, and invited him to the White House, all this may have been prevented. 

I heard that the person in charge of Putin’s armed forces has not himself had military experience. The Head of the Defence Force in Belarus has resigned, saying he could not put a battalion together.  It seems the much-vaunted Russian Army looks scary in May Day parades, but in real life is a bunch of scared, ill-trained, ill-equipped youngsters, who’ve been lied to about the real reason for being in Ukraine. Contrary to expectations, they’re being met with swear words rather than apple pie and kisses!  But after two weeks, there is devastation in Ukraine. This country was the bread basket of Europe, known for its ability to grow wheat and grain. What an extraordinary waste, when already so many people are going hungry.  We pray for better things. Ngā mihi.

It’s now Tuesday March 8^th, 2022. Kia ora.

Now we all know someone with Covid 19.  We know of many more – people whom I don’t really know, I just know their names and roles.  No one in my family or friends in New Zealand has it as yet; a nephew in Australia has it for the second time, having returned from a South American country where he had gone to study, before Covid. In the former times.  I continue to pray that none of our loved ones gets it, but it gets harder and harder to avoid.  Knowing people who have it just makes it harder to take the risk and go out; it’s also difficult, seeing most activities are cancelled anyway, and you really need to get out.

Here in New Zealand, Hawkes Bay Hospital is under pressure, with 8 people with the virus in hospital. Their ED was already under severe pressure. They’ve scaled back some services and set up a dedicated Covid 19 ward, which can take up to 17 patients, with Intensive Care facilities as well. They’re going to start surveillance testing of all patients, to see if people without Covid 19 symptoms are infected; and they can take a further 24 patients if necessary. One hopes it won’t be necessary.

Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital is under pressure, with 195 patients infected with Covid 19. Some doctors are covering for nurses who are off either ill themselves or isolating. I guess if you have almost 700 people hospitalised, then they have to go to hospital somewhere.

The schools are badly hit, with 25,000 students and teachers isolating because of Covid 19.  They’re dealing with it in different ways, but it surely creates big problems; you might think you’ve solved the problem on Monday, only to have to find a different solution on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Wellington City Council has problems with staff away; they’re not collecting crates of bottles for the foreseeable future; yesterday, in Broadmeadows, in the late afternoon recycling bins hadn’t been emptied. Staff are off at the Sewage Treatment Plant, as well. Some train services are being cancelled. Some stores are reporting shortages, although my local supermarket yesterday wasn’t too bad.

A Rhythm and Vines Festival that was to be held at Easter has been cancelled.

It’s reported that 6 members of Parliament have Covid 19. Meanwhile, the protest/campers have tried to set up camp at New Plymouth. Really, what’s left to protest about? The convoy outside Washington D.C. has stopped; perhaps they’re asking themselves the same question.  Some journalists here have tried to discuss with protesters what their grievances are; I agree it’s really trying if you’ve lost your job, but I wouldn’t want an unvaccinated person caring for my daughter or teaching my grandchildren.  Other than that, the call for freedom is pretty unnerving and unrealistic when you see what’s happening in Ukraine.

The upside of our omicron surge? New Zealanders are free to come here from overseas, and no longer have to try and book a place in MIQ. Come here, if you dare! At Auckland Airport, food outlets are running with reduced staff and availability – because of Covid 19.  New Zealand welcomes vaccinated Kiwis from overseas, (who don’t need to isolate), but don’t expect to eat at the airport! I find that is so ironical. PS any time I’ve eaten there, I’ve found the food overpriced and not great value for money.

Meanwhile, the dreadful war in Ukraine continues. It’s not easy to follow. There are streams of refugees; ceasefires to allow safe passage are being broken, again, as leaving residents are shelled. The photos show great devastation; it’s said Putin just wants to ruin the place. He won’t rebuild, even if he does win. He’s proposed six routes out of Ukraine, but four of them go through Russia or Belarus, so that’s unacceptable. President Zelensky calls for a no-fly zone; the West continues to resist this request, but more and more people are demanding that something be done to halt the dreadful damage and slaughter. There are broadcasters like Jake Tapper who point out that the West has appeased Putin for far too long; I guess, though, that they’ve sought not to rile him up.  In retrospect, it’s been a mistake to indulge him, and as for Dubya’s (George Bush II) words, I think Americans are far too trusting. Look where that got us! We get to live another day, and have more grandchildren, provided we don’t get Covid 19; meanwhile the brave Ukrainians’ lives are destroyed. Someone said the average annual income is $3,000(USD) a year. That’s not much, although they look like us.

The Russian Army’s much vaunted strength and power isn’t looking so great now, although it’s bombing apartment buildings and industrial sites with terrible effect. But the Ukrainians are fighting back, too, with photographic record of destroyed tanks, and some planes and helicopters.  I know that misinformation is a hazard, and you have to be careful about what you watch, but there are some videos on Youtube which seem to bear more truth than others. There have been clips of captured Russian soldiers apologising, saying they’d been misled, and they never should have invaded Ukraine. War analysts and some generals have useful things to say about supply lines and suchlike. The ground that Russian tanks are driving on already looks very muddy in places. 

The Ukrainians have been saying 11,000 Russian troops are dead. Even if this figure is exaggerated, it’s still remarkable. Mothers from Siberia are telling Putin not to use their sons as cannon fodder. This morning it was claimed they’d destroyed a column of 36 tanks. The historian Stephen Kotkin claims that war is always a miscalculation: of the strength of one’s  troops; the nature of the terrain; the power of the resistance, and, of course, how to supply fuel, food and much needed morale to the troops themselves.

New Zealand has imposed some sanctions, and is now in Putin’s bad books: it joins a list of other countries that have imposed some kind of sanctions on Russia: the list includes Australia, Albania, Andorra, Great Britain, including Jersey, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, EU member states, Iceland, Canada, Liechtenstein, Micronesia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, San Marino, North Macedonia, Singapore, US, Taiwan, Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland and Japan. I think we’d be proud to be included in that list. There’s talk of the US not importing oil from Russia.

Apparently the Russian rouble has dropped even further in value: it was worth 1 cent (US), now it’s worth 0.6 cents. But Putin has a friend in President Xi of China, who refuses to condemn the invasion, and talks of setting up a Chinese alternative to Visa and Mastercard, who have suspended operations in Russia. Russian people cannot withdraw cash from ATMS, and what they can withdraw is almost worthless. 

Today the NZ Herald reports that Ukrainian forces have taken back the city of Chuhuiv, with defence officials saying Russia suffered “heavy losses in the battle”, including the deaths of two high ranking officials. It was reported that Chuhuiv is a small city 30,000 people, located about 35km southeast of Kharkiv. It was one of the first cities to be taken by Russia when troops invaded Ukraine on February 24.

The Russians have demands for the Ukrainians to stop military action, and for Ukraine to recognise Crimea as Russian, and Luhansk and Donetsk to be s separate states.  Do we think it will stop there? Is resistance a crime? Do we believe Putin, or his negotiators?  Zelensky has said nothing is off the table. Evidently he’s survived three assassination attempts. The British have said they will accept 50 visas from Ukraine – a move that is being widely ridiculed. I listened (with amazement) to a Guardian podcast about refugees fleeing from Ukraine, and hearing some of the personal stories; meanwhile, the UK only allows 50 visas. Poland has been very kind, but they are reaching their limit, too. The refugee situation is becoming a humanitarian crisis.

Today’s Covid 19 report is presented by Dr Caroline McElnay, who is herself isolating at home because she’s experiencing mild symptoms, and wishes to be seen taking her own advice. Meanwhile The New Yorker is letting me read an article about the first phase of Covid 19 in Ecuador, which killed so many thousands of people, although a doctor had prepared for Covid 19, on first hearing the stories out of Wuhan. It is just so sad. They already have a very high murder rate, but this wave of disease was something else: all normal systems for coping with disease and death were overwhelmed.

Today’s report, unsurprisingly, is worse than yesterday’s. There is a story in the paper about how difficult it is to get a RAT test: here’s a link.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/462903/opinion-getting-a-rapid-antigen-test-on-the-kapiti-coast-an-exercise-in-the-absurd

Today’s total of new community cases is 23,894, the highest yet, and the most people in hospital – 756 (another website says 757), with 16 in Intensive care. There are reportedly 9,081 new cases in Auckland. We’re not told the locations of the new cases, only that most are diagnosed through RATs, rather than PCR tests.

Isolation requirements are being relaxed for critical medical services only: a person can return to work on day 6 after having two negative Covid 19 tests; or a covid 19 infected person can work on a ward where all patients have covid 19. Predictably, the Nurses’ Union is calling foul, that nurses will be pressured to work when they’re feeling unwell. No one is supposed to work if they’re feeling unwell; presumably it’s their own choice if they do so.

In Ukraine, it’s reported that 9 planes have been shot down in 24 hours, a loss that can’t be sustained for more than a fortnight, according to some analysts.

That’s it for now. Ngā mihi.

It’s now Saturday March 5^th, 2022. Kia ora.

In Wellington, the clean up from the protest continues. Tomorrow, the bus interchange at the Wellington Railway Station reopens. We are all traumatised by having seen so many police in riot gear, seeing a line of police retreating, seeing rocks thrown at police.  This couldn’t be happening here, but it was. The protesters have gone to other places, I don’t know where exactly. But they’re not here. I remember the signs at Cambridge University ordering one not to walk on the lawn. Ha ha! They camped on the lawn in Parliament grounds; it might have been “their” parliament, as it is ours, and is special to all New Zealanders, but it was desecrated by some who had no respect for it.  The ghastly, messy, odoriferous clean up operation proves that. Apparently 5 Dompost journalists who were reporting on the protest have Covid 19. They worked really long hours, too.

Meanwhile, we are battling a coronavirus surge, and hoping that it peaks soon. Hong Kong is in a really bad way; we won’t be like that, surely.  It seems older people there were really hesitant to get the (Chinese – sinovac) vaccine.  We are warned that Covid 19 could be worse for asthmatics; in the autumn, breathing difficulties tend to be worse (mine are, anyway).  Still, it’s fine and warm, not as hot as it was, and we’re getting by, with lots of time now to focus on what’s happening in Ukraine.

I woke up this morning to the news that Shane Warne has died at 52 of a suspected heart attack, at a resort in Thailand. Rod Marsh has died as well, but he was much older at 74.

With regard to the war in Ukraine, misinformation persists.  Putin ended a speech and then got back up to say the war was going really well. It seems there are two main fronts: the one in the East, where Russian troops are having some success; and the one in the West where a stalled convoy of tanks is heading towards Kyiv. Various pundits are having their say, but no one really knows what will happen. What I have learnt so far is that Kyiv may be very hard to take; Putin has blocked Facebook and is giving the Russian people a very different message from what is actually happening, and treating severely anyone who doesn’t comply; that the brave Ukrainians are putting up a brave resistance; and this war could go on for 5 years! 

Zelensky is being called Churchillian; I don’t think that’s a great comparison but he’s an amazing hero (and good looking too).  There may well be issues with supply lines, getting fuel and food to the Russian troops. I listened again to the WHWOMYT podcast, and assessed from that that Kyiv may be really difficult to take; supplies could be a big issue; generals may be disagreeing with Putin about what steps to take; and not all battles are worth winning. There’s talk of Putin besieging Kyiv, (and lots of talk of the Siege of Leningrad, now St Petersburg again) during World War 2. I feel that a lot of discrimination is required when viewing reports of the war.  Americans love good sound bites; there’s a lot of filming of refugees at the moment. One hopes that Zelensky has good generals in charge of his troops, and that they’re making wise decisions. But no question, there’s a terrible amount of death and destruction, along with some rather knee-jerk reactions to what’s happening. Is the US doing enough? Is NATO doing enough?  Will anything dent Putin’s paranoia?  How can one man (for now) hold the world to ransom?  No doubt the president of China is watching carefully. 

Today’s Covid 19 update is released. There are officially 18,833 new community cases of Covid 19, and there’ve been 5 more deaths (two at Middlemore hospital, two at North Shore hospital, and one at Auckland Hospital). They were all older people. There are now 597 people in hospital, including 10 in Intensive Care. More than 9,700 of the new cases are in Auckland. While the total is less than yesterday’s, people are advised to be cautious as we may not have peaked yet. People are asked to report their RAT test results, even if they’re negative. If the test is negative, and you still have symptoms, you’re asked to continue isolating, and take another test when you feel better. We aren’t told yet the locations of the positive cases.

Later on it’s reported that the locations of the new community cases were given as follows: Northland (483), Auckland (9789), Waikato (1575), Bay of Plenty (1222), Lakes (459), Hawke’s Bay (327), MidCentral (417), Whanganui (95), Taranaki (264), Tairāwhiti (153), Wairarapa (94), Capital and Coast (1308), Hutt Valley (576), Nelson Marlborough (258), Canterbury (1170), South Canterbury (57), Southern (558), West Coast (17), and unknown (11). 7 cases were identified at the border.

It’s reported that some protesters set up camp at Remutaka Forest park, but DOC has closed the camping site there. I don’t really want to say roll on, winter, but I’d pick that come June it will be very cold, too cold for camping.

It’s now Sunday March 6^th.

Last night I watched footage of Russian equipment being damaged, set on fire, or blown up by Ukrainians and also film of helicopters being shot down. That is heartening, especially against the grim evidence of deadly bombing raids and damage to cities, where power and water is cur off. It hasn’t been two weeks yet, and already there are many disaster zones. Yet things don’t seem to be going as well as expected for the Russians. There was supposed to be safe passage out of the city of Mariupol, but the Russians failed to observe this. Putin has declared that imposition of sanctions is akin to a declaration of war. Everyone is terrified of nuclear war (please say it correctly, it’s pronounced nu-clear not nuc-oo-lar), but there’s also the possibility of using chemical warfare or cyber war, as well as big, dirty nasty cluster or thermobaric bombs.

I went to church this morning, the first Sunday of Lent.  The main message I took away is a saying that Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship with God. It was lovely to go, an oasis of peace and calm amidst all the sorrow and suffering and fear outside.

Today’s Covid 19 report is interesting. The number of new cases is down again, at 15,161, but there are more people in hospital – 618, and 10 are in Intensive Care.  It’s thought we should be careful about this apparent reduction, fearing that many people don’t report a positive RAT test result. There has been another death, of a person who was in hospital for unrelated causes but tested positive for Covid 19.

Sunday’s new cases are in: Northland (382), Auckland (7,226), Waikato (1,334), Bay of Plenty (937), Lakes (434), Hawke’s Bay (336), MidCentral (378), Whanganui (59), Taranaki (239), Tairāwhiti (166), Wairarapa (85), Capital and Coast (1,161), Hutt Valley (648), Nelson Marlborough (233), Canterbury (1,019), South Canterbury (52), Southern (444), West Coast (17); Unknown (11).

It seems all Interislander passenger services have been cancelled for today, Sunday March 6^th, because 55 members of staff are off due to having Covid 19 or needing to isolate. In Wellington, there are about 40 anti-mandate protesters outside Government House, calling for Parliament to be dissolved. The Governor-General cannot dissolve Parliament herself.

Now back to Ukraine. Visa and Mastercard have pulled out of operating in Russia, and several media outlets have stopped their journalists reporting there. Evidently some Sky News journalists were shot at. There is conflict over appointing a no-fly zone; everyone else is too frightened to do this for fear of escalating the situation; one wonders though how much worse things are going to get. I find the US “spin” quite frustrating, grateful as I am that this crowd (the Democrats) are now in charge.

It’s now Monday March 7^th.

Yesterday afternoon I visited a friend; this morning another friend rang up, I walked up to the local supermarket, and I visited another friend this afternoon, so although lots of activities have been cancelled, I have had lots of social engagement. At the supermarket,, I bought the second to last loaf of Vogel bread. Amazingly, they had cheap raspberries for sale. I wasn’t affected by shortages, although many supermarkets are.

Last night we watched Summer 1993, a Spanish movie on Māori Television, about a girl whose mother dies, and she goes to live with relations. I found it quite absorbing. On Saturday night I watched the final episode of the current series of Call the Midwife, about the aftermath of the terrible train crash.  That was absorbing too, although I know it’s all made up, of course.

Today’s Covid 19 report is mixed. There are reportedly 17,522 new infections (which is no doubt underreported), and 696 people are in hospital – an ever rising toll. Thirteen of them are in Intensive Care.

The location of today’s reported community cases (PCR and RATs) is: Northland (509), Auckland (7,639), Waikato (1,541), Bay of Plenty (1,174), Lakes (475), Hawke’s Bay (435), MidCentral (400), Whanganui (95), Taranaki (311), Tairāwhiti (217), Wairarapa (99), Capital and Coast (1,545), Hutt Valley (837), Nelson Marlborough (329), Canterbury (1,308), South Canterbury (82), Southern (506) and the West Coast (14). The location of six of today’s cases is unknown.

It’s reported that Simon Bridges and his family have Covid 19; now apparently new National Party leader, Christopher Luxon, has tested positive for Covid 19. Now it seems that almost if not every school has someone with Covid 19 or a close contact who is isolating. It’s a very scary time, although people seemed pretty casual up at the supermarket.  They’ve got dividers now for the checkout rolling benches, but I daren’t use one.  The one checkout operator who was on duty did not wipe down the rolling bench between customers. It seems far more results are being picked up by RAT’s than PCR tests, although I understand false negative results are more frequent when RAT’s are used. I can’t get RAT’s up the road here, but apparently you can get them from one of the chemists in Johnsonville. This morning’s newspaper tells me there are several kinds of RATs: you need to follow the instructions carefully. Between incorrect swab taking, mishandling the apparatus, and misreporting of the results, plenty can go wrong. It’s reported that so far 28 people have tested positive for Covid 19 who were at the protest site. There were two large student parties in Christchurch on Saturday night which could be supper-spreader events; gatherings this large are not allowed under the Red light setting (maximum 100 vaccinated persons). Some train services are cancelled due to staff unavailability.  

That’s it for now. Ngā mihi.

Today is Thursday March 3^rd, 2022. Kia ora.

Last night I got a message to say that this morning’s Tai Chi class at the Ngatitoa Domain Hall had been cancelled.  Some of the protesters, removed from their camp in Thorndon, have moved to the Ngatitoa Domain. Others are reported to be heading to the South Island, to Picton, or Cranmer Square in Christchurch.  That is so annoying, and such a shame!  I feel so sorry for the good people who live and work in the Mana area: there’s one New World Supermarket there, and two or three cafés; it’s not a large area.  So I’m glad on the one hand, but sorry on the other – I was going to go to Tai Chi this morning.

I am still very upset about the violence here in the Thorndon area, as police strove to move the protesters away.  There are more stories in this morning’s Dompost; it remains shocking. I remember the protests against the Springbok Tour in 1981, which were probably the most violent protests in New Zealand to date. Whole families came down on different sides of the debate. Many who loved rugby were appalled that this tour should attempt to take place. But no one took their children, tooted, set up tents, or threw rocks at police, or set anything on fire. No one drove a vehicle at the police. Someone said this was a better class of protesters! I watched the livestream posted by Stuff late yesterday afternoon, and I was shocked then, and I remain shocked, at what I saw. At one time I called JD, saying you have to watch this, it’s like the fall of the Twin Towers in New York on 9/11. It’s reported that 87 arrests were made, and 7 police injured. I saw images of police retreating, at one stage. A car was driven past, and then backed into a group of police.  There were pitchforks, and things set on fire!  This is not New Zild. This is not who we are.  But I suspect some of the protesters have no homes to go back to; they evidently felt safe in this so-called community, which was also well-funded. That does not excuse the abuse, however.

There were also reports of a laser shone at a police helicopter. The police operation lasted from before dawn until well into the evening. Meanwhile the police were dealing with a paedophile ring, and a rugby league star being imprisoned for importing meth.

Why don’t the protesters protest a real issue, like inflation?  The price of petrol has gone up bigtime since Ukraine was invaded by Russia. Inflation ain’t helping.

This morning I went to the optometrist in the city. The trains are running again, and we can move about the CBD. However there was a significant police presence in Featherston St.  There was also a small protest: Bullying is not ok! read one sign, but I don’t know who was protesting, or what the issue was.

Afterwards I stayed in town for a bit. It was pretty quiet there. No 2 buses are using the bus stop outside David Jones, the rest are still using Brandon St.  There are not many people in Midland Square, but there is a woman there, I suspect from the protesters, who’s talking loudly to anyone who’ll listen. She has no audience. 

The 1 pm announcement is predictably awful. There are 23,183 community cases (reported) of Covid 19, with 503 people in hospital, and 7 in Intensive Care. In Australia, Victoria reports 23 deaths from Covid 19! It certainly seems that if you’re fully vaccinated, you’re less likely to be hospitalised, or die, from Covid 19. The Khandallah Town Hall has cancelled all activities for next week. Apparently a new website allows you to order free RAT tests online.

It’s reported that the new cases were in Northland (520), Auckland (13,237), Waikato (1870), Bay of Plenty (1332), Lakes (537), Hawke’s Bay (315), MidCentral (381), Whanganui (79), Taranaki (289), Tairāwhiti (134), Wairarapa (94), Capital & Coast (1487), Hutt Valley (642), Nelson Marlborough (271), Canterbury (1294), South Canterbury (53), Southern (615), West Coast (16); and 17 were in unknown locations.

This afternoon the Assistant Police Commissioner spoke publicly about yesterday’s operation, and ongoing activities to monitor the situation. We’re all aware that protesters are going to other places.

And now, back to the major conflict in Ukraine. It’s said that Russian forces have taken the city of Kherson; that there is serious bombardment of Ukrainian cities; but that the long convoy on its way to Kyiv has stalled; messages and communications have been easily intercepted, it seems the morale amongst Russian troops is very low, and some may have no food or petrol.  On the other hand, the bombardment is severe, and no one doubts Putin’s barbarity.  Some actions have been interpreted as war crimes, and taken to the ICC. No one doubts the bravery of the Ukrainians, but while a lot of support has been expressed, it hasn’t translated into actual assistance as requested by Zelensky. Many civilians have been killed; there are many refugees.  Even if arms are supplied, how do you get them to where they’re required?

It’s now Friday March 4^th. Kia ora.

This morning I listen to an RNZ podcast about the police operation in Thorndon. I read on the Stuff website that some protesters have made their way to the Marae at Wainuiomata, (one of the first vaccination sites), where they don’t get a warm welcome. A man causing a disturbance has now been taken away by police. In Wellington, the clean-up of the site continues. There may be more arrests. It’s clear that some really unpleasant elements infiltrated the protest.  It was a huge police operation to clear the site. It’s reported to be very smelly.

I was expecting someone from Access to come and do some cleaning today, but I looked up my schedule online (which is a challenge in itself), and found today’s help has been cancelled. No text message, no call was received.  Last Friday I cancelled; the Friday before was a no-show.

This morning we went shopping at New World in Thorndon. It was lovely there, not too busy; the lovely woman who served us thanked us for coming back! We are so pleased to shop there relatively safely again. They had cauliflowers at $4.99 each. That’s a far cry from the $15 which keeps popping up in my news feed. They also had feijoas, at $18.99 per kilo. They’re the harbinger of autumn, but the price has to get much lower before I will buy any. We bought salads, raspberries, apricots, cucumber, tonic water, bread, and apple and apricot pies.

In Ukraine, the mood has changed somewhat. There are 1 million refugees fleeing the war. Others are staying and fighting. This unprovoked attack on Ukraine is obviously no walkover; the Russians are sustaining some casualties, and have poor morale; clearly it gets harder for the brave Ukrainians to resist. You can only cope without a warm bed and good food for so long. Now it’s really hard to buy food safely, if it’s available; there are lots of refugees; Putin makes nuclear threats, scaring everyone; the Western nations wonder what they can do to help brave Ukraine, without making Putin angrier.

I anxiously read today’s Covid 19 report. Today it’s reported that there are 22,527 new community cases, 5 deaths, and 562 people in hospital, 11 of them being in Intensive Care.  Five people have died with the virus, i.e. they died from something else but had been found to be infected with coronavirus. There are 8 new cases of coronavirus at the border. MIQ is all but redundant, at this stage.  It’s reported that the new cases are located as follows: Northland (515), Auckland (13,252), Waikato (1674), Bay of Plenty (1248), Lakes (464), Hawke’s Bay (325), MidCentral (364), Whanganui (79), Taranaki (257), Tairāwhiti (155), Wairarapa (69), Capital and Coast (1,356), Hutt Valley (577), Nelson Marlborough (304), Canterbury (1163), South Canterbury (63), Southern (632), West Coast (16), Unknown (14). It’s thought that perhaps 1/10 people in New Zealand have Covid 19; Prime Minister Ardern says everyone will know someone with Covid 19, if they don’t have it themselves.  We’re all scare, and everything is very quiet.

I get a message from Hohepa saying that one of the people they support now has Covid 19. I am relieved that my daughter now lives away from the Clive site, although of course we don’t know who this person is, or where he lives, only that he doesn’t live at her house.

In Ukraine, a nuclear plant has been attacked by Russian forces and is on fire. I am listening to a Bulwark livestream discussion, (for the second time), which is normally behind a paywall.  This morning I listened to another podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk, where the two hosts discuss Stalin and Hitler’s moves in Ukraine (then part of the USSR), during the Second World War. This technical discussion was very interesting, but I’ll have to listen to it again. Meantime, we’re still wrapping up and coming to terms with what’s happened here, and the huge police operation to close down the camp in Parliament grounds and the occupation of the surrounding streets.

It’s really annoying that I can’t read articles on the NZ Herald website. The teasers lure me in, then I find I can’t read them. 

In Ukraine, the tank convoy outside Kyiv had stalled, but perhaps it’s been strengthened now. Russian troops are claiming to have taken Mariupol. It’ s reported that Russian troops having taken Kherson are denying Ukraine access to the sea.  There are huge fears that Putin will use whatever force is necessary to dominate Ukraine; there is dreadful death and destruction, but Kyiv is proving quite difficult to take.  It was reported early this afternoon that a Russian general had been killed by Ukrainian forces, and his invasion plans had been taken by Ukrainians. Putin is still taking about ridding the Ukrainian military of Nazi elements. That is just so offensive. Evidently Russian troops are firing on the nuclear power plant, which is already on fire. This plant is larger than Chernobyl, (it’s the largest in Europe), so its meltdown could be worse. Zelensky wants to talk to Putin, but he wants the killing to stop, and some things are non-negotiable.

The fire at the nuclear power station was later put out.

On that note, I’ll finish for now. Our local war is over; the war in Ukraine rages on. Ngā mihi.

Today is Tuesday March 1^st, 2022. Kia ora!

This morning I met a friend for coffee, at a café.  I had chosen this one, but it was very busy, as things turned out. Afterwards, I went to the Johnsonville Shopping Centre to pick up a prescription.  It was pretty busy there too. I should change to the Churton Park Pharmacy. The chemist at Johnsonville doesn’t have RAT’s yet, either.

Today the news is grim. Dr Bloomfield looks increasingly flustered as he delivers the news that there are almost 20,000 recorded new community cases of Covid 19: 19,566. There are 373 people in hospital, and 9 in Intensive Care. No doubt the actual case numbers are larger than this.

Of the new cases announced on Tuesday, 2,513 were via PCR tests and 17,053 via rapid antigen tests (RATs). Speaking to media on Tuesday, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield apologised for testing delays.

It’s reported that Tuesday’s active cases are in: Northland (329), Auckland (12,530), Waikato (1812), Bay of Plenty (1185), Lakes (376), Hawke’s Bay (168), MidCentral (260), Whanganui (45), Taranaki (165), Tairāwhiti (88), Wairarapa (42), Capital and Coast (691), Hutt Valley (355), Nelson Marlborough (196), Canterbury (740), South Canterbury (37), Southern (529), West Coast (17); Unknown (1).  Later in the afternoon it’s announced that 20 people connected with the protest have tested positive for Covid 19. Nearly 1,000 Countdown staff have tested positive for Covid 19, or are isolating at home because of being close contacts, and consequently there are some shortages in their supermarkets.  A pupil at Newlands College has tested positive. In Wellington, about 22% of tests are positive.

Apparently New Zealanders can come back from Australia now without the need to isolate, if they’ve been fully vaccinated.

The war in Ukraine continues, with great devastation, and brave resistance from the Ukrainian people.  It seems that Russian spies were planted in Kyiv. Some captured Russian soldiers have spoken of their regret for the harm cause to Ukraine. They thought they were going on training exercises. They look incredibly young. Some of the recordings are very moving.  It’s evident that the propaganda they were given – about defending Russian speakers in Ukraine – was nonsense.  Despite the Ukrainians’ bravery, there is much devastation. There have been pictures of someone standing in front of a tank, reminding us all of the student at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. China will not allow commemoration of that attack by Chinese forces against peaceful students. Of course there have been casualties in Ukraine, on both sides, as well as dreadful destruction of property.

I was particularly moved by the Ukrainian ambassador to the UN quite (a character in his own right) reading out text messages from a young soldier to his mother before he died. Here’s a link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/mar/01/ukraines-un-ambassador-reads-texts-from-russian-soldier-to-mother-before-he-was-killed-video

 I was also very moved by singing of a Jewish prayer recorded in a Synagogue in Odessa. Here’s a link to this: https://pasyn.org/video/prayer-synagogue-odessa-ukraine    

Now, in early afternoon, there’s debate about the size of bombs dropped on Kyiv. There’s a very long tank column heading there (64 km). But I’ve also seen footage of drone strikes attacking tanks. If I were Russian, I think I’d be very scared. There’s great fear for Putin’s brutal tactics, as demonstrated in Syria, even if he doesn’t use nuclear weapons.  Everyone is very afraid, but the Turks have blocked access to Russian ships through the Bosphorus Straits, and European countries are supplying weapons. There are still huge demonstrations against this war, and not only outside of Russia – within it as well. But there’s concern that Putin is so well insulated from reality that he may be unaware of the harm to the Russian economy, as well as the harm in Ukraine, and the intense opposition to his aggression.  His crazy fixed stare makes me wonder if he has Parkinson’s disease. There’s been a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, on the border with Belarus, but the fighting continues. How long can brave Zelensky keep up this resistance?  It must get harder and harder, as people yearn for some return to normality.

It’s now Wednesday February 2^nd.

We are truly blest. In the past 24 hours, both our sons living overseas at present rang up.  They are well. We had good chats with them both. I learnt this morning that a convoy of tanks was still snaking its way, slowly, towards Kyiv; that there’s been very bad shelling in Kharkiv, and another city, stating with “O” (Ostryka?), has been badly damaged.  In other news, Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, has diagnosed positive for Covid 19. The terrible rain in Queensland has now moved south to NSW, and there have been several deaths; the floodwaters aren’t going away any time soon, and more rain may be on its way. Oh well, Morrison was never much use in a crisis, anyway; he was holidaying in Hawaii when they had the dreadful fires just over two years ago. But here the big news is that the police moved in early this morning to clear the protest in Thorndon. I can hardly believe it:  I daren’t look at the news, I’m so excited. Perhaps I’ll be able to shop at the lovely New World supermarket in Thorndon again.

We had an appointment in Lower Hutt this morning. Afterwards we had lunch at Tutaki, a lovely café, where the tables were well  spaced and we felt quite safe; unlike my experience yesterday where the café where I met my friend was rather busier than I felt comfortable with, and unlike some cafés, they hadn’t removed the cushions from the bench.  I later read about traffic problems in Petone, but thankfully we encountered no problems.  Another testing site has been set up at what is now the Sky (formerly Westpac) Stadium (better known as the Cake tin).  Testing sites are under pressure.

Afterwards, I caught up with local new reports.

First, Covid 19. One of my sons locally had an RAT test, but it was negative, thankfully.  My son and his wife from the UK can finally come and visit, later this month, but what are they coming to, I wonder, when we have heavy omicron infections here.  Today there are officially 22,152 community cases of Covid 19, but that is no doubt an understatement, given the delays in testing and difficulty of getting hold of RAT’s. There are 405 people in hospital, with 10 in Intensive Care. It’s reported that the new cases are in Northland (382), Auckland (13,231), Waikato (2139), Bay of Plenty (1270), Lakes (415), Hawke’s Bay (273), MidCentral (367), Whanganui (56), Taranaki (261), Tairāwhiti (137), Wairarapa (91), Capital and Coast (1115), Hutt Valley (473), Nelson Marlborough (272), Canterbury (1033), South Canterbury (36), Southern (578), West Coast (15); and eight in unknown locations. There were 8 new cases detected at the border. At 1 pm I got a message saying the 2 pm meeting of the Stroke Group had been cancelled, apologies for the short notice. I think you’d have to be brave to go anywhere you don’t have to go, right at present. My church has informed me that visiting at rest homes is cancelled for now. It’s reported that Tauranga hospital is under pressure.

The police are finally taking action to remove the protest in Parliament grounds in Wellington.  They’re reported to be  meeting with stiff resistance.  It seems this exercise was carefully planned, and began before dawn this morning. Everything is being moved; some arrests have been made, but people have been asked to go quietly. There are reports of pepper spray being used. That’s a far cry from tear gas, tasers, truncheons, or air guns. Some vehicles are being towed. 

Mid afternoon it’s reported that there are small explosions as protesters throw gas bottles on a fire at Parliament grounds. There was a warning yesterday of a possible terrorist attack there; perhaps this is what has moved police to act. There is a lot of violence and upset there, from watching the journalists’ filmed records.  There has been concern expressed about children at the protest, potentially in an environment with significant concerns about health and safety and their general well-being.  That’s within the protest. Outside, we just put up politely with the inconvenience, and wonder how much longer it will go on. There’s very little to protest against now. Oh, for level 3 or level 2, where everyone was careful! Now you scan your Covid 19 barcode reader, and show your vaccine pass, and wear your KN95 mask, and anything goes – in some places. People can still get far closer than I’m comfortable with.

Evidently it’s war down there, in the Thorndon area, and the police have vowed to stay until the job is done.

With regard to Ukraine, now. How much we have admired their bravery, and their resistance! One recalls the brave stand by the Germanic tribes under Arminius at the Teutoberg Forest in 9 A.D., where some Roman legions were lost. Some brave Germanic tribes stood up to the mighty Roman army, and won. The sanctions and moves against Russia have been awe-inspiring. Even Switzerland (ever neutral, perhaps they want to redeem their image after the Crédit Suisse debacle?) and Sweden have agreed to contribute arms to Ukraine. Yet there is a feeling that things have changed. It’s evident that Putin (or perhaps his terrified underlings) are taken aback by the concerted resistance to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the ridiculous lies that accompanied it, and yet the Russians have obviously reinforced their troops, Putin has put his nuclear what exactly on high alert, and there’s fear that he’ll use thermobaric weapons; meanwhile, civilians are dying – no one knows how many.  This wasn’t going to be over quickly. The meeting of joint delegations on the border of Belarus didn’t achieve anything; while it was underway, the attacks continued. There is talk of an “acceptable off-ramp” for Putin, but many people think he’s more than a little unhinged. There’s a lot of talk about the history of Russia, and the Russian Empire which I find really annoying; the beautiful city of Lvov/Lviv/Lemberg, now in Ukraine, has seen its borders and nationality change many times. I wanted to go there: perhaps now I won’t be able to. English lawyer Phillippe Sands’ family came from there, and he’s written an extraordinary book about it called East West Street. Different historians have different perspectives on the history of Russia/Ukraine/the Russian Empire. As I’ve said already, most people don’t do very well under an empire. There’s a strong urge towards self-determination; witness the Basque movement in Spain. Why shouldn’t New Zealand be ruled by the Māori people?  Why shouldn’t Ukraine be a country in its own right, as it clearly wants to be. Rumania and Poland (hardly a bastion of democracy) have offered support and are taking in fleeing Ukrainians. No one wants to be invaded by Russia.

It seems that there was a Russian plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Zelensky, of which details were leaked by Russians themselves, and this the plot was foiled.  He knows that he’s target number one – he said so soon after the Russian attack started.

At almost 5 pm the NZ Herald reports that parliament grounds have been cleared. The protest has moved to the street. A policeman has been injured.

Back in Ukraine, CNN has footage of an interview with President Zelensky. He’s in a bunker, is unshaven, and looks even more exhausted. He doesn’t really answer the questions, and who can blame him? He wans a no-fly zone over Ukraine, and that’s probably not going to happen.

There’s very moving footage of Zelensky speaking to delegates of the EU about fast-tracking Ukraine’s application to join; there’s also footage of a UN Human rights delegation fleeing while the unsmiling Sergei Lavrov lectures them about nuclear arms. He’s talking to himself. There are photos of the Babi Yar site, where thousands of Jews were killed.

Back here, it’s truly dramatic. Rocks are being thrown at police. There are lots of police, with riot shields. There seem to be lots of spectators. Prime Minister Ardern has spoken briefly, but this conflict is still very much alive. She spoke about the right to protest, but also about the foreign element in the protest that does not represent most New Zealanders.

There are fireworks, and alarming sounds of shooting. There are so many police! They just keep coming.  This is truly dramatic. I keep trying to figure out where we/they are. It seems like you get a good view from the Beehive balconies. The alarming sounds are thought to be rubber bullets. Lambton Quay is cordoned off. More tents are being dismantled.

Tents in the Law School grounds, of the largest and oldest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere, have been set on fire. Hopefully they don’t reach the building. The fire brigade is in attendance.

Later, there seems to be relative calm. Police are calmly, unopposed, throwing tents and debris from the grounds of the Law School.  Now (almost 7 pm) the clean up continues.

The Dompost reports that Wellington Railway Station has been closed, and all passenger services suspended over the protests. Police are urging people to stay away from the CBD. It seems just crazy that such a fight us going on here, in Wellington, while in Ukraine Putin is waging a deadly, unprovoked war against Ukraine and Ukrainians.  There’s no comparison really, but I have been shocked by the violence here. Mass hysteria can be very dangerous.

I’d like to write more about the brave Ukrainians. Perhaps I will tomorrow. Ngā mihi.

It’s now just after 1 pm on Sunday February 27^th, 2022. Kia ora!

Today there are 14,491 community cases of Covid 19. One person with Covid 19 has died in hospital from an unrelated medical condition. There are now 305 people in hospital, including 5 in Intensive Care. It’s reported that the new community cases are located across the country: Northland (225), Auckland (9,046), Waikato (1519), Bay of Plenty (812), Lakes (208), Hawke’s Bay (136), MidCentral (142), Whanganui (19), Taranaki (100), Tairāwhiti (69), Wairarapa (45), Capital and Coast (516), Hutt Valley (373), Nelson Marlborough (158), Canterbury (981), South Canterbury (44), Southern (532), West Coast (9), while five are unknown or yet to be classified.  That’s high numbers for Wellington and the Hutt Valley. Of the 14,941 new cases on Sunday, just 5,747 were identified with a traditional PCR lab test, while the remainder were from rapid antigen tests (RATs). It’s reported that New Zealand’s R value is now 3.54, which is pretty high. This means that every person with Covid 19 can be expected to pass it on to more than 3 people. There were 41 new cases detected at the border. It’s reported that some pipes have been installed to empty toilets down stormwater drains. Police continue to warn about unsanitary conditions at the protest. I must admit I’m kind of desperate for them to close it down.

In better news, it’s reported that 70% of eligible Kiwis have received their third dose of vaccine.

In Ukraine, devastation continues. It’s reported that the Russians have blown up a gas pipeline and an oil depot is on fire near Kyiv; but also that Western allies are to cut some Russian banks out of the Swift payments system.

I watched a Jon Stewart episode on Youtube about the war in Ukraine. Jon says something like “Social media!  Where are you now?”  There are protest marches in Vancouver, London, New York and other places, in addition to the protests in Russia. Germany has agreed to send 400 RPG’s (rocket propelled grenades) to Ukraine; they have also agreed to send anti-tank weapons and missiles.  Ukrainians have been taught to make Molotov cocktails. What brave people they are!  Kyiv is under fire, but they are sheltering in subway stations, and fighting back. This should not be happening, but it is, and the resistance is surprisingly large.

It seems that Kyiv has been very hard hit; there are pictures of bombed apartment buildings – quite distressing. But the Russians have bombed an airfield outside Kyiv, and have met with resistance such that they cannot use the airfield.  Still, no matter how fierce the resistance, the attack is ferocious. Columns of tanks look very scary, but there’s vulnerability there, and there’s probably not that many in the column. With the time difference here, and various items on Youtube, it’s not easy to get a sequential picture of what’s happening. Ukraine is a large country, too, so you get reports from journalists stationed in various areas.  I must say, the different reports are very interesting.  The media coverage is very good indeed.

Back in New Zealand, 7 of the protesters are confirmed to have Covid 19; three of them are in hospital.

It’s now Monday February 28^th.

Last night I heard that Russian tanks are heading towards Kharkiv, and that Putin is furious. This morning I hear that the Ukrainians have defended Kharkiv, and the Putin has put his nuclear weapons on alert.  There is the offer of negotiations in Minsk (that would be in Belarus); it’s reported that President Zelensky has agreed to this. My husband, ever sceptical, thinks this may offer a chance for Russians to regroup and move more intense missiles to Ukraine. It’s evident that the rest of the world is pretty united against Russia for starting this war; there was a huge protest in the Tiergarten, Berlin. CNN had a report about Russians upset that the rouble has fallen in value, and that some ATM’s have run out of cash. There are reports of Russian tanks running out of fuel.

Things have changed. The dangers of giving arms out are recognised; of course, there is a bad side to fighting back: you can see why states need to have recognised armed forces, and restrictions on weapons issued. Refugees are pouring out of Ukraine and into Poland. There are already arguments over whether you need to have a visa, especially if you’re a person of colour. Others would like to leave, but to go where? Ukraine is a large country. I imagine people don’t what to flee to Belarus. There are plenty of sanctions against Russia – Putin is a pariah; let’s hope and pray that he’s not crazy or angry enough to use nuclear weapons.  Actually, almost all the rest of the world is against him; China condemns an attack on another country – of course, it doesn’t recognise Taiwan as a country, but no doubt it’s watching the world’s reaction nervously. But there are some people who are very supportive of Putin, although their government is not. They would be Trump and his followers, like former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and, of course, Tucker Carlson on the animal channel.  Not only do they support Putin’s moves, unlike the US government, but they decry President Biden, who has reacted in a wise and measured way, and is being applauded for having united NATO in support, even Germany, who probably stood to lose the most from the sanctions (they are heavily involved in a gas pipeline from Russia – Nordstrom 2). Now they’re arming Ukraine (to the tears of their Green Party). It’s just truly astonishing that President Biden has acted so wisely, and been, on balance, such a good president, has polled at 37%!  How is that not 90%?  Former President Reagan joked about attacking what he called the “Evil Empire” (referring to the former Soviet Union) – words which I remember thinking at the time were extremely unwise, but the MAGA view perhaps does not remember that, although many of us, here and there, do remember it.  I listened again to The Rest is History podcast episode about the history of Ukraine. It is sobering, indeed: it’s very complicated, of course, but there have probably been more low times than times for celebration.  They spoke about the Budapest Treaty of 1994, when Ukraine’s security was guaranteed, providing they gave up their nuclear weapons. Thanks, Tom and Dominic!  Very few people remember this.

It strikes me that if Ukraine wants to be a separate country from the Russian Federation, then indeed it has every right to be; after all, Europe comprises many countries, with quite different identities, languages, food, etc. You only have to look at differences between France, Italy, Spain, and Germany to see big cultural differences, yet they would all claim to be European.  I remember when we first went to Europe in the early 1970’s, every place had a different smell:  Hong Kong smelt of poverty and faeces, France smelt of baguettes, and so on. Everywhere was different, but most places had beggars.

Back here in New Zealand, it’s thought that Covid 19 is spreading throughout the protest scene in Thorndon. Some people refuse to be tested. Meanwhile, proper toilets have been installed, that drain into Parliament’s wastewater system. Now there’s a shower block, too, outside the barricade. My assumption is that that was done without Council approval. People come and go, so it’s not known how many people are there.  What a frustrating situation!  I wish the police had closed it down sooner.  The longer this goes on, the more bedded down the protesters are.  What do we hope for now? Another cyclone is coming? Perhaps they’ll be beset by sickness. Really, I don’t wish ill on anyone, but this protest is seriously inconveniencing many people. Some Māori groups have condemned the protest for disrespecting their tikanga. I guess, as there are many ways to be a Christian, there’s more than one way to be a Māori. The Khandallah Town Hall is closed to most activities for the coming week; I think that’s a wise decision.  Most of us are too scared to go anywhere, anyway.  I spoke to a friend of mine yesterday, and we agreed to communicate by phone for the next little while. Meanwhile, it’s reported that protesters camped out at the Auckland Domain are causing access issues for Hospital staff and visitors. Someone evidently went swimming, knowing he was infected with Covid 19, and then had to be rescued by lifeguards.

Switching back to Ukraine, now – there are really only two big topics: war in Ukraine, and the protests here vis à vis our desire not to get Covid 19.

There’s a lot of talk about the Russian Empire, which, like most if not all  histories of Empire, incudes many sad tales of poverty, slavery, and not having enough to eat while a few at the top were insanely wealthy.  There is some talk of Peter the Great, actually that should be Catherine the Great. Well, he was crazy, and she was German!  Why shouldn’t Ukraine be a country in its own right?  They are surely united now, in not wanting Russian domination.  That’s been remarkable to see.

With regard to what I said earlier, The Independent has footage of Trump at CPAC calling Zelensky a brave man – 2 years after he tried to extort him to provide dirt on Joe Biden.  This was a “perfect” phone call, of course. 

Back in li’l old New Zealand, we went shopping soon after 1 pm. We tried the local chemist for RAT’s, but they’re not available yet, and she didn’t know when they would be. We then went to the supermarket, where there are lots of gaps. I don’t know if these are genuine shortages, or just due to the general incompetence there. I buy lettuce, apricots (they’re finishing soon), and more margarine. They don’t have Black Doris plums; I buy Omega plums instead. Perhaps all the Black Doris plums go towards the delicious ice cream? I also buy croissants – they look good today.

As we get home, I learn today’s Covid 19 numbers. There are 14,633 new community cases of Covid 19 reported today, and there are 344 people in hospital (5 in Intensive Care). Minister for the Environment, David Parker has tested positive for Covid 19. There are now 17 cases of Covid 19 linked to the protest at Parliament grounds.  Actually there are probably far more than that. Victoria University reports that 648 of their students living in Halls of Residence have tested positive for Covid 19. It’s infected workers at Port Lyttleton, too.

It’s reported that the new cases are in Northland (208), Auckland (9305), Waikato (1530), Bay of Plenty (762), Lakes (265), Hawke’s Bay (138), MidCentral (175), Whanganui (30), Taranaki (67), Tairāwhiti (60), Wairarapa (52), Capital and Coast (604), Hutt Valley (281), Nelson Marlborough (178), Canterbury (573), South Canterbury (24), Southern (372), West Coast (3), and an unknown area (six). There are 24 new cases at the border.  Today marks two years since the first Covid 19 case was confirmed in New Zealand.  We did rather well there for a while; sadly, that’s no longer the case.

Oh, and the border’s now open for people to come here from Australia and self-isolate for 7 days, rather than going to MIQ. Actually apparently they don’t have to self-isolate, if they’ve been “fully” vaccinated, whatever that means. Confusion reigns. Welcome back! You’d have to be a brave person to get on a plane, I think. Wellington expects no flights from Australia before the end of the month – or perhaps the end of March? MIQ facilities are to be kept on in case they’re needed in future.

A last word on Ukraine. President Zelensky looks exhausted; what a hero he has been.  The Ukrainians continue to put up fierce resistance. They retreat to subway stations  when the air—raid sirens go off. One wonders how long they can keep up this kind of resistance. They do seem remarkably resilient.  You see film of them in their puffer jackets, with their cell phones. Can this really be happening? There are casualties, of course. The demonstrations in Russia, and the arrests, continue. It is very brave of people to protest like this. There are reports too of some captured Russians – that even their parents didn’t know they were in this war! Some troops were told they were on manoeuvres. Some manoeuvres!  There have been so many lies; one of the biggest is that Russian troops are only aiming at military targets. Bombed out apartment buildings give the lie to that.

In this crisis, you see plenty of able-bodied folk being very brave and resilient. But what about the vulnerable: the elderly, those with cancer or other serious health issues, those in prison, and, of course, the mentally infirm?  There’s no word, so far.  But I do remember footage of a Ukrainian television station continuing to broadcast from the bottom of a parking lot! How resourceful these people are.  How long can they keep up this resistance? One thing’s for sure, defeating Ukraine is no cake-walk.

That’s it for now. Ngā mihi,

It’s now Saturday February 26^th, 2022. Kia ora.

These are scary times indeed.  I feel we are at war on three fronts, although our local problems seem minor when compared to the very serious conflict in Ukraine. But we are at war here, too:  trying to keep healthy, and not get Covid 19; and we have the ongoing protest in the grounds of Parliament, but not confined there. Do I dare to go to church tomorrow morning, or just attend on zoom?  Do I go to the chemist to buy RATs, and if so, which chemist would be safest? Are they open? Are they available locally?  This morning’s Dompost has a demonstration of how to do a RAT test. Presumably there’s a requirement to inform the Ministry of Health if you test positive.

The situation here in New Zealand has changed, and I think we’re catching up with this. Dr Bloomfield has announced that locations of interest will no longer be published. People are wondering if it’s still worthwhile scanning locations wherever they go. The vaccine mandates expire from June 2022, and people are wondering if they’ll be renewed, or what they’ll be replaced with.  The Hon. Chris Hipkins reports that one in five schools so far is affected by Covid 19 infections; they’re managing as best they can, with some online and some face to face teaching.  Yesterday, a the High Court found vaccine mandates for police and NZDF unlawful. This decision is disappointing. There are reports that the contact tracing team  (which texted and rang me daily during my “isolation”) is being disbanded.

The protest in Thorndon continues, but police monitoring the protest report that the stench from the portaloos is truly disgusting – “excruciating”, one said.  It’s not a safe place for children, either – evidently people have been dropping their children off at unregistered “child care” centres.  There are some people there in serious need of mental health care; it’s a breeding ground for conspiracy theories, and this morning some people are wearing foil hats, to protect them from – what, exactly? From tech weapons, apparently.  The boat from the Picton has arrived, it was reported last night. Dr Bloomfield reported that some people from the protest have sought medical advice.

About Ukraine, now.  I have listened to reports of desperation and misinformation: what is happening? Should I go or should stay?  President Zelensky has ordered all men aged 16 to 60 to stay, join the army, and fight.  It’s evident that the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, is under attack.  Putin has said that Russian troops’ aim is demilitarization and denazification. That is particularly offensive to President Zelensky, who is Jewish. H remains defiant: he will remain in Kyiv, and encourages Ukrainians to fight the invasion, wherever they are. There have been reports of Ukrainians bravely swearing at Russian troops; the Ukrainians on Snake Island, near Odessa, were defiant, but are now assumed dead.

But it seems that Russian troops are not all that eager to fight; there is a strong suspicion that Putin is not only crazy, he’s out of touch too. His paranoia is on display; he has reason to be afraid, but you’d think he’d be more rational. He may have underestimated the resolve of the Ukrainian people. When the invasion started, there were large protests in over 50 Russian cities, and a large number of arrests. This is a significant sign of bravery. It’s also reported that some Russian troops are wearing Ukrainian fatigues, to confuse people. Oh dear, oh dear. What a sad situation.

During the night I got an alert from the UK’s Guardian saying that NATO was putting troops in Ukraine. I later watched a press conference given by Jens Stoltenberg, Head of NATO, assuring Ukrainians of NATO’s support. I thought he spoke very well, but JD was sceptical about how much actual support was being promised.  Nevertheless, he spoke very well, and assured allies, such as Ukraine, of NATO’s support. Everyone knows about Article 5, which says in effect that if there is an attack on one member of the alliance, then the alliance will support that country. It seems that while Putin has caused enormous destruction, especially in Kyiv, he is getting more opposition than he expected. I watched the embarrassing footage as Putin ticked off the head of his spy agency, who tried to delay the attack on Ukraine; apparently the unsmiling Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, also tried to persuade Putin to delay.

In New Zealand, it’s reported that a mandate protest has departed from the North Shore of Auckland, and there are warnings about traffic disruption on the Harbour Bridge. Honestly, what is there left to protest about?  Certainly no one wanted omicron; the government handled it as best they could, with the very good aim of trying to protect the health system. You have to feel sorry for the government: I’m sure they didn’t want any of this to happen, and they’ve spearheaded a magnificent effort to get over 90% of the population vaccinated. At midday it was reported that the Bridge has been closed to south-bound traffic. It’s also reported that there’s traffic “Absolute gridlock”. Well, that is hardly news, the traffic in Auckland is legendarily bad. You don’t expect to get anywhere fast there.

In Australia, they are busy lifting Covid 19 restrictions. I was interested, therefore, to look at the statistics for Victoria, which are still alarming, although omicron may have peaked there. ABC News reported that Victoria has reported a further 15 COVID-19 deaths, as eased restrictions come into place on masks and working from home. There are 281 COVID-19 patients in Victorian hospitals, an decrease on the 301 reported on Friday. There are 43 patients in ICU, five of whom are on ventilators. The state has recorded 5,874 new cases, taking the total number of active infections to 40,968. It may have peaked, but it’s still pretty drastic. I wouldn’t go there any time soon.

Today’s Covid 19 numbers are out. There are officially 13,606 new community cases of Covid 19, and 263 people in hospital, with 5 of them in Intensive Care. In Auckland alone, 7702 cases were reported. New Zealand’s positivity rate – the percentage of tests that are positive – is now 27.4 per cent, which had increased from 10.9 per cent 24 hours earlier. It’s reported that the locations of Covid-19 cases detected via PCR tests are: Northland (46), Auckland (1565), Waikato (388), Bay of Plenty (279), Lakes (23), Hawke’s Bay (54), MidCentral (112), Whanganui (13), Taranaki (37), Tairāwhiti (34), Wairarapa (10), Capital and Coast (182), Hutt Valley (85), Nelson Marlborough (79), Canterbury (355), South Canterbury (13), Southern (524) and the West Coast (6). The location of one PCR result is unknown.

The locations of cases found using RATs are: Northland (87), Auckland (6403), Waikato (544), Bay of Plenty (338), Lakes (140), Hawke’s Bay (40), MidCentral (41), Whanganui (5), Taranaki (11), Tairāwhiti (18), Wairarapa (4), Capital and Coast (77), Hutt Valley (20), Nelson Marlborough (23), Canterbury (114), South Canterbury (5), Southern (343) and the West Coast (3). The location of seven cases identified via RATs is not yet known. There were 19 cases detected at the border. That would be about 300 new cases just in the Wellington/Hutt Valley area.

This afternoon it’s reported that police have let the protest onto the Harbour Bridge to avoid “escalating” the situation. I guess the police have their hands full with trying to deal with the protest in Wellington, which is potentially very dangerous, and coping with sundry homicides and cases of domestic abuse. You get the feeling that they wish all this would go away.

There was a wedding at the protest site today, of two anti-vaxxers; however I did see some masks in the photos. Where are they sleeping tonight, I wonder?

Apparently Kazakhstan has refused Russia’s request for troops; it also refused to recognise the two states of Donetsk and Luhansk.  President Zelensky fears for his life, but remains in Kyiv. It’s already been bombed, heavily; perhaps now the hand-to–hand street fighting begins.  Meanwhile, people are joining the Ukrainian forces – and returning to Ukraine to do so. It reminds me of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930’s. It seems that Putin is surprised by the reaction against his attack.

It’s now Sunday, February 27^th – Transfiguration Sunday.

This morning I learn that there has been a bit of “Skirmish” between police and protesters at parliament grounds.  Police were spat on, and three have sought medical attention. Dr Bloomfield reports that several protesters have sought medical treatment from a hospital, while the protest is underway. Apparently tents are being set up in Auckland’s Domain for another protest; it seems that the so-called Bishop Tamaki is behind these protests.  It is just so sad! My husband said these right-wing protests remind him of the Dancing Cossacks campaign of the National Party under Rob Muldoon against Labour Party leader Bill Rowling. How do you pit a nice guy/gal against someone horrible? With great difficulty, I fear.

In other news, President Zelensky is being hailed as a hero – Michael Smerconish called him a modern-day Spartacus. While Americans love their heroes, he has indeed been heroic, bravely defending his country, refusing to leave Kyiv, and defiantly making rousing speeches encouraging his fellow-countrymen to resist, and other countries to help the Ukrainians. It seems Putin may be surprised by the resistance. More on this later.

This morning I went to church, where I learnt that a friend of mine had passed away recently.  I had seen her a few days ago – thankfully; she was frail, but fighting omicron as best she could. There is no formal funeral.

It’s Transfiguration Sunday, and we had three readings this morning, from Exodus, where Moses goes up the mountain to meet God, from Luke 9, where he tells about the Transfiguration, and from 1 Corinthians 15 – “Behold, I tell you a mystery”.  I don’t normally proselytise, but I was very impressed this morning by several things: the Minister said that when people die and he speaks to family members, he usually asks them what the dead person’s faith meant to them.  Often, they don’t really know!  I’d like to think that my children have a good idea of what my faith means to me.  I was also very interested in the idea of Moses veiling his face when he had spoken with God; the clouds that enveloped Jesus at the Transfiguration, in 1 Thessalonians Paul talks about us being caught up in the cloud when the Lord comes. At the end of the service we sang “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord”.  The Minister spoke about fear of God as being overawed by His power and might. Sadly, my friend the organist was away – I hope he’s not unwell. It seems he was expected to be there. We are about to enter the season of Lent, which this year will be from 2 March to 14 April. On Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) there’ll be an outdoor service at St John’s in the city.  I may go to that – jus trying to figure out where to park.

That’s it for now, I’ll talk more about what’s happening in Ukraine in my next blog. Ngā mihi.