Today is Sunday January 10^th. Kia ora katoa. Kia kaha!

The news just keeps coming.  I just heard a recording of the phone message Giuliani left for Tommy Tuberville, newly elected Senator for Alabama, except that it went to someone else instead. – another Senator, who shared it with a newspaper. This sought to delay the hearing to certify Biden’s election win, acknowledging that McConnell wanted to “rush it through”.

The person who sat in Nancy Pelosi’s chair and put his feet up on the desk has been arrested, as have some others. But there are many angry folk who claim that storming the Capitol was a success. Although Trump’s Twitter account has now been disabled for good, there is action on other social media sites, and the “war” carries on. Is there something in the air, that makes people so susceptible to lies? There’s no question that Trump, by failing to denounce cruel and evil actions, has given tacit approval to them, and enabled his followers.

Thinking further about Trump’s big moments, who can forget the Access Hollywood tape, and the Charlottesville March?

In the past 24 hours there have been over 4,000 deaths in the US from Covid 19.

This morning we spoke to our youngest son and his wife in the UK. His wife’s brother and his girlfriend have received positive diagnoses for Covid 19. So far, he is symptom-free and she has cold symptoms.  Of course we wish them well, and a speedy return to good health, but this is the closest Covid 19 has come to us, so far. Our daughter-in-law now hopes to be vaccinated mid-February.

The UK lockdown has is more severe now, and people are not permitted to go far from home. One feels for them in their not so spacious houses and grounds; in fact many of them live in small apartments, with common areas that now they aren’t allowed to access. The schools are mostly closed. 

Coming back to the US, we have been here before. Trump does something truly awful. It’s roundly condemned, and then people make excuses for him. Enough, already! There has already been violence, not exactly commanded explicitly by him, but certainly condoned by him and not frowned upon. There are extremely disturbing videos of scenes at the Capitol, including someone being crushed by a door, in pain; rioters shouting ”Sieg Heil”, and “Stop the steal!”, many wearing Nazi insignia,, and carrying Confederate flags.  Trump explicitly encouraged his supporters before the rally, telling them to march down Pennsylvania Avenue (but not joining them, himself). He stayed well away watching their progress, not allowing National Guard troops to secure the Capitol, and complaining that these folk didn’t look great!  They, in turn, feel let down by him. Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump junior also incited the mob advising violence – a “trial by combat”, said Giuliani.

Even after all the violence, when the Houses reconvened, some republican politicians had the gall to challenge Biden’s win, but didn’t get the votes to delay proceedings further by holding a debate.  Special denunciation goes Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, for their actions and support for the mobsters.

But more demonstrations are planned; some consider their actions on January 6^th a success, because they stopped the Houses working, and made elected politicians run for their safety.  This was terrifying, to us all, and must never happen again. Nevertheless, there are calls to bring arms (many did, to Washington), and to learn how to shoot. What price human life, huh? This is not over. Will it ever be?

“Our democratic institutions held firm”, crowed many; others thought they were actually pretty shaky, depending on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “do the right thing” despite death threats. Gabriel Sterling, another Georgia election official, also Republican, spoke out strongly, but had actually voted for Trump. Then on January 6^th, the democratic institutions  didn’t hold firm. There was a noose erected to hang Mike Pence, there were cries to hang Nancy Pelosi. Did Trump denounce these threats? He did not, not even for Pence, who has been his most loyal supporter. What Trump wanted Pence to do, to overthrow the outcome of the election, was not within his power.

There have been some high-profile resignations in the wake of these actions. From the Cabinet, Elaine Chao and Betsy de Vos have resigned, as has Mick Mulvaney, one of Trump’s former Chiefs of Staff (there’ve been a few). Two republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and now Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania have called on Trump to resign. There have been calls for Cruz and Hawley to resign.  A number of Police have resigned, including the Head of Capitol Police in Washington, DC. Nancy Pelosi has called for impeachment, failing invocation of the 25^th Amendment, which apparently Pence is not minded to do; it would have to be a swift impeachment…perhaps it will happen, and Trump will be removed from office and won’t be legally able to run again. And where is Stephen Miller, by the way?

I have called it “Storming the Capitol”, but a Yale professor argues that use of the term “storming” gives the invasion a certain glamour, like “Storming the Bastille”.  I have called Trump’s supporters mobsters; their action: rebellion, insurrection, a riot?  It was certainly violent, and terrifying. Riot doesn’t seem strong enough., nor does demonstration. Some of the mobsters called it a revolution; that seems a bit glamorous, too: it suggests rebelling against oppression. While most revolutions have sad outcomes, and certainly not the reforms so desperately sought, I don’t want to call this a revolution.  Insurrection is probably the best term. It was hardly a coup, or invocation of martial law, since troops were not involved; indeed their absence (at the hands of Trump), caused huge problems, and for the insurrection to carry on for several terrifying hours. This is not over, not by any means. Removing Trump from office would allow for suitable security at Biden’s inauguration, and may prevent further deaths, from violence, and from Covid 19.

More and more information keeps coming out. Immediately people asked Where was security? While Trump watched the illegal events on television, safe in the White House, withholding National Guard Troops to take control and restore order, it seems some of the few police on duty colluded with the mob.  Apparently of 1,200 police who are supposed to guard the Capitol, there were only 500 there, and none on horseback to prevent entry. Reporters say it is normally hard to get into the Capitol.  But mobsters broke down a reinforced glass door, and some carried restraints.  There was a great deal of violence and desecration, and several people were hurt; 5 died.

I remember that Elizabeth Neumann left her position at the Department of Homeland Security, as DHS Assistant Secretary for Threat Prevention and Security Policy, concerned that domestic terrorism was receiving a blind eye from the White House administration. In that capacity, she was officially in charge of emerging threats — and had identified violence perpetrated by right-wing extremists as a major one. Surely this was an act of domestic terrorism, which should never have been allowed to happen. CBS’s Face the Nation programme discussed this, while not quite making this link.

This has been a bit muddly. I am still horrified by this incident. I despair at people who are, again, giving Trump a free pass; saying it would be improper to invoke the 25^th Amendment, because he’s not really “ill”?   Doo-lally?  That’s not unusual.  He’s a danger, even if he ceases to be president in a few days’ time. Look how much damage he has caused in the first 6 days of the New Year!  People are still saying “Happy New Year”, and yet this happens, and thousands continue to become infected, and die, from Covid 19 and its dangerous variants.  The Trans-Tasman travel bubble is again on the back-burner. The virus is having a good New Year; I doubt that anyone else is.

Ngā mihi nui.

Today is Saturday January 9^th 2021. Kia ora katoa.

After the horror of January 6, of the invasion of the US Capitol in Washington D.C. by a mob of Trump supporters, more and more facts are emerging about this shocking event, as the country’s journalists figure out what happened, and what may happen next.

It would be fair to say that people knew something was coming: Trump returned from Mara a Lago to address his crowd of supporters, who had long since arranged to hold a rally in Washington on this day.  What was surprising, was that Trump didn’t call martial law, something some of his advisers told him to do, and something many were afraid of; rather, there was little in the way of law enforcement, or police able to secure and take back control of the Capitol. Instead, the mob ran riot, causing a great deal of damage, much of it captured on film. It now seems clear that Trump arranged this, firstly by inciting the mob with lies, and then by not allowing release of federal National Guard troops until the disaster had been running for several hours.  Washington is not a state, and cannot call troops on its own say-so. Nevertheless, the lack of security around the Capitol was alarming. There have been suggestions that some police helped the mob, telling them where to go to locate certain offices.

I guess many of us thought Trump really is finished now: some Republicans came out against him; Barr accused him of “orchestrating” this infamous event; Biden was confirmed as President-elect, and there was talk of the 25^th Amendment to the Constitution being invoked to depose him, or impeachment; the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall St Journal (and others) called on him to resign.

But how many times have we thought Trump is surely finished, now, only to have him, Phoenix-like, re-emerge with Republican support?  I remember the Jim Comey firing; the meeting with Sergei Kislyak and Lavrov in the Oval Office,  that we found out about because Russian media reported it; the Mueller Report; the press conference in Helsinki with Vladimir Putin; the many times Trump has been a bumbling, inconsiderate oaf, called members of the armed services “suckers and losers”, I could go on and on. There are many instances. Finally, his four years are up, and the country elected Joe Biden to be their next president, despite the fact that he’s now 78 years old.  And now the clear result of that election is being contested by the president, and his supporteers egged on to commit violence. Oh, and did I mention the “shake down” phone call to the Georgia Secretary of State?

I have listened to many podcasts over the last two days, and learnt different details about what happened in Washington, from reporters who were there, to analysts discussing it. Although different details are supplied, a consistent message is relayed of shock, horror, disrespect by the mob, and fear of what may happen next. While many have laughed at Trump’s seeming chaotic incompetence, he has a certain reptilian cunning, a conman’s survival strategy, where he cares for no one but himself. He has always got away with things in the past.

Some of the points that emerged (in no particular order) are as follows:

• The invasion lasted several hours, and was terrifying.
• There were sounds of gunfire.
• Windows were broken, and other violence used to gain access through closed doors.
• Vice President Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi were spirited away, but there was no mention of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
• There was anger at Mike Pence, no doubt inspired by Trump, who hoped (out loud) that Pence would “come through” for him, whereas Pence’s role was ceremonial.
• There were cries of “F*** Mike Pence”, “Stop the steal”, and a noose was erected for him.
• Despite this, Senator Ted Cruz said he’d do it all again.
• Senator Josh Hawley gave a thumbs up, and a fist-pump.  Simon and Schuster have stated they won’t publish his book.
• There have been suggestions that Antifa infiltrated the protesters, but none of them looked like Antifa, or like Black Lives Matter protesters.
• When law enforcement did arrive in strength, there was some tear gas and rubber bullets, but not nearly the level of aggression demonstrated to BLM protesters after George Floyd’s death.
• The storming of the Capitol and hiding away of politicians, many of whom (Republicans) refused to wear masks although these were given to them, may well have created a super-spreader event for Covid 19.
• Everyone is shocked that Nancy Pelosi’s office was desecrated.
• Many of the mob evidently knew their way around.
• Many photographs were taken. Some were wearing T-shirts saying “Camp Auschwitz”; others wore anti-Semitic shirts saying 6MWE (6 million wasn’t enough)
• Trump is now on his best behaviour, after seeing the shocked reaction to what happened. I do hope people aren’t taken in by this.
• Now that Trump has condemned the violence, many of his supporters feel let down, and that he has “thrown them under the bus”.
• As at today, 5 people died in the violence, including a police officer, who was hit on the head with a fire extinguisher. He later died from his injuries.
• At least 2 IED’s were found in the Capitol building. The level of mess and destruction is unbelievable.
• Kelly Loefler was going to object to the Georgia presidential election results, but thought better of it. Just as well, too, seeing she lost her run-off election.

Anyway, that’s just a handful of details. Consequences are still being determined. Apparently some arrests have been made: this shouldn’t be hard, given that the thugs weren’t trying to be anonymous. Some of them wore truly weird costumes. Americans just love to dress up. The Congress is taking steps to impeach Trump, again, while excuses are being made not to invoke the 25^th Amendment. There are now less than two weeks to go until Biden’s inauguration on January 20^th, but what damage can Trump do in that time? Twitter enabled his account after 12 hours, but has now disabled it, permanently, thank goodness.  Although he’s been called upon to resign, I can’t see that happening.

Evidently Trump has said he won’t attend Biden’s inauguration. Biden says that’s the first time he’s agreed with Trump!  I do hope they have great security for Biden’s inauguration. Trump’s supporters (Trump’s mob) are planning events for January 17 and January 20. They already had other events on January 6^th. That’s really scary. Hope and pray.

The coronavirus marches on, particularly devastating the US and the UK.

Bye for now. There’s bound to be more about these events. Ngā mihi.

Today is Friday January 8^th. Kia ora katoa! Kia kaha!

Here are some nice quotations from Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. I managed to find a second hand copy, in good condition.

America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

On my arrival in the United States I was surprised to find so much distinguished talent amongst the subjects, and so little among the heads of the government.

I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run.

Nothing is more wonderful than the art of being free, but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom.

Well, what an eventful few days it has been! The infamous “shake down” phone call by Trump to Brad Raffensperger, Secretary of State of Georgia; the Georgia run-off election, where two Republican senators were up against two Democratic candidates: a black man, Raphael Warnock, and a Jewish man, Jon Ossoff, and both democratic candidates won; and then the alarming storming of the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters; meanwhile, in spite of all the drama, Biden was decreed to be President-elect and Kamala Harris Vice President-elect.

This has all been shocking and ironic.  Everyone, i.e. most if not all commentators and comedians, were deeply shocked by Trump’s phone call to Raffensperger, which went on for almost an hour. Evidently Trump had tried to call him 18 times. All he wanted, really, was 11,000 Republican votes.  He just needed Raffensperger to “find” them for him. Shocking and alarming as this was, it served as a prelude of what was to come.

On January 5^th there were the Georgia run-off elections, for two senators.  This was predicted to be a knife-edge election, with most expecting that the Republican candidates, Kelly Loefler (“I’m further to the right than Attila the Hun”) and David Purdue, would win. However Republican infighting, including some very mixed messaging about voting being a waste of time, meant we were in for a pleasant surprise. Watching the results come in on the evening here of January 6^th, the republicans had an early lead, but before the evening was over Warnock was declared winner over Loefler, with the race between Ossoff and Purdue too close to call. The next day, Ossoff was declared the winner of his race, thus ensuring that Trump and the Republican Party had lost the presidency, and the Congress and the Senate, albeit by very close margins. Still, they’ll be able to do a great deal more than if they had been hampered by McConnell remaining leader of the Senate.  The result was an upset in many ways, McConnell’s loss of his role as Senate Majority leader being an important one. Linsey Graham loses his role as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also very significant.

The next day, January 6^th (Thursday January 7^th our time) “will go down in infamy” as the day Trump’s mob stormed the Capitol.

But before we get on to that, Biden has named Merrick Garland as his nominee for Attorney General, and Gina Raimondo, Governor of Rhode Island, for Secretary of Commerce. One of the hacks will be pleased, Mike Murphy advocated her for Vice President!

I also listened to Chuck Rosenberg of “the Oath” speaking to Mike Bush, former Police Commissioner of New Zealand, saying very nice things about New Zealand, and noting with some surprise that the police here are not routinely armed.  Mike Bush stressed that the police are here to serve the people. What a radical notion! I also saw a video of Jacinda Ardern answering questions at a forum at Harvard university. We are so proud of her, with good reason. Here, we trust the government to select an appropriate vaccine for the coronavirus, and to run a suitable program for delivering it. I’m sure I will get a text message, letting me know when I can book a time to receive it.

One podcast I listened to had a guest heading off to reread about the events surrounding the Reichstag fire. This was prescient, as it turned out, presaging the Next Big Thing: that on January 6^th (Thursday here) the US Congress and Senate, in sessions chaired by Mike Pence, were to certify Joe Biden’s win. Meanwhile Trump, refusing to accept that he had lost the election, was encouraging his supporters who had arranged a demonstration in Washington. He had returned from Mar a Lago for this. He also asked Mike Pence not to let him down, to come through for him.

I had to go out on Thursday. I heard during the morning that a mob had stormed and taken control of the Capitol building, causing an uproar. There was great confusion. I listened to speeches by McConnell and Pence, which were all right, I suppose; then I heard they had been taken to safety; then I heard that both chambers, and journalists, were in lockdown; one video said there had been confusion, but everything was fine now; another said all was panic and confusion.  World leaders (not Russia) condemned this action, including the Foreign Minister of Turkey, hardly a bastion of democracy. It seemed that there was minimal security in the capitol, for this “invasion” to have taken place; much of it was captured on film, of course.

Initial reactions showed police being far gentler on the mob than they were on Black Lives Matter protesters. Biden eventually spoke, very well, I thought. Finally Trump sent a message recorded on video, saying the violence should stop, but failing to condemn the protesters: we love you, he said, and repeated the lie that he had won the election. It’s interesting that Trump has no empathy whatsoever for those who have suffered loss and made sacrifices: he’s shown that time after time. Instead, he empathises with people like his violent supporters. A curfew was called in Washington.

In the midst of all this excitement (many Republican congressmen and senators led by Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley were planning to object to Biden’s certification, an exercise which was doomed to fail, we were told), we had to  go out.

We had lunch at the Royal Wellington Golf Club, at Heretaunga. Lunch was fairly basic: you could select from a small range of sandwiches and cakes, or have something cooked, like fish and chips or toasted sandwiches. They did have a coffee machine. The dining room is as I remembered it; what a lovely setting it is; what a nice, peaceful venue.

Then we drove to Te Marua, where I went to a birthday party and played two games of Scrabble.  We discussed Trump, US politics, and vaccines; someone there said that the 25^th amendment was being considered for Trump.

When I got home, I tried to catch up with the news. As I learnt more, I became more alarmed, and more devastated. Jacinda Ardern was shocked, as were we all.

Ultimately the violence was self-defeating: Biden’s election was confirmed, although there was some resistance to that.

There are huge consequences, as we learn more and more about these events, how they came about, some of what happened, and some surprising outcomes. One of the best is that Twitter has banned Donald Trump’s twitter handle; and Facebook has banned him permanently. More about the fallout next time.

The coronavirus marches on, despite these distractions, killing hundreds of people (365,000 in the US). Ngā mihi.

Today is Tuesday January 5^th. Kia ora katoa.

What an interesting two days it has been. For me, the most interesting aspect was the phone call by Trump to the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, asking him to “find” 11,000 odd Republican votes. More about this later. I  then listened to Jake Tapper’s speech on CNN, in which he spoke very strongly, about growing Republican support for Ted Cruz’s efforts to subvert Biden’s win. He noted that no elected Republican states people are contesting their own recent success.

Monday was very interesting too. One of the first things I saw was the Washington Post’s article about Trump’s hour-long phone call. Very frightening. I watched the Rev Al Sharpton’s programme. Tim Miller, from the Bulwark, was a spokesperson. I had listened to Jake Tapper’s statement – this was before the now infamous phone call. I listened to Chuck Todd talking to Anthony Fauci, who said emphatically that the death toll from Covid 19 was not exaggerated (in contrast to Trump’s claim). How nice it is to see Dr Fauci unleashed and able to speak his mind. I also listened to Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, speaking in the UK. What a beautiful voice he has! My friend in Auckland who passed away in August also listened to him. His basic message was one of love, divine and human, and that the secret to happiness lies within oneself.

Meanwhile, now that there  are approved vaccines, a most welcome Christmas present, there is all kinds of confusion about administering them. How frustrating is this! Generally two doses are required. In the US, distribution is chaotic. There seems to have been no plan. There is a significant anti-vaccine movement. In Florida, elderly folk have been queuing up for vaccines, and facing huge challenges in making appointments – where is the care for the elderly now? In Wisconsin, a health worker deliberately allowed 6,000 doses to be destroyed, by not keeping them refrigerated. How crazy is that? In the UK, people are being vague about the need for second injections, saying it’s better to get a vaccine into people anyway. Dr Fauci does not agree with this approach.  So we have been hanging out for an approved vaccine, and now that we have Pfizer and Moderna and perhaps more, but their distribution and input has not been thought through properly.  This is just crazy! 

In New Zealand, my husband and I both had flu vaccines. The Johnsonville Community Centre had been set aside for vaccines; I came at the appointed time, and waited in the car for 30 minutes afterwards. The only other human beings I saw were a receptionist and the nurse who administered the jab, both masked. JD had his flu vaccine at the chemist, which was similarly careful about distancing, and safety precautions. The Medical Centre was kept free of vaccines and Covid 19 testing, something I greatly admired.

New Zealand has responded to the variant Covid 19 by requiring travellers in MIQ to be free of Covid symptoms for three days before they leave a managed isolation facility in New Zealand. There are no plans to co-opt new MIQ facilities. There is now a waiting period of at least 2 months for a place in an MIQ facility; travellers must have a voucher for MIQ before they book flights to New Zealand.

In the UK, Boris Johnson has called for a third lockdown. While this is hugely frustrating, his mixed messages are equally annoying. Will schools close? Who knows. Will there be confusion? Almost guaranteed. Bojo reminds me of the old adage used when punishing someone: ” This hurts me (the punisher) more than it hurts you (the punished)”. This was always a ridiculous claim. For Bojo to worry more about his personal reaction than that of millions of Britons is just stupid. A New Zealander writes in the Guardian bemoaning the UK’s response to the pandemic compared with New Zealand’s. I saw Jacinda Ardern on Youtube this morning talking about the fear she saw, when walking from the Prime Minister’s official residence in Tinakori Road to the Beehive. That was a very scary time back in March. Fast action was required, to keep people safe, and it was delivered.

Returning to Trump’s infamous phone call to Brad Raffensperger: it would be fair to say this has sparked a huge reaction.  The Bulwark published an article by Bill Kristol within an hour of the recording being released (by Raffensperger’s office), entitled “It’s Time to Speak for America”. (Apparently the recording was released after Trump tweeted false claims about it). Others have seen this as another, pathetic, desperate attempt to overthrow the election results, again. Most commentators are terrified. They wonder how many similar calls have been made.

Several former defence secretaries (including Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld) have spoken strongly against this, as have several republican politicians. We are now at last seeing growing opposition to Trump from some republicans.  Did the president knowingly break the law? Really, who would ask that question? I listened to the recording, and he claimed that he didn’t have to follow the law, while threatening and bullying Raffensperger, who stood his ground, and pointed out that the President’s facts were wrong. I listened to The Bulwark podcast this morning, and they played the theme from The Godfather movies in the background to Trump’s phone call. Many said it reminded them of the phone Trump made to the President Zelensky of Ukraine.

As a result, there is infighting amongst Republicans!  They are divided over tomorrow’s run-off election in Georgia, with voices variously claiming that a republican vote is a vote wasted; Kelly Loefler has joined the “Dirty Dozen” (now 13) planning to challenge Joe Biden’s win at the session on January 6^th.

I listened to an MSNBC programme anchored by Kasie Hunt. This featured Senator Tim Kaine quoting W B Yeats from memory! What a nice person he seemed to be – well-read, charming, and intelligent. Why were we so quick to write him off in 2016?  He’s really too nice for the cut and thrust of politics.

The next few days promise to be eventful. There’s the Georgia election, and then the Senate/ Congress review to certify election results, combined with a right-wing protest in Washington DC. One resident commented how Washington has been taken over by  Trump, and the residents feel a tad displaced. Residents have been asked by the mayor (who’s both a democrat and a woman) to stay in their homes. I guess most people hope there won’t be violence, and no cause for Trump to claim some kind of emergency and call out troops. There have now officially been 354,000 deaths from coronavirus. Although he minimises the death rate, he appears to do nothing to assist with fighting the virus. In fact, he’s increased work rates for meat and chicken processing plants, a change that will be difficult for Biden to undo. Indeed, it’s been commented, and I have remarked, that it would be remarkable if he put his efforts in overturning the election result into fighting the coronavirus.

I am very happy to have my new phone operational now. It has a few things new to me, but we’re getting to know each other. It has masses of storage space and lasts longer when charged, so I can listen to my favourite podcasts again. Stitcher (the new version) works fine again. One forgets how nice it is to have a working phone.

Nga mihi.

Today is Saturday January 2^nd. Kia ora katoa.

What an odd time of year this is. In Aotearoa New Zealand, where we can mingle and celebrate without fear, festivities have been slightly muted. I guess the overwhelming emotions are gratitude and relief, that, for now, we are spared the worst of the coronavirus, and of UK and US politics. There’s a great deal to be thankful for! But while celebrating Christmas and New year’s Eve are usually such a big deal overseas, Kiwis are like “Yeah…Nah”. Whatever. Here in New Zealand the road toll for the holiday season is alarming, but this summer we cannot blame weary tourists for driving on the wrong side of the road.

Overseas, the variant strain of Covid has now been detected in 33 countries, and in three US states: Colorado California, and now Florida. In many places, hospital staff are just desperate. I have to say that the situation reminds me of a novel by Emile Zola, Germinal, which made a profound impression on me. The miners’ lives are truly bleak, and they lack enough food, but eventually they stay out on strike, and, one wonders, what do they eat then? I think of American people, millions of whom lived in poverty before the pandemic, many of whom were struggling, some homeless, and just how do they survive in this environment of the pandemic?  Zola’s novel is of course about leadership and the strategy of rebellion, and a very fine novel it is, too.

This morning I listened to a right-wing (anti Trump) podcast – I know, sometimes these folk are just too frustrating to listen to, but one of them bemoaned the lack of consequences of the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, and the death of Breonna Taylor. These protests were huge, sparking protests in many other countries, and a deal of police brutality in the US. I know many conservatives were truly alarmed and amazed to learn how dreadful and different things are for black people, even politicians and well-educated folk, at first hand. The Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, usually so mild-mannered, Eugene Robinson even let down his guard. The Rev Al Sharpton’s sermon at one of Floyd’s funeral services was deeply moving, about how George’s death had sparked almost world-wide awakenings and mostly peaceful protests; and how the Minneapolis police had no right to kneel on his neck, which God had made.  Apparently Linsey Graham was amazed when Will Hurd spoke of being stopped by police when driving in his own neighbourhood.  Even these worldwide protests, which went on for days, did not have an awakening effect on Trump, who saw fit to meet any kind of protest with tear gas and brutality. He didn’t actually order troops to fire on anybody, although Kyle Rittenhouse, who took the law into his 17 year old hands and shot three people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, killing two of them, will not be charged. Did I mention he had an illegally obtained AR15?

Meanwhile, in the US, Senator Josh Hawley (a very entitled young man, by all accounts), has indicated that he will challenge Biden’s status as president elect, thus forcing Congress to count formally the Electoral College votes. Pence, who is to chair this January 6^th session, has asked for a lawsuit against him to be dismissed. “Pence seeks rejection of lawsuit that aimed to expand his power to overturn the election”, says The Washington Post.  (Breaking news: a judge has dismissed this case). And the senate has voted to override Trump’s veto on the Defence Bill.  But the UK Guardian reports Iran’s Foreign Minister as saying they fear an American attack.

Then there are the Georgia run-off elections on January 5^th, which will determine control of the Senate: if Democrats win both seats, they will narrowly have control. The stakes are enormously high. Trump and the Republicans are sending very mixed messages. It’s almost as if Trump doesn’t want Republicans to win, thus hurting Mitch McConnell and any other Republican who has openly spoken against him, saying he lost the presidential election. What can his aim be? Who knows? One thing’s for sure, it will probably be a tight race. But remember, this is the state that elected Congressman John Lewis. It’s Martin Luther King’s state. And then there’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Q-Anon affiliate, and congresswoman elect. There are a lot of black people in Georgia. Trump is ridiculing its republican governor, Brian Kemp, who has been one of his most loyal foot-soldiers. He’s even tweeted that Kemp should resign!  It should be an interesting election to watch, if one can bear to.  The amount of money going into these elections is staggering, especially given the real hardships people are experiencing, exacerbated by delays in financial relief.

Then there’s the right-wing protest set down for January 6^th in Washington, where you aren’t allowed to carry arms, concealed or otherwise. The Proud Boys are allegedly “standing by”, as requested by Trump, as I’m sure are many others. One fears that things will get out of control, and Trump will declare emergency powers. Then what?  He seems desperate to hold onto a job that he has no interest in doing. Discussions abound regarding the state lawsuits awaiting him, when he stops being president, and to what extent he should bear consequences for his cruel actions. This probably steels his resolve to remain in power, somehow, anyhow.  Some say the challenges have no chance of working; that may be so, but many of us would certainly like to see Biden safely inaugurated as President, and see him move into the White House. Then, perhaps, we can breathe a sigh of relief, and start worrying about all the other pressing problems, such as the challenges posed by climate change, aggression by the police, aggression by Russia, China, and North Korea, income discrepancy, trade arrangements, and so on.

Everyone is saying 2020 has been such an “horrendous” year; but what awaits us now? Time will tell, I guess.

It is now Sunday, January 3^rd. I have just heard that not only will Ted Cruz add his name to the list of republican senators contesting Biden’s win of the presidential election on January 6^th, but a large number of republican congressmen will join them (140 House Republicans, 11 Senators as of now), although some senators, Lisa Murkowski, for example, have gone public to counsel against this.  Trump has insulted Ted Cruz very badly – his wife, his father; what hold does Trump have over him? Sensible people (George Conway, Glenn Kirschner) say this “challenge” has no chance of succeeding.  Why won’t republicans defend the democratic process? Even the much-vaunted Constitution (government of the people, by the people, for the people). But we are still nervous.

In other news, the Russian penetration of US government computer networks is reported as being more extensive than earlier thought (it was already scary!), and the official death toll from Covid 19 stands at almost 350,000.

The new variant off Covid 19 has arrived in New Zealand. Since New Year, there have been 19 cases diagnosed of Covid 19, all in managed isolation. Of these, 6 are the UK variant of Covid 19. The government has instituted pre-departure tests for Covid 19 for travellers from the UK and the US from January 15^th, but it’s here already. An ICU doctor from London is reported as saying “I’m watching whole families getting wiped out here, and it’s got to stop.”  This is the variant that was reported as being more infectious, but not so deadly. 

Happy New Year, everyone! 2021 doesn’t look great from here…but there are things to look forward to. Here we give thanks, adapt, and get on with our lives. Ngā mihi.

Today is Wednesday December 30^th. Kia ora katoa.

What a strange world we live in. Just when we thought there were two safe coronavirus vaccines, (a most welcome Christmas present), just as we thought Joe Biden had been won the US Presidential election, just as we thought we could say goodbye to 2020 and look forward to 2021, we are still in a state of uncertainty.  There are definitely approved vaccines – huge advance has been made on that  score; Joe Biden definitely won the US Presidential election, and won in the Electoral College (and won the popular vote, needless to say), but Trump remains in office until Biden’s inauguration on January 20^th, and he’s doing all he can to throw sand in the gears, by delaying the transition, creating doubt in the legitimacy of the vote, attacking Republicans who dare to not support his fraudulent efforts, and delaying signing the relief act. Part of the frustration comes from not knowing how Trump will react at any time. He probably doesn’t know how he will act.  Will he call martial law, as advised by now pardoned Michael Flynn? How will the troops/National Guard react? Will they be loyal to their Commander-in Chief, or to their constitution, to which they’ve taken an oath of loyalty?

Then there are the Georgia runoff elections on January 5^th – where does all this money come from? There is another official ceremony on January 6^th  where the US Congress counts the votes, at  session to be chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. What will happen then? We simply don’t know.  We all hope that Biden will be inaugurated on January 20^th…after that, there’s a lot of putting right to be done, and no doubt there will be huge challenges, but we have much more confidence in the new democratic administration that will take charge.

But overshadowing all this is the fact that a coronavirus variant has arisen in the UK that is much more infectious than previous variants, and while not only wreaking havoc in the UK, it has now been diagnosed in several other countries, including the US (a man in Colorado). So much for the vaccines, then!  The race to vaccinate is up against the steady progress of coronavirus – wave four? It inexorably devastates already devastated communities, desperate to get some normalcy in their lives again.  So while we rejoiced that our loved ones had survived without becoming ill, we are thrown back into confusion again, as another tidal wave threatens to engulf us all. 

Meanwhile, there are things to be thankful for. Two of our grandchildren came around yesterday. We had dinner with some friends last night. It was great to catch up with them, after a dinner-date had been put off twice.  It was a beautiful fine day today – not too hot, just nicely warm.

Today I finished A Gentleman in Moscow. What a pleasure it has been to read it. There are many allusions, to Dostoevsky and Chekhov; to Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, to Socrates, to other philosophers, to pianist Vladimir Horowitz (I especially like a recording of him playing the Second Movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.23, music which was used in the film The Death of Stalin). And Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America is also mentioned. This has interested me so much that I listened again to a podcast about it on BBC4, and, failing to obtain a used copy, I have reserved it at the library. There is also much talk of the movie Casablanca.  This has been one of the best books I have read in some time. It delighted me from start to finish.

Today we have been invited to Taupo for a birthday party with an aunt who turns 80. Overseas guests will most likely be unable to come, so a local family party will be held. It is very special to be able to come together like this.

It is a funny old time, at present. Many podcasts that I would normally listen to are taking a break, and who can blame them?  I will have to listen to BBC4 podcasts again, and learn more history. I do look forward to having a new phone, which will connect to the internet wherever we are.

Many are reviewing 2020, and saying what a bad year it has been. There was a very good summary in this morning’s paper, acknowledging that unemployment has not been as bad here as predicted. I should think not! Where would you rather be right now? I accept it’s been a terrible few months for some, but for me personally, not so bad. What will 2021 bring?  After the surprises of 2020, what lies ahead?  Ngā mihi.

Today is Sunday December 27^th. Kia kaha! Joyeux Noel!

We are now back in Wellington. It is cold here  – 13C. about half what is was in Napier on Christmas Day. While we didn’t want it to be too hot in Hawkes Bay, we were unprepared for the sudden drop in temperature on Boxing Day, when it rained heavily in the evening.

But it had been fine and not too hot for much of the day. We had a kebab for lunch, and took our daughter to the big Antique shop in Tennyson Street, where she chose a pendant that was on special. What a treasure trove this shop is. I always try to have a look there when I’m in Napier. Many of the cafés and shops are closed, although there are quite a few people around. Some places we’ve been to don’t have QR codes on display, but I’ve learnt to do a manual entry in the Covid tracking ap if this is so. I do appreciate that people want to have time off with their friends and families, but it is annoying not to be able to eat at my favourite spots.

We had a nice walk along through the sunken gardens, and returned to the motel, where, joy of joys, the housekeeping had been done: the dishes were washed and put away; the bed made; and clean towels in the bathroom. We played games until it was time to go out for dinner. Coming back, we had ice cream at the motel and took our daughter home. There were large puddles at her house, and we had to go back to retrieve my cardigan, which I’d lent her.

We drove back on Sunday. It rained most of the way, after being quite cool in Napier in the morning. Back in Wellington, it seems very cold, and has rained heavily at night, with some thunder.  We stopped at Woodville for lunch, but many places were closed. We drove on to Masterton, realising that as it became later and later, the chances of finding somewhere open were diminishing. We did find a café in Masterton, part of the Regent Theatre. The café was quite good, and very busy; I did find the smell of popcorn quite off-putting. We then drove home over the Remutaka Hill (note the new correct spelling), and encountered remarkably little traffic.

One of the joys of Boxing Day here in New Zealand, is, like at Easter 2020, getting recordings of concerts and church services, so that Christmas keeps on going. I listened to, and was very moved by, the Queen’s message, and especially the beautiful singing of Joy to the World afterwards by an NHS choir in a church.  I also watched a concert in Nȏtre Dame, where again the singers were socially distanced from each other, yet sang beautifully. The French singers wore blue collar overalls and helmets.  It seems wonderful that in spite of the dreadful fire there, beautiful music can still be made. In all the recordings I saw, there were no complaints, although I’m sure there’ve been some; rather, the mood is one of joy and acceptance, in spite of the shock of the pandemic and the enduring sadness and sense of loss.

News comes from Russia of George Blake’s death, at 98. How ironic then that I have just finished reading the story of his betrayal, in Betrayal in Berlin, by Steve Vogel. Blake wasn’t a member of the Cambridge Five, but he probably did almost as much damage as Kim Philby. The British Secret Service certainly were taken in by intelligent, well-educated men who were also good linguists.

Meanwhile, a new more infectious strain of the coronavirus creeps ever closer, now spreading from the UK (where Sussex was the epi-centre and Kent was badly affected). Now people in several other countries have been diagnosed with this new variant. It seems to be even more infectious than other mutations, although not so deadly; perhaps time will tell on that score. It feels like it did a year ago, when we all became aware of the presence of an infectious virus causing breathing difficulties in a large city called Wuhan, in China’s Hubei province. Who among us had even heard of Wuhan? The virus spread, infecting each country. And many imposed some kind of lockdown and limited travel, as scenes of severe illness and deaths mounted. Italy, France and Spain, in Europe, and to a lesser extent the United Kingdom, were hit very hard, as was New York. Then much of the world imposed some kind of lock down, with varying degrees of support for local citizens. Cruise ships stopped cruising, aeroplanes stopped flying, much travel stopped as crew became infected as well as passengers. Travel was seen as one of the main vectors of infection, as well as care homes, prisons, educational institutions, meat processing plants – anywhere people are gathered together, sharing common spaces. People were asked to work from home, if they could. Zoom flourished. Employers treated their staff in various ways, some generous, and most really mean. Now the coronavirus has spread everywhere. These profound changes affected everyone in some way.

What has been interesting, despite its devastation, has been how different countries responded. As a Kiwi epidemiologist said recently, all governments got the same information. How they handled it differed greatly. Societies like the US valued business and money over everything; thankfully the NZ government valued human life, and prioritised the health and safety of its population. Consequently NZ has been lightly hit by the virus, although last March was a very scary time; we quickly saw the results of our severe lock down, and then things could reopen: schools, sports, concerts, churches, cinemas, cafés etc. Thankfully, Maori and Pasifika have not been disproportionately affected by this illness.

Thankfully, New Zealand has enjoyed one of the best responses. Fearing that the public health system would be overwhelmed if cases continued to rise (and yes, I remember how scary it was when we cracked 100, getting 102 new cases one day), the borders were closed, testing standardised and accumulated nationally, and we sat tight in a severe lock down until new cases diminished. New Zealand also arranged for kiwis to come home, ensuring they remained in managed quarantine facilities for 14 days on arrival. They were tested on day 3 and day 12, and any who tested positive were sent to another isolation facility. The government held daily press conferences at 1 pm, and these quickly became required viewing. Systems were tweaked until they became effective. Most kiwis played by the rules, and despite some frustration, accepted restrictions designed to protect us all.

There were some splutters, some escapes, but the Defence Force has been manning MIQ facilities with a considerable degree of success. A community outbreak in Auckland in August caused New Zealand to go back and impose localised restrictions: the Auckland area was to go to level 3, and the rest of New Zealand to level 2. A masking mandate was imposed for public transport for a time.

Once the local cluster had died down, things went back to the new normal. Thanks to the four-level system, we know where we stand and what to do. But we grieve for those overseas who are still struggling with fear, loneliness, and a complete change to their former lifestyles of travelling, eating out, and seeing others.

In Australia, a further community cluster has broken out in Sydney; this after a serious cluster occurred in Victoria, and was managed by severe lockdowns over several weeks. Sydney are now thinking of abandoning New Year’s Eve fireworks. Last year much of Australia (or so it seemed) was fighting severe bush fires. Now there is another crisis to manage.

I am reading A Gentleman in Moscow, a novel about a Russian aristocrat who returns to Russia and after the 1917 revolution is confined to house arrest at Moscow’s Metropole Hotel. What adventures he has! His prison is not really a prison, showing that limitations on one’s personal space need not be limiting.

In New Zealand, we are hoping for summer weather: fine and warm and dry, just not too hot. Meanwhile, we hang on for vaccines, and for seeing our loved ones again; perhaps of travelling again some day.  Ngā mini.

Link to Concert at Nȏtre Dame: https://youtu.be/rhPiJ2Fk5nk

Today is Christmas Day. It is 4:23 am. Kia kaha! Mere kirimete!

We are in Napier. It would be fair to say there have been various challenges.

We drove up from Wellington on Wednesday, leaving at 12:15 pm.  Traffic was fine, and we were happily speeding along the ever-advancing expressway, when we ran into a queue and stalled for what seemed like a long time. The traffic queue barely moved at all. Finally we reached Otaki at about 2:45 pm, and stopped there, although the traffic was still quite heavy. By now we worried that cafés would be closed as we slowly drove north, and I was hungry. We had a late lunch, and headed north again. Now the traffic was queued heading south. At this stage there were no reports of accidents, although later we heard there had been an accident around Otaki, and SH1 had been closed for a time. Reports of heavy traffic continued throughout the day, and I think we got off lightly, all things considered. The persistent rain was also a nuisance for much of our journey.

We got to Napier, where it was fine, but not too warm. We went shopping at New World in Greenmeadows, and had supper in our motel.

During the night I struggled with the computer. My mobile phone won’t connect to the internet, and this is extremely annoying. I decided to put off getting a new phone until after Christmas, seeing there is difficulty in having a package delivered at this time.  But although I can play podcasts on my laptop, there are various problems with doing so. I have to unlock it frequently; it’s not intuitive, like my phone was: I have to key in the exact address, and I can’t see the keyboard in the dark.  I could use JD’s mobile phone, in theory, but it’s difficult to regulate the sound and the brightness. It’s also very hard to use his phone if it’s not beside my bed!  I am used to having my phone close by, with headphones plugged in, and the brightness and sound already turned down. My phone also “knows” what newspaper and podcast sites I’m after.

It’s also annoying not to be able to look up opening hours for favourite cafés, road blockages, weather forecasts and so on.

On Christmas Eve we did last minute Christmas shopping, and had lunch at Cappadonna.  Then we picked Vicky up, and went to Taradale, where we looked at a rather nice Paper Plus store and bought our daughter an art magazine. Then we went to the Hohepa Shop, but alas that was closed.  We drove to Havelock North and visited Bellatino’s, but they had a very poor cheese selection, with no Hohepa Cheese; the store was much smaller than I remembered it, and quite crowded.  We looked at some stores, but the cafés were all closing, and we went back to the motel for afternoon tea.

On arriving back, we discovered that the housekeeping had not been done. The bed was still unmade, the used towels still on the bathroom floor, and a rather large amount of unwashed dishes in the sink. How very annoying!  One of the reasons we stay in a motel, rather than at a cheaper Airbnb, is that I don’t have to make the bed or do the dishes! Housekeeping had called while I was still in the bathroom; evidently JD communicated not to come back, rather than giving us 30 minutes, say. I made the bed; JD set about getting clean towels, and I left him to do the dishes (he didn’t do all of them). There is no housekeeping expected on Christmas Day, so this was extra annoying.

We had an early dinner at Café de Laos – what a lovely place to go. They were very welcoming there.  Afterwards we went shopping again, at Greenmeadows. Surprisingly, the music played was not Christmas Carols. Everyone was very friendly. How fortunate we are to be here, and I think most Kiwis realise this.

On the Christmas Eve we “watched” and listened to Nights on RNZ, and heard some inspiring stories of kiwis overseas, making the best of things. During the night there has been activity upstairs from our unit: someone using the bathroom; someone walking around; some strange noises. (We learnt the next day that a couple had left the spa bath tap running, and gone to sleep, resulting in an overflow and quite a a lot of damage, including to the downstairs unit next to us). For me, it has been a spectacularly bad night. I listened to two long podcasts decrying Trump’s lack of knowledge about foreign affairs, and the evident tie Putin has over him. Both were very depressing.

This morning we wrapped up remaining Christmas gifts. The temperature in Napier is 22 degrees Celsius, which is not too hot. It should be a lovely day.

Overseas, things are just not great. In the US, Trump now argues that the relief deal, negotiated between Republicans and Democrats, is now not generous enough. He hasn’t signed it; apparently he’s off to Mar a Lago. The US is in chaos, with huge concern being expressed about the relief package, which is urgently needed, the distribution of vaccines, Russia’s recent cyber attack, and the general chaos that prevails.

In the UK, things are very restricted, but Boris Johnson has negotiated a deal with the EU for Great Britain to leave the EU. Details of the arrangement are not forthcoming as yet.

We had a very nice Christmas lunch with our daughter, and reflected on how well we have survived this very strange year. We spoke to our loved ones in the US, and it is great to see them all looking well. The parcel we sent by mail has arrived, although it was posted a day late.

In the afternoon I continued reading A Gentleman in Moscow.  I am about half-way through this delightful book. It has just got on to the Holodomor, the dreadful famine in Ukraine in the 1930’s, a manmade disaster when Stalin ordered collectivisation of the kulaks, and sold the grain overseas. This terrible event was memorialised in the film Mr Jones, about a Welsh journalist, Gareth Jones, who exposed the truth about the famine, despite dire threats to his own and others’ lives. He was later killed in Mongolia, a day before he turned 30 years old. A recent podcast, part of the Skullduggery series, also talks about the film and those events, noting that the New York Times’ man in Moscow, Walter Duranty, not only denied that there was a famine, but received a Pulitzer prize, despite being of very doubtful moral character. Duranty’s Pulitzer has not been revoked, or his picture taken down, despite his covering up the truth about the famine.

Here in Aotearoa Christmas celebrations have been muted, yet joyful. I think the main emotion is one of gratitude. We feel desperately for those overseas, where Christmas has been in effect cancelled in many countries. It seems as though vaccines are to be this year’s Christmas present, but people will have to hang on to receive them. We hope and pray that our loved ones will indeed keep up their cautious recommended behaviours to stay safe, and soon get vaccinated and protected from Covid 19. In the meantime, the new extra-infectious variant is almost certain to come here at some stage. I should like to think we are prepared. Ngā mihi.

Today is Sunday December 20^th. Kia ora katoa.

What an odd time it is. Here in New Zealand, Christmas celebrations and decorations are very muted, with many people opting for miniature Christmas trees. It seems odder than ever to be celebrating Christmas in a traditional way in what we hope will be hot, summer weather.  The weather here is very changeable, being hot some days, and quite cold on others. The wind is still with us. The most irritating aspect has to be the badly sung Christmas carols you encounter in the supermarket. I prefer Christmas carols sung in traditional ways, by people who are indeed Christians. I don’t think anyone’s loved ones are flying home for Christmas, and we are certainly not joining them.

We will head north to spend Christmas with our daughter, and share this time with some of our Hohepa friends. We have given the grandchildren their presents. I bought myself a copy of Tableland; JD bought himself the latest Lee Child novel. We will probably buy some more stuff to give Vicky for Christmas.

Overseas, despite the promise of effective vaccines, Covid 19 edges ever closer to our loved ones.  In the US, the distribution of vaccines seems to have been messed up. Is this because of the severe snowstorm in the North-west of the US, or is it evidence of Trump messing things up even further?

In the UK, a new even more infectious strain of the coronavirus has emerged, and Christmas regulations, already quite draconian, are becoming even more so, with a Tier 4 introduced.  A cluster of infections has broken out in Sydney. The dream of a travel-bubble between New Zealand and Australia in the first quarter of 2021 remains just that, a dream.

The Book Depository has cancelled my order of John le Carré’s A Pigeon Tunnel; perhaps instead I shall order a copy of Betrayal in Berlin, by Steve Vogel. I read it in a rush and returned it, already overdue, to the library last Friday, but it was a good read, and I should like to have spent more time on it. I am now reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.  What an interesting novel it is! Very civilised. I am quite enjoying it.

Last week I met my cousin for lunch on Monday; Tuesday was a quiet day but on Wednesday I went to hymn singing (we sang O Holy Night), and then to a movie at the Khandallah Town Hall – Last Christmas. I had seen it before, but it bears seeing again. Afterwards we had a lovely Christmas lunch together.

On Thursday we had a last singing session for the year, and I met two friends in the afternoon. On Friday my cleaner came, and on Saturday I had my hair done. On Sunday I made another Christmas cake. What a lot of work, even though it was supposedly easy! I hope it tastes good. I overcooked it – really annoying, after all that hard work.

Overseas, in the US, it seems to be one step forward for Joe Biden and his team, followed by two steps backwards. Trump still has a month in power, and while he’s not doing his job as president, I am sure he’s conniving behind the scenes as to how he can further foul up the works, and ensure that he will not be forgotten. Many US citizens seem to believe, despite failed court cases, that the election was fraudulent, and that Biden is not legitimately the President-elect. There are all kinds of issues with delays to the transition, although Biden’s election has been confirmed by the Electoral College, William Barr has stepped down as Attorney-General, and Mitch McConnell has congratulated Biden on being President-elect in the Senate; he was surprisingly gracious and congratulated “our colleague” Senator Kamala Harris in being Vice-President elect.  The Congress and the Senate have still not quite managed to pass a relief bill.

Meanwhile, as if there weren’t enough to worry about in this dangerous interim period, the Russians have hacked the computer systems of several government departments. The damage caused by these hacks is extensive, and potentially long lasting, in that there are fears that code has been embedded to activate at some later date(s).  It does not seem that the extent of the damage is understood yet. Pompeo has admitted (although this was promptly denied by Trump) that the Russians were probably responsible. In a supreme irony, it was Microsoft that alerted the US government to this intrusion. This intrusion has been going on for nine months!

There seems to be an ever-growing gap between facts (reality) and falsehood. The kind of denial we have seen over the pervasiveness of the coronavirus, has spread into denying that Trump lost the election, and denying the effectiveness and probable safety of the vaccines. The growing number of deaths (now 315,000) seems not to deter these people. There are death threats against quite ordinary officials, as well as politicians such as Brian Kemp; these are truly alarming. And this from the pro-life party…One of the ten commandments says “Thou shalt not kill”.

Now it is Monday, December 21st. In the US, a relief package has been passed by the Senate. Let’s hope it is approved by Congress and by Trump: McConnell says this package has been agreed: what does that mean, exactly?  I’m sure the relief can’t come soon enough for many, but one wonders what corporate relief has been included?

In the UK, Boris Johnson has in effect cancelled Christmas. Bojo seems to be really “freaking out” about this virulent, new strain of the virus, although he’s been mocked by Trump, and no doubt many in the UK will be quite upset about the restrictions.  I just listened to an update stating that as suspected, Kent is in the new tier 4; that the new strain is extremely infectious (and we don’t know if vaccines are effective against this mutation); and people are advised to start unpacking, if they were packing to go away; gatherings are severely restricted. Several European countries have banned travellers from the UK.

I think of it as being like wartime: there are huge restrictions on travel, on communication, and on some kinds of foods. In some places there are curfews (not yet introduced, but masks are mandated in certain areas).  The Sydney cluster is growing (15 new cases today), and I feel there is bound to be another outbreak here in New Zealand. Although we’re pretty much acting as normal, we’ve been warned that over the festive season there could be another outbreak, and we’ve been advised to keep track of where we’ve been. I’m sure we could spring right back into higher levels, if needed. One hopes it won’t be needed. At least it’s summer here, and people can be outside. We don’t go crazy over Christmas here, thankfully. I think gratitude is the main emotion: being thankful that we are here, thankful that vaccines have been approved, and, for some of us, thankful for the birth of our Lod and Saviour, Jesus Christ – the reason for the season. Ngā mihi.

Today is Tuesday December 15^th. Kia ora katoa.

We learnt yesterday that John Le Carré has died, of pneumonia, aged 89. While by his own admission he was not a great husband or father, he did write some wonderful books, which have turned into some great films and television series. The books mostly bear re-reading. I realised after a while that the writing was formulaic in many respects; that made it easier to understand what was going on. I do admit that I didn’t really understand “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” when I first read it; the BBC made a marvellous seven-part television series of it in 1989, starring the wonderful Alec Guinness as George Smiley, and Ian Richardson as Bill Haydon, along with a host of other famous stars. I remember that local newspapers published guides to the series, so that we could all watch it and understand it. You can still watch it on Youtube. The music is directed by Geoffrey Burgon, and features a singing of the Nunc Dimittis at the end of each episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3suBkZ1aIg

Both the book and the series bear re-watching and re-reading. The 2011 film was very good, but not as good as the TV series, in my view.

Le Carré is also famous for an earlier novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold; this was turned into a black and white film starring Richard Burton. I did not enjoy this so much; the characters were too flawed and their lives too difficult for me.

I guess le Carré’s Cold War novels made the most impact on me, just as The Great Depression (aka “The Slump”) and the Second World War had enormously dominating effects on my parents’ lives, and those off most of their generation. I remember the Berlin Wall going up; JD and I went through Checkpoint Charlie, and saw at first hand the contrast between the bustling, colourful West Berlin with its feeling that all might die tomorrow, and the gray, drabness of both East Berlin and East Germany, through which we travelled by train. The people of West Berlin tried to avoid the railway, run as it was by East Germany. We also enjoyed Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies movie with Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance, remembering the U2 flights and pilot Gary Powers, and the great fear of a nuclear conflict that would make the earth uninhabitable in most places. We also saw the Berlin Wall come down at the end of 1989, whereas for many years it looked as though this it was there for ever.

Le Carré is also famous for a series of novels featuring George Smiley (played by Alec Guinness):  The Honourable Schoolboy, and Smiley’s People, which was also made into a great TV series.  After the unmasking of the mole, it wasn’t really possible to clean up the mess, as demonstrated by these novels. In reality, there were several British spies working for the Russians as well as Philby and MacLean (the Cambridge Five, George Blake), and despite the charming Kim Philby’s treason, it took years to unmask the rest. I fear it will be so after Trump’s presidency, if the Americans ever get rid of him. Even if Joe Biden is sworn in as president, there are so many priorities for putting things back to some kind of order, and dealing with the pandemic and providing some economic relief must be high on the list of priorities, quite apart from putting guard-rails in place against the very extensive powers of the American president.

Le Carré also wrote A Perfect Spy, which is based on memories of his father, Ronnie; this was also made into a television series.  Le Carré packed a huge amount of detail into his novels.  He later turned his focus to the post-Cold War period, writing about a wide range of countries, characters, and issues. The Night Manager was made into a TV series; The Russia House into a film starring Sean Connery; A Most Wanted Man into a wonderful film, starring the late James Seymour Hoffman; Our Kind of Traitor into another film starring Damian Lewis. He also wrote a memoir, titled The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from my Life, which many of us scanned avidly for insights into the real Le Carré. One suspects he was only giving certain secrets away; that the habit of secrecy was engrained in him.

I am omitting to mention The Constant Gardener, which was made into a film starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, and The Little Drummer Girl, recently made into a television series starring Florence Pugh and Alexander Sarsgaard.  This book I found very scary to read. It got right into the Middle East conflict, and the efforts by the Israelis to subvert Middle Eastern terrorism.

I still think my favourite has to be Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, both the novel and the TV series. What a profound effect he has had on the worlds of writing and filming, to say nothing of spying. I really don’t think anyone else can hold a candle to him, although perhaps others would disagree with me.

Le Carré was so prolific that for many years there was a new book every Christmas, tempting one to buy a copy for someone. All his books were well-researched, with a large amount of sometimes bewildering detail. For many years I thought how nice it would be to curl up with a book on Christmas Day, after doing my duty in terms of producing Christmas Dinner.  Now I can do this, although it doesn’t seem so much fun. One of my daughters-in-law has a nice Christmas tradition of reading a play by Shakespeare. I remember a spirited reading of Julius Caesar, a highlight one year.

I feel a whole lot of re-reading coming on, and the need to get my own copy of The Pigeon Tunnel. On our first skimmed reading, I realised it goes some way towards explaining my husband’s fractured relationship with his own parents.

Back in the real world, two of my sons have been active on messenger, and in the US, enough votes have been cast in the Electoral College to award Biden the Presidency. There is still a meeting of Congress to be held on January 6, but another big hurdle has been passed. Just stay well, Joe, and become inaugurated as US President!  We’re all rooting for you, in the so-called free world. Free for democracy! Meanwhile, another grim milestone has been passed. There have officially been 300,000 deaths in the US from the coronavirus.

There is more good news today. Apparently Bill Barr is stepping down as Attorney-General, “to spend more time with his family”. Haha! That old canard, again. Well, Bill, many didn’t really want a bar of you.

I will write about Tableland, but that will have too be another episode. Ngā mihi.