Today President Biden visited Kiev, on the anniversary of the Maidan uprising that forced the resignation of President Yanukovych, and the empowering of the democracy movement there. Ukrainians have always sought to be free, wherever their boundaries have been; they have a sad and bloody history, but under the leadership of President Zelensky they have been truly amazing as they continue to resist Russia’s invasion. President Biden went to Kyiv, and President Putin was informed that he was going to go there! It’s seen as being a very brave move, especially for an American President. He spent hours on the train, getting there – perhaps 11 hours, and made a rather wonderful speech there. He visited a Cathedral with President Zelensky, and while they were there, an air-raid warning sounded! It’s hard to imagine The Former Guy spending time on a train. It’s noted that the US does not control the airspace over Ukraine.
Last night I did get an update from Hōhepa Hawkes Bay, again demonstrating how amazing they are, with their wise planning for this event, and their superb management of it. JD was on the regional board for a term, and was trying to alert then members of the dangers posed not only by climate change, but also the vulnerability of their beautiful site at Clive, situated as it is between the sea and three rivers, where the stop banks were built after the 1931 earthquake, and where the sea-level is rising while the land is sinking. Much of Napier is below sea-level, posing particular dangers for certain areas, as demonstrated whenever flooding occurs. It’s quite a job to evacuate those still sleeping at the Clive site – there are still a few, although the board has been on a mission to rehouse everyone that sleeps there. It’s much easier to evacuate a household, rather than an entire site of households; and, of course, all the carers have their own families’ safety to consider. One now gives thanks for SUVs, rather than saying who needs them? The other question is in any emergency can you safely evacuate? Are roads and bridges passable? What are the traffic queues like? It is timely advice to have a grab-bag ready, in case you need to get out after a fire, flood, or earthquake. Thankfully here in New Zealand we’re not likely to be exposed to dangerous chemicals (viz. the recent train derailment in Ohio), or gases; for the most part, the air that we breathe in residential areas is safe and unpolluted. JD and I figured years ago that while earthquakes and other acts of God are unpreventable, you usually get warning of a coming flood, and we wouldn’t want any of our special people to drown to death. Sometimes Hōhepa have evacuated unnecessarily, but it’s better to heed the warnings and be safe rather than sorry.
In Turkey there’ve been another two more powerful earthquakes, with three dead and 213 injured.
The weekly Covid 19 report came out yesterday. It is as follows: there have been 8220 new cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand over the past week, and 24 further deaths. Of the new cases, 3429 were reinfections.
Of the deaths being reported, one was from Northland, seven were from the Auckland region, four were from Waikato, one was from Taranaki, one was from MidCentral, one was from Whanganui, one was from Nelson Marlborough, six were from Canterbury and two were from Southern.
One was in their 20s, one was in their 50s, one was in their 60s, two were in their 70s, 12 were in their 80s and seven were aged over 90. Of these people, nine were women and 15 were men.
There were also 162 people with Covid-19 in hospital as of midnight Sunday, including four in ICU.
The seven-day rolling average of cases is now 1160, up from last week’s figure of 1148. So the numbers are trending downwards, but not as quickly as one would like.
I see that King Charles has opened up three of his homes for people to escape from the cold, and have a cup of tea and a natter: Highgrove House, the Castle of Mey, and Dumfries House. This is a very magnanimous gesture, although I fear that Castle May is a draughty old dump, and how does one get there? Still and all, it’s kind of him, and will be appreciated.
It’s now Wednesday February 22nd.
This morning I got up early to go to hymn singing. It was previously cancelled, but then un-cancelled, as the organist, having seen the news reports, decided not to go to Napier after all. It was wonderful: we sang Be still my Soul, to the beautiful tune of Finlandia; we sang Guy Jansen’s setting of the Lord’s Prayer, and we sang a chant to the Nunc Dimittis.
When I got home I rang the house where my daughter lives, and was greatly relieved to learn that the power is on again, and it’s stable now. They are greatly relieved to be able to use the dishwasher, the washing machine, and have showers again. Having the fridge and freezer working again must be wonderful, too. Afterwards I went to a friend’s house for lunch, where I met a lovely friend of hers.
JD has got my new computer linked up to our printer again, so that’s a big relief too. I can print stuff again!
It’s now Friday February 24th.
Yesterday it was much cooler, I had to find some warmer clothes to wear to singing. I did go to my Thursday morning singing, and it was lovely, although we worked quite hard! We worked on My Girl and Six Ribbons. Many asked me about my daughter at Hōhepa in Napier. Another couple are interested in Hōhepa as a possible option for their grandson, who is autistic.
We are concerned about Hawkes Bay again; more heavy rain is forecast, and Hōhepa Hawkes Bay may have to evacuate again. Esk Valley residents have already been asked to evacuate (up to 40 households). There was an interesting article on Television One about the state of roads and bridges. Here’s a link:
It must be so upsetting to have more heavy rain forecast, after all they’ve been through. On the other hand, the death toll has not risen from the previous total of 11, but the number of those unable to be contacted has declined to 152, according to police. According to USAR (NZ Search and Rescue Taskforce) it’s now in single figures. So that has to be good news. Meanwhile, there are all kinds of stories, from people giving thanks for their lives, to complaints about how much they have lost. Indeed, I feel so sorry for them all for this disruption. The Hawkes Bay has flooded before, and, of course, Napier was all but destroyed in the huge earthquake of 1931.
We’ve been watching the Australian series Bump on Neon, and rather enjoying it, especially as the unexpected beautiful baby girl is called Jacinda, after former Prime Minister Ardern!
President Biden’s unexpected trip to Kiev, where he walked with President Zelensky in a cathedral, is seen as being rather wonderful, and the speech he made in sharp contrast to Putin’s long speech. His trip was kept secret, despite the risks; very few people knew about it, and it involved a long train trip. Although the Russians were informed, and an air raid alarm went off in Kiev, nothing bad happened to Biden or Zelensky. There’s a long article about British/American broadcaster Mehdi Hasan in the Guardian:
He claims, as many others are beginning to do, that Biden is a great American President. It’s an interesting article. Hasan is highly educated (he went to Oxford), and I’ve a lot of time for him, so I’ll forgive him for saying “nucular” rather than “nuclear”.
It’s an odd time here. An aunt of JD’s has died, at the age of 82, and so there’s a flurry of activity: JD i.e. I seem to be a point person for contacting the other members of his family. I am wondering what to wear to the funeral, and was getting out my black outfits, but a message has come through to wear bright clothing and bling!
The funeral is to be next Monday, in Tauranga. We would like to go. I check the weather forecast – it claims Tauranga will be fine, with a high of 24C, next Monday. JD wants to drive there and back; we’ll break the journey in Taupo, each way, and perhaps see our daughter in Napier on our return. At the moment the highways between Taupo and Napier, Gisborne and Napier, and Taihape and Napier are closed, but every day more is being done to repair and restore them. Sadly, though, more heavy rain is forecast for Hawkes Bay, as if they haven’t had enough already. In the event, there is more heavy rain, and there is further damage to the Taupo – Napier highway. JD tries to contact friends of ours in Taupo who have a motel – we’ve stayed there twice, and although it doesn’t have a restaurant, it does have a spa bath, and is very nice. After getting no reply, he rings the motel, and the new owners claim that our friends have sold the business and gone back to Napier. We did not know that. In the end, we reserve a room at the Turangi Bridge Motel, which does have a restaurant. We have been there before, and it’s about half the price of accommodation in Taupo itself. However we arrange to stay at Suncourt Motel and Conference Centre on our return. And that, as they say, is another story!
With regard to further rain in Hawkes Bay, as it turned out a suburb of Gisborne was flooded, and the Taupo-Napier highway further damaged, as noted. But the casualty rate has not risen from 11, and there is only a handful of people still unaccounted for.
Unison crews work to get the power back on in Napier, Hawkes Bay
Today is Saturday February 18th, 2023. Kia ora!
Yesterday I listened to the Bulwark podcast. Charlie Sykes was talking to Benjamin Wittes, who’s a fellow of the Brookings Institute (on Richard Nixon’s famous enemies list, for those who remember back that far) and editor-in-chief of Lawfare, which provides several podcasts and a blog. I’ve a lot of time for Ben W – his podcasts are useful, for the most part; and he has an interesting sense of humour. When Charlie asked him How are you? He replied that he has no ailments that others wish to hear about, or something along those lines. I totally admire that sentiment! He’s also noteworthy for projecting the Ukrainian flag on the Russian embassy in Washington D.C., and he told Charlie about the new light he’s planning to use on February 24, the anniversary of Putin’s conflict. He must seriously annoy the Russians; the Russians at the embassy have to get up during the night and do something about Ben’s antics. He joked wryly that if his suicide is reported, he in fact has no intention of taking his own life. Presumably he doesn’t have relations in Russia; many Jewish folk have remained silent about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, presumably because they feel conflicted about it or they have relatives in Russia.
This morning I got some photos of my daughter and her flatmates having breakfast outside in the sun: bacon, eggs and toast, all cooked on the barbecue. It looked wonderful! Apparently they’re able to boil water on the barbecue, so they can make cups of tea. The power is still off there, although it’s on in parts of Napier. Later on today they’re hoping to use a laundrette.
I listen to the midday update. The confirmed death toll stands at 9, and between 4-5,000 people are still unaccounted for. There seem to be very good updates on various websites. Although almost $2 million has been raised, there is a rush to donate clothing and bedding and suchlike. It’s confirmed, though, that giving cash is probably the most useful as people will know what they need most, be it a generator, a barbecue, food, clothing or bedding…now that many lives have been saved, people can look to the adjustment, the clean up, and their immediate needs, whatever they are. Banks are hoping to get ATMs operational as soon as possible, so that people can withdraw cash. Of course, some homes are beyond repair.
Once again, I’m relieved that my daughter is all right, although the washing situation may be drastic, especially for folk like her, after 5 -6 days. Others face terrible loss. I cannot imagine losing everything; even on our recent trip to Australia, I dreaded losing my things that I’d packed for the journey; of course, they could be replaced, relatively easily.
Now there are recriminations of course: some reports of looting (overhyped, perhaps?) and questions about not receiving earlier warnings about the extent of the flooding in Hawkes Bay, especially in the Esk Valley and Puketapu. I know the mayors of Hastings and Napier declared a state of emergency during the night i.e. early morning of Tuesday February 14; I know the flood waters came up very quickly, surprising everyone; I doubt that you can rouse everyone in the middle of the night. I know it was a really scary time: my daughter’s house had no power; two staff members couldn’t get to her house to work because of the flooding; and this was before the evacuation order went out! Then there was the issue of evacuating folk on damaged roads where some of the bridges were unusable owing to the rising floodwaters.
In Napier and Hastings temporary morgues have been set up. In a small rural town, survivors have been distressed by the contents of graves being disturbed by the floodwaters. Meanwhile, in Hastings, Pacifika have been going to church and singing their thanks to God. As long as you’re alive, that’s the most important thing.
This morning I went to a Repair Café at the Ngaio Union Church. I had put things in a bag to take there. There was a lamp – I need to get a part for it from a hardware store before it can be fixed, but someone mended two jerseys belonging to JD and advised me about dyeing a hand-knitted but marked jersey of mine. I was also advised to unpick a label on another jersey of JD’s. This is really difficult, but I’ll persist. They put on a beautiful morning tea, and I saw several friends there. Afterwards I caught a train and bus home, but it was quite heavy to carry the things I’d brought!
It was quite cold early this morning, although it’s warm and fine now. I feel that I have a good range of options on my bed, ranging from top sheet, fairy down blanket, duvet, and bed spread. Between them, I can add or subtract different items as necessary.
There’s a bunch of interesting items from US politics. A heavily redacted report from the grand jury convened by Fani Willis, District Attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, has been released. This jury was convened to investigate Donald Trump’s interference and claims of fraud in the November 2020 presidential election. This report states that some of those who gave evidence perjured themselves, although it doesn’t say who; Trump claims that this report completely exonerates him! Of course it does nothing of the sort.
The Special Counsel, Jack Smith, set up to investigate classified documents held wrongly at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, has subpoenaed Mike Pence and Mike Meadows. He seems to be working at quite a pace.
The other item of great interest is that Nikki Haley has announced a bid for the presidency in 2024. There is lots of discussion about her flip-flops on policy, and especially on the fact that she was Trump’s Ambassador to the United Nations. What disturbed me the most was her invocation of a pastor Hagee as the person she would most like to be when she grows up. Hagee has been discredited as a deeply unlikeable and problematic person. How can you do this, America? Wonderful and terrible, that remains my impression of the US. I have been there a few times, and seen some variety of its states and views.
The other thing I was forgetting to mention was Fox news’s reporting on fraud in the 2020 presidential election, even when they knew there was none, or very little; certainly not enough to influence the outcome of the election. Yet they hosted people spouting conspiracy theories about the election, about what came to be called the “big steal”. Dominion, who supplied the voting machines, are suing Fox. And in another note, the Proud Boys have subpoenaed Trump, not that that will have much chance of succeeding. Still, I guess the gesture counts.
This afternoon we went shopping at -guess where – New World Thorndon. It was quite busy there. There were no cherries, but raspberries were a good price at $4.99 a punnet; lettuce was hard to find, but I got most of what I wanted, including Havarti cheese slices. There are no black doris plums, as yet.
It’s now Sunday February 19.
This morning I was to read the Gospel text at church. I had meant to check out the lectern and microphone during the week, but I’d forgotten, so I went early in order to do so. But first, I headed into the supermarket to get some strepsils. A packet of Strepsils cost me $14.99! $4-5 more than I expected. The self-service machine didn’t print a receipts, although I requested one. Other than that, it was well behaved. My biggest fears were that I’d trip over the steps, coming up or down; that I’d get a frog in my throat, or that I’d read too fast. I think none of these things happened.
It’s Transfiguration Sunday. The Old Testament text was from Exodus, about Moses going up the mountain to communicate with God, in the cloud. I was privileged to read Matthew 17: 1-9 about the Transfiguration of Jesus. The sermon was about how we see God and are aware of his presence; about the veil, or thin layer that prevents us from seeing him directly. No one has seen God at any time, but Job says I know that from, in my flesh, I shall see God (Job 19: 25-26).
Afterwards I spoke to several people, and tried to ring or text JD – without success. He had been going to pick me up. Meanwhile, I had missed one bus, and there wouldn’t be another for an hour. I went to have a long black coffee and a cheese scone. I do like a good cheese scone! I made my way to the bus stop, but the bus I was expecting had been cancelled, or delayed, so I caught a #25 into town. Fortunately this stopped at the Wellington Railway Station, not a good block away, and I was able to catch the 12:32 pm train to Johnsonville. It was quite full. I did this, and then caught a #1 bus to Churton Park, where JD picked me up. We were due at our youngest granddaughter’s birthday party at Avalon Park at 2 pm, but first I had to change into a pink dress, and we needed to wrap her present. Eventually we got away, and found it really easily. What a wonderful set up it is! We had to walk a long way from the carpark at the Park entrance, and it was pretty windy, but quite warm. It was a wonderful venue for a picnic: the children could rise bikes, or ride the miniature train, or play in the play area, or just run around kicking a ball. There was blowing bubbles, and a beautiful cake, although it was too windy to light the candles.
There is another update from Hōhepa Hawkes Bay. They are gingerly moving back to some kind of normality, with Civil Defence supplying generators to help the situation in Poraiti; some folk have been evacuated to Havelock North, where they are enjoying everyday luxuries like having the power on, and having showers and clean linen; and two community houses in the Napier are have the power on again.
The death toll from Cyclone Gabrielle has now reached 11, with thousands of people still missing. It seems that the flood waters rose really fast, with some people bashing through ceilings to get access to their roofs, so that they could be rescued. The Prime Minister says there are still 28,000 homes without power.
It’s now Monday February 20th.
I asked JD what he wanted to do today, but he still has a sore ankle from yesterday, when he chased a ball around Avalon Park with one of his grandsons. So I went to my exercise class. It was lovely, of course. It’s a beautiful fine hot day. Afterwards I caught the train back to Johnsonville, and then the bus from the library. I got home just after JD had left to go out, so I had another cup of coffee and sat outside doing the puzzles in my new Listener magazine. Eventually JD got home; it was pretty late now for going out for lunch – it was a question not only of where would be open on a Monday, but where would still have a kitchen open just before 3 pm. We went to Johnsonville, and had quite a nice lunch, with chips, of course.
I have not heard from Hōhepa today. The confirmed death toll stands at 11; there are still many houses without power. It’s disappointing that there’s been quite a lot of looting in the Hawkes Bay area. That is just so sad. I believe that Australia’s forced deportation of criminals who were born in New Zealand greatly contributes to the gang presence in Hawkes Bay. Evidently Finance Minister Grant Robertson is considering a Covid-like wage subsidy scheme for those affected by the flooding. Evidently $5 million has been donated so far.
That’s it for now. I feel deeply for all those affected by the flooding, and trying to get their lives into some kind of order again. It must be so trying for those without power (about 11,000 in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne) – it’s been just on a week now, for those in Hawkes Bay!
The entrance to Hohepa Hawkes Bay (at Clive). I hope the animals are all right.
Today is Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Kia ora!
In Russia, all Americans have been asked to leave urgently, and other Americans have been warned not to go there. Why, one wonders? Is there a new threat? Maybe that was old news, since I haven’t seen it confirmed anywhere. Well, I later heard it confirmed on the Telegraph’s daily podcast, Ukraine the Latest. So I’ll stick with it.
Last night we watched the final episode of season 3 of Happy Valley, starring the rather wonderful Sarah Lancashire, James Norton (as the villain), and Rhys Cannon, amongst others. This series can be hard to watch: I have to say this episode wasn’t as difficult as some previous ones. I’m rather sorry it’s finished, of course, since the anticipation has gone. Still, I can always watch it again on TVNZ On demand.
I just got a message from Hōhepa Hawkes Bay to say that everyone is safe and well; but I still wonder about my daughter’s house. I should like to hear that they all got away all right. I get another message saying she’s been evacuated up to Poraiti, so that’s good. I know she’ll be well cared for. The Manager there found a former staff member to communicate with family members, someone who’s moved to somewhere the power’s still on.
I have been rereading The View in Winter by Ronald Blythe. It’s such an interesting read! It strikes me now that the younger generation don’t need us to teach them our skills: everything’s changed, especially parenting! I was a good mother too, just different. I admit I do wonder sometimes about the current adoration of the requisite two children; we are blessed to have had five, and while each one was special, there are certain blessings in having a larger family where there’s built-in caring for younger children, there’s always someone to play with, and you eat whatever’s put on the table!
The book tells about the fear of the workhouse, and the enormous benefit when the old-age pension became a universal benefit. Some children are very close to their parents; they tend to be some daughters; but parents all have some independent income, in the form of superannuation, and there is a social safety net to care for older folk at the state’s expense, if necessary. Whatever qualms and quibbles we may have about the care provided, at least it is provided; the best way to ensure good care, in my view, is for the recipient to be popular, and for other family members to take an interest and help out and say thanks wherever possible. After all, I (or long-suffering members of my family) would be caring for my daughter if there weren’t a social safety net.
It’s now Wednesday February 15th.
I slept really well last night, not waking till 7:15 am. That’s quite a feat for me. In Wellington it’s really calm, it’s not raining, and while it’s overcast, we don’t have the low threatening clouds that we had yesterday. Hymn singing and a movie viewing, both popular activities, have been cancelled, perhaps unnecessarily. It would be good to see others; on the other hand, I’m still reeling from the devastation in Hawkes Bay.
This morning I learn that people have been rescued from roofs in Hawkes Bay; these rescues were tricky for Defence Force helicopters, but they could be done since the wind gusts have dropped. Meanwhile, two bodies have been found: someone who died when their house fell on them, and a person on the beach. Last night we learnt that a flood bank had broken, in the Te Awa Drive area, and people living nearby were ordered to evacuate. Meanwhile, there’s no power, some roads are unusable, and the main highway SH 51 between Napier and Clive has been closed. This morning I get a message from a former staff member saying everyone from Hōhepa Hawkes Bay is safe; however, the power has not been restored yet. For some folk this is really trying, to have their routine disrupted; for others, it’s an adventure (albeit one without coffee).
In the aftermath of the dreadful earthquakes in Turkey and northern Syria, where victims are still being pulled alive out of the rubble, there is significant criticism of Turkey’s President Erdoğan, for the lack of a meaningful response to the crisis. Lax building standards on a known fault line are partly to blame, but Erdoğan has had several builders arrested! HIs other meaningful response was along the lines that Stuff happens, and it’s all part of the divine plan. I’m sure the lack of care and compassion is not part of any divine plan. As if arrests of builders will fix the problem. The current death toll stands at nearly 38,000.
Returning to Napier, where those of us with loved ones there are coming to terms with the grief and loss of so much, and the present difficulties of just existing, with no power. They can’t boil their water, since most of them have no power. Petrol stations use electricity to power their pumps, so filling up your car too often isn’t really an option. Apparently one supermarket has internet, and people are queueing up to use it. Who can blame them? The police have set up a lost and found register, so that those worried about their loved ones can register their concern. I am desperately afraid that there’ll be water-born diseases, since they can’t boil their water, or refrigerate their food.
It’s now 7:41 pm and I’m trying to catch up with the flood rescue news. Then there was a really strong earthquake! Initial reports put it at 6.0 on the Richter scale, at a depth of 76 km, 50 km northwest of Paraparaumu. It felt quite strong, and seemed to go on for ages. Later it was described as a 6.3 earthquake, with a severe jolt at first, and then strong shaking that seemed to go on for ages – about 30 seconds, someone said. There seems to be no immediate damage, but it was a bit scary, especially as we are already very concerned about the Hawkes Bay and Gisborne/Tairāwhiti situations.
Prime Minister Hipkins joked that he’s now expecting a plague of locusts,
It’s now Thursday February 16th.
I slept quite well again last night, thankfully. We watched Another Year on Te Whakaata Māori – quite a depressing movie, but with the rather wonderful Lesley Manville playing the distressed Mary. Tom and Gerri are a lovely couple, and very kind, but why oh why are their friends such deadbeats? Towards the end Gerri says that she really needs to look after her family; it’s obvious to me that Mary really wants to be part of her family too.
This morning I listened to the latest episode of The Rest is Politics podcast. How informative it is! It’s like a summary of The Economist, that is oral, and that I can understand. For example, the situation in Moldova was explained. I found that really helpful. Also, election results are interesting, too. Last night I heard that Nicola Sturgeon, the “wee lassie”, has resigned as Scottish First Minister. Obviously the podcast was recorded before news of this came through. It certainly seems sudden. I was interested to hear Alistair Campbell saying a certain politician has no shame! He was a bit of a “bête noir” himself, as I recall. Sturgeon is now being called charismatic, but English journalists were quite prepared to give her a very hard time over Brexit. JD and I were in Glasgow for our son’s graduation at the time of the 2016 referendum. I well remember the almost universal shock at the result, especially in Scotland, and how British journalists gave Sturgeon a really hard time. Now they’re saying she was rather wonderful!
I try to listen to the Telegraph podcast Ukraine, the Latest, each weekday. The war in Ukraine is incredibly brutal; it’s being compared to the newly released remake of All Quiet on the Western Front (now on Netflix), s very powerful movie showing what trench warfare was really like, and lots of needless deaths as men are thrown into the “meatgrinder”. The Wagner Group have a very cynical attitude as prisoners are thrown into the fray to see where Ukrainian fire might be coming from.
It was a very busy morning. JD had an early appointment, and I had several phone calls, including a lovely surprise when our youngest son rang from England. On my way to Thursday morning singing, I had a text from a staff member at my daughter’s house. She confirmed that while the power is still off, the house where my daughter lives is still habitable, undamaged by flood waters, and my daughter has moved back there. Her obs are all good, so that’s a relief too. I later had more texts from her about a bridge being opened to allow her to get to this house, but it’s now been closed again and the sleep-over couldn’t get to work there.
I also get an update from a Hōhepa staff member who lives in Hawkes Bay, so they are getting back to some kind of normality. The iconic site at Clive is not badly damaged, although the road to it, S.H. 51 is intermittently closed. Although I’m so relieved that my daughter is all right, and her house is habitable, there are many terribly sad stories of people having lost everything – their homes, their livelihoods, their precious things, and in some cases their animals.
The death toll is rising, sadly. On Wednesday evening someone reported seeing a dead body floating away with the floodwaters, and expecting to see more. We fear and expect more deaths, although it’s wonderful to know that our daughter is safe and also a staff member I was very concerned about, since she was trapped by floodwaters on Tuesday morning. The photos are just devastating.
It’s now Friday February 17th.
This morning I woke early around 5 am and then went back to sleep until 9:15! That’s a little late for me, and although I should feel better for having more sleep, I don’t feel that it’s done me much good, although it’s a relief, to be sure.
Today it becomes fine and sunny again, and warmer than it has been. Someone comes from Access to do some housework, and I’m truly grateful for that – it seems ages since she came.
There has been very little mention in overseas media of the catastrophic effects of Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand, mainly dreadful flooding and slips, with many roads closed and bridges down as rivers rose and breached their banks. People in Gisborne have been asked not to use the water! That’s really bad if you don’t have power as well. The catastrophe has been covered by the UK’s Guardian newspaper, on television in Taiwan, and by ABC News; Lady Colin Campbell has mentioned it in her Youtube broadcast this morning. But Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation hasn’t even made The Rest is Politics question time podcast! Why not, I wonder?
In Ukraine, bitter fighting continues. Is Putin arranging a new wave of attacks to commemorate the Russian invasion on February 24 last year? Who knows. Wasn’t it Winston Churchill who said Russia was a mystery wrapped in an enigma? The Ukrainians continue to fight bravely; Russian forces doggedly attack, although they’re said to be incurring heavy losses for any progress they make, and their equipment is somewhat out of date.
This morning I went to church. The theme was about choice, about choosing life, and about how a Christian person should live, letting go of their anger, and any grudges, and not berating others for not abiding by the rules. This morning I listened to a Rest is History podcast about the first, and perhaps the bloodiest crusade, the Albigensian, and it was pretty horrific. This crusade seemed to be about following rules: which rules? whose rules? The minister touched on the Crusades during his sermon. I also read in the Sunday Star Times about a far-right group who claim men have been emasculated, and some of the very scary beliefs such people hold.
From when I awoke, around 6:30 am, I have been looking at the news to establish the path and effects of Cyclone Gabrielle. Already it has hit the Northland area, and some places are without power. It’s hard to believe there is such bad weather up north, while it is still warm if overcast here. It’s not raining here. It’s definitely cooler than it has been; I did put on hose today, for the first time in weeks, but then was happy to take them off after lunch.
There are now heavy rain warnings for the Gisborne area, east of Taupo, and Hawkes Bay. This morning we had an email from Hōhepa saying they’re monitoring the situation and keeping in touch with Civil Defence. I am so relieved that my daughter has moved to a house away from the beautiful but vulnerable Clive site, from whence it is much easier to evacuate a group of fairly high-functioning adults who aren’t highly medicated.
This time around the Auckland area is far better organised, I think. Prime Minister Hipkins addressed the nation from Auckland this morning. He has certainly grown into this role, with an ultra-smooth handover; he’s simply picked up the baton from former Prime Minister Ardern, and carried on. Chris Luxon, leader of the National Party, still seems flummoxed and unsure how to move forward or attack Labour. He was heckled by conspiracy theorists at what should have been a packed meeting of the party faithful in Rangiora; he has had to cancel a speech he was going to make today in Auckland, his State of the Nation speech. Kiwis are probably far more concerned about surviving whatever the cyclone may throw at them, surviving for several days without power, and whether they’ll ever be able to return to their beautiful clifftop properties, now sadly red-stickered after the heavy rain of two weeks ago. That would be the rich ones, of course; and they can’t go to their second homes in the Coromandel, either, since that’s likely to be in the path of the cyclone. Everyone is advised to not go anywhere they don’t have to.
Afterwards I bussed home, and then JD and I had lunch at Kaizen Café, always a favourite place of mine. Although it was quite windy and overcast in Khandallah, where I went to church, it was very warm in Porirua, although still overcast. I ordered a serving of rhubarb shortcake to take home, and we shared a nice cold drink – kombucha flavoured with lemon and ginger. It was very refreshing, and contained more sodium (salt) than sugar!
In the evening we started to watch the film Lucky on Te Whakaata Māori, but when the new season of Bloodlands started on television one, we switched to watching that. As with many British detective plots, I’m finding this one very complicated.
At the end of the day, I note that Wellington is now included in the weather warnings issued for Cyclone Gabrielle, with strong winds and rain expected from Monday evening.
It’s now Monday February 13th.
I had an unwelcome call this morning from Napier. My daughter has tested positive for Covid 19 again, although she has no symptoms other than a raised temperature. I agree that she should go on Paxlovid again. Meanwhile, there is another newsletter from Hōhepa, saying that their site at Clive has been evacuated; some families have taken their family member home. Hopefully the house where my daughter lives won’t have to be evacuated, as her having Covid 19 will be an added complication. But nevertheless, it’s much easier to evacuate her household with its remaining residents than a much bigger site like the Clive one.
The Cyclone is affecting the North Island (Te Ika–a- Māui), with many thousands of households suffering power cuts: at 1pm more than 12,000 Auckland households and businesses were thought to have lost power, mainly north of Orewa Beach. A state of emergency has been declared in central Whangarei, and the Gisborne-Tairāwhiti area is also badly affected. In Wellington, though, there is a strange calm. Of course, we’re used to strong winds and rain. This morning I went to my exercise class in Ngaio, wondering how many people would be there. Actually, there were lots there! It was good to do some stretching again. Afterwards, I walked to Ngaio Railway Station and caught the train to Johnsonville. By this time it was overcast (previously it had been sunny), and almost drizzling, with some threatening dark grey clouds. I did some shopping, and JD picked me up at the library. It’s a bit cooler now, but not unpleasant, although we’re getting dire reports of how bad things are in the top half of the North Island.
Amidst all this, the weekly Covid 19 report is out. It’s reported that there have been 8396 community cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand over the past week, and 32 further deaths. Of the new cases being reported, 3508 were reinfections. The numbers, released by the Ministry of Health, showed Covid-19 infections in the country were continuing to drop.
Of the deaths reported today, two were from Northland, seven were from the Auckland region, four were from Waikato, one was from Bay of Plenty, two were from Tairawhiti, one was from Hawke’s Bay, one was from Taranaki, three were from Wellington region, one was from Nelson Marlborough, four were from Canterbury and six were from the Southern DHB. Two were in their 20s, three were in their 40s, two were in their 50s, two were in their 60s, seven were in their 70s, 12 were in their 80s and four were aged over 90. Of these people, 12 were women and 20 were men.
There were also 171 people with Covid-19 in hospital as of midnight Sunday, including seven in ICU.
The seven-day rolling average of cases is now 1148, down from last week’s figure of 1263. So I guess we’re on the right track, even if many of us have cold-like symptoms.
In an eerie calm we await power cuts, very high wind gusts, and lots of rain. In the meantime, it is calm, and not raining.
It’s now Tuesday February 14, Valentine’s Day. I suspect people may be eating chocolate, if they have access to it, but other romantic activities are off the menu for now, for the North Island and the top of the South Island.
Things certainly livened up overnight. We watched the new on Television One at 10:40 pm last night, and before retiring to bed I took car to have a torch handy, and filled two thermos flasks with boiling water. I also took care to see that my mobile phone was charged.
This morning it’s windy here, and drizzly, although not raining heavily. But a State of Emergency was declared in Napier and Hastings at 4:30 am, I think – sometime during the night, it may have been earlier. I wait until 8 am to ring the house where my daughter lives. There’s no reply, so I assume they’ve evacuated. At around 9 am I ring the deputy house manager on her cell phone. She explains that she’s not at the house – she’s stuck in her home by flooding, as is the house manager. I then ring the cluster manager on her cell phone: the house where my daughter lives hasn’t been evacuated, but they have no power there. There’s lots of water in the garden. The house manager is on her way there. Soon she rings me, but I can’t hear her – reception is awful. But she texts me to say that our daughter is well, and they’re all safe, despite the power cut. Thank goodness it’s summer, unlike in Turkey and Syria where the dreadful earthquakes occurred.
Of course, while I’m concerned about my daughter, all the staff at the house where she lives have their own personal concerns, for their own and their loved ones’ safety. JD knows a Hawkes Bay website giving the river levels, and they’re very scary – many bridges are unusable, the rivers have risen so high.
Meanwhile, a national state of emergency has been declared – for only the third time in New Zealand’s history! It was previously declared for the Christchurch earthquake, and for Covid 19. I watch the Breakfast show on TV OnDemand. The national state of emergency enables resources to be deployed more effectively as and where required. There are power cuts in New Plymouth (I didn’t think Taranaki would be badly affected). Many people are without power. It’s all pretty drastic, and we’re thankful here not to be badly affected.
Now, at 10 am in Wellington, it’s raining more heavily.
I just zoomed into a bible study, figuring out that it probably wasn’t a good idea to go in person. Again, I find these discussions really difficult to zoom into. Furthermore, it was Matthew’s gospel talking about the Transfiguration, not the Exodus text I was expecting.
After this, JD has learnt that many suburbs of Napier have now been told to evacuate. This includes the area where my daughter lives. Again, I pray for her, and for her companions and those taking care of her.
Today’s other big news is that Camilla, Queen Consort, has tested positive for Covid 19. There is a photo of her in the Guardian, looking extremely lined and old.
It’s just after midday now, and the weather is pretty wild here. There are strong gusts of wind. It looks awful outside my bedroom window.
We watch a special One News update on television, at around 1 pm. The reporter in Auckland reports from a location with the Harbour Bridge in the background (no fake news here, apparently!), and it looks much calmer than previously, although she said there was a severe wind gust just moments before she reported. Meanwhile, there’s no word from Gisborne, or Hawkes Bay: some of the comms lines have been damaged, making cell phone communication difficult if not impossible. There are stories that restoring power may take up to two weeks; other stories say it’ll be on much sooner than that. Anyway, in this situation you want to conserve whatever power you have, since you may not easily be able to charge your phone again, or even make a cup of tea. One assumes organisations like Hōhepa have working generators available, but the sheer scale of the emergency has rapidly become enormous, with several bridges down in the Bay, and flooded rivers. Getting evacuated safely may well be an issue, if only certain roads and bridges are useable.
Some idiots in Napier waited on Marine Parade to watch the high tide. It’s a really dangerous beach at the best of times! Some people were knocked over in their haste to get away. Really, rescue should be reserved for those sensible people who actually need it.
People in Dannevirke woke to an early call to evacuate; a state of emergency has been declared in Tararua. JD and I couldn’t go to Napier even if we wanted to!
I have to note the lovely and gracious woman fronting AEM (Auckland Emergency Management) who’s reports I have been watching with interest.
Tomorrow I was looking forward to going to a movie and lunch in Khandallah. I’ve just heard that it is to be postponed, which is disappointing, although not really surprising.
I’ll stop now, with, I hope, better news in future. Relief at our being safe here, thus0 far, is balanced by concern for all the residents are staff of Hōhepa Hawkes Bay, and their families and loved ones, and then for all who have been impacted, some severely, by this Cyclone. One thinks especially of those in care, both people like my daughter, and older folk in care; one thinks then of difficulties likely to occur with distribution of food and fuel. In some areas they’ve been asked to conserve water, and/or are under a boil water notice. One is reminded of just how important it is to have emergency supplies of water, medication, blankets or sleeping bags, and long-lasting foods, and an escape plan.
Last night we watched Labyrinth of Lies, a 2014 movie on Te Whakaata Māori, about a trial in Stuttgart of Nazi perpetrators who had not been brought to trial at Nuremberg. The prosecutor who seeks to bring perpetrators of the horrors at Auschwitz to trial, encounters heaps of discouragement; it’s a really hard job for him, to face up to the horrors, and realize that people around him complied in causing them. It was a very interesting film. This was about the leadup to the trial held in Stuttgart during the 1960’s.
I have been perusing my husband’s latest edition of The Economist. He likes to buy this magazine; I admit that I turn first to the obituary on the last page, and then flip backwards through the book reviews. I’ve caught up with several outstanding works this way: a biography of Mikhail Gorbachev, who died last year, and an outstanding book about Ukraine, called The Gates of Europe. The obituary in this magazine is that of Ronald Blythe, who died, aged 100, on 14 January. This story talks about Akenfield, the book he is most famous for, but I well remember another book, The View in Winter, published in 1979. I was a crass young woman, then, in my twenties, but JD’s grandmother was so impressed by it that she gave me a copy to read. She had quite eclectic reading tastes: The Brendan Voyage, a biography of Golda Meir, a book about WW1 called Soldier from the War Returning, and so on. One book was about a cat, which didn’t impress me much. I lent The View in Winter to a friend, an older woman, and she didn’t like it much; but I did, I admired the writing, and the attitude; I had a great deal of respect for older people, imagining them to have greater wisdom. Now I realize that older people are very like younger people, in that there are all sorts, and you don’t necessarily get on with them all. They all have various ailments, and best not get into a lengthy discussion of them. Anyway, it’s nice to be reminded about Ronald Blythe. He was a loner, possibly gay, and a Christian; someone looked up to and revered by others. I wonder if the London Review of Books (LRB) will do a feature on him?
It occurs to me to comment on retirement so-called “homes”. They all stress the number of activities one can take part in, and yet some of course do not have the kinds of trips one would enjoy. Furthermore, one needs a place where one can sit comfortably and privately in the sun, and drink coffee, do puzzles, and read, yet many so-called “homes” don’t advertise this. But the greatest disadvantage, I think, is there’s no knowing whether one will make friends there, or get on with others, quite apart from the state of the cleaning, cooking, or shopping, or how much it costs, or whether one can move out if one doesn’t like it there. I suspect they can get rid of you, but you can’t leave without it costing a lot of money. The “apartments” are just like motel units, really; what do you do when you get sick of it? I remember JD’s grandmother lamenting that as she grew older (she died at 90 years of age, and was independent until a few weeks before her death), her friends kept dying. This is another kind of loneliness: as one becomes less able, one has fewer friends to rely on for company and shared memories.
I have reserved a copy of Akenfield at Wellington City Library, but oddly, they don’t have a copy yet! I’m fourth in the queue for it. They don’t have a copy of The View in Winter! Perhaps I still have a copy, I should like to read it again.
The Economist has reviews of several other books that sound interesting: The Blazing World, by Jonathan Healey, a history of England during the turbulent 17th century of regicide, civil war and revolution; (isn’t it ironic that inter-country wars are called “civil wars”. when in fact they’re anything but civil); The World and All That it Holds, by Aleksander Hemon (sounds interesting), and another book by Kapka Kassabova, Bulgarian writer turned New Zealander, called Elixir. I read Border with great interest, although it got a bit mystical for me at times. Actually she’s now based in Scotland, which further adds to the perspective she brings to her writing. She’s also written From the Lake, which I have not read.
Actually I’ve looked and I have copies of both The View in Winter and Akenfield by Ronald Blythe, so I can reread them both. How nice it is to have lots of books. You never know what you may wish to read again, or lend to someone.
There’s also a review of No Miracles Needed, by Mark Jacobson, a thought-provoking book about climate change, and the world’s need to discontinue its reliance on oil.
I find all these reviews very interesting.
This issue of the Economist also has a short article about New Zealand’s new Prime Minister Hipkins, informally known as Chippy. It’s on page 23! Stories about New Zealand rarely make it to this august publication, and if they do, usually about a recent election outcome, they’re relegated to the back of the current issue. The Economist is prepared to be kind to Chippy, but there is some criticism of the very popular former Prime Minister Ardern; it seems very unfair to me that media treatment of women in positions of authority still seems very harsh compared with their treatment of men, who seem to have some kind of innate right to be there. It’s fascinating that new PM Chris Hipkins and National Party Leader Christopher Luxon are treated on a par. Labour is doing better in the polls than it was in recent months under Ardern; the latest poll is saying the Māori Party will be king maker (why not queen maker?) in the next election. I would pick that Labour would be a far more agreeable partner than National; despite Māori grievances, Labour are a far more sympathetic and true partner.
There is no singing this morning, so some people were to meet for coffee instead. I had hoped to join them, but JD had other ideas, and we went to Heretaunga instead. I have to admit it’s very pleasant out there. There seemed to be some event on, judging by the large amount of cars in the car park, but the place seemed deserted. We had lunch there, but there wasn’t much food left in the cabinet.
It’s now Friday February 10th.
Today our art group were to meet again; there was confusion, of course, with Access, but JD and I went to art instead. There were very few of us there, but it was lovely to see those who were, and talk about our trip to Australia. I did a crayon drawing, trying to represent the contrast in the Barossa Valley between the green vines, the green trees, and the very dry countryside between trees, the road, and vines. Afterwards we repaired to a local café for something to eat and drink. We talked about paintings, of course, about our friend who died just before Christmas, and her funeral, about the painting we’d taken to my sister-in-law as a present, and how Covid 19 continues to disrupt our lives – it upset several of our Christmas plans. Nothing seems to be quite right anymore, especially with the hospitality industry. We shared some of our grievances with trying to get good accommodation, and good service. Some people go out of their way to be helpful; others not at all.
It’s now Saturday February 11th.
It’s another fine day, but it’s cooler than it has been. There are far fewer annoying mites in the kitchen!
We are due to go shopping again, and I hope we get some good avocadoes – the last one we shared was amazingly good.
In New Zealand, the northern part of the country, i.e. north of and including Tamaki Makaurau and the Coromandel Peninsula, are bracing for Cyclone Gabrielle, due perhaps on Sunday evening or Monday, expecting heavy rain and also strong winds. Other areas, such as the Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay, where Napier is expecting to hold its Art Deco festival, are looking warily at the weather forecast. People in the Auckland area are stocking up on sandbags and groceries. The emergency response seems to be far better organised this time than during the recent severe floods; Auckland’s State of Emergency has been extended.
Meanwhile, after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and northern Syria, the death toll has risen to over 23,000, but survivors are still being pulled out of the rubble.
In the US people have been obsessed with President Biden’s State of the Union (SOTU) address. They do love their acronyms. Anyway, President Biden had a bit of fun with it, seeming to enjoy the heckling: Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) sported a fur coat, looking like a Russian oligarch’s wife, as one podcaster put it, and shouted “Liar!” throughout the speech. However Biden was unfazed and somehow got the Congress to agree that Medicare and Social Security would not be cut, as some Republicans had advocated, to solve the debt ceiling crisis. He was masterful, again demonstrating his prowess developed from years as a politician and then as President Obama’s Vice President. It was fun to watch, and it’s been fun to listen to the podcasts discussing it: Biden goes Dark Brandon, Biden gets Frisky, during the not-so boring SOTU.
People, even his supporters, keep talking about Biden’s gaffes, and memory slips; I find that so frustrating. He’s a wonderful president. He has always tended to make gaffes. One commentator, a former republican, said Reagan and Biden were the best presidents in his lifetime. While that’s quite an admission from a former republican, I wouldn’t put Reagan in that list, although he was hugely popular – and he got dementia. I well remember Trump seeming very demented, and some British journalists being shocked at just how awful he was, and how the American media protected him. This was Trump seeming not to cope, not just saying terrible things, which he did, of course. His current jape, accusing Governor Ron de Santis (Santos? Quipped one podcaster) of paedophilia, seems a bit rich when we consider Jeffrey Epstein was one of his friends. Actually I stand corrected. He accused him of grooming when he was a high school teacher.
Late this afternoon we went shopping at New World in Thorndon. It was very busy there, and JD parked some way away. Once we were in, though, it was lovely, and not too busy. We were able to buy a potato-topped pie, baked today, some salads, bread, frozen macaroni cheese )the best one!) and more raspberries, blueberries and avocadoes.
Tonight we watched Call the Midwife on television one. This time there were very few births; we got onto the somewhat dangerous territory of male health, and vasectomies; and mental illness. It’s always interesting, and always uplifting. After that we watched more of War and Remembrance on Youtube. It’s a hard watch, but very well done, with some much better actors in this series than in the first, the Winds of War.
I’ve been watching The Crown, Series 5, on Netflix. Someone has to do it! I like the wonderful Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, but I can’t stand Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth. The guy playing Prince Philip looks old and a bit overweight, and the guy playing the then Prince Charles is very good looking, in my view. Some of the voices are better than the actors. Anyway, it’s a distraction, but I can see why people are frustrated by this series.
Meanwhile, Cyclone Gabrielle is barrelling down on New Zealand, and the Turkish-Syrian death toll is now over 28,000. There is come criticism of the emergency response, and the lax building standards. It is very cold in this part of the world. One hopes that more people will be found alive, but it becomes less likely with each passing day.
Thankfully I slept very well last night, after a scary night on Tuesday. I had one of those vivid dreams, where I woke up thinking I was somewhere else, wondering how I’d got there, and then realizing that the paintings and curtains in my room and clothes I hadn’t hung up were actually here in my bedroom, in the house where I live. Thankfully, I went straight back to sleep. I awoke at around 7 am, which is ideal.
This morning I went to singing in Khandallah. It was lovely, of course, and great to see everyone there again. Afterwards a friend gave me a lift home. We talked about former Prime Minister Ardern’s resignation, and, thankfully, Chippy a.k.a. Prime Minister Hipkins is striking all the right notes and doing rather well.
In Auckland, they’re not out of the woods yet. More bad weather is expected tonight, and in some high-rise flats, the lifts aren’t working. They’re expecting a thunderstorm tonight.
When we were staying in Gawler (S.A.), there was a thunderstorm one night. It just seemed to come out of the blue. There was rain falling on the roof, some of it quite heavy showers. There were thunderclaps and there was lightning to follow, much of it quite dramatic. Then it was over, and the next day you wouldn’t have known it had happened. There was no sign of the rain!
Early this morning I listened to a We Have Ways podcast. They’re doing a series on the battle of Stalingrad, a pivotal time during World War 2. I listened to the third episode, but found it quite upsetting. The guys spoke very fast, like some Americans, and moralized, from time to time, as they are wont to do. I found this quite unfeeling: the fighting over Stalingrad was a truly terrible time, with many lives lost, and the city devastated. Even for those who remained alive, their lives were totally disrupted. It wasn’t like the Somme, or Ypres, or the trench battles of World War 1, but perhaps it was just as terrible. None of it should have happened.
In the afternoon I did some more shopping: I was able to get eggs, more lettuce and raspberries, chocolate biscuits, and honey-sweetened Greek yoghurt.
It’s now Saturday February 4th.
It continues to be very hot and extremely muggy here, and a bit drizzly at times. We are getting more used to it now, but it’s tricky to be wiping not one’s face but also one’s neck from the perspiration.
Yesterday we had lunch in town. I had opted for an early lunch, since we had quite a busy day, but Ombra, my preferred choice of restaurant, did not open until 12 noon. We walked up to the lovely art shop Minerva, and had a look there; then we looked at an art gallery that had an exhibition of photographs by Ans Westra. They were very nostalgic! On our way back down Cuba St, JD got into conversation with someone; I felt a bit threatened, especially by his language; I don’t wish to be unkind at all, but I didn’t feel we could do anything to help this person. We had somewhere to go, and we went there.
At Ombra I had my favorite starter, baccalà, while JD had bruschetta with stracciatella, cucumber and anchovy; unfortunately the cucumber didn’t overcome the tart taste of the anchovy. The baccalà was delicious, however. We shared a potato-topped pizza, and I finished with a long black coffee while JD had affogato. We had ordered a tiramisú to share, but it didn’t arrive. They were very busy, however, with two large parties as well as other smaller tables, so we paid up and left.
In the afternoon, I met an old friend and we had a lovely chat. I haven’t seen her for ages, so there was a lot of ground to cover.
In the evening we had dinner at one of my son’s houses. My other son who lives locally and his family came too. We were able to give the children and gifts we’d brought from Australia, as well as giving out three-year old granddaughter her birthday present (we’d missed her actual birthday while we were away). We had a beautiful dinner, with a delicious spicy satay sauce, culminating in a yummy fruit crumble with apples, rhubarb and plums, and ice cream.
Today we went to see the movie Tár, starring the luminous Cate Blanchett. I really wanted to see it, despite not knowing much about it, but Cate Blanchette is almost always a calling card for me. We didn’t leave home until 1:30 for a 2 pm screening; there was a 2:15 pm screening at Petone, but JD preferred to go to Brooklyn. We made really good time on our drive there, and found a car park, getting to the cinema just before 2 pm. Sadly, there was no one to serve us: eventually someone turned up, and we were able to see our way to our seats in the large theatre, where there were few other viewers.
The movie was strange, with pages of credits that couldn’t be read before the movie started. I was reminded of the intensity (and the politics) of the music world. While some beautiful music was played, Lydia Tár was quite a bully and seemed unable to separate her personal and professional lives. At the end, there were many more credits, and thankfully we were told all the music that was played during the film. It was very thought-provoking.
It’s now Sunday February 5th.
Last night we started watching The Town on Eden, but JD didn’t like it so we watched the first episode of War and Remembrance on Youtube. I had a bit of coughing and a bit more hay fever than usual, and worried that I might be getting Covid 19 again.
This morning I took a RAT test for Covid 19, but my cold seemed better, and the test was negative, so I went to church. There weren’t many there, and because it was so hot, even in the church, we could wear summer dresses, of the kind I would usually only wear in Hawkes Bay!
Church was lovely, of course. We had the organ playing, always a plus for me, with a magnificent piece played after the service. The sermon was about salt – “Ye are the salt of the earth”, says Matthew in his gospel chapter 5, verses 13 – 20. The children brought up the baskets of donated food, and, guess what, they all contained salt. Salt was (and still is) used to preserve food, too. My mother believed everything she cooked benefited from adding a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt. This was before huge amounts of both were added automatically for many products, such as baked beans! We all need a little salt, although adding salt is looked down on these days, and one often has to ask for some salt if one wants to add it to one’s food. Salt brings out the flavor, and it’s needed, even in baking, where, in my view, one should add a little salt to the flour, and use salted butter. When Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, died, she said that the salt had gone out of her life.
In this morning’s newspaper there is a full page advertisement for two concerts by the NZSO, at reasonable prices, in various locations. One is called Brandenburg, presumably featuring the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, the other Mozart and Salieri. But it doesn’t say what music will be played! That’s really important to me, and really frustrating, too. I’ve delved further, and evidently the first concert will feature Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 5, and two works by Telemann; the second W.A. Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, and some other works. So now I know. Meanwhile, I’ve been playing a recording of Leonard Bernstein conducting the Adagietto from Mahler’s 5th Symphony: this was discussed at length in the movie Tár; it was also played at Robert Kennedy’s funeral.
It’s now Wednesday February 8th.
Monday was Waitangi Day. I think I didn’t have a great day; I woke up with a sore wrist, with some swelling and redness. I didn’t hurt it, or have a fall, so that is a bit of a mystery.
On Tuesday morning I didn’t feel great, and, again, woke up with a sore wrist, but I went to a Bible Study. It’s nice to have it so warm, but the humidity is very trying! Everyone I’ve spoken to is finding it so. After this, I didn’t go to morning tea, as I would have liked to, but did some shopping. I failed to get an avocado, though! JD picked me up; I had an appointment in town in the afternoon. He left me there, and I caught bus(es) home, but realised I didn’t have my phone with me! Panic stations! Perhaps I’d left it at home. Meanwhile, I couldn’t ring JD to check. I did, however, have the latest copy of the Listener to distract me.
I caught a bus to Johnsonville, and then waited for a #19. Eventually I got home. Sadly, the phone wasn’t there. I rang JD on the landline (thankfully it was working), and asked him to check in the car for my phone. A few minutes later he rang back to say, yes it was, What a relief! I’m a bit lost without it.
This morning I got up early to go to hymn singing. There was a queue of cars in Middleton Road, almost right back to Halswater Drive. We drove up Churton Drive, and rejoined the traffic at the roundabout. I was a bit late, of course, but it was good to be there, and to sing the national anthem in Māori.
Afterwards I tried to get the #24 bus to Johnsonville. There was great confusion at the bus stop, with a double-decker bus that wasn’t going anywhere, a #22 due, which came, but had no signage, and a third bus that turned up – the #25 to Highbury. Amidst it all, one driver wanted to talk to me and say how frustrating it is for drivers! I totally sympathize, but I needed to let JD know what I was doing as well. Then I saw a #24 turn up, which I wanted to catch, but there was nowhere for him to stop. I waited in front of the other buses, and waved him down. Thankfully he stopped, and I got on and came to Johnsonville via Broadmeadows, and then caught a #19 home. I sat outside in the sun to have my coffee: very pleasant, although the heat of the sun was quite intense and I figured that half an hour was quite enough. Then I came inside and had a good chat to a friend of mine.
The Covid 19 report was delivered on Tuesday, seeing that Monday was Waitangi Day. It is as follows: there have been 8882 community cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand over the past week, and 26 further deaths. The numbers, released by the Ministry of Health, showed Covid-19 infections in the country were continuing to drop.
Of the deaths reported today, three were from Northland, three were from the Auckland region, three were from Waikato, one was from Bay of Plenty, one was from Tairawhiti, four were from Hawke’s Bay, one was from MidCentral, two were from Whanganui, two were from Wellington region, three were from Nelson Marlborough, one was from Canterbury and two were from Southern. One was in their 50s, six were in their 60s, two were in their 70s, eight were in their 80s and nine were aged over 90. Of these people, eight were women and 18 were men.
There were also 161 people with Covid-19 in hospital as of midnight Sunday, including seven in ICU.
The seven-day rolling average of cases is now 1263, down from last week’s figure of 1508. So that’s good, the Covid 19 numbers are finally getting less.
In Turkey and northern Syria, there have been two terrible earthquakes, a big shake followed by an equally big aftershock. Thousands have died – the death toll has now passed 7,800, and hundreds of thousands are seeking shelter, reports the UK’s Guardian.
In the Ukraine, fierce fighting continues in the East; are Russian forces gaining any ground? On the face of it, it would seem so, but at great cost. Tanks are arriving from the US, Germany and other European countries; it is almost one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and there is no end in sight. I think people should realize that the brave Ukrainians are fighting on our behalf, for the right to live in a democratic nation, warts and all; once they cease fighting for their lives, they can go back to worrying about gay people, abortion, and being “woke”, whatever that means. We should all be thankful that they’re having this fight on our behalf.
That’s it for now. I am getting almost used to this heat – wearing clothes I would normally reserve for Napier, and not needing a jacket or even a cardigan. But it is very hard to make any effort, in this heat. Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi.nui.
In Auckland many beautiful homes are teetering on cliff tops.
It’s now Tuesday January 31st, 2023. Kia ora!
Last Sunday we had lunch with a nephew and his partner who live in Melbourne, before flying back to New Zealand. I was quite amazed on the drive there: there are lots of big houses in Churton Park, where I live, but these Australian houses are bigger! My first thought would be how do you clean it? And then how do you heat it? Still, it’s very nice to have plenty of room, and a big dining table.
We had very nice pizza and salads, and then a caramel cheesecake with cream and ice cream – delicious. There was a bit of talk about my husband’s family history. Afterwards my sister-in-law dropped us off at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport.
Well, this Airport could certainly do with a re-vamp. We couldn’t check in for our flight, so we sat down near the Air New Zealand kiosks. There were lots of people there, and seating was in short supply. You had to pay $4 for a trolley, so we didn’t. There was an information board above where we were sitting; eventually it said we could check in. We did that, and dropped our bags off, and proceeded to go through security. And then my troubles started again. Again there was the body scanner: the dude operating it told me to sit on a chair nearby while he scanned other people. Was I meant to wait? He then seemed to forget about me.
Meanwhile, JD was several feet away from me, as I watched with dismay my carry-on bag being emptied and rifled through, spilling out my cardigan, which was in a plastic bag in a tote bag within the carry-on bag; he found a water bottle – silly me, I should have discarded it, but sometimes you just need a drink and can’t get one. I left my seat and went to rescue my carry-on bag and my handbag. I just hate letting these go out of my sight. Meanwhile, had I been asked to wait by the body-scanner guy? I didn’t want to do anything wrong here. He was busy scanning people, and seemed to have forgotten about me. I joined JD and we proceeded through to the Duty Free store.
Although I was quite shaken, I really wanted to get an opal bracelet here. On a previous trip we’d bought a beautiful opal bracelet, which I was very fond of. Furthermore, at that time they were advertising 50% off the retail price, and I felt we’d got a good deal. Sadly, this bracelet fell off my wrist, and I looked everywhere on my walk to the Churton Park shops, not finding it, and I left a message at the New World Supermarket there. It wasn’t there, and it wasn’t handed in, so I had to accept the loss and hope that another such opportunity would arise.
There were very few bracelets for sale. There was lots of Swarovski jewellery, but I didn’t want Swarovski. Eventually we found something we both liked, although it’s quite different from my former bracelet. My birthday is coming up soon, so I feel a little justified in wanting to buy something.
Then we found a café where we bought coffee and I tried to rest while we waited to board our flight. I enjoyed reading my book, although I would have liked a more comfortable seat! At least I could put my feet up.
Then we moved through to the departure lounge, and again sat and waited.
The flight back to Wellington was uneventful, apart from a two patches of turbulence. I was afraid we’d run into a thunderstorm near Wellington, but we did not. Dinner was served – braised beef with some very overcooked broccoli and sweet potato, and a caramel slice, followed by coffee. Again, I found the food container far too small, and it was really difficult to cut the food with the wooden cutlery. The beef was quite tough, and in large chunks. It was hard to be tidy, and I’m not a messy person! There was a bread roll too, and a container of butter and sunflower oil: you squeezed the contents onto the roll. What a novelty! This was a really nice mixture. Of course I didn’t need the roll, but eating it helped to pass the time.
The entertainment was sadly lacking. There were no movies or television shows I wanted to watch, or even to watch again. I was so glad I had my book to read – although I’d been tempted to finish it back in Australia.
Then we descended to Wellington Airport, a remarkably smooth descent and landing. I’ve never had such a smooth descent and landing. Although I thought I’d need my puffer jacket, it was so warm in Wellington that I didn’t put it, or my cardigan, on. It was much muggier than Australia, and we missed the dry heat of Adelaide and Melbourne, although the latter was a bit stickier than Adelaide.
Then we went through the disembarking routines, collecting our checked baggage along the way. It had arrived, safe and sound. We caught a taxi home, and marvelled that it had all gone so smoothly.
Now back in Wellington, there is lots to catch up on. We keep getting dire reports of the continuing flooding in Auckland, north of Auckland, the Coromandel. Waitomo, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, and now Rotorua. In Auckland all education facilities including early childcare are closed for a week until February 7. Unfortunately many only heard this via the news media. The newly elected mayor of Auckland, Wayne Brown, is being widely criticised for his (lack of) response; he is blaming emergency procedures, which are about to be upgraded; nevertheless, he is the mayor. In these situations you really need a leader to be inspirational and reassuring.
This morning it was fine and warm, although there was fog over Wellington Airport for a time. Then this afternoon it became much cooler, and rained heavily for a time. The Labour Party has gone up in the polls, and the new Prime Minister Hipkins has edged just ahead of National’s Chris Luxon in a new poll. PM Hipkins has also done a cabinet reshuffle. So he continues to hog the limelight!
This morning I had an Aclasta infusion at the Medical Centre. I actually slept really well last night, after several nights of a few hours of disturbed sleep; I didn’t wake till almost 9 am! So I had a bit of a rush to have breakfast and get showered and ready. It all went smoothly, and afterwards I walked to the Johnsonville Shopping Centre. I’d drunk a large (very nice) coffee while I was being infused, and needed to use the rest room. While I was there, I noticed my left elbow had been bleeding, and the site of the line looked a bit messy. I went to the chemist to pick up a repeat prescription, and asked them to put something over it. They got alarmed; wouldn’t touch the wound; got the chemist to look at it when he was free; he advised me to go back to the Medical Centre. I did this, but by this time the nurse who’d given me the infusion had gone to lunch. They found another nurse to look at it, and she established that I was no longer bleeding, cleaned me up, and put a new plaster on. No further drama.
There is lots to catch up on. Two Listener magazines were delivered while we were away, and there are television programs to catch up on. So important! Actually I really missed newspapers during our time in Oz, although I knew to expect this. They’re very scarce even in the shops! I know I can look up the websites online, but it ain’t the same.
I did listen to several podcasts while we were away, but there was a The Rest is History podcast about Hitler and the Nazi Party’s electoral win, and their subsequent steps to ensure that they had supreme power. This included the Reichstag Fire; and questions as to whether this could happen again. I finally managed to listen to the whole thing. I also caught up with The Rest is Politics podcast, talking about Prime Minister Ardern’s seemingly sudden resignation. Politics is a brutal world, as the hosts reminded us again.
Yesterday we went shopping; I walked to the local supermarket to buy fresh croissants for lunch (you always need to check the labels for today’s date!). There were plenty of eggs there, but I didn’t buy any, since I was walking and didn’t want to carry too much. But at Thorndon New World, where we went later, there were no eggs! None at all. There were no pies, either, but we did get some Caesar Salad and coleslaw for dinner. I bought fresh raspberries, too, but there didn’t seem to be many in the punnet. I bought some rhubarb sticks; sadly, there was none ready cut. And we got more Vogel bread, bananas and Havarti cheese slices, which I’ve been unable to get. I like to get a large container of Greek yoghurt sweetened with honey: they had five other flavours (plain, lite, vanilla, mixed berry, and blueberry), but no honey-sweetened yoghurt. I don’t like the berry one, so I got blueberry flavoured. It was quiet there, which was nice.
I am amazed again looking at the devastating weather conditions, worsened by the fog at Wellington Airport earlier today. Again, DG, we flew to Australia from Auckland and back into Wellington, avoiding any disruptions.
It’s now Wednesday February 1st.
Last night I had a really bad night. Reactions to my infusion really kicked in. After trying to get to sleep, I realised there was a problem with my legs. It wasn’t cramp or Restless Leg Syndrome, but more like the “growing pains” I had experienced while growing up. I took one Sinemet tablet, but felt very nauseous and didn’t dare to take more. I wondered if the Sinemet would interfere with my Aclasta infusion. I got out and read the fact sheet I’d been given. It didn’t say anything about “growing pains”; it said, rather heartlessly I thought, that surely a few side effects was better than having a fall! Well, I suppose it is, but I had a very uncomfortable night. I got up to get a drink at one point, thinking that might help. Perhaps it did; who knows. I listened to many podcasts, one (American Scandal) about a case in Chicago in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s of brutality by while police against black suspects. It was truly shocking. And it’s happened again, with Tyre Nichols. The (police), i.e. the gang in blue are still just that – the gang in blue.
In Auckland and northern areas heavy rainfall continues, but it doesn’t affect everyone, of course. Newly elected mayor Wayne Brown needs a lesson in making the media his friend; then he could take some control over the narrative. He manages to look heartless and uncaring, when people want someone to take charge and inspire them. New Prime Minister Hipkins is doing rather well, on the other hand. Former Prime Minister Ardern has posted on Instagram, giving some really useful information. Now she’s one to take charge in a crisis. Yesterday it was announced that in Auckland ECE (Early Childhood Education Centres) can open if it is safe to do so. Today it’s announced that schools can open from tomorrow (Thursday).
That’s it for now. Tomorrow I hope to go to my Thursday singing group, providing I have a better night/ Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi nui.
Today is (still) Monday January 30th, 2023. Kia ora!
It seems that Prince Harry’s memoir Spare is not being sold in large numbers; in fact, I haven’t seen a copy sold at all, and I’ve been to several Whitcoulls stores. It’s not even prominent in some of them. I saw one woman in Queensgate Mall stopping to look at a copy, while her teenage daughters urged her away.
In Australia, everything is bigger and better. Our relatives have big covered outdoor areas with large tables and plenty of comfortable furniture, as well as many comfortable table chairs. They seem to have a lot of things that would be regarded as quite expensive luxuries here.
Our niece has a large pool, which is fenced, and has a hammock and poolside covered area with comfortable furniture. There are overhead fans. As it got hotter, we moved inside, where there are lots more couches and comfortable chairs. They are so well set up for big family parties.
It’s strange here. I’m not drinking nearly as much tea and coffee as I usually do. Everything tastes a little different. Everything is different. Ordering coffee is tricky: JD rushes to order a “long black” for me; something comes which is certainly “long” and “black”, but in no way resembles a strong espresso coffee in a small coffee cup, without milk or sugar, In Australia, if you want sugar, you usually have to request some, which is awkward if you’ve said No and the coffee turns out to be really bitter. Back in New Zealand, I sometimes add part of a sachet of raw sugar and don’t stir it. Naughty, I know, but it tends to make the coffee more drinkable.
The food here is – different (from what I’m expecting); the plates are too small; the knives aren’t nearly sharp enough, and everything is overcooked, sometimes with quite unpleasant cooking oil. It’s hard to get a salad, let alone a piece of fruit. I did get rather sick of platters, which sounded good but weren’t what I was expecting. There were lots of carrot and celery sticks, and dukkha (or bird seed, for Philistines like myself). The bread, however, is great.
On Wednesday we were to fly to Melbourne. There was some confusion as to how early we had to report to Adelaide Airport and check in. I had a bath, dressed and packed, and got a message from Qantas to check in to our flight. I checked both of us in. At least we were sitting together, albeit at the back of the plane.
Eventually we got to the airport, but there my mobile phone had no internet connection! JD asked a Qantas staff member to print out boarding passes; then we could scan them to print baggage tags. The baggage tags did not work as well as the Air New Zealand ones. We loaded our suitcases on the baggage rack; there was a nervous moment when the machine thought my suitcase was over weight, but we knew it wasn’t, and it disappeared.
Then we went through security, and the fun really started. Unlike in Auckland, I could use one tray for my two bags. They disappeared though while there were delays. However security at Adelaide Airport for our domestic flight was, frankly, over the top.
My precious carry-on bags disappeared while I went through the body scanner. You had to step up and onto it, which was tricky for me. It had markers where you were supposed to put your feet, which were uncomfortably far apart for me. I was told I didn’t have to have my feet that far apart. I had to spread my arms.
When I got through, the lady doing the scan had found some areas of concern, although it was very hot and I was only wearing pants, a cotton skirt, and a bra, and sandals. She offered to take me to a private room. Was she going to do a full body search? A strip search? No, she was going to pat me down. As already I couldn’t see my precious handbag, I opted for the pat-down there and then.
Having got through that, I walked further on, to where an officious border guard insisted on emptying my handbag. My passport, my precious 50th wedding anniversary ring, and other contents were roughly spilled out. He found a pair of nail scissors, which had escaped detection to date, and which of course are very useful to have handy. I had to ditch them, which is really not a problem. He shuffled things back into my bag, and shoved me forward. I wanted to check the contents, but there was nowhere to sit. I did manage to check, however, and everything seemed to be intact.
Next we tried to have an early lunch. There was a cafe with cabinet food, but very few seats. Next to it was a pub, very well patronised, and we found a table there. All the things I felt like eating were off the menu, since it was after 11am. There was no coffee menu like there usually is in New Zealand.
We found another place to eat which claimed to use “locally sourced” ingredients. The staff were very friendly and it looked new and modern. JD ordered a burger and I ordered a chicken panini, and a double espresso, thinking that would be a safe choice. JD also ordered a glass of chardonnay and some orange juice, which he shared with me. Australian orange juice is delicious.
The panini came with chips, on a barely big enough plate. The bun was not what we would regard as a panini bun; it was a large thick oblong bun, a bit over-toasted. When I tried to remove half of the top, I managed to spill some of the contents on the table. Actually the food was delicious; the chicken was in small pieces and it had been marinated; there was lots of red cabbage. The coffee turned up first – it was tiny! Instead the waitress offered to get me a “long black”. Which she did, and when it came it was almost like what I would call a “long black” coffee.
Although I did not intend to eat the chips, they were delicious and I did eat quite a few, leaving most of the bun, which was really difficult to cut with the knife they’d given me.
Afterwards we went to the W.H.Smith bookshop nearby, to get something to read on the plane. I saw no books by New Zealand authors and no New Zealand magazines. There were some specials, but I found a Vera novel by Ann Cleeves and chose that. It wasn’t on special, of course.
While JD was still looking, I realized I needed to use a restroom. I headed off past Starbucks, probably in the wrong direction, since I had to walk a very long way to find one. Again I longed for the Hartford -Jackson Airport in Atlanta, with its bathroom signs – pink and blue. I guess you decide which applies, rather than figuring out the disturbing pictures of ladies – always wearing skirts. And men – always wearing trousers
The Qantas/Air New Zealand flight from Adelaide was what they call “very full”, one of those mystifying terms. To me, a thing is either full or it’s not. Air NZ now has a codeshare arrangement with Qantas (5 1/2 years ago it was with Virgin Australia). JD accepted Qantas’ offer to put his carry-on back pack in the hold, but was refused.
The plane was a Boeing 737, I suspect an older and less fuel-efficient vehicle, but despite six recent Qantas flights that had experienced technical difficulties, since we had left New Zealand on 18 January, it got us safely to Melbourne. I was glad to have bought my new novel. It was very readable.
There was a snack served on the plane: a cold drink (no tea or coffee, which I would have preferred), and a small sealed container with corn chips, spring onion dip, and sliced carrot and celery sticks. It’s amazing how you eat whatever is being offered, since it serves to pass the time, and you don’t know when you’ll get to eat again.
We landed without incident, and rather than descending via the air bridge (as we’d boarded the plane), we descended by the steps at the back door, since we were sitting near the rear of the plane. The steps were all right, and we walked on the tarmac – I guess you’re allowed to now – and then up two flights of stairs to the terminal building. Now that I wasn’t prepared for.
We made our way to Baggage Claim, where there were lots of people. We waited hopefully by one carousel for our bags to appear, but it was the wrong one. JD tried to get a baggage trolley, but in Melbourne you have to pay for them! So we didn’t. Our suitcases are both walkers. Meanwhile JD was texting his sister, who had come to meet us. He realized we were waiting at the wrong carousel, so we moved, and thankfully our bags turned up.
We met our sister who had stopped nearby, by some magic of her charm and a photo of my disability parking permit – evidently you can use it in Victoria, Australia. We then drove to her home in Geelong. Thankfully the traffic wasn’t too bad.
The next day was a quiet one, binging on her television set. We watched A Very British Scandal, about Margaret Argyll, who was married to the Earl of Argyll and was briefly mother-in-law of Lady Colin Campbell. I had always wanted to watch this series.
We also watched an episode of Annika, the new detective series on Neon staring Nicola Walker, and a long episode of Taggart, set in the gritty city of Glasgow.
By then it was truly bedtime, and we’d watched far too much television for one day. We comforted ourselves with the thought that this made up for days of not watching any television at all. Does mobile phone screen time count? I hope not!
The next day we were to go to Melbourne, firstly to the Lume at the Melbourne Convention Centre, called Monet and Friends. It was quite wonderful, with photographic displays over the ceiling and walls of the large hall. At one corner was a café, where we had lunch, after waiting to be seated. You had to scan a QR code into your phone, which enabled you to see the menu, order and pay – all quite a challenge. My other sister-in-law and I had a ham and cheese croissant; JD had French toast (Pain Perdu) which came with ice cream! I had some coffee – somewhat unsuccessfully; the water was good. After this wonderful display we exited – through the Gift Shop, of course! That had many beautiful things. A son’s partner has a birthday coming up: I got her a present, and then presents for all my grandchildren. They wouldn’t take cash there but did take my debit card. I bought some postcards to send to my daughter, and we bought a CD of the music played (never mind that Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake isn’t French music). What a beautiful set up, and how very good at relieving one of one’s money.
After this we walked to the wonderful NGV (National Gallery of Victoria). It was 2 km, a 20 minute walk, but I thought I was up for it. We walked along the Southbank, along with many other people, having several rests along the way in areas shaded by trees. Eventually we reached the Gallery. There was an Alexander McQueen exhibition on there, which followed closely the documentary we’d seen on Te Whakaata Māori. It was wonderful to see his magnificent designs again. Then we dashed upstairs to see the famous Tiepolo painting of Cleopatra’s Feast. It had been moved, though, and looked quite different this time. The gallery was to close for an hour, and we tried to figure out how to have coffee, and get back to the car. I was pretty well all done in i.e. totally exhausted by now. Our sister got a rickshaw to take us back instead of walking – a huge relief, although we all had to cram up to sit three abreast on the seat. After we were belted in, the driver/ bike rider took us back to the Convention Centre parking building. We then drove back to Geelong. Thankfully because we’d been to the Monet and Friends exhibition, we were able to leave the car there until 6 pm, and the parking was free!
The next day was our last one in Geelong. We went to the library, to look out over the city from the sixth floor; we then went to the gallery next door – very unprepossessing, but a great and gracious gallery, nonetheless. There was an exhibition of art works by Mandy Martin, a member of the PAM (Progressive Art Movement). There was a large and confronting photo about immigrants, and of course paintings about colonial life, with all its difficulties, and frequent deaths. After that we drove out to Portarlington, where we had coffee and delicious donuts, and sent my daughter a photo of us all.
Meantime, tanks are being sent to Ukraine, from Germany, Poland, and the US; in a truly shocking incident a black man was beaten to death by five black police officers. How can this still happen, after the George Floyd killing and consequent protests and hand-wringing? The video is really upsetting, to hear him calling for his “mom. What was he pulled over for? He was just going home! For some reason I find this incident so very upsetting.
In the UK former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zakawi, has finally been sacked. He was leader of the Tory Party. There was some huge tax issue, which has been hanging around for days; now he’s gone, perhaps.
Today is (still) Monday January 30th, 2023. Kia ora!
It seems that Prince Harry’s memoir Spare is not being sold in large numbers; in fact, I haven’t seen a copy sold at all, and I’ve been to several Whitcoulls stores. It’s not even prominent in some of them. I saw one woman in Queensgate Mall stopping to look at a copy, while her teenage daughters urged her away.
In Australia, everything is bigger and better. Our relatives have big covered outdoor areas with large tables and plenty of comfortable furniture, as well as many comfortable table chairs. They seem to have a lot of things that would be regarded as quite expensive here.
Our niece has a large pool, which is fenced, and has a hammock and poolside covered area with comfortable furniture. There are overhead fans. As it got hotter, we moved inside, where there are lots more couches and comfortable chairs. They are so well set up for big family parties.
It’s strange here. I’m not drinking nearly as much tea and coffee as I usually do. Everything tastes a little different. Everything is different. Ordering coffee is tricky: JD rushes to order a “long black” for me; something comes which is certainly “long” and “black”, but in no way resembles a strong espresso coffee in a small coffee cup, without milk of sugar, In Australia, if you want sugar, you usually have to request some, which is awkward if you’ve said No and the coffee turns out to be really bitter. Back in New Zealand, I sometimes add part of a sachet of war sugar and don’t stir it. Naughty, I know, but it tends to make the coffee more drinkable.
The food here is – different (from what I’m expecting); the plates are too small; the knives aren’t nearly sharp enough, and everything is overcooked, sometimes with quite unpleasant cooking oil. It’s hard to get a salad, let alone a piece of fruit. I did get rather sick of platters, which sounded good but weren’t what I was expecting. There were lots of carrot and celery sticks, and dukkha (or bird seed, for Philistines like myself). The bread, however, is great.
On Wednesday we were to fly to Melbourne. There was some confusion as to how early we had to report to Adelaide Airport and check in. I had a bath, dressed and packed, and got a message from Qantas to check in to our flight. I checked both of us in. At least we were sitting together;
Eventually we got to the airport, but there my mobile phone had no internet connection! JD asked a Qantas staff member to print out boarding passes; then we could scan them to print baggage tags. The baggage tags did not work as well as the Air New Zealand ones. We loaded our suitcases on the baggage rack; there was a nervous moment when the machine thought my suitcase was over weight, but we knew it wasn’t, and it disappeared.
Then we went through security, and the fun really started. Unlike in Auckland, I could use one tray for my two bags. They disappeared though while there were delays. However security at Adelaide Airport for our domestic flight was, frankly, over the top.
My precious carry-on bags disappeared while I went through the body scanner. You had to step up and on it, which was tricky for me. It had markers where you were supposed to put your feet, which were uncomfortably far apart for me. I was told I didn’t have to have my feet that far apart. I had to spread my arms.
When I got through, the lady doing the scan had found some areas of concern, although it was very hot and I was only wearing pants, a cotton skirt, and a bra, and sandals. She offered to take me to a private room. Was she going to do a full body search? A strip search! No, she was going to pat me down. As already I couldn’t see my precious handbag, I opted for the pat-down there and then.
Having got through that, I walked further on, to where an officious border guard insisted on emptying my handbag. My passport, my precious 50th wedding anniversary ring, and other contents were roughly spilled out. He found a pair of nail scissors, which had escaped detection to date, and which of course are very useful to have handy. I had to ditch them, which is really not a problem. He shuffled things back into my bag, and shoved me forward. I wanted to check the contents, but there was nowhere to sit. I did manage to check, however, and everything seemed to be intact.
Next we tried to have an early lunch. There was a cafe with cabinet food, but very few seats. Next to it was a pub, very well patronised, and we found a table there. All the things I felt like eating were off the menu, since it was after 11am. There was no coffee menu like there usually is in New Zealand.
We found another place to eat which claimed to use “locally sourced” ingredients. The staff were very friendly and it looked new and modern. JD ordered a burger and I ordered a chicken panini, and a double espresso, thinking that would be a safe choice. JD also ordered a glass of chardonnay and some orange juice, which he shared with me. Australian orange juice is delicious.
The panini came with chips, on a barely big enough plate. The bun was not what we would regard as a panini bun; it was a large oblong bun, a bit over-toasted. When I tried to remove half of the top, I managed to spill some of the contents on the table. Actually the food was delicious; the chicken was in small pieces and it had been marinated; there was lots of red cabbage. The coffee turned up first – it was tiny! Instead the waitress offered to get me a “long black”. Which she did, and when it came it was almost like what I would call a “long black” coffee.
Although I did not intend to eat the chips, they were delicious and I did eat quite a few, leaving most of the bun, which was really difficult to cut with the knife they’d given me.
Afterwards we went to the W.H.Smith bookshop nearby, to get something to read on the plane. I saw no books by New Zealand authors and no New Zealand magazines. There were sone specials, but I found a Vera novel by Ann Cleeves and chose that. It wasn’t on special, of course.
While JD was still looking, I realized I needed to use a restroom. I headed off past Starbucks, probably in the wrong direction, since I had to walk a very long way to find one. Again I longed for the Hartford -Jackson Airport in Atlanta, with its bathroom signs – pink and blue. I guess you decide which applies, rather than figuring out the disturbing pictures of ladies – always wearing skirts. And men – always wearing trousers
The Qantas/Air New Zealand flight from Adelaide was what they call “very full”, one of those mystifying terms. To me, a thing is either full or it’s not. Air NZ now has a codeshare arrangement with Qantas (5 1/2 years ago it was with Virgin Australia). JD accepted Qantas’ offer to put his carry-on back pack in the hold, but was refused.
The plane was a Boeing 737, I suspect an older and less fuel-efficient vehicle, but despite six recent Qantas flights that had experienced technical difficulties, since we had left New Zealand on 18 January, it got us safely to Melbourne. I was glad to have bought my new novel. It was very readable.
There was a snack served on the plane: a cold drink (no tea or coffee, which I would have preferred), and a small sealed container with corn chips, spring onion dip, and sliced carrot and celery sticks.
We landed without incident, and rather than descending via the air bridge (as we’d boarded the plane), we descended by the steps at the back door, since we were sitting near the rear of the plane. The steps were all right, and we walked on the tarmac – I guess you’re allowed now – and then up two flights of stairs to the terminal building. Now that I wasn’t prepare for.
We made our way to Baggage Claim, where there were lots of people. We waited hopefully by one carousel for our bags to appear, but it was the wrong one. JD tried to get a baggage trolley, but in Melbourne you have to pay for them! So we didn’t. Our suitcases are both walkers. Meanwhile JD was texting his sister, who had come to meet us. He realized we were waiting at the wrong carousel, so we moved, and thankfully our bags turned up.
We met our sister who had stopped nearby, by some magic of her charm and my disability parking pass – evidently you can use it in Victoria, Australia. We then drove to her home in Geelong. Thankfully the traffic wasn’t too bad.
The next day was a quiet one, binging on her television. We watched A Very British Scandal, about Margaret Argyll, who was married to the Earl of Argyll and was briefly mother-in-law of Lady Colin Campbell. I had always wanted to watch this series.
We also watched an episode of Annika, the new detective series on Neon staring Nicola Walker, and a long episode of Taggart, set in the gritty city of Glasgow.
By then it was truly bedtime, and we’d watched far too much television for one day. We comforted ourselves with the thought that this made up for days of not watching any television at all. Does mobile phone screen time count? I hope not!
The next day we were to go to Melbourne, firstly to the Lume at the Melbourne Convention Centre, called Monet and Friends. It was quite wonderful, with photographic displays over the ceiling and walls of the large hall. At one corner was a café, where we had lunch, after waiting to be seated. You had to scan a QR code into your phone, which enabled you to see the menu, order and pay – all quite a challenge. My other sister-in-law and I had a ham and cheese croissant; JD had French toast (Pain Perdu) which came with ice cream! I had some coffee – somewhat unsuccessfully; the water was good. After this wonderful display we exited – through the Gift Shop, of course! That had many beautiful things. A son’s partner has a birthday coming up: I got her a present, and then presents for all my grandchildren. They wouldn’t take cash there but did take my debit card. I bought some postcards to send to my daughter, and we bought a CD of the music played (never mind that Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake isn’t French music). What a beautiful set up, and how very good at relieving one of one’s money.
After this we walked to the wonderful NGV (National Gallery of Victoria). It was 2 km, a 20 minute walk, but I thought I was up for it. We walked along the Southbank, along with many other people, having several rests along the way in areas shaded by trees. Eventually we reached the Gallery. There was an Alexander McQueen exhibition on there, which followed closely the documentary we’d seen on Te Whakaata Māori. It was wonderful to see his magnificent designs again. Then we dashed upstairs to see the famous Tiepolo painting of Cleopatra’s Feast. It had been moved, though, and looked quite different this time. The gallery was to close for an hour, and we tried to figure out how to have coffee, and get back to the car. I was pretty well all done in my now. Our sister got a rickshaw to take us back instead of walking – a huge relief, although we all had to cram up to sit three abreast on the seat. After we were belted in, the driver/ bike rider took us back to the Convention Centre parking building. We then drove back to Geelong.
The next day was our last one in Geelong. We went to the library, to look out over the city from the sixth floor; we then went to the gallery next door – very unprepossessing, but a great and gracious gallery, nonetheless. There was an exhibition of art works by Mandy Martin, a member of the PAM (Progressive Art Movement). There was a large and confronting photo about immigrants, and of course paintings about colonial life, with all its difficulties, and frequent deaths. After that we drove out to Portarlington, where we had coffee and delicious donuts, and sent my daughter a photo of us all.
Meantime, tanks are being sent to Ukraine, from Germany, Poland, and the US; in a truly shocking incident a black man was beaten to death by five black police officers. How can this still happen, after the George Floyd killing and consequent protests and hand-wringing? The video is really upsetting, to hear hum calling for his “mom. What was he pulled over for? He was just going home! For some reason I find this incident so very upsetting.
In the UK former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zakawi, has finally been sacked. He was leader of the Tory Party. There was some huge tax issue, which has been hanging around for days; now he’s gone, perhaps.
That’s it for now. See the next instalment for our (not so) exciting flight home. Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi nui.
In New Zealand, Chris Hipkins has made a very smooth transition to becoming Prime Minister. And there’s been dreadful rainfall and consequent flooding in Auckland, resulting in the Domestic and International Airports being closed. Thank goodness we aren’t scheduled to fly through Auckland this time.
That’s it for now. See the next instalment for our (not so) exciting flight home. Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi nui.
We arrived at Auckland International Airport at around 6:20 am on Wednesday January 18th for our flight which was scheduled to depart at 8:25 am. There already seemed to be hundreds of people there already. An overhead notice advised us to go to Zone A. We duly checked in at a kiosk and printed baggage tags and boarding passes. Then we went to load our checked baggage. This was trickier, but we eventually figured it out.
Then we went through security, and came across the first duty-free store, a large one, which seemed to sell only alcohol and make-up. JD didn’t want to carry any more stuff, so we walked until we came to a Food Hall. Thankfully I had looked up to see what food options were available beforehand, and I ordered ciabatta toast and spreads and a long black coffee from Aroha. The toast came in a cardboard tray, and I selected butter, strawberry jam and peanut butter sachets, wooden cutlery, and paper napkins. I had found us a table nearby. The toast, which I shared with JD, turned out to be a good choice.
Then we walked what seemed like a very long way (with several travellators – perhaps 6), to Gate 18, where we sat and waited, again. On the way I used a rest room, where the toilet flushes automatically!
The plane was boarded in sections, from the rear of the plane first. We were seated in row 23. The overhead lockers had plenty of room, but our seats had little space, less than the plane we’d flown in the previous night.
The flight time was almost 5 hours. It was very smooth for the most part. They served breakfast, but this took ages to arrive, and I was so glad I’d had some toast at the airport. Breakfast was chorizo frittata or muesli, a chocolate Danish pastry, and a hot drink. The frittata was very nice, actually.
I tried to watch the movie Mrs Harris Goes to Paris with the lovely Lesley Manville. I’d seen it before, of course, but I was happy to watch it again, especially once I realised the small paper parcel I was sitting on contained headphones! Actually they weren’t very good, and kept falling out of my ears. Also, I couldn’t tilt the screen, and wished I’d been a few inches taller. That was annoying. I could cross my legs, but i did get really uncomfortable.
We had a smooth landing, but it took a long time to get off the plane. Than we queued up for some entry check, I don’t know what they call it here. It took a very long time. The checkers were meticulous. No E-passport swift entry gates here. On the plane I had managed to find my sister-in-law’s address in my diary in my travel bag, so at least I had that.
We eventually got through, and retrieved our checked luggage. Thankfully it had arrived intact. Then we queued up for another check, before emerging into the airport proper. En route I used a rest room which was very Hi-Tech, not with a loo that flushed automatically, but with a large sink, where you put your hands out for warm water, liquid soap, and drying. Now the latter I had not seen before.
Our sister was there to meet us, and drove us to her home. We had seen it on our last visit, when she was in the process of buying it, but she has done so much to it since she moved in!
We are in Gawler, which is a rather beautiful and quaint old town, with lots of very pretty older brick cottages. The local government keeps doing odd things with the roadworks, but that’s no great matter, it’s still charming, for the most part. I had forgotten that in Adelaide and surrounding areas, the sun is the enemy, to be shut out, and the interiors are quite dark. There are lots and lots of trees, many of them very big ones.
When we arrived it was quite cool, by their standards, having just had a heat wave. We joked that we’d brought Wellington weather with us, but without the humidity. My phone shows me the temperature in Churton Park each day along with Gawler, and it’s sometimes cooler in Gawler than in Wellington. It’s very comfortable for me. I’ve brought the right clothes, for once! I’ve brought clothes that I would normally take to Napier, perhaps not even wearing them in Wellington. It’s nice to be warm enough, without wearing lots of warm clothes.
The next day we called in at our niece’s house, and then went shopping, again marvelling that Australia has the edge on New Zealand with its ability to offer more consumer goods. We picked up wine from a liquor store. Although they had overseas wines, I did not see a single New Zealand wine there, other than a bottle of Oyster Bay Pinot Gris at $20.
We drove out into the Barossa Valley to have lunch at Lyndoch. I had the pasta special with prawns, forgetting how messy pasta can be to eat. I hesitated between this and the fish special (snapper), my favourite, but it came with Thai basil, which I’ve previously reacted badly to. Afterwards I asked for a small long black coffee; when it came, it was much bigger than I expected, and I had to take it away with us. It was good coffee, but I should have ordered an espresso, I think.
That evening there was a family dinner, with perhaps 25 people there? Thoughtfully my sister had ordered platters and had grazing food available, with lots to drink. These Australian homes are great for entertaining with big dining tables and big, covered outdoor areas and lots of comfortable furniture, which absorb a lot of people. JD regaled us all with the family story behind the gift (a painting) we’d brought for his sister. Amazingly, it arrived intact, in my suitcase. We’d considered carrying it as hand luggage, but decided that would be quite problematic to do so. I’m glad we made the right decision.
This is the first family gathering after JD’s mother died in 2019; before that, they met at a nephew’s wedding in 2017. So it’s a significant occasion, where there are a few new faces, a few new children, a few new ailments, but thanks for the opportunity to be together once more. Again, we of my and my husband’s generation marvel at how amazingly well our precious children and grandchildren and great nieces and nephews have turned out, despite their somewhat dysfunctional parents. Our children have turned out to be great parents, too.
The next day most of us gathered for lunch at a restaurant in the Barossa Valley. What a beautiful part of the country this is! A beautiful, fertile landscape. Having lunch was a great idea. Thoughtfully we’d been asked to send through our orders the night before, so although there were so many of us, there was plenty of room and it was very well-organised.
Later some of us had a barbecue dinner at our niece’s house, which again had plenty of space, indoors and out. There was a breeze in the evening, which had some of us reaching for cardigans and jackets. There were some great discussions about politics both in New Zealand and in Australia.
Amongst all this came the dreadful news that Prime Minister Arden is resigning as our Prime Minister. I first learnt this on Thursday morning. We’d stopped to pick up some wine, and I happened to check my phone. The Guardian headline it came up with was Ardern’s resignation as Prime Minister. Then I looked at the Stuff i.e. Dom post website and saw a photo of National Party Leader Christopher Luxon smiling.
In my email was a message from Ardern, explaining the rationale for her decision. Of course, I can totally understand it, but it is still a devastating shock. Her “star power” was really something. Some have written about her amazing legacy; others have written about the vitriol and misogyny she encountered as people became more and more sick of Covid-19, and the restrictions imposed became very frustrating. It wasn’t her fault, for goodness sake! The MIQ lottery caused great grief, too, although it protected us all here for so long. I think perhaps people have forgotten how devastating Covid 19’s impact was initially, when hundreds of people were dying, and health and hospital and funeral services were overwhelmed. Thankfully they weren’t overwhelmed here, although things got quite serious at times.
Many of us greatly admired and appreciated the work of Prime Minister Ardern, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Grant Robertson (and others) to look after us so we’ll, but this turned into some pretty violent protests and campaigns against vaccination and measures to protect us (and the health system). I was not an early fan of Prime Minister Ardern, having become very cynical about politics, but I was won over, especially with her (and Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson’s) firm and decisive handing of the Covid 19 pandemic from its outset in early 2020. I turned into a huge fan of her common sense, intelligent appeal.
Now there are no restrictions, but still at least 50 people dying each week, and things are by no means “back to normal”. Or perhaps it’s a new normal. This pandemic has certainly gone on for longer than many of us expected.
I feel very sorry for Prime Minister Ardern having to deal with the Christchurch mosque shootings, the White Island Tragedy, and then the pandemic. She handled them incredibly well.
What a strange time! People are saying Chris Hipkins is most likely to become to next PM. I guess he’s The Best of the Rest, then, given that Grant Robertson is not contending for the role, but I fear this era is over. Aotearoa/New Zealand was a nation that the rest of the world could look up to, for many things: a good Labour Government that cared about people over business profits. For a time the NZ government demonstrated sanity as opposed to the governments of Scomo in Australia, Bojo in the UK, and Trump in the US. Now they have gone, and Prime Minister Ardern will soon go too. Let’s hope New Zealand doesn’t go hard far-right authoritarian in future, where women are subjugated (again), and abortion and being gay are difficult if not illegal. Prime Minister Ardern, thank you for your service, and for being quite wonderful. You are greatly admired and appreciated. In the event, Chris Hipkins is the new Prime Minister, Carmel Sepuloni is his deputy, and Grant Robertson will be a list MP. The handover has gone incredibly smoothly; Jacinda Ardern has stood down gracefully, unmarked by scandal, with her reputation intact, unlike Scott Morrison, Boris Johnson or Donald Trump. It’s really sad that she’s gone, but Chippy (as he’s known) seems to be stepping up to the mark. Perhaps all is not lost.
Saturday January 21st is party day, and the temperature promises to get up to 30 C. It’s already fine and warm. The party is due to start at 4 pm. We both wash our hair, and, like Kate Middleton, I will do my own makeup. (She’s rumoured to have done her own makeup on her wedding day, an aspect of her character that adds to greatly my admiration of her). JD and I try to stay out of the way. I shower and wash my hair, and blow-dry it, but it doesn’t look great
Already I feel rather dowdy.
Sister-in-law had arranged for a friend to give us a lift to the Hewett Centre, where the party is to be held. The party was great fun, although we knew very few people there other than family. There was a lovely area outside for children of all ages to play cricket. The air conditioner inside is quite cold, but outside there is plenty of room.
Inside the family commandeer one of the perhaps 5 – 6 tables. We help ourselves to some of the finger food on a table near the entrance. I help myself to some very nice bread, and dips (tzatziki and hummus?) and some camembert cheese.
Eventually there are speeches, led off by JD. Then there is the Birthday Song, and cake cutting. During this time platters of hot food are brought out – pizza, some very nice sliders, skewers with beef and chicken, chicken bites, mini spring rolls and so on.
The cake is cut and slices put on individual plates with forks. It is a vanilla sponge with pink frosting.
At 8 pm we vacate the venue, and return to my sister’s house. After a while I head off to bed. There are some drunken forays into my room looking for the toilet, and it gets very loud, but somehow I go off to sleep.
The next day is Sunday, and as we are only 2 1/2 hours behind New Zealand, I dial into Sunday church service on my phone. I have to install zoom first, and it’s complicated, but I manage to dial in without video.
Later in the morning we all gather at my niece’s house nearby. What an amazing set up she has, with a large pool, a hammock, and comfortable covered seating both indoors and out.
We have a beautiful barbecue lunch. There were delicious lamb chops and sausages, but the highlight was a Mexican Salad which worked really well. I think it would be suitable for vegans with non- dairy sour cream and non-dairy grated cheese.
In the evening we had a quiche for tea.
On Monday January 23rd we went sailing. Most of the family came, plus another friend. I think everyone wore trousers except for me: I hadn’t brought any, thinking it would be too hot to wear them. We drove into Adelaide to go sailing. I was well-equipped with sunhats and sunscreen. It was very hot, but breezy on the water. Our sister had packed an amazing picnic lunch. My only “gripe” was that it was quite difficult to see anything outside. I had thought we were going to do a river sailing, but we just sailed out to the harbour entrance and back.
The sailing was booked from 2 – 4 pm. Afterwards we had an early dinner at the Birkenhead Hotel. I had a cup of coffee, a glass of tonic water with ice, and salmon on wild rice with salad. On the way there, we drove past our sister’s old house, the one where we’d stayed when we last came to Adelaide, almost six years ago.
People from the extended family were leaving now. The next day, Tuesday January 24th, we drove up the beautiful Barossa Valley again, this time to Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop. We bought some goodies for our sister-in-law in Geelong, and shared two platters for lunch: a meat platter with pâté, salami, and pear chutney and beetroot chutney, and another platter with olive oil and dukkha. I had delicious coffee -two small cup! I finally got some delicious coffee that I really enjoyed. I thought I had ordered a regular coffee with an extra shot, not expecting too much. It was all very nice.
Afterwards we visited Tanunda, a beautiful small town. The houses are so picturesque! We bought red wine and chocolates.
Then we visited our niece’s house again before ordering pizza for dinner for our last night in Gawler.
Tomorrow: Wednesday January 25th, Melbourne here we come!
I haven’t blogged for several days. So what has happened? On Thursday afternoon I met a friend for coffee; on Friday morning I met another friend for coffee. It was lovely to see them both. On Friday afternoon I picked up some airline tickets: we are off to a sister’s 70th birthday party in Australia, another Big Family Event.
On Saturday afternoon we went to Queensgate. It’s always busy there, but I did manage to get a dress (like my daughter’s dress, that I had admired so much when we were in Napier). There was one left in size 10; the others were much larger. I tried it on, and it fitted perfectly. It has semi-sleeves, no pesky waist line, and no zips or buttons. I am stoked to find something that is so comfortable to wear. I also tried on some other garments: a nice top, which was a little large at size 12, and a pleated green skirt with a stretchy top. I am weighing up what to get – they have a special on giving 50% off the price of a second garment. I find a counter, but it’s busy, and the single lady serving seems to be taking ages over each transaction. I asked her to hold the garments I’d tried on, while I looked around for more, thinking I might buy four garments, with two at half price. I didn’t find anything else I wanted, and found the “Please pay here” station again. There was still the same woman serving, but by now there was quite a queue to be served. Eventually another staff member turned up, and I queued up to be served by her. She told me that the discount did not apply to the skirt I’d selected, so I ended up just getting the dress. I don’t think it’s particularly kosher to fancy your daughter’s dress, but I’ve searched several Farmers’ stores, and I’m very pleased to find it.
Eventually I made my way out of Farmers, and went to find the H & M store. Strangely, there was nothing I wanted to buy there! This is most unusual for me. They had cream jackets for $39!, but I already have cream jackets. I made my way to Whitcoulls, where I had a lovely browse, and bought JD’s birthday present. Nobody was buying Prince Harry’s Spare. (Note: he’s presently 5yh in line to the throne of England, not 4th).
Eventually I met JD at The Coffee Club café, where the food was fine but the coffee wasn’t great. I ordered a small coffee, and JD a medium, but my small coffee was far larger than what I’m used to.
We’ve been watching Annika starring Nicola Walker on Neon – a new series set in Scotland. Between this, and re-watching the Winds of War, and watching anything worth watching on free-to-air television, there are lots of things to see at present. The latest series (series 5) of The Crown is now showing on Netflix, so I can watch that – without JD. I watched an episode with Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret. I have a lot of time for Lesley Manville, but I do not like Staunton as Queen Elizabeth. I greatly admired Claire Foy, and I thought Olivia Colman was quite good, but I guess I’ll have to put up with it! On Sunday evenings we have McDonald and Dodds, and a new series of Happy Valley with Sarah Lancashire on Monday nights; a new series of Call the Midwife on television one as well, so there’s plenty to watch at the moment.
On Sunday morning we are due to go to the Ngaio Union Church, but I don’t particularly want to go there – it’s hard to get to, for a start, and I really don’t want to catch covid; also, they don’t have zoom. Instead, I manage to zoom into a service at St John’s Presbyterian Church in Willis St. They have a very good website, advising people what to expect when they come to church. I guess that being inner-city they get plenty of visitors.
On Monday what did I do? Packing to travel to Australia was tricky: should we take the birthday present in my suitcase, trusting that it would arrive safely; would my luggage fit on top? Would my suitcase still weigh less than 23 kg? As we were to stay a night in Auckland, the logistics were quite tricky, as I didn’t want to have to delve into the suitcase, but of course needed my meds and some cosmetics in a carry bag. I also wanted to take some bling in my handbag, not trusting it to my checked luggage. We ate leftover Chinese takeaways for dinner.
On Tuesday January 17th we were to fly to Auckland late afternoon. We used up the remaining eggs in the fridge for lunch.
Today is Friday January 20th, 2023. Kia ora from sunny Gawler (near Adelaide)!
We took the plunge and flew to Australia for a sister-in-law’s 70th birthday party. It was to be a big family occasion – how could we not go? We haven’t been “overseas”, even to Australia, since 2017, almost 6 years ago, so it all seemed quite different and quite a novelty.
I made a list, and we established that the birthday present would fit into my large suitcase. We further established, after I’d packed my clothes, that it was under the 23kg limit. JD would take a small suitcase and a backpack.
We were to fly to Auckland, stay overnight in the Novotel Hotel near Auckland Airport, and fly to Adelaide the next morning. Our bookings were all intact, thankfully. It was nice to be able to check on the Air NZ ap.
We ordered a taxi to Wellington Airport, and arrived very early. Better early than late, however. A kind Air New Zealand staff member helped us log in at the kiosk. JD went to get some Australian money, despite the high exchange rate. An overhead sign indicated that we should go through security. We did this without incident, and we through to our gate lounge – far too early. We watched the flight to Auckland before ours be boarded, and we continued to wait. There was one café there, but it was closed, so we couldn’t have anything to eat or drink either.
Eventually we boarded our flight to Auckland. The new plane (Airbus 321 Neo) had more legroom than we were expecting, and the seat next to JD was empty. When we got to Auckland, we retrieved our bags. There was to be a shuttle to the Novotel, which was a 15 minute walk away, but we waited while several other buses came and went. Eventually we decided to walk to the Novotel. It had been raining in Auckland, and was quite cold, way below the 24 C that had been forecast. I was glad I’d brought my puffer jacket.
We eventually got to the hotel, although it wasn’t clear how to get there. At the entrance there was a strange circular entry, which I had some trouble negotiating. And then the real trouble began. The hotel did not have a reservation for us, under either of our names, or the travel agent’s name. A payment had been made to Expedia, but our booking was not there. I did not have a reservation sheet, but a summary of the payments that had been made, for the plane fares and the hotel booking. They pointed us to seats in the lobby, and we waited and waited for the receptionist and whatever higher authority she was consulting to make a decision. Eventually JD asked if there was a room we could use and pay for, and we would take it up with our travel agent on our return. There was a problem with that – the hotel was fully booked. They did find us a room, however, but it would cost $419 for the night (or what was left of it), and they required a $100 deposit for “incidentals”. The restaurant (a buffet) was due to close at 10 pm, but tonight it would close at 9:30 pm, thus ruling that out as an option. We were offered a voucher for the bar, but declined that – it was almost 10 pm by this time.
We finally got up to our room, which may have been a staff room, perhaps. The television was going, and there was no mini-bar. It certainly wasn’t a large room, and it was a bit cold. It was dark, too, in the room. We had to adjust the air conditioning. There were no nice toiletries to take away – only soap and shampoo containers, and compostable shower caps (I did take those). There were two bottles of water. There was a hot water jug and some tea bags.
We were very hungry by now, and ordered from the limited room service menu – a margherita pizza, to share, and two desserts: chocolate brownie with berry compote and ice cream, plus a glass of wine for JD. Eventually our order arrived, without plates to share the pizza, and only one dessert, with no ice cream. Nevertheless, JD tipped the waitress. I don’t mind tipping for good service, but for this?
I set the alarm on my phone for 5:15 am; there was no folder in our room and the hotel didn’t appear to offer wake up calls. I woke early, and showered; then JD got up and we checked out and went across to Auckland International Airport to check in two hours before our flight to Adelaide..
I’ll leave it there. More (not so) exciting news to follow! Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi nui.
Classic Barbarian 