A New Challenge

Suddenly, one evening in March, the central library closed. We were told that afternoon, so there was no chance for a final visit, no time to say Goodbye.

This presents an opportunity, I decided. Where else can I go to drink coffee, read magazines, browse and borrow books, use the restroom, in a warm environment where there are elevators and escalators, and the bus stop is near by? One is not rushed here – there is plenty of room, and plenty of time. The coffee and food aren’t always great, but the staff are cheerful (and helpful, sometimes), and one can linger, guilt-free. Unity Books is nearby, providing inspiration for new books to borrow.

So where can I go now? There must be a nice cafe, with seats with backs, and reasonable coffee…perhaps somewhere like Kaizen in Porirua?
I could go there by bus from Johnsonville, although the WRC in its wisdom changed the bus routes so that the buses to and from Johnsonville don’t stop outside Pataka any more. Now one has to walk to Porirua Station (about 20 minutes) – which is all right on a fine day, but not great when it’s cold, wet or windy.

Walking is usually a challenge in any city. While there are some walkways, pedestrian crossings are few and far between, and it does seem a tad dangerous to walk through a parking lot.

Perhaps I could check out the library at Tawa? The cafes there aren’t up to much. I had got used to WCL, come to terms with it, even had the seniors’ discount applied: they charge for renewals (you can only renew once!), for each day a book is returned late, and for reserves delivered to a local branch.

Outside Johnsonville Library the pedestrian crossing was removed. One must walk up or down Broderick Road to cross at a controlled crossing, an unpleasant chore if it is windy, so often it is preferable to go to Wellington Central Library.

Don’t they want us to use libraries and post offices? One wonders, sometimes. Access is a huge challenge – not just for me, but for parents and young children – or anyone on foot.

A new library is being built in Johnsonville next to the Keith Spry pool. I hope there will be a walkway to it from the shopping centre.

The transport changes are a challenge to which I have bravely risen. I know every bus stop in the Wellington area, and if you miss the bus, there’s usually another one in 30 minutes or so, so one always takes something to read. I’ve learnt to access Metlink on my phone so that I know if buses are replacing trains (a big thumbs down) or there is a delay or a signal failure.

There is a Library in Lower Hutt. Perhaps I will try that.

But WCL has been there for me on many dark, cold days. I will miss it.

Film Review: Daffodils

Yesterday we went to see the movie Daffodils.

This is a New Zealand-made film (about a marriage) with a very effective soundtrack of NZ music. Te Reo does not feature. It is very retro. It’s set in Hamilton.

This is the story of a singer’s parents – meeting, marrying, having a family, and divorcing. But while it is ultimately sad, there are many happy moments.

This story is set few years before JD and I met and got married in 1971, but there are many reminders in it of NZ in the 60’s, and while our parents were quite unlike theirs, there were many echoes in how things were done back then.

Reminders such as the crocheted blanket in the back of Eric’s car, the farewell party when Eric goes overseas, the fact that Rose learns typing at a Secretarial School (Technical College?), the wedding, the wedding photos (happy couple plus parents on both sides),the going away outfit and the decorated car – “just married”. And the scary moment while driving away when Rose wonders what happens now?

The nylon nightie she wears after they are married…
The first present VJD gave me was a very short frilly pink nylon nightie.

Then there is the ghastly flat (perhaps that hasn’t changed so much), the housing…the very beige/brown decor.

The expectations, not discussed….that Eric would continue to go to the pub with his mates, and that their band would practice back in his grotty flat. Eric drinks beer out of a Lion Brown large bottle – you can almost taste it.

It struck me during the film that no one ever asks Rose what she wants, and there is a huge lack of honesty that wouldn’t be acceptable nowadays. Eric and Rose don’t have honest discussions with each other, much less with their parents, who have pretty fixed views about everything (and aren’t prepared to change, or be nice). They love each other, of course.

I was also reminded of telling a friend about the underlying story of the Trojan War, when it occurred to me that no one asked Helen what she wanted, either. It was assumed she should be returned to her boring husband Menelaus – Odysseus visited their rather routine domesticity on his adventures back to his faithful Penelope. The Greeks had returned her to her husband, and honour was seen to be done. Did she want to run away with Paris? Who knows?

But back to Daffodils. Rose’s modest bikini and her chastity (and her husband’s compromises) reminded me that before the advent of the Pill and more reliable contraception, sexual intercourse whether within marriage or not, tended to result in babies, a not always welcome outcome. The fact that women seldom had jobs outside the home meant that young men were often saddled with a baby, and a mortgage.

The good old days, huh? I guess things are better now, in many ways. They are certainly different. People have more choices, and there’s more honesty, and, I trust, more kindness.