Le Picotin in Paris

Paris 10, 11, 12 Fevrier 2010

We realize we are in France already when we finally board our Air France flight at London’s Heathrow Airport and are greeted with a cheery “Bonsoir!” from the staff.

The flight to Paris is smooth, with clear air over London and Paris, but I am concerned about the landing. It seems ours is the first flight to depart for Paris out of Heathrow this afternoon, with two others hard on its heels. This was after bad weather and frosts prevented our earlier scheduled flight. I need not have worried. The plane lands very smoothly, taking what seems an inordinate amount of runway to do so. It is a very long taxi to the terminal. It’s new and spacious – no problems with immigration and no indication which baggage reclaim to head for. But we get there and retrieve our bags. We had planned to catch the train (RER) into the city, but as it’s snowing JD suggests a taxi. We find one, he quotes us 50 Euros. That’s far too much, says JD. We go back inside the terminal where we are accosted by a perfumed African. €85…75…there are no trains etc etc. This just makes us determined to catch the train. Several stadium lengths traversed and escalators later, we go to buy train tickets. There are major delays: there has been an accident on the line. By now it’s so late and we are so tired that we decide to taxi. We go to the official rank, and driver #3 says it won’t be more than €60. We’ll take it. The drive is fast and efficient. We have reached the Allegro. It seems terribly late, but we are welcomed and check into room 209. We ask about dinner, and are recommended Le Picotin at the end of the street.

Picotin is superb:  small restaurant/bar with red gingham napkins. There are several groups there. We sit in bliss watching snowflakes falling outside. John and I settle for the special/prix fixe for the day: spinach soup with salmon garnish; escallop of turkey with sauce and rice (garnished with an aubergine slice), fondant du chocolat (rich chocolate cake with pouring cream), with lots of bread, and coffee (double espresso).  Everything tastes wonderful – the rice accompaniment, gently mounded; the French bread; it’s a superb meal. The gentleman at the next table tucks into his cassoulet with serious dedication and obvious enjoyment. The people around us speak French. Everything seems so civilized, and so grown up and stylish, after the UK and its ubiquitous CCTV, PA systems, and irritating officialdom.

We make our way back to the hotel and obtain a password for the internet.

Next morning we tackle breakfast at 7 am. What a treat: beautiful coffee from a pot; breads and pastries; cereals and fruit and yoghurt; cheese, jam, butter and cold cuts and juice. What a feast.

However daylight reveals that our hotel is not in a great state, once we leave our room and look at the state of the hallway in the light of day.

Eventually we tackle getting out and about. We make our way to Picpus station, using a BNP Paribas ATM along the way. A very helpful lady shows us how to buy two-day tickets for the Metro. It all turns out to be quite easy, really. We catch the train to Place d’Italie, and then change lines to Palais Royal. And we are at the Louvre. It is vast, but we make our way inside and buy tickets and an audio guide.

We start with the Denon wing as recommended by our guide, but it is really confusing. Some of the Greek and Roma artifacts aren’t available today. I want to start with Greek – pre-Classical, but we can’t find it. The museum seems to be a random vast series of galleries, with classical famous and not-so-famous sculptures along the way. JD is going too fast for me, I want to read and translate every label.       

We do see a lot of stuff. Then we start on the paintings.  I would like to see the Rembrandts and Vermeers, but they don’t seem to be with French and Italian paintings. The standout as usual is Caravaggio. The museum has three of his paintings: the fortune teller (with beautiful boy); the death of Mary(?) and a portrait, the latter two presumably early works.

At some point we decide to have lunch. We find one of the cafes: (Le Molien) and eventually we are seated. We look out where it is still snowing, and feel safe and warm inside the musée. I have Quiche Lorraine and salad, and it is delicious. I can taste the mustard seasoning, and the nutmeg. It is totally authentic and tastes wonderful. Even the vinaigrette which accompanies the salad in its sachet is delicious. JD decides to go hard out on dessert, so it’s Tarte Tatin for me, with two dollops of whipped cream, and apple pie for him – great choice for me, not quite so great for him. Our double espresso (at least we get that right, and recognized) is wonderful and rounds off a delicious meal.

After lunch we wander around some more, stray into Sully and see lots of Greek vases. Eventually we head into Richelieu – we see the Smyrna excavation exhibition, then we try to find the Flemish paintings. We are being kicked out when finally we find them. Amazing, of course. Then it’s back and out again.

The Musée d’Orsay is open till 9:45 pm on Thursdays, so we decide to walk there. It’s cold and windy along the Seine, but we get there and get in. There are some lovely Van Goghs…then it’s dinner in the restaurant. Not such a good choice. The Carbonnade de Boeuf is served in its own casserole with potatoes, but it is really too salty, and the beef is rather tough and gristly. Oh well, the rest of today’s (and yesterday’s) food has been truly amazing, including lunch at Heathrow’s Terminal 4 Café Rouge.

We make our way back to the Hotel – no problems, and we turn in for the night.

Tomorrow: the Marmottan; Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, perhaps; and what else?

Friday 12 Feb

We made our way to the Marmottan Gallery, which had been recommended to us, and features some of Monet’s works. It is very cold – -2C, and there’s a queue for the museum. I would have to say that I find it a bit underwhelming, although it’s nice to go, of course. It seemed a little dark, too.

Afterwards we toy with visiting the Eiffel Tower, but there are huge crowds on the way and plenty of pickpockets,even on this very cold day. We couldn’t get near it.

Lunch at the café de Seine; a buffet meal; why is it that food in France is generally either wonderful or terrible?  It’s so hard to find great food in this home of fine cuisine.

Then we went to Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur; we rode the funicular up the hill and walked down afterwards. Although this church is very famous, I wasn’t enamoured of it either.

Then we went to  L’Ile de la Cité and Nȏtre Dame; the famous market has been  cleaned up and is a shadow of the one we saw in the 70’s;

Nb the snow from yesterday still hasn’t melted everywhere!

Nȏtre Dame Cathedral is amazing, but unfortunately the towers are closed (too slippery), le trésor is very recent and very Roman Catholic, and like the Sacré Coeur every chapel is asking for money.

Sat 13 Feb resumed on route to Venice

Dinner at a bistro: we get back to Picpus and the Allegro, and head off to Le Picotin for dinner. Sadly, and in a very Gallic way, they don’t open for dinner until 19:30 pm. Even the bar isn’t open. We roam around the immediate area but it doesn’t seem right for dinner: there are bars, and snack bars, but nothing like the trattoria or bistro we are looking for.  So we decide to head for Paris Bercy – then at least we’ll be where we need to be for the train departing at 20:33 hrs. Bercy is sadly a new, characterless station; the waiting room is full, and there are no food vendors. I check with the ticket office, but we don’t need to be there until 20:00 hours. So once again we head off to look for dinner. There’s a Japanese restaurant; and several “Cobb and Co” looking places, although not all of them are open. This area of the city, near the sports arena with grassed slopes, is ugly and unattractive. We settle for a bistro but it is on the Italian side and catering for foreigners. The menu is mostly pizza. Our waitress brings us very good bread, which we eat messily with the beautiful olive oil on our table. We ask for a “plat” and she looks at us strangely and brings une assiette. There is a party of Australian tourists there. It doesn’t feel very French.

Eventually we board the overnight train for Milan. It will go via Switzerland, and so we are asked to hand over our passports so the friendly guard doesn’t need to wake us. We were understandably reluctant to hand them over, but were assured they’d be returned in the morning. And sure enough, they are! We’re woken with a welcome cup of coffee, and our passports, ready for our next adventure.

That’s it for now. Ngā mihi nui.

The Hotel Intercontinental, Tahiti

Tahiti June 2006

On our way home from our eldest son’s graduation from Yale, JD had booked a three day special in Tahiti. We were flying Air Tahiti-nui, taking advantage of their special prices; we were new to the issues surrounding special resort prices for three nights. We were unaware that three nights was a bit of a misnomer, seeing that we arrived so late; also, that the Monday was a public holiday, meaning that much of Papeete was closed.  I had not expected that Tahiti would be such a contrast to Washington D.C.! Silly me, in the American capital, as in Rome,  almost every building was a monument, with too many gorgeous art galleries and museums to visit in one week.

Our flight from New York was greatly delayed. Flights out were evidently operating under Visual Flight Rules. We waited for several hours at JFK Airport in Long Island, and eventually boarded our Air Tahiti-Nui Airbus 340 plane. Then there were great delays in taking off. We waited a long time before boarding the plane. The plane then taxied in a very long line-up, (I counted over 30 aeroplanes!) but it seemed that US airlines were being given priority over us. Despite an announcement that our take-off would be delayed, all passengers had to be seated again with their seatbelts fastened; there was no going to the bathroom.  The air hostesses became very nervous over this. I was also very concerned about a “clunking” noise that sometimes occurred when we were taxiing, but when I asked about this I was assured that it was nothing to worry about. I later discovered that this was because we were taxiing on one engine. Our plane had a long flight to make to Papeete, but the flight-plan had us flying north over the Great Lakes, seemingly adding to the already lengthy flight-path. Finally, after taxiing on the runway for a long time (the engines went “clunk” alarmingly!) we took off into the cloud and seemed to fly north for a long time.

We eventually reached Papeete by early morning, where we were welcomed by dancing ladies and given shell necklaces. They’re rather beautiful – I still have mine, I think. There was a shuttle to our hotel, which was very near the airport. I think we reached the International Hotel by around 4:30 am, although we had paid for the night – we were there in time to see the sun rise. Sunrise and sunset both happened very quickly. The room was beautiful, with a bathroom, mosquito net over the bed, and a private balcony overlooking the sea. The sunrise was over very quickly. When we went to the dining room for breakfast, I was amazed at the beautiful food, and at the prices, which were very high. A downer here was when we unpacked I found there had been water damage to my big suitcase, and my nice cream suit which I had worn for graduation had water marks on it and was wet. C’est la vie!

After breakfast we hired a rental car, dents and all, under some kind of warranty, from the airport, and headed off in the rain to drive around the main island. I had hoped to do lots of walking here, but it turned out to be even hotter and more humid than Washington.

We drove and drove and eventually had lunch at a French restaurant by the sea. This was very primitive by our standards: a dirt floor, formica-topped tables, some kind of awning to keep the rain off our heads. Against my better judgment I ordered curried shrimps on rice. I was given a huge plate, and it was delicious. And there were no ill-effects.

We drove on and looked at a waterfall, some way down a primitive driveway, and then stopped at a store on the way back. The store was also very primitive, with a generator and no proper refrigeration.

We drove on, feeling slightly threatened by now, both by how primitive everything was, and how much resentment we seemed to arouse in the locals. Driving through the township to get here, we had been saddened by the general state of disrepair of most buildings that were not government-owned or tourist hotels. Many buildings had large damp spots on them and dampened curtains, if they had them.

At one point we found and visited the Gauguin museum. This did not have any paintings by Gauguin, but had material about his life, and a list of museums where his paintings were held (some of which, of course, we had visited).

We visited a supermarket, Tahiti-style, on our way back to the Intercontinental. That night we were very tired so we skipped dining in the hotel, although they put on some kind of local entertainment and rang us to see why we weren’t there.

The next day was fine. We went kayaking, in what turned out to be a leaky kayak, sailing out past the reef bar, and then making our way back with some difficulty! After this adventure I got JD to get me a drink in the “Pool Bar” – I think a gin and tonic, they didn’t have fancy cocktails. In the evening we ate in the exclusive French restaurant, which was very expensive but did not have very nice food.

On the Monday several things went wrong! We had to vacate our nice room by 10 am, although we weren’t flying out until midnight that evening; the hotel did give us use of a bathroom with a shower and access to our bags, though; it was a public holiday in Papeete, so most shops were closed, and we were very short of things to do,

We met a nice Chinese-Canadian couple from Victoria Island and had lunch with them. There was bound to be a Chinese restaurant open in Papeete! Some of the jewelers were open, but charged outrageous prices.

We tried to get a ferry to Moorea, but somehow got the times mixed up; we had decided against risky flying, being too nervous to fly in a very small plane.

Eventually we went back to the Hotel. We had now found a cheaper way to eat at the restaurant! And so eventually to the Airport, where our flight was delayed, of course, and we spent our last French francs on a bottle of Amoretti and a brooch with a Tahitian pearl. The prices were outrageous, especially for jewellery. After another hair-raising experience on Air Tahiti-Nui, we arrived safely back in Auckland and so on to Wellington.

It was interesting to get a package-deal to a resort (and see the inherent flaws in such schemes).  The next time we stayed at a resort was in Mooloolaba on Australia’s Gold Coast; we were there because our eldest son was attending a conference where he was to  deliver a paper, and we were to look after our granddaughter there.  That’s another story!

Generally when we travel (how I wish it were more!), we remain independent and “do our own thing”, with quite a bit of planning involved. We rarely join a tour, although tours of the Louvre and the Prado in our 2016 trip were amazingly good value for money. We were largely free to roam where we pleased, and we avoided the long queues!

That’s it for now. Ngā mihi nui.

The unforgettable (and terrifying) sight of a nuclear test from the 1950’s

Today is Monday July 10, 2023. Kia Ora! Mānawatia a Matariki!

There have been 5417 new cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand over the past week, and 21 further deaths. Of the new cases, 2547 were reinfections. The total number of deaths attributed to the virus in New Zealand is now 3159. In addition, there were 184 cases in hospital at midnight on Sunday with three in intensive care. The seven-day rolling average of cases was 771.

Last week, 6578 new Covid-19 cases were reported and a further 21 deaths were attributed to the virus.

It’s now Thursday July 13^th.

I haven’t written the last few days; I have to admit I’m quite unsettled since our lovely trip to Taiwan; I just want to go there again!  It’s been very cold here in the mornings and evenings, although most days we’ve had sunshine and warmth in the middle of the day. I am feeling the cold, although it looks as though we will get two heat pumps installed sometime soon, at last.  We’ve been arguing about just where they should go.  They have to be quiet, act as a dehumidifier, and be remote-controlled, so that we can turn one on when we’re on the new expressway driving back from Napier (or anywhere else, for that matter).

On Monday morning a dear friend came to have morning tea with us. On Tuesday we went out to have lunch at the French café at Eastbourne, Tartines. The weather wasn’t great, so it wasn’t much use going to a place with a view, since there’d be nothing much to see. It fined up here when we left, but it was raining in Eastbourne. JD hadn’t brought a jacket, so we didn’t go for a walk, or look at the Rona art gallery.  I had Quiche Lorraine with salad; JD had chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce and the lovely pommes frites. The servings were quite large, although there were mainly older folk there;  afterwards we shared a chocolate hazelnut tart with our oat milk lattés. It was nice to go there, but I doubt if I’d go again; it seemed to have changed hands since we were last there, for my birthday lunch, one time.  As we paid for our lunch I looked eagerly at the goods in the deli, but they were quite expensive.

On Wednesday I got up early to go to hymn singing; as tends to happen when one gets up extra early, one thinks one can get more things done, and consequently I was almost the last to arrive, although being school holidays there as little traffic. A highlight was our singing Arahina e Ihowa (Guide me o Thou Great Jehovah) to the beautiful Welsh tune Cym Rhonda.  I think we did rather well, although we’re by no means a Welsh choir.

Afterwards I met an old friend for coffee. It was lovely to see her, and we had a good chat.

This morning we went to a funeral at the new parish of St Francis of Assisi, formerly the Catholic Church of Sts Peter and Paul.  It was quite cold and windy; we parked in the Johnsonville Shopping Centre carpark and walked up to the church. Thankfully it was warm in the church.  The funeral was for a cousin of John’s father; i.e. JD’s first cousin once removed, although her youngest brother is someone he’s kept in touch with. Her younger sister had died exactly two years earlier, and we had gone to her funeral in Havelock North. It was nice to see family members again, and reminisce over ones who had passed on.  Afterwards JD and I went shopping at New World in Thorndon, and bought pies for lunch.

It’s now Monday July 17^th.

The weekly Covid 19 report is published again. There have been 4332 new cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand over the past week and 13 further deaths. Of the new cases, 2048 were reinfections. The total number of deaths attributed to the virus in New Zealand is now 3172.

As of midnight on Sunday, there were 185 cases in hospital, with four people in intensive care. The seven-day rolling average of new cases was 615.

It’s now Thursday July 20^th.

It’s been a busy old time. We are having new carpet laid upstairs (at last), and I’m trying to clear the way so that furniture can be moved. Thank goodness we’re not moving house (yet); I didn’t realise that I had so much stuff stored under chests of drawers, in the walk-in wardrobe, and in the cupboard under the stairs. I undertook to clear the master bedroom; I have put heaps of stuff in rubbish bags, labelled it, and put it in the hallway.  My husband’s solution is to put everything in the garage, which kind of defeats the purpose. One way or another, we each will have to leave this house someday, and I am determined to throw away as much as possible. While it’ll be nice (I hope) to have new carpet, I feel as though I’m on the point of divorce much of the time. I think JD severely underestimates how much needs to be tidied away or thrown away. For the last few years I thought I could do nothing about his mess, but try and keep a kind of spot for myself (and my things). Now I’ve lost several files of things that I really need right now.

I have also been endeavouring to empty two china cabinets. One of them is done, and what a mission that was. When we moved to this house, I didn’t pack things – I unpacked them.  It is really hard work, and I don’t want to break anything. With regard to the other cabinet, I’ve packed perhaps one and a half shelves; I’ll do the rest tomorrow.

There’s good news though: I have a specialist appointment at Wellington Hospital (I’ve been waiting six months); and ACC have agreed to reinstate my home help. Although I have to be assessed again to make sure that I’m really not going to get better.

This morning our Thursday singing resumed, and although there were very few sopranos (Yes, ladies, we can do this!); it was lovely to be there again.

It’s now Friday July 21^st.

Things got very busy yesterday, as the builders took up much of the existing carpet so that they could nail down the floorboards underneath (they creak sometimes).  I tried to wrap the china from the other china cabinet, all the time frustrated that I was very tired and JD was not doing his bit to help. Actually he did take all the wine glasses out and put them on the kitchen table, where I was planning to put something else.  When we came to eat our dinner, there was very little room for me to sit at the table (which is my preference).

After they left, we were left with an almost empty, cold and echoey space! Last night I didn’t sleep well, until early morning, of course; I kept going over Things I Still Had To Do, of which there still seemed to be quite a few.

This morning, the builders came early, but only for half a day. I finished wrapping the precious china from our other cabinet, and cleared a lot more stuff from the walk in wardrobe.  Now of course I can’t find things!  Actually the guys cleared the carpet in the main living room, and nailed down the floor boards. Thankfully they didn’t clear the master bedroom, although I’d moved several things into the ensuite bathroom.

Mid-morning JD and I escaped for morning tea at the café up the road: oat milk lattés and a savoury muffin for me, a blueberry muffin for JD. Our newspaper wasn’t delivered this morning, so I bought a copy from the local supermarket.

After we went home we based ourselves downstairs, turning a heater on in one of the bedrooms while it was noisy upstairs. At midday the builders left, but first they put back a couch in the main living room, so we can be comfortable and watch television. What an upheaval it all is!  And I wish JD would get rid of more stuff. The rubbish bin and the recycling bin are both full, so we’ll have to hang on to other rubbish for a but longer. I am prepared to get rid of a comfortable four-seater couch that needs re-covering; I’ve sent a photo to the Salvation Army asking them to come and pick it up, but so far I haven’t heard back from them. There’ve been two trailer-load trips to the tip, however.

Meanwhile, the Matariki Market that Hōhepa Hawkes Bay has been cancelled, because bad weather is predicted;  that’s a shame, but we couldn’t go, owing to our expecting carpet layers on Monday; our daughter made some beautiful star-shaped cookies, but I’m sure she won’t have any trouble finding grateful people happy to eat them.

There’s bad weather up north, especially in Auckland, but here in Wellington we continue to experience beautiful weather: cold mornings and evenings (some frosty), but fine sunny daytime hours with little wind. It rained yesterday, but it’s fine again today, if cold.

In the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Europe, the US and China they continue to experience very hot temperatures, far too hot – temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s Celsius.  There are also forest fires – outside Athens and still in Canada, I think.  This is a serious warning to anyone who still doesn’t believe in climate change: regardless of what part human greed has played in causing it, the fact remains that it’s uncomfortably hot for many people.  While we feel a bit guilty here for enjoying fine, temperate weather, one is reminded that Wellington has long had a reputation for cold, windy weather; it has usually been several degrees colder here than in Hawkes Bay, when we return to Wellington, although it can be cold and windy in Napier too.

In Ukraine, the brutality continues: when will there be an honourable peace? I am reminded that there were wars in the past that were very hard to stop – remember the Balkan Wars?  But they do stop, eventually, even if the truce results in an uneasy peace.

In the UK, there have been by-elections, for Boris Johnson’s former seat, and some others. I don’t think Labour have done as well as they may have hoped. Evidently the Conservatives have just held on to Johnson’s seat.

In the US, former president Donald Trump is in further legal trouble, having been informed that he’s the target of a Jack Smith investigation. That is a distraction, of course, as legal eagles continue to pontificate.

After Matariki celebrations, the country (here) woke yesterday to learn that there was an active shooter in the Auckland CBD, who shot three people dead (including himself), and injured several more, including a policeman.  Meanwhile, I watching with great interest a three part series on Television One called Murder in the Pacific, about the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.  As well as this, the trial continues of Lauren Dickason, who has been accused of killing her three daughters: a six year old, and two year old twins.  Infanticide seems very extreme, but small children can be very irritating, and being in isolation for two weeks for Covid 19 can’t have been an easy time. Still, it is really puzzling, that someone would be so unwell as to do this terrible thing. One thinks of Medea, who killed her children, and I remember analysing the various pressures she was under, as well as how evil she was as a character. Euripides, one of the great Greek dramatists, wrote a play about her. Whatever the circumstances, infanticide remains a shocking crime.

It’s now Sunday July 23^rd.

This morning I went to church, but I’m not having a great day. We worshipped in the Hall this morning, which is supposed to be warmer, and more casual, but somehow I (and several; others) were very cold, although I was wearing a roll neck jersey and a light top, and a woollen jacket over it; I was wearing a long woollen skirt which I’d found too; that was fine, but I still had cold feet!  Although parishioners were having coffee and croissants, I wasn’t brave enough to do so: it’s very tricky to eat and drink in this situation, and I’m more comfortable going without.  Unfortunately, JD didn’t bring me a cup of coffee at home before church this morning; why not, I don’t know. I could have bought an oat latté at the café nearby, but navigating carrying a hot drink was tricky too, so I did not do so.

JD couldn’t pick me up, so I had an oat latté and cheese scone after the service while waiting for my bus. I went to the Johnsonville Shopping Centre and changed a book at Whitcoulls; the one I chose was $10 cheaper, so I now have a $10 gift card. I had a look at the Wild South store, where they were having a sale, but sadly, perhaps, all the sale goods were in colours I found unattractive.

The cinemas here are advertising “Barbenheimer”, the double billing of the new Oppenheimer movie directed by Christopher Nolan, which is three hours long, and the Barbie film starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.  It was made by Greta Gerwig, who made the latest version of Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women, with quite a feminist bent.  I had intended not to see the Barbie movie, but perhaps I will when it comes on one of the streaming services.  Then I won’t have to wear pink – which colour I do not wear, as a rule.

When one of my granddaughters had her fourth birthday, what did she want but a Barbie doll!  I was amazed, and amused, and I still seek to remind her of this when she’s twenty one; she’s a bit of a tomboy, and not very princess-like. Personally, I had a lovely walkie-talkie brunette doll that I called Patricia, but I never ever wanted a Barbie doll. My granddaughter’s mother thought that a friend of her at kindergarten may have put her up to it. In the event, she got several Barbie dolls!  Now she’s much more into Care Bears. Our children had Care Bears, which came in pastel colours, back in the 1980’s.  Now they come in all kinds of colours.  I thought I was ordering a yellow one for her one Christmas, but the one I ordered turned out to be a deep green.

There are lots of reviews of Oppenheimer, which seems to be a very good film; in fact, there’s so much hype about this movie (and the Barbie one) that it’s a bit off putting.  The Rest is History podcast did three episodes on the actual history of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Morning Joe interviewed the director and senior cast members; the Guardian podcast sought to interview Cillian Murphy.  By all accounts, he plays this part very well indeed. 

It’s useful, I guess, for all to be reminded of the horrors inspired by nuclear fission, and the dreadful and long lasting contamination it causes.  There have been plenty of near misses and not near misses, such as the Three Mile Island incident in March 1979, the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, the Fukushima disaster in 2011, as well as the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, chronicled by Max Hastings in his recent book Abyss; those are the main ones we know about, but there’ve been other near misses too, and many nations as well as the US and the Russians have nuclear weapons, for example, North Korea!  The world is a very dangerous place, and perhaps the fear of radiation contamination has prevented the use of nuclear weapons to date, since the atom bomb was used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this ending the Second World War.  At present, during the war in Ukraine, the nuclear power plant at Zaporizhia is used by the Russians as a very scary target where their brinkmanship is displayed from time to time. Putin wields immense power partly because in addition to being an autocratic and heartless leader, he has nuclear weapons. How well do they work? Who knows, but hopefully no one is willing to find out.

I remember the CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) protests in the 1970’s; back then we thought that nuclear war and testing of nuclear bombs was the biggest threat faced by mankind. Now we face additional threats:  the climate crisis is very much upon us, with very high temperatures continuing in the northern hemisphere, and the coming of AI – which has the potential to change – what, and how, exactly? Who knows.  I probably won’t have to deal with it, but my children and grandchildren will.

What a world we live in. But there’s still much to be thankful for, in this temperate land, even if it’s a little cold.  It’s easier to warm up than to cool down. What will next summer be like, I wonder?  In Ukraine, fierce fighting continues, as people speculate over Putin’s position and potential weakness. He seems adamant to continue his crazy war in Ukraine, however.  In the US, the trials of Trump continue to fascinate, as legal eagles continue to find plenty of things to argue about. And in the UK, in recent by-elections Sunak, Starmer and the leader of the Lib Dems each won a seat, although the Conservatives only just won the seat previously held by Boris Johnson. 

That’s it for now. Tonight another series of Brokenwood Mysteries starts on Television One. I will try to stay awake for it, while continuing to mourn the loss of Breen (the redhead).  Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi nui.

A celebration of Matariki at the Khandallah Town Hall

Today is Monday July 3^rd, 2023. Kia ora!

This morning we had an electrician coming at 8 am.  It was very cold. And I got up at 7:30 am to turn more heaters on.  He came, and installed a new, more effective heater in the ensuite bathroom, and moved the not-very-effective heater down stairs to the spare bathroom (it’s not so cold down there, and not many people come to stay). He also installed a power point in the downstairs bathroom; for some strange reason, there was a power point for some electric shavers, but not modern shavers.  There wasn’t a power point for a hair dryer, for example, which caused problems when our daughter and a carer came to stay for our youngest son’s wedding. It’s silly not to have a power point there! We also had new lighting installed in the main living room, which was very poorly lit.  We had bought a new lighting board on Saturday, which we collected from Lighting Direct (now L.D.), in Lyall Bay. There’s quite a shopping complex out there now:  it’s annoying, though, not to have clothes or bookshops or shops I might want to look at in these industrial shopping complexes.  It took a long time to get there, since the traffic was heavy; we had lunch at Elements Café in Kilbirnie, which thankfully wasn’t too busy. I had scrambled eggs again – very plain, but delicious. I’m building up a record of places that serve good scrambled eggs. They served an oat latté, too, another tick. Actually most cafés serve oat lattés, and some don’t even charge extra for oat milk.

On Saturday evening we went out to a friend’s 70^th birthday party. It was very cold, but we had a lovely time. It was nice and warm at the venue, parking nearby was easy, and the food was delicious.  We met some lovely new people as well as seeing some again that we hadn’t seen for ages.

This morning I went to town with three objectives: getting a toilet roll holder for the guest bathroom (the existing one needs to be unscrewed to hold a new roll, and it’s very annoying). I also wanted to get a part for a lamp; we had tried on Saturday, but L.D. didn’t have one in stock.  The third objective was to go to the Annah Stretton store where they were having a sale. Accordingly I caught a No. 19 bus to Johnsonville, and then a No.1 to the Wellington Railway Station. I then caught a No. 7 bus, getting off at Abel Smith Street.  Metlink has a new app on the screens on most buses showing which stop is next, which is very helpful. They also have a new app on my phone, showing the passage of the bus (like Uber), and where the bus stops are – wonderful!

When I got off at the intersection of Victoria St and Abel Smith St, there was a Mico Plumbing Store right beside the bus stop. There I was able to buy a toilet roll holder for $19.  Then I set off on foot for a hardware store in the industrial complex at the top of Tory Street – quite a hike, but I was still in Abel Smith Street when it started raining really heavily. Accordingly I changed my mind and instead headed down Cuba Street.  I was going to go to Kaffée Eis, one of my favourites, but there was quite a queue, and very few places to sit, so instead I walked down to the bus stop in Manners St and caught a bus to Willis St. It was wet, and so quite slippery. Once there, I went to Smith the Grocer Café, another of my favourite haunts.  After that, I had a look at the lovely things at the Annah Stretton store, but did not buy anything.

The Covid 19 report was published today, and at last the numbers seem to be coming down. There are 6578 new cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand over the past week, and 21 further deaths. Of the new cases, 3173 were reinfections. The total number of deaths attributed to the virus in New Zealand is now 3138.

In addition, there were 182 cases in hospital at midnight on Sunday with five in intensive care. The seven-day rolling average of cases was 933.

Last week, 7702 new Covid-19 cases were reported and a further 40 deaths were attributed to the virus.

It’s now Wednesday July 5^th.

This morning I got up early to go to hymn singing. It was lovely, of course, and it being school holidays, there was very little traffic. Afterwards there was a Matariki celebration in place of our usual Te Reo Māori lesson at the Khandallah Town Hall.  It was very enjoyable as we learnt more about Matariki, and even sang the Matariki song.  We all have great intentions of getting up early for Matariki and going to a place to observe the stars. We enjoyed a delicious chocolate cake baked by one supporter, and yummy kumara chips, and practised saying Manawatia a Matariki.

In the afternoon JD and I looked at carpet samples. Man, it’s confusing!  The time has finally come to get some new carpet, and now it’s a bit overwhelming, as is the thought of moving many things so the carpet layers and furniture movers can get around. 

I am rather missing the French Film Festival films. In the past, many would come on general release; I hope that they still will.  We tried watching Emily in Paris on Netflix, but found it too annoying, and switched to something else.

It’s now Friday July 7^th.

Yesterday morning I went to a dear friend’s house for morning tea; after that JD and I shared a pizza for lunch at the local café, and I enjoyed another oat milk latté. They do them rather well.  Later on in the afternoon we went out to a carpet showroom, and chose another sample to bring home.  The one I really wanted is much more expensive, and would add about $5,000 to the cost, so I really can’t justify that.  After all this I was “properly” tired, and we had minestrone soup and cheese on toast for tea.  I am rather enjoying a series we found on Neon called Everyone Else Burns. It’s a British comedy series about a family of what I call “Doomsday Preppers”, actually a strict religious group, expecting the end of the world; they are annoying but funny as well.  In a stereotypical way, the women are brainy and beautiful, but the men – authoritative and not kind.

It’s Friday but there’s no one coming from Access today to do some cleaning;  I try and reach ACC but I cannot log in to Myacc, even using my Realme login and the verification code they’ve sent me. There is some synchronisation problem; the 0800 number is equally annoying, so I email them – again; I haven’t heard from them since June 26, which is several days ago now.

Again, it’s a beautiful fine day, after a very cold and frosty start. We had lunch at Caffiend, one of my favourite cafés: a regular oat milk latté, and smashed avocado on toast with haloumi cheese and a delicious onion relish and salad and sliced tomato. Then we went to the Roger Pointon sale, which was also in Petone. I had seen this advertised, and noted it mentally, but JD expressed interest and so we went there, and fortunately were able to find a carpark nearby.  There were no small rugs left, but several larger ones and longer runners. They’re all beautiful, of course; older couples kept coming in and admiring the rugs, most of them buying one or two. We settled on one we liked, but apparently it had been placed on hold for someone else, although there was nothing to indicate this.  I settled on another possibility, Plan B, but decided I’d prefer my first choice. It took quite a long time to establish for whom it was on hold, and that they did wish for it to be still on hold.  Several rugs had Sold signs, but thankfully we settled on Plan C, a slightly more expensive but more beautiful runner, this one being from Afghanistan, rather than India. Accordingly we bought it’. When JD is in the mood to spend money, I try to ensure that he chooses wisely; I’ll be blamed for the choice, of course! We brought it home, and it goes really well, in the hall downstairs, where we aren’t replacing the existing carpet.   I would have liked to buy a smaller rug, but they’d all gone, and at these reduced prices, I’m, not surprised.

JD had an appointment in Titahi Bay in the afternoon; he did not drop off our carpet sample, but he did go to Bunnings and buy a part I needed for a rather nice lamp (that he broke).  Next Saturday I plan to take it to the Repair Café at the Ngaio Union Church.  I have been carting this broken lamp around for days, but it’s quite a mission to go to a hardware/lighting store if you don’t drive.

It’s now Sunday July 9^th.

Yesterday we went to New World in Thorndon to do some grocery shopping. We did buy a pie, but apparently they’re not making potato-topped pies any more!  There were no raspberries, but there were strawberries – not a favourite of mine unless they’re super sweet and delicious.  It was nice to go there, though. Last night we watched the final episodes of Ten Pound Poms and Maternal – a rather nice medical series that hasn’t been renewed.

This morning I went to the Johnsonville Uniting Church. It is raining, and it’s not an easy place to get to, but there were several familiar faces there. It was a lovely service: there is a new minister, Tony Wood, and we worshipped very much in the spirit of Matariki.  Ngā Mata o te Ariki – the Eyes of God, is an extension of the word Matariki. The stars of Matariki represent the Eyes of God, which is a lovely thought that fits into the three aspects of Matariki:  Giving thanks, Looking ahead, and Remembering those who have passed in the last year.  So the reflection was about astronomy, and the relative tininess of us here on planet earth, whereas formerly it was thought that the earth, and then the sun, was the centre of the universe. The more we learn about the universe, the more insignificant man appears. The texts were representative of this: Psalm 8 , Isaiah 40: 18, 21-28, and Luke 18″ 18-26. Three texts!

Turning overseas, President Zelensky of Ukraine is now at Snake Island, a memorable scene from early in Russia’s invasion where a soldier famously told the Russian invaders to “f*** off!” How he has aged since the Russians invaded!  Benjamin Wittes of Lawfare continues to annoy the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. with his careful projections of the Ukrainian flag on the embassy and planting sunflowers, amongst other things.

That’s it for now!  Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi nui.

A Wagner Group tank get stuck in a Circus at Rostov

It’s now Monday June 19^th, 2023. Kia ora!

Today the weekly covid 19 report was published, and it reads as follows: there were 8544 new cases of Covid-19 reported in Aotearoa in the week to midnight on Sunday, and a further 39 deaths attributed to the virus. The total number of deaths attributed to the virus in New Zealand is now 3077. In addition, there were 246 cases in hospital at midnight on Sunday with six in intensive care.

The seven-day rolling average of cases was 1217.

Last week, 9883 new Covid-19 cases were reported and a further 37 deaths were attributed to the virus.

Yesterday (Sunday) I went to church, but the day was otherwise very boring. At church they want to revive Dinners (or Lunches) for 8; I think it’s a nice idea, but why 8 and not 6, I wonder? Hosting 6 people would be far more practical for someone like me. I’d struggle to find 8 dining chairs, assuming I’d persuaded JD to clear the dining table, and assuming I’d have the energy to set it. The idea is that one hosts a gathering, or is a guest and advises what one can bring, bearing dietary issues in mind.  Then there’s the issue of parking, and the fact that many are reluctant to go out at night. I’m glad I’m not the coordinator!

I am reading Huia, Come Home, by J Ruka, and although I’m reading it slowly, it’s shocking to learn in more detail about some of the wrongs Māori people have suffered under colonisation. 

This morning I went to see November, another French Film Festival film at the Penthouse. This film was about the police investigation of the Bataclan and other terrorist incidents in Paris in November 2015. I remember at the time being shocked by these incidents, which took place at the Bataclan stadium and at several bars. We were due to fly to Scotland and visit Paris in the middle of 2016, so it was all very scary.

It’s now Thursday June 22^nd.

On Tuesday the weekly Bible Study was cancelled, but it was a beautiful fine day. JD and I went out to Days Bay for lunch, and it was absolutely delicious. I had a whitebait omelette, with salad and chips, and we shared a chocolate mousse with cherry compȏte and fig and honey ice cream.  I also had an aperol spritz (very daring), and we had coffee to finish.  It was lovely to look out over the harbour, which was unusually calm. We would have gone around to the Rona Gallery at Eastbourne, but they’re building a seawall out there, and there are multiple stops on the road to Eastbourne.

On Wednesday I got up early to go to hymn singing, and then attended a Te Reo Māori class at the Khandallah Community Centre afterwards.  I had left the sheet I was learning at home! Never mind, I got another. The word I was learning was “paki”, meaning fine. Afterwards I talked to an old friend, and almost missed my bus at 11:30 am.

I caught the bus into the Wellington Railway Station,  and then thought I should be a good person and cross the road safely.  I walked to the controlled crossing at the bottom of Mulgrave Street, but sadly the footpath on the other side of the road was unfinished, and I ended up crossing in front of several buses. Accordingly I missed a #83 bus to Eastbourne, and had to wait almost 24 minutes for another.

Eventually I caught a bus which conveniently stopped at the intersection of Jackson Street with Beach Street, but alas I now didn’t have time to go to Caffiend. At the Lighthouse Petone, they were very busy.  With my pre-booked ticket, I got a free coffee (an oat milk latté, my new favourite thing); I ordered a small muffin as well, and went to sit at a messy table which looked empty. This seemed to be the only place to sit, and I saw that there was food and drink for two other people, but they never turned up. The Lighthouse at Petone hasn’t really got their food offerings sorted out, in my view;  Unusually, their muffin was small, which is great if you’re having morning tea, but not great for lunch.

In the theatre, which was Cinema 4, upstairs, there weren’t too many people. There were easy chairs and tables upstairs: I wonder if wait people will bring food and coffee up there?  Sadly, I did not really enjoy the movie, Masquerade, although it was the lead movie of the French Film Festival. It was quite long, too, at 136 minutes.  Afterwards, I walked to the bus stop, I but had to wait several minutes for a bus.  Eventually I caught a bus to Wellington Railway Station, crossed the road(!) to catch a bus to the northern suburbs, and then caught the shuttle home. Although it wasn’t late, it was already quite cold. By the time I got home, I was really hungry, and used up the last of the bread having a peanut butter and cheese sandwich.

This morning I went to my other singing session at the Khandallah Town Hall. It went well this morning, and thankfully I didn’t get a husky voice.

It’s now Friday June 23^rd.

In the past I had a someone coming from Access on a Friday; today I think that ACC have approved reinstatement of my help.  They don’t give full names, of course; only christian names and an 0800 number.  Builders came to our house to start doing some work; we were due in Seatoun at my cousin’s house for morning coffee.  We arrived late, of course, but we had a lovely time, and we picked up the china she’d bought for me at a hospice shop.  After we got back, we had lunch at the local café, sharing a yummy pizza, and enjoying oat milk lattés.  They are delicious, even without sugar: the café was very busy, and there was only Equal sweetener on our table, or the ones next to us.

Last night I got cramp, and I took two Sinemet tablets. Unfortunately, like on the flight back from Taipei, I felt very sick afterwards. This lasted several hours and I felt quite unpleasant.  I looked up and nausea is sadly one of the side effects of this medication,

We watched a new movie on Neon called Joyride, starring the wonderful Olivia Coleman. It was set in Ireland, and I found it charming. Apparently it’s coming to cinemas here.

It’s now Sunday June 25^th.

There’s big news out of Russia. As off about midday yesterday our time, Prigozhin, head of the Wagner group of mercenary soldiers, who have been fighting in Ukraine, criticised (again) the Russian Defence Minister and Putin’s war aims in Ukraine. He then withdrew his troops from Ukraine to a nearby city in Russia, Rostov-on-Don, and threatened a march on Moscow. Putin, clearly rattled, called him a traitor. The world held its breath and wondered, firstly, how much of this news is true, and secondly, what are the next steps, and what are the implications of this: will there be a civil war in Russia? Is Putin weak as a leader, and, if so, how weak? Prigozhin is known to be an excitable character.  So it’s all quite exciting, and has thrown news of Ukraine’s much vaunted Spring Offensive on the back burner. Commander Starsky was on Times Radio yesterday, stopping mid-interview to take a call from his commanding officer; while they are upbeat, Ukrainian soldiers would be happy, I think, to take a short break and get some sleep.  Everything goes on hold as we wait to see who will jump and how they will jump. What will the Chechnyan commander Kadyrov, do? Why has Lukashenko of Belarus brokered a peace deal between Putin and Prigozhin? (Putin has dropped charges). It’s been announced that Wagner troops will not march of Moscow after all. Will Chairman Xi of China take back Vladivostok? And last, but certainly not least, why is MSNBC’s foreign correspondent Richard Engel reporting from Taipei, and not Ukraine or Russia, seeing that I’ve never heard him report from anywhere but Ukraine/ Russia?  Whatever is he doing in Taipei?  You heard me asking first.  This afternoon I listened to an emergency podcast from The Rest is Politics.  That was really interesting. Other than that, it seems to be a sleepy Sunday/weekend in the News media,

It’s now Monday June 26^th.

It’s fine and not too cold here, although rain was predicted; I am being very lazy this morning and not going to my Monday exercise class. To tell the truth, it’s become so popular that entry is restricted to a “first come, first served basis”. It’s not the easiest place to get to, either.  I plan to catch up with friends and go for a walk. In the meantime, I’ve been listening to and watching lots of Youtube videos discussing the situation in Russia, after the Wagner group uprising.  It seems that Prigozhin has gone to Belarus, Lukashenko having brokered some deal with Putin; he really should get some good security! BBC4 waxed eloquent quoting Shakespeare and history; Putin seems to have been really rattled by this semi-coup attempt.  The world waits and wonders to see what will happen next.

The weekly Covid 19 report was published, and it reads as follows: there were 7702 new cases Covid-19 reported in Aotearoa in the week to midnight on Sunday, and a further 40 deaths attributed to the virus. The total number of deaths attributed to the virus in New Zealand is now 3117.

In addition, there were 181 cases in hospital at midnight on Sunday with five in intensive care. The seven-day rolling average of cases was 1096.

Last week, 8544 new Covid-19 cases were reported and a further 39 deaths were attributed to the virus.

So it’s still with us, although the number of new cases officially reported is going down at last; there are still too many deaths each week, and still a large number in hospital. We don’t seem to turn a hair now at this news; and people I know who’ve hung out for years now are getting the virus.  We’re not told how many new infections are reinfections.

It’s now Tuesday June 27^th.

It’s been reported that Wagner Group mercenaries shot down seven Russian aircraft and killed 13 airmen during the failed coup attempt, according to Russian military bloggers.

‌Footage shared widely on social media after the armed rebellion against Moscow appeared to show the wreckage of a Russian Air Force Ilyushin-22 in a rural area of southern Russia.

‌The aircraft, most likely to have been used as an airborne command and communications centre, was allegedly shot down by an air defence system deployed by Wagner forces.

All 10 of its crew were killed in the crash, according to Moscow Calling, a Russian Telegram channel with almost 90,000 followers.

Monday wasn’t a great day, but I went to Bible Study on Tuesday morning, and then into town, to take advantage of Farmer’s Lingerie sale, where if you bought one item, the second was half-price.  So I had fun trying things on. Thankfully the fitting rooms weren’t busy and I wasn’t hurried.

On Wednesday I went to hymn singing, and then saw two French Film Festival films at the Lighthouse cinema in Wigan St. This was adventurous, but it was the last day of the film festival, and both films were in the same place, and hey, I got there safely!  They gave me a free caffé latté with oat milk, although I had to wait for it till after the film started! I managed to carry it into the cinema without spilling it, too!  The film was Maria into Life, and I really enjoyed it – probably more than any other French movie of this festival.  The woman playing Maria became more and more beautiful, and the dialogue was great too.  I’ll see it again if it comes on general release.

Afterwards I booked to see Simone, Woman of the Century, which was in the same theatre, about 15 minutes later.  I had a small savoury muffin in between, and bought a cold drink. I didn’t enjoy this film nearly as much. While I admire Simone Veil, the sound was very loud and the movie was quite intense.  I feel deeply for her, losing most of her family, but I found her to be a very angry woman.   I would have left the film, but no one else went out, and I would have had to walk past all the other people in the row, so I stayed. Afterwards I went to Kaffee Eis, where I had another latté with oat milk, and something to eat, before catching a No. 1 bus to the northern suburbs.

The bus was very slow coming up the Ngauranga Gorge: it seemed there had been an accident further north on SH1, as we saw several emergency vehicles going past. Eventually we got to the Johnsonville Library, and thankfully the No. 19 bus was right behind, so they coordinated, again. I had been texting JD but he had had no news of there being an accident.

Yesterday (Thursday) was the final session for my Thursday singing. In the morning we had a plumber and an electrician due to come, so there was some disruption. There was a leak in the shower to be fixed; thankfully I managed to use it before it was fixed.  I had made a list for the sparky, thankfully, as there were several small jobs required.  There weren’t as many of us at singing as usual, but it was lovely, of course, and then we had a shared catered lunch afterwards.

It’s now Friday June 30^th.

I’ve listened to many discussions about events in Russia, with Prigozhin’s failed mutiny, and what it may mean, and what may happen next.  One of the best was a Lawfare podcast, but there was a good discussion on the Bulwark’s Next Level podcast with Alexander Vindman and Tim Miller and JVL. There’ve also been many useful discussions on Times Radio.  But this talk of Prigozhin “Crossing the Rubicon” strikes me as ridiculous. While Julius Caesar was a genocidal thug, comparing him to Prigozhin is not appropriate.  It’s good to know some history, I think, but comparisons are not always useful. don’t think that Prigozhin was after more power; did his somewhat simplistic plan get out of hand? Prigozhin was protesting with reason about the way the war was being conducted, and the reasons for the war. Why was there no opposition to his marching on Rostov, where the Wagner Group were welcomed with open arms? What is the price of disloyalty to Putin?  What’s Lukashenko’s role in all this? Where are the Wagner Group soldiers now? It seems that Prigozhin was heading for Moscow via Voronezh, and then stopped.

One thing for certain: Putin looks weak as a result of his inaction. It seems that Russian defence/security forces are as useless and disorganised as the armed forces, as shown in their inability to take Ukraine more than a year after Putin’s invasion (sorry, Special Military Action). Most us thought they were very efficient and Ukraine didn’t stand much of a chance. They’ve surprised us all with how innovative and how brave and unified they’ve been.

Another outcome:  a severe dent in Russian forces’ ability to win their war in Ukraine. Who will fight?  Apparently before Prigozhin’s failed mutiny soldiers of the Wagner group were asked to join the regular army. That can’t have been a popular option. Today General Surovikin (General “Armageddon” in popular parlance), has disappeared, perhaps for questioning? He likes military uniforms, it seems.

I’ll leave it for now. Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi nui.

The Grand Canal, Venice

Milan and Venice: February 2010

We have just survived what was likely to be the “killer” sector of the trip: catching the overnight train from Paris to Milan (getting in at 5:38 am); a hard day’s sightseeing in Milan, then a train trip to Venice, all within the space of around 25 hours.

In Milan we managed to see and do quite a lot.  We stowed our luggage at the Railway Station, and had croissants, coffee and orange juice for breakfast at the station. Then we went to the beautiful cathedral, which is close to the station. Thankfully it was open.

After that we went to the Pinacotera di Brera – a marvellous art gallery, which was open.  What a wonderful place!  I especially remember a painting by Mantegna of the Dead Christ. There were many other wonderful paintings, including several of the Last Supper.

After this we had lunch, and walked to the Castel Sforzesco, to see another of Michelangelo’s Pieta: the Rondanini Pieta.  I cried when I saw this – I found it extremely moving, the image of Mary with her Son Jesus.

There was also an exhibition called Venere, I think, with images of women.

We had booked to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s Cenacolo, and we made our way to the place where you can see it. They only let a few people in at a time, and they were eager to push you along, much as one would have liked to linger.

After this we found a Metro station, but we couldn’t figure out where we were, or where we wanted to go.  It was very confusing; there seemed to be no “You are Here” indication. Other tourists were confused too. Somehow we got back to the railway station, in time to retrieve our luggage, and catch the train to Venice.

After a very long and challenging day, we reached beautiful Venice, where you get off the train, and then you’re on the Grand Canal! we found my self-booked 2 star Venice hotel on the map, but had absolutely no idea how to get there at 9 pm at night. The hotel might have been a 2 star, but they charged like a 4 star! Anyway, it was only for one night.

A water –taxi (€60) solved the problem, although the taxi-driver had to phone for directions. When we arrived, our hotel was picturesque and comfortable, and on a canal, even if there’s a quite lot of mould on the walls! There is an elevator, although not to our room, of course. I found the evacuation notice amusing – in case of fire, it advised prayer!

Breakfast wasn’t great. There was a coffee machine, but alas, it wasn’t working.

Sunday (yesterday) was both Valentine’s Day – the Italians are very romantic – and Carnevale! Venice was full of people dressed up – a bit like the Wellington Sevens, but oh so much more stylish. They all looked like variations of Doges (Dukes), while the ladies could have stepped out of any of the famous paintings, complete with tubercular masks. There were Harlequin masks and hats for sale everywhere – looking gorgeous but when you got up close, made of polyester and made in China, no less!

There was a huge crush of people that built up as the day went on. Fortunately we had got up early and bought one hour tickets on the Vaporetto (of course, there was a stop near our hotel!) so we sailed up and down the Grand Canal in the brilliant sunshine.

When we got off at St Mark’s Square, you could hardly move. It seemed as if the rest of Italy had come to Carnevale. We met couples from Napoli, for example; several Germans, but almost all Italians, commenting on l’aqua, the water which at high tide laps at the entrance to the famous cathedral, and made quite a lot of the square water-logged, in spite of the sunshine.

In 1974 we shared the famous square with a cold wind and thousands of penguins.  This time we shared it with sunshine and the rest of Italy. We made our way to a queue for a tour of the Doges’ Palace, and got in reasonably quickly.  Too many wonderful highlights to mention here, apart from the chastity belt, complete with lock and key! There were some wonderful early maps.

When we came out it was impossible to move. We wanted to go across the Grand Canal to our hotel and the Santa Maria della Salute, and the Peggy Guggenheim museum. Ever the romantic, JD asked a gondolier to take us across, but they would only do a tour. A water taxi quoted €30! We turned him down then lost him. The vaporetto system is complicated by the direction of the boat and which side of a canal they stop on, so you can’t necessarily just go from A to B.

Plan B was to get there on foot, which entailed pushing our way through a maze of streets and piazzas until we got to one of the bridges. We were grateful to our Hong Kong tour guide, Crystal, for having taught us to “aggressive Kung Fu style” (yes, a verb) to get on the Hong Kong cable car ahead of thousands of others.  We applied these skills assertively in Venezia.

Strangely, there were very few places to eat: a few snack bars, but the hotels were mostly dilapidated and the prices horrendous. I eventually found a nondescript looking place that had a hidden dining room where we ate and drank in style (good preparation, as it turned out, for standing 3 hours on the train later in the day). For the record, I had spaghetti con ragu (onions and anchovies, with parmesan), insalata mista, and panna cotta with berries and blackcurrants to follow. Vino Bianco, aqua minerale, and espresso completed the experience (with a bottle of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar beside our table to dress the salad).

When we came out from lunch the crowds in the streets had eased a little, and we made our way back to our hotel to pick up our bags. All transportation was packed. We crowded on a vaporetto to get back to the train station, then queued to validate our Eurail passes for the train trip to Firenze.

Trains to Firenze were full. We were advised to run to get on a regional train to Bologna, leaving in 45 minutes, where we could change for a fast Eurostar train to Firenze (another €20 for the fast train).

We clambered on the already full train, eventually pushing our way into the carriage. We are so pleased that we are travelling light (!): one small wheeled suitcase each, plus our Kathmandu jackets and purses.

We stand for the entire trip to Bologna, about 3 hours in all. The oddest thing: no one is drunk, or drinking; no one gets upset (except the people outside who can’t get on this train); most people have brought some kind of snack (biscuits, chocolate, bread sticks), but there is no mess and no coffee cups, no chips, no debris, and few water bottles. There are no announcements. The train stops and starts from time to time, seemingly unpredictably.

When we finally get to Bologna, the day’s drama is not quite over. We now have less than 5 minutes to get off this train with our bags, find which platform has the train to Firenze, and get ourselves on that train. We manage it, and ride in high speed seated comfort (with refreshments gratuito) for the next 25 minutes to Firenze.

I have checked the address for the Corona d’Italia in the via Nationale. This street runs alongside the railway station. Of course, being Italy, the station is the size of several stadia, and we exit on the wrong side. When we find the via Nationale, the numbers are erratic – 20, 21 on one side, 57 across the road.

Our hotel is wonderful, thank you Jane: a large room with a marble desk and coffee table; bathroom with bath, shower and bidet, and a nice breakfast; it even has a fridge and minibar, pay as you go wireless internet, and a television set. We are back in the safe, avuncular, patronizing and predictable arms of the BBC.

I can only imagine how BBC4 coped with Valentine’s Day; but ours, with Carnevale in Venezia, and all our other adventures, was capped off with 3 red roses and an amaretto in the trattoria next door. Bene!

I am determined to read Corriera Della Sera each day we are here and try and get my Italian up to speed. We have 3 days in beautiful Firenze, then it’s on to Roma, Napoli and Palermo.

PS JD’s navigation skills are legendary! I organize the daily event plan and find where to eat; he figures out how get there.  He also forks out the €’s, and manages the laundry.

More to come! Nga mihi nui.

---

Yours truly in the roof of King’s College Chapel: there is almost standing room there

Cambridge/Kings College Monday 8 February 2010

Note from Thursday June 29, 2023: when we travelled overseas in February 2010 I kept commentary on our travels on a Netbook running Windows XP. This was wonderful, and I took it everywhere, but sadly, on our return, I lost most of the records. Now JD has found a memory stick with documents and photos, so here goes!

JD and I had a wonderful trip to England and Europe (France, Italy and Sicily) in February 2010. We travelled to Heathrow Airport via Hong Kong with Air New Zealand, and stayed in Camden in an apartment. Our eldest son was due to arrive in London a few days after us.

On the due day, our eldest son’s flight arrived shortly after 7 am.  After some texting and phoning we agreed to meet him at Kings Cross/St Pancras. The Underground is very busy, trains are crowded. We wait for the second train to Kings Cross later realizing that we could have walked there. We are to travel to Cambridge with him, hence we have our luggage, and his.

When we meet JF we broach the idea of going to the Royal Academy to see the Van Gogh exhibition. And this we do. When we get there, JF suggests we go to the cloakroom to drop off our bags before queuing for tickets.  Then there is a near melt-down. The cloak room refuses to take our bags, they are “oversize”.  John suggests that he mind the bags while JD and I see the exhibition. JD is very angry but eventually agrees. Near melt-down #2 eventuates when an official tries to move son JF on. We explain the situation, and the official transforms. “I can see you have a problem, with your disability. Let me get your tickets and we’ll speed things up”, he says. £20 later, we have our tickets, JF is ensconced under two back packs and three suitcases and JD and I join the throngs seeing the exhibition.

Which is truly marvelous. Paintings by Vincent Van Gogh have been sourced from far and wide, several of which we recognize:  the MOMA, the Guggenheim, the Phillips Collection (Washington), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The exhibition has been well laid out with sketches and samples of the master’s letters, clearly written in a neat hand (rather like my late mother’s).

There are several highlights here: a Pieta, a copy of Delacroix; the postie and his wife (holding the cord to the cradle); a still life; a very ferocious cypress, but without the energy and aggression of the sky and fields that so moved me in New York in 2006; a painting from the Phillips collection, the entrance to some public gardens (greeny-blue leaves on palm trees); the frontispiece is Vincent’s own self-portrait.

We buy a catalogue for JF and exit, buying macaroons from the French shop in Piccadilly Arcade (pistachio – with almond; bitter chocolate, and caramel).

Then it’s back to Kings Cross for the train to Cambridge.

We arrive, seeing snow on the way, and get a taxi to King’s College. We go through the gate, and take our baggage to our eldest son’s draughty office (he is a Junior Research Fellow at King’s College). Then it’s back to the dining hall for lunch. We are served from the canteen: beef casserole with rice, mashed potato, red cabbage (yum – with licorice?) and mixed vegetables, including broad beans. There is hot pudding but we opt for fruit salad. There are salads, cold cuts, fresh bread rolls and soup. We are introduced to everyone at the table, including the art professor and Ken Moodie, who has been to New Zealand. He is off to Catania (Catanīa) in March.

After lunch we help ourselves to coffee from the machine, and take it through to the SCR. This room is dominated by portraits of Keynes and Rupert Brooke; there was a photo of Alan Turing on the way to the cloakrooms. The SCR has a range of magazines and newspapers, including the New Yorker, with an article about Salinger. It is insightful and beautifully written, but strangely no one mentions the Sappho epithalamion quotation used in one of his books (“Raise high the roof beam, Carpenters!”).

After a relaxed chat in the SCR we go to the porter’s office for the key. We are in room K206A, with a key to the gate!  Cost is £56. We climb various rabbit-warren stairs to reach our room, which has an en suite bathroom with shower. We also turn the heater on. By now it is snowing outside. Snowflakes fall, in random shapes and sizes, just like the paper-weight ornaments we shook as children to watch the white stuff settle. I’m reminded of Benoit Mandelbrot and the beginning of fractal theory, and that every snowflake, like every human being, is unique.

Our room is simple and comfortable, with towels and soap, and a tray for making tea or coffee. There is a window onto a roofed area below, a desk and two armchairs, and some bookshelves.

The only disconcerting thing was the smell from the common room/kitchen/bar areas – a mixture of stale food and perhaps disinfectant, which would be off-putting if this were a hotel. But it isn’t. It resembles an expensive boarding school, or perhaps a private hospital.

Shall we have a look at the chapel now? On the basis of never putting off till tomorrow what you can do today (and again tomorrow, if necessary), we go to the chapel.

How beautiful it is. There is no transept. The ceiling is vaulted, stretching high above us. The stained-glass windows have some extraordinarily vivid reds. I notice, whereas the windows glimpsed at the far end or strongly blue. There is seating, and then you go through a wooden section to reach the choir stalls. The organ is above the wooden separation, although it’s not possible to see where the organist reaches the keyboard.

The choir stalls are a very intimate space, with individual candles, being lit as we pass through. At the far end is the altar. The space is “plain”, the altar simple, with a painting of the Adoration of the Magi behind it. It is as though one is squeezed through into this space of simplicity and sincerity.

Then we view the exhibition, which explains Henry VI, his Christianity, and his inspiration and dedication in founding King’s and Eton. We see the Charter of King’s College and a copy of the King’s Will.

His piety and devotion are well expressed in this space.

Our son is a Fellow, and thus he can take us up the stairs to the roof of King’s College. There is a funny moment when an older lady tells him that only Fellows can get a key to the stairs to the roof; he, of course, exclaims “But I am a Fellow!” Consequently he is given a key to the stairs to the roof, and up we climb. Eventually we reach the roof, and there is almost enough space there to stand up; there is also a wonderful view of Cambridge, and of the river am, although there’s very little protection for anyone brave enough to climb up there. What a treat!

We return to our room, to read and sleep, and await John’s call.

Dinner is at The Alimentum. This has been set up by a sidekick of the two-star Michelin restaurant in Cambridge. It is very good. I have salmon with lentils and beetroot, bream with kohlrabi, and a coffee dessert with chicory, marsala and dates, followed by very good coffee. JF has risotto, although his portion is smaller than my fish. There were delicious bread rolls and butter, as well. We have a bottle of NZ sauvignon blanc – Tin Hut(!). And petit fours with coffee (apple jelly cubes, white chocolate).

We have a lovely time with JF over dinner. It is so good to see him. As it is just after my birthday, this celebration dinner is extra special.

We alight from the taxi and go in through the gate. Wow! We’re inside, and what a contrast. Unfortunately the porter cannot help us with internet access. That will have to wait until tomorrow.

Tomorrow:

• The Fitzwilliam
• Barton Rd
• Chapel (again)
• Evensong
• Dinner in Hall
• Plan for Wednesday.

It is very cold here, but we have a beautiful breakfast at King’s College.  I must admit, that although it’s enjoyable, as a New Zealander I would find the formality irritating after a while.

JD insists on doing some laundry (it’s complicated!), and we visit the university book store. I always like to visit university book stores.

We visit our son’s apartment in Barton Road, Cambridge. JD’s grandmother used to live in Barton Road, Heretaunga!  Then we go to visit the village of  Grantchester (scene of the lovely series starring James Norton as an Anglican minister, and his sidekick who’s a police detective). We have tea and scones for afternoon tea, and visit the Rupert Brooke museum. Then it’s back to Cambridge to the wonderful Fitzwilliam Gallery. As it’s about to close, and we want to go to Evensong, it’s a rushed visit. Never mind, we get to see it on our next trip in 2016.

Before dinner in Hall we went to Evensong at King’s College Chapel. What a wonderful experience!  Stephen (now Sir Stephen) Cleobury conducts the choir.  When we’re introduced to him afterwards, I tell him that our eldest two sons were members of the New Zealand National Youth Choir. He didn’t know that JF was a singer, and told us about a Christchurch mother who dared to criticize his conducting! Actually, I much prefer the new conductor, but it was quite an experience to go to Evensong there.

Afterwards we had dinner, and then went through to a room where we sat at another long beautiful table and passed the decanter tray with port wine, a Bordeaux, and a third (which I forget); the Fellows drank and ate Stilton cheese and walnuts.  Unfortunately I felt quite faint, and managed to get to the cloakroom to put my head down. These fellows certainly eat and drink superbly well.

The next day we were off again, to Paris. JD was very upset that we weren’t catching the Eurostar train (it had been closed several days lately for extreme weather); I had booked us a Round-the World trip, and a flight from Heathrow to Paris was part of that journey. Not taking the flight would have invalidated our return journey from Rome via Hong Kong.

JF had booked train tickets for us to London using a discount card granted him by Cambridge University, I think.  But on the train a guard got very upset that we were travelling on price-reduced tickets when we shouldn’t be. When we reached London, we should present ourselves to some kind of railway officialdom. Suffice to say we did not, and instead got a train to Heathrow Airport. Once there, you have to know which terminal you’re heading for, and once you get there, the lift has a mind of its own, not allowing you to select a level. It seemed very Orwellian.  The airport at Paris was closed, but a wonderful British Airways person managed to get us on a flight later that afternoon.  And so we bade farewell to England, and travelled to France.

That’s it for now!  Ngā mihi nui.

Classified documents in boxes at the Mar-a-Lago ballroom.

It’s now Saturday June 10^th, 2023. Kia ora! Post indictment.

Boom boom boom!

So much is happening: Donald Trump’s indictment on federal charges; Boris Johnson’s resignation as a Member of Parliament in the UK; and Prince Harry’s next half-day in court. The latter falls off the radar:  while I was scouting round this morning for hearing wise heads pontificate about Trump’s (and his aide Walt Nauta’s) indictments, I learnt that Boris Johnson had resigned as a Member of Parliament. Accordingly, Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart rushed into action with an Emergency podcast: credit to them for their fast reaction. Lawfare has also done an emergency podcast: I’ve listened to part of it.

I am initially shocked to see just what Trump’s exposure may be: his extreme casualness in terms in handling the documents he held on to – for example, stacks of boxes on the ball room stage at Mar-a-Lago, then moved to a bathroom;  it just doesn’t get any better.  James O’Brien, an anchor on LBC Radio, claimed he wasn’t as shocked as he expected to be at Johnson’s resignation: he struggled to remember all the times when he’d been shocked by Johnson’s actions. It’s worth noting that Trump and Johnson’s speeches of justification sounded very similar; both were rambling; with both, whatever had happened was everyone else’s fault, certainly not theirs. Neither takes any responsibility for their actions. We still don’t know who Trump may have shown documents to, or even which documents are still missing.  As usual, he reinforces his own guilt by whatever he says. With both of them, countless careers have been destroyed as anyone who selflessly did things for them has suffered indignity, even serving prison time, (viz. the case of Michael Cohen).

It’s now Sunday June 11^th.

I am further shocked as republican leaders rush to support Trump. Certainly, it’s a shame to indict someone who has been president, however unfortunately; then again, former presidents didn’t do crimes!  There was no need to indict them, however much one may have disagreed with their policies.  Goodness knows, America took a very long time to indict Trump; now he faces two court cases, Alvin Bragg’s one in New York as well as the Mar-a-Lago documents case; he’s also been found liable for sexual assault on E. Jean Carroll. He’s known to be in considerable legal peril, and it’s very questionable whether any more people will be prepared to go to jail for him.  The Georgia D.A. of Fulton County, Fani Willis, has still to make her rulings. Evidently the word “imminent” can mean different things!

Meanwhile, in the UK, another Tory ally of Johnson’s has resigned, Nigel Adams, as well as Nadine Dorries.  This is damaging for Prime Minister Sunak, if one cares about UK politics.

It’s very cold today. There was a frost this morning- I could see the frost on the fields outside my bedroom window, and the haze that arises sometimes as the sun gradually warms things up. It is fine and sunny today, but it remains very cold.  I got out one of my thermal tops this morning, to wear under a warmer jersey; I wore a woollen jacket over this and got out some leather gloves.  I went to church, which was lovely – but the coldest I have experienced it. I normally don’t find it really cold there.

It’s Monday June 12^th.

This morning it’s cold again, although not frosty. Last night was very cold; I threw an extra duvet on my bed before retiring, but then woke up too hot during the night!  But it was pretty cold again this morning.  I didn’t go to my exercise class in Ngaio; it’s been really full lately, and it’s quite hard to get there and back too.

But I did visit a friend for lunch.  I really enjoyed that. I really miss my old Tai Chi class, and I would like to find a similar one.

The weekly Covid 19 report is out again: it reads as follows: there were 9883 new cases of Covid-19 reported in Aotearoa in the week to Sunday and a further 37 deaths attributed to the virus. A total of 4722 were reinfections. The seven-day rolling average of cases was down, to 1408.

There were 228 people in hospital at midnight Sunday, with seven cases in intensive care.

Last week, 12,028 new cases were reported and a further 59 deaths attributed to the virus. We’re not told the ages of the people who lost their lives.

This afternoon I listened to a new episode of The Rest is History podcast. To celebrate Pride Week, this episode is about the Roman emperor Hadrian and his favourite young man Antinous.  Next episode will be about Oscar Wilde, whose relationship with “Bosie” (Lord Alfred Douglass) and other gay men is being covered by the British Scandal podcast. As I did a paper about sexuality as part of my BA Honours in Latin degree, I find this episode extremely interesting, focussing as it does on Greek sexuality in particular.  This reminds me of the awful labels in the remodelled Ashmolean Museum in Oxford when we visited in February 2010, such as “Paedophile and victim”. Really, it’s so much more nuanced than that:  the sexual relationship between an older man and a young man would be regarded as a crime today, but it certainly wasn’t back in ancient times.  Older men were certainly not regarded as paedophiles at that time.

It’s now Tuesday June 13^th.

This morning I went to a Bible Study.  Then I caught a bus into town, and had lunch at Smith the Grocer Café: a smoked salmon bagel, and an oat latté.  Then I went to the lovely Wallace Cotton shop, and bought a hot dish handler (oven mitt?), the existing one having worn through. After that I went to Unity Books and had a lovely browse, before catching a bus home. Actually the No 1 bus to Johnsonville West arrived at Johnsonville Library/ Waitohi just before the No. 19 bus departed – the first time they have coordinated, in my experience.  The No. 19 bus had its screen working, showing and announcing each bus stop, and the one after it. Well done, Metlink!  Very helpful.

There’s still lots of news. The Ukrainian counter-offensive is underway, and of course most people and most media expect instant results. It’s been compared to the D-Day landings of allied troops in Normandy in a huge and risky operation, and I guess it is just that – a huge and risky and probably a lengthy operation.

In the US, Trump is due to be arraigned tomorrow in Miami on 37 counts of mishandling classified documents; few Republicans have dared to come out against him, but his former Attorney General, Bill Barr, has surprisingly to the US Department of Justice’s defence saying “If even half of it’s true, then he’s (Trump)’s toast”, and claiming Trump’s not a victim here.  The indictment is truly damning, and those who excuse Trump seem to have no sense of the national security danger to the US, and to individual spies and their networks, to say nothing of the Five Eyes network which includes New Zealand. Can the US be trusted? Indeed, one may well ask.

The indictment in full is now recited on several networks: the Bulwark, and MSNBC, free for anyone to listen to. It is alarming to hear just how casual Trump (and his staff) was/were about these precious documents – they were kind of like “his precious” thing(s).   Ben Wittes of Lawfare encouraged us to “Read with me”, but only the preview was free!  Bad luck, Ben! Trump’s staff compared his approach to the schizophrenic mathematician John Nash as portrayed in the film A Beautiful Mind.

In other news, it seems that Erik Prince, a co-founder of Blackwater, and brother of Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Education Secretary, and a very dodgy character, is being pursued by the DOJ in the US and by Austrian authorities. We await the outcome of that. 

And then Chris Luxon has made another foot-in-mouth stupid comment. After saying people i.e. women should have more babies (he was only joking, apparently), has said New Zealand is a “negative, wet, whiny, self-obsessed nation”; well that may be his opinion, but he’s extremely unwise to share it. Also, the weather is the weather no matter which party is in charge of government. In addition, he now wants to annul the law he formerly supported allowing greater building density in large properties. He certainly has a conflict of interest here, seeing that he owns several properties.  Former Prime Minister Ardern was recently honoured with title of Dame in the King’s Birthday Honours List: she was very gracious about accepting this, but really it’s standard procedure for anyone who was Prime Minister to be granted a title in this way. The media seem to be treating this with great surprise.

It’s now Friday June 16^th.

Well, it’s been a busy few days, with the counter-offensive by Ukrainian troops against Russian forces; reading in detail the indictment of charges against Donald Trump: this involves understanding how serious the charges against him are; wondering what happens next; measuring Republican reactions to how serious these are; and assessing the implications of Judge Aileen Cannon being assigned to this case, while we wait for other charges to drop. And then there’s Boris Johnson, who resigned as a Member of Parliament before the Covid Enquiry reported that he had deliberately misled Parliament. This is a really serious business, and is being taken as such. People whose loved ones died during the Covid 19 pandemic had to beg for this enquiry to be held, and now their grief is renewed, and is even worse since the cynicism of the then prime minister is revealed.  I guess we all remember the photo of Her Majesty the Queen sitting alone, all in black, at Prince Philip’s funeral; evidently there was a party at 10 Downing St the night before.

Although we all knew Boris was a perpetual liar, it’s tough to have it confirmed, and then to have some Tories supporting him!  People are shocked too to learn how un-serious those in charge were when hundreds pf people were dying from Covid 19, and most of the world in some kind of lock down to reduce contact between human beings while they sought to keep medical staff safe by tracking down PPE and trying to trace contacts. 

I guess the media are now choosing less flattering photos, but the site of Boris in shorts is not attractive, and one wonders just what Carrie sees in him.  Evidently she’s expecting their third child. Then again, I don’t find Trump attractive either. I listened to a podcast (The Bugle) which noted that Boris put the “lie” in liability.

In the US, Trump faces very grave charges over his handling of government documents, many of them classified.  While people like Mike Pence are legitimately concerned about their children in the military, no one seems to care about countries like New Zealand who as part of the Five Eyes network may well have been directly involved.  And what of Trump’s Bedminster golf course in New Jersey?  And who did he show documents to?  They could easily have been photographed. Either the extent of possible exposure is enormous, or the precious intelligence, nuclear secrets, and war plans are worthless.

Here are links to two articles about Boris Johnson from the Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jun/16/donald-trump-boris-johnson-law-silvio-berlusconi

and

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jun/16/tory-mps-boris-johnson-partygate-report

There is a lot of discussion about the similarities between Silvio Berlusconi, who featured hugely in Italian politics, but who died recently, and Trump and Johnson: all corrupt, and each using aspects of their so-called democratic governments to maintain their dodgy if not outright criminal behaviours.  Now Berlusconi has died, and Trump and Johnson are being called to account, at last; how effective will this be?  Who knows. I guess time will tell.

That’s it for now. Slava Ukraini!  Ngā mihi nui.

The Nova Kahkovka dam in Ukraine is breached, causing massive flooding and devastation

It’s now Friday June 2^nd, 2023. Kia ora!

On Wednesday morning I got up early to go to hymn singing. It was lovely, of course, and afterwards I did some shopping at New World in Khandallah.  After that, I was really tired, and JD came to pick me up.

The next day I got up to go to my other singing session at Khandallah, and spent some time with a friend afterwards at the local pub – a great venue. We both had poached eggs, and I had a latté with oat milk (my new favourite from Taiwan).  Afterwards I caught a train and bus home.

This morning I had a haircut, and then we went shopping at New World in Thorndon. Sadly, many things were missing: potato-topped pies (there were no pies), I got coffee beans but there were no raspberries; still, it was nice to go there again.

It’s now Monday June 5^th, the (now) King’s Birthday public holiday.

On Saturday it was fine and sunny. We had an appointment in Titahi Bay, and had lunch at The Peppermill Café afterwards: scrambled eggs again, for me. I would have liked an oat milk latté, but alas, JD had already ordered a long black for me.  I really enjoy the lattés:  the oat milk softens the sometimes bitter coffee, in a way that is less dangerous health-wise than putting cream in a long black (which I love to do).  Afterwards I returned my two guide books on Taiwan to the library. I had taken one of them to Taiwan; I would have happily bought one if I could have found a copy at any bookshop I looked at.

Yesterday I went to church, but there weren’t many physically there, although there were many on zoom – probably many away for the long weekend, although the minister has just had Covid again, and I think his isolation period finished that day, or the day before.  There was a replacement organist, who was very good – the usual organist was away, and I suspect, the usual pianist too.  At the beginning she played the beautiful Mendelsohn “O for the wings of a dove” which I recognized. She kept playing it after the entrance! The organist was Judy Dumbleton. It was Trinity Sunday, and the minister had a nice representation of the Trinity to the tamariki there with coffee beans (God the Father), ground coffee beans, representing Jesus, Son of God, who suffered on the Cross, and a cup of coffee with crema, representing the Holy Spirit.

Afterwards I messaged JD to pick me up from the supermarket, but, sadly, they didn’t have any more raspberries; they didn’t have either of our usual soaps, and they didn’t have cheese scones or chocolate snails! 

In the evening we visited our other son in Wellington and gave his family their presents, which I think went down rather well, although I wished we’d shopped more. There weren’t many gift shops in the area where we stayed, and I felt that the JD’s rushed me past any other stores where I might have been tempted to look and buy things. Of course, you always think there’ll be plenty of time to go back and buy things, and then, of course, there isn’t. We had bought the children t-shirts and other nick-nacks from a gift shop at the airport. It was lovely to see them, but already pretty cold and wet.

Today is a Public Holiday, and it’s very cold and rather wet, although my phone tells me that it’s 10°C but feels like 6°C.  It’s also quite windy. I had plans to go to a movie this afternoon, but JD suggests tomorrow.

I have been documenting each day we spent in Taiwan, using photos and messenger to do so. You think you’ll always remember these times, but of course you don’t, and I think it’s important to document each day as far as I can do so.

I watched an interview with Nicholas Braun, who plays Cousin Greg in the popular television streaming series Succession, and consequently I am getting almost only Succession-related items on my Youtube feed. How annoying is that! I am not obsessed with the show, but much of the media is. It was fun to watch, if one could stomach the swearing; and feel, of course, grateful that one doesn’t face such issues. 

I am also reading a New York reporter’s story about the D-Day landings, re-reported in the New Yorker – which the magazine is graciously letting me read.

I also get daily newsletters by email from Benjamin Wittes, who has been banned from Twitter and writes on sub stack, as do many liberal writers. He’s responsible for the Sunflower Ukrainian support initiative (I apologize for not getting the name right), and somehow finds time to write a lot of interesting stuff. Has his wife divorced him, I wonder?  I have a lot of time for Ben and agree with him on many things, but it’s rather sad not to hear him talk about his family, as most American podcasters do.

It’s now Tuesday June 6, the Anniversary of the D-Day Landings.

The weekly Covid report is out today, seeing that yesterday was a public holiday. It is as follows: there were 12,028 new cases of Covid-19 reported in Aotearoa in the week to midnight on Sunday, and a further 59 deaths attributed to the virus. The total number of deaths from the disease is now 3001. In addition, there were 278 cases in hospital at midnight on Sunday, with nine in intensive care.

The seven-day rolling average of cases was 1713.

Last week 14,371 new cases were reported and a further 43 deaths were attributed to the virus. So it still goes on, but mask-wearing is very rare: I had to put one on to go into a chemist shop today.

Today it is cold and wet, and very windy. Today we’d planned to go to a movie at 1:15 pm, and have lunch first, but JD was late with getting ready so we decided to just have lunch instead. I wanted to go to Elements in Kilbirnie; we drove there, but it was closed. I encouraged JD to find Spruce Goose, which he duly did:  it’s right beside Wellington Airport. It was extremely windy there – I was almost blown over getting inside. The café was quite busy: we were seated on high stools to start with, but soon our waitress arranged for us to sit at a table with a chair on one side and a bench on the other.  I had a wonderful view of Lyall Bay, and the strong surf, until waves washed against the window, spoiling the view.

JD had a glass of wine but I stuck with water. We had a really nice lunch: JD had mushrooms on toast, and I had waffles – delicious, I was quite hungry by this time.  Afterwards, we discussed what coffee we would have – I wanted a coffee latté made with oat milk, but another waitress, clearing the large table next to us, studiously ignored us. Our waitress was on a break.  Eventually we decided to go, although we weren’t in a rush and I would have liked to have coffee.

We thought we were leaving before the 3 pm school closing rush, but the traffic was quite busy. I needed to stop at Khandallah to pick up Te Reo Māori handouts for the meetings I’d missed, since there’s to be a meeting tomorrow morning.

It’s now Wednesday June 7^th.

Last night we watched more of the series streaming on Neon, The White House Plumbers. We got to the point where (spoiler alert) Howard Hunt’s wife allis killed in a plane crash.  I know the details, of course, but it’s kind of fun to watch it again.

This morning hymn singing was cancelled, since the organist is away at the organists’ annual conference. But there was a Te Reo Māori class at 10 am. The previous day I picked up the handouts I had missed, and the one about the natural world made a lot of sense: whenua, maunga, moana, puke, awa, and so on. Many of Aotearoa’s place names make a lot more sense now. There was a good turnout this morning, and the teacher helpfully went over some of what had been presented last year. I enjoyed the class. I do feel more heartened now- it is getting in, although most of us find it really hard. Afterwards I caught a train and a bus home. It’s still cold today, but at least it’s fine and sunny and not raining.

This afternoon I watch a video presentation with Ben Wittes, Quinta Jurecic, Scott R. Anderson and Roger Parloff.  Although I have seen Wittes and Parloff live recently, I haven’t seen the other two, I’ve only listened to them. Suffice to say, they look completely different from how I imagined them!  They discuss the Trump Special Counsel investigation. Wittes seems to be sitting in a hammock. Anderson looks older than I expected (and he has a slight lisp); Jurecic looks younger. But I respect all their views, all the same.

It’s now Thursday June 8^th.

It’s fine today, but still quite cold; I went to my other singing this morning, and it was lovely, but I had a really croaky voice, making it very hard to sing. I am getting rather worried about my voice: it’s hard to talk, anyway; and further losing my voice seems unusually cruel.  It’s totally unpredictable, too. The “frog” in my throat comes and goes, regardless of inhalers and Strepcils.

In Ukraine, the Russians have blown up a large dam in Russian occupied territory near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, causing massive flooding and devastation; it’s thought the Russians may have panicked ahead of the Ukraine counter-offensive. Whatever the Russians’ reason, this is being viewed as a major war crime. It’s caused a great amount of damage.

In other news, Chris Licht is out as the CEO of CNN; Trump is on the verge of being indicted (still/again/whatever), and Prince Harry is having his day(s) in court as he seeks to sue the Mirror Group of Newspapers.  So all of that is mildly interesting, but the main topic of interest is the devastation in Ukraine caused by the attack on the dam.

It’s now Friday June 9^th.

Of great interest is the air pollution in the Eastern seaboard of the US, affecting New York city and Washington DC. This is caused by bushfires in Canada, which is severely polluting the air for many.  Who knew they had such severe bushfires in Canada?  Who still dares to deny the ravages of climate change?  Who would have expected flooding in California, after drought and massive bush fires there? People are being advised to “mask up”, again.

But the biggest news today has to be the latest indictment of Donald Trump on seven felony federal charges, relating to the classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago club/retirement home in Florida, brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith.  So – at last – he’s been indicted on what are regarded as his most serious legal offences to date.  I know exactly where I was when this news broke – I was at the Village Patisserie café in Khandallah, waiting for our Art session to start. I received an alert from the Guardian, saying Donald Trump had been indicted.  Initially three charges were reported, one of them being conspiracy, which would involve more than one person. We don’t yet know if he’s being charged under the Espionage Act.  Other news outlets followed suit: NBC News, the New York Times and the Washington Post. Accordingly, the Bulwark’s Thursday night livestream, normally for Bulwark Plus (i.e. paid) members only, has been opened up for everyone.  As many pods want me to become a paid member, and I’m not prepared to go to those lengths, I welcome this opportunity. I suspect MSNBC will have a special show as well.

As this news has only just “broken”, the hosts are rushing to assemble their reactions. Their words of wisdom are perhaps not as inspiring as sometimes.

I watched Glenn Kirschner’s Justice Matters video where Glenn was positively salivating.  Well, it is exciting, too. As Glenn notes, the trial is sometime away. Still and all, it is significant.

The Bulwark podcast focuses mainly on whether some prominent republicans are prepared to come out publicly against Trump:  Mike Pence, or Chris Christie, for example. These guys, in my view, are republican at heart, and are just waiting for the republican party to revert to what they call “traditional” conservative values, whatever they are. Good luck with that, then.

The Art Group was lovely, as always, but there were only four of us there. Several are unwell, and are wisely staying away. It was a fine sunny afternoon, but that probably means the temperature will drop severely around 4 pm and it’ll be a cold night. I enjoyed talking to the group’s convenor about our trip to Taiwan, and the wonderful art we saw there – so different from the beautiful art we have here, which tends to focus on Māori themes, or birds, or flowers.

Afterwards JD picked me up but we got caught in after-school traffic so we crawled home.

That’s it for now.  I’m sure there’ll be more to say about the indicted former president. Slava Ukraini!  Ngā mihi nui.

Kia ora! Welcome to New Zild. Walkway between terminals.

It’s now Tuesday May 30^th, 2023. Kia ora!

What adventures we have had. We flew back from Taipei to Auckland overnight on Thursday 25 May, leaving Taipei at around 6:30 pm.

We caught a taxi with our eldest son to the restaurant for lunch. The taxi-driver was very chatty = he had an extensive conversation with our eldest son in Chinese during the journey. JD found that he could use Google Translate on his mobile phone to decipher part of the conversation! When I caught up with Succession after we got home, cousin Greg’s use of Google translate seemed totally authentic. We wished we’d used in earlier!

Before leaving we had lunch at a Herbivore restaurant again, where we had been before. This time I had a roasted vegetable salad. JD had the pasta dish photographed below. Afterwards we had coffee at a Moonshine Café where we had been before.  Then we said our last goodbyes, retrieved our luggage, and caught a pre-ordered taxi to the airport.

Photos of dumplings and pasta with pesto, pine nuts and avocado:

A Moonshine Café where one could buy a Long Black (and lots of other lovely drinks)

We got very confused at the airport. We got a taxi from our hotel at 3 pm, and checked in, and went through security. Then we were free to go to the Eva Lounge, but first we wanted to buy presents for the grandchildren in Wellington, something we’d not done so far.

There were masses of shops selling very expensive designer bags, cosmetics, perfume and alcohol, but none selling things we could buy our grandchildren such as toys or souvenirs. One wonders just who buys these luxury goods – certainly not us, and many of the shops seemed almost empty. We ended up walking a very long way away, eventually finding what we were after.  

Then we had to make our way back. We walked for ages again, then realized we were seeing things we hadn’t seen previously. So we turned around, and made our way back, and finally found the EVA lounge.  Once settled in comfy armchairs, we needed something to drink but I found the tonic water really sweet.

There weren’t flight announcements in the lounge; after relaxing for a bit, JD thought we should make our way to our departure gate. But first, I needed to use the restroom.  Then we set off again, but it was a really long way to Gate C2. Several travelators and lots of walking later, our boarding passes were checked. Then it was downstairs to another lounge. Soon after we got there, we were invited to board our plane.

It was different, this time, of course; there were no nice scuffs! And no one trying to serve drinks before take off. However an officious air hostess had issues with where I’d stored my handbag behind my seat; she also had a problem with my storing it under the squab.  We compromised, with my ensuring the strap was behind the handbag.  Then soon after take off, it was dinner time. Someone brought me the mineral water with ice and lemon that I’d ordered, but the amuse-bouche came before the table-cloth was laid!  The it was laid, and dinner served.  The starter was a “tasting plate” of various items, and then the main course was chicken breast with potato gratin, and some asparagus and peas.  It was delicious, but quite a shock to the system to eat so much meat again! Afterwards I had a yummy oolong mousse dessert.

This time the personal entertainment system worked, flight map and all.

Then we settled down to sleep. My bed was made up, and I was quite comfortable for a time, and then I got cramp in my legs. I took off my pressure socks, figuring that they were causing problems, and eventually found my anti-cramp medication. I took two tablets, but I couldn’t really get comfortable again, although I was mighty glad to be able to “lie flat”. There was quite a bit of turbulence and the Fasten Seat Belt sign was on, so I couldn’t stand up and walk around either. I didn’t get much sleep, but I must have slept some, since I woke up dreaming when they turned the lights up – at 3 am Taiwan time! Time for breakfast!

Breakfast was fruit juice, a small croissant, some fruit toast, marmalade, and a cup of black coffee. I didn’t want a hot meal, although JD ordered French toast. We both watched the flight map as the plane crossed near to Brisbane, and drew near to Auckland.

We had a very smooth landing. At Auckland, it was fine and sunny and not too cold.  JD declared the wooden tray we had bought with two tea cups, and I went with him, but we were waved through Biosecurity. The sniffer dogs seemed frisky!  Ours was the only flight to land at this time, so there was little queuing. Having got a luggage trolley, we decided to walk the walk between airports at Auckland. It was fine, and the air seemed thinner, crisper, and colder.  The walk seems to have been improved since we last did it two weeks ago! However I’m not used to seeing so many obese people!

We got to Auckland Domestic Airport and checked in, after rearranging our luggage; I retained my overnight small case. Then we went through security, and eventually found the Air NZ lounge. It was busy, but we managed to find the showers. There were no towels, but we were given towels.  Showering was a bit complicated, since the floor was very wet, and there weren’t many places to put things. Also, I wanted to change my clothes completely.  Still, I succeeded, despite frequent banging on the locked door.  Eventually, I exited, barefoot, and found a quiet place to put my shoes on.  Then I joined JD and we had a cup of coffee; he had something to eat.  Then we boarded our flight to Wellington, again walking a long way!  We were seated in the emergency exit row, which I usually avoid, but there was much more legroom, and I was sure JD would know what to do in an emergency.

Back in Wellington, we caught a taxi home.  Then there was a quick turnaround before we headed north. JD put a load of washing on; I repacked, trying to retain many things while adding what I might need for Hawkes Bay, and in some cases, trying to find things!  Meanwhile, I tried to have a rest, and I had more coffee. JD wrote a report, and, of course, he wanted me to read it.

By 5:45 pm we were on our way again, in the car, to Palmerston North. It was already dark, and I had such trouble finding things in the dark. Fortunately we’d taken some biscuits with us.  We were thankful for the Expressway, but everything looks different in the dark! And we don’t usually go to Palmy. But we did, turning off between Levin and Shannon, and then we were on Fitzherbert Avenue, and our motel, the Distinction Coachman, was coming up on our left. It was just before 7:30 pm.  The receptionist confirmed that I had paid, and that he would upgrade our room.  We could park in the basement, and there was a lift to our room on the 3^rd floor.  The room was just great: a king size bed, a sofa, and a lovely bathroom with shower over spa bath and lovely toiletries, and a robe!

We went down to the dining room where JD had a burger and I had vegetable soup. Then we went upstairs where I had a lovely spa bath. I set the alarm on my phone for 6:30 am the next day, aiming for a 7 am start to get to Taradale.  I checked for cafés, but many did not open till well after 7 am. I used Google maps to direct us to the Saddle Road to Woodville. In the event, we stopped at Maccas in Dannevirke to get something to eat. JD wanted to get gas, but the petrol station next door was still closed!  We each had something to eat and some coffee, and went on our way.  Eventually we got to Hōhepa School, at Poraiti, where the Hōhepa Family Day was to be held. We had missed the first session; they were just having morning tea. We were so grateful to get there that we didn’t have morning tea!  Back in the Hall (I hadn’t been there for years!) the Family Association had its AGM, and JD spoke about the Hōhepa Foundation. He was the only trustee there representing the Foundation. There were lovely plaudits for JD for his financial acumen and his efforts to get climate change and the vulnerability of the beautiful Clive site taken seriously (which it now is!). Then we had lunch, and after that we toured the building site at Poraiti, where facilities for elder-care are being built.  After that, there was to be more viewing at Taradale, and afternoon tea at the Hōhepa Taradale Shop.  JD and I asked our motel in Havelock North whether we could check in early, and accordingly, we did. What a lovely place! We had stayed at Te Mata Lodge before, but this was different: a big spa bath, a quiet heat pump, a bathroom with a wet shower, and lots of lovely toiletries. 

We had a rest, and then went to have an early dinner at Breakers in Taradale (new to Taradale, I think) with our daughter and her flatmates and some carers.  The meals are huge there – but we didn’t feel too guilty here about leaving food behind. 

There was to be a party at the Napier War Memorial Hall. We returned to the motel to have showers and get changed.  We managed to used lots of towels, but we eventually got to the party – it was hard to find the right place! There was a rugby league game on at MacLean Park, so there was lots of excitement! In the event, we saw friends at the party, but our daughter’s team had left by the time we got there.

That night we slept really well. The supermarkets closed at 9 pm, so we’d missed buying any food. We went to a local café for breakfast, where I had scrambled eggs and JD had Eggs Benedict. We went back to our room, and the friendly housekeeping lady changed the towels, replenished the biscuits, and left us alone. We’d arranged to pick up our daughter after lunch, and went shopping.

We had afternoon tea outside one of the cafés in brilliant sunshine.  That night JD and I dined at Divo in Havelock North: he had steak and I had a salmon salad. It is nice to eat familiar food again, and feel that we’ve adjusted to being back in some respects.

Sunday night wasn’t so good, but we went into Napier and had coffee and a mini-donut at Adoro, after buying a copy of the Post.  We went back to Havelock North, and I had more scrambled eggs at a different local café. It seemed they’d been busy, since there was hardly any cabinet food left! After this I looked at some lovely dress shops in Havelock North. The one that was for sale in the Annah Stretton shop was now sold (probably just as well!) but I did buy a skirt with price reduced at another shop, and it matches a blouse I have that I like very much.

The weekly Covid report was published. It reads as follows: there were 14,371 new cases of Covid-19 reported in Aotearoa in the week to midnight on Sunday, and a further 49 deaths attributed to the virus. The total number of deaths from the disease is now 2942. In addition, there were 248 cases in hospital at midnight Sunday, with eight in intensive care.

The seven-day rolling average of cases was 1982. Last week 14,657 new cases were reported and further 43 deaths attributed to the virus. It’s still very much with us, with people that had avoided it until now catching the virus, and others getting it again.

That evening we took our daughter to dinner at Lone Star in Napier (her choice!) We haven’t braved Lone Star since the Before Times (as in Before Covid); they were a tad disorganised, but the food was very good: our daughter chose the venison dish – we wondered about her choice, since she usually has fish there, but she ate it all and seemed to enjoy it. I enjoyed my “mocktail”, and some of my lamb shoulder with mashed potato and vegetables.  Afterwards she had some cheesecake, and then we took her to her home.

Last night we both slept well. I woke at 3:36 am, but went back to sleep till 7:30 am, a good night for me. We packed up, and checked out before 10 am. 

The weather was all right, not really raining till just north of Otaki.  We stopped for lunch at the Wind Farm Café in Woodville; I had never been there before,; it looked a bit gloomy but there is a nicer seating area inside, not visible from the road. We had – again – scrambled eggs!

Now we are at home, back in the “wooden tent”, where it is rather colder than Hawkes Bay; I rang my bank, who allowed online banking again (I had been closed out in Taiwan, and even back here last Friday); I left a message for Access (they haven’t rung back yet); and I did some hand washing.

It’s the Memorial Day holiday in the US, so there’ve been none of the usual Tuesday (their Monday) shows: Rachel Maddow, Charlie Sykes, or Chris Hayes.

I eventually got hold of Access, who told me that my contract has ended; I have to see my GP to have my needs assessed again.  I can’t see her until mid June! That is just so frustrating. I would like some help now. In fact I was counting on this. 

Next Monday is a Public Holiday – for King’s Birthday (formerly Queen’s Birthday Weekend). We are gradually getting back to normal again. Slava Ukraini! Ngā mihi nui.