I wrote this a few weeks ago, for no reason other than it popped into my head. I thought I might post it on here someday but it’s a bit random so wasn’t sure. In the light of recent events in (supposedly) the largest democracy in the world it seems strangely prescient. This is not […]
Tag: Wellington
Meri Kirihimete!
I’m not really a big fan of Christmas. As a child I loved it – the sparkling lights, the colourful baubles, huge tins of Roses and Quality Street in a house that rarely had chocolate; watching the Queen’s speech and then the Christmas movie (unless it was The Wizard of Oz – Mum hated that […]
Orange
Wellington has turned into an orange city. Nothing to do with fake tan, rather a plethora of hi-vis and road cones, the occasional yellow thrown in for variety. There are street works, sewage works (ongoing in Wellington due to the crumbling infrastructure), and building works, generally the construction of an apartment block. There’s one next […]
Close to the Wind
A few years ago Neil and I decided to learn to sail. Like our rugby players, NZ sailors are often described as the best in the world and, whilst I’m never going to run around a pitch carrying an odd-shaped ball, there’s something attractive about chilling on the sunny deck of a boat as the […]
Covid: The Return (Part 2)
At 10.13pm when both phones in the household go off with a note that neither of us recognises or has chosen, we know it’s not good news. That cold hand, the one that’s been around a lot the last few days, hovers over me, the hooded claw from Scooby Doo. I shiver, despite that I […]
Alarming
The fire alarm in our apartment building went off last night. Neil was asleep; I was just beginning to doze off. Safe to say it scared the living daylights out of me. We both shot up in bed with swear words. I couldn’t find the light switch, despite having turned it off only a few […]
Normal?
After seven weeks of being unable to do it, getting in the car and driving up the highway feels strange. Only it doesn’t; it feels normal. That’s because it is. All these things we are slipping back into the practice of are the things that were part of our daily lives until recently. It is […]
Level 2: Reasons to be Cheerful: Part One
(With all due credit to Ian Dury) I did a few things today that I haven’t done in a while. I put on proper clothes, rather than ‘something comfortable’. I drove the car. I wore jewellery. And I met a friend for coffee, this latter the reason for the former few. Clothes I found easy, […]
Lockdown: Day 49
After my post yesterday a friend sent me a picture of the results of her efforts to cut her husband’s hair. Taken from the back, it shows a narrow band within thick dark hair of shaven head going up a few inches from his neck. It made us howl with laughter and Neil comment: ‘that’s […]
Lockdown: Day 48
It’s interesting to compare the reaction of different countries to this virus. We locked down early, and we locked down hard. There were stringent movement restrictions, although not so stringent we couldn’t leave the house, as in some countries. Our border was closed to all but Kiwis and a 14-day isolation period implemented, which soon […]