Thursday 30 April 2020

The Persimmon Tree

We don't get a lot of seasonal colour this far north and by the time I'm able to visit Taranaki again autumn will be long gone, so I'm delighting in the persimmon tree more than I normally might.  Half the tree looks to be dead but it was still fruiting all over a few weeks ago.   


I've got a case of the "can't be bothereds" today.  Like the persimmon tree only part of me is functioning.  I was going to say blooming but that would be a gross exaggeration.  I feel like I'm somewhere between apathetic and melancholic.  I wonder why?  Can't think of any explanation.  Maybe it's to do with lack of stimulation, both mental and physical.  Best go for a walk. 

Go well.

Wednesday 29 April 2020

Visitors

The familiar noises I hear are always in the distance - a farm motorbike or tractor, a milk tanker, the occasional truck that goes along the road (we rarely hear cars) - so when I hear a strange noise close by I pay attention.  A few days ago I heard what sounded like turkeys and hurried to look outside.  There are flocks of wild turkeys in the district but I've never seen them close to the house before.  They were a welcome distraction.


A little later when I looked out to see if they were still there I noticed the last of the day's sun on the big old tree in the background of the above photo.





Saturday 25 April 2020

Stand at Dawn

This morning, for the first time since 1916 there were no dawn services to commemorate Anzac Day, a special day for all Australians and New Zealanders.  Instead, we were urged to Stand at Dawn, stand at the end of our drives, at our windows, on our decks, just stand and pay tribute to those of our countrymen who have served their country in war.


It was so peaceful as I stood outside and waited for the dawn.



To make up for my crap photo here's one my friend, Donna took in her garden of poppies, the symbol of war remembrance.

Thursday 23 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 30


So here we are, Day 30, the last day of Jami's project. I think I might hide my head somewhere and take no notice of the daily news for a few days.

Jami's idea of showing how in this together we all are has proven to be a good one. I read a piece just a day or so ago about us not being in the same boat but in the same storm. How true is that. Our experiences of the same virus have been quite different depending on our captains and senior crew and where on the globe each boat was situated when the storm hit. We are lucky our boat is way down here at the bottom of the world, far away from lots of outside influences.

My boat has weathered the storm quite well, I haven't suffered financially (although the country has – very badly), I've had the security of my pension and my way of life hasn't changed much. It's a little quieter than usual but not enough to be unsettling.

Many my age who live alone have faced terrible loneliness but I've had the unexpected company of one of my daughters who, to be honest, has taken over most the chores I sometimes find difficult. I've had the added joy of the birth of a grandchild and the happy endorphins that has released into my life. I'm lucky that I am reasonably familiar with modern technology so have been able to spend some time gazing at her as she sleeps so many miles away in Brasil.

For us, I think the worst is over as far as the virus is concerned. How the country's economy is going to get back on its feet I have no idea. I suspect the hard times will continue for many for quite a while. I try not to think about what life will be like for many in a few months.

This may seem silly to some but during the time of the lockdown my world, what I look out at every day, has returned to life. We've had rain, the grass is green again and the beauty of my surroundings is like a security blanket.

I'll be interested to see the outcome of Jami's project considering how different the perceptions and needs of her participants are. For Jami her life has been very different, no university life, no social life (and how hard must that be for a single 21 year old?) Her coping strategies will be vastly different from mine. Many other people have had so much more to cope with.

I wish my family and friends fair winds and following seas.

This is my last daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day, Covid-19 period. She wants to highlight how “in this together” we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope. She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway. (Jami is my grand-daughter.)

The Daily Count
Total cases 1451, Northland 27
6 new cases
8 in hospital
1065 recovered
16 deaths
There have now been 6 days of random testing but the talk around the results were very vague today and actually said nothing.

Wednesday 22 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 29

My mood from yesterday has eased off a bit but not completely. What I'm dwelling on today is in the same vein.


I'm not really into following politics very closely, I find it a very negative past-time. Usually I'm impatient with those who attack, attack politicians and the media for going on and on about the same thing. Now, it's the opposite, I'm wondering why the media can't do their job, ask questions, get clarification of what the hell is being told to them. I'm fed up with the vagueness of a lot of what we are told.

The PM and the Director-General of Health (who has become a substitute Minister for Health) are doing a good job of fronting NZ's response to Covid-19 but have some how become almost beatified and to question them is somehow wrong. If our worst days are over – and, oh, how I hope they are – it's surely high time to assess whether they were, in fact, faultless in all they did. Whether there is a better way of doing things next time, which, of course, I hope I'm not here to see. Maybe it's just too soon for that. But I still want to see journalists acting like journalists and not Jacinda and Ashley puppets.

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day, Covid-19 period. She wants to highlight how “in this together” we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope. She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway. (Jami is my grand-daughter.)

The Daily Count
Total cases 1451, Northland 27
6 new cases
11 in hospital
1006 recovered
14 deaths
There have now been 5 days of random testing and so far no positive cases have been found.

Tuesday 21 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 28

We've survived some of the world's strictest Covid-19 restrictions. Our lockdown will be eased back to level three from next Tuesday, the day after the Anzac Day long weekend. Then those businesses that can function while practising social distancing can re-open. Those involved in setting up their businesses to operate under the new rules can do so from Thursday. My daughter has been involved in the planning to get her workplace (a timber manufacturing plant) back up and running safely. A huge job. Many tasks will have to be performed differently and there will be physical changes as well. Those that can are to continue working from home.

On-line shopping is only about 8% of the country's retail trade so that will change as retailers scramble to set up on-line systems. I'm sure most of them would have been doing that during the lockdown anyway. It's amazing how creative people are when push comes to shove.

So many people are more interested in takeaways than anything else. Makes you wonder about their usual diets. Anyway, takeaways will be back with the social distancing rules but restaurants and bars stay closed.

The tourism and hospitality industries have been decimated. One in eight Kiwis work in tourism. It's our largest export industry in terms of foreign exchange earnings and around 200,000 work in hospitality with about half that number working in restaurants and bars. I wonder what the future holds for those people?

I will continue to stay at home.  The message is if you are not at work, school, exercising or getting essentials, then you must be at home, the same as at Level 4.

The Government still wants the vast majority of people working from home, and children and young people learning from home.

We'll stay at level 3 for another 2 weeks when the government will decide what to do next.

I'm happy for those who have jobs to go back to and really feel for those who have lost their businesses and jobs. There are so many in that camp.

I'm rambling. I often do that when there's something I want to express and don't know how. I'm trying to understand what is probably a character flaw in myself. Why I get sidetracked so completely by one little thing that shouldn't matter. I tell myself it's only a word but I don't listen.

The thing that is stuck in my craw is the use of the word eliminate. I always thought I knew what it meant. And I thought it was interchangeable with eradicate.

But no, after weeks of being told NZ was going to eliminate this virus, that the lady would accept nothing less than zero cases, that's why we were going so hard, we're now told eliminate doesn't mean get rid of it. Here's what it means – this is a direct quote.
"Elimination doesn't mean zero cases, it means zero tolerance for cases.  It means when a case emerges, and it will, we test, we contact trace, we isolate, and we do that every single time with the ambition that when we see Covid-19, we eliminate it.  That is how we will keep our transmission rate under 1, and it is how we will keep succeeding."

(Learn from the master snake oil salesperson!)

And, in under an hour after this announcement, the media stops using the word and starts using eradicate.  This is from one of yesterdays newspapers:  "Today's announcement about stepping down the response levels is a welcome one.  Last month New Zealand made the big decision to adopt an elimination goal in response to Covid-19 and go into a very tight lockdown.  That move has achieved much in terms of reducing virus transmission and giving us time to get key systems working to ensure we can sustain elimination."

Obviously they understand what is completely beyond me. 

Eradicate VERB
destroy completely; put an end to.
Eliminate VERB
completely remove or get rid of (something).
I just want to record some of the new rules:
Stay regional. You can exercise at parks or beaches within your region, but the closer to home the better. Activities must be safe – keep two metres away from anybody not in your bubble. Make minimal trips. (They have replaced 'close to home' with 'regional', the meaning of which has not yet been clarified.)
Keep bubble as small as possible. If you need to, you can expand your bubble a small amount to bring in close family, isolated people or caregivers.

That qualifies as a rant for me. It had to happen sooner or later! 

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day, Covid-19 period. She wants to highlight how “in this together” we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope. She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway. (Jami is my grand-daughter.)

The Daily Count
Total cases 1445, Northland 27
5 new cases
12 in hospital
1006 recovered
13 deaths
There have now been 4 days of random testing and so far no positive cases have been found.

Monday 20 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 27

It's getting late, no time for a post today. I have to look up E-L-I-M-I-N-A-T-E and try to understand the new meaning for the word. Confused? Me too!

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day, Covid-19 period. She wants to highlight how “in this together” we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope. She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway. (Jami is my grand-daughter.)

The Daily Count
Total cases 1440, Northland 28
9 new cases
14 in hospital
974 recovered
12 deaths
There have now been 4 days of random testing and so far no positive cases have been found.

Sunday 19 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 27

Tomorrow the PM will tell us whether Level 4 will be lifted this week, so I guess today is the day to wonder about what life could be like if and when that happens. It will happen one day, so make that when it happens. My money is on another couple of weeks at this level, although I think level three will be much the same (but with KFC) and those who can do their work while social distancing will return to work and (another) new normal. For me, it won't be any different.

That's OK with me. I'm not in any hurry to rejoin the world as it is now. The only place I'd go would be the supermarket. Apparantly they are a horrible place to be with fearful people rushing around, avoiding eye contact and chat and few smiles or laughter. It seems a sense of humour has become a thing of the past. I'll be happy to wait until people are relaxed and smiling again.

It will be a long time before anyone comes to stay at the lodge again. All that money spent on the new road and goodness knows when it will be used again.

I keep wondering what travel will be like when this is all over. How long will it be before I can go to Brasil to meet my little grand-daughter? I don't think people will be jetting off to far-flung destinations at the drop of a hat any time soon.

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day, Covid-19 period. She wants to highlight how “in this together” we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope. She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway. (Jami is my grand-daughter.)

The Daily Count
Total cases 1431, Northland 27
9 new cases
18 in hospital
912 recovered
12 deaths
There have now been 3 days of random testing and so far no positive cases have been found.

Saturday 18 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 25



I'm definitely feeling on top of the world today. 

My Brazillian grand-daughter has finally arrived. We've had a video chat with the delighted new parents and I've gone all gooey looking at the perfection of her. This is the first time I've been a 'distant' grandparent. That has been softened a little by the thought that even if I lived up the road I wouldn't be able to cuddle her.

What a time to enter this world! I'm thankful for all this modern technology and instant communication. Within hours of her birth I've been able to print a photo of her to gaze at whenever my thoughts stray to “I wish ….. “ This is not a time for wishes, more a time to give thanks for what we have and I have so much.

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day, Covid-19 period. She wants to highlight how “in this together” we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope. She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway. (Jami is my grand-daughter.)

The Daily Count
Total cases 1422, Northland 26
13 new cases
20 in hospital
867 recovered
11 deaths
There have now been 2 days of random testing and so far no positive cases have been found.

Friday 17 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 24

We're all feeling the stress!

Time flies by when all your attention is elsewhere. I had an ah-ha moment with the website work this morning when all of a sudden a light flashed on and I saw how to do something I've been struggling with. Baby steps!

Our days have been grey and overcast with rain here and there. The water tank is ever so slowly filling up, the grass is getting greener. Happy days.

Last night, while she was at work (5.20 am), my granddaughter's car was stolen from the supermarket car-park. A pair of 12 and 13-year-olds. Hard to believe kids that age could be out and about getting into mischief when they should be on lockdown in their 'bubble'. They had stolen another car from over 100 kms to the north, ditched it in the carpark and then busted into and stole Shayde's car. They then returned north and crashed the car on a rural road. Is it pointless to ask where were their parents? Thankfully, the supermarket has good security cameras and the police were quickly on the job, so Shayde didn't have to spend too long worrying. She's now waiting to hear if the car can be repaired and, if so, how long that will take. Wish I could give her a hug. Hard times!

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day, Covid-19 period. She wants to highlight how “in this together” we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope. She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway. (Jami is my grand-daughter.)

The Daily Count
Total cases 1409, Northland 26
8 new cases
14 in hospital
816 recovered
11 deaths

Thursday 16 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 23

I have nothing!  Today what passes for my brain has been focused totally on website work.  Once upon a time I could sit and write prose for hours, I loved doing it and it made me happy, the words would flow and I nearly always knew how to say what I wanted to say.  Now I sit and stare at the screen, waving my hands around vaguely as I try to think of an alternative word so I won't be repetitious.  Ever spent 10 minutes coming up with another word for ambience, resort to the thesaurus and still not be able to find a word that makes you happy?  Believe me, it is very, very frustrating.  If this keeps up I'm going to grow into a very grumpy old lady.

Today the PM's 1 pm broadcast was covering how things might be for us when we come out of this tight lockdown.  I wasn't even paying much attention, instead I was distracted by her facial expressions, how she bobs her head around when she talks, the way she scratches under her nose.  Usually I find that habit of hers annoying, today it was infuriating.

See ... grump, grump, grump,

Over and out.  See you tomorrow.

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day, Covid-19 period. She wants to highlight how “in this together” we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope. She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway. (Jami is my grand-daughter.)

The Daily Count

Total cases 1401, Northland 26
15 new cases
12 in hospital
770 recovered
9 deaths

Wednesday 15 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 21

My younger daughter made a comment on Facebook about there being no guidebook for this pandemic, no expected response or way to behave but whatever you are feeling or doing is OK. How true is that?

Then, this morning, on the phone, a friend commented on the coping strategies of those who are badly affected financially. And something he said sparked a memory in me of what I learnt about Change Management way back when I worked in Human Resources. That's what all this is really, isn't it? It's just a massive change to life as we are accusomed to living it. Crikey, I'm slow on the uptake sometimes, I thought I had no idea about how we are living this experience.

Our daily lives, our routines have changed, our social relationships have changed, our sense of safety has probably changed, too. I look upon any time of change as like being on a wheel with emotions that can roll forward or backward at any time. We can move from grief to denial to anger to bargaining to despair, backwards and forwards, changing from day to day, sometimes from hour to hour - until we come to acceptance. It helps to face your feelings, identify where you are at (in modern speak), give it a name, focus on it for a few minutes. Then move on to whatever makes you feel good and focus on what you can control, rather than what you can't. For me, deep breathing helps. If nothing else, I can control a few deep breaths.

I give thanks for my advanced years, for my life experiences, for the ups and downs, for the abrupt changes to my life in the past which have taken me quite quickly to accepting what I have no power to change. Now if I had the power to change something – that's another story!

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day, Covid-19 period. She wants to highlight how “in this together” we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope. She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway. (Jami is my grand-daughter.)

The Daily Count

Total cases 1386, Northland 26
20 new cases
13 in hospital
728 recovered
9 deaths




Tuesday 14 April 2020

Jami's Project - Days 19 nd 20



Peace


Easter Sunday

I've been thinking, thinking, trying to come up with something uplifting to say on this holy day. The most fitting I can come up with is “The great gift of Easter is hope.” Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal and new life, isn't it? If ever we needed that, it is now. I ponder on Hope and somehow that takes me to thinking that the thing that often gives me encouragement and hope when I am down is a smile.

You know what I'd like to experience, to see right now? Every day I realize how much I miss a friend's or a stranger's smile. That's what I'm looking forward to most when we come out of this crisis. Just a, “It's good to see you!” smile.

I so believe in the power of a smile, in the happiness, hope and positivity one can spread. I also happen to believe smiling boosts your immune system and relieves the stress that your body and mind feel. Smiling releases endorphins and helps to generate more positive emotions and we're going to need all the positivity we can muster when we return to our new normal. Smiles are contagious, as contagious as Covid19 so when there is none of that around, let's get cracking with the smiles.

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day Covid19 period.  She wants to highlight how "in this together" we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope.  She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway.  (Jami is my grand-daughter.)
The Daily Count
1330, 25 in Northland
18 new cases
13 in hospital
471 recovered
4 deaths 

Day 20

During the week I take a wander down to the letterbox every afternoon. I find it comforting to see everything looking as it usually does, to take note of what is changing now we are approaching winter. My cat sometimes comes with me part of the way and then waits for me to return but, even with encouragement, will not go past a certain point.


I think I am more obsessed with the weather than I am with Covid19. Or there could be a connection. I'm more aware of the weather and appreciative of the world around me at this time. I don't think I've ever gazed out at the trees so often or watched the bamboo and tall trees at the back of the house as they sway in any breeze. The bamboo is a little mesmerising, so graceful and flexible, so resilient. I need to channel bamboo into my life.

All five deaths from Covid19 in New Zealand have proved why all sources of information tell the elderly to stay in isolation. They have all been in their 70s, 80s or 90s. Three of those older folk have been from the same rest home, a place where they should have been safe.  But there's no hiding from this thing when people come and go from your bubble.  Please don't think I'm blaming the rest home management or staff, I'm sure they have done their very best under the most difficult circumstances imaginable and now a number of them have the virus, too.  I comment on it because it's been on my mind.  It's just so sad.   

I've accepted that I fall into that elderly category now.  I'm happy in my bubble and don't plan on leaving it any time soon. 

Sadly one of my grand-daughters walked from her house to mine (we both live on the farm) yesterday to pick feijoas and I couldn't go outside and join her for a chat.  She's one of our essential workers, bless her!

Oh, by the way, we've taken Adrian's advise and topped up our WIFI.  Leone is likely to be working from home for quite some time, even after we come out of Lockdown as her workplace sort out how to use space in the new normal.

This is is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day Covid19 period.  She wants to highlight how "in this together" we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope.  She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway.  (Jami is my grand-daughter.)

The Daily Count
Total 1349, 25 in Northland
19 new cases
14 in hospital
546 recovered
5 deaths



Monday 13 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 18

The last of Good Friday sun through the leaves of the Moreton Bay Fig

The blog is going to have to stay as it is for a while. Until after the 20th of the month at least. With Leone working from home, us both watching movies on Netflix, more than usual on-line hookups with family and me updating the blog more often than usual we have gobbled up nearly all my monthly WIFI allocation. 

So I'm changing horses mid stream. No, that expression can't be right, it doesn't make sense. But I guess it could have years ago when we got around on horseback. And a lot of our oft used phrases originate in the dim and distant past. OK. So, I'm changing how I'll be taking part in Jami's Project rather than posting live each day, I'll do my updates offline and copy and paste when my new WIFI allocation comes due.

The website work will have to wait until then, too. I hope I haven't forgotten what I've recently learned by then!

Leone went to Whangarei this morning to get groceries and is declaring we'll have to survive with what we now have because she's not going back into that madness again. The queue at the supermarket was long when she got there, so she parked the car and went for a walk along the riverside. Big mistake, it was worse when she got back.

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day Covid19 period.  She wants to highlight how "in this together" we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope.  She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway.  (Jami is my grand-daughter.)
The Daily Count
1312, 24 in Northland
29 new cases
15 in hospital
422 recovered
4 deaths 

Friday 10 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 17

The rain has gone and left behind a glorious, shiny and washed clean day.

I'm having online lessons in website maintenance of the Lodge's website.  Goodness knows why I decided to fiddle with my blog between having the lesson and doing some practice.  Maybe I thought it would help.  It didn't.  All it did was muck up this place.  I haven't changed things much since I started this blog but one big change was changing the background which I now find easier to read if it's black, so thought I'd change it back.  As for everything else ... all I can say is my brain was 10 years younger when I started.  I may be able to fix it, at least I have plenty of time to do so.  But then again, it may have to stay as it is.

Anyway, I think I'm doing better on the website work with printed directions to follow.

I've just enjoyed a very long chat on the phone with an old friend who can always make me laugh.  Old friends who know us so well are so precious.  I hope all my friends are finding something to smile about in this crisis, there's always a bright side.

 Daylight Saving has gone, the days are cooler, the light is softer, evening shadows are longer.
My world is beautiful.

This is my daily entry for Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30-day Covid19 period.  She wants to highlight how "in this together" we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope.  She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway.  (Jami is my grand-daughter.)
The Daily Count
1283 cases, 20 in Northland
44 new cases
16 in hospital
373 recovered
2 deaths

Thursday 9 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 16

There won't be any Easter eggs this year.  To be honest there usually aren't any in this house as I have no willpower when it comes to chocolate.  Any I bring into the house are usually well gone before Easter.  Shops are closed tomorrow (as, I think, they should be anyway) and we don't plan on a supermarket trip on Saturday.

But we have something better for Easter.  Better even than chocolate Easter eggs.  While I'm trying not to be overly excited, our Covid19 numbers just took a plunge, right off that plateau.  Today is the fourth consecutive day when the number of new cases decreased.  And today's new cases are just over half of yesterday's.

And, finally, tighter border controls have been introduced.  As you have probably guessed I'm all for the draconian approach.

Now we just have to trust everyone to play the game for a bit longer and stay home over Easter.    That will be a challenge to monitor.

And here's the biggie.  I could, just maybe, have another grandchild arrive on this crazy earth.

Go well.

This is my daily entry in Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30 day Coronavirus period. She wants to highlight how "in this together" we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope.  She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway.
The Daily Count
1239 total cases, 20 in Northland
29 new cases
14 in hospital
317 recovered
1 death

Wednesday 8 April 2020

Jami's Project - Day 15

Just take a look at this!  The mountain and forest have been gobbled up - by rain!  Sorry about the exclamation marks but there has been a lot of happy exclaiming going on around here is the last half hour or so.   We're having the sort of rain farmers call 'liquid gold', heavier than light but not too heavy, a Goldilocks 'just right'  - set in, constant. 


A few potplants, a couple of which have been really struggling, sitting outside in the rain to have a good drink.  And a bucket to collect the best drinking water there is.

In other news, two days in a row now the PM has been feeling cautiously optimistic about our Covid19 numbers.  That proves the value of the Lockdown.  It's been two weeks tomorrow since we went to Level 4 and another two weeks to go but the results must surely help us all understand why it's necessary and accept it if it's extended (which I suspect it will be, although maybe a few rules will be loosened.)

I think it's interesting that, athough I suspect our Lockdown rules were more strict than most other country's, many of us would have liked to see even tighter border restrictions.  Mind you, Kiwis are extremely patriotic and delight in telling anyone who will listen that "we punch above our weight'.  Maybe that phyche is what has been the secret to the Lockdown success.  It's been like we, as one, have been fighting for our country.  Not sure if that is making sense or if I've been doing too much navel gazing.  

Let's hope we stay on the plateau.

This is my daily entry in Jami's Project whereby she wants to create a collection of journal entries from people of different ages, from different countries and different parts of this country, during this 30 day Coronavirus period. She wants to highlight how "in this together" we all are, regardless of government policies, and the influence it will have on our wellbeing and to evaluate what individuals do to cope.  She has participants from Alaska, Canary Island, France, Canada and Norway.

The Daily Count
1210 total cases, 20 in Northland
50 new cases
12 in hospital
282 recovered
1 death