Politicians and pigeons

I fluctuate between being impressed and being irritated by my contact yesterday with several politicians.  I'd sent off similiar emails to our Minister for COVID-19 Response | Minister of Education | Minister for the Public Sector | Leader of the House | MP for Remutaka, my local member of parliament and our local opposition party list member of parliament.  The emails were sent around 4.30 after I'd had a chance conversation with a couple who were lunching at the same cafe where I was treating myself.  A very politically vocal couple.  Is there such a thing?  You know, strong views about politics and not shy in sharing them.  I shared many of their views, by the way, but was stunned by their lack of compassion for the huge number of Kiwis who are stranded overseas and unable to return to their home because of our MIQ (Managed isolation and quarantine) system which has recently turned into a lottery that gambles with people's lives (in my opinion, of course).

I wasn't expecting replies till this morning but before I left my email page on the computer, there was a reply from the Minister.  I appreciate he must be a busy man with all those portfolios.  He's one of our leader's few trusted MPs.  But surely there is a way he could at least pretend to have read my concerns rather than sending me an auto response with no fewer than 15 links where he suggested I may find an answer my query.  No go on any of them.  His bio says he has a team of advisers and (2) press secretaries who do a lot of the day-to-day interfacing - with those with whom it is deemed important enough to be interfaced, I presume.

Two hours later I received a response from my local MP.  A lot of its content followed our leader's Be Kind approach and explained in a caring manner the party policy.  I knew what the policy was, that was not what I was on about.  However, her words in a couple of paragraphs told me she really had read what I had to say and that she has a heart.

The opposition MP took a bit longer to reply but it arrived around 9.30 pm.  It was short and to the point.  No waffle, no kindness, but he addressed my issue.

So I'm impressed with the time two of the three took to respond but I'm still smarting about that auto response.  I don't know why I expected more.

Today, at around the same time of day, I'm delighting in the company of my two regular visitors to my neighbour's old plum tree.

 

I had a close call with one of these two last week.  I'd waited for the rain to stop to go outside to retrieve something from the garage. I was reminded that I'd taken longer than I'd planned by very heavy rain on the roof.  There is a gap of a few metres between the house and the garage and as I stepped out from the garage door a low flying pigeon whooshed over my head, close enough to disturb my hair.  It's mate followed close behind but adjusted its course to go over the roof of the garage rather than take the shortcut through the gap.  It seemed to me they were fleeing from the heavy rain.

Sometimes they sit side by side

This is the time of year that kereru are laying their eggs so I'm hoping to see some of their babies in a couple of months.  It's lovely to see them so at home in town, I miss the two pair that nested in the big tree above my house on the farm.  But it doesn't surprise me, as they don't frighten easily, allow close approach.  I haven't heard these two make any sounds other than the whoosh of their wings as they fly.  The only time I've ever heard a kereru make a little "oos" sound was when there was a kestrel flying above, I think their call was an alarm.  

Sometimes they sit one above the other