manawatia a matariki

 This weekend New Zealand Aotearoa celebrated our first official Matariki public holiday. Apparently it is the first and or only known indigenous celebration to be made official in the colonised world. 

Matariki is celestial so the timing varies like Easter. It is when the Matariki stars rise in the east. This cluster of stars is also known as Pleiades and the Seven Sisters. 

It signifies the Maori New Year, a time to be with whanau (family), to think of those who have passed recently, to reflect on life and make plans for the future. It coincides with the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere signalling that the days will now get longer and it is time to plan and prepare for the next crops. Never a year went by without my mother reminding me about the shortest day and the relief of knowing that the days were now getting longer.

Manawatia a matarki - Happy Maori New Year. 

Sunrise on the 21st June, the shortest day. 

my much neglected blog

 Wow, it is almost a year since I posted on here. Realistically, probably one of the most 'different' years of my life. Not necessarily in a bad way but in the adjustment to a completely new retired lifestyle in a new and totally different location. 

Anyhoo - I'll resurrect this blog and see if it still works for me. 

I'll begin with a few snaps from the year neglected:

hello 2021

 It is the second day of the new year. Hello 2021 - and remember - #bekind. 

Last moon of 2020, here comes the sun...

spring is in the air

Spring is here. The tuis have been feeding in the cherry and kowhai trees. NZ has survived and beaten a second community transmission of Covid19. Elections are 2 weeks away. Globally Covid19 is rampant. The American President has tested positive. I'm guilty of schadenfreude. His supporters still say it's a hoax and/or he was infected intentionally - you can't have it both ways. 2020 continues to challenge us all. 

moving to level 1

Tomorrow we move to Level 1. 75 days later. Wow. There is so much I could have recorded about Level 3 (online school) and Level 2 (back to school). But life got busy again. We are returning to 'normal' however nothing is the same. The economy has taken a huge hit, particularly Tourism, one of our biggest earners. But hey, we watch what is going on overseas specifically the US and UK and we are so lucky! I said at the start of this that 'America was going to go off' - and it is in ways I never would have imagined. So happy to live in New Zealand. 

day 31

Last day of lockdown. For now anyway. Fingers crossed.

Today is New Zealand's last day in full lockdown, which we call her Level 4. The government created 4 levels of lockdown which we will work through until things are 'back to normal' although they never really will be. It's a great system, takes the guesswork of things and is the product of excellent leadership.
Tomorrow we begin Level 3, which is basically Level 4 with benefits. You can shop online, there will be a full delivery service again. You can get takeaways from outlets that have contactless systems. Schools will open for essential workers and those who have to go back to work although we are still encouraged to work from home if we can. At our school of 480 students, we have 20 max coming back. So back to some version of work for me.
Daily posting has been a mission. There is so much I could have said about what I observed in NZ and around the world. This is not a political blog but I do feel the need to have a 'wee rant' to end off my daily posts.
Begin as you mean to end - as I said at the start I am so happy to live in NZ, in a social democracy that cares about people before capitalism. Watching the debacle that is happening in the United States oscillates between watching a comedy show to a fantasy show to a horror movie. The latter is the most appropriate as people continue to die. I' ve been to the US and I've been to China. In China, you can get locked up for disagreeing with the government. In the US you can carry a gun and shoot anyone whom you feel threatens you. In today's 'Covid19' world, I would rather live in China. China's 'market communism' is extremely flawed however from what I saw, there is much more concern for the population as a whole. In 30 years they have worked to house all citizens in 21st Century conditions. What I saw in China was impressive. In my humble opinion, American capitalism is as flawed, dangerous and corrupt as China's communism. The person who leads the US currently - it's a bit like the mosque gunman in NZ - I don't want even utter his name - is a deranged, delusional, narcissistic piece of shite but... America has the president they deserve. The Democratic Party is complicit for electing a 'limp biscuit' like Joe Biden to lead them. Wake up America and look at some of the other world leaders who are navigating this pandemic - Angela Merkel, Justin Trudeau, not to mention Jacinda Ardern. Even some other narcissistic 'old white men' are doing better - Boris and Morrison. They at least have enough inherent intelligence to listen to the scientists.

I could go on, and on, and on. If nothing else this pandemic has helped me understand the American psyche. I think America will implode. It certainly is no longer the so-called 'leader of the free world.' The rest of the world watches in horror. Maybe, hopefully, we will look back in 50 years and see this situation as the tipping point that will bring change to the US and their capitalist model.  That's me being optimistic, I won't be around in 50 years to know.  But I hope the global community learns some lessons from this pandemic and makes some adjustments for the benefit of the planet. Kia kaha everyone, stay strong.

day 30

Leaves.

day 28

Nita Eileen. Passed away 3 years ago today. I wonder what she would make of this pandemic?

day 27

More macro.

day 26

The jam making continues.  When the world is in crisis...make jam.

day 25

Level 3 begins next Tuesday for two weeks then reassessed. TOD on Tuesday then schools to open for those who need it. Government information very clear and specific, all questions answered. Lots to organise.

Photos from the garden...

day 23

Empty city. Got a bit stir crazy today so went for a drive - in our neighbourhool of course! Found a fruit and veggie shop that was open! We walked down by the river in the centre of town which is usually bustling - but not under lockdown.

day 22

Macro. Gazanias. Another of quite a long list of flowers I once used to not like. Tastes change. I have a new respect for them. They grow in hot dry places.

day 21

Puddles. Rain today, we do need it but it makes things feel a bit gloomy.

day 20

When you spend this much time in your house, it is the little things you appreciate like the artworks that surround you.

The Orphan by Rei Hamon

day 19

Light at the end of the tunnel. Talk is moving to how we come out of lockdown from Level 4 to Level 3 and what this will look like. The 'naysayers' heads are rising, those who say we went to hard too long. In NZ as of today, we have 1366 cases of Covid 19 and 9 deaths. That's a good place to be. Our numbers of new infections should soon be so low that contact tracing and closed borders will allow a 'version of returning to normal life.' Undoubtedly the economy will take a massive hit, which is to be expected and is the next challenge.
Term 2 starts for schools tomorrow with our first foray into online learning. Teachers have done much thinking and preparation. It will be the strangest start to a new term in my teaching career - in fact, it will be history-making.

day 18

Enjoying my macro lens. Still much to learn however about how to get the best results out of it. This lockdown is certainly an eye-opener regarding how little time I spend doing anything other than work. Maybe a heads up for things to come?

day 17

Easter Sunday. A very different vibe this year. Easter is a bit of a gamble in NZ being in either late March or April. It can be either really warm and offer us the 'last of the golden weather' or it can be a foretaste of things to come...chilly and wet. Of course, Murphy being in the house, this year it's the golden version. Great weather for a last trip to the beach. Yeah nah!
The Grandies rang all excited about their Easter egg haul - glad I'm not cooped up inside with them all day.

day 14

The new reality - grocery shopping. I thought I'd go early but it didn't help. The queue was at least 400m long. But well-spaced and behaved! So different from the usual quick nip to the supermarket.
However, I am now the proud owner of two bags of high-grade flour ensuring hot cross buns for Easter!

day 13

Feijoas are big at my place at the moment. Feijoa jam, feijoa chutney, feijoa crumble, feijoas with yogurt. They are so much part of the autumn feel in NZ. Apparently native to South America but related to the Pohutukawa tree, they are a fruit mostly loved but Kiwis.