Day 1, Level 1: Beating Covid, Thoroughbreds, and masks

So we're now at Level 1 - and have come out the other side of the Covid-19 drama relatively unscathed and, apparently, "beaten" the thing.

Along with, according to media reports, countries such as Papua New Guinea, Eritrea, East Timor, Montenegro, the Seychelles and Fiji.

Did NZ ever equate itself in a "we're on a par with" these nations prior to Covid? Don't think so. How many Kiwis even know anything about East Timor? Could ever equate NZ with PNG? Know where Eritrea is?

I had the privilege to learn about East Timor through a flatmate in London in the early 80s who was very vocal about all that was happening there during Indonesian occupation and the brutality that went with it. 

When I worked at the Blind Foundation I also learnt about Fred Hollows who did game-changing work restoring eyesight in Eritrea in the late 80s/early 90s.

Montenegro was of course part of Yugoslavia - so many "Dalis" in NZ - mainly in relation to Croatia. 

 

These countries have beautiful scenery and kind, everyday people getting about life, as well as those who battle and those who shine and those who repulse. All nations do.  They have their challenges and problems just like we do. Their different. Intriguing our commonality is eliminating Covid-19! But how well do Kiwis know them?

Right  now, the world is in adulation of NZ. The world can't get enough of us. Are they also fawning all over PNG and East Timor ...? I don't think so.

So much of this supposed new "freedom" is a matter of perception ...

And to focus on NZ ...

Now that someone says we can do what we want, it seems to make people suddenly feel safe. But in effect, nothing has changed. The reality is that nothing is different between today and yesterday - except a thing called Level 1 which brings with it the perception of what is okay.

Oh, the power of the word and belief!

If only our borders had been clamped closed from the get-go - we could have roamed our neighbourhoods and country in safety and true world exclusivity. But we did that far far far far far (I can't emphasise it enough) too late.

Onto the matter of thoroughbred racehorses (my passion) - here's a graphic that has recently (but long overdue) been produced by NZTR - it shows how many people are employed for every horse that races in NZ. There will often be more owners, and more at people at various levels. But this is for starters and it paints the picture.

The thing is that there can be no racehorses racing if there are no owners in the first place. All those other jobs couldn't happen if no one owned a racehorse. But for far too long, owners have been at the bottom of the pile. But look how prominent they are in this graph!

Reality: No owner = no trainer, no jockey, no nothing.

But still, in NZ, the owner is invisible, and resigned to ridiculously low stakes that, when compared to the rest of the world, are worse than pathetic. Owners are giving up. And if they do en masse - there will be no industry.

Which means that $1.6billion is removed from the economy.

And there'll be plenty of sad people, and jobless ones too.

Racing is a vital industry for NZ. Believe it!

Thoroughbred racing will resume on 20th June - earlier than initially planned - yahoo!

I drove home from Omaha tonight to get to quiz for my first "in person" experience in three months (and to re-resource myself - running out of winter clothes up at Omaha for one thing).

Boy have I missed quiz and it was fabulous to get back into it tonight. Great fun, loved it. Socialising, learning, laughing. What's not to love!? I tried to entice Brett along but he wasn't keen, it's not his thing.

LUNCH: Crumpet with avocado and emmenthal

DINNER: Fish tacos (at quiz) - yummy

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:

Masks ...

I guess there's an irony in the fact I've worked in the mask business for 20 years, but have never worn a mask once during Covid lockdown. Never even contemplated wearing one, nor handled one. I guess this is because I did lockdown at Omaha where the threat of infection was marginal at worst, nil at best.

To be honest, up there I never once felt the need to even think about wearing a mask although plenty of people did, especially at the local superette and 4 Square. Safety precautions were in place everywhere and there was hardly anyone around - I was in one of the safest places on the entire planet.

My focus was on masks that were masquerade, theatrical, artistic etc, not medical, but it still holds a level of bizarreness that Covid-19 comes along and demands mask-wearing shortly after I wound my mask business down in November 2019 to concentrate on other things (travel). Go figure!

If only I'd taken heed of all those emails I was being bombarded with during pre-Covid days,  suggesting I purchase medical masks. I thought it was odd and a bit foreboding at the time - and now of course I know why. Covid was coming. Mask-wearing was about to become de riguer throughout the world.

My mask suppliers were based in China. They knew something. I should have bought in BULK, early days, and gone into the medical mask business! Oh well.