Day 15, Level 1: Covid measures, Titirangi, Te Uru and art

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We we have Covid cases escalating here as more and more people return ...
Complacency ruled once Level 1 was in place. Bad move. People returning are bringing Covid with them. No real surprise there - but our border measures were slack and they slipped through the large open cracks.
We might have looked fabulous to the world a couple of weeks ago.Now, we're a bit of an internal shambles.
Border regimes!?!? Standard testing!?!? Hello ...!?!? Where were you?
See at the end for a link to an interesting graphic showing the increase in global Covid deaths - makes for interesting and alarming viewing.

I think it's going to be quite some time before the much-longed-for Tasman Bubble will be in place.
A Pacific one may come first, methinks!

Thing is ...
If you leave a door ajar, any cat can get in.
If you shut it, a cat will have trouble getting in - but a clever or desperate one may manage it.
If you lock it and guard it, no cat will have a hope.

All those quarantine hotel doors have sadly been colloquially "on the latch".
And now we're back-peddling and new more stringent measures are finally being put in place ... with the Defence Forces overseeing things.

Regardless of Covid gloom ... today was another glorious and very warm winter's day - 20 degrees C.

After an admin morning, I made my way out west to Titirangi to meet with Taina, who is on board as a Personal Travel Companion contractor, when I can't take clients. We've liaised for some time now, and, as Taina is a nurse, I was keen to discuss health and wellbeing points with her.

First we had a look around Te Uru Gallery - a lovely contemporary space, light and bright and with great views of bush-clad West Auckland (see photo). I hadn't been there in a long time, not since it first opened back in 2014. From the elevated viewing nook, things looked a bit ominous out on the horizon, even with a shower or two coming down - but where we were was hot and sunny. Having said that, because of the all the bush in this area, it can be cold when you're not in the sun.

Out west, Titirangi

After our dose of art, we had a coffee at Deco Eatery next door - a large and lovely cafe with an eclectic collection of curios at the entrance, that's for sale, garage-sale style. Intriguing.

We chatted about my Beyond travel offering; where I'm at with it, plans for marketing, things that I still need to finalise etc. Taina has offered to put together a health/safety & wellbeing overview to ensure we have a policy around optimum safety for clients. And for us as travel companions.
Forward movement - and lots of positive discussion and vibes.
More work to be done.
Slowly but surely - getting there. Patience is the key. Getting it right, in light of everything, is paramount.

In the afternoon, I drafted up a contract for my contractors - which will have a legal once-over once I've shaped it up.

And then it was off to quiz ...
Some pretty hard rounds tonight, but we did well and surprised ourselves by coming third. Last week we won, so we had a juicy $100 voucher to spend. Another fun night.


SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Art and spin ...
Some interesting exhibitions on at the gallery today, and some empty spaces due to exhibition changeover. What we saw wasn't too much to our taste, but it captivated nevertheless.
It's always fascinating to look at works that challenge you and make you think a bit - about the work itself, and the person/mind that created it. There's usually always a fascinating story that unfolds, about the artist, their life, their connections, their quirks - and even though you may not want the artwork in your living room, what can be learnt from a short time in a gallery is astounding and always enlightening.

Theo Schoon exhibition, Te Uru, Titirangi

We were the only people there. There should be more people there.

The thing with art is that it's generally the wealthy influential art collectors that rule the roost on who becomes an artist of note. Or not. I learnt this unequivocally during an art tour in London in 2017 with a very knowledgeable art expert. What she said about all this confirmed what I'd suspected all along... that, like many things, there's a whole lot of spin lying behind it all. And it emanates from the collectors who then create the spin and the influence on other art buyers.
And we all know influencers are everything, right!? Because people believe them!? Sigh.
They've been around since way before Instagram!

Here's the link to the Covid graph

https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/2562261/?fbclid=IwAR2llrAtc45Yf02vqJWJBNKgbINX3Z1c6W8-Zo9X0Vol_-E7Fynm5kpj7JU






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