Day 40, Level 1: Leisurely morning, moody broody beach walk, Hunt/Lauder rivalry, and Jacinda

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It was one of those nice leisurely read-the-paper-in-bed take-it-easy mornings. With coffee. 
Just perfect after one of those nice nostalgic sit-back-and-enjoy-being-waited-on evenings last night at Antoine's. With sticky wine!
Why not?!

A few chores and then pack up the car and head north to Omaha. Brett left a bit before me, I still had more chores to do! Smooth trip although it took ages to actually get onto the motorway. At 1.30pm on a Saturday. Sigh. 

The weather was a bit gloomy but it was so nice to be back in Omaha mid-afternoon after 12 nights back in Auckland - my longest stint at home in months!

Brett and I went for a stroll to the beach at 5pm - the tide was in, the light was mysterious and the mood was broody. Kind of rugged and blowy but not too cold. It was just a quick bracing walk, very pleasant actually. A dog had fun digging deep into the sand with glee, then romping past us. We wandered back to our warm house with its central heating that works a treat. 
Oh, and then it was wine time!



Romping sandy dog

Moody broody Omaha


Cooked up a yummy fettucine bolognese, watched a bit of TV, then the movie Rush - the story of the James Hunt/Niki Lauder rivalry. Directed by Ron Howard. 

James Hunt may have had the looks and style and bad-boy appeal but in all honesty, he was a pained rogue who had no idea who he was or how to treat women. Or himself for that matter. He lived life on the surface. His death at just 45 (heart attack) meant no one probably really got to grips with who he was, least of all himself. A narcissist of sorts, methinks. 

They could both drive, that's a given, but Niki had nous, skill, strategy and authenticity that had far more appeal than Hunt's playboy shenanigans. Niki survived an almost unsurviveable crash, and came back from it with even more aplomb and circumspection. 
Give me Niki any day over the pretty-boy lightweight. May they both RIP.

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Where is Jacinda ...?
Our PM Jacinda has been glaringly absent for some time. 
After day after day of being in front of the nation with a huge smile and positivity, no matter whether the news was good or bad, she's all but disappeared off the radar - just when politics is hotting up, with an election only a couple of moths away. She would (should) normally be highly visible and vocal. But she's not. Hmm.
She's done a great job through Covid days, guiding us through lockdown levels, begging us to be kind and lighting up the world as Communications Manager extraordinaire. 
But where is she these days? She's gone-burger ...

This is very strange for a woman who has loved the limelight and is a communicator extraordinaire. 
There have been no comments from her throughout the National party shenanigans. 
No espousing Labour's wonders to showcase confidence and public support. 
No comment about anything.
Nothing. Nothing at all.  Invisible. I worry.

The last time I saw Jacinda she looked gaunt and strained, a weaker anguished version of her stronger self. And now we don't see her at all.
I'm not sure all is well in Jacinda's world and it's a worry. 
Little birds have been chirping, and the message isn't a happy one. I suspect all will be revealed in time. Plonkers will always be plonkers, and truth will always out. I'll say no more. 






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