Day 1, Level 1: Work, minor parties, bleu/blanc/rouge and the noise of play
We're back to Level 1 - the main change being in the hospitality and entertainment sectors. Bars etc can now welcome people as normal. Events can happen. For the moment ...
While life at Level 1 is basically back to normal (yay) - it doesn't change the fact that our NZ borders are highly restricted and we are, in effect, still trapped here. For some time yet. Oh what I would give to hop on a plane and visit friends, immerse myself in a completely different culture, see and do things you can't see and do in NZ. Sad sigh.
I was planning to head back to Omaha today but got offered a writing/editing job which I accepted. A fiddly job that I decided was easiest done on my desktop PC, so I stayed in Auckland and spent the day in my office working on it.
I didn't get near my inks or anything else for that matter. And still have more to do to complete the job - but having broken the back of it I'll aim to head to Omaha tomorrow and finish it up there. I also have plenty else on, mostly writing/editing work - which all takes time.
Some projects that have been on the go for a long time are coming to fruition. Other big jobs are just beginning. It's all a never-ending balancing act. Sometimes I yell a silent "aaargh" - but mostly I just get on with it.
Meanwhile, now we're in Level 1, I need to rev up promotion of my Travel Companion Service offering.
So I have rather a lot on the go right now. As usual. Which is good. But pressured. Not of all it earns money. And the non-earning work is the most time-consuming of all. But it's valuable.
Dinner was gnocchi and pesto with salad. Light and tasty and quick.
Watched the political debate tonight between the leaders of the five main minor parties. I usually prefer this to the ones of the main parties - which I've missed (escaped!) this year. Tonight's debate was feisty, with some decent messages, some over-talking, and each [male] leader general striving for vote boosts and keen for political survival. It was entertaining.
I really don't like our MMP system. It's ripe for manipulation, confusion, and string-pulling. Minor parties can really grab that string if they get hold of it!
In a vaguely political vein - and in the absence of having taken any photos today - here's a photo of three mannequins I painted up a few years ago for a local Bastille Day event. They are shown here set up in our garden.
Our how the bleu/blanc/rouge tricolore colours of France reminds me of lovely memories of many wonderful trips there over the years.
SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
The noise of children playing ...
It's school holidays and the noise of young children in the neighbour playing together was in the air. In the old days, when our boys were young, that was the norm - everyone in the neighbourhood had young kids and there was no escape. In fact, it became invisible noise, as kids up the lane played and laughed and cried and shouted and had fun. Together or with their own friends. The noise was loud but tolerable because we all had kids. We parents became oblivious - in fact, if we heard the happy noise of play, we were happy. And often having a wine with each other!
Then those kids grew up and for the past few years, there haven't been any young kids playing in the neighbourhood. The noise of play has been totally absent. Just silence. Which is nice, but a little disconcerting, because I do like to hear the noise of life, especially if I'm in a city.
Today the playful noise of kids playing was all around. Babies next door have become young kids. Some neighbours now have grandchildren old enough to play. The circle of life ...
I had all the doors open today - it was quite a nice sound to hear wafting around the place, but it was just far enough away for me not to be able to hear it in my office as a distraction. I did have my headphones on for audio stuff quite a bit.
Made me reflect back on the constant sounds of our boys and their friends laughing and playing around the place. Now they're big men!
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