Beyond COVID-19 NZ

Firstly, the star that created the Smiley Face in the sky is Fomalhaut - known as the Spring Star in the southern hemisphere (or Autumn Star in the north) it's the third brightest star in the sky (as viewed from Earth) that is known to have a planetary system (after the Sun and Pollux). The name comes from scientific Arabic. It's a young star, perhaps only 100 to 300 millions years old, with a potential lifespan of a billion years.  It appears in a part of the sky that is largely empty of bright stars, and has a dust debris ring and is mentioned in various works of fiction, as well as games.  So without seeing that Smiley Face, by chance and thanks to the cat, on the early morning of 17th May 2020, I would be none the wiser that a star called Fomalhaut even exists! (You'll need to read the 17th May post to make proper sense of all this!) Update: I got up several times through early morning hours today to planet and star gaze. The crescent moon rose beautifully, on its back,...

A beach of two halves today, that's for sure! Coffee and reading the paper made for a relaxing morning. Whitebait fritters made for a delicious brunch! Then we set off on a decent walk to the southern end, along the pathways to the quarry and swan lake - well, it's a large pond, but it does have swans! And lots of ducks. There was a cold southerly so this was more sheltered than the beach. We came back along the beach and wow what a contrast from one end to the other.  The southern end was sheltered and calm, with families picnicing and swimming and playing cricket  and having all sorts of beach holiday fun under mostly blue skies and in sunshine. Omaha Beach, the southern end As we walked towards the northern end (with the wind thankfully at our backs) it was a picture of doom and gloom. It was pouring out to sea and the clouds northwards were black as ink. What a contrast. Northern skies   Out to sea - windsurfer on horizon Brett did a few DIY handyman type jobs like na...

What a stunning day - although there was a serious nip in the air. After wishing Michael a Happy 24th Birthday, reading the paper and doing the Saturday morning quiz over coffee in bed, we tootled into Matakana to go to the Farmers Market and support the locals get back up and running.  Brett had bought a new (well, not brand new) car just before lockdown. It has sat in the garage for all these weeks! I hadn't even been inside it and got to drive it for the first time. Very nice it is too. Compact and with gadgetry he still hasn't got to grips with yet. My old car has none of that but I managed to sort all the buttons and switches. There were loads of cars out on the road today, understandably, and approaching Matakana it felt like the old days.  Except that when we got to the Farmer's Market, there were hardly any stalls open. It was probably only operating at a quarter or a third of the usual offerings. That surprised me. Nevertheless we got ourselves some nice brunch - c...

The weather today was better than it has been the past few days.  I got busy with a bit of housework - there's never much to be done when it's just one person living simply. But oh that sand - I still can't work out quite how it shifts and spreads so very far and wide when I haven't even been out! I think Indi the cat is traipsing it around the place; she's in and out like a yo-yo.   I was a little aimless today, couldn't get properly focussed on anything - least of all housework!  But I have a guest coming this evening so the place got a bit of a spruce up. Brett is coming for the weekend! I didn't get to the beach although I should have. So here's a photo looking back to Omaha in the 70s - the initial Stage One development. Our house is here but the whole place was pretty barren at that stage.   Omaha - Stage One And talking of sand ... below are a couple of photos of the carnage the big storm of 1978 left behind from an article I researched and wrote ...

So we're in Level 2. It seems no one is going to restaurants. Problem  It seems everyone is getting their hair cut. The weather was crappy today, although not rainy until later in the night when it poured.. I didn't go to the beach. So here's a promotional sales shambles for Omaha from the 1970s. There are other promotional shambles items but I can't locate them right now. This is both bad and good enough.  LUNCH: Egg mayonnaise, celery, onion marmalade and S&V chip toasted sandwiches. Yes they're delicious - a la toasted sandwiches I used to have from a fab sandwich bar in London in the early 1980s. DINNER: Butter chicken with mango chutney and paratha. Nice. Had Zoom catch-up with Sam in London - he is sporting a healthy mo and woolly haircut. And looks great! The garden of his London flat is superb - hadn't had the Zoom tour of garden before as always had inside catch-ups. But having seen both inside and outside of his "flat" I'm loving it. ...

A miserable sort of day here; gloomy and showery and blustery. It's the last day of Level 3. As Level 2 alights upon us, a measure of excitement seems to be building around the land, like a train gaining speed.  Let's hope the train doesn't hurtle off the tracks!  I have to say, I won't be heading to a mall any time soon. Yuk then, yuk now. But a restaurant outing has huge appeal! I didn't go the beach today, weather too horrible. But I did reflect back to tropical days in New Caledonia last October. I led a "Racing in the South Pacific" tour there and boy did we have fun. We stayed in Anse Vata, a lovely resort area, right near the racecourse. We enjoyed a fab VIP night at the races. And plenty more besides. What a magnificent place, I loved it. Such a great trip, and so many friendships made. A fabulous group of people. Racing attracts such people I think! I hope to return soon and explore further. When we can! I hope to lead a trip there. When I can! So...