The first of the summer cruise ships enters Napier harbour. It will however be another two weeks before the water park Splash Planet opens for the summer.
It’s half-way through Spring and there is a profusion of purple, pink, red, orange, and yellow wild flowers along the walkways around Napier. Everyone however seems afflicted with hay fever. The hills in the distance are still frosted with snow. With a westerly breeze it’s nippy at 14’C.
Before the winds start to blow, the helicopters try to break up the early morning frost. Very early as my watch says 4:45am and the outside digital thermometer reads 1.8’C. Besides being crisp and colourful, it’s also a holiday. Despite the name Labour Day it’s only Gill who has volunteered to work to give her a break from Mr Grumpy - who’s grumpier than ever after weeks of chaos in stock markets.
Will the Bradley bunch let a black family into the White House? One hopes the American electorate has read and believes enough of Barack Obama’s insightful book “Dreams of my Father” to make the right decision for the future of both Africa and this planet. It’s not only the USA waiting for the fat lady to sing.
NZ also has its general elections in November. The two major political parties here are the left of centre Labour and the right of centre National Party. Both are unlikely to get more than 45% of the votes. Each uses a pitbull as a leader and neither will accept that they are both centrist so neither will court the other. Both then court weirdo groups such as the tattooed Maoris, Greens, Liberals, Rastafarians, the flower pot men and other minorities whose colours resemble those of chameleons yet wield the balance of power.
The pending elections seem to hold a few differences to what we are used to. For one thing the results here won’t be available until after the election. Then after the election, the results won’t have to be held back until changed to suit the incumbents. We will also miss the public holiday for the voting day, the queues, the boerewors rolls and the iodine stained finger nails that last for weeks.
The results here and overseas will no doubt still disappoint any people of principle such as the libertarians. With policies quite unlike the others and by continuing to omit any bribes for either the voters or the vote counters, they should again succeed in not having to report for work in the beehive. http://www.libertarianz.org.nz
Rumours from not so afar are that there is a nest that will need repair before next Easter. Perhaps the pile of sticks that used to be a fence before the dogs got hold of it will suffice for the stork.
The wetlands have a new season with ducklings, goslings and cygnets being husbanded away as the angry parents turn and swear at the roving falcon. At least the birds know enough not to rely on legislators and politicians.
It’s half-way through Spring and there is a profusion of purple, pink, red, orange, and yellow wild flowers along the walkways around Napier. Everyone however seems afflicted with hay fever. The hills in the distance are still frosted with snow. With a westerly breeze it’s nippy at 14’C.
Before the winds start to blow, the helicopters try to break up the early morning frost. Very early as my watch says 4:45am and the outside digital thermometer reads 1.8’C. Besides being crisp and colourful, it’s also a holiday. Despite the name Labour Day it’s only Gill who has volunteered to work to give her a break from Mr Grumpy - who’s grumpier than ever after weeks of chaos in stock markets.
Will the Bradley bunch let a black family into the White House? One hopes the American electorate has read and believes enough of Barack Obama’s insightful book “Dreams of my Father” to make the right decision for the future of both Africa and this planet. It’s not only the USA waiting for the fat lady to sing.
NZ also has its general elections in November. The two major political parties here are the left of centre Labour and the right of centre National Party. Both are unlikely to get more than 45% of the votes. Each uses a pitbull as a leader and neither will accept that they are both centrist so neither will court the other. Both then court weirdo groups such as the tattooed Maoris, Greens, Liberals, Rastafarians, the flower pot men and other minorities whose colours resemble those of chameleons yet wield the balance of power.
The pending elections seem to hold a few differences to what we are used to. For one thing the results here won’t be available until after the election. Then after the election, the results won’t have to be held back until changed to suit the incumbents. We will also miss the public holiday for the voting day, the queues, the boerewors rolls and the iodine stained finger nails that last for weeks.
The results here and overseas will no doubt still disappoint any people of principle such as the libertarians. With policies quite unlike the others and by continuing to omit any bribes for either the voters or the vote counters, they should again succeed in not having to report for work in the beehive. http://www.libertarianz.org.nz
Rumours from not so afar are that there is a nest that will need repair before next Easter. Perhaps the pile of sticks that used to be a fence before the dogs got hold of it will suffice for the stork.
The wetlands have a new season with ducklings, goslings and cygnets being husbanded away as the angry parents turn and swear at the roving falcon. At least the birds know enough not to rely on legislators and politicians.
