Tag Archives: coronavirus

When things break

I have been thinking about broken things of late because our Rav4, which I recently mentioned in light of wanting to replace it with an EV, broke terminally. The gear box failed and we discovered that it would cost about the sale value of the car to replace it. And it isn’t just that theContinue reading “When things break”

Manifest inflation

This week three things that I read and heard have been coalescing in my brain: Small pieces of gib board can be sold for the former price of whole sheets, or more. Inflation has hit a 30 year high in New Zealand, at just under 7%. ‘Manifesting’ is a very popular trend where people ferventlyContinue reading “Manifest inflation”

FB – my actions & reactions

I have participated in Facebook for a number of years, for a variety of reasons, including: It is informative to participate in some form of social media because social media is an important current form of communication. Staying away from social media entirely because of its potential for harm, is about as sensible as stayingContinue reading “FB – my actions & reactions”

Good or Bad?

We ordered a new electric vehicle this week (the Kia EV6). We should all shift to electric vehicles rather than fossil fuel powered vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), right? I have been watching electric vehicles for about the past three years as our Toyota Rav4 has become more expensive to service and significantlyContinue reading “Good or Bad?”

The other side of tourism

Having ranted about tourism last week I am recanting, but only a little. I like it when my friends come as tourists, I just don’t want everyone else! Clearly that’s hypocritical – everyone else wants their friends to be able to visit Queenstown, or New Zealand, not just my friends. OK, I will allow everyoneContinue reading “The other side of tourism”

Tourism saves the economy, or not – a rant

We have just finished a mini cycle tour from Gibbston to Milford Sound via Queenstown and Mavora Lakes. We stayed two nights at an Alpine Club hut near the Homer Tunnel, partly to miss the rain, and partly to be able to go up to both Homer and Gertrude Saddles for their wonderful views. TheseContinue reading “Tourism saves the economy, or not – a rant”

The weight of absence

Absence can be a positive or a negative and its weight is totally relative to the person feeling the absence. For me, absence of people in the back country is a huge positive, as is a relative lack of people where we live. Why do I love places where there aren’t people, when I spendContinue reading “The weight of absence”

‘Real’ scary as an antidote

The world can feel like an insecure place at present. A New Zealander on National Radio was hypothesising that the combination of COVID with Putin’s threats make this the worst time ever for humanity. There have been some pretty bleak times for humanity. I wouldn’t want to try out the early 20th century, experiencing WWI,Continue reading “‘Real’ scary as an antidote”

Relativities

We went to a house concert last night in Hawea. House concerts allow musicians to continue to earn a living from live music, at a time when most larger concerts are being cancelled. It was a lovely evening with around 30 people sitting on the grass outside. It was hard to imagine that, as weContinue reading “Relativities”