ISOLATION: DAY FOUR
Friday morning and I click into my standard routine like a little clockwork toy. Small things are starting to matter: will breakfast be early or late? (early), what will the cereal be? (corn flakes) and will there be marmalade for my toast? (Yes, but it's usually strawberry jam.) I listen to the morning news on Radio NZ (having already had the UK news on Radio 4 at 6.00am) The major story on UK radio was the new trade deal with New Zealand, most especially, its possible negative impact for UK farmers. The main story on NZ radio was......... the bucket fountain! The bucket fountain in Cuba Street, Wellington is an iconic landmark that divides the nation. Most Wellingtonians love it, the rest of the country think it is ugly and weird, splashing water, as it does, all over the pavement and passers-by . Having lived several years in Wellington, I love it. But overnight, someone had nicked a bucket and as result it wasn't working! And worse still, it might cost $2000 to fix it.
They did eventually mention the trade deal with the UK but there are quite long lead in periods 5-10 years for beef and lamb exports, so I didn't get the impression that New Zealand farmers were quite as excited as their British colleagues. However, it does seem a little strange to me that Boris & Co, cloaked in their new Green robes, have negotiated the first two post Brexit trade deals with significant food exporting countries on the other side of the world? But it easy to forget that New Zealand lamb, for example, because of its grass fed, non-intensive origins, arrives in the UK with a lower carbon footprint than much of the locally produced product. Food for thought?
With the weekend looming I finally cracked. I am able to order goods from a local supermarket and they are delivered, within hours, to my door. So I ordered two bottles of wine, some cheese and my favourite little oatcakes! They duly arrived at my door, after a phone call from reception, asking me which bottle of wine I wanted. I am only allowed one bottle in the room a day. So I have a second bottle still stashed behind the reception desk, I hope!
(Kiwi readers- you can skip the next paragraph, if you like - you've heard it all, many times, over the last 24 hours!)
Our leader, Jacinda, spoke to the nation at lunchtime, outlining the new scheme that will eventually replace the current Covid "levels 1-4 " scheme. At the moment Auckland, and parts of the Waikato, are at Level 3, which is quite restrictive, with working from home/no dining in restaurants etc. The rest of the country is at level 2, which seems fairly similar to what Wales, but not England, is currently at. But cases in Auckland are rising and it is becoming clear that, having dodged the virus for a year or more, delta has now arrived and is here to stay. The South Island remains free, for the moment. The government has decided to make the new scheme conditional on achieving 90% vaccination rates nationally. There will also be vaccine passports, so you won't be allowed into night clubs, bars and restaurants etc without your passport. New Zealand has been strangely sluggish on the vaccination front - it seems obvious to me, that they should have gone "harder and earlier" on that front too. But vaccination is accelerating now with levels of first vaccinations about the same as the UK, with second shots about 10% behind. But, like in the UK, also there is a significant rump of anti-vaxxers too. Watch this space.
Other than that it was a longish day as Blue 4 had a late exercise slot today, at 7pm. There was a new security firm on duty - it has mainly been the NZ Army through the week and they are very friendly. But there was a very short private security guard on duty tonight and he seemed very intent on making his presence felt, telling someone off for touching the fence and moving on people who were standing together chatting. And it is very difficult to stop Italians from standing and chatting at this time of night, it's just what they do. He was constantly calling in on his radio, and managed to create quite a negative vibe. I think as a general rule, short security guards are not a good thing? So I retired early to consume wine and cheese and watch a movie: "The Courier", with Dominic Cumberbatch. Quite good. As I flicked on the remote control, I realised that this was the first time since I had arrived that I had watched any TV.
There is an advertising sign just outside my window which is starting to annoy me! It displays a series of ads, one of which says: "Hello Spring". I sat for a while and watched the sunlight chasing shadows over the distant hills of Banks Peninsula and thought it will nearly be summer before I get out of here!
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