ISOLATION: DAY NINE

Breaking news:   I normally write this blog the morning after so that some of it is twenty four hours old when posted. But I switched on the radio this morning and learned of two COVID cases in Christchurch. Apparently an unvaccinated idiot flew down from Auckland a week ago (having tested negative) and now two of them are unwell and have tested positive overnight. So there is a chance that Chch will be heading into lockdown..... out of the isolation frying pan and into the lockdown fire??



Meanwhile yesterday drifted along, pretty much as usual. We filed downstairs for our exercise slot, observing the two metre rule, past the little whiteboard with its witty comment of the day, and out into the exercise compound which, 
           

this afternoon was bathed in glorious sunshine. Spring is definitely in the air, green leaves are bursting out all over the compound. I have the gardener's itch, it happens to all gardeners in the spring and I just want to get out there and plant some seeds or plants! There is a flower border isolated between the two fences that contain us and it needs weeding, but sadly I don't think they will let me!

I spent much of the day on the final edit of the novel: it was definitely too long so I have managed to cut out about 10,000 words so far. I guess its a bit like weeding really? I should finish the edit today. And then I will investigate internet publishing. Have any of you out there ever internet published book before? Advice please.

I listened to an interesting interview - Kathryn Ryan (who is also very good but not quite Kim Hill!) was interviewing the Canadian Astronaut, Chris Hadfield. He was talking about 'tenacious optimism' and I have decided I like the sound of that. I am tenaciously optimistic that I will be out of here soon! You can find the interview at:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018818005/chris-hadfield-astronaut-and-author

And watch his video of Space Oddity too (unless you are one of the 33 million or so who have already seen it). It's quite cool but it won't make the 14 day/14 song playlist to be published on Monday. Its playing really well, just juggling the order a little.

So......... who was the guy standing next to a very young Bob Dylan in the photo yesterday? It was, of course, John Hammond! Interesting guy John, before he got Bob's career kicked off, he managed to spot a other few talented characters including Count Basie, Billy Holliday and Benny Goodman. After battling hard to get Dylan recorded (Ok so not all of you are delighted about the fact that he succeeded) he went off the boil a bit, and only managed to launch a few more artists including : Leonard Cohen, Aretha Franklin and Bruce Springsteen. Quite a talent spotter was John but it does help if your mother was a Van der Bilt and you didn't really have to work.

Out of the hundreds of entries received, only one person got it right: my esteemed cousin:

 ****Linda Mary Evans nee Griffiths!****

There you are Linda, fame at last! Congratulations! Your prize of a free Covid Lateral Flow test is in the post!

Dinner last night was super tasty: Pork Schnitzel with a lovely sauce and saute potatoes. All washed down with a very nice Shiraz. Inadvertently, I broke the rules yesterday. I needed to order a few small items from the supermarket and as the minimum order is $50, I added a couple of bottles of wine to top it up. One of the bottles of wine was wrapped up in newspaper and security didn't spot it, so two bottles were delivered to my room.  Yee-hah party time! (Editor's note: there are still 1.5 bottles left. He's not very good at drinking on his own.)

It seems the whitebaiters on the West Coast (remember them?) have had limited success but not enough to bring me a treat: and lets face it, I deserve a treat! They sent me a photograph of them consuming the last of their catch. I realise that some of you overseas types don't know what all the fuss is about...... until you have eaten NZ whitebait patties, you won't know what you are missing. There are not many things that taste better. Maybe Bluff Oysters or fresh NZ Crayfish? I am salivating as I type that sentence. I've checked my menu again and I can't seem to find any of those being served over the next few days* but tonight I get market fish poached in coconut milk. Dribble! Dribble!

*NEXT FEW DAYS - I like the sound of that, only FOUR days left! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Every Grey cloud....

Image
..... And of grey clouds there has been no shortage ! The 'Oaks are out before the Ash', which in Celtic mythology means we will 'only get a splash'; so we are all anticipating a very dry summer here in west Wales. But I'm not sure that this ancient lore works when nearly all the Ash trees are dead because of an epidemic of Ash dieback. ( https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/tree-pests-and-diseases/key-tree-pests-and-diseases/ash-dieback/ ) Sadly. we have several dead Ash trees down Rooseferry Road, which will need felling this summer. And while Ash makes great firewood it is sad to chop down trees that have been here for several hundred years, trees that I have walked past since my childhood. I recently counted the rings on a small oak that had come down over the winter - 120 years old. By that benchmark there are several oak trees in our woodland that are hundreds of years old. But it is undoubtedly time to sharpen the chain saw, before overha
Read more

They kept a welcome in the hillsides!

Image
I have arrived back in Wales with the usual difficulties of the transition from the wonders of Wainui to a cold, wet Welsh climate, which have seemed particularly troublesome this time. The flight itself was uneventful, via Vancouver this time which, in theory at least, makes for a short second flight. As we waited on the runway, with take off pending any second, the Captain informed us that there was a medical emergency and that we had to return to our gate. Paramedics were on board in seconds and after a suitable assessment, a person, hopefully still alive, was removed from the plane. We were thus over an hour late taking off but with some considerable assistance from the jet stream, which was dutifully delivering arctic air to the UK, we still made good time to Heathrow.  I had a bus booked to Cardiff at 3.30pm so it was a case of baggage bingo as I waited next to the conveyor for my bag to arrive; it was 3.15pm and tension was mounting! But I got lucky and sprinted(Ok, walked brisk
Read more

Day 6/7 : Over and Out, for now!

Image
The logistics were getting a little strained! My van was by now some fifty miles to the north of me. I sat in the pub with my phone and notebook and worked on a recovery plan. It was a lively pub, with some excellent conversation available. I had a great chat with Mick, a guy who had worked on fight scenes in many movies and had trained Marlon Brando, Tom Cruise, de Niro and a few others in unarmed combat. Seven thirty the next morning found me at the local bus stop, having left my bag with my new friend. Three hours, three buses and £9 later and I was back in Knighton. Thankfully I remembered last minute to take the van keys out of my rucksack! I drove slowly south again, meandering through country roads, sometimes getting lost. Offa's Dyke is by far the most direct route around here! It was after 2pm when I finally collected my bag from Mick. The plan was now to position the van ahead of me, hitch back to Pandy and walk back to the van. I found a convenient rest area, parked up,
Read more