Conspiracies in the corners

Could the government be dragging its feet on a trans-Tasman bubble because the surest way to lose the upcoming election would be a major COVID outbreak? And it’s dragging its feet by not paying attention to the slack state of quarantine procedures? Next I’ll be seeing communists in the cupboards!

Limits to compassion

Two people who were granted compassionate leave from quarantine after returning to NZ have been found to be infectious with COVID. How compassionate should we be in these circumstances? And how are our vaccines going to get us out of this situation?

Saving & fighting

Do we need to ‘save the economy’ in COVID times? Do we need to ‘save the planet’ in the face of climate change? I hypothesise that what we really want is to ‘save humanity’.

Scales of loss

There are many scales of loss and an earring, which I lost this week, is at the very small end of the scale. However, dealing with loss at every scale is something humans have to become accustomed to – that’s life, and COVID.

Moths and flames

This week George Floyd died in Minneapolis with a police officer’s knee on his neck. Emotions are running high and not just in the USA. Media fans the flames of emotion.

The art of navigation

Two trampers were found in northwest Nelson after being lost for a week. Did they have a map and compass? Media made a big fuss about the surviving with very little food. But why couldn’t they find their way home?

A new love

Post-lockdown we left Gibbston for Christchurch and we’ve been surfing. Life feels great – a new sport, new people, no tourists like those who clogged Queenstown post-COVID.

The lucky country

Both New Zealand and Australia are lucky countries in COVID times – it helps to be islands. And it looks like it helps to have lockdowns. How has the severity of our lockdowns compared? Who knows what the longer term effect will be on our economies.