Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/profile/blog/belingwe
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This is a blessed spot, spoilt only by the people, in the central North Island of NZ. |
Size: 59 Entries
Created: November 14th, 2016 at 6:19am
Modified: August 15th, 2023 at 10:02pm
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Most of the time for me the glass is half empty. On rare occasions the glass is half full as with news of The Donald's activities.
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August 15, 2023 at 10:02pm
August 15, 2023 at 10:02pm
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| The last month of Winter is now half over and we continue through a day at a time. This year August has been much colder than the past few years but the grass has continued to grow, albeit slowly, through the cold months. The election promises/bribes are totally outrageous and will be a test of how dumb the Kiwi electorate really is. Election is now 2 months away. This country is in big trouble on many fronts and the politician contenders have neither the energy or intellect to halt our downward spiral. I recently turned 69 and am just grateful for my current spell of reasonably good health. My wife's memory remains excellent and for me this is finally becoming an asset. Our business ticks along as we continue with plans to fully retire. Two of my African soldiers from the Rhodesian Army are currently in UK attending a reunion. This makes me happy and I am grateful to whoever sponsored them. I feel tremendous nostalgia for those far off days during the bush war. The fires in Hawaii were horrific and my heart goes out. My motto in life comes from my parachute jumping days. 'Stand in the door'. God bless everyone. |
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| This morning we had a mass shooting in Auckland our largest city. Three dead, including the shooter, plus a half dozen injured; some seriously. It seems a 12 gauge pump-action shotgun was used. The shooter was on home detention for previous violent offending and had an ankle bracelet for monitoring. It was his own workplace he shot up. Oh brave new world. what will become of us as we endure successive bad governments. For now we mourn. I am deeply saddened and overcome. This is not the country I grew up in. |
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| A very wet Winter so far. We have passed the shortest day and for me it is always like crossing a line. However the worst of the cold weather is still ahead of us. I have just had a birthday and at 69 it has for some reason given me pause for thought and reflection. There is not much point in thinking about what might have been if different decisions were made. The past cannot be altered and the future, however long, is to be embraced and treasured. Each day is a bonus. My wife is down with the flu and this year it is a particularly nasty strain. We just hope it does not spread through the rest of our family. We are slowly proceeding with winding up our business and hopefully will leave at a time that suits us. I have made a good friend here Don and I wish him all the best and thank him for the gift points. I hope we can keep in touch as he has had a very positive influence on me. That's all for now. |
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Winter has arrived and as it happens this year it arrived just before Kings birthday weekend. So we have a public holiday. I am still getting used to the King idea after many many years of Queens birthdays. I was saddened by Queen Elizabeth's passing as I had lived my whole life up to now with her as Monarch. This may well be a colder winter after a few years of mild temperatures. Taupo is at a high altitude so is always colder than surrounding areas. However Summers here can be very hot. Autumn and Spring are truly the best seasons.
After a quarter century or in fact almost 26 years of circular distribution my wife and I are planning to exit the business in the near future and cease trading. A very sad time but it is a sunset industry and it has just got too hard to continue. Quite stressful for us as we wrap up and consider the costs involved in shutting down. These things are never simple. We are also in election year so must accept many lies and deceit from politicians. That's all for now. Gods blessings to you all. |
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| As we enter the last month of Autumn we are experiencing warm days and nights but there is a lot of rain. Some areas in NZ are in danger of flooding. However it is nothing like the catastrophic floods of three months ago. For our family it never seems to rain on the home front but simply pours. One of our clients has just ceased trading. We distribute their Real Estate magazines once a fortnight and have been doing so for around 23 years. It is a big knock. We are now looking for alternatives and options, if any. We may need to wind up our circular distribution and that will be a shame after 25 years of being in the business. Morale is down but there is still hope. In addition to this one of our cats is ill and my wife has taken her to the vet. It appears an intestinal blockage. Cat's name is Patches and she is having tests and X rays as I write this. Am hoping for the best. So all doom and gloom here currently. Signing off for now. |
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| This is a lovely time of year. The days are almost as long as the nights and temperatures are for the most part comfortable. We do have a cold snap ahead but it is a few days away so we are enjoying nights with a minimum 14C. My wife and I face hard decisions this year. We have run a small circular distribution business ( junk mail ) for over 25 years. A quarter century. The industry is failing and is in a sunset phase. We are getting older and net profit diminishing. Also our health is going downhill so we may have to cease trading. The business is like an old friend but maybe it is time to let go. If not this year then definitely in 2024. We will need to find other things to occupy our time. However our house and grounds feature many delayed projects. Our country, in election year, continues lurching from crisis to crisis and we are ruled by idiots. Alas the opposition seem no better. So much for democracy. Who to vote for? They all sing the same song. The covid epidemic hysteria has destroyed our small nation and the wounds are suppurating rather than healing. Happy Autumn/Spring where ever your reside. |
February 19, 2023 at 6:13am
February 19, 2023 at 6:13am
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| It is almost the end of Summer here and we can hope it remains warm into March. It has been a dreadful Summer and has ended with a cyclone that devastated parts of NZ. Here in Taupo we were not flooded but there is a lot of fallen trees and damage. another big issue has been the 'slash' timber left over from tree felling that has floated down river and wrecked bridges etc. Death toll has reached 12 and there will be more. There is no doubt drainage and infrastructure were sadly lacking but in the end with a storm this size no amount of drainage would have stopped the ruin and flooding. My family is truly lucky. |
January 28, 2023 at 12:03am
January 28, 2023 at 12:03am
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| Massive flooding in Auckland. Biblical proportions. Elton John concert has been cancelled and there is mayhem in some areas. I accept climate change is here and that part of it is manmade. However I also wonder if there is more to it. We have had millennia of stable climate and a benevolent Sun. Is that also changing and completely beyond our control? will those in power ever tell us the truth? Meanwhile it also looks like we did not do enough preparatory work when building our roads, particularly with drainage, and now the pigeons are coming home to roost. We just have to endure. So far 3 are dead. |
January 21, 2023 at 7:08am
January 21, 2023 at 7:08am
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We are now in mid summer here in Taupo NZ and the heat is becoming oppressive. The first month of Summer was relatively cool and comfortable. Alas now we suffer. 24C here is a heatwave. Taupo is around 1100metres ASL. We now have a new PM as Jacinda has stepped down. Chris Hipkins is now top dog and we have to wait to see how he will do. Things are not good here with high inflation plus a major crime wave that originated when Govt, at the time, savagely increased tobacco taxes. Corner shop robberies for tobacco products then took on a life of it's own and evolved to robbing all orts of shops plus petrol stations. It is evil but Govt will not accept responsibility nor do the opposition parties kick up a fuss or plan to reduce the taxation. Some corner shop owners have been murdered while other s maimed and sustain broken arms and the like during violent armed robberies.one shop owner lost an eye. Shop owners have paid a terrible price for this govt madness . It is a tyranny. After tobacco we can only tremble and wait to see what sector of citizens they will target next. New laws targeting raising the age to purchase tobacco up a year every year has evidently been approved by the bill of rights lackeys. It says more about our pathetic bill of rights than anything else. Govt must accept responsibility and accountability for this crime wave and shop keepers need financial remedies for the violence meted out to them.
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December 9, 2022 at 4:49am
December 9, 2022 at 4:49am
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| I am on You Tube with an account of my time in the Rhodesian Army. You can access the interview by typing in: Graeme Trass Rhodesia. Enjoy. |
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