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This is a blessed spot, spoilt only by the people, in the central North Island of NZ. |
Size: 65 Entries
Created: November 14th, 2016 at 6:19am
Modified: March 18th, 2024 at 10:50pm
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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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| 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. |
December 9, 2022 at 4:42am
December 9, 2022 at 4:42am
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Yet another summer has come around. Weather is stormy and we are getting a lot of wind and rain. This weekend Taupo is hosting the International Iron Man competition. Town is humming and no car parking to be had. Very good news. Our government here seems to be in self annihilation mode. One mistake after another and it looks incompetent. My son Clint's mother in law is down with cancer. We are travelling to Auckland to visit on Sunday and it looks like the end is near. It is a great shock as she is only 64. We hope for a miracle. Otherwise the days here seem to flow into and from each other. Stay blessed.
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October 2, 2022 at 5:31am
October 2, 2022 at 5:31am
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A very wet Spring here in NZ. Rain goes on and on. Depressing. Our roads are full of potholes Nationwide and there are many slips damaging roads. These roads were constructed in the 1950s using engineering techniques for water run off etc. that was adequate for the time. Back then there were maybe only 10 % of today's traffic using said roads. Now the pigeons are coming home to roost and we have to protect our roads better. The explosion in courier services with online shopping has not helped and indeed is a major factor in wearing our roads out. Some may disagree but remedies are required immediately.
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September 22, 2022 at 5:51pm
September 22, 2022 at 5:51pm
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| As we head in to mid Spring it is very wet as was out Winter here. Days are pulling out and daylight saving kicks in this weekend. I am looking forward to the long evenings ahead. It is also getting warmer. I am recovering from a sore leg now. It is called bursitis and during the worst of it I could not drive a car or even ride a bicycle. Eventually had a steroid injection and it is greatly improved. Still can't ride a bike but can do most other things. The biggest issue was the waiting time to get the injection. Shortage of staff etc. due to covid. So I went through a couple of months of pain that was unnecessary really. However when one feels better it is easy to be forgiving. I can now get on with my life and thank God for that. |
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We are now right in the middle of winter here and it has been the wettest for many years. Lots of flooding and property destroyed. Also cold and a place in South Island got down to -12 Celsius the other day. We just hunker down and ride it out but will need to get another load of firewood soon. Having a wood burner is one of the few pleasure of winter. We have a heat transfer system and it warms the whole house including bedrooms. Best investment we made 2 years ago so this is 3rd winter for it.
News is not so good for me. I developed a sore back a few weeks ago and the pain has gone round to the front of my right leg above the knee. Am hoping it is a trapped nerve like sciatica but more likely one of my replacement hips is failing. With covid causing staff shortages etc. I have no idea how long the waiting list is for surgery. Going for an x-ray tomorrow which may give a diagnosis and then I will enter the system. Chaos reigns in our health system currently so this is a stressful time. Will update when I can from here. Sorry for the gloomy news from Taupo. |
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