The Joy of Happiness

 

Happiness is a personal choice.

Have you ever stopped to think what a simple pleasure Happiness is?  It seems to me that it is so easy to fall into the trap of saying “I will be happy when ….,“  instead of appreciating the moment right now and taking joy in it.

Even when things look bad or when one is struck down with illness, there are still moments in life when we can choose to feel happiness.

A decision to find happiness and gratitude for at least one thing every day, along with a smile on the face, can help alleviate even the worst of personal suffering.  It doesn’t remove the problem, or make a situation any better, but it certainly makes things easier to endure when you cultivate a happy and thankful mindset.

The world we live in is a beautiful place.  Yes, awful things happen all the time, but that is not an excuse for us to stop seeing the beauty in our lives.

A baby or small child, sweet in all their innocence.  The chirping of birds, or the glow of a pretty sunset.  Patting a purring cat, painting your fingernails, the smile of a friend, the sound of rain on a tin roof, the scent of an unobtrusive flower – all these and so much else can bring happiness into our life if we allow it.

The Bible says “Seek and you shall find.”  It was speaking about our relationship with God, but the principle behind it remains valid when we consider choosing to be happy.  Seek out the joyful parts of your life and let them put a smile on your face.

May you blessed with a Happy Christmas this 2023, as you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour 😊

Margaret.

 

Ten Years Old

 

Sometimes the years seem to roll by so quickly and other times they don’t.  Yesterday my youngest granddaughter turned ten years old, and it doesn’t seem that long ago since she was just a babe in arms.

Her hair is the same colour that mine used to be, and we had a fascinating conversation about old people having grey or white hair.  I figure she thinks I am really ancient!

Last year I experimented with cutting back the strawberry plants to help them fruit better a second year and it seemed to work quite well, so I have done the same again this year.

This coming weekend will be a holiday one (no work on Monday) as it will be Kings Birthday Weekend.  It is taking a bit of getting used to calling it a different name after calling it Queens Birthday all my life.

We have no plans for going away – over the years, I have discovered it is best to stay off the roads on public holidays if I can possibly help it.

If the weather is nice, there are things I can do in the garden.  If it isn’t nice, I might just curl up with a book!

Have an awesome happy day 😊

Margaret.

 

HEADER PHOTO FOR JUNE 2023

This photo was taken in Autumn 2019 when I travelled over Arthurs Pass in the Southern Alps.  There are several places showing these rocky limestone outcrops, the most famous being Castle Hill (a place much loved by rock climbers but also fascinating to walk amongst the rocks).

Think About It

 

Call me old if you will, but I remember when our supermarkets phased out paper bags and introduced us to plastic ones.  The reason was because all the paper bags being used was an unsustainable and pointless use of a valuable resource, namely trees.

Fast forward to today.  With concern for our environment, our government has enacted laws that phased out our using plastic carry bags for our groceries.  We all duly bought our own bags to use (mine are made of hard-wearing canvas).

That is fine, but it hasn’t decreased my use of plastic bags.  Now, instead of recycling the plastic bag as a rubbish bag I purchase plastic bags to use as rubbish bags. 

Produce bags were next in the firing line, but most supermarkets still give you plastic bags to put your fruit and vegetables into.  Our local supermarket has just returned to the paper bag system – a beautiful thick brown paper bag to place one broccoli into.  It seems such a waste.

Of course, I could avoid using the paper bags and buy the produce already packaged up – in plastic bags!

Can you imagine a world without trees?

Plastic is not good for our environment.  There is no argument with that.  But sustainability is also important.  Humans have a sad history of raping their world, using a natural resource until it is no longer viable.  We are still doing this, from mining minerals to catching fish to impoverishing our soils.

I think it is incredibly sad when one sees how creatures of this world can suffer because of human greed and pollution, but realistically I can also realise that if we continue to use trees to provide throw-away paper products than our whole earth is going to suffer (remember that trees are one of the major producers of oxygen on the planet).

Is there an answer to this dilemma?  I really don’t know.

We could all return to growing our own fruit and vegetables, using a basket when we go shopping, only buying things in glass that can be recycled and reused.  But that isn’t feasible in our society today, as it is not just groceries that use plastic. 

We are too consumer driven and our markets are too global.  Plastic is everywhere.  Our whole civilisation depends upon it.

Our Earth is strong, but it is also very fragile

On a personal level, I think it is good that we each do as much as we can to protect our personal environment, but our efforts are infinitesimal in the big scheme of things.

Nothing is really going to change until the big corporations and the world’s governments unite together to change the whole lifestyle of the people they rule over.

Can you see that happening in the near future, or ever? 

It makes you think, doesn’t it?

Margaret 😊

 

Morally Wrong?

 

It seems to be a common theme of conversation these days about how our societal standards are slipping.

Terms such as decency and integrity are disappearing along with keeping your promise.

A good friend of the family organises events for a group he belongs to.  He found a suitable venue for one event and booked it just over one year in advance, as well as paying a substantial deposit to secure it.

Now he has been told, through an email full of apologies and excuses, that he cannot have the venue – basically because a larger organisation has come along and wants to book the place for a longer period of time.

“Your deposit will be refunded in full” and “We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause” doesn’t really help the situation.

On the home front, son has been building more built-in bookcases (he is a bibliophile!) and is currently staining the wood.  It smells awful while he is doing it, but thankfully that soon disappears when you open up a couple of windows.

Our weather is still unsettled, with the odd rumble of thunder about.  Currently, it is overcast and rather dreary.  Both cats have the right idea - they are curled up and sleeping!

Always do the right thing 😊

Margaret.

 

The Cost of Being Green

 

Here we are, on the last day of 2022, and fresh eggs have become a commodity that is increasingly difficult to find.  Supermarket shelves that were once overflowing with chicken eggs are now, more often than not, standing empty with not an egg in sight.

There are different stories floating around about why this is happening, but I read an article this morning that appeared to explain why.

From the start of 2023, retailers can no longer sell eggs that have been produced by battery-caged hens.  In 2012, legislation was passed to ban them and producers were given ten years to stop used battery cages. 

Today only 10% of our eggs are produced this way (compared with 86% in 2012), with most producers switching their practices to colony-cages, which allow the hen more room for roosting, scratching, nesting etc.  A few farmers took a more expensive route and switched to free-range or barn-produced eggs (just getting Resource Consent permission to do this can cost a lot).

There are two things that appear to have caused the current shortage.  One is the increasing cost of stock food (a lot of which used to be imported from Ukraine), and the other is a decision made by our two major supermarket chains.

In 2017 the Labour Party and Green Party both announced they were going to ban colony-cage eggs.  That ban was never put into place, but both the Foodstuffs and Countdown chains announced they would stop selling colony eggs by 2027 and 2025 respectively.

Egg producers have my sympathy – they must feel like the mat has been pulled out from under their feet.

In the last 18 months our national chicken numbers have decreased by 800,000 – that is a drop of 20% - as producers reduce the number of chickens they can farm or completely pull out of the industry.

I can see we will have to learn to live without too many eggs in our lives.  Importation is not an option as the risk is too great of introducing poultry diseases that are currently not found here.

Who would have thought that such a staple food item was going to become a luxury?

Margaret 😊

 

The photos are all of chickens (hens, chooks, whatever you want to call them) that have passed through my life at various times.

 

Do You Believe

 

I’ve been thinking lately about how gullible we, as the general public, can be when it comes to believing everything we are told.  I was speaking with a man who loves to research what is behind stories in the News (he does it almost as a hobby) and it was quite an eye opener.

He was telling me some of the history behind the Ukraine war and why it has come about.  He wasn’t condemning or condoning either side, stating that war was war and generally it can be found that there are faults on both sides.

What he was pointing out, was that we are being deliberately led to buy into the idea of “Big Bad Russia invaded Good Little Ukraine,” without giving us any information as to why the war has happened and little or no verifiably factual information about what is actually occurring. 

It is very easy to jump onto a popular platform and condemn the side we perceive to be as “wrong,” without stopping and questioning anything.

A recent sunset

This actually applies to everything we hear/see in the News – we are inclined to believe it all without realising it is frequently filled with deliberate propaganda, manipulation of the truth, hidden agendas, and can even reflect the personal bias of a reporter.

I remember once speaking with a couple who had passed through Jerusalem on their honeymoon in the 1980s.  They had spent a whole day wandering around a particular area, and were astounded that evening to watch the TV News and see film footage of all the bombing that had been occurring in that area that day.  They had heard and seen nothing at all, not even a gunshot let alone several bombs.

It makes it very difficult to know what to believe.  Who can we trust to tell the truth? 

Unfortunately, this is the world we live in. 

Not much we can do about that, but I like to think I can become more aware of what I am being ‘fed’ in the News.

As the old saying goes, there are two sides to every story – and the truth is usually found somewhere in the middle.

Margaret 😊

 

Destroying a Beautiful Language

 

Maori is a beautiful language, descriptive, and pleasant to listen to (I have several friends who speak it).  It disturbs me that there seems to be a movement afoot to dilute it by incorporating it into the English language.

It is well documented that English is a “bastard language”, having its roots in many different languages.  The English, it seems, have been very adept at appropriating words from other cultures and incorporating them into their own tongue.

Maori words are creeping (should I say racing?) into our broadcasting system, and it is becoming a common joke that any ex-national returning home won’t be able to understand the language being spoken here. 

Place names are also being altered, and I can see why some wish to change them back to their original names.  What I don’t understand is the alteration of the pronunciation of current Maori place names – one example is the changing of Waitomo (why-tow-mow) to white-um-oh.  Another is Matamata (mat-a mat-a), that I have heard called ma-tar-ma-tar or sometimes ma-tama-tuh.  It gets very confusing.

Our country has three official languages – English, Maori, and sign language – but I heard mentioned the other day that we would soon only have two, pidgin English and sign language.

I hope it never comes to that.  I would like to see the Maori language kept pure and used alongside English, not sprinkled all through it.

Be happy in all you do 😊

Margaret.

 

 

Nothing Is Private Anymore

 

Most of us know that each time we go online information is being gathered about us.   This can be good or bad or totally irrelevant, depending on how you view it.

Every time you participate in a questionnaire on Social Media, information about your personality and preferences is being collected.  (You probably know the sort of thing I mean – what sort of tree are you?, can you see the black dot?, which actress are you most like?, can you add this up correctly?, that sort of thing).

Every time you do an internet search (using Google or another search engine), information about what you are looking at is being recorded and stored away.  It is then used to personalize advertisements for you, or to make collective decisions about things like what type of restaurant is most suited for those living in your area.

Every time you travel somewhere with your phone, your location is being recorded and then utilized to show what time certain shops are busy, where there is a hold up in traffic flow, how many people are flocking to the beach for the weekend, and so on.

We live in the Age of Information and can access information on almost any subject at any time of the day.  But it works both ways, and information about us can be gathered and used by others.  It all comes down to Algorithms. 

Basically, an algorithm is a series of instructions telling a computer how to transform a set of facts into useful information.  This is neither a good thing or a bad thing, it is just a process used to deal with information.

I had a startling reminder of algorithms the other day after spending an afternoon tracking down all the different colours in the spectrum of blue.  Then that night I began a list of what clothes I would like to have in my ideal wardrobe, with an emphasis on which ones I would like to sew.

Now, when online, I am receiving advertisements for BLUE FABRIC!  I can understand the blue, but how did it know I wanted to sew and not buy clothes?  All I can think of is that during the last six months I have probably visited more sewing sites than clothes-to-buy sites.  Or was IT listening to me talking?

Son recently had the experience of having advertisements tailored to him regarding something he had been TALKING about.  He figured his phone picked it up, as his microphone is on all the time as he frequently uses Google Speak.  

Or is it all just Coincidence? 

Virtually anywhere you go outside of your home you will be recorded on CCTV.  Cameras are everywhere, outside homes, businesses, looking at traffic flows, in malls, you name it and there is invariably a camera present.  If you do something wrong, or scratch yourself when you think nobody is watching, there will nearly always be a camera there to record it!

There is not much privacy left to us now.  It is the world we live in, and most of us accept that.

So, smile at everyone – it might be Candid Camera returned to our screens! 😊

Margaret.

 

Hate Speech

 

What is “hate speech”?  It seems to be becoming a more common term around the place and I wanted to find a definition of it.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.”

Different countries apparently have different legal interpretations, but basically it is what it says – a public statement of hate for someone or something.

Does this include your personal opinion?  Or does it only apply to those who belong to an organised group?  Is there any difference between saying “I really hate Person A” to saying “Someone should shoot Person A”?  It seems to be a very fine line between the two.

A lot of discussion is happening here at the moment because the government is looking at bringing in new legislation that, as it is presently written, would limit the expression of free speech.

We already have legislation that is designed to limit the active inciting of violence or hatred.  We have laws against terrorism and racism and sexism and ageism, and even against political criticism.

Who could hate the little Fantail?  Yet, I know some people do.
Who is to say whether they are right or wrong?

Who decides what is hatred, or even what is insulting?  If you say something and it offends someone, will that make you a criminal?  Seems ridiculous, but it could become that way.  I would feel much happier if the government would clarify things a lot more than they currently are.

Freedom, including freedom of speech, is something we take so much for granted in our Western world, but is the pendulum starting to swing towards more control over individual liberties?

Sometimes I wonder, and worry, about the world we live in and where it is headed.

Stay safe everyone,

Margaret 😊

What Is A Widow?

 

Yesterday I was speaking to an elderly aunt, who not long ago lost her husband of fifty-nine years, and she had been told she must write “single” down as her marital status.  She does not regard herself as “single” and fully intends to continue using her husband’s surname and not revert to her maiden name.

I had a similar experience after my husband died – I wrote “widow” on an official form and was told I had to write “wife” or “single.”  I don’t consider myself to be in either of those categories, so I insisted on writing widow – the official who took my form carefully wrote “wife” after my widow so that I became a “widow wife”!!

The church where I was married in 1973

When did the term widow become an unmentionable word?  I know “spinster” is not fashionable (they seem to be called bachelorettes nowadays), and anyway, they can call themselves unmarried.  But what word is used to replace widow?

When asked our marital status we are allowed to put separated, divorced, married, unmarried, de facto – why not widowed? 

It all seems a bit of ridiculous “politically correct” officialdom to me, and so I will continue to call myself a WIDOW!

What do you think?

Margaret 😊

Hunters and Gatherers?

 

I’ve had the most interesting conversation with my son this afternoon.  He had been speaking with a man who strongly believes that European ‘colonists’ should leave our country and let the indigenous peoples return to living off the land, hunting, growing and gathering food, and caring for each other.

Living and working in a “white man’s world” and having to pay their taxes and obey their laws was total anathema to this man.

I wonder how he would get on if we took away his home, his car, his television, his sports games, and all the other trappings of us “colonists” so that he didn’t have to go to work and pay taxes?

It seems to son and myself that this man is only looking at what he perceives as the good side of his culture.  He has forgotten that cannibalism and starvation and slavery were all a part of life before Europeans arrived.

I find people like this very disturbing with the way they think.  I know many bad things happened when these lands were settled, and it is always good to redress a wrong, but surely that is in the past when it comes to how we live our lives today.

The things this man says he seeks are all good, and are freely available to him and anyone else who desires to follow that path.  Does he really need to bring the ugliness of racism and prejudice into it? 

Sorry about the rant, but people like this upset me.

Hope your day is going well,

Margaret 😊

Grumpy Old Men

 

People who are grumpy must make themselves so miserable, as well as those around them.

Yesterday, on my way home from a visit to my brother, I stopped at an orange traffic light.  The man behind me sat on his horn and threw his arms up in the air – he obviously intended to have run the red light.

I could observe him in my rear-vision mirror and his face was so grumpy – it looked habitual, not just a momentary annoyance, and I felt sorry for him and the unhappy life he must lead.

Godwits taking to the wing at Omokoroa.

I believe we all have a choice in how we lead our lives.  We can be miserable and grumpy or we can choose to be happy and mindful of the good things in our life.

Happiness does not depend on what we have, or what activities we participate in, or how much money is sitting in our bank.  Happiness is a choice we make that comes from within ourselves, whatever our situation is.

Would you agree?

Margaret 😊

Contemplation

 

I visited Hamilton Lake again this morning, not for a walk this time but simply to sit, enjoy my surroundings, and do a bit of thinking.

There were a lot of people out and about – mothers with pushchairs, old couples walking hand in hand, men in suits deep in conversation, runners with sweat pouring off them, dogs dragging their humans along the path – for a people-watcher like myself it was certainly interesting!

I spent some time considering my lifestyle.  I am still adjusting to being single and not entirely sure what my role in life is anymore.

There have been a couple of retirement-planning programmes on lately, and, although they were aimed mainly at couples, they certainly gave me something to think about.

One thing that really struck me was how important it was to have routines.  Going through a life change often means that we need to re-set our habits, to redesign the things we do without thinking (like getting up at a certain time) so that they better reflect our new lifestyle.

Apart from my household chores, I have really had no set routines in my life lately.  Unless there is something on, like an appointment, the day can easily be spent fluffing around doing nothing in particular but always seeming to be busy. 

What if I am going to live for another thirty years (possible with my long-life family genes)?  I would be really old LOL, but I don’t want to look back then and see a long line of wasted years.

It has certainly got me thinking 😊

Margaret.

A Safe Place

 

All my life I have put special things away “in a safe place” and promptly forgotten where they were put.  It got so bad that I have been training myself not to do this, not to put things away safely but to leave them in the normal place where I would expect them to be.

This morning I discovered I had regressed – an important paper had been put away in that Safe Place and I spent more than an hour looking for it.  

Thankfully I did find it, but it reminded me that it is not a good thing for me to do.  I have a drawer where I keep all my papers and it would have been easy to simply drop it in there and then I would have been able to find it!

Twice I have had major issues with this bad habit of mine, and both times I had given up on ever finding the items again.

I lost two of my rings once and after searching high and low for months I came to the conclusion that perhaps we had had a thief enter the house.  Then, several months later again, I found them slipped into a book that I hadn’t finished reading and it had been sitting in my bedside drawer all that time.  (I know, I should clean that drawer out more often!).

The other occasion was a substantial amount of cash.  Of course, that had to be hidden in the safest of places – never to be found again!  At least, not for nearly three years.  We even moved house in the interim but all the searching under the sun never found it.  

The flat pile of notes was tucked down inside the inner pocket of a backpack (a good reason why everything should be well searched before it is disposed of).  I was very happy to find the money!

Do you ever have trouble finding things that are hiding in Safe Places?

Margaret 😊

 

The cacti here are some that I saw on a visit to the Sonora Desert in Arizona in 2010.  I don’t think I will hide anything among them!

Thankfulness

There are lots of things I can be grateful for in my life – I only need to look around and recognize them.

Tuesday is my weekly shopping day and I went to our local supermarket this morning and was amazed to see how many empty shelves there were.  Even the freezers were almost completely empty.  I have no idea why, as they were full last week, but I was thankful they had everything that I wanted.

One of my purchases was a large packet of mincemeat, which I have now cooked up with lentils and vegetables and turned into two meals to be frozen.  I also bought a smoked fish (smoked trevally) that was made into fish cakes for dinner tonight – and then promptly forgot to take a photo!

Hamilton never receives snow like this that I saw on my last visit to Arizona

We have had a few light showers during the day but tomorrow is forecast to be fine and sunny – after a frost.  It might be hard to get out of bed in the morning, but I am happy that our house stays reasonably warm.

I am also thankful for our three cats as they bring a lot of companionship into my life.  I almost walked on Millie when I went down to my room as she was asleep on my sheepskin rug and I never saw her.  She is so black that she blends into the shadows and it is only her bright green eyes that show where she is.

I am grateful to live in a world full of the beauty of nature, to be able to enjoy sunsets and bird song and majestic landscapes.

Being thankful for the little things in life helps me to be more contented and at peace with the world.

I like to take time to stop and step back from all the strife happening in the world around me, and appreciate the little things that can bring happiness into my life.

Margaret J

Law And Order

New Zealand was rocked yesterday by the cowardly shooting of two members of the police force, one of whom has since died.  They stopped a car for a routine traffic offence, but it sped off and caused an accident. 

When the police arrived the driver stepped forward with a gun and shot at the unarmed unprotected officers.  He and his accomplice then sped away in a stolen car knocking down and seriously injuring an innocent pedestrian in the process. 

It was a relief this morning to see a man has been arrested and charged with murder (along with other things). 

My deepest sympathy goes out to the victim’s family at this distressing time.  It is never easy to lose a loved family member, but is worse when it is a needless tragedy.

Our beautiful Millie, who, like all animals, follows the Laws of Nature

Police are receiving a bad rap at the moment in different parts of the world, but they are simply people doing a job.  Their families expect them to come home again after their work shift.  And I, for one, would not like to live in the anarchy that would be created if we had no police to put a brake on crime and civil disorder.

Our societies need laws.  I know some laws are wrong or stupid, but many of them are good and seek the wellbeing of the general public.  And, if we have laws, then someone must be employed to enforce them.

I have known a few police officers over the years (I’ve known some criminals as well!) and they are no different to other groups in society – there are good ones and bad ones, just like doctors and lawyers and politicians and road workers and farmers and bus drivers and any other occupation you could name.

 “At his best, man is the noblest of all animals;  separated from law and justice he is the worst.” ~ Aristotle.

Margaret.

Pandemic Thoughts

I like our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.  She is a wonderful woman with a big heart, but I begin to think she has made a dreadful mistake.

New Zealand had a Pandemic Plan.  It had been carefully and expertly formulated to guide our nation’s response to any pandemic threat we may need to face.  When WHO announced Covid-19 as a ‘pandemic’ every household in the country was sent a pamphlet detailing what The Plan was.

I found this pamphlet yesterday when throwing out some old newspapers and sat down to read it again.  The Plan listed four levels of response.  It stated the criteria needed to enter each level, and the response that would be required at that level.

If we followed the levels that were set out, there would have been no reason for us to enter Level 4 (the heaviest response level) as we did.  That is reserved for rampant community transmission and a disease totally out of control, which we did not have.

We have had zero community transmission, thanks to widespread testing, contact tracing, and the border controls that were put in place.  This is great, and yet all our Cabinet Ministers have now been gagged and are not allowed to give interviews or respond to any Press questions without prime ministerial permission.  Why?

I begin to believe it is because the government responded to Covid-19 with panic and fear, instead of following the Pandemic Plan that existed.  I have heard officials say we will ‘eradicate’ the disease in our country, but that is impossible.

No disease on earth can be totally eradicated.  It can be managed.  Vaccines and Treatment Plans can be used to help control a disease, but it will never go away completely.

We NEED restrictions to control this coronavirus until we have vaccines and treatments that work, but then we will need to learn how to live with it.  And, just like influenza, new strains will appear every year and people will die from it (several different strains already exist).

Green lettuce seaweed washed ashore -
things happen and we have to learn to deal with them

Later this afternoon the government will be announcing if we can reduce our response another level.  It will be interesting to see what they will be saying.

Forgive me for my ranting and raving, but I feel better for having written it down!

Take care and stay safe J

Margaret.

I see the government is now in damage control mode - they have defended their 'transparency' saying the leaked email (about gagging the ministers) was clumsy and incorrect.  Just wanted to make that clear.

5 p.m. UPDATE:

I am so happy.  Our country has been congratulated by the PM on getting control of this virus and over the next ten days everything will be opened up again, with the proviso of social distancing and keeping group numbers below ten (and this will rise gradually as the situation allows).  What will remain in place is the closure of our international borders, and this will be for an indefinite period of time (although it appears we may open up with Australia in the not too distant future).

The onus is now on the people of this country to be vigilant and kind – and to be sensibly careful J

Words and Birds

What a funny language English is!  It is my native tongue and I thought I had a reasonably good understanding of it, but lately I’ve been challenged on a couple of terms.

I have always believed that the word “eliminate” meant to eradicate, or completely remove something, but apparently epidemiologists use it to describe bringing something under control even though it is still present.

Hospital patients are described as comfortable, stable, serious, or critical, depending on the severity of their condition.  I’ve always assumed “stable” meant they were in a baddish condition but it wasn’t life-threatening.  It actually means what it says (and not a home for horses!) – a patient can be in a critical condition but be called stable because he was critical yesterday.

Then there is Domestic Tourism.  Overseas tourism is people visiting from another country and then traveling around spending money, so domestic tourism must be local people traveling around and spending money – right?  Wrong!  It actually refers to every single dollar spent locally by a resident – whether that is the monthly hairdressing appointment, the weekly grocery shop, or the daily cup of coffee – as well as when we go on holiday.  I never knew that before!

I guess there is always something new to learn every day J

We have had a lot of steady rain in the last 24 hours.  This morning there is heavy cloud cover and thunderstorms are being predicted for this afternoon.  Another good day to work on my family history book!

The photos are some of the birds that I have seen in the United States.  Can anyone name them for me?

Have a great day J

Margaret

An Important Announcement

It must have been a new record yesterday afternoon, as virtually the whole country stopped to watch the Prime Minister’s Covid-19 announcement on TV. 

Government’s pandemic response covers four different levels.  We have been at level four for four weeks and it was announced we will remain at that for another week before dropping to level three for two weeks, when the situation will again be reviewed.

Each new day brings with it hope for something better

I have no contention with being in lock-down if it helps save lives.  What I have trouble understanding is why we don’t do it for other contagious diseases, viral or otherwise.  What makes this disease different?

Each year, in New Zealand alone, between 400 and 600 people die of influenza – and this is WITH vaccines.  Over the last three years we have averaged 365 road accident deaths a year, which is one a day.  We are used to these statistics and accept them as part of our daily life.

Knowing that our planet has never managed to totally eradicate ANY disease that humanity has faced (many are controlled but still exist and still kill people), it makes me wonder if, within a few decades, we will accept this virus as part of normal life.

What do you think?

Stay safe,

Margaret.

22 APRIL 2020:

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS.  I REALLY APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. 

THE WORLD HAS BECOME A DIFFERENT PLACE TO WHAT IT WAS SIX MONTHS AGO, AND I FEEL  IT WILL TAKE THE HINDSIGHT OF HISTORY TO FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT WE ARE NOW EXPERIENCING.  

IN THE MEANTIME, KEEP SAFE AND STAY WELL.  

HUGZ, Mxx

Raindrops On Roses

It is so easy to get down and depressed about Covid-19, to worry about ourselves and our loved ones and to wonder what life will be like when all this is over.  If you or a loved one have tested positive then this burden is even greater.

It is quite natural and perfectly normal to be concerned over events in our life that we have little or no control over.  But is there a way we can combat our fears and put our minds back on to happier lines?

Do you remember the song that Julie Andrews sang to the children in the movie, The Sound of Music?  The children had been frightened of a thunderstorm and these words were part of the song she sang to comfort them:

RAINDROPS ON ROSES AND WHISKERS ON KITTENS

BRIGHT COPPER KETTLES AND WARM WOOLEN MITTENS

BROWN PAPER PACKAGES TIED UP WITH STRINGS

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS

WHEN THE DOG BITES, WHEN THE BEE STINGS

WHEN I’M FEELING SAD

I SIMPLY REMEMBER MY FAVOURITE THINGS

AND THEN I DON’T FEEL SO BAD

What favourite things do you have that give you warm fuzzies and happy feelings when you encounter them?  They might be photos, music, hearing birds singing, sitting in the sunshine, or one hundred and one other things. 

Thinking about things we love takes our mind off our fears.  It is good, therefore, to take some time out, to slow down, to ponder on things we love and to remember happy times.

On my Facebook page I have begun posting a “happy” picture every day.  I got this idea from one of my sisters-in-law who posted a picture of a beach and suggested we all did the same, so that we could combat some of the negative things being said.

I am posting some pictures today that I intend to share on Facebook over the coming few days.  I hope they will remind you of joyful times in your own life and help to put more smiles on your face.

Remember to tell your family how much you love and appreciate them.  

Spread the happiness J

Margaret.