WELLINGTON
I have had these photos in the can for a few days now and what with one thing and another have not got this blog post out to you. 
Wellington has so much water around it. 
We have had an unusually calm few days with yesterday and today returning to the high Wellington winds. We went out foraging for blackberries the other day along the banks of this little stream.
We were very close to the site of an old mill that was milling flour up to the twenties a hundred years ago. I wonder where they got their wheat. Everything was organic so nothing was called organic and the majority of food was locally grown in those days. They would wonder what all the fuss was about as we try to claw our way out of the chemical food jungle the civilized world has trapped itself in and try to get back to clean fresh food. We are so dependent on each other’s choices. We are all connected.
Much to my surprise the quality of light here fluctuates, influenced by the smoky haze from the fires in Australia.
Australia’s bush fires have been fuelled by a combination of extreme heat, prolonged drought and strong winds. The Bush fires of the last four months have released nearly 900 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equivalent to nearly double the country’s total yearly fossil fuel emissions, according to scientists. We are not complaining, I mean our country is not on fire, but the smoke from these terrible fires ( Canberra has most recently declared a stare of emergency as they battle new fires) travels in columns like swirling rivers across the sea and if the winds are right and there is no rain the smoke arrives like a yellow haze as far as New Zealand spiking air pollution readings. Connected.
I am very surprised the fall-out from these awful fires has got this far. Humans are naturally egocentric and we forget how connected we all are. That we are all stood on our own two legs on the same small planet.
If we get on a plane in one country with bacteria on our shoes or an infection in our lungs we will carry these things to the next country and release them. I wonder if in the not too distant future medical certificates will be requested before air travel. I wonder if we truly understand how the saying ‘no man is an island’.
Also may I say it is deeply refreshing to be out of the endless intense all encompassing political dark atmosphere of the USA. I am not looking forward to going back to that.
Anyway, time for me to get busy.
I hope you have a great day.
Celi
23 Comments on “WELLINGTON”
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Lovely photos- I think I spotted some blooming crocosmia blooming and definitely some dill! Enjoy the absence of political diatribe and
other annoying blather…..cheers and celebrate the family!
Cricket!
I know what you mean about the forests – I’ve been through forests on the outskirts of Sydney and up to the Snowy Mountains. It’s hard to think of all those green trees burning. It reminds me of driving along the i75 through Tennessee and Kentucky – the trees seem to go on forever.
The Canterbury Plains were once NZ’s wheat growing area. But now those plains are irrigated and dairy farmed and NZ imports a lot of wheat.
I noticed that when I drove through! So much water being poured into the land – and SO many cows. Where do they think the water comes from!! The rivers are so low
Fonterra exporting milk powder has proved to be an incentive to pour water on so much land in NZ now….even the McKenzie Basin to supports intensive dairy farming. Aquifers fed off the Alps provide the water but speak to people who know how aquifers operate and there is a lot of opposition to all this as it is not sustainable and water quality is a very serious issue. Aquifers need time to percolate water and to store it. This current Govt has pushed very hard for water quality to be vastly improved but it will all take a lot of time and effort by many to achieve that. Let’s hope it happens – we used to swim in rivers as youngsters but there are many that are not safe to do that in now :-((
It all looks like paradise. If I were you, I’d be tempted to stay a year. 2020 does not look to be a good year for politics in the USA. No election year is and this one…. sigh.
But, then you couldn’t take walks with Sheila or put Wai Wai to bed.
And I imagine the help would miss you. 😉
Life is always a compromise. Particularly in your case with your family split up across the two halves of the world. That is a hard compromise, indeed.
The bushfires have created political darkness here as well, so many agendas, so much blame. But they have also drawn a line in the sand. Climate change is a subject on the table despite many who would have it otherwise. Your photos are lovely, musings pertinent. Australia and NZ are neighbours, we feel its human and natural distasters, and many of us have PM envy. And we lament unfortunate events and current politics of the US. No matter where we are on it we stand on the same earth beneath us among its living beings of all kinds.
Yes. Absolutely
Isn’t it miserable how they turn tragedy into politics.
We all wish for respite as you’ve had from this daily mess.
Far too many ignore how small the world has become and how even little things are important.
Love the yellow flower picture and the second one!
I don’t blame you for not wanting to come to the US with all the political nonsense going on! When you said picking blueberries, I was very jealous- one of my favorite things to do in late summer up here in the north woods! Are they the low bush ones that grow here? Kind of hard on your back but nothing better than wild blueberries! Even our lab picks them off the bushs and eats them! Once again your photos are beautiful
Dale has said it much better than I can ! She and I of those commenting have been surrounded by fires people outside Australia cannot fathom or understand however much they try . . . and Celi, they began in the north of NSW and Qld in August . . . far longer than four months. We have just spent another four days of above 40C temperatures, in my case being oh so grateful to the Higher Powers that local fires did not regenerate. The fear around the fierce and uncontrollable huge combining blazes around Canberra and the poor south of the state are hard to describe. And when sudden violent thunderstorms have sporadically hit, they have brought sudden flooding and oft golf-ball sized damaging hail, Both the US and French firies here to help have stated they have never witnessed anything of this magnitude and speed in their long careers . . . We pray. I have never seen Australians of all backgrounds be so supportive one to the other. Let us not talk of governments or money making the world go round . . . almost as bad here as in the US. I more than understand your feelings . . . enjoy what time you have left back home and we shall try to send less smoke over . . .
I mention the smoke as an example of how we are all linked. My daughter as you know is right there too, the police are also involved in the fight for containment – fighting fires then sleeping in their cars and on hall floors before flying back to town in time for their regular city cop shifts. Weirdly, as much as possible, we need to understand that we are all in this together. Or all is lost
Celi – fully agree! But from comments read, even from some urban cowboys here, many do not understand, are ‘bored’ and switch off ! I wondered whether Sophie was also involved . . .Victoria has had it so tough . . . what we owe the firies, police and volunteers we will never be able to repay . . . but I do believe we here have never been so together . . . and methinks the proudest thing any and all of us want to say to the world is ‘Australia is open for business !’ And let the fires burn down – methinks a huge groundswell will force many a change . . . Meanwhile best to Sophs, Mother . . . !
Your photos brought back memories of picking blackberries as kids. These days all the places we used to go have been sprayed, which is a shame. Such wonderful blackberry and apple pies we used to make, flavours that cultivated blackberries never had!
This area is quite delightfully wild which is really cool! So many wild flowers .
Nothing is beautiful as wild flowers. Coming unexpectedly upon them Wordsworth described best
Yes! Exactly – such peace
2.30 pm Monday Sydney time – the news has just come in that 382 people are trapped by floods in Milford Sound ! Hope all ends well – but were you not fortunate to miss that . . . .best Eha
Yes. There is only one road in and out so it is not unusual to be closed due to weather. There is an enormous terminal over there – I imagine it is packed! The Staff village is over there too. Lots of shelter.
Am certain all will be well – but they better have a lot of beer on tap as the road is not supposed to be open for a few days !!! Mudslides and the like . . !
The photos are beautiful. I know you must be enjoying the country and being with family.
This has been a bummer of summer here in Wellington so I am pleased you had a few good days to enjoy on your visit home.