On a High

Still on a high after last weekend. Time flies but kept reflecting on the progress made by the team and the huge difference it makes to where I am at.

Ticked off some more boxes during the week as I was able to fix up some more bits and pieces and even took apart the grease gun which was still silty and not working. Little tasks like that help the future attack on jobs that ease the burden and result in a more normal existence.

There are still some pieces to put together and one is carpet to replace the silt soaked mess that had to be ripped up and thrown in the skip. At least with a concrete floor it has been easy to clean up in preparation for an new dimension in the bedrooms.

What a dilemma. What colour do I choose? Seems trivial after the upheaval. Not to demean the excitement of being able to  replace something I thought would take years of saving.

There are other surprises to come but I am at a point where I can function pretty well and look forward to summer and maybe some returns at last.

One thing that disrupts is the political interference with time.

Why do politicians think they can dictate what the time is? The short ,only one hour, spring forward dictate has a debilitating effect on many human beings. Well those of us that are in tune with nature and the sun and the moon. Our biorythms are disrupted as we are forced to endure longer working days and more daylight to fade the curtains. Well not quite.

Many , especially politicians , do not understand nature. They are environmentally vacant and I will never forgive those (and I know who they are ) said we the people would have more time for BBQ's if daylight saving was extended.

What extraordinary reasoning.   

It will take a week to adapt to the forced time change and then hours worked will increase ,It's just the way it is.

Oh well it's a lovely fine day.Time to enjoy.   

 

 Great People

A weekend to celebrate.

Big team turned up on Sunday and launched into a list of jobs I had put off because of difficulty or time restraints.

What a difference it makes having many hands actively moving and shifting, pushing and pulling and even painting and cleaning.

Managed to extract a fence out of overgrown weeds and silt and stand it up ready for new posts and straining. Would have taken me days to do the job and yet we had it done in an hour.

More silt shifted from nooks and crannys and cladding removed cleaned and replaced.

Can't thank the team enough.

All the while my mind had been flicking to the site of major flooding in Europe. So many countries experiencing rain events leading to rivers breaching banks and even dams bursting.

I now understand what these people will be confronted with and wish them all the best. It is heartbraking and challenging .

Stay strong all of you.      

Reports and more Reports. 

A new NIWA led study has found climate change increased the amount of total rainfall during Cyclone Gabrielle by 10%.

Heavens to Mergatroid . 

Why on earth would a study be needed to investigate this spurious charge in the first place.

It was a major event as we all know but to try and attribute a portion to  a fraud is beyond the pale.

This appears to be no more than trying to justify or back up the position of  a body that should be providing us with facts not fallacy.

"The  extra rain (extra rain!!!)  suggests climate change had an amplified effect on the flooding that occurred."

What is extra rain?  The next forecast will explain that there will be 40mm of rain and an extra 5mm for climate change.  

'Amplified the effect on the flooding that occurred' 

I'll tell you what amplified the effect on the flooding that occurred. It was structural failure. The inability of stopbanks to hold the massive volumes of water in check .It was the trash that formed dams behind bridges and the failure of the system to cope with such a huge event.

A NIWA scientist says if the world (the world) continues to warm at the present rate then storm events are likely to become even more extreme..

This is a claim that is not verified. According to records storm events have been of less frequency. This is an inflammatory statement that the Government and Insurance Companies use to hit us with more costly policy decisions .

The study goes on to suggest "the best way to tackle future storms is to reduce our greenhouse emissions to halt or even reverse the warming of our climate." 

Nothing we do in New Zealand to reduce greenhouse emissions , will have the slightest effect on halting the warming of our climate.

The only effect will be on our collective pockets as we plant trees to bail out overseas corporates  and kill off the farming industry that has been the backbone of this country.

This is the insanity we are facing.

 

   

WAIROA WIN

It was great to see the report looking in to the last flood event in Wairoa backing up Mayor Littles  concerns about the lack of planning around opening the Wairoa river mouth at times of heavy rain fall.

What has happened?

I am sure that as a former Regional Councillor that there was a protocol in place years ago and the Works Group arranged the opening of the bar when it was considered there was going to be the possibility of flooding.

Indeed it was common practice for other river outlets such as the Tutaekuri at Awatoto.

What has happened over the years.?

That is the question.

The Regional Council has historical records with photographs showing the Wairoa river mouth being opened by men with shovels in 1911.

Historically remedial work could only be carried out successfully  and economically  when the  river flow and sea conditions were suitable. To overcome financial problems the Board (Catchment Board at the time) agreed to meet in excess of a Government Grant from the Boards Shingle Royalty revenue for the Wairoa and Nuhaka rivers.

At least we now have modern equipment to carry out the task but somewhere along the way we have lost basic , commonsense understanding , of actions that are required .

The decision making has been lost in a world of computers and correctness, bowing to new masters instead of holding on to knowledge and experience.

So the win for Wairoa is good,  in the sense that it has put the spotlight on a problem but the question now is will someone ask the hard questions and resolve what are apparently major problems in the system and how can they be resolved.  

  

  

  

 

 Thou Shalt not Lie

News items come and go. It is hard to keep up with the daily bombardment sprayed through various media outlets , let alone absorb and analyse  the content.

Early this morning this morning I caught the Finance Minister being interviewed about a report by the Insurance Industry that stated that New Zealand , I say that again, New Zealand , may be subject to another major weather event in the next 50 years.

Well there's some safe space for a start  .50 years. 

We can speculate all we want but we are talking about nature. That wonderful  encompassing world that we walk in everyday.

It's possible that we may have a storm anytime. We may not.

The terminology around return events confuses many people but it is understandable and its use in planning has been acceptable although it may be challenged in the future.

 

Having lived in one of the flooded areas for 40 years allows one to have some perspective  and balance in reflecting on Gabrielle .1 in 50 or 1 in 100 or even 1 in 200 has some meaning because you have past events that you can use to measure and compare. 

Back to the report.

Of course there is chance of further weather events of elevated magnitude but , and here is the big but, the authorities and Insurance fraternity say that these weather events will be more frequent because of climate change.

The Finance Minister , when asked about the report said 'well that's climate change' . She also mentioned we are going to have to adapt to climate change and have laws that are fit for purpose.(What does that mean?)

And then " we are going to have to get debt down so we can afford to pay for events"

This was all around comments on building in areas that were not prone to flooding and as an extension to that I would add probably retreat in coastal areas because of dreaded sea level rise.

We are living in a time where lies are being told. Porkies. 

The minute the narrative is changed from the weather to climate change when discussing weather events we are shifting from nature to lies.

The weather is nature , climate change happens all the time. It is a natural phenomenon but is used to

 impregnate  porkies in to society.

Gabrielle was an event that was of major proportion. May be a 1 in 500 year event. 

It was unforseen in planning and stopbanks that were built for a 1 in 100 year return were insufficient to with hold such a force .Even stopbanks built to a 1 in 200 year would have been vulnerable.

The kneejerk response to Gabrielle has already destroyed our community  and is creating a scene ripe for corporate exploitation .

The Minister needs to understand the difference between climate change and weather and may be take some advice from the scientists who expouse the truth. 

  

    

 Punish Officials

We are lucky we live in a democracy. 

It may be showing some signs of stress at the moment but at least we can speak out and question authorities . 

So many issues that we need to question .So many issues where we require clarification from politicians and  we are left to decipher  long winded answers that in the end leave us no further ahead.

Reports are emerging that in July there were devastating floods in parts of North Korea causing damage many of us can relate to now.

But the solution . 30 Government officials executed for somehow causing the floods.

That is pretty hard to grasp.

What sort of  thought process allows this to happen. Sure its all about fear and control  but that solution is outrageous.

At least our officials are safe and in my dreams I see them all putting their hands up and admitting there were a few problems. I see them admitting some infrastructure was compromised  . There are some design faults and that the response to Gabrielle was wrong.

I wonder if they have insurance companies in North Korea?

 

 Square Pegs

Rules and Regulations. The system.

We go about our lives , busy , busy, chasing our dreams or chasing the monkey. We (who is we?) settle in our castles at night , satisfied with our effort , content at the days end.

A major event brings us out of our castles and we combine efforts to make some sense of the jigsaw that has been spread before us . The bits and pieces that are scattered and piled , mixed in a senseless mess,  challenging us to restore order .Will we ever get the pieces back together or will some bits be lost down the back of the couch or sucked up by the noisy hoover by mistake.

Along comes the system.

We (all of us) have a number .I'm sure it's true. 

If we didn't have a number we would be allocated one.

We must fit in to the system .We are all the same .We are all square pegs and we must fit in a square hole. there are enough holes for us all.

So we the people overcome the challenge slowly until we come up against the system.

A lesson learnt from the adversity is the  way we differ around our castles. Rich ,poor, materialistic , carefree, families , no family, old , young, insured, uninsured , underinsured, stubborn , helpful , realistic, unrealistic.

The system does not allow for round pegs. If you are not a square peg you are a misfit. It's not a case of flexibility , understanding, or analysis to seek a solution. It's force the square peg in the round hole otherwise reject it.

We are strong to a point. The adrenalin can work for a long time. Eventually we either give in or succumb to the myriad of hurdles emerging from left and right or if very strong achieve a second wind and rise up as a defiant round peg.

There is a deep strength one has to keep tapping to face head on the ongoing rug pulls like the one this week.

Who on earth would steal a letterbox?

Dealing with so many issues and someone has the audacity to rip my letterbox off its post in the middle of the night.

I know it was unique but someone decided they wanted it. Well a curse on them.

I have another that is a common old box but it will suffice. 

       

    

 Dead and Dying 

Houses

Once warm and alive.

Now stark reminders,

standing alone

cold lifeless, devoid of movement, devoid of inhabitants.

Bastions of resistance until deemed faulty by insurance geeks 

and council epitaph writers.

Taken apart by methodical destroyers

and reckless implements , swinging and gouging, 

Crushing and smashing years of dedicated love and attention,

Years of love and living,

Love and giving.

These homes dismantled by category,

Marked by faceless visitors with indelible roughly painted squares and numbers,

emblazoned on obvious walls 

like fingering naughty community dwellers.

We have your number

You're  not welcome here anymore.

The mark is stark.

Houses dismembered room by room and buried along with their secrets and history,

Carted to places unknown ,swallowed into cold holes lined with plastic

Covered forever.

Residents disappeared in to the rush of suburbia,

Lost in little boxes, lost their  pride, lost their dignity.

Lost their existence to the system.

Absorbed so they can't be seen or heard.

Witnesses gone.