The Moon

Last night there was a crescent moon. Low down and only just. A dark sky , bright stars and calm evening. A crescent moon that reflected the mood and hid the future. A new year of uncertainty ,anxious times ,reconstructing and rebuilding lives. The dark night was filtered by a breeze ,silent ,engaging and shifting the warmth of the night past the dim lights and the trees,over the long grass and across the fences and paddocks. Friends are still not making progress and the might and power of the authorities and the Insurance heavys have worn down the everyday people ensuring they succumb to immense pressure at a time when they need strength and muscle to battle bureacratic bullying ,cowering when they need steel in their arm. I have assumed strength, absorbed a direction , followed a guidance by some means and it hurts to see the demise of solid cornerstone citizens that have been beaten. We have been defeated by modelling , youth and money. Institutional knowledge is out the door.History is ignored and in fact being rewritten even after a disater.The media are adrift in the mystery. More to come on decision making and the cheap price afforded those who actually matter. Tomorrow I have more help on the way. Blessed for some reason.

End of The Year

Where did that go? 2023 must go down as one of the worst years experienced in my life. Hard to believe in February we were knocked over by such a major disaster .By we, I mean the lovely people of Esk Valley,Puketapu,Omaranui,Rissington Awatoto and Pakowhai. All these areas were rural or semi rural and inhabited by great people who value the land and what it produces .People who largely preferred rural living and primary production for there source of income. The similarity of these people came to the fore at a time of extreme pressure and the comaradery immediately apparent saw neighbour help neighbour and each community quickly working to solve difficult situations. It was a pleasure to observe all this new found strength arousing to help friends and neighbours in their time of need. As the year comes to an end it is sad to conclude that there are still many displaced families and residents ,many houses still without any repairs, many properties still displaying damage from the ravages of the flood water. But there is hope. I do not know where people get their strength from.Plenty is going on behind the scenes and come the new year I think things will really start to move along. It will take a few years to restore properties so lets hope this next one is a giant leap towards restoration.

HUGS Come in many forms. Always special. It's been a year of meaningful hugs. Hugs from friends new friends ,helpers,old friends and special friends. I treasure every one of them. I've reached a point where I can categorise hugs but nothing like the categories inflicted on the flooded and misplaced. No, my categories all fall in to the messaging category, our embraces pass on the love and compassion and wonderful connection that needs no words. Today I had one of the best and worst hugs. A friend and colleague called to say he was travelling down the path to an end.He had tests that confirmed things were not good.And he is so young. What followed was a good kiwi chat and a hug that was supreme when it comes to hugs.Strong,long and hard hitting in the chest. A hug that will last forever in that category.One of those memories indelibly printed in the brain. Contrast such a hug with a group hug a few days earlier with the A team.Well not really a team but two exceptional young ladies that are full of warmth and understanding. These were happy hugs that will come again as we travel down the repair path. More hugs to come.

Rain Anxiety Its amazing how the left can interpret a very serious matter . I read an account about rain anxiety written by someone , who to me hadn't actually experienced a flood , hence had no actual experience, to then extrapolate such an experience in to a media story explaining how to cope and what to do when faced with a repeat. I myself would never have believed in such a state as rain anxiety unless I had experienced the devastating effect of a flood and then the follow up , the conditions building up ,the weather pattern copying a previous event. Weather patterns come and go.The time period can vary over years and many don't grasp the way nature behaves.Some peoples time lines are as short as their brain span.Others who may work on the land, work with nature ,feel an affinity with the world around them, they can understand what is occurring but as well , know that we experience changes and nothing can be done to alter the course nature. Back to rain anxiety. It is similar to many other things in life.If you have been subjected to a major event of any sort it has a great impact on your life.Your brain remembers. As the grey clouds build over several days and drizzle greets the morning or persistant light rain runs down the windows you are triggered. How long is this going to last? Preceding the flood the rain started lightly and built up to a continual lashing .It built to a level I had never experienced before. It was so heavy during the night that I couldnt escape the noise. I moved downstairs to try and get some sleep. So with another cyclone developing you wonder if it is going to build to another downfall. You check the weather forecast (even that is difficult) and note that the red spot is missing.The red that signifies intense rainfall. That is at least a comfort and one needs to be rational and relax .Well at least we hope the met people have the map right. Hope the satellite pictures are properly interpreted. Anxious.You bet.I now understand why these repeat events impacts friends and families. The lefty response to anxiety was to cozy up to the fire and relax.Pfft. Get stuffed. Some things that have been learnt are that communication is essential. Make sure your phone is charged up. It was useful having a landline until the water rose over the bench and drowned it but at least it worked for one of the family before that happened.

People, Pets and Predicaments. It was tough having to leave my mate behind when I was choppered out .At least he was rescued by the pet rescue people the next day. So hard not getting him back home before he succumbed to an internal growth. The day of the flood one friend carried his dog on his shoulders for some 1 kilometre to some precarious position of safety. Robert was trying to get to the top of a ladder to get on a roof so he could get in a helicopter.He was carrying his foxy and fell off the ladder with the poerful downdraft from the chopper. He dropped the dog and thought he was lost. Later a jetboat turned up at the rescue point and it was truly amazing that they had picked up the dog from the flood water. A neighbour of Robert lost a number of sheep and were unsure what happened to their ducks and a friendly pukeko. They had two ducks and now they have returned with another friend. The pukeko is back along with a rooster .So sad they are moving out. There are many stories of lost pets and sheep and horses.Very tough for many people.

Never Enough Thankyous. Yesterday received a box of items neatly packed and delivered in person by two lovely people on behalf of a wonderful person unknown to me. Here in this box was an array of linen but also some smaller extremely useful items such as scissors and plasters. May sseem trivial but its the little things that count at times. I ask what made a 98 yer old person I do not know , put together this collection over a period of time and then seek out myself for this wonderful gift. I also ask why on earth did it contain plasters , something I had looked for a few days earlier and a notebook ,something I always use to track jobs and contacts. The timing was magic and the thought so tremendous. To my unknown donor a huge thankyou.I wish you well and roll on 100.

Interlude Late July Great progress with gib reinstated along with some warmth and feeling. Allowed for an interlude.A break.A chance to enjoy some forbidden pleasure by partaking in coffee and walks and even a ly in. How bad is that. Comfort zones have to be popped at times (well not really) and depending on presence may be slightly enjoyed. It was a good day to visit the froth and bubble ,the force of nature, the back and forth of the swell as it threw the shingle and flotsam against manmade blocks. Blocks that in time will be challenged and pocked by years of incessant back and forth. Waves bought excitement to pram dwellers and facebooked teenagers giving them a new challenge this time real and touchable. Lovers on the verge and doggies on leads all form a continuing procession of mystified connections to nature.