Separation

As the family’s elderly dog
slowed down in her later years
they brought home a puppy, for
company once she was gone for good.

The new arrival was a friendly
young fellow, from a branch of
shaggy old Hairy MacLary’s line.

He adored his family, even more
adored the old dog. his adoration
lifted her spirits so that she lived
another three unexpected years
before passing quietly in her sleep.

Thus I met him soon after, as I
left the massage therapist one
afternoon. The family’s Mum
brought him in his carry cage
to be near during her massage.

“No one is home,” she said.
“He is anxiety on four legs.”

He stayed calm while close to her.

Supermarket Shopping

Supermarket shopping when
living ten minutes walk away
was so easy I shopped often
taking home a light trundler load.

My new home is twenty five
minutes walk from the supermarket.
I walked there easily but my bulky
purchases were too heavy to pull
………. taxi !!

I organised myself to go with the
village’s weekly minibus group
to the supermarket. Easy peasy !

Until the nationwide lockdown came .

More taxis home.

The village minibus starts up
again next week …… Phew !!

Confusion

So ably she created art
painting, photography,
sewing machine patterns on cloth,
playing her flute so brilliantly.

When we told her of our lives
she fired unrelated unexpected
questions in to our conversations.

We wondered that she had eaten
so little for so long. Now she
suffered chronic fatigue, spent
days on her bed, exhausted,
refusing to play her flute.

Doctors did not accept her self
diagnosis of an obscure medical
condition much to her fury.
Nor do we. We see long time
starvation as her problem.

I rang to confirm my email
with my new address. Said she
could visit after lockdown ended.

“What’s so serious about Covid 19 ?”
she asked. I thought. “It kills
more people more often than
other illnesses. It spreads fast.”

“Ooooh !” she said, baffled.
Her sparse family is scattered,
estranged.

She is terrified of rest homes.

Falling Meteor

AUSAPOCPAH
his keenly politically aware
group called themselves, active in
1960’s protests, demonstrations.
University students alongside him
in university lectures, tutorials.

Auckland University Students’
Association for Prevention of
Cruelty to Politically
Apathetic Humans.

Many moved on from their
studies to new life phases after
the 1960’s. Yet he and his close
core continued to highlight
Vietnam, Cambodia, nuclear
disarmament, and other
global issues.

His strong personality often
shone the spotlight on him
in his subsequent ventures as
he dared over new boundaries.

Until now. We are both 74.

I never met him. Yet I am
stunned at publicity of him
stumbling through meeting
procedures in his long term
high profile position.

His wife with no experience of
his work tries to support him.
Successive deputies carried, still
carry a heavy double work load.

He will not leave.

No one can move him.

Internet Connection

After several calls to Telecom
in my first two weeks here to
connect me to the internet,
they emailed me …… No !
Internet connection d e l a y e d.
That day the nation went into
full scale Delta lock down.

The wireless wi-fi of my old
address was refused at my
new address. Only expensive
fibre broadband here – only
partially installed at that.

Shut inside my Delta “bubble”
three weeks with no internet.
I mulled it over …… plotted.

That first morning of level 2
alert’s partial freedom I was at
the private telco shop with my
mobile broadband “dongle”
bought in March 2012. Asked
for a 2021 version. they stared
wide eyed, but were polite.

After an hour’s due process
i walked out with their wireless
wi-fi modem like I had had
from Telecom before.

It has connected me to
the internet every since.

One day, maybe, Telecom
will accept me back as an
internet customer.

Downsizing

Downsized my little home
of nine years to afford
necessary medical treatment
our national health system
will never deliver on time.

Fell asleep over restful cups
of tea and evenings after dinner.

Cleared out half my possessions
over several months preparing.

Fell asleep over restful cups
of tea and evenings after dinner.

Dealt with new property sales laws,
retirement village requirements.

Fell asleep over restful cups
of tea and evenings after dinner.

Moved into my retirement village
spent weeks unpacking.

Still falling asleep over restful cups
of tea and evenings after dinner.

Stranded !

Finally established
in this new home after
several months due processes
of shedding bulk worldly
goods to welcoming charities.

Disconnected at my old
address by Telecom who
refused to reconnect me
at the new address even
after several phone calls
from the new address.

Restored internet access with
free wi-fi at the library so
the morning of Tuesday 17th
August, I caught up on emails,
blogs followed on WordPress.

Delay of internet connection
admitted in telecom’s email.
Paying for internet on my
computer I refused to spend
pension money on cell phone data.
All sorted on the library internet.

Lightning !! Thunderbolts !!

Afternoon of Tuesday 17th
August came nationwide
lock down for the Delta variant
arrival on our remote islands !!

Stay home or risk prosecution !!

STRANDED !!