Happy New Year from New Zealand

[Jim A]

Happy New Year, folks! Here is a photo I took yesterday of one of our grand-daughters. Only used her head, the rest of the composite made up of other pics I have very recently taken on our trip to Dunedin. More Christmassy than New Year, but heh, it is festive. 😁 (she insisted on me adding a red nose).

[Tronhard]

I also add my best wishes to the community from Auckland NZ. We are basking, not only in the summer warmth and good weather, but in essentially unlimited freedom, something that is very, very precious right now. For all of you other folks around the world, know we wish the best for you and hope that a combination of vaccines, sensible behaviour and compliance with scientists and medics, compassion and patience will get us all out of this... but it may take a while. So hang in there.

[lovelife65]

I also add my best wishes to the community from Auckland NZ. We are basking, not only in the summer warmth and good weather, but in essentially unlimited freedom, something that is very, very precious right now. For all of you other folks around the world, know we wish the best for you and hope that a combination of vaccines, sensible behaviour and compliance with scientists and medics, compassion and patience will get us all out of this... but it may take a while. So hang in there.

Lucky you all. Sanity. Of course we are having record numbers here in the states, due to lack of that sensible behavior. Thankfully mom was vaccinated yesterday. We'll see what that brings.

BTW: Jim the pic of the granddaughter is cute. Love her hair cut, and of course the red nose is necessary.

[Manfred M]

Trev - you've done well keeping that damn virus in check. I just wish that the governments on this side of the world have been a bit more forceful in enforcing the rules that they have put in place. We are in a 4 week lock down right, but when I look at the number of cars parked in front of houses on my street it seems quite clear that the rule of celebrating the holidays with those that live in your house is quite clear.

As New Zealand and Australia (and a few other places in Asia) have shown, getting on top of the situation up front has saved lives, reduced suffering and the local economy is doing better than many places.

I hope that you have a good 2021!

[Tronhard]

Hi Manfred:

First of all a Happy New Year to you! I think NZ is in line to be the most successful in holding back the virus - in many ways helped by our isolation and small population, and our single level of government ( we have no states or provinces to complicate things). Australia has done well generally, but their population is larger and has been less compliant. We had hopes of having a safe travel bubble with them to mutually benefit our economies, but they have had a new outbreak and the states are again isolating each other to control that, so a bubble looks some time off - especially given the new, much more contagious mutation. see: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55507012

Our PM is awesome and had the support of 88% of the population at the height of our lock-downs. Nevertheless, it has been an 'annus horrabilis' for me - my partner died from cancer in August and I am still dealing with the fallout from that.

So, I am glad to see the back of 2020 and hope for better things for us all in 2021!

[Manfred M]

my partner died from cancer in August and I am still dealing with the fallout from that.

I knew that she was quite ill, but did not know she had died. I've very sorry to get that news. My condolences to you.

[Tronhard]

I knew that she was quite ill, but did not know she had died. I've very sorry to get that news. My condolences to you.

Thank you Manfred. It was a surprise... one day she was holding meetings on Zoom and the next she was a zombie with multiple organ failure. She fell into a coma and passed five days later. I just hope she didn't suffer...

[Rita]

Trevor, I also add my sincere condolences to you.

[ST1]

Trevor I'm so sorry to read of your partners death, my condolences to you, take care.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bje07]

Thank you Jim for your greetings,
I wish the best for everybody.
I join Rita, Manfred and Peter in offering my condolences to Trevor as well.

[Tronhard]

Rita, Jean, and Peter: Thank you for you thoughts. I am glad I have photography to focus on and get me out of myself.

[Jim A]

I am very sad to hear that you lost your partner in August, Trev - my heartfelt condolences. If I recall correctly you have only been back in NZ from your career in the States - for less than 2 years? So you have a lot of change to cope with in a relatively short period of time. Take care!

[mugge]

Trev, I am sorry to hear of your loss. I hope you can refocus on better days - they will come.
Cheers Ole

[xpatUSA]

Trev, my condolences too even though a bit late. My best wishes for the future ...

[Tronhard]

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and wishes. It was a shock and a challenge but it gets easier with time, and communities such as this excellent one help distract me and keep me occupied. My thanks to everyone here for making it the great place that it is.

[lunarbo]

Trevor-my sincere condolences on your loss. You were the first person to welcome me on this forum and I have followed your posts with sadness to learn of your wonderful lady’s fight against this horrible disease.
She sounds a truly remarkable woman. My thoughts are with you.
Barbara

[Tronhard]

Thank you Barbara - I sincerely DO appreciate that. I am also glad you have found a 'home' with us. This is a great community. I feel for you and others who are suffering the lockdown right now in the face of unending waves of COVID infections. We live in a tiny bubble of normality, so much so that most people have stopped tracking their movements - something that will cause great headaches if and when we get a border breach and the infection makes it back into the community.

In the meantime, NZ is bouncing back economically. It seems that the mass of people who would have spend large sums going overseas are doing so at home, either buying big-ticket items, property, or holidaying in NZ. So the much-beleaguered tourist industry is also showing recovery and the shops are running out of stock. We have had something like 90,000 Kiwis, permanent residents and essential workers enter the country so far, with tens of thousands waiting to get access. One thing it has done is turbo-charge an already hot residential property market with prices soaring across the country.

I fear this thing is far from over, as the virus mutates and I suspect will continue to do so. As long as people don't take precautions seriously, as long as governments attempt half-hearted measures the virus will continue to haunt us. I hope that vaccines will help to some degree - certainly NZ is considering proof of vaccination for people coming from or transiting through high risk countries. Then, of course, we have the anti-VAX movement to deal with...

[lovelife65]

Hi Manfred:

First of all a Happy New Year to you! I think NZ is in line to be the most successful in holding back the virus - in many ways helped by our isolation and small population, and our single level of government ( we have no states or provinces to complicate things). Australia has done well generally, but their population is larger and has been less compliant. We had hopes of having a safe travel bubble with them to mutually benefit our economies, but they have had a new outbreak and the states are again isolating each other to control that, so a bubble looks some time off - especially given the new, much more contagious mutation. see: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55507012

Our PM is awesome and had the support of 88% of the population at the height of our lock-downs. Nevertheless, it has been an 'annus horrabilis' for me - my partner died from cancer in August and I am still dealing with the fallout from that.

So, I am glad to see the back of 2020 and hope for better things for us all in 2021!

.
Trev you know you have my sincere condolences, I know she was a great woman and you are an amazing person.
I am happy you have found peace and happiness in a beautiful country. Too bad the **** show continues here on the states and probably won’t get better for quite some time. We are a failed nation.
You are right about the virus and your concerns. We have record numbers here in the state. The Midwest is horrible, Los Angeles is turning away corpses from funeral homes.
Having a mom in long term care memory support is stressful and heart breaking. The isolation they face is destroying them.! I sure wish we valued the lives of our elderly more than we do.
So happy to see you posting again, I know you have gone through a lot.
Sharon

[Tronhard]

Thank you Sharon. I know it is tough for you folks in the USA and Canada. I keep an eye on the CBC website and look at the daily toll of new infections and deaths with growing dismay. I hope that when the political transition takes place there will be a unified effort to control the virus and get vaccination out across the country. I am so sad to see of the events of the last day or so. I think the legacy of the Trump administration turbo charged an existing, and growing schism between the two parties and that rift is going to take more than one term to manage, even with the best efforts of the new regime. From our perspective in NZ, America seems awash in weapons and angry people, and that is an extremely dangerous cocktail.

I have to say that America has been badly hurt, both internally and externally by events and policies over the last four years. In the words of the open letter from something like 75 senior military officers and defense secretaries from both parties. The US has lost the trust of its allies and emboldened its enemies. It has lost a lot of its relevance to countries that once looked to it for guidance and support outside of alliances. It is a truly, truly sad state of events. But, we can only hope that things will improve from there.

I think of you and hope you and your family stay safe and well.

[lovelife65]

No arguments from me Trev.
America has been badly hurt many times. We claim to be a democracy, but hmmm... I tend to wonder.
We are an oligarchy more than a democracy.

The pandemic has really only brought out to the forefront the reality of an individualist nation. To each their own, just let the old people die and let us continue to shop.
I am ashamed at the treatment of our most vulnerable elderly during this pandemic, which truthfully should not be news, it's been going on for decades. We should bow our heads in shame.
How to change it? I don't know.
We shall see if Joe Biden is able to bring dignity, love, decency to our nation.
I too, think of you and am happy you have found a wonderful place. (envious actually... but you and I have talked about that).