Tragedy & Trivia

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Anne paid some bills this morning, She was muttering about ‘spring-cleaning, curtains and cat.’ Sounds like a line of poetry. Reminds me of Auden’s ‘in headaches and in worry life leaks away.’

Not always – sometimes there are horrific events. Yesterday’s TV had a brief clip – the pier at Akaroa. All its pylons were exposed in the low surge of the tsunami. I learnt to swim off that wharf. Interesting the surges were stronger around the harbours of Banks Peninsula than much of New Zealand. I wonder if volcanic rock is a factor.

The clip showed the strength of the tsunami. Again, I was interested to hear it was worse in Japan than here. I would have thought its power would have dissipated as it got further from the epicentre. Apparently not.

The power of nature. A tragedy for the poor people of Chile and Haiti. At least the former had a reasonable infrastructure. We could be next. Or anywhere else, though the likely expected places are known. Earthquakes are still in the quaint old phrase, ‘an act of God’.

Thousands are without power and there are deaths in the NE USA and France with snowstorms. Climate is predictable, weather is not. A trivial example. My temporary care-giver comes at 8 am.to shower and dress me. This meant I could be outside having morning tea at 10 30 in the NE corner under next-door’s oak and wineberry. I was revelling in glorious sunshine. Then suddenly and dramatically it clouded over and shortly after Anne got me inside a light drizzle started.

Seeing I’m back to trivia Canada beat the USA in the ice hockey final at the Winter Olympics. There’ll be some soreheads in the land of the maple-leaf tomorrow.