What a challenge! Please stay safe. I hope the New Zealanders stay safe too. I hope you can get to take this trip min the near future though I know it will not be easy to arrange.
May the recovery go well for all.
Part of an email from family who live in West Auckland:
Power went out for hours multiple times, then went out for good 24 hours ago.Borrowed a generator for a few hours today to try and save the freezer contents. This is the longest power has ever been out by far. Had no landline, mobile or internet for the first day. A couple of trees across driveway and a carpet of tree debris covered everything. We got off lightly.. Piha and Muriwai got hammered. A friend at Piha woke up to someone's house blocking the middle of her street and slips on both sides. At Muriwai a volunteer firefighter perished when he entered a house to assess flood damage and a giant landslide hit the house.
Just to add a bit more drama, but luckily doesn’t seem to be any damage, they had an earthquake as well
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300808301/lower-north-island-rocked-by-magnitude-63-earthquake
When asked how he felt about the quake Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was “unprintable”.
“I was looking out the window for a plague of locusts.”
Regards to all
Just a bit of trivia that may be of interest.
On March 13, 1972, a new show aired on Australian TV.
In that very first episode – still in black and white – were characters whose very appearance would be a world first.
But it was so shocking that it would see the show effectively banned in the UK and US.
It might have helped Australia grow up a bit.
Regards to all
Matildagirl
The locus will likely arrive after the flooding dries up and the plants and grass bloom everywhere.
This is an opinion piece but I found it resonated with me.
“Shame is the business model of most churches. Understand that and so much becomes clear. Fifty years ago their pews were packed, but numbers are way down and falling as they lose source after source of shame.
So they are hanging on for dear life to the shame of homosexuality even in the face of the exuberant celebrations this week of Sydney WorldPride.”
I thought it was an interesting take on the issue.
Regards to all
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS8HuNMYr/
The Prime Minister taking part in Mardi Gras
I will stop now
Regards to all