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COVID-19 DIARY 05

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Day 13 of the Lockdown

Quiet Mount at Night

All Quiet

New Zealand’s total number of Covid-19 cases has now reached 1160, with 54 new cases in the past twenty-four hours. The nation is holding its breath to see if this is the beginning of a leveling-out. Each day we listen to the 1.00 pm update to hear the announcement of our new numbers. It’s a crisis for small businesses, and lonely for those of us parted from family and loved ones. We’re desperately hoping that it will all be worth it.

Having got that off my chest, life goes on as usual.

I’ve had a quiet day, feeling tired and disinterested in venturing out. It’s crazy with such beautiful, autumn weather and the beach so close, but sometimes it’s just too much effort.

Moon over Bay of Plenty

The barometer is dropping with rain promised for tomorrow afternoon. With this in mind, I forced myself out for a walk after tea. Now that daylight savings has reverted, it’s already dark by 7.00 pm and tonight I started by walking to the beach so that I could see my beautiful friend,  おつきさま, otsukisama, shining across the Bay of Plenty. (That was me practicing my Japanese, by the way.)

dark night with palm

From the beach I walked north-west along Marine Parade until just parallel with Motuotau Island, then turned back into the town centre. It was calm and mild with a slight breeze. The main street was deserted, but extremely well-lit.

I listen to music when I walk, and this dispels the eeriness of the empty city.  But the lights still shine – fluorescent, neon and LED, their sharp and often brilliant colours reflected in the polished shop windows and on the glossy leaves of the palms.

When I returned home, Dad was asleep on the sofa with the TV blaring. I eased the fridge door open and poured a glass of rosé. I’m sure that my alcohol consumption since being in lock down has counteracted any value gained by walking.

Today’s Haiku… written earlier today.

In a pool of sun
my father lies fast asleep
Walking in the past

Jane Percival (07/04/2020)

 

おつきさま – an honorific term for the moon

South Head, Writing

Winter Solstice One Day On

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moon

Cold Night

It’s cold outside tonight. 6.9 Celsius is not usual for South Head at 11.00 pm, even in June.

Curious, I look out the wash-house window to the west and see a crescent moon, low in the sky. It is deeply golden.

(Alas my photo does not show this well
but I promise you it was golden.)

And this crescent moon is lying supine, lightly resting on the very tops of the pines in Redhill Forest.

A mischievous wind blows hair across my face as I walk to the fence, intent on resting my Nikon on a post to steady my shaky hands.

The long grass paints my ankles with wet stripes and the cool breeze is particularly interested in the end of my nose.

Overhead The Milky Way is too much for me tonight. The single moon-shape is what draws me, reclining there just above the horizon.

My app tells me it’s a waxing crescent moon and the wind is 13 kph SSE.

I could have sworn it was a Northwesterly.

Jane Percival 2015