pattern recognition

Farewell Spit Onetahua has been in my head and heart over recent days. I have been taking tourists out there showing them the birds, the sand and the unique ecosystems and environment and I have been loving it. One of the most enlightening aspects of the Spit are the patterns – the patterns of sand, of wind, of waves. These patterns are not created by people but we are part of them and that interconnectedness is one of the themes the tourists get from me. I know – poor buggers! But they seem to enjoy it and I certainly do too.

the rain came

Golden Bay/Mohua, here at the top of the south is a most amazing area. But today, after the rain there are slips and people who have had water streaming through their houses, there have been evacuations and roads cut. The road to town has a massive hole in it and is impassable and probably will be for a few days.

Stuff

Takaka township recorded 423mm of rain in a 24 hours period, making it "well in excess of a one in 100 year event", Civil Defence said. The previous 24 hour rainfall high was 256mm in August 1990.

Small communities have had their infrastructure lost and the cleanup has not even started yet.  I haven't heard of anyone hurt so that is good. A massive disruption just before the festive season. Yet on the world stage it wouldn't even rate a mention. Interesting to consider the macro and the micro - how a significant event for an individual is just that, same for a community too. When it all goes bad we will have each other, we will have community and connection and we will have to get on with the job, together. So we help pull people out of trouble - thanks mate, and we open our homes to people that need shelter, and we check up on people and make sure they are okay. We open up the marae and we hear about the people that have suffered loss and we prepare to help them. We are community.

We know about weather events related to global warming - they will become more severe, more random and more destructive. At every scale we will be going through more trials and tribulations and there is nothing we can do about that because the cycles and momentum of earthly change on ponderous scales have already started and they won't stop. But we can prepare and a big part of that is building community and connection. No doubt in calamitous times we are forced together but the more we practice, when we can, the better and we can learn from other communities about what works and what doesn't. Ultimately when it all hits the fan we do what we have to do to survive - we are all in this together.

dying to save them

I just don't understand why keas have to die to test whether 1080 baits are attractive to them or not. Can we not test these baits first or is that too hard. I know the arguments around 1080, the improvements in the forest and native species, the birdsong and the flowers - but I cannot reconcile throwing poison into the environment to kill them - it just seems like more hubris from people rather than looking, listening and learning from Mother Nature. After all, stoats were brought here deliberately by the colonists to help sort the rabbits out, which were brought here deliberately - the solution created more problems than the original problem and that's because nature wasn't considered at all - it was just a thing that could be managed, manipulated and mangled to achieve man's ends. That worldview is destructive to our environment and society - it distances us from ourselves and our heritage as living organisms within the total ecosystem. That worldview considers us seperate from nature and is in opposition to indigenous worldviews where the holistic nature of reality is endorsed.


ODT

Department of Conservation has reported the deaths of seven keas following a recent 1080 pest control operation on the West Coast that was designed to prevent the birds eating poison baits. They follow seven kea deaths reported in the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier area in 2008, with the possum-killing 1080 poison pinpointed then as the most likely cause of death.

So sad that these beautiful unique birds have died. I hope we sort this out soon.

make the most

This time of year can be stressful and within our distress we can be hard on ourselves and others. You are not alone, you are not an island or a rock - it is okay to feel but we must accept responsibility for our feelings and what we do with them. Reach out and ask for help if you need it - don't be afraid - just ask for help.

The buy, buy, buy constant barrage is hard to handle - try making something or being creative. I'm giving my brothers and their families a scrapbook, some glitter, a gluepen and coloured pencils - the scrapbook is entitled "Our happy holiday memories". That is a $20, 5 person present that everyone can get into. Grandparents can write and draw pictures - the kids can stick things in there and record their impressions of the days with help from mum and dad - shells, sand, sticks and leaves can be added. I am imagining that in 20 years the scrapbook can be reopened and the memories will rekindle.

The big challenge I find is to just allow the season to flow. There is no point fighting it - it is a waste of energy. Much better to flow with it and use it to further our aims - to grow communities - to bring people together - to be kind to ourselves and others. Rest and relax - swim and walk - smile and laugh. Connect with the beauty of nature and the other inhabitants of our world - admire the majesty of papatuanuku, the glory of mother earth. Recharge and energise for the challenges to come. And love, always love.

nature by numbers

The underlying reality of everything is connection.

The fibbonaci series is seen in many parts of nature.

The golden mean has been marvelled at for eons.



Everything is connected. We are all connected.

resonance and rice

Might pay to turn your sound down on this one.

Mystery - it is all around us