May 19, 2020
Day 59
The skies are clearer than I’ve ever seen them in new Zealand and that’s saying a lot. After my appointment in Whitianga with my new optometrist I chased a beautiful sunset up the 309 Road and rolled down our drive with some groceries and a new car battery. I wonder where the battery was made?
There’s some sort of weird bookkeeping arithmetic going on in the count today, but for me the real number is the ongoing climb of the ratio of recovered cases to the number of confirmed and probable cases.
There are Zero new cases today, however, “the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 today increased by four. These cases are people who returned to New Zealand from the Greg Mortimer cruise ship in April and who had all tested positive for COVID-19 in Uruguay. They were classified as being under investigation while we were awaiting information from Uruguay to avoid them being double counted by the World Health Organisation. We have now confirmed these cases were not reported by Uruguay. All four have recovered.” (This from an explanation by the Ministry of Health published today to explain the asterisks. Bookkeeping.)
9 Recovered cases. Ratio of recovered cases to the number of confirmed and probable cases is 95.9%.
The powers that be are talking about 28 days being the amount of time we need to go without seeing a rise in number of infections as being the benchmark for success in our fight against the Covid-19 virus. Level 1 may take place sometime around then. Right now there is still a good deal of social distancing being practiced in businesses. Less so with people. Some are aware and conscious when I stop to let them pass. My optometrist wore a mask, as did I. Cashiers are wearing gloves and hand sanitiser is the new normal, but thing are coming back. Life is returning to the town and the nation. I hope it returns to you.
There was a time when the world was a quieter, more peaceful place. The dentists were primitive and lifespans were shorter, but there were no cars and far fewer people. No penicillin, but no processed food either. The seas teemed with life, the skies were clear and the moon and stars ruled the night. Trade offs abound and answers are few, but the same span of years that has made me more susceptible to Covid-19 also has given me wisdom to make sense of its place in the tapestry of life. There is serenity in this knowledge.
I know where I’ve been.
I know where I am.
I know where I’m going.
Maybe I’ll see you there.
Goodnight.
ironwoodwind 
Dear Doug,
A sense of peace pervades as I read. I’m here because I choose to be. I paint, therefore I am. See you there.
Shalom and love to you both,
Rochelle
Dear Rochelle,
It’s a deal. Glad you are there (and here).
Paint well, write well, swim well…. You get the drift:)
And be well,
Doug
OK now mate whats this boo hoo talk of lack of readers and transitioning somewhere ? Personally I think you have more than a few observant ones, and have plenty of a discerning breed that appreciates a riveting and to the point storyline. Once you get started your writing transcends the everyday, is moving,and directs one to places uncommon. Its a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world for all of us. We are just souls shut inside a cage of bones, squeezed into a parcel of flesh. Our tribal eagerness to employ rearview vision can result in castigating all others aside in our haste for what we believe to be an unerring and flawless approach to life. Gobsmacked we are not, Douglas MacMillan.
Hi Justin,
In the grand scheme of things I think that my blog has a paucity of followers. Boutique blogs such as this grow slowly and these are hard times. I believe that one discerning reader is enough and I am thankful for those who grace these pages with their insights. I have no illusions about suddenly becoming the Baudelaire of blogging and I apologise if I’ve given you that impression. Time is fleeting and you’ve caught me closer to the end than the beginning. That’s not to say I’m transitioning soon, but I am sitting closer to the exit door than most. On that note, I’m off to the doctor again this morning. Thanks for visiting and reading and I will see you next time.
Cheers,
Doug
Sleep the sleep of the contented, Doug. You’re on the way and so are we.
janet