Sunday, March 13, 2011

Thinking of Others.

Anemone Japonica or Japanese Anemone  ( variety Honorine Jobert ) or  Wind Flowers one of my favourites are  flowering in my garden; while at the origin of this plant ( Japan ) unimaginable devastation has taken place. The disasters ( on a world scale ) seem to be happening almost too frequently to be fully acknowledged.
     This set me thinking and kept me awake last night...there have always been tragedies but I think it must be the media coverage often continual, ( re runs up close shots ) that makes it impossible for  a large percentage of the world's population to not feel involved. For those experiencing a disaster it will be totally life changing, a time that will be unable to be forgotten ever. For those who know someone or some place involved there will be memory at a different level. For those spectators it just adds to the already too full memory bank of recent devastating happenings and loss of life.
 I find I need to focus on some of the marvellous escapes or acts of courage or bravery. I saw footage of a Japanese lady in a boat sitting very low in the water with at least 20 tiny toddlers and babes in arms, probably from a nursery school or day care centre - one woman and all those tiny lives and she was in control, the children seemed calm and were trusting her. Fortunately rescuers arrived and she began handing over the little ones, one by one .What an amazing person.
     Personally I only know 2 people who I would like to find out about.Yoshi who lives 6 months in Japan and 6 months in Tauranga is a beautiful hand quilter. She loves pale colours and has made some beautiful quilts. I hope she is safe. Another person whose family live on my road has a Japanese wife and family and lives in Japan, they have 2 young children. Eventually I will find out how they are. The Japanese had done so much to earthquake proof their buildings  ( an example to other countries ) that the tsunami seems such an underhand move that they could not prepare for. 
                                    *****************************************

Yesterday here the weather was as good as it can be. Clear, cloudless, bright blue sky, sunshine and calm. It was a lovely day for hosting some visitors from Canada. ( friends of friends ) We tried to serve them a lunch made with many things we grow. ( they love avocados ). The only way I could think to give them kiwifruit was as a juice drink ( which we offer to all overseas guests ) and so for desert I made pikelets served with kiwifruit and ginger jam.
   We took them around the long walk of the property and they learned far more than they probably wanted to know about growing avocados and kiwifruit. We sat them on the red ( photo ) seat. They were lovely visitors to have. I hope Rotorua and then Napier and Wellington  treat them well. With our encouragement they are still crossing to the South Island and seeing other areas mainly outside Christchurch, there is so much spectacular scenery to see and places to visit what to cover and what to leave out is always a dilemma.  Remember we drive on the left here!  Happy travel K and M.

6 comments:

By Hoki Quilts said...

Ali I do hope your freinds and friends of friends have survived the awful disaster that has enveloped Japan. I think there is a majopr event happening almost every other day just lately. Christchurch for me was the shocker - not because it is close to home but because I have to go into Hospital there next week.
I really think all the tv exposure has made us slightly 'case hardened' to the tragedies that are befalling us now unless we are totally involved.
hugs, Miche'le

molly said...

Even counting that the media cover everything around the clock, it really does seem as though each disaster follows very close on the heels of the one that went before. Hope your friends are safe. Looks like your guests were shown a lovely time!

Meggie said...

What lovely hosts you are. I am sure the Canadian visitors enjoyed seeing the fruit and avocados.

julieQ said...

I too have had a heavy heart seeing all those terrible images of the Tsunami...I sure everyone you know is OK...

Thimbleanna said...

What a lovely, thoughtful post. I hope your Japanese friends are all safe. It's funny you mentioned all of the scenery and spectacular places to visit -- I was with my youngest son this weekend and we started talking about how much he wants to take me to AU and NZ to see everything he saw while he was a student there -- there's not enough time to see everything!

Suzy said...

I am probably wrong; but even with the fact that in this day and age we have media coverage continually world wide; it seems as if Mother Nature has up the odds and telling us all she is really p**sed off.
It seems weekly we hear of some new disaster somewhere in the world. Getting to the point where we turn on the internet, read the paper, hear the news and almost expect some new natural horror.