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. 
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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.