Photo: Wainui Bay, slightly sad electricity poles that seem abandoned (you have to look close to see them)
Yet I imagined myself living there, for a few minutes, with these poles like a cemetery of our civilization, and a few dilapidated huts. It must be said that the silence was of exceptional quality.
*the title of this column is inspired by Emily Dickinson:
« The simple news that nature told »
Photo: An autumn tree near my home in Nelson
I got up one morning, and there it was, autumn, I mean, and trees in their new colours. The morning air was also fresh, the light was different and created melancholy in the air. In the sun, it’s a magical season, but there’s also the rain that’s going to come (for which farmers will be grateful), chilly mornings, the four seasons in twenty-four hours and the addition of merino, wool socks and the definite sense that time is passing.
photo : Kaitoke Regional park, with a centuries old forest, near the setting of the Lord of the Rings for Rivendell, not that I know what it means, but some of you will).
I can’t find any cause for celebration at the start of 2024, whether it’s international or national politics, the state of the planet or society in general. That being said, my daily life is pleasant, while my loved ones are in good health and generally quite happy. From a local perspective, holiday makers will soon be returning home and I will be able to reclaim « my » beach and « my » sea. Nelson won the second prize for sunniest city in the country (about 30 hours behind Lake Tekapo). We are escaping floods or droughts for the moment, the kumara (sweet potato) harvest will be good this year (last year, floods destroyed almost everything). The library has reopened its doors after a year of closure. The ceiling tiles, which were too heavy, risked seriously injuring someone in the event of an earthquake. The City Council, struggling with the rising cost of living, is looking into the city’s expenses in detail. The first one : not repairing two of our swimming pools (not very sporty, I find). Number two : possibly eliminating bag dispensers to collect doggie droppings in order to save $37,000. People are getting a little more aggressive about the flower baskets that have been associated with Nelson for decades. Will we fork out $100,000 a year for them ? But the most preposterous idea for cutting back on expenses, hidden under an environmental concern, is to remove completely the rubbish bins!
I tend to prefer autumn to spring, but this year spring has brought me more joy than usual. I notice the explosion of colours in the trees, the gardens and the soft green of the new leaves. What I look forward to, however, every year is the arrival of the ducklings at the botanical garden and in the Matai River. A few weeks before they arrive, you know that something is going on when you see the ducks perched in the trees making a lot of noise in what looks like domestic disputes. Then I finally see them, most of the time with a babysitter, there were at least a dozen of them this year, each one cuter than the last. I keep a close eye on their progress by going to the botanical garden. But they grow too fast and I’ve found with dismay a few days ago that the cute little ducklings were already on the verge of clumsy adolescence, losing their pretty fluffy feathers and looking more and more like adults. Upon closer inspection, I however realized that there was actually a wide variety in the ducklings’ growth, from the cutest (photo) to almost adult, so I will be able to enjoy the little fluffy balls a little longer.
I’m used to seasons that start on June, September, December and March on the 21st, at least officially. But here in New Zealand, we like to simplify things (I hope my only New Zealand follower will agree) and we decree the beginning of each season at the beginning of the month. It suits me perfectly for spring (first September), summer (first December), fall (first of March), I would only like winter to start on June 21 and end on August 31, which seems pretty reasonable to me.
