Saturday wet at Te Aro

I have come to Te Aro, situated without the warmth of Roseneath and a suburb in which I nearly aspired to live. Thankfully that didn't happen for various reasons ( lol), and because of the weather I am also happy. 

The small Arobake café with great patisseries is overflowing as the only other café opposite is closed for renovations. They are not coping well but I have a coffee and nice friand while I read the   Saturday's depressing newspaper. Later today I am Scottish dancing in Newtown at a small fundraiser and tonight it is NZSO with Edo De Waart starring as their new Chief Conductor doing Mahler's 3rd. 

It's wet and cold at Te Aro this morning ...

...but still smiling....

..in spite of the awful news about mental health and suicides in New Zealand. The mental health department is in serious crisis and there doesn't seem to be the mindset to make it better.

A blast from the past...another Kiwi legend Ray Columbus in the news...one of the major rockstars anywhere, with the Rolling Stones inviting him to be with them at one stage. This country produces amazing talent in such diverse areas with music being a major one, and today's enormous 'Home-Grown' festival in Waitangi Park will amply demonstrate that. All the local bands and top performers go crazy for a night and the city dwellers and visitors turns out in hordes. I may well have to walk to the NZSO concert at the Michael Fowler Centre tonight but I hope I will find a parking space..

Here they are...old memories.

And memories of disasters of which there were many in New Zealand's short history.

But generosity reigned supreme with great sacrifices made by Kiwis during the two World Wars. Here four sons were killed and a family devastated.

Is this gossip or for real..? I could even believe it!

But here is the real tragedy in this rich country, an enormous percentage of young people born with mental health problems, from what reasons one dares speculate, and the system is not at all adequate to deal with them. Result, many awful suicides or attempts to do so and families living on the edge without appropriate support from the authorities. Something really major has to be done to remedy this situation which is inevitably getting worse.

Daylight saving also ends tonight.