L is for Luxury, Legends, and Local

 A is for 'orses; B, for Mutton; C for yourself, F for Blind; E for You or Me; F for Vescence; G for Police; H for Weight; I for an Eye; J for Oranges; K for Teria; L for Leather...

I love our alphabet.

But for today, we're looking at L. I was watching the Grues the other day (my new name for the News, because, you know: if it bleeds, it leads.) and the reporter referred to someone I didn't know as a "Legend".  I saw the picture of the person, who was around 18, and had become a Legend because of her ability to solve a Rubik's Cube in 10 seconds. I still haven't solved one, but that's because I too, am a Legend: it has taken me 40 years to make the progress I have made, which is to have two sides more or less a full block of colour. That is to say: 8 white pieces, one green. Sort of thing. The device will undoubtedly be dropped onto my corpse in the coffin, still not solved, to melt and burn a hole through my soul when I am crisped. I am anticipating this will happen sometime within the next 73 years.

I'm in no hurry.

But really: a Legend? For being able to solve a Rubik's Cube in less than ten seconds? I don't think so.

L is also for Luxury, and again I think we may well not really know what Luxury is. Oh, I see the home-building porn on the tele (not "telly", as some morons troy to abbrevaite it. Telly is Savalas, a bald actor, now deceased. Television isn't spelled "tellyvision". It's "television".) and I know that Luxury is seen by some as the fourteen thousand square meter home with four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a 50-metre lap-pool off the kitchen, an astronomical observatory, and parking for three Ford Ranger things, two Lamborghinis, a Roller, and a squadron of specialist bicycles.

But if you're a couple who have a couple of kids and your principle money-earner has to work three job and you're living in a cold but dry two-bedroomed flat that doesn't allow pets or portraits and the youngest kid has whooping cough and you really, really can't afford to take her to the doctor... Then Luxury might just look a little different.

There's a fabulous young couple in Motueka - obviously bright, educated, and skilled businesspersons - whose luxury lodge business fell over because of the pandemic.

So they've gotten together with a neighbour, and are putting together an amazingly cool and luxurious first home development. Small houses - around 60 square metres, brand new. These are bigger than Tiny homes. They're building twenty of them, pre-fab. They'll go onto leasehold land. They'll cost around $160,000 from signature to key.

Check them out here:  Big start for tiny home business: 'It's gone ballistic' | Stuff.co.nz

I figure that's luxury. And it could be replicated dozens of time for eff-all money all around the country.

I heard one of these fine young people on RNZ. they have encountered opposition to their home (not from Motueka) in cities that are wanting to develop "character" suburbs. In other word rows upon row of 200 square metre homes, all grey, with grey rooves. Yes, Papamoa, I'm looking at you. The streets there are almost as boring in character as the local MP, Todd Muller. 

But Todd, to give him his due, is a sparkling with and raconteur compared to the holder of the Tauranga seat. yes, Soyman Brudges: that's you. You're right to be afraid of Jan Tinneti.

We like to keep our shopping local, as much as possible. Yes, staples will come from the Supermarket. But we get our bread from the local Bakers' Delight franchise (neat people), we get our veges (NOT FUCKING VEGGIES! Another cocked up abbreviation! How do you pronounce the word EGG? EGG! Veggies must be pronounced as vEGGies. The first four letters of the worg "vegetable are V-E-G-E. Not V-E-G-G!). Anyway. Our veges and fruit come from the Greerton greengrocer. Amazingly cool people: great examples of our immigrant policies working well. 

We get our books from our local library, our meat from our local butcher, and I make my own beer. Locally. In the Laundry, actually.

L quotes, from L-ish people:

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

Behind the clouds the sun is still shining.

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all sweet serenity of books.

C.S. Lewis

Joy is the serious business of heaven.

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at testing point.