2120 days ago

❣The Great Realisation❣ It's perfect💖

Fiona from Henderson

Kiwi poet Tomos Robertson (aka Tom Foolery) and the fairytale video that's gone viral - it's FANTASTIC!!!
www.youtube.com...
&
www.nzherald.co.nz...

Here's the poem in its text form for those who want it:
''Tell me the one about the virus again, then I'll go to bed.

'But my boy, you're growing weary, sleepy thoughts about your head.

'Please! That one's my favourite. I promise just once more.

'Okay, snuggle down my boy, though I know you know full well
the story starts before then, in a world I once dwelled

'It was a world of waste and wonder, of poverty and plenty
back before we understood why hindsight's 2020

'You see the people came up with companies to trade across all lands.
But they swelled and got bigger than we could ever have planned

'We'd always had our wants, but now it got so quick.
You could have everything you dreamed of in a day and with a click.

'We noticed families had stopped talking. That's not to say they never spoke.
But the meaning must have melted and the work life balance broke.

'And the children's eyes got squarer and every toddler had a phone. They filtered out the imperfections but amidst the noise, they felt alone.

'And every day the sky grew thicker, til we couldn't see the stars. So we flew in planes to find them while down below we filled our cars.

'We'd drive around all day in circles. We'd forgotten how to run. We swapped the grass for tarmac, shrunk the parks till there were none.

'We filled the sea with plastic because our waste was never capped. Until each day when you went fishing, you'd pull them out already wrapped.

'And while we drank and smoked and gambled, our leaders taught us why,
it's best to not upset the lobbies, more convenient to die.

'But then in 2020, a new virus came our way.
The government reacted and told us all to hide away.

'But while we were all hidden, amidst the fear and all the while, the people dusted off their instincts, they remembered how to smile.

'They started clapping to say thank you, and calling up their mums.

'And while the cars keys were gathering dust, they would look forward to their runs.

'And with the sky less full of voyagers, the earth began to breathe. And the beaches brought new wildlife that scattered off into the seas.

'Some people started dancing, some were singing, some were baking. We'd grown so used to bad news but some good news was in the making.

'And so when we found the cure and were allowed to go outside, we all preferred the world we found to the one we'd left behind.

'Old habits became extinct, and they made way for the new. And every simple act of kindness was now given its due.

'But why did it take a virus to bring the people back together?' “Well, sometimes, you got to get sick, my boy, before you start feeling better.”

'Now lie down, and dream of tomorrow, and all the things that we can do.
And who knows, if you dream hard enough, maybe some of them will come true.

'We now call it the Great Realisation, and yes, since then there have been many.

'But that's the story of how it started, and why hindsight's 2020.'

More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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20 days ago

Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.

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4 days ago

Door knockers

Colin from Henderson

Kids knocking on your door and running off is still a thing in 2026..