Sideswipe: March 24: Ginger the elephant

What is that funny feeling?

Is it a change in vibe or a permanent shift? Toronto writer Elamin Abdelmahmoud was born during the longest period of global stability. Now, he says, it appears all of that is fleeting. “We have arrived at the mouth of the volcano. Two years after the start of a global pandemic that has killed millions around the world and nearly a million in the US and upended the lives of everyone on the planet, we find ourselves at a crossroads at every level of our lives. On a personal level, our friendships have been reordered. On a national level, technology has accelerated a complete breakdown in trust of institutions that once served to keep us together. Globally, a war in Ukraine has exposed the fragility of the rules-based order. Meanwhile, the collective reluctant action to fight the climate crisis has deepened instability and thrown into doubt the idea that we can avoid dire consequences. We are undergoing a colossal vibe shift that extends beyond taste, aesthetics, politics, fashion or policy. The world as we knew it is not coming back, and it’s entirely reasonable that we may find ourselves plagued with a general restlessness, a vague notion of disorder. It’s that funny feeling.” (Read more on Buzzfeed.)

Haybales for Ukraine

Op shop finds …

The weight of water

Robert Swan remembers having sold a very old cottage in Birkenhead: “The new owners’ waterbed fell through the bedroom floor to reveal the original pūriri log foundations it was supported by. If I recall correctly, I had to pay a proportion of the repair cost. The cottage was one of the first homes in Birkenhead, the deeds revealed the land had been granted to a soldier while camped in Mt Eden. The wooden roof shingles still existed under the corrugated iron roof on the original two-room cottage. Over the years the cottage had been added to make a good-sized home.”

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