Miraz Jordan

Aargh! I'm at the point in my morning where I go to run the Keyboard Maestro macro I spent ages tuning up yesterday evening, with date and time calculations, and it's just not there!

Did I somehow delete it accidentally? It must be that, because KM is rock solid. Back to the drawing board …

The world seems dark and grim. These 5 links are about bringing a little light. 💡

1. Wellington philanthropist couple to fund new charity hospital | RNZ News:

   A Wellington philanthropist couple have agreed to fund the build of a new charity hospital in the capital. …

   to deliver surgical day services on a referral basis for people who don't meet the criteria for admission to the public system and who can't afford medical insurance and private treatment.

   The hospital would support those who could not afford medical insurance and private treatment.

2. Wild horses help prevent wildfires in Spain | Al Jazeera:

   A 2021 study … found that wild horse grazing was the most effective method for preventing wildfires, promoting plant biodiversity and capturing carbon. The study compared this method with other land uses, including planting long-term pine forests, short-term eucalyptus plantations and grazing by domesticated animals.

3. Geckos first found in Canterbury in the 1960s could be world's oldest | RNZ News:

   The two Waitaha geckos were first discovered and marked in 1967 and 1969 … The geckos were [again] found during a recent visit to the island. … The oldest gecko was named 'Antoinette' …

   The second gecko was estimated to be aged 60 and was named 'Brucie-Baby'

4. Kea population booms in Aoraki | RNZ News:

   The number of Kea - New Zealand's nationally endangered mountain parrot - is growing in numbers in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.

   The average flock size in the Malte Brun area in 2024 was twice that seen two years before.

   Work in the area to get rid of possums, stoats and other pests over thousands of hectares has been done by Te Manahuna Aoraki Project - part of Zero Invasive Predators.

5. Presumed Extinct: World's Smallest Otter Found in Busy Nepal River After 186 Years without a Sighting.

   Via: odd@social.lol.

I occasionally spot a hedgehog on our property, and with mixed feelings. They are quite cute, but:

Hedgehogs cannot coexist with our endangered species. Removing them from the environment is an essential step to saving what makes Aotearoa unique.

Via: Hedgehogs: Animal pests.

Apparently it's not a good sign for a hedgehog to be roaming around during the day. The one I spotted today seemed reasonably fit and well.

Thanks to Virginia DeBolt at Old Ain't Dead I've been watching The Residence on Netflix. I just watched Episode 06.

The series so far has been interesting, intriguing, enjoyable, but E06, The Third Man, was outright hilarious! 🤣

Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective, arrives on the premises [of The White House] in order to solve a murder that occurred during a state dinner.

I'm looking forward to the final episodes. It's hard not to just binge.

Yesterday was a stunning blue sky day so Deb and I went to Waikanae for breakfast then tried out a trail new to us: Barry Hadfield Nikau Reserve:

11 hectares of regionally significant kohekohe and nikau forest remnant.

Views from the lookout were stunning and the forest is lovely.

The climb was a killer though. It took me 35 minutes to the lookout from the carpark. There were a lot of steps. I was utterly exhausted in the afternoon.

Blueberry icecream from Waikawa Blueberries. Yum.

Whew, that quake started with a sharp jolt and a very loud crack then gave us a really good shake. I even considered getting up and going outside but it stopped before I needed to. 〰️

It was very close to us and not that deep really. I would have placed it closer to an M5 than 4.4. All good.

Handy link — Export bookmarks [from] Safari…:

[Safari File menu] "Export Browsing Data to File". When you click it you'll be able to choose which data to export.

I've realised my Safari Bookmarks are incredibly cluttered with all kinds of things I no longer need. Now I can happily delete all the cruft.

This morning I enjoyed a thoroughly restorative walk in Waiopehu Scenic Reserve:

The remnant native podocarp forest has some large old Rimu trees. This land was proclaimed as a scenic reserve in 1913-15 after previously being set aside as a waterworks reserve. In earlier times, this land was a refuge for the Muaupoko tribe with the Koputaroa stream providing water and an abundance of eels and kakahi shellfish.

What it has in abundance is fungi. Here are two of my favourites.

This will be literally just down the road from us — about a 5 minute bike ride — after we move in a few months.

Construction of Meridian Energy’s 130MW Ruakākā Solar Farm south of Whangārei is set to begin in August 2025 … With 250,000 solar panels and covering an area the size of 170 rugby fields, Ruakākā Solar Farm will be capable of producing up to 230GWh of electricity per year – enough to power around half the homes in Northland. It is located next to Meridian’s 100MW Ruakākā Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)

Via: Meridian to proceed with $227m Ruakākā Solar Farm.

Hooray! Whangārei to fluoridate water after court dismisses district council’s challenge - NZ Herald:

• Whangārei District Council’s legal bid to stop water fluoridation was rejected by the High Court.
• Justice Karen Grau stated that the council’s refusal demonstrated a disregard for legal obligations.
• Full fluoridation of Whangārei’s drinking water will proceed from March 28.

That's my rates (and others) the Council have wasted on this foolishness.

For the Pacific Wave Appreciation Society. The video was cut a little short as I was standing too close to the incoming waves. 🌊

I went out just before dawn for a beach walk. First I walked past Lake Puna o te Ora which was reflecting a still greyish sky.

By the time I stepped onto the sand a few minutes later the sky was starting to gain its reds, as reflected in the lagoon where the north track exits onto the beach.

When the Chinese warships were doing live fire drills not far away recently Deb reminded me no-one needs to invade Aotearoa if they want to take us over — they could just cut our cables. Now this:

A new Chinese tool capable of cutting the most fortified undersea data cable …

Via: The new threat to the undersea cables keeping our internet going | RNZ News.