Our appalling government has cancelled overnight outstanding claims to get equal pay for low-paid women — Government’s political gamble backfires as backlash to pay equity reform grows:
Hundreds of people turned out … to protest the government’s fast-tracked changes to pay equity laws. … Many protesters expressed outrage not just at the substance of the legislation but its speed – introduced on Tuesday morning, passed by Wednesday night.
They're unravelling our democracy and our country strand by painful strand.
In the cafe we visited yesterday an older woman was sitting nearby. She wore about 4 or more gold bejewelled rings on each finger.
Anyway, that led me to dig out a couple of inherited rings and try them out. They must have been either Mum's or my grandma's engagement and wedding rings, I guess.
One of these things is not like the others …
This sign amused me while I was eating brunch across the road.
We visited Kowhai on the main road in Ōtaki for brunch. I had a very delicious French Toast with vanilla mascarpone, maple, raspberries & caramelised pear. Plus a little dab of pink candy floss. 😁 The cafe itself is clean and pleasant. Would happily go back again.
OK, Netatmo wind gauge, you seem to be hallucinating. I think I would have noticed wind gusts of around 170 Kph …
NZ and the space age — I'm angry
I love space. I'm a child of the space age, born just a year or two before Sputnik went up. I've been on and off interested in astronomy since I was a kid. The push into space has brought all kinds of benefits to the people of this world.
This article though has really upset me. Aotearoa is a tiny country and has no business trying to 'keep up' with the big kids. This whole 'per capita' rubbish is so bogus!
NZ lagging behind most comparable countries on space spend per capita | RNZ News:
The government is spending almost 20 times less on space per head than the United States, and half that of the United Kingdom.
The first sector survey in six years shows five out of the seven rival space countries New Zealand compares itself to are ahead on government funding.
And those 'comparable' countries? In what possible way should we compare ourselves to (thanks Claude for the rounded numbers)? :
- United States: 331 million
- Germany: 83 million
- France: 67 million
- United Kingdom: 67. million
- Italy: 59 million
- Korea (South Korea): 52 million
- Canada: 37 million
- New Zealand: 5 million
How about instead ensuring we compare favourably, or even excel at making sure everyone has a healthy place to live, enough food and suitable fulfilling work?
The removal company assessor inventoried our stuff to be moved; now we await the eye watering quote.
Good news: light stuff can go into the drawers in chests of drawers. Also they won't carry certain hazardous items so that solves questions like: take or leave behind the gas bottle for the BBQ?
This week painters have been working on the wooden parts of the cladding on our new house. 🏡
This photo from the builder shows the north side of the house: BGC Duragroove in the (dark) Karaka and BGC Innova NuLine Plus Horizontal in 1/8 Tana (pale).
Sigh, pillows!
After an age of waking in the mornings with a sore neck I researched pillows. Four came well recommended — ranging from $50 to $175 (on special at 50% off).
Given the only real way to try out a pillow is to buy and use it I chose the cheapest, a Dreamticket 'Bliss' Hotel Pillow that arrived this morning.
Used plastic bottles are diverted from our oceans & landfills and get a 2nd life after being processed into super-fine microfiber [filling].
It worked fine for a brief nap, but I guess the real test will be a few nights' sleep.
I want to know who had the job of counting the ants. 🤣 — ‘Ant Gang’ smugglers sentenced in Kenya wildlife trafficking case:
Two Belgian teens caught with 5,000 rare ants in Kenya were sentenced to 12 months in prison or a fine of $7,700.
5 light links 07-May-2025
The world seems dark and grim. These 5 links are about bringing a little light. 💡
Little spotted kiwi to return to Nelson after almost 100 years | RNZ News:
Twenty years after the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary was established in Nelson, it's set to become home to a species of kiwi that had long been considered functionally extinct in the South Island.
Approximately 40 little spotted kiwi, or kiwi pukupuku, are being translocated into the sanctuary from Kāpiti Island in early May.
300 people in a small Michigan town formed a book brigade to move books:
300 people in a small Michigan town formed a book brigade to move books to a local bookstore’s new location from its old one. The move took ~2 hours and “the brigade even put the books back on the shelves in alphabetical order.”
Early eggs hopeful sign for bumper blue penguin season in Ōamaru | RNZ News:
Agnew said the early egg laying was also a good indication that the marine environment was healthy.
"Egg-laying is very food-driven, so to have eggs this early means we have good food close to the colony. It tells us that things are looking good for the season."
School lunches: 'A really great way to show our community that we care':
It's 8:30 in the morning and a crowd of students at Melville Primary School are at the breakfast table in the hall.
On this Monday it's scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast, with sausages left over from Friday's lunch.
With their best vocabulary, the kids describe to me how their food tastes. "Amazing" and "phenomenal" are the terms they felt appropriate.
Principal Bronwyn Haitana said breakfast makes a big difference, especially with attendance.
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In the video, a small egg, resembling a tiny hen’s egg, emerges from the neck of the unique land snail.
DOC has been managing a captive population of the threatened snails in chilled containers in Hokitika since 2006, when mining company Solid Energy started mining their habitat …
… “It’s remarkable that in all the time we’ve spent caring for the snails, this is the first time we’ve seen one lay an egg. We caught the action when we were weighing the snail. We turned it over to be weighed and saw the egg just starting to emerge from the snail.”
Ocean near New Zealand warming faster than anywhere else, study finds:
A study has found New Zealand's slice of the ocean is absorbing more heat than any other.
One of the scientists behind the work says the effect is not just making the sea feel a bit warmer for a dip, but worsening storms like ex-tropical Cyclone Tam, which wreaked havoc with heavy rain over Easter.
I'm glad to see this toolkit for women putting themselves forward for public office — Tools to cope with social media vitriol:
Developed in collaboration with online safety organisation Netsafe, it includes interactive educational modules, practical resources, and real-world case studies from women in leadership and public-facing roles. It offers insights and strategies for overcoming digital harm.
But Step Two is to stop the abuse in the first place.
Checking my previous blog posts and found this:
Uhhh, so, has anyone beeped Buffy yet? It seems way past time.
After Book 2 was such a stinker I almost didn't even start Let the Woman Go (Naomi Blake Mysteries Book 3) by Jane Adams. 📚
I'm glad I did though because I was hooked in and enjoyed the read.
Imagine being held hostage in a bank robbery. Now imagine being blind as well. But this is Naomi Blake and she has resources she’s only just dipping into.
How to watch the Eta Aquariids meteor shower in New Zealand this week | RNZ News:
Thursday will likely be the best day - but prepare for an early morning, peak viewing time is after the Moon has set, between 3am and 6am.
"All you need is a clear sky and an unobstructed view of the north-eastern sky looking toward the constellation Aquarius," Aoraki says.
You won't need a telescope, just look for Venus shining brightly.
Definitely worth reading: The woman braving tigers, crocodiles and pirates in Bangladesh’s mangroves | Women | Al Jazeera:
Mahfuza has found strength in the friendships she has built with the other fisherwomen from her village.
"We look out for each other," Mahfuza says with a grin. "If I get a big catch, she gets a share. If she catches more, I get mine."
“Mahfuza is my friend,” says Nur, her grey hair tied under a scarf. “She shares fish with me when I don’t catch any, even though she’s poor too.”
And when there is no fish, “I tell her, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll fish again tomorrow,’” Nur adds.
Time for my annual Speedtest check:
Down: 114.93; Up: 27.50.
Hmmm, on this day in 2023 I posted my Speedtest results (100/22). Today I tested again, with 128/13.
2024 via: Hmmm, on this day in … | Miraz Jordan.
After cleaning up for the Open Home today (good news: a couple of bites) we packed a wee picnic lunch and drove to Wellington to sign some papers with our lawyer.
Then under overcast skies and with a biting southerly, after battling traffic we sat in the car at Oriental Bay to enjoy our lunch.
