Excellent 26 minute interview — Expert Feature: What happens to all that space junk? | RNZ:
What happens when satellites stop working? As the saying goes, what goes up, must come down, so will we see more space junk landing on earth? Here to help answer those questions and more, Jesse is joined by Dr Samantha Lawler, professor of astronomy at the University of Regina in Canada, and Erskine Fellow for the University of Canterbury.
Today I enjoyed a brief but pleasant walk to Raumanga Falls:
a cascading 15m waterfall.
The crickets were loud but the video didn't pick them up.
I picked up a 1cm crack in my windscreen. Today I took the car to Smith and Smith Whangārei where parking was horrendous, the staff person friendly, but booking a chip repair via the Reception tablet defeated me.
I called in to a place up the road from home and they repaired it while I waited. 👍
After brunch at One Tree Point our friend A, from Leigh, a 90 minute drive south, invited us to visit so we did.
She had made two loaves of bread: a buckwheat loaf and a spelt sourdough. Both were delicious.
My cup of tea at The Anchorage this morning came with a shortbread and glitter heart, presumably left over from Valentine's Day. Delish.
Ahhh, this explains a lot — Maisy Marple:
Maisy Marple appears to be a pen name originally used by a publisher who hired multiple authors to ghostwrite various series. In 2025 they appear to have switched writing all the new books using AI.
Having run out of things I wanted to read I landed on A Kernel of Truth (Harvest of Clues Book 1) by Maisy Marple, Publication date: January 11, 2026. 📚
The book is simplistic, trivial and trite, often contradictory. How many times were we told about the dog:
His mismatched eyes-one blue, one brown …
I think I was duped into reading a free book written by AI. My consolation is that I thought it just wasn't good.
An excellent celebratory meal at TopSail in Whangārei
Head to Whangārei airport and then a bit further, down to the water's edge, and you'll reach TopSail:
an exquisite dining experience in warm comfortable surrounds on the water's edge of Whangarei Harbour
And that's true.
Deb and I visited last night with our friends J&H and R&M, to celebrate 2 birthdays (today) and a wedding anniversary (tomorrow).
The food was excellent, as were the view, the hospitality and the company. We plan to visit again sometime.
Deb and I shared an entree and a dessert:
Duck Breast: roasted & sliced : toasted focaccia : blue cheese : cherry guava jelly balsamic glaze
The dessert had smaller portions of all of (Deb snaffled the mousse before I took the photo):
Crème Brûlée: vanilla cream custard : muddled strawberries; Dark Chocolate Mousse: poached blackboy peach : brandy snap : vanilla bean ice cream; Whole Baked Apple: whole baked apple : dates : brandied raisins : filo pastry : vanilla bean ice cream
For the main course I opted for the fish, which was grilled Snapper, with steamed greens.
TopSail is up there in price, but it's totally worth the money.
On a whim we went to The Bach cafe at Ruakākā Beach for breakfast. My hot chocolate was fine and the scrambled eggs weren't.
On another whim we visited FEOH Espresso and Roastery in Waipū where Deb's coffee was excellent, and I brought home a deliciously fiery ginger slice.
FEOH Espresso & Roastery is a boutique coffee bar and roastery in the heart of Waipu, dedicated to quality, variety and a deep appreciation for coffee craftsmanship.
Then we did a little scenic tour (on mainly unsealed roads) on the way home. Lovely countryside.
During today's outing I called in at Marsden Bay, which looked rather lovely in spite of the rain that kept me in the car.
I used the new AI-driven removal tool in Nitro to get rid of some inconvenient fence posts.
These white cylinders at Northport are almost certainly components for the Kaiwaikawe Wind Farm near Dargaville:
The wind farm will have 12 turbines; seven in the northern cluster of the development and five turbines in the southern cluster. The turbines will be the largest and tallest in New Zealand.
This series goes from strength to strength. I enjoy hanging out with this group of decent people (apart from the baddies, of course). The Mystery of the Stolen Snuffbox (The Antique Shop Mysteries Book 4) by Judith Cutler. 📚
when [Lina] absent-mindedly slips the box in her pocket for safe keeping, she has no idea she’s just made herself a target.
Because someone wants that snuffbox. Badly. And they’ll stop at nothing to keep its secrets hidden — even if it means silencing Lina for good.
Today's gym workout had an extra reward. Apparently, according to Hevy, since I started using the app, over 50 sessions I've put in :
31 hours of effort and 214,395 kg lifted.
See, little bits add up!
Today's plans were quickly rearranged when I was reminded I had to drop my car in for a service.
It was a pleasant 30 minute walk home, interrupted by mediocre scrambled eggs on toast and some kind of flavoured water, supposedly green tea.
Most of the walk was along the riverbank — very pleasant.
Best story this week! 🤣 ‘Crime-Fighting’ Llamas Catch Thief by Surrounding Him in a Field Until Cops Arrive:
The crook was fleeing the scene after stealing from a woman in Derbyshire, England, and he decided to squeeze through a fence onto farmland …
But his escape … did not go according to plan …
“Our llamas galloped over to him and surrounded him. They literally made a circle around him, and then started releasing their warning cry, which sounds like an old man laughing.
“He didn’t know what to do next and looked absolutely terrified”
For several years I've used an action on my iPhone so when I start a Cycling or Other workout Siri tells me the date, time and weather conditions. This has usually worked well.
This morning though, 09 February 2026, Siri cheerfully informed me it was the 2nd of September. What!?
Oh, I see, crazy American date system where 09/02/2026 puts the month first.
Why did Siri suddenly go all weirdly American on me? Unknown.
However, setting the voice to UK English, instead of US 'fixed' this new problem.
It took me a few uncertain chapters before this book had me completely gripped. It's an excellent space adventure. Forgotten Suns by Judith Tarr. 📚
Aisha, the daughter of the chief archaeologists, tries to save the expedition by opening a sealed tomb or treasury—and manages instead to destroy it. But one treasure survives, which may be the key to the planet’s mystery.
One of the tracks to the river mouth takes you through a sea of golden rushes.
I visited at low tide, just after dawn, and the area was a vast mudflat where birds were feeding. 🐦
I visited the estuary south of the river today. Midday, blazing sun, no hat, loads of people at the beach, high tide — conditions were far from ideal so no photos.
Then I saw clouds of birds whirling away from some disturbance. Thousands of Godwits and White-fronted Terns. What a sight! 🐦
We watched The Friend, a film about a writer who inherits her friend's Great Dane when the friend dies.
The movie was a bit odd, but the dog acted beautifully. Mainly I felt rather sad about the dog's loss of its owner.
The other day there was a fatal accident at a dangerous nearby intersection I often drive through. Today I signed a petition asking for a roundabout.
