Grrr, why did I let the electrician get away with saying he should be able to do the work on Tuesday or Wednesday this week? Two days I've stayed at home and not done errands I wanted to do in case he turned up.
I've now suggested a 3 hour slot next week and asked him to confirm.
This snail was smaller than you'd think on looking at the photo — perhaps just a baby. It was making good headway up the window though.
Life happened so it's been a few days longer than usual since I last went to the gym. My muscles are begging to get back on the (metaphorical) bike.
Half a cup of Da Hong Pao oolong tea to drink then I'm off!
Da Hong Pao comes from the well-known mountainous area of Wuji Rock, in Fujian, China. It is one of the famous ‘rock oolongs’. The leaves for this tea can only be plucked from a few select tea bushes that are thought to have lived for hundreds of years. Da Hong Pao means ‘Big Red Robe’, named after red robes that were draped over specific tea bushes said to have cured an Emperor’s ill mother in the 1300s.
I've been putting off making this Sexy Lentil Salad because somehow I was scared of it.
This afternoon I've made the salad!
Actually the monumental task was pretty straightforward. 😆
Pairing the salad with 5 Ingredient Sticky Stove Top Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks that I made recently.
I don't like shopping. Searched out 4 potential pairs of bike pants to consider at The Outlet Store in Whangārei while Deb worked with a client for a couple of hours.
But I forgot the crucial check: are they available in that store? Nope, nope, nope, nope. Sigh.
From the bridge over Raumanga Stream in central Whangārei.
Not far from home are the Piroa Falls. The drive includes 6 Km of fairly narrow shingle road.
A lot of rain recently made the falls impressive, but the 350 metre track was muddy and tricky to navigate.
I'll go back in midsummer when the footing will be easier.
Deb lent me this book from her library of Zen books, but the backlight's defective so I couldn't read it in bed! 🤣
Note: nothing's falling apart round here, I just watched some videos yesterday of Pema Chödrön speaking and wanted to learn more.
After making a pot of green tea I realised that if I hurried I could walk to the beach to watch the sun rise.
Equipped with thermos of tea, a handful of cashews and my iPhone I made it to the beach with 3 minutes to spare.
One person was there fishing off the beach.
A fantastic start to the day!
Hmmm, pouring rain and chilly out. It's been a good day to get out the winter clothes and knee rugs.
The reality of climate change in Aotearoa — A storm every eight days: weather claims spike 256%:
New data released today … reveals a record 46 storms over the past 12 months …
“This reflects an astounding 256% increase in storm-related [insurance] claims …
“Simply put, our data indicates that storms are arriving more often and with greater intensity.
“Over a 15-year timeline, a storm typically affected parts of the country once every 19 days. In the last 12 months, that frequency has more than doubled to once every eight days, making storms a near‑weekly occurrence.
By 0730 I was home from the gym and ready for breakfast. Today's session — I did 3 sets of each: 2 sets of 10 and one of 12 reps.
- lat pulldown: 27.3 Kg
- leg extension: 27.3 Kg
- chest press: 20.5 Kg
- hip adduction: 34.1 Kg
- hip abduction: 40.9 Kg
- standing calf raise: 20.5 Kg
- dead hang: 2x 30 seconds
These clouds the other evening looked pretty good.
This morning with glorious sun and blue skies I biked to the beach for a walk. The sea itself was calm, with only a single wave breaking, but there was quite a swell. 4 or 5 swells would come through and break normally, then the sixth would break loudly and the seventh would CRASH onto shore.
Not a bad read. I quite enjoyed it. The Channel Islands Bake-Off Murder (The Gull Bay Mysteries Book 2) by Ashley Cain. 📚
April is thrilled when she’s invited to judge a high-profile TV bake-off over the May Day holiday weekend. It’s the perfect chance to put the Sea Breeze Café on the map.
Good news for the wider local area — Breeding season successes - Local Matters: 🐦
It has been another busy summer, with breeding season now complete for some of our most endangered birds. As always, it’s been a rollercoaster, but the final results are encouragingly positive, with tara iti (fairy tern), tūturiwhatu (dotterel) and matuku-hūrepo (Australasian bittern) all enjoying successful breeding seasons.
To top it off, we’ve also recently confirmed the presence of critically endangered pekapeka-tou-roa (long-tailed bats) in the Mangawhai and Te Ārai area.
Our overnight trip to Russell was a delight. I gather at Christmas the place is heaving with (international) tourists but it was fairly quiet mid-April.
From the pier in Russell, looking back at the township, with its fringe of pōhutukawa.
What an incredible part of the world the Bay of Islands is. Photos from Flagstaff Hill.
The bay at Russell was very peaceful in the morning.
After a short stroll we ended up at Hell Hole cafe for coffee and tea. I really liked the lamp shades.
Russell was originally called Kororareka or Hell Hole.
