Landed an hour or so ago in the paddock next door. Perhaps it's picnic time … 🤣

A black helicopter with spray arms attached sits in front of a wall of hay bales, with a tractor nearby.

Wow, I had no idea this was possible — Text Fragments Enable Deep Linking on Web Pages. The article explains more what deep linking is and how it works.

I encourage you to start using text fragment links when you share information from the Web—people might not realize why the experience is better, but they’ll appreciate not having to hunt for the information you’re referencing.

What a big High over the country does: a couple of days ago it was 29C (about 85F) mid-afternoon; this morning we had our first frost of the year.

Temperature readings show a high of 29.1C on 10 April 2025 and a low of 4.3C on 24 April 2025.
Red car with frost on the roof and windscreen.

With Easter over I ventured out early to the supermarket today. In the fruit and vege section the shelves were mainly empty! At first I blamed Easter but then recalled most of the country has had awful weather over the last week, so maybe it's supply chain issues.

This second book was a bit too unbelievable, a bit too glaringly obvious. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. A Case for the Yarn Maker (Ainsley McGregor Book 2) by Candace Havens. 📚

It’s all fun and games until George Clooney, Ainsley’s Great Dane, finds Ms. Yarn’s dead body in a booth at Bless Your Art. Now the prime suspect is Mrs. Whedon, and while she’s not the easiest woman to get along with, there’s no way she’s the killer.

Book cover: A Case for the Yarn Maker.

Very readable: The Complete Travelling Cook Mysteries 📚

At just under $2 it made sense to buy this 7-book box set for the two books in the series I hadn't yet read. Totally enjoyed them too! Martin skilfully provides all the clues to the reader, but it's Jenny Starling who puts them together.

The Complete Travelling Cook Mysteries by Faith Martin. 📚

Book cover: The Complete Travelling Cook Mysteries.

A random favourite passage:

Jenny Starling turned a corner in the seventeenth-century stone-lined corridor, and came face to face with a stuffed owl. The owl, it has to be said, looked somewhat surprised. The travelling cook not so much.

See also The Jenny Starling Mysteries Books 1–4 and The Country Inn Mystery (Jenny Starling Book 7).

In this set I read:

  1. The Oxford Mystery
  2. The Teatime Mystery

How flu vaccines are created

This is interesting, about how flu vaccines are created —

Five flu vaccines are available this year - which one should you get?:

Since the 1950s, the most common way flu vaccines are made is by growing the virus in embryonated chicken eggs.

When the United States experienced an egg shortage recently, with avian influenza partly to blame, the appeal of alternative vaccine-manufacturing processes became clear.

Cell-based vaccines - grown in mammalian cells instead of eggs - are the way of the future, according to Turner.

Are they more effective? Again, no randomised trials compare the efficacy of egg-based and cell-based vaccines, but some studies have shown the latter to be slightly better at preventing illness.

Also interesting:

In healthy adults, data collated by Te Whatu Ora suggests the level of protection against confirmed influenza is between 59-66 percent.

Woke at 3 am from a ridiculous (and unpleasant) dream. Told my brain the concepts it was playing with there just don't work and to try out other ideas instead.

Made a cuppa to help settle back down.

Two Pied Stilts at the beach today: one doing yoga and the other taking a bath. 😆 🐦

Pied Stilt stands on one leg in shallow water; the other leg is bent at the knee so the two legs seems to make a figure 4; a drop of water hangs at the tip of its beak.
A pied stilt floats on the water, with its beak angled down and slightly open; splashes of water rise up from where it dipped its beak in.

Speaking as a person who does not live and has never lived in any kind of combat zone, I believe the single biggest threat to any human on this plant is climate change. Threat of climate change downgraded in defence force plan | RNZ News:

The 2025 Defence Capability Plan downgrades climate change to two mentions in a single paragraph - both about climate change posing a threat to Pacific Island countries.

The plan is a blueprint for how the government will invest $12 billion over the next four years for a "modern, combat-capable" New Zealand Defence Force.

It said New Zealand was facing "the most challenging and dangerous strategic environment in decades".

$12 billion could do so much good in this world …

So many quotable parts in the article about Mae West, but I chose this one. I had no idea Mae West was so interesting and staunch. Forgotten Hollywood: Mae West:

She refused to wear the costume department’s diamonds and wore her own real ones. “They only had fakes and I couldn’t have them next to my skin. They’d have given me a rash.”

Bit of a headache this afternoon and very slightly concerned about a bit of red in the corner of one eye, so I looked for a Favourite photo. This Kea from 2007. Possibly taken at Arthur's Pass. 🐦

NZ native parrot closeup. The kea is a large, strong-flying, olive-green parrot with scarlet underwings and a slender grey-black bill.

Watch the 8 minute video of Hannah Einbinder — it's such a powerful speech.

Via Dorothy Surrenders: My Weekend Crush:

Hannah Einbinder should be rapidly becoming your favorite outspoken queer celebrity. Not just because she is openly queer and extremely talented and very funny and, yes, hot. But because she speaks out on what she believes. Speaks passionately, speaks clearly. Does not suffer bullshit. Uses her privilege and her platform for more than just glorifying herself.

While cleaning up my hard drive I stumbled on Xena: Warrior Princess, S01E15: Warrior … Princess and it was a very fun watch.

This is one of several episodes where Lucy Lawless plays Xena, but also plays Xena playing a princess, Diana. And Diana playing Xena.

She's brilliant!

Fight scene from the episode.
Fight scene.

I do like this author. I can't believe this is already Book 4 of 5. Death in the Hills (The Malvern Mysteries Book 4) by Kate Wells. 📚

When Jude Gray and DI Binnie Khatri join a local walking group, their expectations for a peaceful outing to the Malvern Hills takes a grim turn. Arguments abound, and the hike ends in tragedy when one of the walkers is found dead in her car.

Book cover: Death in the Hills.

A tiny group of vocal feminists set back women's autonomy

As a lifelong lesbian feminist one of the things I want most in the world is for people to stop telling me who I am and how I can be.

bigger issues apart from the obvious things like everyone having nutritious food, clean water, shelter, safety and an environment that supports life

So I see it as a massive own-goal by a small but very vocal group of misguided feminists to push those in power to confine and restrict our lives. What all people should be doing, in my opinion, is pushing to open up our lives, to be able to self-determine.

This post occasioned by these recent events:

All kinds of wrong!

For hundreds of years women in my parts of the world have fought to win me the right to vote, to have a career, to choose my own course in life, to wear the clothes I choose, to take part in public life, to borrow money, to love other women … so many choices in life.

These declarations and pronouncements are a huge step back and no feminists should be supporting them.

Answer Engines vs Search Engines — AI Answer Engines Are Worth Trying:

Search Engines: Formulate your search, Review the results list, etc etc etc.

Answer Engines: Ask your actual question. …

Ultimately, only you can determine whether you’ll find an answer engine effective. It will depend on what you’re trying to achieve and how well you can refocus your brain to ask questions instead of performing keyword searches.

Abut 700 Km away Ex-Cyclone Tam is wreaking havoc on the north of the North Island (where we'll be living before long):

Screenshot reads: Roofs have been torn off, two highways are closed after falling trees hits cars, and about 120 emergency calls have been made as winds up to 150km/h and rain lash the north.

Meanwhile at Waikawa Beach it's overcast and so calm there's only one wave breaking.

Totally calm sea, with picnic table and dune grass in the foreground.

My video for the Pacific Wave Appreciation Society is disappointingly blurry. 🌊

In the last 65 days rainfall added about 8,000 litres to our water tank. That covers about 30 days of use.

That's why for the first time ever the water tanker returned today, within just a couple of months, to add another 12,000 litres. 💦

At least we won't run out over Easter.

Water tank is full, with water just below the surface. The pipe from the tanker is still inserted.

I believe tomorrow the pre-wire of our new house will take place. Meanwhile, here's our front door from the inside. Photo by the builder. 🏡

Red front door with handles and lock.