At the river mouth the other morning I spotted this Oystercatcher with two tiny chicks. 🐦
View from our front door this morning. @crossingthethreshold 🌈
When we moved in to our new house we had a tiny bit of garden and the rest in grass. Today the team are ripping up most of the grass so they can install more privacy panels, gardens and paths. Nothing grand: the whole section is only 600 m2 and the house takes up a large chunk of that.
Caitlin Doughty delivers a very thoughtful consideration of the issues in this 15 minute video — Watching AI Testimony at a Real Murder Trial:
Would you want an AI version of you speaking from beyond the grave?
Another from a series I quite like: 4th Silence (Schock Sisters Mystery Series) by Misty Evans and Adrienne Giordano. 📚
Thirty years ago, eight-year-old Tiffany was found murdered … Now, as the anniversary of her death looms, sisters Charlie and Meg Schock are pulled into their most chilling investigation yet. When their mother launches a campaign to reopen the case, it ignites a media storm and political backlash.
Those white-faced heron chicks are getting quite big. The parents seem to leave them alone a bit more now. 🐦
Cooked Easy Balsamic Chicken:
Succulent baked balsamic chicken, loaded with flavor from a bold balsamic marinade with garlic, lemon juice, and herbs!
The recipe neglects to mention marinade time, and the extra 30 minutes or so if you make your own balsamic glaze.
Pretty yummy though.
What is the right (affordable) ebike for me?
Back in February 2020 I bought a Gepida Reptila urban ebike, just before lockdown, and I love it.
Nearly 6 years on though and I'm learning that while the Reptila is excellent on smooth roads and paved paths, it's not really the right bike for the shingle, rougher surfaced and potholed roads and trails I'm encountering more frequently.
Now I'm engaged in seemingly endless research about gravel ebikes and other off-road ebikes.
What's heartening is that Gepida have two models, at a somewhat affordable price, that could perhaps be better for me if we're going to attempt more bike trails: the Gepida Berig ATB Step Through and the Gepida Ruga Pro Tour (Step Thru), which I may have a small preference for.
I want to try a test ride on them both, but the "problem" is that the closest stockist is in Auckland, a 90 minute drive from here. It'll be a few weeks before we can arrange that.
Before driving home we made a quick visit to Haruru Falls, just outside Paihia. The chickies by the entrance were cute. 🐦
The falls were lovely.
I really enjoyed the lesbian romance, Under the Witness Tree by Marianne K. Martin. 📚
After inheriting an old plantation house, Dhari Weston heads south to settle the estate and meets intriguing Dr. Erin Hughes, a local history professor with in interest in old houses and the new girl in town.
It didn't follow the usual pattern, the characters were interesting, and the author taught us some new (to me) historical truths.
I'd read more by this author.
A lovely spot for breakfast at Zane Greys. The author visited here a century ago, loved the fishing and started a tourist trend.
One delight of the day was that we spontaneously added an extra day to our trip, driving to the east coast to visit Paihia in the Bay of Islands. We enjoyed an excellent pizza funghi last night at Charlotte’s on the waterfront.
For various reasons, including rain, we biked only 8Km round trip yesterday on the Hokere end of Pou Herenga Tai. The part we cycled included about 1.25 Km of boardwalk, a part I particularly wanted to bike along.
View from the lobby of our hotel in Paihia, Bay of Islands. Enjoying an afternoon cuppa and a lie down in our room with its car park view.
View from the cafe at Māngungu Mission. In the end we biked 8 Km round trip at the west end of the Pou Herenga Tai bike trail.
Today’s forecast is rainy. Weighing whether to go ahead with the cycling part of our trip. We could do it some other non-rainy day…
The view at Opononi/ Omapere is so beautiful on a good day. In fact, any day at all probably.
Ten Clues to Murder (The Cat Caliban Mysteries Book 10) by D.B. Borton. 📚
Cat Caliban thought her biggest challenge this holiday season would be surviving her annual family Monopoly game. But when a member of her local writers’ group calls in a murder, the stakes suddenly skyrocket.
This book took some very unexpected turns revealing Borton's skill as a writer. I don't want to risk giving anything away, but I found this book very satisfying.
Another good (and mouthwatering) read — The Mumbai School for Murder (A Temple Hill Mystery Book 3) by Meeti Shroff-Shah. 📚
When fiery teacher Ms Venus is found slumped across her desk, the school insist she died of natural causes.
But Radhi’s not convinced. The Ms Venus she knew was in rude health, quite literally, stirring up drama and discord at every turn.
Today we're heading off to the Hokianga over on the West Coast.
We'll be visiting Manea Footprints of Kupe:
a 75-minute multisensory journey of guided storytelling – through art, taonga (cultural treasures), film, performance, digital interaction, and the splendour of Hokianga’s natural surroundings.
The descendants of Kupe welcome you, as do the spirits of our ancestors. Enter Te Hokianga-nui-a-Kupe, our sacred cradle of tribal histories. Walk with us in the footprints of our ancestor – Kupe the intrepid, Kupe the voyager, Kupe the discoverer.