I don't usually go in for yearly roundup posts but there were a lot of Special Moments in 2023. I did a bunch of stuff on behalf of the community, spent a lot of time taking photos of and learning about birds, bought some new gear that has proved useful, did a bit of travel, some people stuff, a few firsts, and Sasha the 16.5 year old dog passed in March.

Community work

  • Set up Waikawa News (hosted at Micro.Blog) — a development from previous sites with a different focus
  • wrote 227 Waikawa News posts
  • received a $100 grant from Horowhenua District Council towards Waikawa News costs
  • helped plant spinifex on the beach
  • communicated with Horowhenua District Council about local beach issues; gave a 5 minute presentation before a meeting where decisions about vehicle access were made
  • did a lot of research on the topic of vehicles on beaches, especially Waikawa Beach and especially a petition from some in the community to run a vehicle track to the beach in an ecologically sensitive area near where we live
  • did a lot of research and communicated with a small group of like-minded folks about troublesome motorbikes on the beach; met with a Horowhenua District Councillor about the problem
  • gave feedback and suggestions to Horowhenua District Council about some of their Comms (the Meetings and Agendas web page) and was gratified to see changes implemented
  • watched many Horowhenua District Council meetings and workshops online or in person

Bought (or sold)

  • Artisan Stand Mixer
  • Electrolux Ergorapido Hand Vacuum
  • Deejo Astro tattooed pocketknife
  • EV: MG4 Essence 64
  • EVNex charger for EV
  • Nikon Monarch 7 8x42 binoculars
  • Fujifilm X-T5 camera
  • sold Ōtaki rental property in May 2023

Pets and wildlife

  • All year: Willow the dog visited frequently and even stayed overnight or I just took her for walks as her mums dealt with various severe health issues
  • January: Saw an Australasian Bittern for myself
  • February: 1 year since Oshi the dog died
  • March: Glee the Japanese Quail died
  • March: Sasha the dog had her last day
  • June: saw Snow Leopards at Wellington Zoo
  • November: saw an unusual visitor to Waikawa Beach: a Glossy Ibis
  • November: spotted a new bird at Waikawa Beach: a black-fronted dotterel
  • December: kept an eye on various baby birds on the beach: Pied Stilts and Variable Oystercatchers

Miscellaneous

  • worked out a solstice based calendar because 01 January is such an arbitrary date for a new year — 21 June 2022 (at 2113) was Day 0
  • worked through a really useful course course: Mastering the Fujifilm Autofocus System
  • regular brunches with a good friend
  • 15 February 2023: a 6.1 quake got me out of the house
  • 17 April 2023: Start of 4 weeks plus really sick, not Covid, probably flu
  • 12 May 2023: first almost-frost of the season (the frosts kept coming till mid-November)
  • gave a presentation about MarsEdit for Micro Camp on 21 May 2023
  • 11 June 2023: went for a midwinter dip in the sea
  • 16 June 2023: ran Starry Time, a 30 minute time on the beach with whoever turned up looking and talking about the night sky; other Starry Time events later in the year were cancelled for weather
  • June 2023 made a 2300 Km car trip to Cape Reinga and return, visiting friends along the way
  • June 2023: started regular massages with Natalie Waddell, a superb massage therapist
  • 18 July 2023: saw the Starlink satellite train of maybe 30 or 50 satellites — an amazing sight, though I know the problems these and other satellites are creating for astronomy and humans in general
  • July 2023: watched FIFA Women’s World Cup NZL (1) v Nor (0) on TV — a first for me to watch sport
  • August 2023: a week long Samoa holiday with friends
  • snorkeled at Palolo Deep Marine Reserve in Samoa
  • called in at a wonderful cafe in Apia called Rivaiv — I had a fabulous teriyaki chicken bowl
  • October 2023: visited New Plymouth overnight with Deb for our 30th anniversary
  • 02 November 2023: arrived home from errands to find a HUGE controlled burn-off almost next door where the forestry block had been felled
  • received a very generous Amazon gift voucher from a friend
  • looked after Deb who had a medical emergency resulting in 7 days in hospital in Palmerston North. (She's fine now.)
  • December: heard from my cousin in England after a few years of no replies to my emails — I'd thought he must have died
  • tried cooking assorted new and some older recipes
  • tried assorted delicious green, white and yellow teas
  • wrote 914 posts on https://miraz.me
  • all year: loved participating in the Micro.Blog community, reading about other people's lives, looking at numerous gorgeous photos, exchanging comments, building friendships with people who live far away
Small black dog sitting on my lap in the car.
Sasha on her last day. Such a happy photo.

I wonder what 2024 will bring?