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30 May 2023 19:24 — : Somehow I never watched watch Star Trek: The Animated Series (1974). I just watched S02E01 (by mistake, I’ll start back at Season 1 next time). Wonderful 1974 futuristic sci-fi cartoon!

30 May 2023 14:27 — : Another good read from Jana DeLeon, with some switching around of secondary characters and an intriguing plot — Fortune Teller. I enjoyed this book. Even with so many prior books in the series, and a few long-running gags, such as Gertie's handbag, …

29 May 2023 14:53 — : Folks on Micro.Blog mentioning places they’ve visited. For me much of Western Europe, Scandinavia, UK and Ireland, Pacific Islands. Of special interest: I lived in Düsseldorf, West Germany and visited East Berlin when those distinctions were …

29 May 2023 13:50 — : The other day LeonP wrote about blogs being viewable on any device. That led me to wonder how my blog looks on my 2018 Kindle Paperwhite. The answer is: not too terrible.

29 May 2023 11:39 — : Heh, Aotearoa becomes more multicultural. Stories are legion of immigrants and visitors asked to "bring a plate" to an event who have turned up with an empty plate, puzzled about needing to bring it. 🤣

29 May 2023 11:33 — : Hmmm: When we hear the word 'fungi', [mushrooms are] what we think of first. But … only about 10 % of fungi species produce mushrooms. And they only do so when it suits them. Most fungi species are microscopic, like yeasts. Fungi of Aotearoa, …

29 May 2023 08:46 — : It's Samoa Language Week here in Aotearoa. This 25 minute documentary about traditional tattoo as service is so interesting, and moving: Tautua: Inked in Service. BTW: Samoa is pronounced with the stress on the Sa. That syllable has a long a and …

28 May 2023 12:19 — : Wowee: The new imitation game — … CarynAI, a bot which “replicates [Caryn Marjorie's] voice, mannerisms and personality”. Interacting with it costs $1 a minute: in the first week it was available it raked in $100,000. Thanks to A Feminist …

28 May 2023 08:10 — : Another one for folks interested in language — 18 minute video about weak and strong forms of words, and how in English the positive may just disappear: The Genius of Weak Forms. Still from the video shows the word was is barely spoken while the was …

27 May 2023 15:56 — : This afternoon I thought I’d try photos of sea spray. The sea was a bit rough today. B&W filter via Photos.

27 May 2023 14:30 — : Kei te pēhea tonu tātou? How are we really doing?

26 May 2023 13:53 — : If you’re at all interested in language, or in indigenous culture take 10 minutes and watch this fascinating documentary (via Kottke) — Hand Talk: Hand Talk sign language has been used by indigenous communities for thousands of years

26 May 2023 13:26 — : This is a very heartening good news story. Take a moment to read this non-fiction comic by Toby Morris : The Side Eye: Anahera, our neighbour. 🐦 Note: Kiwi is a Māori word. There are very few specific plural forms in Māori, and definitely no plural …

26 May 2023 09:42 — : I was already pretty cheery this morning but listening to Korolova b2b Jonas Saalbach @ Praia da Adraga, Portugal (55 minutes) just lifted me right up. I just love the beat in this one.

26 May 2023 07:37 — : Ahhh, my rejoicing was premature… After a couple of minutes the left AirPod just stopped working. From memory, if I put it back in the charging case for a few minutes it’ll work for a few minutes again. Still, I guess the right earbud still …

26 May 2023 07:27 — : It’s a miracle: my AirPods (1st gen) live again! Last year there were problems, fixes didn’t work, they were dead, they sat in my Must ship to Apple for recycling pile for months. Then I discovered an issue with my charges-everything …

26 May 2023 06:46 — : A Micro.blog Community Library. What a great idea from @KimberlyHirsh. Time for a needs assessment! Micro.blog community, what resources do you need in the Micro.blog Community Library? Kimberly Hirsh, PhD …

25 May 2023 11:30 — : Nope. No Kuaka | Godwits round here. Nope. 🐦

25 May 2023 11:25 — : Our beach doesn’t have rocks (unless you count chunks of pumice) but there’s plenty of driftwood. Sometimes a buried log will emerge after the tide flows out.

24 May 2023 16:18 — : Late afternoon and I was just walking from one room to another when I noticed these (perhaps juvenile) Eastern Rosellas on the flax plants nearby. I love their bright colours. Photographed through the window. 🐦

24 May 2023 15:00 — : Anna Havron is a generally smart person. I like what she has to say here — Inner Trolls and Better Angels: Being a Person, Online: I see great value in sites that post personal observations. They do what novels do: they help us grow in empathy and …

24 May 2023 09:18 — : I realise Micro Camp 2023 left me on a real high — took me all day to calm down afterwards. I’m really energised by the presentations, keynote and other discussions, the chats and what others have posted since. I learned a heap, and now …

24 May 2023 09:06 — : This 9 minute video is so good and the food looks delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a wide assortment of mushrooms in our shops. Julia Child’s Favorite Mushroom Risotto | Cooking with Lidia Bastianich The actual recipe: Risotto …

23 May 2023 18:10 — : What’s that big star in the west, Deb asked. The crescent moon, I smartly replied … and Venus. 🤣

23 May 2023 17:41 — : There's always one who's late to the meeting… Pāpango | New Zealand scaup on Lake Puna o te Ora. 🐦

23 May 2023 13:33 — : A new series but another excellent police procedural from Anne Shillolo: Murder at Elk Ridge (An Elk Ridge Murder Mystery Book 1). Nice character introduction and development, great setting, good story. Can’t wait to read the next in series 📚

22 May 2023 19:02 — : Pukeko at the edge of Lake Puna o te Ora. 🐦

22 May 2023 18:47 — : Pro tip: when Micro.Blog seemingly just refuses to publish your post — make sure it’s not set to Draft. 🤣 (Wasted a fair bit of time earlier…)

22 May 2023 18:23 — : Apparently this orange plastic cylinder I spotted washed up on the beach today is a Burley Pot. The idea is to put bait in it to attract fish.

22 May 2023 14:12 — : On this morning’s beach walk I walked in amongst a big spread of driftwood of all sizes. When I turned round I spotted this wonderful orange fungi on a log.

21 May 2023 19:03 — : Whew, I thought we’d just watched the last ever episode of Vera. In fact it was the last available episode. Vera S12E04.

21 May 2023 15:10 — : After the disappointing movie yesterday we had excellent Thai food at Tuk Tuk Waimea in Waikanae. I had stir fry chicken with fresh vegetables and ginger. A smidgeon too salty but very delicious.

21 May 2023 11:41 — : Micro.Blog pals — a 1 day coupon for MarsEdit! I usually only offer discounts of 10% or 20%, but in celebration of Micro.camp 2023 I’m offering a 50% discount on MarsEdit. Use this link and see the 50% discount when you continue to checkout: …

21 May 2023 07:40 — How to customise the MarsEdit Preview : When you write a blog post in MarsEdit you can see a Preview right in front of you as you type. I like to arrange my windows side by side, with the editing window on the left and the Preview on the right. As I type or paste in text and add images I …

21 May 2023 07:16 — Resources for my MarsEdit presentation at Micro Camp 2023 : See my presentation on YouTube. These resources go alongside my Micro Camp presentation, Take the Captain’s Chair of your Micro.Blog with the MarsEdit App for Mac: Time Travel, Replicators, Warp Speed and More : 19 MB PDF of all the slides with …

20 May 2023 20:12 — : We went to see the movie Aftersun 🎥 : a 2022 coming-of-age drama film … an 11-year-old girl, on holiday with her father at a Turkish resort on the eve of his 31st birthday. … It was also named one of the best films of 2022 Load of twaddle. Go see …

20 May 2023 13:09 — : I’d totally forgotten that MarsEdit can do TypeWriter Scrolling in the composition window. It’s right there under the View Menu. Don’t care for it myself, but I know some love it.

20 May 2023 12:59 — : Just now pondering at a very shallow level, whether there’s a role at future Micro Camps for a brief pre-Camp Zoom checkin session where we can discover we need to download a newer version, have forgotten our passwords, how to raise our Hand, …

20 May 2023 11:15 — : Excellent start to Micro Camp 2023 today. Thanks to everyone who participated but especially to all those who helped organise! The sessions were interesting and engaging. I enjoyed hearing everyone's thoughts on all the topics raised.

19 May 2023 10:37 — : I had read this somewhere recently, but thanks to @billbennettnz for Apple satellite SOS service now live in New Zealand: NZ-based Apple iPhone 14 users are now able to use the company’s Satellite Emergency SOS service. The service lets phone users …

18 May 2023 20:25 — : Recycling — maybe not always a good thing…

18 May 2023 07:28 — : I love Aotearoa but this is unconscionable — The twin crises that fuelled the hostel fire: 10% of our population are so poor and stressed they can’t afford a place to live or food without government help to pay their rent, or to eat without food …

18 May 2023 07:05 — : Back in September 2017 I came across this little cutie on a driftwood log on the beach. The Kekeno | New Zealand Fur Seal pups often come ashore on our stretch of beach to rest during winter and spring. I haven't ever seen more than one at a time …

18 May 2023 06:46 — The MarsEdit Browser extension : While checking posts from my now defunct KnowIt blog I spotted this mention of MarsEdit from 01 February 2008, emphasis from today: To post this blog entry I visited the MarsEdit 2 What's New page, selected some text and clicked on my MarsEdit …

17 May 2023 14:13 — : Hmmm, not entirely sure about this step in the online recipe for Crispy Chicken Nibbles… 🤔

17 May 2023 12:11 — : Just enjoying a pleasant lunch time on the beach with my good buddy Willow. 🐶

17 May 2023 07:17 — : When I was on the beach yesterday 3 Kakīānau | Black swan flew in and landed on the estuary. Here are two, with a Karoro | Black-backed gull in the background. 🐦

17 May 2023 06:51 — : Crescent moon and Jupiter in the pre dawn sky above flax spears.

17 May 2023 06:16 — : So frustrating when every world map in Too HOT and HUMID to Live: Extreme Wet Bulb Events Are on the Rise cuts off Aotearoa New Zealand — either completely or mostly. It’s not a great feeling when 5 million Kiwis are overlooked, ignored and …

16 May 2023 11:19 — : I struck a lucky shaft of rising sunlight at the estuary this morning, with this Poaka | Pied Stilt. 🐦

16 May 2023 10:00 — : I haven't read this yet but want to boost Sod's link about writing good alt text for images 🔗 : Alt-texts: The Ultimate Guide is another hands-on article that I like, with tips and tricks for writing great alt-texts.

16 May 2023 06:48 — : I haven’t been for a proper walk on the beach for the last month. Now I’m finally over the ghastly flu, it’s time to get back out there. I hope not all the birds have gone away… Sunrise in 30 minutes, better get myself sorted.

16 May 2023 06:25 — : A very clear and very helpful post by Alan Jacobs about the true nature of Micro.Blog 🔗 : I wrote about the Three Paths of micro.blog. Alan Jacobs https://social.ayjay.org/2023/05/15/i-wrote-about.html

15 May 2023 19:38 — : I stayed up way too late last night, not being able to get this AppleScript (or any other technique) to work. Today I found the ‘missing piece’. I had a BBEdit text file with blog posts, each on its own line. I wanted to split that file …

15 May 2023 17:57 — : Visited with my buddy Leo today. 🐈

15 May 2023 16:07 — : Remember when blogs were fussily called weblogs? While checking posts from my now defunct KnowIt blog I spotted this mention of MarsEdit 1.0 from 11 December 2004: Ranchero Software's MarsEdit 1.0 … is a weblog editor for Mac OS X that makes …

15 May 2023 08:34 — : Too big for your boots, AI! I made my Micro Camp 2023 presentation video and then had the wonderful free Mac app Aiko transcribe the audio (brilliantly). Except this line at the end: Huh? I never said that! I edited my video, so transcribed again. …

14 May 2023 10:48 — : For my Micro Camp 2023 presentation I used Apple Keynote. I wondered about accessibility for those who can’t see the screenshots. Keynote Help let me know I can add image descriptions, so that’s underway now. Keynote Help tells how to add …

14 May 2023 07:05 — : A MarsEdit tip for including MB usernames in Posts: Micro.Blog automatically converts usernames to MarkDown links on posting. That can lead to confusion if posting from MarsEdit with HTML. To avoid that, in MarsEdit’s per-blog settings uncheck …

14 May 2023 06:29 — : Thanks to @Danielpunkass and @Manton for the kind words about me in Core Intuition 557: …talk about Micro.camp …summarize some of the planned talks, and weight the pros and cons of … an all-online event. I don’t feel any pressure at all… Micro …

14 May 2023 05:03 — : Apparently New Zealand Sign Language week finishes today. While I’m very interested in language and have learned various amounts of several I’ve never tackled Sign. I need to remedy that. Meanwhile, here’s a start: My Name is Miraz. …

13 May 2023 11:38 — : I don't often buy reference books, but this seemed like a must-have: Fungi of Aotearoa: A Curious Forager's Field Guide by Liv Sisson. 📚 I realised I can read it in Kindle on my Mac to enjoy all the colour photos.

13 May 2023 11:11 — : Same old stories: The truth is that women are perennially and perpetually angry about male violence, but every time there’s a public explosion of that anger the news media will report it as if no one had ever noticed the problem before (it’s called …

13 May 2023 06:49 — : Heh, this came up today on my daily check of my blog’s Surprise me page: Kea gyms!. Next weekend find out why that’s a bit of random serendipity…

13 May 2023 02:56 — : Two — almost 3 — a.m. I seem to have mislaid my sleep…

12 May 2023 19:13 — : This was a gripping read: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. 📚 Hannah’s husband just doesn’t come home from work after his boss is arrested for fraud. She sets out with his teenage daughter Bailey to figure out what’s going …

12 May 2023 12:56 — : This morning we had the first frost of the season, and there was snow on the high tops of the Tararua range too. Winter is nearby.

12 May 2023 08:51 — How rich folks could really help poor folks in NZ : We have some mega rich people in Aotearoa New Zealand, and a heap of folks who depend on food banks and the like to scrape out a hard existence. The mean [average] estimated net worth of the families in the Project population for 2021 is $276 million …

12 May 2023 07:03 — : Good news story out of NZ today — 8 year old Josh asked the local Council for a swing for his friend in a wheelchair. the council … unfortunately couldn't put a swing onto Hudson Park. But they said '… if Josh is okay with it, we could put an …

11 May 2023 18:06 — : There were about 20 Kawau | Pied Shags at the edge of the sea today. And 20 more nearby but out of shot. The sea was moving in with some energy.

11 May 2023 08:56 — : Oops, I stumbled across the 2023 Eurovision Semi-Final 1 and thought I’d have it in the background while doing whatever else. Instead I’m hooked, watching it… Enjoying (quite a lot of) the music. 🎶

10 May 2023 19:02 — : And then there’s this: Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” Performed by Kerry Washington

10 May 2023 18:58 — : This poem, and video, is so powerful: AI, Ain’t I A Woman? - Joy Buolamwini. a spoken word piece that highlights the ways in which artificial intelligence can misinterpret the images of iconic black women: Oprah, Serena Williams, Michelle …

10 May 2023 14:55 — : We had an old iPhone 5 with a dead battery. The phone’s so cute I wanted to keep it and use it as a radio. With a new battery and toolkit (NZ$20), and the help of an excellent video, it took me 10 minutes to install the battery. 5 minutes were …

10 May 2023 07:53 — : In The Case of the Unlucky Gardener (Connie McKinnon Sailing Detective Cosy Mysteries Book 1) by Tina Mclachlan Brassington the characters bat chunks of dialog to and fro. I finally realised it was more like exchanges of email: chat chat chat; reply …

10 May 2023 07:24 — When online form validation goes wrong : In 1963 our family moved from England to Aotearoa New Zealand. Back in London our phone number was like this: CROWN42. That’s fake, just to be on the safe side, but yes, it had a word and numbers. So when an online service years ago had me set …

09 May 2023 15:27 — : It's been a while since I've posted a photo of Fliss, my one remaining Japanese Quail. 🐦

09 May 2023 10:51 — : Covid booster finally achieved 👍

08 May 2023 20:29 — : Why we perceive ourselves negatively as we age: As we get older … there is a subtle decline in memory, but we overstate it… older people blaming every memory failure they experience on their age is a symptom of ageism… Everyone has memory failures, …

08 May 2023 11:01 — : I've never seen Kosher salt in any NZ shop so looked it up, since it seems to be in most (overseas) recipes I see. Technically, kosher salt is a type of sea salt … There’s no rabbi blessing large industrial bins of salt in a warehouse somewhere. What …

08 May 2023 07:44 — : When I started working on my Micro Camp presentation about Mars Edit I checked my email archives. I started using ME in or before May 2004. That’s almost 2 decades. Then I found this testimonial I wrote a few months later. It’s fair to …

08 May 2023 07:28 — : Thrilled to boost 2023 Micro Camp: Micro Camp Presenter Topics and Schedule micro.campMicro Camp https://micro.camp/2023/05/07/micro-camp-presenter.html My session — Take the Captain’s Chair of your Micro.Blog with the MarsEdit App for Mac: …

07 May 2023 14:06 — : Looking at In photos: Coronation for King Charles III. Zoom in to see how a coloured collar, Charles's posture and the lines on a clerical vestment line up so it looks like he's on a lead. Britain's King Charles III and … Camilla, Queen Consort …

07 May 2023 13:34 — : How I thought my recovery from the ghastly flu would progress vs How my recovery from the ghastly flu is actually progressing.

07 May 2023 12:21 — : As usual, The Spinoff wins at commentary: The “robe of righteousness” and the “gown of salvation” were put on his heaving shoulders, while those at home watched on in a cardigan of bewilderment. Everything you missed from King Charles’ coronation

07 May 2023 07:57 — : Aargh. For the purposes of making screenshots for a presentation I rearranged the MarsEdit Toolbar. That moved the Send to Blog button into the position where I usually have the Format drop down. Twice now I’ve published a Post when I meant to …

06 May 2023 14:45 — : The book Little Girl Lost (Georgiana Germaine Book 1) by Cheryl Bradshaw just didn't sit right by me. 📚 The detective had some mysterious tragedy in her past that was a driving force but whose shadowy nature was just annoying. Also I found the …

06 May 2023 08:02 — : This morning we have gunshots at dawn … thanks to the opening of Game Bird Hunting Season, and the fact we have lakes nearby (not the lakes I post photos of). Hoping our dog neighbour Willow isn’t freaking out. Bad time for the birds …

05 May 2023 19:43 — : Today's new tea: Laoshan Imperial Green tea. Different from all the others I've tried. I think I like it… Laoshan Imperial Green tea.

05 May 2023 09:34 — : Did a speedtest on my 4G WiFi broadband connection after billbennettnz wrote about speeds. Happy with our rural residential speed (I can see the cell tower from here) here at Waikawa Beach, Horowhenua. Speedtest shows 100MB down and 22 MB up. …

04 May 2023 11:33 — : Things just aren't going well for Peg, in relationships or work in Peril in Silver Nightshade (The Pegasus Quincy Mystery Series Book 4) by Lakota Grace. 📚 Somehow she ends up dealing with Silver, a talented con artist who trusts no-one but herself. …

04 May 2023 09:22 — : So far mine looks like this: I put my thoughts into words and words into action… or something… Mandaris Moore https://mandarismoore.com/2023/05/03/i-put-my.html @mandaris

03 May 2023 14:37 — : One of the ‘features’ of living at the beach is that sometimes dead animals wash up. Presumably they’ve been washed down from one of the rivers north of us. Today I reported a dead calf and asked the Council to remove it …

03 May 2023 09:41 — : Flu vaccination: Nearly 600,000 people had jab in first four weeks of rollout: The flu season has started earlier this year, with… nasty strains circulating.… for those who were otherwise healthy, this year's flu could be more serious than the …

02 May 2023 20:01 — : Woohoo, later this year we’ll be spending several days at Sinalei Reef Resort and Spa, Samoa South Pacific - Island Resort. See the video.

02 May 2023 10:55 — : It was a beautiful still and warm morning at the beach — 19C. Someone had cleverly stacked driftwood to make a seat. I sat there and recorded the sea for a few moments.

01 May 2023 19:31 — : Another in a series I enjoy — Goodbye Linden Square (A Port Alma Murder Mystery Book 7) by Anne Shillolo. 📚 The crimes keep piling up in Port Alma — dead bodies, a bomb on a boat, sniper fire, kidnapping — but are they all connected? And why?

01 May 2023 19:23 — : A nice prequel short story to the Pegasus Quincy mystery series by Lakota Grace — Bad Day at Black Canyon: 📚 When Peg leaves for Arizona and her new job as a rookie sheriff's deputy, she discovers major roadblocks ahead, not to mention a gremlin or …

01 May 2023 16:08 — : After 2 weeks of the flu I’m better but still nowhere near fully recovered. The coughing is reducing, thank goodness but my energy levels are really low. A quick trip to buy groceries and PJs meant we were out for 2 hours. Then I needed a nap! …

30 April 2023 14:24 — : I can never remember how to tell native Toitoi apart from exotic Pampas Grass. Whichever this is down by lake Te Puna a te Ora it looks pretty fab.

29 April 2023 17:15 — : Whew. Deb and I have done final cleanup at the house we’ve sold, passed keys to the agent, signed papers with the lawyer. All that’s left now is to see the money in the bank account. A few more days…

29 April 2023 06:44 — : This ~7 minute video is a really useful explainer from MinuteFood about how a microwave oven works — what it actually does to the food inside. Recommend. The weird thing about microwaves

28 April 2023 17:08 — : The anti-woman language of gynaecology, eg the hostile uterus. Listen to the ~1 minute clip from Quirks and Quarks, A view on the womb. Leah Hazard … the more she learned about the uterus, the more she was surprised about what scientists and …

28 April 2023 10:42 — : Bought back in September 2020; I must have read the first book then. Totally forgot what it was about. Read the second book this week and it ranks very high on the improbability scale. That aside, it was an OK read. The Girl and the Ocean — Boxset by …

28 April 2023 10:24 — : I walked ‘all the way’ to lake Te Puna o te Ora in the sun and fresh air and quiet this morning. (It’s less than 500 metres away.) Although I did drive to the doctor yesterday this was my first ‘outing’ in over a week. …

28 April 2023 10:19 — : Autumn sunrise.

27 April 2023 08:45 — : One of life's eternal mysteries: if there's a duvet cover in the wash how does all the other washing end up inside it by the end?

26 April 2023 15:00 — : This 35 minute podcast episode is so interesting. Pet lovers, tune in! Death in the Afternoon: INTERVIEW: Uncovering Pet Death’s Greatest Mystery: The author of history’s most influential piece of animal mourning literature had been …

26 April 2023 10:26 — : Well, that's unusual: two sizeable quakes within moments of one another. The pheasants were busy with their special earthquake alarm calls. 〰️ A 5.7 at 1016 and a 5.4 at 1019.

26 April 2023 08:31 — : Reading Persons Unknown (Manon Bradshaw, Book 2) by Susie Steiner was how I imagine white water rafting would be. You dip a toe in the river not sure if you really want to engage, take a step, and then you're off, swept along irresistibly. What a …

25 April 2023 12:33 — : Fire in Broken Water (The Pegasus Quincy Mystery Series Book 3) by Lakota Grace was a thoroughly good read from an author and in a setting I enjoy. 📚 feuding over water rights … suspected drug dealing, and a blackmailer … all lead Pegasus astray on …

24 April 2023 13:58 — : Woohoo, a proper holiday (with friends) coming up later this year. There is an island or two below that red dot… 🇼🇸

24 April 2023 11:04 — : This was another gripping read from Tracy Clark: Runner (A Chicago Mystery Book 4). It's a great shame there are only 4 books in the series. It's a story worth telling. 📚 Chicago in the dead of winter can be brutal, especially when you’re scouring …

23 April 2023 14:28 — : Seems a bit woo-woo but sometime last night while I was asleep my little battlers announced to my brain that they’d defeated whatever infection this has been. And indeed, I feel different today — definitely getting better at last. Negative …

22 April 2023 13:53 — : Took me a few starts but in the end I enjoyed Poodle Versus The Mob (Cottage Country Cozy Mysteries Book 2) by Anne Shillolo well enough. 📚 Zora Flynn, local newspaper publisher, and Rocco, her pampered poodle, are faced with a mini-crime wave. Not …

22 April 2023 09:49 — : I enjoyed reading Murder Among The Roses (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book 1) by Liz Fielding. 📚 Abby is horrified to discover the bones of a baby buried under a rose bush. … And then, just two days later, Abby finds Howard himself. Lying dead in the …

21 April 2023 09:56 — : In Murder Never Retires (DI Hillary Greene Book 12) by Faith Martin our favourite DI is back on the job but in a different role. 📚 20 years ago … Anna McRae was found beaten to death … with a rolling pin. She’d been having an affair with her …

20 April 2023 13:55 — : Today, while my sore throat morphs into a cough, I’m resting up, mainly reading, dozing and answering urgent last minute calls from our lawyer about the house we’re selling. 🤞🏼

20 April 2023 13:53 — : Today had a visit from our favourite Kōtare | Sacred Kingfisher. 🐦

20 April 2023 07:32 — : Another excellent mystery from Faith Martin — Murder at Work (DI Hillary Greene Book 11) 📚: Michael Ivers was a gambler and a notorious womaniser … there is a long list of people who might have wanted him dead. Hillary has just days left to solve her …

20 April 2023 07:26 — : I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the novella Catnip & Brimstone by Jessica Nickelsen. 📚 Nine-year-old Beth and her tabby kitten Charley become BFFs … When Charley is catnapped by a strange man in a dark cloak, Beth does everything she …

19 April 2023 14:57 — : A couple of photos from the other day of one of my favourites: the Tūturiwhatu | New Zealand dotterel. On close inspection, I see this one has a yellow band high on its right leg. 🐦 These little Tūturiwhatu are only about 25 cm vs 37 for a gull or …

18 April 2023 12:25 — : Turns out I’ve been wrong for at least 5 days now in my belief that Fliss had stopped laying for the season. Quail only lay when there’s at least 12 hours of sunlight… 🐦

18 April 2023 08:39 — : On This Day reminded me that in 2018 and 2020 I did an online hearing test. So here's another. I attribute where there is improvement at 500 and 1K to the fact that tinnitus now seldom bothers me very much. Looks like high pitch has declined though. …

18 April 2023 06:54 — : Hmmm, yesterday I was tired and my throat was a bit scratchy. Today, after sleeping poorly, I’m still tired and my throat is more scratchy… But in better news, yesterday we accepted an offer on the house we’ve been hoping to sell since …

18 April 2023 06:41 — : Started this book so long ago I’d forgotten what was going on. Picked it up and finished it with some enjoyment. The Country Inn Mystery (Jenny Starling Book 7) by Faith Martin. 📚 Jenny Starling is [cooking for] a Regency Extravaganza … …

17 April 2023 10:15 — : I tossed out some apples that weren’t good enough to cook. This morning a black bunny and a grey bunny were enjoying fruit for breakfast in the back yard.

17 April 2023 07:07 — : Got up to make a [second] cup of tea and found this going on outside. Seneca: Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 101: begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.

16 April 2023 12:36 — : I was really hooked in to the 5 books in Detective Hillary Greene Books 6–10 box set by Faith Martin. 📚 Book 10 suggested an unwelcome change but I see there are 20 books in the series in total. Whew. Well-written with interesting characters and …

16 April 2023 12:32 — : I quite enjoyed reading What You Don’t See (A Cass Raines Mystery Book 3) by Tracy Clark. 📚 Vonda Allen … Everybody adores her. Except the people who work for her. And the person who’s sending her flowers with death threats. … Cass Raines … …

15 April 2023 16:17 — : On the beach this morning was a sizeable flock of Tara | White-fronted Tern. The photo shows about 1/3 of the flock. Nearby was a pair of the much chunkier Taranui | Caspian Tern — I suspect an adult and a youngster. 🐦

14 April 2023 19:56 — : I attended the same school as murderer Juliette Hulme (Anne Perry) but over a decade later. My friend Rachel though was in the same class and writes powerfully of the Impact of a murder on an individual schoolgirl, [her]self and the smallish trauma …

14 April 2023 17:59 — : Hmmm, apparently flights from Auckland to Kathmandu take approximately 18 hours…

14 April 2023 14:38 — : Whew, it took 8.5 episodes of hogwash and bunkum but finally Picard S03 is at a place where I’m not just waiting for the whole thing to be over. (It’s Trek so I keep watching…) Boomers vs whatever the current Gen are FTW. Still hoping …

14 April 2023 06:47 — : On my beach walk yesterday I came across this wonderful orange fungus in the dunes. So big!

13 April 2023 18:56 — : Today's dinner was Tangy Braised Chickpeas — thanks to @tracydurnell for the link. It was delicious.

12 April 2023 10:22 — : I didn’t watch the video but really enjoyed listening to Troy Kingi’s music: Black Sea Golden Ladder – The Visual Album.

12 April 2023 09:32 — : Spam has got weird. After a flurry of folks offering me wealth there’s now a stream of messages quoting (I suppose) passages from old texts — many anti-semitic or with other repulsive sentiments, some seemingly just from regular tales.

12 April 2023 07:18 — : 40 mm rain or so in the last couple of days (25 mm in the last 7 hours) has been enough to bring back the paddock puddle. I expect it won’t last long, but it shows groundwater levels must still be quite high.

12 April 2023 01:23 — : Useful — Define Your Own Principles: Do you have your own rules for life, your set of principles you steadfastly stick to in any situation and can default to when faced with tough choices? With a clear focus on your guiding principles, you can …

12 April 2023 00:46 — : Not surprising the rain woke me: 13.5 mm per hour is a decent fall!

11 April 2023 18:52 — : A couple of days ago when I walked on the beach at dawn these folks were down floundering. Mt Ruapehu in the background.

10 April 2023 14:27 — : I keep thinking maybe I can hear thunder — or some loud truck nearby on this public holiday. Given this sky in the southwest, I suspect it’s thunder.

10 April 2023 10:39 — : Wow, big day today: I’m really in the money! 🤣

09 April 2023 15:39 — : A walk today at Kitchener Park right next to Manfeild Race track near Feilding was accompanied by the roar and whine of racing cars and motorbikes. So loud. Most of the track was a dirt path, a little had interesting trees nearby, a bit was in among …

09 April 2023 08:29 — : Thanks to the Eastern Rosellas who alerted me that the apples on my Granny Smith tree were ripe.

08 April 2023 17:20 — : This set of decals is now on the wardrobe door by my bed. From Top left, clockwise: Me and Sasha, Sasha and Oshi, Olive, Harriette. Centre: Aphra and Ares. 🐈 🐶 I pondered including my original Blue Burmese cats Arakhan (died young), Amrico, and …

08 April 2023 11:23 — : Our neighbours are taking down some pine trees that are about 30 years old. They’re a bit unstable apparently. I guess all the birds that use those trees are now looking for new homes…

08 April 2023 08:37 — : 10 hours of sleep! It’s a miracle!

07 April 2023 08:25 — : A thoughtful and interesting essay: Don’t fret about students using ChatGPT to cheat – AI is a bigger threat to educational equality: AI tools also perpetuate the global dominance of English at the expense of other languages, especially oral and …

06 April 2023 18:02 — : That was a fun movie: Desconectados: Victoria is addicted to the internet and work, and has bad relationships with her teenage kids … Her life changes when her kids visit for a few days and a solar storm causes a global internet blackout.

06 April 2023 15:45 — : Aha, plane mystery solved: Classic Fighters Omaka Airshow 2023. Wow, I’m not any kind of vehicle nerd, but there’s an impressive lineup at the show.

06 April 2023 14:07 — : That’s a worry — while I was posting my previous item another 9 planes went past in formation! Photo shows 4 of them. Has our whole airforce gone south? 😆

06 April 2023 13:59 — : I was way too slow going out to check on the unusual aircraft noise. It turned out to be 7 planes in formation! Since NZ has 11 T–6C Texan II craft, but only 4 of the other candidate I’m guessing they were Texans. They usually fly way …

05 April 2023 18:12 — : I remember the day back in 2002 when Ares and Aphra first discovered there was World beyond the front door. 🐈

05 April 2023 11:38 — : Had my flu shot. Asked for the Covid booster too but they only do them on Fridays… Booked that one for 28 April.

04 April 2023 16:19 — : This was simple to make and very tasty: Black Beans and Brown Rice. Will cook it again.

04 April 2023 15:04 — : I can't exactly pinpoint where this tree felling is taking place. It may be about 700 metres to the southeast of our house. The bottom of the slope has been cleared already. I'm curious to know what vista will open up for us once all the trees are …

04 April 2023 08:59 — : Airing out the cobweb.

04 April 2023 05:10 — : I was briefly awake at 1130 pm last night. Through the open window I could hear not only the sea, but also a Ruru | Morepork. That’s the first time I’ve heard one here. I’m thrilled to know we have a Ruru in these parts.

03 April 2023 10:09 — : Great explanation — The core of karakia: Karakia is karakia. You’ve got ka - it ignites - ra - connectivity and kia is the essence of your voice, the tone of your voice, your sincerity, the words you are saying. … a karakia’s about …

03 April 2023 09:58 — : Guess the problem (watch the video). I'm torn between good coverage and wrecking the night sky. Mobile coverage across the country with SpaceX: We're very proud to announce a new collaboration with SpaceX to provide 100 percent mobile coverage across …

03 April 2023 09:32 — : Our local Council livestream meetings then make the recordings available. After sitting through a few hours that didn’t interest me I emailed and asked for chapters or timestamps, even if just in the Description. Heard back today that they like …

03 April 2023 07:54 — : Over on the Micro.Blog Help site @manton has provided a list of 20 allowed file extensions for Micro.Blog file uploads. File type upload was a problem for me recently.

02 April 2023 14:37 — : Bit of an ethical dilemma today, in a post on another blog. I linked to an 8 minute radio interview. Their copyright says I can link but not publish the audio file. Fair enough. I had the AI Aiko.app generate a transcript. Transcripts aren’t …

02 April 2023 13:43 — : The entertainment at the Kimbolton Sculpture Festival was excellent. It continued all day with a lot of variety. Very short clips below of a swing band, a marching band and a sea shanty group.

02 April 2023 12:46 — : Kimbolton is a 90 minute drive northish from Waikawa Beach. At their Sculpture Festival they knew how to entertain, kids especially. Lots of food stalls, but also a pen of Dorset Downs sheep, a Mystery Wool Dig, a jump-in trampoline, a boat race pond …

02 April 2023 12:36 — : The Sunday Essay: Confessions of a cryptic addict There is, however, no disputing the pleasures cryptic puzzles bring. Astle says when a clue is solved, “the endorphins spike and the cortisol and the adrenaline drops – so there is this real general …

01 April 2023 16:08 — : At the Kimbolton Sculpture Festival were this horse head made from motorbike parts, stag made of horse shoes and bull made from bicycle tires.

31 March 2023 07:13 — : Wait … is that a UFO?

31 March 2023 07:00 — : Well, well, well. This 6 minute video is so interesting: What Are The Different Types Of Cinnamon?: Did you know there are different types of Cinnamon? And the cinnamon you’re noshing on today is not the same kind your Granny used to sprinkle …

31 March 2023 04:44 — : Nice: Words from the land of the long white cloud: New Zealand English additions to the OED: In its latest update, the OED is putting the spotlight on the country that its first inhabitants, the … Aotearoa—the land of the long white cloud—as the …

30 March 2023 15:03 — : Just checking the recipe for the chicken wings I want to cook shortly for dinner: Honey and ginger chicken wings | Jamie Oliver recipes: place in the fridge to marinate for 24 hours 😳

29 March 2023 15:43 — : Further back there seems to be some tree felling going on. That may well be on a different property — it gets a bit confusing round here.

29 March 2023 15:41 — : It’s all go round here today, in the teeth of a cold southerly. The farmer next door is harvesting a crop that is probably maize. The harvester looks pretty flash, so I imagine it’s a contractor.

29 March 2023 13:14 — : I knew it was chilly this morning, with a cold wind, and that way down south there were snow warnings for the mountains. Still, I was very surprised when I went out for lunch to see the tops of the Tararuas had a fairly decent coating of snow too.

29 March 2023 09:09 — : What, you've never seen a rabbit eating a peach? Well you have now. 🐇 Wild black rabbit on grass eating a peach.

28 March 2023 14:01 — : Visited a neighbour not far from us the other day. They had this wonderful small log with orange fungi in their garden. Weird, in Photos the orange is really vibrant. Here it looks muted. Interesting orange fungi on a dark log.

28 March 2023 11:09 — : I write a monthly newsletter for our local community. A kind resident made this wonderful cartoon on an extremely topical and important issue and I've had such a turbulent week I forgot to include it until just after I pressed Send. So annoyed. 🐦 …

28 March 2023 05:27 — : So many people have said such kind and generous things about Sasha — too many for me to list all. Thank you so much for your thoughts and kind words. I appreciate it deeply. She was the last of them: Olive 🐈, Aphra 🐈, Ares 🐈, Oshi 🐶 and Sasha 🐶. A …

27 March 2023 17:15 — : Sasha in August 2008, aged about 18 months. Such a beauty! 🐶 Sasha said Goodbye to everyone today. Thanks to all blog pals who left kind and caring comments over the years. She was staunch and willing to the last. The best dog.

27 March 2023 13:25 — : Sasha does a selfie. 🐶

27 March 2023 09:51 — : Just out for a stroll. 🐦 Peihana | Pheasant.

27 March 2023 08:08 — : Sasha says: Thanks — breakfast was the best! 🐶

26 March 2023 19:29 — : Out to it at the end of the day. Sasha. 🐶

26 March 2023 07:36 — : Sasha, aged 16 and a quarter. Her back legs, well all her legs, are having trouble supporting her. Breakfast was a bit of a problem this morning. 🐶 Today will be a Very Good Day for her with her favourite foods and treats. Her friend Willow will …

25 March 2023 14:53 — : Look at this little poppet, back in February 2007 when she was just 3 months old. Sasha's come a long way in the last 16 years! 🐶

25 March 2023 14:34 — : Sasha, aged 16 and a bit, was out to it on her rug, until I poked my phone in her face. 🐶

24 March 2023 20:07 — : I’m so thrilled. Look at this shot I got tonight (iPhone 13 Pro) at our wee star viewing. Crescent Moon with Venus and bird. Below that cloud, then a strip of sea, a strip of sand, river.

24 March 2023 18:47 — : Crescent Moon and Venus. @odd

24 March 2023 18:17 — : Sasha in her crate earlier today. 🐶

24 March 2023 17:37 — : I prefer my own company to groups, so what induced me to organise a community Star Viewing tonight? These are things I’m hoping we can find / look at: Sirius Orion Orion Nebula Taurus Pleiades Mars Southern Cross Large and Small Magellanic …

24 March 2023 07:17 — : The sleepy eye of morning.

23 March 2023 15:21 — : Back in January I made Crusty French Bread Rolls and results weren’t great. I tried again today, with the mixer, and they’re my most delicious bread rolls yet! Before and after baking. They could have been a little taller, but …

23 March 2023 10:09 — : This is the time of year for the couple of Yucca gloriosa in the dunes to flower. The long lens in the first photo makes distant hills look really close.

22 March 2023 08:57 — : Thinking about that 1.5C global warming number … it seems so tiny, yet its effects are huge. We need to find a Consequences Score (CS) and start to use that. Let’s start talking about reducing the CS from 1,000,000 to 100,000, for example. A …

22 March 2023 04:01 — : Every morning I check earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions to see what’s going on with weather around Aotearoa New Zealand. I find it educational and informative too. I love seeing how the land forms affect wind flow. …

21 March 2023 15:13 — : Watched B5 S01E03, Born to the Purple, with its love, intrigues, machinations, wiles, compulsion, slavery, compassion and forgiveness. B5️⃣

21 March 2023 06:58 — : BTW: Sasha has to stand on the carpet now to eat her meals as otherwise her legs slide out from under her. She no longer has sufficient strength in her legs to control that. She used to eat sitting down (she has a long body). Even a year ago she was …

21 March 2023 06:55 — : Sasha told me at length that breakfast didn’t meet her requirements. Only after I added some of the expensive gourmet wet food did she consent to eat it. 🐶 I hope when I’m her age (16 as a dog, but the vet says that’s like being 100 …

20 March 2023 23:06 — : Thanks to a crossword I have now heard of three Impressionist painters: Marie Bracquemond, Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt. Lovely!

20 March 2023 19:06 — : Watched B5 S01E02, Soul Hunter. Interesting ideas about how different cultures can view something from opposing perspectives. We learned some interesting things about the Minbari called Delenn, who is more than she seems. B5️⃣

20 March 2023 11:06 — : And I say again: “Sea levels are rising. We gotta deal with climate change.” 🐦

20 March 2023 10:16 — : Watching Lingthusiasm: Bringing stories to life in Auslan - Interview with Gabrielle Hodge. I have utmost respect for sign language interpreters who are saying what went a moment ago while observing what is current. What skill! Paying such close …

20 March 2023 09:07 — : Oh Siri … sometimes you drive me pineapples! Me: Hey Siri, add Vanilla Wine Biscuits to the Groceries List. Siri: OK, I’ve added chocolate to the Groceries list. What????

20 March 2023 05:43 — : Somehow on my Babylon 5 rewatch I completely forgot to start with the pilot, The Gathering. The ambassadors arrive, the Station Commander is accused of attempted assassination of the Kosh ambassador, and we find everyone has secrets, or mysteries. …

19 March 2023 14:08 — : Whew, Babylon 5 rewatch, S01E01, “Midnight on the Firing Line”. There’s a huge amount happening in the universe and we’re dropped right into the middle of it. We have xenophobia, hostilities between cultures, tension between …

19 March 2023 12:07 — : Today’s lunch included a very rich yet delicious Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole via @mbkriegh. I halved the cheese and sauce parts of the recipe as I didn’t think we had as much broccoli and cauliflower as required.

18 March 2023 15:30 — : Good news today. Oxford English Dictionary adds more Māori words: The Oxford English Dictionary updates every three months … 47 new New Zealand words have been added to the dictionary, they include ‘hooning’ … Kupu like whenua, e hoa, …

18 March 2023 08:39 — : Deb picked up Thai Takeaway on her way home last night from Thai Tara in Johnsonville. I had Ginger and Vegetable Stir Fry with chicken, mild and it was good. Would buy from there again.

17 March 2023 08:12 — : A good read: Borrowed Time (A Cass Raines Mystery Book 2) by Tracy Clark. 🐦 It could be murder. But why would anyone kill a dying man? Cass’s persistence attracts unwanted attention, putting her life in danger and uncovering sinister secrets she may …

17 March 2023 07:33 — : Usually I eat my breakfast while listening to the latest episode of Sasha’s “My life as a dog” podcast. Amazingly, it autoplays, triggered by my sitting down to eat. Today though some glitch occurred and it didn’t play. 🐶 …

16 March 2023 07:36 — : Today’s tea Moonlight Pavilion: You’ll notice the aromas undulate between floral, buttery and vegetal, with a pleasant astringency at each temperature. Yes, it is a pleasant astringency.

16 March 2023 06:14 — : A fascinating 1 hour podcast episode — After an initial discussion between the hosts about whale vocalisations, Megan and Carrie talk with Rachel E. Gross about her book, Vagina Obscura, and the language we use to describe pregnancy, vaginas, …

16 March 2023 06:10 — : Had this Soft Scrambled Japanese Tamago today. It’s quick, easy, delicious: whisk together eggs, mirin, sugar, and soy. Add … along with butter to a cold pan … stir occasionally over medium-high heat … about 2–3 minutes.

15 March 2023 11:33 — : This is an extreme crop of a photo at nearby Lake Puna o te Ora: two birds shaking, with water droplets spraying around them. The birds are likely Rakiraki | Mallard, with a Kuruwhengi | Australasian shoveler enjoying a quiet moment in the …

15 March 2023 08:05 — : Today’s tea is golden yellow and delicious. Amber Hojicha roasted green tea: This special Hojicha tea is made with sencha leaves which are roasted; a process that transforms the leaves into a warm brown colour and changes their flavour. Amber …

15 March 2023 04:38 — : Morning is the youth of the day, when everything is bright, fresh, and easy of attainment; we feel strong … all our faculties are completely at our disposal. Do not … waste it in unworthy occupations or in talk; look upon it as the quintessence of …

14 March 2023 15:23 — : It’s been that kind of day.

14 March 2023 09:51 — : I was just getting nicely lined up on this Makipai | Australian Magpie at the beach — hoping it would sing — when it flew away! 🐦

14 March 2023 06:44 — : By 0650 the sun was rising. The paddock below the sunrise, with cows lying quietly in the autumn mist.

14 March 2023 05:48 — : It’s just before 6am and a chilly 7C as I take Sasha for her walk. Everything’s dark. There are stars in the clear sky, washed out by a very bright half moon. I can make out a little of the Milky Way below the Southern Cross. …

13 March 2023 16:46 — : Today’s tea — White Moonlight: This is a fun, fragrant, light-bodied white tea with an intricate cascade of notes… I like this one. It is fragrant and light-bodied. Refreshing. I make it with 1 teaspoon of leaves. White Moonlight tea packet. …

13 March 2023 01:40 — : Yesterday I made Deep dish apple pie. I bought the pastry. Everyone said it was delicious. Prepping 2 Kg apples took forever as they came off the tree full of bad spots to cut out. Cook up apple with spices and sugar. Blind bake pastry. Pie ready to …

12 March 2023 15:07 — : Aargh. I’ve been making Traditional deep dish apple pie, with ready made pastry. It’s taken all afternoon! I didn’t realise it’d be so time consuming.

12 March 2023 14:35 — : This odd looking thing is a Red Kiwifruit: This fruit has a deliciously sweet berry-tinged flavour and vibrant red flesh … the distinctive red flesh stems from Anthocyanin - a unique and naturally occurring pigment within the fruit that is linked to …

11 March 2023 18:00 — : Courtesy of Anne Shillolo’s newsletter I downloaded her Murder At Aspen Creek prequel novella for free. It was a quick and enjoyable read — I’m already a fan of her Port Alma Murder Mysteries. I’ll be reading the new series too. 📚

11 March 2023 16:16 — : I’m going to stop reading A Space Girl from Earth (The Kyroibi Trilogy Book 1) by Christina McMullen. I’m not the target audience and I’m more annoyed by it than interested. 📚 not only is Ellie an alien, but … the forbidden …

10 March 2023 17:15 — : Another fascinating interview: Ann-Helén Laestadiu: Sami, the reindeer people: Stolen is the story of a young Sámi girl’s coming of age. It is informed by painful real-life events: the killing … of reindeer, and the hatred Laestadius has seen as a …

10 March 2023 17:14 — : Fascinating interview: Angela Saini on the origins of patriarchy - A Podcast of One’s Own with Julia Gillard: Her latest book, The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule … explores the roots of gendered oppression and how patriarchal systems became …

10 March 2023 07:15 — : At 6 am I shone the torch into the quail run to check on lonely Fliss the quail. I spotted this Leopard Slug - Limax Maximus leaving the food dish: Limax maximus is the largest slug introduced to New Zealand from Europe.

09 March 2023 13:57 — : The books in this series by Kris Bock are good reads: Someone Missing from Malapais Mountain (Book 4 in The Accidental Detective series). The mystery is interesting, the characters enjoyable. 📚

09 March 2023 12:48 — : I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to make this little Keyboard Maestro macro to convert a Markdown link to an HTML link… I’ve needed it a lot recently. Copy a Markdown link to the clipboard, run the macro which does a Regular …

09 March 2023 10:34 — Change the date format in Alpine Theme : After installing the Alpine Theme on two hosted Micro.Blogs, I was extremely keen to change the date format. That took me ages as I blundered around through different theme files. Eventually though, I mainly got it done. The original The Alpine …

08 March 2023 16:16 — : The annoying thing about cooking Foolproof slow roast chicken is I’m starving and there’s more than an hour of cooking left to go…

08 March 2023 15:26 — : Hah! Against Copyediting: Is It Time to Abolish the Other Department of Corrections?: I was less the advocate of adventurous commas or paradigm-shifting syntax than a weary cleaner of the tiniest, most sparkling closet, working through the nooks and …

08 March 2023 14:15 — : Life with Sasha 🐶 these days: I start to do a thing… Sasha: Ohhh I really need to go out right now. … We walk aimlessly, or sit or just stand. 😵‍💫

08 March 2023 10:53 — : Dates on Micro.Blog bug me. I changed the theme on my blog and now see this date format: 1:11 PM, Mar 6. I hate it. The trouble is, to get my preferred format: 1311 on 06 March 2023 I have to go through a million theme files to find the right ones …

07 March 2023 17:47 — : I always enjoy a visit from the Eastern Rosellas. 🐦

07 March 2023 16:49 — : I saved out half a dozen photos of the Wrybills I watched yesterday, but this one stood out as my favourite. 🐦

06 March 2023 16:35 — : Thanks to @tracydurnell for linking to the recipe for Southern Buttermilk Biscuits. Friends have invited me to dinner so I experimented with making these. The one I’ve tasted is just fine. I used White Vinegar plus Milk to replace the Buttermilk.

06 March 2023 12:30 — : Those Ngutuparore, Wrybill are so cute. They came within about 3 metres of me as I sat on the sand. And they run so fast (see the second half of the video). Length: 20 cm (7.87 inches) Weight: 55 grams (1.94 ounces)

06 March 2023 12:11 — : Probably not technically on Micro.Blog, but I love following @Words@social.vivaldi.net because of the gorgeous daily fox photos. Followed them on Twitter for years.

06 March 2023 10:18 — : I haven’t looked through all ~150 photos I took of 3 Ngutuparore, Wrybill at the beach just now, but this shot clearly shows its bill curves to its right. 🐦 A relatively small pale plover with a long black bill curving to the right I …

05 March 2023 16:04 — : Another very enjoyable read from Kris Bock: Someone Cruel in Coyote Creek (The Accidental Detective Book 3) 📚 Kate … receives a message claiming Mayor Todd Paradise is taking bribes … Kate sets out to discover the truth, with help from her …

05 March 2023 15:44 — : I popped up the road for a quick treat today. Yum!

05 March 2023 07:51 — : June 2012 we went zip lining in Rotorua. I coped by clutching the safety straps so tight. The first person in this video is the guide who helped me strap in and turn the camera on. Then I fly!

05 March 2023 07:44 — : Heh, I was looking for a different photo but came across this one from September 2003. Remember the Iomega Zip Drives? I probably took this photo to sell it.

04 March 2023 11:01 — : RIP my Japanese Quail Glee, which leaves only one now, little Fliss, the striped one. Glee was full of zip, until she wasn't. 🐦 Baby Glee hatched on 24 February 2019. Glee (and Fliss) on 28 February 2023.

04 March 2023 09:25 — : I enjoyed watching Britt-Marie Was Here 🎥: The plot follows the titular protagonist Britt-Marie, a 63-year-old homemaker … who leaves her cheating husband of 40 years and reluctantly takes on a job as a youth soccer coach in the remote town of Borg. …

04 March 2023 00:42 — : Well, at least one of us is asleep at 1.30 a.m. 🐶

04 March 2023 00:35 — : Oh 1.30 a.m. I’m getting to know you all too well. 🥱

03 March 2023 11:05 — : I'd completely forgotten about this almost 2 minute video: Rosario Procession, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Sunday 13 September 2015.

03 March 2023 10:15 — I'm moving 2 Publii sites to a single Micro.Blog site via Mars Edit : I tried Publii static site builder for over a year. Now I’m moving two sites (what a mistake!) to a single site on Micro.Blog, which means manually transferring ~350 posts. Thank heaven for MarsEdit (a key reason I’m moving). Partial list …

03 March 2023 07:47 — : This Ring-Necked Dove was totally unfazed when Sasha and I walked past less than 2 metres away. They’re so friendly. 🐶 🐦 Now I understand why professionals have to stabilise their videos!

02 March 2023 13:46 — : I was enthralled by the sample: this was an immediate buy and a fantastic read. You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner. 📚 Themes of identity, friendships and finding a place in the world, all while being Deaf. Highly recommended.

02 March 2023 13:39 — : Jana DeLeon somehow manages to keep her Miss Fortune books fresh and interesting. Clue Krewe (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 24) was another very enjoyable read and a great adventure with Fortune, Gertie and Ida, while not forgoing explosions and chaos. …

02 March 2023 06:13 — : Hmmm, after wondering what had gone so wrong that everything Micro.Blog was down I tried Down for Everyone or Just Me which said it was just me. Switched my location with Unlocator away from my own ISP and behold: everything Micro.Blog is working …

01 March 2023 07:53 — : This is one of my favourite trees around here — a neighbour’s tī kōuka | cabbage tree on a slightly misty morning. 🌴

28 February 2023 19:32 — : A wee shake just to keep us on our toes. 〰️ M4.6, 46 Km deep. Update: later settled at M4.8, 28 Km deep.

28 February 2023 12:28 — : Dja reckon? Gonna rain?

28 February 2023 05:36 — : Cool! 9 minute video from Tom Scott: This is “impossible”, but New Zealand is trying anyway.: common wisdom is that, once an invasive species is truly established, it can’t be eradicated — but the team from Predator Free Wellington think they …

27 February 2023 12:20 — : This is one of the Spinifex plants volunteers put in 4 months ago on a severely eroded part of our beach. The weather’s been perfect for plant growth, warm, wet, warm, wet etc. So pleasing to see such growth.

26 February 2023 16:11 — : This mama pheasant was guarding a bevy of her babies. She stood her ground for a long time. 🐦

26 February 2023 11:40 — : Another photo from times gone by. 20 September 2015, a suit of armour in the hotel at Santa Cruz de Mudela. In the Region of La Mancha, this is half way between Granada and Madrid.

26 February 2023 08:19 — : Once I was used to the noirish language I enjoyed the adventure of Tropical Punch (Bubbles in Space Book 1) by S.C. Jensen. 📚 Does she like her job? No. Is she good at it? Also no. She can’t afford to be too good. The last time … cost her a job, a …

25 February 2023 15:31 — : Excellent 5 minute linguistics video: Do New Zealand and Northern England have the same vowels?!

25 February 2023 10:50 — : And another: Gaudi Cathedral, Barcelona, Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus.

25 February 2023 10:49 — : And another: Gaudi Cathedral, Barcelona, Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus.

25 February 2023 10:47 — : I may have a cold so am laying low today. This photo from the archives, 02 September 2015: part of the amazing and fantastical Gaudi Cathedral in Barcelona. Base of the seemingly melting cathedral.

24 February 2023 07:26 — : Nearly 2 weeks after Cyclone Gabrielle, more than 50 people still unaccounted for, communities and food growing land wrecked by flood and silt and forestry slash. More heavy rain on the way. Toby Morris cuts through the sludge with The Side Eye: A …

23 February 2023 14:24 — : This makes for very sobering reading: New Zealand Historic Weather Events Catalogue. So many huge storms that have caused enormous damage.

23 February 2023 12:11 — : Once I finished procrastinating I steeled myself to cook Chana masala with cumin rice … only to find I don’t have enough of the ingredients. Postponed till after I go to town tomorrow and can shop.

23 February 2023 05:25 — : It’s Census time (07 March) and our forms were delivered yesterday. We can complete it on paper or online. The online 2018 Census had the lowest response in more than 50 years and the 2011 Census was postponed to 2013 because of the …

22 February 2023 17:16 — : I always enjoy a visit from an Eastern Rosella. 🐦

22 February 2023 12:09 — : Cyclone Gabrielle that wrought so much destruction in the north and east of Aotearoa New Zealand’s North Island didn’t affect us directly, beyond a bit of ‘normal’ wind and rain. But we do get the indirect effects of …

21 February 2023 10:45 — : Apparently I walked about 11 Km (nearly 7 miles) yesterday on Kāpiti Island. Today I’m feeling it! I feel I should be fitter than that!

21 February 2023 09:47 — : Why women are especially vulnerable after a disaster: there is years of evidence here and overseas that family harm increases after a disaster and that women are more vulnerable to violence and death as a result of disaster compared with men.

21 February 2023 06:05 — : This little green cutie is the Korimako | Bellbird 🐦 : Bellbirds are green with a short, curved bill, slightly forked tail, and noisy whirring, fast and direct flight.

21 February 2023 05:57 — : One of our more colourful birds, the Tīeke | North Island saddleback. 🐦 North Island saddlebacks have striking black plumage, a rufous chestnut saddle across their back, bright reddish-orange wattles … and a thin pale yellow band on the leading edge …

21 February 2023 05:49 — : Easy to photograph are Weka as they hang around on the ground looking for opportunities to break into bags to steal food. 🐦

21 February 2023 05:44 — : I wasn’t up to the challenge of photographing birds in dense dappled foliage. This is a Kākāriki | Red-crowned parakeet on Kāpiti Island. 🐦

21 February 2023 05:34 — : I asked Makewera, one of the Kāpiti Island guides, what these were. He told me they’re the fruit of the Kohekohe tree. notable for having characteristics normally associated with trees growing in the tropics … its flowers and fruit grow …

20 February 2023 17:32 — : I had an excellent trip to Kāpiti Island today. I heard tons of birds but seeing them was a challenge with the dense dappled foliage. Luckily this little North Island Robin posed for me. 🐦

19 February 2023 18:49 — : Well, that was a mistake — to watch Star Trek Picard S03E01 today. Now I have to wait a whole week to see episode 2! Pretty blimmin’ good! 🖖🏼

19 February 2023 17:44 — : I enjoyed the lightweight and mildly humorous sci-fi Independent Living (EarthCent Universe Book 1) by E. M. Foner. 📚 a group of retirees leaving Earth and a young woman in EarthCent’s new witness protection … are all going to live on Flower, …

19 February 2023 10:39 — : OK, the plan for tomorrow is to visit Kapiti Island on a day trip. Making sure my camera batteries are charged! I expect to see lots of birds.

18 February 2023 02:09 — : 0215 and Sasha 🐶 took me a long way down the lane before she had a pee. It’s a beautiful night though, still and not cold. The stars were so bright; Orion setting in the west and Scorpius rising in the east. The Milky Way was stunning. I could …

17 February 2023 14:44 — : There is so much about this book that makes it unlikely I would enjoy it — romance genre, sports, genius level maths…. I was riveted: Simply Connected: A Lesbian/Nonbinary Sports Romance by Alex Washoe. Leaves me with much to think about. 📚

16 February 2023 10:15 — : Apparently, Kāpiti Coast earthquake upgraded to magnitude 6.3 〰️: A strong earthquake centred off the Kāpiti Coast on Wednesday night has been upgraded to a magnitude 6.3.

15 February 2023 18:52 — : I’m still shaking. This M6.1 quake started with a really loud noise followed by enough shaking to get me out of the house. No damage though. 〰️

15 February 2023 14:21 — : Thanks to @Cheri for mentioning Racing Hearts by Alex Washoe. I kept reading even when other things demanded my attention. 📚 a grumpy/sunshine opposites attract romance. Contents warnings for encounters with transphobia and bigotry and for …

15 February 2023 07:43 — : We had minor wind and rain. Elsewhere in Aotearoa NZ homes, towns, roads are devastated by Ex Cyclone Gabrielle. Then this — Auckland’s emergency pet shelter: four greyhounds have just come in, the owner had to carry them out of the house in …

14 February 2023 18:09 — : I really enjoyed this Australian light cozy mystery. A gentle fun read: Till Daph Do Us Part (Daphne Jones Mysteries) by Phillipa Nefri Clark. 📚 Daphne Jones has travelled … to officiate a wedding … a member of the bridal party ends up face down in …

14 February 2023 17:59 — : My friend Chris makes the very best Afghan biscuits. It’s rare for me to buy Afghans anywhere that are as delicious.

14 February 2023 07:51 — : Amazing: we’re under a Strong Wind Warning here in Horowhenua yet it’s barely a bad weather day as yet. A bit grey, almost no wind, a few drops of rain. Meanwhile elsewhere up country there are 12 States of Emergency, flood, slips, gales and worse …

14 February 2023 07:24 — : Deb gave me these SealSkinz Waterproof All Weather Ultra Grip Knitted Gloves for my 68th birthday. I’ll be using them as photography gloves, given that these days random fingers go numb when I’m out and about. Not easy to press the …

13 February 2023 10:09 — : Part way through a game of Carcassonne yesterday. A friend was teaching 4 of us how to play. I happened to win, thanks in large part to a farmer who was able to walk to quite a lot of towns. All those traditional values about owning (strategic) …

12 February 2023 11:46 — : This wētā made itself big and scary when I mowed the lawn today at the house we’re selling in Ōtaki. I was accordingly cautious and kept my distance.

11 February 2023 14:51 — : We went to a friend’s 80th birthday BBQ. One of her guests had done this amazing job icing chocolate cupcakes as if they were roses. So clever!

11 February 2023 11:25 — : While organising some papers I found this copy of the September 1945 letter to mum advising her that dad had been freed from the Japanese Prisoner of War camp. Even though it's almost 80 years ago, I've obscured a few details.

11 February 2023 08:36 — : The Top 5 Dogs of the Week! makes me tear up every week.

10 February 2023 13:36 — : ROFL: Poker Face S01E03 and the racist, fascist, sexist, homophobic MAGA dog! Natasha Lyonne is hilarious.

10 February 2023 11:31 — : My car problem could be the transmission, but the mechanic with decades of experience who took it for a drive thinks it’s a sensor problem. Booked for a sensor replacement in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile I can still drive the car. Such a …

10 February 2023 08:52 — : Taking my 19 year old car in to get Dash error lights checked out. Could be an easy fix loose wire, or, my Internet research tells me, it could be super-expensive problems. Of course, I’m hoping for the loose wire. Meanwhile nervous about the …

10 February 2023 07:07 — : There is one single reason why I pay the NYT for games and that is to be able to do the fortnightly Acrostic. This morning I was greeted with this notice, followed by incredible stupidity about how to cancel.

09 February 2023 17:22 — : Sasha seems happier now she’s had about 3 months worth of woolly coat shaved off. Plus the weather’s a bit cooler. She slept well last night (which means we did too) and has been settled today. She seems less old and more sprightly than a …

08 February 2023 19:30 — : I pretty much enjoyed The Unsound Theory (STAR Academy Book 1) by Emilia Zeeland. It’s a YA book — the main characters were in their late teens. Somewhat interesting ideas. Not sure I’ll read the rest of the series though. 📚

08 February 2023 10:18 — : How to look 10 years younger in 90 minutes. Yesterday and today. 🐶 The same dog after being groomed.

07 February 2023 19:45 — : Somewhere in there is a dog. Just wait till tomorrow! 🐶

07 February 2023 12:09 — : Tuturiwhatu, Banded dotterels in the multiverse… 🐦

07 February 2023 11:53 — : I’m pretty sure this is a female Kuruwhengi | Australasian shoveler with her 3 babies on our nearby lake. 🐦 A medium-sized dabbling duck with a large black spoon-shaped bill … females are mottled light brown with a dull brown bill and eyes, …

06 February 2023 17:35 — : Here’s one for the pen and pencil fans… Actually, it’s a recycled plastic fence post, about 1.5 metres long (a yard and a half), washed up on the beach.

06 February 2023 17:27 — : This, my friends, is almost certainly a Hemideina crassidens — Wellington tree wētā. It had made itself comfy on our neighbour’s outdoor chair. Probably about the size of my index finger (or maybe longer).

06 February 2023 17:05 — : Busy day: walk the dog (15 minutes these days) walk on the beach — took a load of photos brunch with a good friend, followed by a 15 minute walk at a nearby reserve teaching someone how to post to the local Ratepayer Association’s WordPress …

05 February 2023 13:29 — : I find it interesting that the Google Alert I have in place for Waikawa Beach found me an item about Kai Iwi beach. No mention of Waikawa in the source.

05 February 2023 12:16 — : The invitation words that always fill me with terror 😱: bring a plate to share

05 February 2023 07:35 — : Today’s tea is a rich golden colour. Thyolo White Peony: To create this tea, each pluck is three leaves and a bud. Gathered together, the leaves are dried in partial sun and shade, before being finished in the tea factory’s air drier. 3 …

04 February 2023 19:55 — : A pair of Eastern Rosellas has been taunting me for weeks now. Today I finally “caught” them. 🐦

04 February 2023 08:54 — : Not actually a floor mop. Sasha on the floor in the early morning. I’ve finally been able to get her in for a groom next week. 🐶

03 February 2023 11:54 — : Early in the piece I didn’t think my first loaf of bread made with our new Kitchenaid mixer would work out very well, but it looks fine fresh out of the oven. Basic Bread Recipe. I haven’t tasted it yet…

03 February 2023 06:13 — : This was a simple read — an easily solved murder mystery, a bit of romance. Always on Duty: Companion Novella (A Klondike Mystery) by D. B. McNicol. 📚

02 February 2023 19:53 — : These clouds seem rather opinionated. ☁︎

02 February 2023 12:37 — : I’m not a Royal watcher, but Princess Anne seems like the pick of the bunch. Princess Royal to visit New Zealand: Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is …

02 February 2023 09:17 — : Today’s tea: Yunnan Yellow — It has a heady and exotic fruity and floral aroma, a thick mouthfeel with intense marmalade and papaya notes and hints of eucalyptus and walnut. Hmmm, tastes like tea to me. 😆 Tea packet for Yunnan Yellow.

02 February 2023 08:28 — : Sasha on another barky morning. Surely she can’t know it’s the anniversary of her brother Oshi going away and never coming home again… 🐶 Small elderly black dog by a bookcase, looking into the distance. Small elderly greying dog on a …

01 February 2023 09:11 — : Apparently, according to Sasha 🐶, 01 February is The Day of Barking. Not sure if this is a National or even International event. In any case, I’m hoping it’s one of those morning-only things… 🥺

01 February 2023 08:28 — : Today’s tea: Kyobancha This soothing tea is perfect for a cold day or as a night-time tea. March 2021 harvest.

31 January 2023 15:20 — : I’ve tried a couple of times to give blood, but they won’t let me. That could change — Ban on blood donation … likely to be lifted: A ban on people giving blood because of mad cow disease is likely to be lifted later this year … The ban …

31 January 2023 15:11 — : Ooooh, I never knew this Backing Up MarsEdit: MarsEdit stores all its data in a folder in your home folder. To open the MarsEdit data folder, hold the option key on your keyboard while selecting the Help menu at the top of the screen, then select …

31 January 2023 11:24 — : The unusual mystery writer conceit in Secret Sleuth Box Set (Books 1–2) by Patricia McLinn took a bit of getting used to, but the books were a good read. 📚

31 January 2023 10:42 — : Enjoyed the hunt in Graves On The Fens (DI Nikki Galena Series Book 14) by Joy Ellis. 📚 It arrives in the morning. An old-fashioned airmail envelope addressed to Detective Nikki Galena. Inside, on a single sheet of blue airmail paper, are three …

31 January 2023 08:35 — : Today’s tea: Himalayan Evergreen Autumn, Nepal: Grown at 1850m, these leaves were hand-plucked on the sunny morning of 30 October 2021, then quickly withered, pan-fired, rolled and oven-dried. The result is a delicate tea with a citrusy, …

30 January 2023 10:54 — : My friend Chris called and said she was watching the Matuku-hūrepo | Australasian bittern nearby so I rushed down to join her. My first time seeing this extremely rare and cryptic bird. 🐦 Status: Native, Nationally Critical Bitterns are extremely …

30 January 2023 07:26 — : I’m copying 325 blog posts from Publii to Micro.Blog via MarsEdit. AppleScript helps a lot. I was stuck on choosing the right blog. @danielpunkass sorted it: tell application "MarsEdit" make new document set current blog of document 1 to blog …

29 January 2023 16:06 — : On 20 September 2013 there was an enormous thunderclap right above our house in Wellington. Next day when I was walking the dogs I noticed a tree only some 50 metres from our house (and above the level of our house) had been hit by lightning.

29 January 2023 15:24 — : There is thunder rumbling round. So glad Sasha can no longer hear it (and react to it with terror).

29 January 2023 06:09 — : Fascinating read The sense-defying magic of the Pitcairn Islands: Pitcairn is so high and solitary that there is nothing out there but the Pacific. From where I’m standing the curvature of the Earth is discernible, and from that curved horizon to …

28 January 2023 13:09 — : Soooo clever: chose the theme Anatole for the new site. Downloaded the theme Arabica so I could easily search the files for stuff I wanted to change. No wonder I can’t find stuff… 🤦🏽

28 January 2023 09:41 — : I’ve been active on Micro.Blog for 5 years, modified my theme a few times. Feedback on a new blog: setting up a new Micro.Blog account is hard, frustrating and confusing. Even choosing a theme from Plugins is hard: not enough info, info in the …

28 January 2023 06:28 — : 9 inches of rain in 24 hours! Auckland flooding: Auckland is under a state of emergency after being battered by torrential rain, with more than 230 millimetres falling yesterday.

27 January 2023 16:49 — : Back on 05 December 2021 I thought I’d try Publii for my Waikawa Beach blog. It works adequately, but I really truly miss being able to work with Posts via MarsEdit. Plus there are blog features Micro.Blog is just so much better at. I’m …

27 January 2023 16:40 — : Woohoo. We’ve just ordered a Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer - KSM160. That should help a bit with our cooking explorations. Bread products here we come.

26 January 2023 16:51 — : This is Sasha, out on a walk with me specifically for the purpose of her having a pee… I guess I'll be carrying her back inside again. 9.3 Kg… 🐶

26 January 2023 16:10 — : You know what Plugin I’d like Micro.Blog to have? Something that puts a small banner at the top of the Timeline and says: Since midnight you have posted [n] times. Help me easily catch days I haven’t posted yet.

26 January 2023 11:17 — : Whew, writing this 1700 word article for my Waikawa News site has actually taken weeks, including research. It should help inform local discussions to take place soon about vehicles on beaches though. Balanced beaches: birds, babies, bikes, boats

25 January 2023 18:43 — : Whew. First I did research that took at least a week. Then I spent at least another week trying to write a big article for my Waikawa Beach blog. Finally I have a draft. Read-through tomorrow when I’m fresh, then I’ll publish. It’s …

25 January 2023 13:41 — : In written Māori macrons over vowels indicate a lengthened sound. I’m pleased to say that these days I aim to use macrons correctly. In earlier, more naive, times I ignored them. Learning to say placenames correctly is an ongoing challenge …

25 January 2023 04:41 — : Apparently Seneca had thoughts on personal blogging 😆: They asked him what was the object of all this study applied to an art that would reach but very few. He replied: “I am content with few, content with one, content with none at all.” …

24 January 2023 16:18 — : This may finally explain why I had to eventually give up trying to post faulty earbuds to Amazon — vapes confiscated from checked-in flight baggage: Aviation Security said the charger case for … wireless earbuds was a form of power bank, which was …

24 January 2023 15:21 — : Today’s walk was 6.6 Km at Mangaone Walkway: follows an old bush tramway in low hill country east of Waikanae. A very enjoyable easy walk through bush, mostly screened from sun. My second swingbridge this month. A few muddy patches, but the …

23 January 2023 16:48 — : We heard a really loud sneeze just outside the door. When I looked though, there was no-one there. Sometimes the cows in the paddock next door cough, but nope, no cows. But wait! What’s that? A grey bull hiding in the lupins. And sure enough, …

22 January 2023 11:26 — : The first stick insect of the season has set itself up inside the open window but on the outside of the insect screen.

22 January 2023 05:53 — : We’re on the move — about 4 cm so far this year thanks to a slow-slip earthquake. Not all earthquakes are short sharp shocks. GeoNet: ~3–4 centimetres of motion has occurred on the subduction plate boundary … ~30–40 km beneath the …

22 January 2023 05:43 — : 98 second video shows a bit of what our recently resigned Prime Minister endured: Glimpse into the kind of daily abuse Jacinda Ardern had to weather. Shocking viewing and definitely NSFW.

21 January 2023 14:20 — : Maybe this is why Apple Pay never works on my M1 MacBook Pro: With an M1 Mac, the most likely reason is you enabled its Reduced Security mode to install a kernel extension required by some software that taps into low-level drivers, like some of …

21 January 2023 12:24 — : Today we visited the Ōtaki Pottery Show, which had a lot of craft goods for sale and a great many visitors. My photo shows only a small part of the show. I really liked these blue dishes from Jailhouse Pottery and bought one of the small ones.

21 January 2023 08:18 — : I use a Global Macro Palette in Keyboard Maestro to give me quick click access to some of my macros. The palette is usually collapsed but expands on mouseover. I wanted to customise it to be light green. Convert HEX to HSL helped with values.

20 January 2023 15:27 — : Today in Keyboard Maestro actions I discovered “Switch” instead of nested “If…Then” actions. There are 3 Facebook pages I occasionally need to view. I call up a window where I can select which I want. Then Case lets me open …

20 January 2023 10:27 — : I was thinking we need a plainer and more powerful word than the clinical and remote misogyny. It’s all academic and posh with its Greek roots. I think we’re past the feeble woman hating of yore too. How about something like woman …

20 January 2023 10:21 — : Re the resignation of PM Jacinda Ardern: it is becoming more challenging for women to be taken seriously… "Particularly if they are younger and particularly if they don't cleave to a masculine style, which Ardern does not." …misogynistic sentiment is …

19 January 2023 17:49 — : Nice: neighbours over the mountains. South Wairarapa and Carterton’s night skies will know be known under the collective name, ‘Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve’, covering an area of 3,665 square kilometers. — Wairarapa districts become …

19 January 2023 16:35 — : In her term as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: encountered a major biosecurity incursion, a domestic terror event, a major natural disaster, a global pandemic and an economic crisis. Oh, and she had a baby. Jacinda Ardern’s resignation

19 January 2023 16:20 — : Hand mixed because we don’t have a kitchen mixer (yet), but I’m trying to make Crusty French Bread Rolls. Not optimistic at the moment while the dough rises.

19 January 2023 11:01 — : Sasha’s long overdue a haircut. 🐶

18 January 2023 18:18 — : I’m not sure what happened on the mountains this evening — I suspect it was a gap between clouds that threw sun onto one level of the hills between dark layers. I’ve also discovered my editing skills aren’t up to making the most of …

18 January 2023 13:43 — : A particularly interesting segment of Quirks & Quarks podcast talks about how eyes work — fascinating stuff! Dec 31: Our annual holiday question show: Are human eyes interchangeable, or are they distinctly left or right like hands and feet?

18 January 2023 09:34 — : A photo achievement I’m pleased with: getting a clear shot of this dragonfly on the wing. This one was in focus; the other 20 or so weren’t… 😆

18 January 2023 09:32 — : This Matuku moana | White-faced heron saw me watching and kindly fished up something out of the lake for me. 🐦

17 January 2023 13:34 — : Deb and I brunched at Bush Street Cafe. Deb’s coffee was great, my green tea was good. The food was delicious. I had the Caprese Toastie. And something you almost never find in Aotearoa’s cafes and restaurants: the knife was sharp enough …

17 January 2023 06:06 — My lying brain : In a few weeks I turn 68. These days I’m only too aware of how this 68 year old body doesn’t always meet my expectations. Of course, it’s my expectations that are at fault, not my body which has actually served me very well these …

17 January 2023 04:34 — : Yesterday I hiked Sledge Track, an hour’s drive away. I found it harder than the claimed “easy walk”, doing the 5 Km out-and-back to the Swing Bridge in 2 hours, plus several rests. It’s a shady walk through bush beside a …

16 January 2023 06:13 — : Terrible photo, but it was what I could get. I thought 2 rabbits were playing in the lane way ahead of me. Then I realised one was too long in the body, had something in its mouth, wasn’t moving like a rabbit. I think it was a ferret, a …

16 January 2023 04:55 — : And another view of the day before sunrise.

16 January 2023 04:52 — : Look at this gorgeous morning — 20 minutes before sunrise.

15 January 2023 13:01 — : Bored now. My little buddy Leo. 🐈

15 January 2023 10:20 — : Applescript to tidy Black Ink crossword app windows: tell application "Black Ink" set baseFrame to bounds of window 1 repeat with thisWindow in windows set bounds of thisWindow to baseFrame end repeat end tell -- script by Daniel Jalkut, 15 January …

15 January 2023 10:18 — : Just one reason @danielpunkass is a favourite app developer — I emailed asking for a way to tidy up Black Ink crossword windows scattered all over my screen. Minutes later Daniel sent a great Applescript solution. 😀

14 January 2023 14:58 — : After a few hours the baling machine comes along, sweeps up the cut grass, then rolls it into big round bales, wraps them up and poops them out every couple of hundred metres.

14 January 2023 11:38 — : Today the farmer next door was spinning the mowed grass into piles ready for baling.

13 January 2023 13:26 — : As usual I was concerned when I went out that Sasha would be stressed. I came home to this! 🐶💤

13 January 2023 10:54 — : I’m so ‘something’ that my friend Chris has now seen the extremely cryptic and Nationally Critical Matuku-hūrepo, Australasian Bittern at our local lake 3 times, yet I haven’t seen it even once. She gave me permission to post …

13 January 2023 07:28 — : This article is chock full of useful info for all users: The real secrets of iOS and accessibility.

12 January 2023 11:03 — : The farmer next door is mowing today.

11 January 2023 11:45 — : I missed the focus on this but still wanted to post this adult and two baby Oystercatchers. 🐦

11 January 2023 08:46 — : Heh, followed a link on a webpage to this address: h​t​t​p​s​:​/​/​b​-​o​k​.​c​c​ (I’ve added invisible characters to ‘break’ it here) and got to this FBI Seized notice.

11 January 2023 07:03 — : Whew, I’ve struggled my way through Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Translated (in 1862) by George Long. The language is dense so it’s hard going. I’d love to see a modern feminist translation. I’ve clipped a number of pithy …

11 January 2023 04:25 — : This post from 11 January 2022 took me by surprise today: It’s a year since I ordered my M1 MacBook Pro. I was just thinking yesterday how much I love this Mac. 2 years on and battery life is still phenomenal.

10 January 2023 17:44 — : This rather ruffled looking baby bird stumbled across the deck and took refuge in the passionfruit. 🐦

10 January 2023 17:16 — : These days when Sasha eats she spreads biscuits all over the floor. 🐶

09 January 2023 17:42 — : Just found this printed photo in the archives. When I was a teen back in the late 60’s and early 70s I begged my parents to get us a Miniature Poodle. This was Andre. Of course I was in charge of walks etc. 🐶

09 January 2023 17:37 — : Today I tried making Dorset apple traybake and it was delicious. We only had plain flour, not self-raising, the vanilla essence ran out, and we can’t buy Molasses at the moment. Even so, very yummy!

09 January 2023 12:44 — : If you’ve never watched this 15 minute speech from 2012 then you should: Julia Gillard misogyny speech in Australian Parliament. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

09 January 2023 09:34 — : Sometimes it’s an old movie that brings the thought for the day: Pile up enough tomorrows and you’ll find you’ve collected nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to make today worth remembering. Meredith …

08 January 2023 13:48 — : I enjoyed reading Mountain Town Murder: Jackson Hole Moose’s Bakery Not So Cozy Mystery #1 by Sue Pepper and may well read more of the series. I specially enjoyed the author’s life views on topics such as worker housing, and awareness of …

08 January 2023 13:19 — : I just love timeline adjacencies! M: The one downside of weekends in a house with many people? Noise. There’s always someone doing something, walking somewhere, closing a door,… T: Getting ready to watch the Netflix version of All Quiet on the …

07 January 2023 18:17 — : Today’s surprise discovery 📚: the Southern Cross [constellation] hasn’t always been ours. Thanks to a phenomenon known as precession … it formerly belonged to the northern hemisphere skies … Source: Southern Nights: the story of New …

07 January 2023 16:03 — : Deb and I went to see the most excellent A Man Called Otto. At the same time sad, funny, and heartwarming, the movie was beautifully done. Not a thing out of place, subtle, gradually unfolding and developing. Definitely a must-see. 🎥

07 January 2023 10:25 — : Like mother like daughter — Oystercatcher adult and chick. 🐦

06 January 2023 09:06 — : Noon was feeding time at Ngā Manu for the Longfin Eels: The longfin eel is one of the largest eels in the world and it is found only in the rivers and lakes of New Zealand. I was told these were males, probably about 20 years old. They were …

06 January 2023 05:22 — : This Tuatara at Ngā Manu Reserve kept its back to me. Tuatara are a rare reptile found only in New Zealand. They are the last survivors of an order of reptiles that thrived in the age of the dinosaurs.

05 January 2023 17:56 — : Can't believe how knackered I am after today's outing (and last night's poor sleep)! One photo from today's visit to Ngā Manu Reserve, Waikanae: this green and white gecko — Barking gecko.

05 January 2023 16:07 — : Today’s Stoic thought was “memento vivere”: remember to live. I took it to heart, ignored the rain, realised I could have an outing, with Deb home to deal with Sasha and the plumber, and took off to the Ngā Manu Reserve in Waikanae. …

05 January 2023 06:10 — : I learned so much from Dan Bailey's book about the Fuji X series cameras that his new Fujifilm Autofocus Course was an instant buy. I'll walk you through the entire Fujifilm AF/MF system, show you all the features, settings and controls, teach you …

04 January 2023 14:15 — : In a clean-up moment I admitted to myself that most of the sciency YouTube videos I was subscribed to via RSS I was no longer really enjoying. Also they may have filled in a few minutes but I wasn’t retaining any of the information. I slashed …

04 January 2023 05:43 — : I love it when this mother and son pair come to graze in the paddock nearby.

03 January 2023 16:44 — : There’s a big block of land nearby that almost always has cows in it. Whenever I bike past I get a whiff of cow poop. I actually like that — it’s a good reminder that we live in a rural area. Back in November 2017 these cows were …

02 January 2023 14:58 — : Did a short beach walk: almost no birds — one pair of nesting Oystercatchers are hanging in there. Instead, as always at this time of year, loads of people, dogs and cars doing beach things. At this time of year it’s no longer ‘our’ …

02 January 2023 14:54 — Keyboard Maestro is a super useful Mac app : Keyboard Maestro is one of the must-have, first installed apps on my Mac. Why? Because it does so much for me: little things, bigger things, things that I could do just as well all by myself or some other way, but they’d take longer and be …

01 January 2023 14:26 — : I don’t do reading lists and goals and all that, but have thought maybe I should deliberately include some additional variety in my 2023 reading. Hence: Books I might Read.

01 January 2023 13:25 — : It seems I’m making a tradition of posting a selfie on 01 January each year. See 2022 and 2021. So, here’s 01 January 2023.

01 January 2023 10:20 — : I started this Gregorian Calendar 2023 year with a dawn visit to the beach. But I was thinking I’d like to align my personal year with the Solstices and Equinoxes, so New Year would fall on 22 June 2023 with the local winter solstice. Or on 23 …

01 January 2023 09:35 — : For the first time ever I tried recording video with my Fuji X-T2. This shifty looking character is either a South Island Pied Oystercatcher or a hybrid with the regular all-black Tōrea pango Variable Oystercatcher 🐦

01 January 2023 05:51 — : Mōrena. Welcome to 2023. Pahirini Chaffinch 🐦.

31 December 2022 07:43 — : I’ve found The Happiness Lab podcast invaluable. Now Dr Laurie Santos has created The Science of Well-Being for Teens. Parents, you may be interested…

31 December 2022 07:39 — : If you hate dogs look away. For the rest of us The Dogs of 2022 is four and a half minutes of delight. 🐶

31 December 2022 06:38 — : Sasha had me out taking her for a walk at dawn.

30 December 2022 07:54 — Solstice and Equinox dates for the next few years : Since I just looked this up for myself. Year March equinox June solstice September equinox December solstice 2022 21 March 04:33 21 June 21:13 23 September 13:03 22 December 10:48 2023 21 March 10:24 22 June 02:57 23 September 18:50 …

30 December 2022 00:04 — : I didn’t have my watch with me, but I got to spend maybe 20 minutes out admiring the warm, still, partly cloudy night while Sasha walked us around before finally having a pee at a quarter to one. 🐶

29 December 2022 13:33 — : Another book from an author I quite like: The New Teacher (The Sheridan County Mysteries Book 1) by Erin Lark Maples. 📚 The story flows well, and I’m intrigued by a few American words I’m not familiar with.

29 December 2022 13:29 — : Hmmm, The Raven’s Mark by Christie J Newport just wasn’t really my thing. 📚 Beth must break all the rules to stop any more girls from suffering. But will her everything be enough to stop a sick murderer?

29 December 2022 13:26 — : I quite enjoyed Knight Trials by Alice Bienia, though it felt a little tangled in parts. One page that sticks in my mind was a couple of paras of totally gratuitous tech jargon, presumably aiming to make a point. 📚

28 December 2022 18:45 — : Today I cleaned the used straw and shavings out of the quail run and gave the girls a fresh deep layer of bedding. 🐦

27 December 2022 18:13 — : This was a really good TV series. I hope we’ll get a Season Two. Darby and Joan 📺 : A retired Australian detective and an English nurse work together to solve the mystery of her husband’s recent death.

27 December 2022 16:29 — : Why herbal tea isn’t actually tea | The Tea Curator: Tea is said to have been first discovered in China way back in 2737BC by Emperor, scholar and herbalist, Shen Nung. According to legend, he was sitting under a native Camellia Sinensis tree, …

26 December 2022 15:57 — : Oystercatcher: Ah yeah, gidday. Just sitting on my nest. You? 🐦

26 December 2022 01:23 — : The positive about taking Sasha out for a pee at 2 am was the gorgeous bright stars. Mars was prominent by Taurus. Orion and Sirius were ahead of us, the Pleiades low near the horizon. Just beautiful.

25 December 2022 16:28 — : Christmas lunch with friends: tiger prawns and chicken on the barbie; a bowl of fresh raspberries and blueberries. Plus lots of other delicious dishes, not shown. 😆

25 December 2022 08:00 — : memento mori [is] remembering death so you don’t waste the time you have in life. Memento vivere, remember to live … is making the details of the moments of your life matter, the thrilling ones and the mundane ones. Via: Remember To Live - …

24 December 2022 15:09 — : Superb article: Inside Wikipedia’s great macron war: In 2007, New Zealand got … its first street name with a macron: Kōkiri Place … the mayor of Taupō … got sick of waiting for new road signs with macrons over the “o” so started changing them …

24 December 2022 05:20 — : Today I updated an old post which also meant I ended up finding, re-editing and re-exporting photos from my collection. It made me realise how much more I know about photography now than 5 years ago. 😀 Those old photos almost make me cringe.

23 December 2022 16:50 — 4 years ago I wanted Micro.Blog to help me write more : Update: thanks to @artkavanagh for pointing out that I'm just shy of 5 years, not 4! Hah, on 13 January 2018 I wrote on my new Micro.Blog with a link to my now removed and archived KnowIt blog: A fresh start in 2018. In which I stop posting on my …

23 December 2022 09:34 — : Excited to subscribe to en clair podcast: … a casebook of forensic linguistic cases, literary detection, and language mysteries. It also looks at codes, cryptography, undeciphered languages, and linguistic myths and legends. Each episode presents a …

23 December 2022 07:35 — : Always a welcome web page: Winners of the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

23 December 2022 04:52 — : More good sense from @annahavron — Schedule ONE Daily Thing, That is Not Work-Related: With a daily routine that a) incorporates at least one thing that gives life to your spirit, and that b) you are committed to CHANGING until it actually works for …

22 December 2022 14:57 — : The beach was very calm this morning — almost no waves. Kāpiti Island in the background.

21 December 2022 17:26 — : I made 30 Minute Easy Dinner Rolls (1/3 recipe) and Mushroom soup for dinner. Left out the cream from the soup and it was still yummy. Quick and easy meal.

21 December 2022 16:20 — : Yesterday Deb brought me this wonderful and delicious treat: a yuzu tart (lemon meringue pie) from Origami in Cuba Street.

21 December 2022 10:09 — : I’m really enjoying this new-to-me podcast: Subtitle: A podcast about languages and the people who speak them. Fascinating episodes.

21 December 2022 08:14 — : Just thinking about how my ideal Christmas Day would look — in a campervan or cabin, by water — river, lake or sea — with plenty of supplies and far away from everyone else, sunny, warm, not windy.

20 December 2022 12:44 — : No-one wants too much detail on this, but for the last week Sasha’s been having some 💩 problems. I think things are improving. Let’s just say the floor has never been this clean!

20 December 2022 10:09 — : Yesterday afternoon. I’m choosing to believe this wasn’t commentary on the lateness of dinner. 😆 🐶

19 December 2022 15:47 — : Oooh, pretty clouds. And someone up the road’s getting a good dump of rain.

19 December 2022 15:09 — : @help Seems like today I can’t get more than ~30 posts on the Timeline (Safari on web). There’s no Show More button or anything… Is it just me?

19 December 2022 08:13 — : Hmmm, had to dig deep in the memory for this. I’m trying Suzume Sparrow Kukicha, roasted green tea: made entirely from stems of summer harvest leaves. Not a favourite: the taste makes me think of the used grounds from percolator coffee.

19 December 2022 06:31 — : I was already uncomfortable with Karen as a general term of abuse. Now I learn that Space Karen refers to Elon Musk, who is behaving badly. This goes to the ancient tradition of blaming women for men’s behaviour. If Elon is being obnoxious then …

19 December 2022 05:44 — : Low sun, dark sky, cabbage trees and flax spears. Ahhh morning.

18 December 2022 18:44 — : The Kiwi barbie: Craig from Horowhenua District Council cooks saussies on a BBQ in a trailer, under an umbrella, in the rain, for the opening of the new Waikawa Beach ‘amenity’ block (aka toilets) yesterday.

17 December 2022 10:03 — : Interesting! I think I’ve struck this (but ended up just typing in the number): Beware When Pasting Phone Numbers Copied from Contacts - TidBITS: Contacts on the Mac encloses all phone numbers in two zero-width (and thus invisible) Unicode …

17 December 2022 09:25 — : Sasha tells me it’s breakfast time. 🐶

16 December 2022 19:05 — : People go on at length about how to make a cup of coffee, but no-one talks about tea… I was thrilled to discover The Tea Curator, with detailed posts like Six types of loose leaf tea – which will be your favourite?

16 December 2022 11:53 — : The newly completed toilet block at Waikawa Beach (replacing a 50- to 60- year old facility) also has fresh new signage — in Te Reo Māori and English as all our local Council’s signs are these days. Very pleasing!

16 December 2022 11:21 — : So important! Go and read and act on New Year’s Resolution: Make Information Accessible, for Those Who Survive You: My opinions here come from working in a field where I routinely see the Kafka-esque admin situations that many survivors deal with, …

16 December 2022 05:23 — CareHQ virtual GP : Note for future me (and other Kiwis): CareHQ is a virtual GP consultation service that is open 7am–7pm, 7 days a week. You meet with a New Zealand registered expert doctor who is a Fellow of the RNZCGP. You don’t need to enrol with CareHQ - …

15 December 2022 18:27 — : The Yellowhammers are singing a lot these days. This one was singing just by the house. Photo from January this year. 🐦

15 December 2022 18:18 — : 28 October 2018 I planted lemon thyme by the dog yard. Today, 15 December 2022, it looks and smells fabulous! A bit of watering and weeding from time to time, but otherwise benign neglect. 😀

14 December 2022 19:28 — : I’m 26% of the way through The Cardiff Killings (DI Jemima Huxley Crime Thriller Book 1) by Gaynor Torrance but have decided to read no further. I have no points where I can relate to a person desperate to have kids and who cuts herself to …

14 December 2022 08:21 — : It’s barely 9 am and the Levin clock tower tells me it’s already 26C (79F). It’s gonna be a hot one today.

13 December 2022 16:48 — : Hmmm, I think one Kołaczki at the front maybe looks like the ones the real cook made. Some ‘squares’ were too small so I didn’t even try to fold them over. A bit odd — kind of like shortbread with jam.

13 December 2022 14:30 — : Sasha winning at Hunt The Anchovy on her 16th birthday. 🐶

13 December 2022 12:26 — : Listening to Kismet (1967). I hadn’t realised there were quite so many famous songs in this one show. I first heard “Stranger in Paradise” when I was a kid. 🎶

13 December 2022 07:30 — : One of the fantastic features of MarsEdit is easily finding and fixing old posts. When I checked my On This Day page today a few photos from 2018 had gone missing. The solution was to change http to https. So easy in MarsEdit. Fixed a few other bits …

12 December 2022 15:10 — : Not off to a good start cooking Kołaczki — ignored the timer for a moment to finish an email reply and burnt the pot with apricot filling. 😒

12 December 2022 12:32 — : Sasha, aged 15 years 364 days, snoozing. 🥰 🐶

12 December 2022 11:04 — : This is the kind of conversation I love on Micro.Blog.

12 December 2022 07:24 — : My current music fave is Korolova from Ukraine. I’m working my way through listening to all her music videos. Her music stays with me during the day too. 🎶

11 December 2022 19:33 — : I enjoyed reading Knight Blind (Jorja Knight Private Investigator Mystery Series Book 1) by Alice Bienia. Jorja is relatable, and gradually reveals some of her background while chasing down leads in an unexpected case. I’ll read more in this …

11 December 2022 16:41 — : Deb and I have been watching and enjoying Three Pines but it’s a bit grim and intense. The story lines tend to include the atrocities of the Canadian Residential Schools. For relief, we’re also watching Recipes for Love and Murder which …

11 December 2022 16:28 — : This is such a bird-filled time of year. All the birds come and sit on the flaxes by the house. This Kōurarini European goldfinch was just outside the window… 🐦

10 December 2022 13:44 — : Yay. Waikawa Blueberries is open again. Time for real fruit icecream, fresh blueberries and award winning olive oil. Yum!

10 December 2022 09:31 — : A greeting to the day: He kore, he kore He pō, he pō He ao, he ao Takiri mai te ata Korihi te manu Tino awatea Ka ao, ka ao Ka awatea Tihei Mouri Ora From the nothingness (potential being) Into the different stages of darkness And finally into the …

09 December 2022 15:07 — : Another good story and an enjoyable read. The Girl Who Lost Him (The Shee McQueen Mystery Thriller Series Book 4) by Amy Vansant. 📚

09 December 2022 15:03 — : I quite enjoyed The Sled Dog (The Sheridan County Mysteries Book 2) by Erin Lark Maples: After the race, [Elizabeth] discovers an abandoned, injured dog and her family falls in love with their new foster pup. But things aren’t that simple… 📚 …

09 December 2022 11:02 — : Mystery lift sign in Montserrat, Spain. No people if the lift is already occupied by bats…? // @designatednerd

09 December 2022 10:35 — : Listening to the most excellent The Ink Spots: Swing High Swing Low. 🎶

09 December 2022 06:00 — : I heard a noise this morning I couldn’t quite make out. I thought maybe it was a hawk but it was too close and repeated too often without moving. Turned out it was this lovely Tikaokao California quail on the mulch pile by the front door. 🐦

08 December 2022 15:55 — : I’m so used to adding images to my blog posts by using Command 3 in MarsEdit I’ve had to write a Keyboard Maestro macro to use Command 3 to attach items to Apple Mail messages. I kept hitting the keystroke and ending up in a weird place …

08 December 2022 15:52 — : This kind of attention to detail and insistence on making things smooth and easy for the user is why Daniel Jalkut’s software is best-in-class. MarsEdit 5’s upgrade process: License screen shows existing license code. and adds it …

08 December 2022 15:33 — : Sasha, hanging out on the grass. 🐶

08 December 2022 04:26 — : This is exactly why you should give MarsEdit a try: MarsEdit’s role as a blogger’s best friend. From: MarsEdit 5: Microposting, Markdown Highlighting, and More!

07 December 2022 14:29 — : swear words around the world … lack 'approximants' – sounds made by bringing our lips, teeth, hard palate or tongue close … without making contact … [it] makes them sound harsh, regardless of the language. Most Swear Words Have a Common Feature, …

07 December 2022 11:02 — : I’ve taken the extremely rare step of filing a dispute with my bank about the defective earbuds. Amazon have promised a refund when they receive the returned package (that I’m unable to send) but have failed to respond to my further …

07 December 2022 10:20 — : I’ve spent hours trying to return faulty earbuds Amazon shipped me. I’ve driven 3 times to the Post Office, spent hours researching… I was about to pay today when I fell at the last hurdle. According to the PO worker earbuds themselves …

07 December 2022 07:35 — : I heard these [Kuihi Canada Geese](https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/canada-goose) coming way before I could see them.

06 December 2022 15:34 — : Folks, you might like to see Take care for the Pied Stilt chicks about the baby birds currently trying to surive on our beach. Includes fantastic photos by Corne Ferreira, a visitor I was chatting to the other day. Location: Waikawa Beach, …

06 December 2022 14:05 — : Thanks to the global Light pollution map I now know the sky where I live is almost as dark as it can get, at Class 2. On a clear night I can see the Clouds of Magellan with my naked eye. ⭐️ Wellington, OTOH, comes in at Class 6: bad.

06 December 2022 11:06 — : The other morning on the beach I spotted a group of Kuaka Godwit doing their thing then realised one bird looked quite different. I believe this is a Ruddy turnstone — I haven’t spotted them around here before. Second photo shows Kuaka for …

06 December 2022 05:08 — : For Micro Monday I suggest @Denny who lives a low impact life, cycles, is interested in how we live in the world in harmony with nature. He also has wonderful photos of birds and fungi.

05 December 2022 15:18 — : This was my Sasha when she was only a couple of months old. 🐶

05 December 2022 11:10 — : One of these things is not like the others… Turns out the printed product manual for our UV water filter and purification system contains an incorrect product code. Plus, look how much gunk the filters actually remove. That coarse filter is filthy.

05 December 2022 07:10 — : A powerful essay — Where women were cloaked in shame: We Iranian women … have been ashamed of talking about what’s been done to us, and … so scared of speaking up about the atrocities

05 December 2022 05:18 — : Kiwis, a reminder that this time of year ramps up family violence. Gift A Safe Night at Women’s Refuge and help a woman and kids escape family violence. $20 very well spent.

05 December 2022 04:58 — : Wow, 3 years today since I got my beautiful kirituhi tattoo. Still loving it! Birds, sea and cabbage tree.

04 December 2022 15:52 — : Thrilled with this photo from my beach walk today: Kuaka Godwit. 🐦

04 December 2022 15:50 — : Our friends (and neighbours) are sneaky — they had a big party today for their 30th anniversary. None of us knew they were actually getting married! (Not even the caterer.) A great time was had by all.

03 December 2022 05:44 — : I really enjoyed this Lingthusiasm podcast episode. Question formats are surprisingly interesting in English and other languages. Who questions the questions?: In this episode, your hosts Lauren Gawne and Gretchen McCulloch get enthusiastic about …

03 December 2022 04:47 — : A few months ago we had Bird of the Year, now it’s New Zealand Bug of the Year 2023: Aotearoa is home to over 20,000 species of insects and spiders Hmmm, what to vote for…

02 December 2022 17:21 — : Hmmm, that quake came in two parts — I just knew it was going to get bigger. About a minute long. All good — just a shake — another day in the life of Aotearoa New Zealand. 〰️ Fri Dec 2 2022 6:07 PM 20 km south-east of Tokoroa Shaking: Light …

02 December 2022 13:22 — : Huh, I thought (cooking) salt was salt, but it turns out there are different types with different characteristics. Which salt is best for cooking?: Why are there so many different kinds of salt, and does it really matter which one you use?

02 December 2022 11:32 — : Thanks to @gregmoore and @mtt I now have the Recoleta font on my Kindle. 📚 How to Install Custom Fonts on Your Kindle

02 December 2022 09:00 — : As I use my Mac and iPhone and websites and apps and whatnot I realise that the more ‘security’ I have to pass through the less I pay attention — yeah, yeah, just give me what I want. I’m a human, not the holder of the secret …

02 December 2022 08:53 — : I had simply never registered that Z keyboard command in Photos.app and have spent a lot of time over the months trying to use the slider control to zoom to 100%. If only they’d added the bit of text I’d been wanting to see under a menu: …

02 December 2022 05:42 — : Morning dog. Sasha, only a few days away from her 16th birthday. 🐶

01 December 2022 15:29 — : A couple of weeks ago I paid Amazon ~$20 on top of purchase price to ship me a pair of new earbuds. They were defective. Turns out I can’t ship them back because international parcels can’t contain more than 2 batteries. The postal worker …

30 November 2022 11:58 — : I have supervisors. A couple of little Warou, Welcome swallow spend the day sitting on the rail by the lounge. Such cuties! 🐦

30 November 2022 11:52 — : And for today’s yoga session we have a simple little neck twist with head tuck. 🐦

30 November 2022 07:56 — : Weird thing, but Aotearoa New Zealand Law says that beaches are roads. Land Transport Act 1998: In Part 1, the Interpretation, it says: “road includes— (c) a beach.” Weirder: the Law doesn’t actually define ‘beach’. 😆

29 November 2022 18:27 — : While one Kāhu, Hawk was flying around, another was relaxing on a fencepost. 🐦

29 November 2022 05:00 — : With the flax spears opening Tūī, Tui are visiting to feed. 🐦

28 November 2022 19:46 — : I’m outta here! 🐦

28 November 2022 19:44 — : My old girl Sasha, eating her dinner last night. 🐶

28 November 2022 08:42 — : Listening to what I think is a Korimako | Bellbird this morning. 😍

27 November 2022 20:06 — : This makes me happy. I’ve now sent out 10 issues of a local monthly community newsletter I write (Buttondown is great for this). My subscriber count is gradually growing. This issue went out to 52 subscribers.

27 November 2022 10:37 — : A new skill I’ve learned today: How To Compare Two Images. Makes a web page with a slider to compare two images. See Compare 2016 and 2019 images of the North track area and Compare 2016 and 2019 images of the Miratana track area.

27 November 2022 07:48 — : We had 300 grams of mushrooms that were getting a bit old, so I experimented with making Mushroom soup. That was easy and delicious. I only wish I’d been able to buy some yummy bread to go with it…

27 November 2022 07:44 — : Flax spears in late sun.

26 November 2022 13:34 — : Not Boss at parking!

26 November 2022 12:08 — : When I want to learn how to best use my Apple stuff I turn to the utterly excellent Take Control Books. For a few days they are on sale: 50% off. Sale begins on Thursday 11/24 and runs through Thursday 12/1

26 November 2022 07:35 — : I just watched Why Am I Craving Sweets? | Serving Up Science: When we eat foods that contain lots of fat and sugar, it’s the natural chemical dopamine that gives us a rush of elation and desire for more. Interesting! I’ll watch more …

25 November 2022 16:32 — : Aaargh! I’m sitting here feeling peckish and wondering what to make for dinner. Meanwhile all my US blogpals are posting photos of Thanksgiving food…

25 November 2022 13:02 — : I’m not in the habit of posting photos of public toilets, but March 2022 just before demolition of the ~70 year old building: 1. a row of 3 inaccessible cubicles for women, 2. the interior of one cubicle (yuk). Then, 25 November 2022, a new, …

24 November 2022 06:54 — : The first time I’ve heard the Pīpīwharauroa | Shining cuckoo at Waikawa Beach. I’ve never seen one. It has the most annoying call: Voice: the main call is a loud upwardly-slurred whistle repeated several times; the sequence usually ends …

23 November 2022 19:13 — : Mighty disappointed that the right earbud on the pair that arrived today just won’t work in spite of charging, pairing and unpairing, resetting and general mucking about. Nothing. Amazon will refund when I return the buds. Now bought Sennheiser …

23 November 2022 11:28 — : Took far too long to find out if a flashing white light meant the earbuds were charging or charged. Charging the headphones: Flashing white: Charging Lights in white for 12 seconds, and then turns off: Charging complete Flashing white quickly: …

23 November 2022 10:45 — : On 16 November 2022 I ordered two items from Amazon that I couldn’t buy from Aotearoa New Zealand (out of stock or wrong size / colour or just not available here). Amazon told me the items would deliver on 06 December. Today (23 November) they …

22 November 2022 08:11 — : Researching the topic: vehicles erode beaches. It seems fairly clear that vehicles cause damage to beaches and their structures (eg dunes), bird, insect and other life, and are a danger to humans, dogs etc who also use the beaches.

22 November 2022 07:18 — : These MinuteFood videos are enjoyable and very interesting. I recommend you give them a try. Today’s watch: Why do some leftovers suck?. Rule of thumb: better by cooking longer ☛ better by sitting longer gotta cook fast!! ☛ gotta eat fast!!

22 November 2022 05:32 — : I was a bit mired in a couple of books that just weren’t grabbing me. I turned to Something Deadly on Desert Drive (The Accidental Detective Book 2) by Kris Bock. As with the first book, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Bock knows how to …

21 November 2022 13:11 — : I’ve always very much enjoyed SEAL Team (TV series). This Season 6 though has been truly special. No spoilers, but a few episodes have left me very deeply moved, shocked even. Excellent drama and not actually just all about war and fighting. 📺 …

21 November 2022 08:16 — : Whew, I passed the squirrel test. We don’t have squirrels in Aotearoa New Zealand. I guess that top square that I only noticed when resizing the screenshot was a clue…

20 November 2022 11:12 — : I didn’t know I could do this: Bring Yourself Recurring Joy with Apple’s New Lock Screen Photo Shuffle. Now in place. 😀

20 November 2022 11:04 — : The taste test left me really wishing I hadn’t halved the recipe! I hope there are some left for this afternoon’s visitors…

20 November 2022 08:37 — : One of the quirks of halving a recipe is ending up needing half an egg. Luckily, as I have Japanese Quail, this is no problem. 4 quail eggs ‘equal’ a hen’s egg, ergo 2 quail eggs do just fine. Lemon Butter Biscuits. 🐦

19 November 2022 15:11 — : I try to avoid grumbling here but I slept poorly last night and I’m suffering hayfever symptoms — itchy eyes, nose, throat. Today I’m also a bit foggy and ‘skin crawly’. I can’t settle. Not enjoying either of the two …

19 November 2022 07:21 — : With about 70 mm rain in the past two days, our old friend the puddle in the paddock next door is back. Clearly the water table hasn’t dropped that much.

18 November 2022 12:13 — : After getting far too hot this morning weeding and mulching along the driveway I biked 5 minutes to the beach and went for a dip in the sea. This is pushing my comfort zone. I waded in a bit then, when the waves seemed suitably far apart, dipped down …

17 November 2022 09:22 — : The native grasses beside our driveway have grown well. I had boards around the area so I could weedeat easily, but today removed the boards so I can weedeat right up to the grasses and have a more integrated look. This area is a work in progress.

16 November 2022 17:14 — : It took longer than I expected to mulch this bit of garden on a steep bank by the lane.

15 November 2022 14:14 — : A year ago I complained about publishers (incorrectly) guessing which Amazon store I’ll buy books from. I solved this annoyance with Keyboard Maestro. I just tried Redirect Web for Safari which may work more seamlessly. HT: Redirect Web for …

15 November 2022 10:43 — : To be fair, I’m not the target audience for The Valentine Voyage: Book Six: The Cozy Cruise Mysteries by Lizzie Josephson. The main genre is het romance, with a side of mystery. It was an easy read but the romance resolution was kind of …

14 November 2022 11:17 — : 10 cubic metres of pine mulch will keep us busy over the summer.

13 November 2022 15:07 — : I read I Bury Dead People: A Hilarious Cosy Mystery by PJ Vye. I quite enjoyed it though the credibility of the unravelling didn’t really sit right with me. A fair few typos that need sorting out. 📚

12 November 2022 20:43 — : For the first time in my life I watched a rugby match (on the telly). Saw the Kiwi women’s team the Black Ferns win against the English in the Rugby World Cup. Even I got invested in a close match. Well done the women!

12 November 2022 18:39 — : Whew, the rain stayed away for the community picnic we organised. A good number of people turned up — maybe 40? And we invited our two new Horowhenua District Councillors who joined us for the whole time. Lots of food and chat. I believe it was a …

11 November 2022 12:20 — : I’ll see your 1 and raise you 300. Auckland suburb raises solidarity flag after homophobic incidents: 🏳️‍🌈 I suggested: if they’re upset about flying one pride flag… let’s fly a lot more 300 pride flags will be raised … for …

11 November 2022 10:56 — : Sasha looks good after her groom. 🐶

11 November 2022 07:04 — : Sasha was a good girl, quietly waiting while I hung out the washing. 🐶

11 November 2022 05:02 — : Excellent: Anna Havron’s Inner Trolls and Better Angels: Being a Person, Online: I see great value in sites that post personal observations. …they help us grow in empathy and imagination. They help us see one another as full human beings …

10 November 2022 16:57 — : Another in a series whose characters are so appealing: The Missing Babysitter Mystery (The Supermarket Mysteries Book 3) by Rachel Ward. 📚 a body found on a building site … has been buried for 15 years. Could it have anything to do with the …

10 November 2022 16:53 — : Crime, and also lesbian romance; I enjoyed Goslyn County by A.M. McKnight. 📚 While investigating three burglaries, Goslyn PD Detective Olivia Winston meets IRS Special Agent Maureen Jeffries who is pursuing a tax fraud suspect. Their cases are …

09 November 2022 07:42 — : I’m not a sports fan myself, but this level of success for women’s sport is phenomenal — Eden Park sells out for Black Ferns’ Rugby World Cup final: The Black Ferns and England will face off in front of a sold out crowd of over …

09 November 2022 06:19 — : Yesterday on a radio show the host welcomed a guest, Anjum Rahman, with “As-salamu alaikum”, a greeting seldom heard here. It could be seen as a token, but on reading Dot Scot — Matt Gemmell’s “ostensibly small things can be …

08 November 2022 17:44 — : Those eggs I saw on the beach the other day weren’t from an Oystercatcher, but rather this dedicated gorgeous Pied Stilt. Such delicate creatures with such long legs! 🐦

08 November 2022 17:39 — : Four of the half dozen black swans at the lake this morning. 🐦

08 November 2022 08:32 — : For Micro Monday I’d very much recommend @annahavron who writes intelligent, thoughtful articles about life, but who also posts cool photos of cats, trees, birds and other things.

07 November 2022 10:20 — : We have 3 flavours of the food Sasha used to eat (recently). Last night and this morning she wouldn’t eat anything. Sigh. Finally I relented and added some wet food. At least she ate the wet food off the top. 🐶

07 November 2022 09:05 — : Volume up! 0900 on a Sunday morning (yesterday): the sounds of silence. Listen for the birds. One of the things I love about where I live. What does it sound like where you live (or are at the moment)?

07 November 2022 06:51 — : Many thanks to @cheri who pointed out this superb 33 minute mini-documentary on Angela Lansbury’s life and work: Proud to be a Gay Icon: Angela Lansbury’s Life & Legacy

06 November 2022 18:17 — : Restricted Area Please Keep Out.

06 November 2022 12:14 — : The lawn at the house we’re selling looked terrible a few days after someone we hired mowed it. This weather just makes grass grow! Today I took the motor mower down and trimmed it up for the Open Home. Hard work!

05 November 2022 15:20 — : I nearly stepped on this clutch of 5 Oystercatcher eggs on the beach. The birds lay them in the sand near a bit of driftwood. I was actually looking for a suspected nest further away and almost didn’t see this. 🐦 Update, 07 November 2022: My …

05 November 2022 13:26 — : There’s spam and then there’s ham. Supermarket ham, to be precise: Made in New Zealand from imported and local ingredients. Pork butchered in the following countries may have been used in the production of this product: Australia, …

04 November 2022 17:04 — : As it was set in Aotearoa New Zealand, I had high hopes for this book but was sadly disappointed. The Long Island Iced Tea Goodbye (Career Crisis Café Mystery Book 1) by Emily Selby was facile and riddled with careless typos and missing words. 📚

03 November 2022 19:35 — : Sasha and I had differing ideas about why we went out just before bedtime. The outing did not include peeing after all. Since it did include sitting, I figured a glamour shoot would be rewarding. 🐶

03 November 2022 18:33 — : Absolutely worth a listen — Hannah Gadsby on redefining comedy in A Podcast of One’s Own with Julia Gillard: Hannah Gadsby is an Australian comedian … her multi award winning show, Nanette, pairs punchlines with personal revelations on gender, …

03 November 2022 11:28 — : Note to future me: when Publii refuses to complete syncing this may help — Website not syncing completely - Publii Forum: remove file files.publii.json from your server and the sync website again (it will upload all files of your website). It …

02 November 2022 19:17 — : Aw heck. S03E10 of My Life Is Murder seems to be the last. It was a darn good show. 📺 follows the adventures of fearless private investigator Alexa Crowe, who solves the most baffling crimes as well as coping with the frustrations of everyday life. …

02 November 2022 10:51 — : This book’s title made me dubious about whether I should bother but I was hooked from the first paragraph. It was an excellent read: Something Shady at Sunshine Haven (The Accidental Detective Book 1) by Kris Bock. I’ve bought book 2 …

01 November 2022 08:16 — : A pair of Canada Geese on the lake. 🐦

01 November 2022 08:14 — : Yay, my new glasses are ready to be collected and it so happens Tuesdays are the day I can make a trip to Wellington. With any luck I’ll have them by the end of the day. 😀

31 October 2022 17:44 — : Here’s a new one on me: a blackmail scam that appeared in my RSS reader, courtesy of the email address Feedbin provides that I use for subscribing to newsletters.

31 October 2022 14:31 — : The Woman King was impressive and powerful: textured, moving, absorbing, heart-breaking and thought-provoking, and inspired by true events. 🎥 the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of …

31 October 2022 09:15 — : Thanks to @cheri who drew my attention to this wonderful rap video a couple of weeks ago: Rock Wren for Bird of the Year. And look who won! Bird of the Year: Pīwauwau/ rock wren crowned as 2022 winner. 🐦 Photo: The pīwauwau / rock wren. Photo: CC BY …

30 October 2022 09:58 — : Wrong way, Sasha! 🐶

30 October 2022 09:55 — : Yesterday I visited my little buddy Leo, who has a play loft he likes to hang out in. Even though he’s an old boy now he’s nimble on the ladder. 🐈

29 October 2022 19:10 — : Halfway I considered skipping ahead to see who the culprit was, but I persevered to the end. Buried Identity by Rosaleen Flanagan just wasn’t my thing. I found it unfocused, with too many characters, locations, dates, times and sub plots. …

29 October 2022 15:37 — : Oh, this is new: Kindle Rewards Beta. I buy a lot of Kindle books, most for less than $5. This could add up though.

29 October 2022 11:17 — : More conscious than ever that Sasha’s time with us is dwindling I’m trying to remember to take more photos. We no longer have ‘walks’ as such, but this from this morning’s outing. 🐶

28 October 2022 15:16 — : I must be learning … It’s unusually early in the season for me to realise that no, I’m not getting a cold, but instead have the start of hayfever symptoms. Sigh. Foggy head, slight headache, scratchy throat, feeling kind of blah.

28 October 2022 12:53 — : So here I was waiting for my toast to pop when I read the packet on the “Canadian” Brunswick sardines that would go on the top. Turns out these were “Made in Poland”! ‘Made in’? Huh?

28 October 2022 09:10 — : Three of the 4 chooks I’m looking after for a few days. They’re a bit grumpy that I haven’t let them out yet I think. 🐓

27 October 2022 19:11 — : The sunset became even better. By the time I returned the chooks were all tucked up on their roosts. 🐓

27 October 2022 18:40 — : I’m looking after a friend’s chooks, and I’m supposed to shut them up for the night. Unfortunately the two who were in bed got out of bed again when I arrived. Now watching the Sunset for a few minutes. That’s a really nice …

27 October 2022 17:30 — : It’s baby rabbit time of year. 🐰

26 October 2022 10:56 — : Oops.

26 October 2022 09:08 — : It’s likely my lack of knowledge or understanding of Indian culture coloured my response, but I found this book melodramatic and overdone. It was somewhat annoying, but I did read to the end. Kiss of Salt (Darya Nandkarni’s Misadventures …

25 October 2022 18:16 — : The Spinoff (news site) consistently reminds me of its excellence. Who is the new British prime minister? This month: Rishi Sunak is factual. Funny. Brilliantly written. The highlight: a 405 word sentence under the heading “A quick …

25 October 2022 15:01 — : Heh, “WARNING STRANGE DOG”. 🐶

25 October 2022 12:36 — : Yay, Pages 116 & following of Take Control of Ventura – Take Control Books actually explain in a way I can understand what Passkeys are and how they work. At last! Take Control Books are the best and worth every cent! 📚

25 October 2022 11:36 — : Nice to get a mention in macOS Ventura - New Features: Autocorrect supports three new languages: English (New Zealand)…

25 October 2022 10:07 — : All I can say is it’s a good thing there wasn’t any oncoming traffic. 😆 s l o w r o a d s

24 October 2022 17:59 — : Very much enjoying watching S10 of Doc Martin 📺: The villagers eventually discover his fear of blood, and the frequent and debilitating bouts of nausea and vomiting it causes. In spite of this handicap, Ellingham … gradually gains grudging respect …

23 October 2022 05:11 — : The Man Who Died Twice: (The Thursday Murder Club 2) by Richard Osman continues the adventures of the Thursday Murder Club. Still amusing, its novelty has lost a little lustre, so all the way through I felt a little sceptical. 📚

22 October 2022 09:49 — : Very uncomfortable topic for a cozy mystery, but I like this series and its characters who are very real: The Missing Pets Mystery (The Supermarket Mysteries Book 2) by Rachel Ward. 🐦 all is not well in the little town of Kingsleigh. Three cats have …

22 October 2022 08:33 — : Gathering rosebuds: carpe diem: “carpe diem” [is] usually translated as “seize the day”, but it’s a lot more than that: “carpe” could also mean “harvest” the day, or “tease it out” like wool, or “press on” with it like a journey, or “pluck” it like …

21 October 2022 13:59 — : I made myself teriyaki chicken bowl for lunch. It was pretty good.

21 October 2022 05:49 — : I’ve been reading some Horace Odes. Ponder this: What may be tomorrow, take care not to ask – whatever kind of day Fortune brings, put it down as profit, and don’t turn down sweet loves and dances while you are young Via: Soracte - Pantheon …

20 October 2022 17:24 — : Since a friend introduced me, I’ve enjoyed Daily Organics Summer Kombucha. Now I’ve bought a Scoby from them and am about to try making my own. The biggest problem is it came with no instructions. Found something online and giving it a …

19 October 2022 16:02 — : Spring! Spotted today at the local pond, a duck with, I believe, 10 ducklings. Look at those little mites! 🐦

19 October 2022 09:12 — : An often used TextExpander snippet grabs title and URL from Safari. Tab groups upset it. Updated: tell application “Safari” set theName to name of current tab of front window set theURL to URL of current tab of front window return …

18 October 2022 17:59 — : Another good read from an author I enjoy: Goodbye Sky Field (A Port Alma Murder Mystery Book 6) by Anne Shillolo. 📚 DC Holly Towns is working on a high-profile meth lab case … but keeps getting drawn closer to a plane crash site and its secrets.

18 October 2022 12:23 — : I love Welcome Swallows: they’re small, colourful, fast and generally cute. This one came to sit on our deck railing. Photos through a window. 🐦

18 October 2022 11:16 — : LOL: Underbirds are go! Aotearoa New Zealand’s Bird of the Year competition has started. I think this year I might vote for the Ruru — I thought I heard one last night for the first time round here.

18 October 2022 09:58 — : Pleased with myself that today I checked my camera settings before getting click-happy on the shutter. This morning there were about 15 Kuaka feeding on the beach. 🐦

17 October 2022 17:28 — : We have some large, though pale, Kiwifruit (from the shops) at the moment. Yum. Note for people outside NZ: a Kiwi is a] a bird b] a person. A Kiwifruit is an edible delight.

17 October 2022 06:14 — : Excellent practical steps — How To Use Stoicism To Remove False Impressions : apply calm reason to the assumptions And throw away what is obviously false. “Other people judge me sometimes.” — Probably true “I dislike criticism.” — True “I am …

16 October 2022 14:06 — : Last year I gathered half a dozen delicious apples from my Granny Smith tree. Right now new blossoms are coming in.

16 October 2022 10:42 — : A gorgeous morning at the beach, where the sea was gently lapping tiny waves just like on a tropical island. Kāpiti Island in the background.

15 October 2022 15:28 — : From one part of the beach this view of cloud snugging round the Tararuas.

14 October 2022 10:02 — : I was heading to the deck when I pulled up short. A California Quail (a rare and occasional visitor in these parts) was hanging out on our deck railing. It waited quietly while I took a bunch of photos. ❤️ 🐦

14 October 2022 07:45 — : A Day In The Life Photo Challenge 2022. Taken at 08:40 at Waikawa Beach, Horowhenua, Aotearoa. Flowering Ti Kouka (Cabbage tree).

13 October 2022 14:16 — : I tried Mini Apple Pancakes Recipe. Turned out I didn’t have Greek Yoghurt so used 1 tablespoon Sour Cream instead. Sugar, egg, cinnamon and apple — what’s not to like? But the recipe could do with editing. 1 Greek Yoghurt is what …

13 October 2022 09:02 — : Hmmm, looked up a crossword answer (a music track I’d never heard of). Now enjoying a blast from the past with Tracy Chapman, Annie Lennox, Janis Joplin, Grace Jones, Joan Armatrading and other greats from my ‘yoof’. Photo.

12 October 2022 17:01 — : I’ve come to like this series, and with some very interrupted sleeps I read my way through these fairly quickly. They’re good entertainment on a sleepless night. The Rina Martin Murder Mystery Box Set Books 1–4 by Jane Adams. 📚

12 October 2022 14:55 — : I made French toast today for the first time and served it with icing sugar, sliced banana and maple syrup. It was pretty good. It was a great way to use bread from a fresh loaf that didn’t taste as good as usual, and six of a mounting number …

12 October 2022 09:53 — : I’m looking forward to A Day in the Life of Micro.blog Photo Challenge. Now to figure out when it starts in my timezone (Aotearoa New Zealand) … Hmm, adding it to my Calendar tells me that’s 6 am on 14 October 2022.

11 October 2022 14:07 — : I’ve owned Jigsaw Puzzle Epic for years, used to play, fell out of it for a few years, and now do a puzzle or two per day. Thank goodness for the Wacom graphics tablet I’ve owned for years, also fell out of using and also rediscovered …

10 October 2022 14:30 — : Our tenant has left the house we’ve been renting out and the estate agent is now in charge of selling it. One of today’s jobs was to record the water meter reading to charge the tenant for water she’s used since the last bill.

09 October 2022 15:32 — : One of our local ring-necked doves was hanging round by the house this morning. Very convenient! 🐦

09 October 2022 08:38 — : At least my good old point and shoot iPhone captured this small flock of Canada Geese flying by. Good way to avoid operator error.

09 October 2022 08:32 — : Out of 30 or so photos of Kuaka (Godwits) this is probably the only one where the bird was actually in focus. So annoyed with myself for mucking up this beach photowalk so badly. 🐦

09 October 2022 08:23 — : This is not the splendid photo of a Godwit I imagined I was taking on the beach this morning. With a 1/9 second shutter speed how could it be? I must learn to check the settings on my camera before enthusiastically taking a load of photos. 📷

08 October 2022 07:28 — : This morning’s job, with other community volunteers: plant thousands of young spinifex plants at the base of the dunes, to help retain and build the beach. Here are just a few of the plants in their root trainers.

07 October 2022 13:10 — : After peeling, coring and slicing a bunch of apples the other day for Easy Apple Crisp, I bought a device that does it all. That arrived today. I have yet to try it out. My previous device cored and ‘eighthed’, but didn’t peel.

06 October 2022 12:25 — : Today’s polar blast makes me very thankful for my wonderful warm down jacket.

06 October 2022 11:28 — : I’ve really tried (for a couple of months now) to like Airshow, but have given in and reverted to Overcast. I need to have more control over what I listen to and when. Whew, no more automatically moving to the next podcast in the queue, unless …

06 October 2022 11:24 — : I’m guessing I originally watched Andromeda week by week on actual TV back when it was new: The series premiered on October 2, 2000, and ended on May 13, 2005. Rewatching via Prime Video. I suspect I never saw the first few eps, but recall …

05 October 2022 06:24 — On getting specs that are correctly tuned for me : Yesterday I had an hour-long eye exam with Anne Matheson and then maybe an hour with Roger Sercombe, Dispensing Optician, who helped me choose frames and lens options for my new specs. Roger also identified that my current everyday lenses …

04 October 2022 12:42 — : My favourite optometrist dilated my eyes so now my screen’s blurry. I was also surprised to learn my sunglasses are progressives not single-focus as I thought. Well, well, well. New progressives in my future, once I’ve chosen frames.

04 October 2022 07:42 — : I’ve always suffered from cold hands and feet. Recently some of my fingertips sometimes go white and numb. It has a name: Raynaud’s syndrome: The colour change is due to changes in blood circulation with narrowing in the small blood …

04 October 2022 07:34 — : Excellent 33 minute podcast episode: Nerd Out! The Happiness of Being a Fan: Really love a TV show; … sci fi movie; or celebrity? We’re often too embarrassed to admit adoring some things … but we may be missing out on the happiness benefits that …

03 October 2022 18:09 — : The quail run needed a refresh so yesterday I took out old straw and pine shavings and macrocarpa twigs. Today I went and bought more pine shavings, then loaded up the run with fresh materials. Can you spot the stripey quail in the last photo? 🐦

02 October 2022 11:59 — : Excited to see on my beach walk this morning that the first Kuaka (Godwits) have returned from their sojourn in the Arctic.

01 October 2022 18:02 — : I love these occasional Micro.Blog timeline adjacencies. // @jayeless @Burk

01 October 2022 17:57 — : Note to future self: don’t use this angle to take photos of food. Today I cooked Easy Apple Crisp and it was totally delish! Thanks to @tracydurnell who linked to the recipe back in September. In Aotearoa New Zealand we’d call this Apple …

01 October 2022 15:23 — : Booked in for early November: Waimangu Volcanic Valley, walk down the valley and 45 minute cruise around the tranquil waters of Lake Rotomahana. I’ve visited before, but too briefly to really soak it all in. Photo: Inferno Crater, August 2020. …

01 October 2022 06:07 — : In Aotearoa there are 67 threatened [bird] species - about 30% of the country’s bird population … due to the introduction of rats, cats and possums which had devastated bird numbers. Source: Climate change a growing factor in dismal fate of …

30 September 2022 17:25 — : I’d seen it before, but watching Pitch Perfect 3 was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours on a cool grey Friday afternoon. 🎥

30 September 2022 10:56 — : One freshly groomed dog. Sasha 🐶

29 September 2022 16:09 — : A bit of rain overnight meant it was a good time to weed this patch of garden along the lane. I haven’t finished yet, but am about half done. The lavender and leucodendron are flowering nicely.

29 September 2022 10:47 — : Well, that was a damn good read! The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery by Rachel Ward. Great characters, a story that kept me reading. 📚 Checkout girl Bea Jordan is determined to find out what happened to her friend. … And the only person who will help …

28 September 2022 13:29 — : This morning Sasha wanted to snack on a little grass. 🐶

28 September 2022 10:44 — : The book Timber City Masks (Royce Madison Mysteries Book 1) by Kieran York kept me reading but it seemed to have been marinated, and for too long, in the Poetry Thesaurus. 📚 Eyes never just “met” but would ‘seam’, …

28 September 2022 10:21 — : Read the standard marketing blurb about a name change for my phone and Internet provider — yawn. Then perked up when I saw they had also written their email in Te Reo Māori. 👍

27 September 2022 10:25 — : Things are moving along suddenly. Signed with a real estate agent this morning to sell the property we’ve been renting out. It’s time to cash up the retirement savings. Also booked a visit to my longtime (former) optometrist for next …

27 September 2022 06:56 — : Nice language use (disgorges, chthonic, skerricks, fragments, glean, tidbits): Every now and then, the Earth disgorges clues to their nature: tiny chthonic diamonds encasing skerricks of rare mineral. From these tiny fragments we can glean tidbits …

26 September 2022 12:26 — : If I sit out in the sun to read my Kindle Paperwhite (2018) sometimes refuses to turn the page. I’d persuaded myself I needed a denim blue All-new Kindle (2022 release). Unfortunately it turned out what I needed was to force a hard restart of …

26 September 2022 08:48 — : How would anyone even know this is the home page of the Horowhenua District Council?

25 September 2022 07:11 — : This morning I’m in that weird haze of “what time is it really?” as last night we changed the clocks. Ahead: changing the time on oven clock, kitchen clock, 2 cameras, car, toothbrush clock, towel rail (reset — it doesn’t have …

24 September 2022 19:40 — : Hah, I hate stereotypes about older people. However … 7 of us at brunch, aged between 64 and maybe 76. First topic of chat: eyesight problems. Followed by discussion of hearing problems and forgetfulness. Sigh.

24 September 2022 15:56 — : We drove to Wellington today to help a friend celebrate her birthday at Field & Green. I had smashed peas and avocado with smoked salmon. Very delicious.

24 September 2022 08:58 — : Fascinating 45 minute documentary from the most excellent Caitlin Doughty: The Forgotten Disaster of the SS Eastland (1915 in Chicago, 844 dead): A massive ship, an unthinkable tragedy, a chance to make sure the victims of the SS Eastland aren’t …

23 September 2022 12:32 — : Painters are working almost next door. Meanwhile our bathroom ceiling (~4 m2) is flaking. Last painted July 2019. Today Leon came and prepped the job. In a couple of days he’ll do the painting. Great, quick work! 👍

22 September 2022 21:20 — : Well a 5.8 quake is one way to be woken while just drifting off to sleep. All good. No damage etc. another day another quake in New Zealand. 〰️

22 September 2022 10:42 — : This 50 minute concert was a delight: Faia Younan I فايا يونان. From the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation.

21 September 2022 15:37 — : Massively enjoyable: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Humorous, great characters (old folks in a seniors village, where ‘giving a talk on tablets’ has a whole other meaning). Well worth reading. 📚

20 September 2022 16:32 — : Equinox egg. First quail egg of the season. Such clever girls! 🐦

20 September 2022 10:36 — : Every second of the Royal Funeral is designed to reinforce status and power. The organisation of the event dwarfs something like the Olympic Games. And who knew there’s a Royal Trumpeter and a Royal Drum Horse?! Let alone the Royal Company of …

20 September 2022 08:08 — : Dipping into The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II - BBC. Spot the Mountie (with horse), and the Kiwi soldier.

19 September 2022 18:47 — : This recipe looked easy and delicious and it was, but fiery hot. Next time I’ll use only 1/3 the spices I think. 🔥🔥🔥 Delicious chickpea spinach curry | Food with Chetna.

18 September 2022 15:21 — : I’ve read as much as I’m going to of Life in the Shallows The wetlands of Aotearoa New Zealand. The book is excellent (it’s just due back at the Library). It’s very easy to read, the tone is light and the pictures very …

18 September 2022 11:27 — : Sasha on the grass. 🐶

17 September 2022 12:30 — : A nice treat after a few errands. Chocolate ice cream at Brown Acres. Yum.

16 September 2022 16:17 — : A neighbour has a couple of sheep on his property, and recently lambs have appeared too. They weren’t very keen on my taking their photo.

16 September 2022 08:41 — : New Watch OS9 feature that I love: Save a Custom Timer — swipe left on the timer and tap the Star. I use 2 minute and 3 minute timers all day when I make a cup of tea. Now they’ll stay in my list whatever other timers I may also use.

16 September 2022 07:43 — : A bit of 7 am drama today as the Rescue Helicopter landed at the beach entrance where apparently there were 4 cop cars. Rumour has it the cops are looking for a silver vehicle containing a person with a gun. <video controls=“controls” …

15 September 2022 17:46 — : Some of the most hilarious and clever scientific names have been applied to spiders or insects … a spider named Apopyllus now, a beetle named Agra phobia, a fly named Pieza rhea and a wasp named Verae peculya. Source: Life in the Shallows The …

15 September 2022 09:10 — : Blood in Tavasci Marsh (The Pegasus Quincy Mystery Series Book 2) by Lakota Grace was a great follow-on to Book 1. I like the setting and the characters and the story flows well. 📚 Peg is furious when her life is threatened. But she must discover …

15 September 2022 09:08 — : I very much enjoyed Appalachian Mountain Mysteries Box Set by Lynda McDaniel. I’d already read Book 1. Book 2 was a bit preachy and put me strongly in mind of Forrest Gump. All told though, it’s a good series, interesting and very …

14 September 2022 17:50 — : This is intriguing. I typed my previous post in BBEdit on Mac then copied and pasted to iPhone. Look what BBEdit did with the facepalm emoji — turned it into 4 characters: base character plus colour plus presumably zero width marker plus female …

14 September 2022 17:46 — : On Monday I happened to be there when our rubbish bin was emptied. Of course, it would have been a better video if it hadn’t taken me so long to remember to actually press Record. 🤦🏽‍♀️

13 September 2022 14:58 — : I’ve discovered I really enjoy Andalusian music. Here’s an almost 2 hour joy: Andalusian Echoes: Abir el Abed & Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra. 🎶

12 September 2022 16:48 — : I visited Palmerston North today and looked at the aviaries in the public gardens. This Cockatiel was a good-looking bird.

11 September 2022 17:05 — : I really enjoyed spending the day reading Death In Copper Town (The Pegasus Quincy Mystery Series Book 1) by Lakota Grace. It’s very readable, in a great setting, followed a logical process and the characters were believable. I’ll …

10 September 2022 19:05 — : ROFL — Police respond to ‘racist’ flag in Wānaka, find Klingon insignia: Police responding to reports of a racist flag [at] a Wānaka property found the home was instead flying the colours of the Klingon Empire from Star Trek. It’s …

10 September 2022 17:37 — : Aha! I wondered about this after grating the Havarti — How to Grate Soft Cheese: Place wrapped cheese in the freezer. Only keep the cheese in the freezer for ~15 minutes. You want it hardened but not frozen. Re: Today I made Roasted Cauliflower and …

10 September 2022 17:34 — : Today I made Roasted Cauliflower and Cheese Mini Frittatas. They were pretty delicious. The recipe lists red wine vinegar in its ingredients, but doesn’t actually use it. 🤷🏼 Roasted cauli; The mix ready for the oven; The finished product. …

09 September 2022 18:17 — : The commander had to issue the “Fire” command 96 times! Clouds of smoke filled the air as the shots bounced around re-echoing off the hills of Wellington. And indeed, it took about 16 minutes to fire all the shots. Won’t happen …

09 September 2022 17:57 — : Here it comes (video): Queen Elizabeth II Death Gun Salute to mark her passing. At 1 round every 10 seconds (my guess), 96 guns must take ~16 minutes. That’s a lot of guns!

09 September 2022 16:27 — : Wow — The Queen’s death: All you need to know about what happens next: There will be a 96 gun salute starting at 6pm, Friday night on the Wellington waterfront in front of Te Papa. 96 guns. I’ve heard a few less than 20 in my time, but 96! …

09 September 2022 16:18 — : Today’s neighbours include some who are beefier than usual.

09 September 2022 07:47 — : An interesting little snippet: Queen Elizabeth Sent the First-Ever Royal Email in 1976!: On March 26, 1976, the Queen visited the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, a telecommunications research centre in Malvern, England, and using ARPANET… …

09 September 2022 06:10 — : I’m no Monarchist but this is still a huge moment: Queen Elizabeth II … has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. her eldest son Charles … will lead the country in mourning as the new King and head of state for 14 Commonwealth …

08 September 2022 13:57 — : I was weeding a patch of driveway garden when a Green and Golden Bell frog appeared. It moved away. Moments later, when I moved some greenery aside to weed further there was a sound like a tiny scream. I guess I gave it a fright. 🐸

07 September 2022 15:56 — : The local rabbits must have had a working bee overnight. For months there’s been a hole in the bank, presumably leading to a burrow. This morning there was a (relatively) huge pile of sand and the hole and tunnel have been massively expanded.

06 September 2022 14:57 — : The mountains have a touch of snow today, thanks to an icy wind straight off the Antarctic. Fujifilm Astia film simulation. Trying for a @cliffordbeshers look. 😀

06 September 2022 14:24 — : The Orville S03 seemed different from the first 2 seasons so I went back and rewatched those seasons recently. I enjoyed them as much as the first time, maybe even more. They were ‘lighter’ than S03 but explored interesting life issues …

06 September 2022 11:52 — : The neighbour’s pine tree is loaded with pollen. Ah-choo!

06 September 2022 11:51 — : OK, Celebrate Tongan Language Week: There are only 17 letters in the ‘alafapeti faka-Tonga: A E F H I K L M N NG O P S T U V ‘ The ‘alafapeti includes the fakau’a (glottal stop), which comes before a vowel

05 September 2022 08:05 — : Fascinating: Scientists Discover That a Surprising Factor Improved The Effects of Ketamine in Mice: ketamine worked better when administered by males because [male] scent stresses the mice, activating the CRF system, which enhances their …

04 September 2022 13:24 — : An almost pastoral idyllic scene as a cow relaxes by the shore of the rainwater lake in the paddock next door.

04 September 2022 13:22 — : Spotted on today’s trip to the supermarket: Wakachangi Beer. I suppose the ‘humour’ is supposed to somehow neutralise the use of a stereotyped swooning woman with breasts all but exposed…

03 September 2022 09:29 — : Good grief! I was listening to some Andalusian Arabic music and wondered about an instrument that sometimes sounds like a cross between a duck quacking and a dog barking. I figured it was a bowed two-string instrument and called up Wikipedia’s …

02 September 2022 17:56 — : The movie Master Cheng, aka A Spice for Life, was an absolute delight. A Chinese man and his young son arrive in a tiny village in the north of Finland, looking for someone no-one has heard of. I don’t want to say more and spoil it, but I loved …

02 September 2022 10:14 — : Sasha: Excuse me. I’m pretty sure it’s Anchovy time. 🐶 [Because she’s blind, she doesn’t know she’s not actually looking at me.]

02 September 2022 07:31 — : Excellent 7.5 minute video: Where does the name “black hole” come from?: …used to be called “gravitationally completely collapsed objects” so where did the name “black hole” come from? Especially considering …

01 September 2022 17:16 — : With the wet Winter and now Spring all the grass and weeds and whatnot are growing. I spent an hour and a half weedeating today. One small portion was the track down to and then around the septic tank.

01 September 2022 10:18 — : Lynda McDaniel kept me reading avidly in A Life for a Life (Appalachian Mountain Mysteries Book 1): Laurel Falls, N.C. … looked like heaven to me—ancient mountains brimming with tall trees and songbirds, peace and quiet. Until I found the body. …

01 September 2022 10:12 — : Jana DeLeon manages to keep her Miss Fortune series fresh, not just repeating plots. In Swamp Spirits (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 23) one minor recurring character has been elevated while another doesn’t actually appear. A good read! 📚 A …

01 September 2022 10:07 — : A good and well-written read: The Sheriff’s Wife (The Sheridan County Mysteries) by Erin Lark Maples: When she stumbles over a body on a favorite hiking trail, the sheriff’s wife becomes the chief sleuth 📚

01 September 2022 10:02 — : Recently read a 2-book freebie with Cooking Up Trouble (The Fun Cruise Mystery Series, A Sweet Romantic Cozy Mystery 1) and Undercover On The Calypso: Book One: The Cozy Cruise Mysteries, both by Lizzie Josephson. 📚 I enjoyed Undercover On The …

31 August 2022 16:42 — : This is one of 3 ring-decked doves that hang out on our lane. They let me get so close. 🐦

31 August 2022 16:41 — : Mother and son napping in the late afternoon sun. 🐴

30 August 2022 16:30 — : Loved Seasons 1 & 2 and really looking forward to S3 — My Life is Murder is Lucy Lawless’s love letter to Auckland: It’s not often a series about murder is full of joy, but [this] breaks the mould. … a lighthearted, easy watch full of quirky …

29 August 2022 16:10 — : Finally a duck came to explore the temporary pond on the paddock next door. Didn’t stay long though. 🐦

29 August 2022 13:33 — : An important woman who helped bring the Māori language to the forefront — Remembering Hana Te Hemara’s Māori language petition, 50 years on: Hana Te Hemara was the driving force behind the Māori language petition that led to the revitalisation of te …

28 August 2022 19:06 — : I’ve used MarsEdit for >18 years now. (Back in the day it belonged to Brent Simmons.) You’d think I’d know it pretty well. However, my latest feature request was solved by simply using the Status Bar menu item already available …

28 August 2022 15:47 — : My iPad just popped up this photo of two pigeons from 2004. Taken in Wellington I think, on Oriental Parade. 🐦

28 August 2022 14:43 — : The good friends we’ve been helping with dog walking for the last few weeks bought us lunch at Salt & Pepper in Ōhau. I had beer battered Terakihi, fries and salad. It was delicious, but 2 big bits of fish were more than I could eat. …

27 August 2022 07:21 — : The pre-dawn light really shows up the two new ponds in the paddock next door. This year’s excessive rainfall has created two large ponds. The groundwater level is so high they just can’t drain away even though it’s all sand round …

26 August 2022 11:31 — : This was fun: Medieval Hip Hop Mixtape — Bardcore / Medieval Style Instrumental Cover.

26 August 2022 10:00 — : I had no idea! There are two types of rain, and one of them is almost impossible to forecast. Watch the excellent 4 minute MinuteEarth video Why is Rain So Hard to Predict? about frontal rain and convective rain.

26 August 2022 09:52 — : 25 minute drive each way to the vet at Ōtaki. 5 minutes max at the vet for Sasha to get her monthly Arthropen shot and anal glands done. The Arthropen eases Sasha’s restlessness, helps her appetite and possibly helps her sleep all night. 🐶

25 August 2022 03:03 — : 3 am and I’ve drunk a cup of Premium Snowbuds white tea and eaten a Griffins Vanilla Wine biscuit or two. I’ve taken Sasha out for a pee. Maybe I could go back to sleep now, and not have more of the silly dreams I woke from… 🐶

24 August 2022 17:24 — : In the last week or so I’ve noticed birds flying by, beaks stuffed full with nesting materials. Others, like the hawks and black swans, seem to be busy impressing potential mates. Today I realised the gorse bushes in a nearby paddock are in …

23 August 2022 11:08 — : Sasha’s wellness is in a good place at the moment. Here she trots smoothly along the lane, head up. 🐶

22 August 2022 12:19 — : A superb explainer — What to know about monkeypox: Monkeypox is far less dangerous than Covid–19, but a severe lack of vaccines and lingering homophobic stigma are putting the brakes on attempts to eliminate it. Siouxsie Wiles and illustrator …

22 August 2022 11:53 — : I really wasn’t sure about Hacks (TV series) at first and almost didn’t bother watching after E01. I’m so glad I did though: by half way through S01 I was hooked. Next up: S02. 📺

21 August 2022 08:17 — : The Spinoff is bringing such excellent journalism. I read many more stories than from any other News website. Today’s excellence — The Sunday Essay: 林 / Ling: What’s in a name? Emma Ling Sidnam considers the meaning behind the words that make …

20 August 2022 16:05 — : One of the hazards of a rural area. This is the main entrance to our beach. Someone’s cows have bust out…

19 August 2022 10:42 — : An ‘atmospheric river’ of rain has dumped excessive water from the tropics on parts of Aotearoa New Zealand: Live wild weather updates: Nelson, Far North brace for more rain. A friend who lives north of Auckland visited on her way to …

18 August 2022 09:50 — : Yumm, buttermilk hotcakes at The Gorge in Ōtaki. Delicious.

17 August 2022 20:06 — : Turns out it requires special skill to take good photos of a glass paperweight, and I don’t have that skill. Anyway, here’s the paperweight I made at the workshop the other day. It has blue swirls.

17 August 2022 05:25 — : Another excellent Toby Morris cartoon — The Side Eye’s Two New Zealands: The Table. Follow the link for the other panels in the essay.

16 August 2022 18:49 — : When I was in Whanganui the other day this interesting mural caught my eye.

16 August 2022 18:33 — : When they were handing out adjectives to authors this one went back for thirds. I feel like I need a shower to wipe the muck off. Book discarded. 📚

16 August 2022 15:51 — : I really enjoyed The Orville, all 3 seasons, and very much want it to be renewed. S1 took itself much less seriously, but all seasons explored some very interesting issues. One standout for me was S01E07 Majority Rule — about a society where Likes …

16 August 2022 15:44 — : Ahhh — why episodes in The Orville S3 were so much longer than in Seasons 1 & 2: the show moved from Fox to Hulu — The Orville: …Season 4 Renewal Chances… Disney+ Views Could Be Game-Changer: on network dramas… you have to cut everything down to …

15 August 2022 08:20 — : Hooray! Maybe it is okay to not pursue potential and just be okay with being. Why must there be a reason for everything? Winnie Lim » on leading a purposeless life. Thanks @benwerd for the link.

14 August 2022 19:26 — : I’m finding I really enjoy this author. The quirky English has come to be a feature. The Season of Killing: (Lost in Alaska Book 5). In particular, Chapter 7 is enormously evocative of the perils of winter travel above the Arctic Circle. 📚

14 August 2022 10:46 — : First time ever I’ve seen a Kererū at Waikawa Beach. They do live 4 Km away (as the bird flies) but have never been down here before as far as I know. 🐦 Length: 50 cm; Weight: 630 g

13 August 2022 19:26 — : At the Make a paperweight workshop in Whanganui the glassworking area is on the bottom floor. The central furnace at 1100C is a vat of molten glass. The one on the right is simply for heating. The table has examples of paperweights. My work must cool …

13 August 2022 10:50 — : Today I’m in Whanganui for a 30 minute glassmaking workshop. First a cup of kawakawa fire tea at the cafe next door.

13 August 2022 08:04 — : It’s very bracing this morning, with an overnight low of –3C, and a good frost. There’s even ice on the puddles that developed in the paddock next door after recent excessive rain. Brrr.

12 August 2022 12:24 — : On a mid-winter day with no wind, clear blue skies and warm sun the sea was lapping gently against the shore as though it was a tropical island.

12 August 2022 12:19 — : At dawn, in the frost, I saw a beautiful full moon setting behind the lake at the end of the road.

12 August 2022 12:17 — : Beach mushroom.

11 August 2022 10:15 — : Don’t start listening to this if you’re supposed to be doing something else… 2Cellos - live at Sydney Opera House [Full Concert].

10 August 2022 10:46 — : Nearby land is very productive. As I drive I see teams working hard, picking veges in freezing cold or pouring rain. Many are probably seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands. This article about terrible conditions is a new insight: Paying to work: …

09 August 2022 13:43 — : Yes, Autocorrect, I was in fact trying to buy Harraways Rolled Goats at the supermarket! Or was it Rolled Boats? 🤣

08 August 2022 18:42 — : A short, easy read. Shadow Council Book 1: Money Makes it Deadlier by Julie C. Gilbert. Not sure I’ll read more though, given they all seem to be novellas. 📚

08 August 2022 17:40 — : We’ve now had enough rain that the paddock by the speed bump, that turns into a bit of a lake when it’s wet, has actually overflowed onto the road. First time I’ve ever seen the water manage to get beyond the grass berm. 🌧

07 August 2022 09:28 — : Deb and I watched and enjoyed Falling For Figaro. No surprises in the plot, but great landscapes and singing. A perfectly pleasant way to fill a slow afternoon. Nice to see a [fictitious] tiny Scots village supporting opera rather than sport. 🎥

07 August 2022 01:24 — : Woken by heavy rain. Time for a cuppa. So glad it didn’t wake Sasha as then I might have had to take her out in it for a pee.

06 August 2022 19:30 — : That time in September 2015 when we went on a camel trek in Morocco. Thanks iPad for the memory.

06 August 2022 11:57 — : I’ve enjoyed this free 7-day email course — Discard Your Anxiety: A clear and practical Stoic pathway to start making immediate progress with your anxious feelings. Today it introduced me to the wonderful term Hypomnemata.

06 August 2022 11:12 — : Interesting news today — Joffe Books Acquires Two Novels by Māori Writer Renée:  Otaki-based Renée is a much-loved and prolific writer … in her native New Zealand. She published The Wild Card, her first foray into crime fiction, in 2018 at age …

06 August 2022 09:46 — : Anna Havron gives us more interesting food for thought in Don’t Hold a Job, Hold an Office Instead: What if you thought of your jobs and your roles in life as offices, where you make vows or affirm an oath of office? What would your code of conduct …

05 August 2022 15:29 — : Another enjoyable read in the series: Flame and Fortune (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 22). Not nearly as many hijinks, but that works. Take a drink at every “We all laughed” though. 📚

05 August 2022 06:45 — : Interesting article: The Human Mind Is Not Meant to Be Awake After Midnight, Scientists Warn: our attention to negative stimuli is unusually heightened at night. When I’m awake in the middle of the night I often remind myself that nothing …

04 August 2022 18:29 — : My little friend Willow likes to keep one paw elevated while she eats. 🐶

04 August 2022 14:23 — : Our resident Kingfisher is so photogenic. 🐦

04 August 2022 10:48 — : About 10 days ago I reported a bloated dead sheep on the beach to Greater Wellington Regional Council, as it was in their area of responsibility. Today I followed digger tracks and saw they had buried the sheep.

03 August 2022 16:43 — : This was intriguing and enjoyable music: DakhaBrakha - Full Performance (Live on KEXP). A group from Ukraine. Interesting listening to their rap. Their website: DakhaBrakha official site - ДахаБраха офіційний сайт.

03 August 2022 09:46 — : Excellent Nichelle Nichols cartoon for August 3, 2022 from Kiwi cartoonist Sharon Murdoch. 🖖🏼

02 August 2022 16:19 — : Heh, November 1999, when I had long hair and thought having the camera automatically date stamp photos was a good thing.

01 August 2022 16:39 — : A nearby hill / mountain had a hat on this morning. Also, I’m messing around with edits to the image.

31 July 2022 11:50 — : This year so far, according to my rain gauge, we’ve had more rain than in the whole of 2020 or 2019 and we’ll soon exceed the whole of last year. No wonder the paddock next door is turning into a lake. 🌧

31 July 2022 07:34 — : Whew! Some server problem meant that for the last week or two I’ve completed the WSJ crossword on the web. That was a nasty experience. Finally though I can get back to the delights of completing it in Black Ink from @danielpunkass.

30 July 2022 13:08 — 186+ mystery books I've loved : I read a lot of mysteries. Some are mediocre — I abandon the ones that are too rubbish — while others are good, or even excellent. I’ve now developed for myself a list of authors whose mysteries I will always read. Note: I read on Kindle and …

30 July 2022 09:40 — : Such an impressive channel! Anyone at all interested in languages will find this video fascinating: What Makes Papuan Languages So Unique?: Melanesia has the most languages on earth, most of which are Papuan. These features set them apart from …

30 July 2022 07:03 — : Then I moved right along to Close to the Edge (Detective Sarah Burke Book 7) by Elizabeth Gunn because I knew it’d be a good read, and it was. 📚 Why was a kindly man, dedicated to looking after the elderly, gunned down by a team of hoodlums …

30 July 2022 06:59 — : I raced through Close to Home (Detective Sarah Burke Book 6) by Elizabeth Gunn. She’s an excellent author who tells a good story. 📚 The victim has no phone, no Medicare card. His neighbors don’t even know his name. Why would someone do this to …

30 July 2022 06:53 — : After a few days I can say that using a feedreader is the best and easiest way to catch up with the overnight Micro.Blog timeline. Thanks to @todor for the link to ‘Friends posts’ in Feeds - Developers - Micro.blog Help Center. I use the …

29 July 2022 17:12 — : December 2008: flamingos at Honolulu Zoo. What on earth is that one at the back doing with its neck?! 🐦

28 July 2022 14:20 — : This cabbage tree serves me as a kind of a high groundwater indicator. Normally it’s several metres from the water in the lake, but with all the rain we’ve had it’s close to being surrounded by water. The second photo of the tree is …

27 July 2022 12:17 — : Hang in there! 🐦

27 July 2022 10:12 — : My thanks to whoever on my timeline mentioned enjoying Only Murders in the Building. I’m loving it so much! 📺

26 July 2022 09:34 — : Such a lovely short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: Free Fiction Monday: Star: On the night Anna’s boyfriend tried to kill her, Anna’s badly injured cat Star disappeared. Now, half a continent away, Anna’s neighbor tells her about a white cat with …

26 July 2022 06:37 — : This is useful: Create Your Own Acceptance Mantra: The purpose of an acceptance mantra is to act as a sort of trigger. It can be used as part of a simple practice to reset your mind when it comes time to accept the situation you find yourself in.

25 July 2022 14:38 — : Loved @Cheri’s latest book: Death at Dagger Cove (Butterfly Island Mysteries Book 2) by Cheri Baker. I’ll confess I read an advance copy, now I’m rereading and loving it just as much. My comment after first reading was: I really …

25 July 2022 13:59 — The UP! 3D printer blog post originally published in November 2011 : Note: the article below was originally published on my now defunct KnowIt blog in November 2011. Links have been updated or adapted, or may be broken. I guess most of us have printed a letter, photo or invitation at one time or another. And for most …

25 July 2022 13:57 — : Looks like it was November 2011 when I was sent a 3D printer to test out and write about on my KnowIt blog (now defunct). Now the iPad stand I printed is doing duty as a Kindle stand. [Kindle screen shows @Cheri’s excellent new book: Death at …

24 July 2022 17:30 — : The storms we had this month must have ripped out someone’s pine plantation. The beach is strewn with dozens of young pine trees, roots and all. I imagine they came down the Whanganui River.

23 July 2022 19:33 — : This is very interesting. Giving it a whirl: Use AssistiveTouch for Customizable Shortcuts on the iPhone and iPad - TidBITS.

23 July 2022 16:02 — : Another excellent read from a good author: Closing Ranks (Detective Sarah Burke Book 5) by Elizabeth Gunn. To solve a current crime Sarah has to delve into an older crime or two. 📚 An ex-cop. An apparent suicide. Three bizarre deaths.

23 July 2022 15:46 — : I like to add Titles to my Photos in the Photos app on Mac, but half the time what I type gets eaten up. Pasting works fine though, which led me in the end to this Applescript, triggered by Keyboard Maestro. The linked script is a text file.

22 July 2022 10:31 — : I wanted a messenger style bag to carry my camera with its big lens when I walk on the beach to take bird photos. I found what turned out to be a perfect bag at Army and Outdoors NZ. It’s a Vintage Canvas Messenger Shoulder Bag. Roomy main …

21 July 2022 15:11 — : Darn! So intent on measuring out 710 mls from a 750 ml bottle of milk I totally forgot I was supposed to heat the milk before adding it to the rice! How to make Mary Berry’s Classic Rice Pudding. Oh well… too late now.

21 July 2022 05:11 — : This is a great little story — Taranaki man’s e-bike wheelchair carries his wife to see the sea: he explained how he made some clever alterations to the frame of his e-bike to connect it to Bev’s wheelchair. … the invention allowed her …

20 July 2022 20:34 — : Yesterday I sponged a patch of matted hair on the back of Sasha’s neck and found an open wound (the size of a small finger nail). No idea how it got there! Mary the vet thinks it was maybe a White-tailed spider bite. She cleaned it up and Sasha …

20 July 2022 17:27 — : I read Micro.Blog via Safari on Mac (mainly). Every morning it’s the same thing to catch up on the timeline: refresh, scroll, scroll, click the More button, scroll, scroll, click… It takes about 5 screens usually. Now Keyboard Maestro does the …

19 July 2022 19:38 — : The first third of Murder on Sea (Rina Martin Murder Mystery Book 1) was a bit annoying and not really my thing. I was considering reading something else instead. Then suddenly it all fell into place and I really got caught up in the story. May well …

19 July 2022 10:19 — : Finally had my second booster Covid jab. Hurt a bit going in but feels good being better protected. 😎

18 July 2022 14:14 — : Just amazed at the cleverness of NYTimes Sunday, July 17, 2022 Crossword Puzzle: Note:
Players seek to combine one or more of the cards they hold with cards laid out on the table to make the best possible five-card poker hand. Can’t say why …

18 July 2022 09:52 — : Really enjoying listening to Sona Jobarteh & Band (1 hour): Sona Jobarteh is the first female Kora virtuoso to come from a west African Griot family.

18 July 2022 09:01 — : Heh, the Spinoff are spending a week talking about a huge deal in the lives of over half the people in the world who are over about 12, and which is almost never talked about openly: Why we’re talking about periods all week on The Spinoff.

17 July 2022 20:16 — : Two free books I abandoned: Ambassador 1: Seeing Red by Patty Jansen. Should have been obvious it’d be all politics but that’s just not my thing. Probably pretty good. Hash Browns And Homicide (no link) by Karen McSpade was silly and …

17 July 2022 20:01 — : Some very grim topics in Under Violent Skies (Detective Sara Hirst Book 1) are probably why I started the book months ago but only picked it up again this week. A murder, a criminal gang, violence, racism, sexism, xenophobia. I’ll read more in …

17 July 2022 19:56 — : It’s not too surprising that I really enjoyed Old Bones Lie (Detective Clare Mackay Book 6 by Marion Todd, given I’ve enjoyed the previous 5. Another great read. 📚

17 July 2022 19:50 — : I wanted to like this writer who lives mainly in Aotearoa New Zealand, but the book simply missed its mark. It just didn’t quite work for me. Death at Grenstead House (Madeleine Brooks Mysteries) by Tannis Laidlaw. I’m unlikely to read …

17 July 2022 03:49 — : It’s 3.45 am and I’ve had a cup of tea and a biscuit after being awake for a couple of hours already. It’s that ‘untethered’ time in the middle of the night when all the unreal things come out to play. Maybe I can sleep …

17 July 2022 03:40 — : I’ve suggested our library buy this. It looks really interesting and is relevant around here. Life in the Shallows: How wetlands work, what lives there, and what we can do to protect them This whole coast was once wetlands, most now drained. …

16 July 2022 15:24 — : Sasha, mostly blind, stopped at the white line on the road then tiptoed carefully across. Next she ended up on one side of the ‘Give Way’ triangle and walked carefully along the line. The world can bewilder her. 🐶

15 July 2022 14:02 — : Planning a trip out for dinner tonight to nearby Shannon, a 35 minute drive away. Including say 1 hour to eat that’s a 2.25 hour trip and I can (just) leave Sasha that long. Now, how to schedule her dinner and post-dinner walk? Old dogs can be …

15 July 2022 09:42 — : Silver and gold: this morning Sasha and I made it all the way to the lakes (approx 500 metres away). Looking southwest I saw the setting silver almost full moon. Looking northeast I saw golden reflections of the soon to rise sun.

15 July 2022 09:38 — : We’ve achieved a point where Sasha’s food, meds and the cool temperatures mean she trots happily along on our brief walks. I wanted to capture that this morning. Because she’s blind she goes off-course a lot. 🐶

14 July 2022 10:30 — : The setting Supermoon at dawn.

14 July 2022 10:27 — : Sasha won’t go down to the dog yard any more so she now gets half a dozen ‘walks’ per day for toileting. I stopped to take a photo of the setting Super Moon and also Sasha this morning so she spent the time circling me. Not helpful. …

13 July 2022 18:54 — : It was a bit impressive down by the sea at high tide this morning. It’s winter so lots of rain, gales, high tides and big swells out in the open sea are only to be expected… Check out this foam mountain though.

13 July 2022 17:39 — : Nice! Amber Clyde: never take criticism to heart from somebody you wouldn’t go to for advice. Via This is what the future of New Zealand looks like: Meet the 2022 Y25

13 July 2022 15:56 — : I’m always a bit suspicious when military helicopters fly over in gangs. Today it was a gang of three, right overhead.

13 July 2022 14:11 — : On Mangawhero Forest Walk I spotted these really really white fungi on a tree trunk.

13 July 2022 14:08 — : Rimu Walk and Mangawhero Forest Walk at Ohakune share a common entrance. I enjoyed both. Both are easy walks. On the Forest Walk I came face to face with a Ruru, usually only around at night. No photo of the bird, sadly, only the branch it was …

13 July 2022 14:01 — : Ohakune is a town just below the very popular Turoa skifield. Next to a walk I was about to do I found this memorial stone and info about Mollie, an ill-fated circus elephant who died there in 1957, aged 13, poisoned by eating the plant Tutu. 😿

13 July 2022 13:35 — : I was surprised how much I enjoyed the 1 hour 40 minute concert Loreena McKennitt - Nights From The Alhambra. Generally for me a little Celtic music goes an extremely long way. Much seemed to have middle-Eastern influences though. Some instruments I …

12 July 2022 11:58 — : My handmade leather iPhone sleeve by @aa was so excellent (it’s serving me beautifully) that I ordered a leather wrist strap for my camera with big heavy zoom lens. The strap arrived today and is exactly what I wanted.

12 July 2022 10:24 — : Ridge Track at Whakapapa is a short little trail that climbs up behind the Chateau offering views. In the last the snowy cone of Mt Taranaki is just visible.

12 July 2022 10:16 — : Chateau Tongariro at Whakapapa is an impressive building, seeming to sit alone on the landscape. It’s certainly comfortable in the lounge where you can get tea and alcohol and smaller or bigger meals with a view. Meals are expensive though. …

11 July 2022 16:16 — The Taranaki Falls Track : The Taranaki Falls Track is a 6 Km loop on the slopes of Mt Ruapehu. It passes through both native forest and open land. The Falls spill through solid rock. Snow-topped mountains Ruapehu and neighbour Ngauruhoe appear of course, but also Taranaki, …

10 July 2022 14:06 — : In December 2008 I taught 3 WordPress courses over a weekend as part of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa Pacific New Media Outreach program. One day on my trip I visited Mauna Kea and the observatories, unaware of controversies around use of …

10 July 2022 10:45 — : Mounds Walk at Tongariro was another short track, with several information boards. After a few minutes there’s a view across the landscape. The Mounds were created by volcanic rubble and slabs of rock that swept down the mountain 11,000 years …

10 July 2022 10:37 — : The Tawhai Falls Track was very short but led to a really nice waterfall. Midwinter and two young men were wrapped in towels having just been for a dip. Brrr!

09 July 2022 17:33 — 9 kinds of fungi on Silica Rapids walk : I don’t know anything much about fungi, except I like to look at them. The Silica Rapids walk was bounteous when it came to fungi. I don’t know the names of any of the fungi in the photos below, or anything about them. Enjoy.

09 July 2022 16:42 — My Silica Rapids walk : I think the Silica Rapids walk at Tongariro was my favourite, even though the weather was a bit dull and drizzly. Native forest, alpine bogs, streams. I loved it all. Theoretically there were birds in some spots but I didn’t see them.

09 July 2022 16:31 — : Why is it anyone wants to live in Auckland? Three news items in a row in my feed this morning: a home shot at, a stabbing, and a woman dies after an assault — all in Auckland.

07 July 2022 16:24 — My Lake Rotokura walk : Lake Rotokura is near Waiouru and is an easy ~30 minute walk, although there were a few fallen logs to clamber over. There were several interesting fungi. The ‘dry’ lake had water in it, along with a heap of dead trees still standing. …

07 July 2022 15:58 — : Before I went off walking I relaced my boots. In my photo the right boot is the old way (how they came from the shop). The left boot shows the new, incredibly much more comfortable, way. I should have done this a year ago… If you’ve never seen …

07 July 2022 13:29 — : It’s not fair to laugh at a dog who’s old, blind, mainly deaf, frail, etc, but sometimes I have to: Sasha was looking intently at the gap between the fridge and the pantry with the firm conviction that’s where I was. I was at the …

07 July 2022 11:44 — : We have to accept the little facts of life. Bland indifference is a start, but cheerful whistling is even better. Source: Accepting The Little Facts of Life Thanks @kitt for the link to this.

07 July 2022 11:41 — : Woohoo, the book I co-wrote in 2006 is still earning me royalties. What shall I do with my 17 cents, I wonder?

07 July 2022 08:21 — : This 22 minute doco is a delight: Inside the wonderful world of Hairy Maclary creator Lynley Dodd. What Kiwi doesn’t know the immortal words: “Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s dairy”, along with the characters Slinky Malinki and …

06 July 2022 19:47 — : I somehow got this free: A Dealer Dead Ahead (Law & Carter Cozy Mysteries Book 1). I read it to the end but didn’t care for it a whole lot. It just wasn’t very good, in any way. I might read another if it were free. Maybe this author …

06 July 2022 16:27 — My Tongariro National Park visit — summary : Last weekend I visited Tongariro National Park to do some short walks. The winter weather was very obliging and I had a wonderful time. My favourite was the Silica Rapids Walk, even though it was a bit misty / drizzly from time to time. If I could …

06 July 2022 10:22 — : Took me a while to get to this, but then I really enjoyed The Murderer’s Son (Jackman & Evans Book 1) by Joy Ellis. Of course. Ellis is an excellent writer: 📚 a man called Daniel Kinder walks into Saltern police station and confesses to …

05 July 2022 16:33 — : These fungi on the Mangawhero Forest Walk at Ohakune were very white.

05 July 2022 10:48 — : I rounded a corner on a trail and saw a dark lump on this branch. Then I realised it had a short tail. Then I saw the eyes and pointed beak that told me it was a Ruru. I took a sec to get my phone out and it left silently. (Photo re-uploaded)

05 July 2022 07:56 — : It only takes 3 and a half hours to drive home, and that includes a detour to a track. I should visit this area more often: stunning scenery, amazing short (and long) walks.

04 July 2022 18:29 — : One of my favourite photos from today’s Taranaki Falls track — steps just beyond the Falls.

04 July 2022 18:16 — : From the road to Whakapapa — look leftish and there’s Ngauruhoe; look rightish and there’s Ruapehu.

04 July 2022 16:38 — : That was me, though at ~1200 metres, not the tippy-top: MetService: To anyone standing on top of Mt. Ruapehu right now, there is not a single cloud within approximately 125km of you… in any direction.

04 July 2022 11:50 — : Well that was a … relief. Things aren’t always so … convenient at 1200 meters altitude.

04 July 2022 08:56 — : Today’s plan is to drive to Whakapapa again, walk to Taranaki Falls — 6 Km loop, then Ridge Track — 1.4 Km return. Still thinking of yesterday’s wonderful Silica Rapids walk. Here are two different blue fungi from that track.

04 July 2022 06:52 — : Useful words: Accept that the present moment is rarely unbearable. … Accept that the past is gone and isn’t coming back. … Accept that the future hasn’t arrived and will always remain uncertain. … Source: A Better Way To Escape Pain - What Is …

03 July 2022 17:31 — : Caution road sign: Kiwi crossing at night. With Mt Ruapehu in the background.

03 July 2022 14:43 — : Silica Rapids walk could be named Fungus walk. I came across black, brown, white, blue, chestnut and even gold coloured fungi. These were pretty special!

03 July 2022 13:55 — : Silica Rapids on the slopes of Mt Ruapehu. It was a fabulous walk through varied mountain landscapes.

03 July 2022 07:27 — : My plan for today is to visit the Silica Rapids Walk and Punaruku Falls near Whakapapa Village. I won’t walk the loop, just there and back. Checking weather, roads etc as I don’t ‘do’ snow. A lot of visitors to that part of …

02 July 2022 17:11 — : Mount Ruapehu appears across Lake Rotokura. I had a lovely 75 minute walk there but saw only a very few birds.

02 July 2022 16:31 — : As I neared Waiouru snow-covered Mt Ruapehu made an appearance.

02 July 2022 07:24 — : Today’s destination: Tongariro National Park: Home to three active volcanic mountains, and iconic and majestic landscapes, Tongariro National Park has attracted adventurers of all ages since 1887.

02 July 2022 07:18 — : On the plus side: I did manage about 5-6 hours sleep and only one of Sasha’s 3 poops in the middle of the night was indoors. [yawn] Turns out we need to be alert to the slightest hint she needs to go out. Old dog problems… 🐶

01 July 2022 21:54 — : Tomorrow I head off to Tongariro National Park for a few days of easy short walks and some lounging around. Should be fun, though chilly.

01 July 2022 16:37 — : Side eye. (Kingfisher) 🐦

30 June 2022 17:23 — : I just watched Soul and found it remarkable. Uplifting, clever, funny. Loved hearing the Kiwi actor Rachel House as Terry the accountant. Visually it was amazing: the way the light played on Joe’s hands as he played the piano… 🎥

29 June 2022 16:06 — : A genre I usually avoid is (heterosexual) romance, but Kristine Kathryn Rusch is such a skilled writer that I really enjoyed The Perfect Man: [detective] Tasha Morgan finds herself dangerously attracted to sexy, mysterious Rick Chance … whose secret …

28 June 2022 08:53 — : I just rewatched How to Self-Publish A Novel from @Cheri in Micro Camp 2022 (17 minutes). This is such an excellent presentation, and packed full with useful info. If you’re thinking of publishing a novel then definitely watch. Shame I’m …

28 June 2022 07:07 — : The government just opened up second Covid booster shots for the over-50s. I was astonished to get an appointment so quickly. Off for my boost this morning.

27 June 2022 18:16 — : Today I’m watching a bunch of videos, like this one: How to use Back button auto focus with Fujifilm camera as another step in getting to know my camera better and maybe taking better photos. Hope I remember I’ve changed how the Shutter …

27 June 2022 16:45 — : Waxeye stack. 🐦

26 June 2022 15:30 — : An article that everyone should read: The Sunday Essay: My breasts and me.

26 June 2022 15:11 — : We went to see Elvis (2022 film) this morning. It’s an intense movie and we all came out quite sombre. Austin Butler did a magnificent job playing Elvis. Meanwhile Elvis’s manager Col. Tom Parker was revealed to be a man without an iota …

26 June 2022 09:05 — : I did my NZ Garden Bird Survey on Saturday and saw: 6 sparrows, 3 magpies, 3 swallows, 3 waxeyes, 1 fantail, 1 blackbird, 1 kingfisher, 1 hawk, 1 chaffinch, 1 pheasant. Tupu-a-rangi, one of the Matariki stars, is connected to all birds of the air…

25 June 2022 19:39 — : We visited the Pottery Expo at Ōtaki Racecourse today. I bought this Sea and Sky bowl by Janice McDonagh. I’ll put it in the garden somewhere as a water bowl for wildlife.

25 June 2022 09:13 — : A note for men in the US. Listen up! With the catastrophic Roe vs Wade decision you must support all women in your life. You ALSO need to tackle men: stop men’s violence against women (from tiny sexism to outright torture). What can men do to …

24 June 2022 08:09 — : I had no idea there are 43 different blood types! From Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 Jun 2022. most people are aware of the four main blood groups, A, B, AB and O…blood can be divided into …43 recognised types… A very rare type called Jk3… is found in … …

24 June 2022 05:19 — : Mānawatia a Matariki! “Matariki is about celebrating who we were, who we are, and who we want to be.”

23 June 2022 10:38 — : Sasha, aged 15 and a half enjoys: walks, food, treats, bonus rabbit poop on walks, an occasional cuddle, napping. Today we did a ‘long’ walk: ~1.2 Km return. 🐶

22 June 2022 20:06 — : Nice! “Don’t buy presents. Be present.” Mānawatia a Matariki! Tips for how to celebrate if you don’t know where to start.

22 June 2022 14:11 — : Just did that thing where you write a comprehensive email, check something in an archived email before sending then close the wrong window without saving by mistake!!! 👿

22 June 2022 13:18 — : Help on a small project I was feeling dispirited about has arrived from an unexpected quarter. What a boost that gives! I want to get an informational sign restored. It’s about an important part of our local history but was destroyed by a …

22 June 2022 10:47 — : First snow of the season on the nearby Tararuas. Brrr.

21 June 2022 16:59 — : I had errands in Palmerston North today so treated myself to a Chicken Teriyaki lunch at Mr Choi’s. As always, it was utterly delicious! It comes with rice, seaweed and miso soup.

20 June 2022 14:21 — : Tomorrow brings us Winter Solstice. The good news is daylight hours start increasing. The bad news is now the weather will be stink till something like October, November or even December.

20 June 2022 14:06 — : Storms like the ones that filled the first couple of weeks of June for us bring loads of stuff onto the beach: driftwood, weed from the river, but also rubbish: plastic, food wrappers, glass bottles, drink cans and more. Luckily locals pick up bags …

20 June 2022 06:23 — : Yesterday’s excellent movie — Whina: Dame Whina Cooper was a Māori matriarch who worked tirelessly to improve the rights of her people, especially women. Known as Te Whaea o te Motu (Mother of the Nation), she changed the course of Aotearoa New …

19 June 2022 12:47 — : This Eastern Rosella announced herself and then stuck around long enough for me to take some photos. 🐦 Updated with better quality photo.

19 June 2022 12:10 — : This little Piwakawaka was flitting round me, then landed close enough for me to be able to take a couple of iPhone photos. 🐦

19 June 2022 06:13 — : To celebrate Deb’s upcoming birthday we went with friends to Soprano Ristorante. Pricey but delicious food. We all had different dishes and each was excelllent. I really enjoyed the Fettucine with chicken, red capsicum and mushroom.

18 June 2022 15:10 — : The river mouth was looking pretty good at dawn today.

17 June 2022 15:29 — : I cooked Quick Vanilla Rice Pudding while Deb was driving home. Yummm! She’d better hurry up and get here or there won’t be any left. 🤩

17 June 2022 06:06 — : In a quest for variety and expanding horizons I’m listening to new-to-me music each day. I go to YouTube and search for ‘traditional music [name of country or ethnic group]’. It gives interesting results and I’ve found a few …

16 June 2022 12:34 — : Our new Matariki national holiday, the country's first public holiday centred on Māori culture, is being celebrated on Friday 24 June this year. The three themes of [every] Matariki: A chance to reflect: remembering those we have lost and …

16 June 2022 10:50 — : My Merrell Siren Traveller 3 Women’s Trail Shoes are my favourites, but only 7 months after purchase the stitching on the seam near the toe is coming adrift. I’ve emailed the company and the store to see what they can do about it. NZ law …

16 June 2022 07:57 — : I must say, 1Password has always worked brilliantly and easily for me … until the latest version (8). Now it’s an utter pain in the bum and I have to dance around all over the show, manually opening it, searching for passwords, copying them etc …

15 June 2022 08:28 — : Goodnight Moon.

14 June 2022 19:41 — : Hooray for web searches. This solved my Quick Look ‘gone wrong’ problem: macOS 12 Monterey Quick Look preview not working? Try this workaround — Force Quit Quick Look in Activity Monitor. Before and After screenshots.

14 June 2022 10:25 — : Whew. After 18.75 hours power has been restored. Now charging all the things. 😀 And looking into @jean’s suggestion of a portable power station like this one: YETI 200X Portable Power Station - Goal Zero New Zealand

14 June 2022 06:17 — : The power didn’t come back on overnight so that’s 15 hours now and counting. At least the thunderstorms have stopped and the gales have died down. I’ve lit the wood burner to boil water for tea, and because it’s cold.

13 June 2022 19:24 — : 4 hours ago in mid afternoon we had yet another big thunderstorm. That’s when the power went off. Still in the dark… I sure would like a cup of tea!

13 June 2022 12:24 — : I was a bit surprised to find I really enjoyed listening to Tatar Folk Music, especially the track at 14:53 — Kirfiklere. Tatarstan … traditional music is a mixture of Turkic and Finno-Ugric elements, reportedly bridging Mongolian and Hungarian …

13 June 2022 03:44 — : We get maybe two thunderstorms a year round here. Except for this month where intermittent storms have been rolling through for 5 days and nights now. I’ve never known such thundery weather. It’s 3.30 am and the house is shaking with the …

12 June 2022 17:03 — : Signed up for a month of Disney+ to watch a few things. Finally saw and enjoyed and felt moved by Turning Red. One highlight for me: the amazing and beautiful scene near the start of the movie of Mei’s father preparing dinner.

12 June 2022 14:26 — : A couple of weeks ago I discovered, installed, paid for Grocery App: A smart shopping list, recipe manager, meal planner and inventory tracker for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. It’s brilliant! I share recipes and shopping list with Deb now, …

12 June 2022 07:16 — : This is a wonderful story for a Sunday morning — The Sunday Essay: A never-ending pot of curry: As a child in India, Perzen Patel wished for a bowl of her grandmother’s curry that would never run out and always remind her of home. In New Zealand, …

11 June 2022 11:03 — : I wanted the ‘exoticism’ of this book set in rural Sri Lanka, but the book itself just didn’t grab me. The Body in the Paddy Field (A Sri Lankan Mystery Book 1): her friend becomes the prime suspect … the only way to help … is to …

11 June 2022 10:56 — : About 2 hours after high tide, with an open sea swell of 5 metres, and westerly gales so strong they just about knocked me off my feet while I took this photo: the Waikawa Beach estuary, full. And yes, events like this are eroding the dunes quite …

10 June 2022 15:03 — : Look who was groomed today! Sasha so clean and tidy. 🐶

10 June 2022 06:57 — : Rachel McAlpine on growing old: You know so much! From reading, hearing, viewing, and being there. … But which items swell up to become massively important and which ones dwindle away into the distance? Two points about growing old — Write Into …

10 June 2022 06:50 — : Did you know I went to Mars? You can too: Mars Photo Booth - NASA Mars. 🤣

10 June 2022 06:18 — : We’re getting a lot of these at the moment. ⛈

09 June 2022 16:49 — : Today’s order of business. ⛈

09 June 2022 15:06 — : HIP (on Acorn TV, French) is a really fun show. It’s another where a solo mum of several children solves crimes while wrangling family. Morgane’s … 160 IQ spoils her life a bit until … Her extraordinary abilities are spotted by the …

09 June 2022 08:23 — : Hmmm, this video by Jan Wegener, mainly about bird photography, had some very useful info: Take SHARPER Images with ANY camera! No More BLURRY Photos! Tips for Success. One useful point — if the bird’s far away the mass of air between bird and …

09 June 2022 07:28 — : I quickly glazed over while looking at About the security of passkeys - Apple Support. Can anyone point me to a “What the heck are Passkeys?, for Dummies” type resource?

08 June 2022 15:14 — : Today I helped a very smart friend set up a new Mac laptop with touch ID button. When it came to adding a fingerprint, she’d had a problem before I came along. Turns out she’d interpreted the instructions on screen as an invitation to …

07 June 2022 20:34 — : Deb and I enjoyed watching the all too brief Season One of Annika. No word if there’ll be another season, so fingers crossed. Annika is a British crime drama TV series… Annika Strandhed is a Detective Inspector in … the Glasgow Marine Homicide …

07 June 2022 13:38 — : Soon after I spent up large on a Fujinon XF100-400mm F4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR zoom lens for taking photos of birds, Fuji have come out with an even bigger and only slightly more expensive lens: Fujifilm Announces The New XF150-600mm Lens. Sigh. Still, …

07 June 2022 08:08 — : Thank you sunrise, light shower and iPhone for this early morning rainbow. 😀

07 June 2022 06:17 — : Realised when I opened my MacBook Pro this morning that WWDC keynote was live. Tuned in as I do every year. Actually closed the tab again within 30 seconds as it just felt way too hypey. Plus, I’m not planning on buying anything anyway. …

06 June 2022 16:40 — : Today’s main feature: a splitting headache, eased in the end by a one hour deep sleep in the afternoon. 🤕

05 June 2022 09:23 — : Gorgeous 5 Km beach walk to start my Sunday. Thanks to all those on my overnight Micro.Blog timeline who mentioned going for a walk: it helped get me out of bed and into the frosty morning.

04 June 2022 10:55 — : 10 years ago I bought a Wacom Intuos 5 graphics tablet, upgrading from previous versions. Not for graphics, but because after a rough time getting used to it I much preferred it to mouse or touch pad. After several years when it hid in a drawer, …

03 June 2022 16:12 — : The sun was low behind me; the hawk circling high in front of me. 🐦

02 June 2022 13:26 — : Sasha has never really been the most cuddly dog. She seems to be changing her ways though. 🐶

02 June 2022 06:19 — : Fears cultural significance of Matariki may be lost: Matariki … is a period of solemn reflection, followed by a celebration of the present and looking ahead to the future. It is an appreciation for the earth, the ocean and the environment, and for …

01 June 2022 20:08 — : Leigh Mayberry has very quirky language in her books, but still I usually enjoy them. Murderous Profits (Lost in Alaska Book 7). Looks like I skipped 5 & 6 after #4 disappointed. Perhaps I should go back to them… 📚

01 June 2022 17:47 — : A couple of mornings ago I was making breakfast when I noticed the top half of the quail run door was open. I rushed out to check on the two girls, who fortunately were sitting happily minding their own business. I must have left the door open the …

31 May 2022 18:06 — : Hey Kiwis, if you visit EECA’s tyre pressure tool it tells you what the tire pressure should be for your car. Enter your number plate and the recommended tyre pressure is shown.

31 May 2022 14:30 — : 10 minute video: Koko Ibaraki is a world class pole dancer at 50: pole dancing remains a challenging feat of stamina, flexibility and an incredible amount of strength. This is an actual sport that demands a phenomenal degree of athleticism. The …

31 May 2022 13:42 — : Keyboard Maestro helps with so much on my Mac. Sometimes I want to have the Clipboard contents in front of me, so I made a macro. I put the clipboard in a variable so a further Copy while viewing the contents wouldn’t upset anything. Here I …

31 May 2022 08:18 — : What a wonderful way to start a Tuesday morning! So energising! 2.25 hours of Barcelona Gipsy balKan Orchestra Live in Apolo 2019 - Sandra Sangiao Last Concert - YouTube. Sandra Sangiao has a beautiful voice.

30 May 2022 15:46 — : The problem with buying a tray of 30 eggs from the farm gate shop is when you’re trying to manage a single trip from the car to the house with multiple bags, in the rain. Today 3 eggs ‘escaped’. 😒

30 May 2022 09:34 — : I enjoy this series, and just read the final 4 stories: Rachel Prince Cruise Ship Mysteries: Books 1-10. That is one unlucky cruise ship! 😆

30 May 2022 09:21 — : Loving this morning’s random listen: Andalusian Spanish Arabic Music: الأنْدَلُس - YouTube.

29 May 2022 15:39 — : I glimpsed this juvenile Kōtare, Sacred Kingfisher through the window, managed a couple of shots and then it took off. I love my 100–400 zoom camera lens. 🐦

29 May 2022 14:51 — : It’s been a busy Sunday. Among other things, I cleaned out the old straw and sawdust from the quail run and topped up with a fresh coating. The quail were pretty stressed by the activity, but seem happy now, especially since they got an extra …

29 May 2022 09:20 — : I’ve signed up for this 30 minute New Zealand Glassworks Make a Paperweight Workshop for August. Deb did it back in June 2018 as a birthday present but logistics meant I couldn’t take part then. Finally I get to have a turn!

28 May 2022 16:10 — : Today we saw an Air Force Heritage Flight of New Zealand flypast: the superlative Supermarine Spitfire and three modern Beechcraft T–6C Texan IIs. I thought they were simply flying along the hills then they turned and flew directly overhead. …

27 May 2022 12:04 — : Today, for the second time in our lives, we have become mortgage-free. We have no debt and everything that comes in now is ours. 🥳

27 May 2022 10:11 — : I changed an account password today. Do you think I was too hasty?

26 May 2022 11:22 — : What an amazing resource. Thank you @scojjac I’m exploring Arabic: Language Transfer (languagetransfer.org) Fantastic audio course that teaches you to think in a language, not just memorize words.…Read: its.scojjac.com Scott Jack …

26 May 2022 10:03 — : The upside of ending up in Apple Music was I rediscovered a piece of music I adore: Ramirez: Misa Criolla (5 songs, 21 minutes): Ariel Ramírez (4 September 1921 – 18 February 2010) was an Argentine composer… considered “a chief exponent of …

26 May 2022 09:53 — : Utterly bewildered that to share with my family an app I’d just bought on the App Store I had to go to iTunes/Music‼️⁉️ I’ve been using Macs and Apple stuff for how long now — 30+ years and I found that process completely confusing and …

25 May 2022 10:47 — : Fungi season: I suspect this is a fly agaric (Amanita muscaria). I like to see fungi but never know what they are. Found just across the road from our letterbox today.

25 May 2022 09:41 — : Sharon Murdoch’s excellent cartoon today: Forty kororā/little blue penguins found dead on a Far North beach. FORTY (MORE) REASONS TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE. COUNT THEM. Kiwis love these little penguins that we see around parts of our coast.

25 May 2022 09:30 — : A few years ago I bought a Korg Nanokey 2 keyboard. I can’t play… Today I finally labelled the keys and began to learn to play Mary Had A Little Lamb! Woohoo! I don’t aim to be a musician, just to learn how to play some stuff. This is my …

25 May 2022 07:19 — : Since I suggested today’s Challenge word (mountain) — I can never remember which mountain is which in the central North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. This is one of: Ruapehu, Tongariro or Ngauruhoe as seen from the Desert Road. Taken years …

25 May 2022 07:11 — : This morning’s new-to-me music: Siberian Altai Turkic Traditional Music. I like it.

24 May 2022 11:47 — Mum. Mum. Mum. Mum. Spoonbill parenting… : Seen at the beach this morning: a juvenile Spoonbill with its parents. 🐦

23 May 2022 20:19 — : When I didn’t leave quickly enough one of the adult swans warned me off. I left. 🐦

23 May 2022 20:13 — : I think this little fantail lives in the bushes near our gate. 🐦

23 May 2022 20:11 — : No-one on the lake was very happy about me emerging from behind a bush to take an iPhone photo of the two black swans and their remaining 3 cygnets. 🐦

23 May 2022 09:08 — : This morning’s very enjoyable sound track, Afghani music: Daud Khan Sadozai - live - 2013.

22 May 2022 09:02 — : Hah! I always have such a feeling of achievement when I wrestle with both logic and regular expressions and win in the end. Today I amended a Keyboard Maestro macro to make an URL out of a post title for my news.wow-waikawa.nz site. I needed to …

21 May 2022 11:33 — : At 67 I’m neither geriatric nor elderly, but am having an issue with unintended weight loss. In December 2020 I was ~59 Kg — a good weight for me. Now it’s edged below 54.5 Kg. Blood tests show nothing. Will High Calorie Smoothies for …

21 May 2022 11:04 — : At last! Eastern Rosellas have been taunting me. I’ve heard their chattering at various times recently, then they’d shoot past and my camera was nowhere nearby. Today though, one perched outside my window and my one press of the shutter …

20 May 2022 08:34 — : It’s been a bit of a morning. 24mm rain between 4 and 8 am, wind gusts up to 62Kph, thunder, lots of lightning, and a mini tornado a few Km down the road. ⚡️💨

19 May 2022 09:49 — : Toutouwai, North Island Robin at Bushy Park. These little birds are such cuties, and so tame! 🐦

19 May 2022 09:36 — : At Bushy Park near Whanganui, this huge Northern Rātā: Height 39m; Diameter 3.72m; Girth 11.70m. Detail shows a plant growing on the tree.

18 May 2022 20:15 — : Given it’ll be winter, and ski season, I jumped in while a room was available and booked my next long weekend holiday for early July at Tongariro National Park. I don’t ski, but everything will soon be booked up by those who do. I plan to …

18 May 2022 17:47 — : The Veronica Loop Track in Egmont National Park is ~3.5 Km long, with an elevation gain of ~240 metres. This ‘moderately challenging’ route about killed me! On the map below I started with the right-hand side of the route and the …

18 May 2022 17:23 — : Feature request @help : after editing a Post via the web interface can we have a link to go straight to the published post please?

18 May 2022 17:14 — : Actual Kiwi (the birds) are rare in Aotearoa New Zealand and sadly hard to find. At least on Taranaki Mounga, although I didn’t see or hear any, I was alerted to their possible presence.

18 May 2022 13:18 — : An OK read: Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam (Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) by Jennifer S. Alderson 📚. This was free — I haven’t read the others in the series and probably won’t. Some very unlikely …

18 May 2022 13:13 — : Not great. It all seems very stuffy, old-fashioned and rather unlikely. The Death of Amelia Marsh (Sally Nimitz Mysteries Book 1) by MaryJo Dawson 📚. Just not my thing, I guess and it was a mistake to buy it.

17 May 2022 16:13 — : I’m only just this minute home from holiday, but look at these wonderful tiny pink fungi I saw at Bushy Park near Whanganui.

16 May 2022 17:26 — : Steps going up Veronica Loop Track with Taranaki Maunga rising up behind. Don’t know why it’s sideways. I’ll correct that in a day or two. Update, 18-May-22: photo orientation corrected and alt text added.

16 May 2022 16:14 — : The almost 4 Km Veronica Loop Track at North Egmont National Park took me a bit over 2 hours and left me beyond knackered! The first half was steps all the way up. The second was tricky track. 211 metres elevation gain! Amazing though.

15 May 2022 19:56 — : They’re serious about not letting dogs into Egmont National Park. 🐶

15 May 2022 16:22 — : You get the best views from half way up the mountain at 1150 metres (probably, if it’s not pouring with rain).

15 May 2022 07:41 — : I was hoping to walk a couple of 1–4 Km trails today at Egmont National Park, Te Papakura o Taranaki. However, this region’s under a Heavy Rain Warning and my plans have switched to visiting a couple of cafes and relaxing. Volcanoview Stratford …

14 May 2022 17:52 — : Mountain shaped ginger chicken at Siam Thai restaurant in New Plymouth. Super delicious.

14 May 2022 14:56 — : Taranaki mounga is enormous! Very imposing from the surrounding countryside.

13 May 2022 10:31 — : Here’s one of our friendly neighbourhood horses enjoying the warmth of dark ground on a chilly morning.

13 May 2022 09:32 — : The first episode of CW ☛ Naomi was very interesting and enjoyable. Thanks to Winding up season 1 of Naomi - Old Ain’t Dead for cluing me in to the show. I thought I was bored with superheroes, but I’ll be watching more of this one. 📺

12 May 2022 12:26 — : That ‘pimple’ centre screen is where I’ll be this coming weekend. 😀

12 May 2022 06:19 — : I have a rare holiday coming up: 4 days visiting Egmont National Park for some short walks, sightseeing and photos. Guess I’d better pack rain gear. 😒

11 May 2022 16:56 — : Sasha, still under the influence of post-surgery opiates. 🐶

11 May 2022 13:07 — : I’ve been a little on tenterhooks this morning as Sasha went in for dental surgery. The vet says all’s well. She took out 14 teeth! which leaves Sasha with 10. Dogs start out with 42. Soft food from now on though. Not bad for 15 and a …

11 May 2022 11:49 — : Hah! Picard S02E09: “We have to super urgently go there and do that. We’ll just stop every couple of minutes and explore our feelings for a while…” (paraphrase)

11 May 2022 08:56 — : This is why I can’t donate blood: perhaps you lived in the UK during the 1980s and 1990s so you’re at risk for passing on bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. Via: Why has the ‘gay blood ban’ still not been lifted in New …

10 May 2022 16:45 — : It took a rather ridiculous and surprisingly exhausting 2 hours to assemble this garden cart today. Trundles nicely though.

10 May 2022 10:56 — : A flock of about 20 cyclists went past while I was walking Sasha this morning. About 20 older people enjoying the fresh air. 🚴🏼

10 May 2022 07:08 — : Interesting short video. Ever wondered what happens to milk at the factory?: In this video, Glen explains what happens to milk at the factory. He takes us through the process and explains what is pasteurisation, homogenisation, standardisation and …

09 May 2022 16:36 — : The Tīrairaka, New Zealand fantail is a tricky bird to photograph and I’m still on a quest to get excellent photos. It flitters and flutters and is so fast! 🐦

09 May 2022 16:22 — : It may be 3 months since Oshi passed away, but Sasha has finally stepped into his ‘shoes’ with the ‘it’s dinnertime’ sit-in. And it will be dinnertime, in about an hour. Sigh 🐶

09 May 2022 16:17 — : I was trying to take photos of the elusive fantails who were flittering just outside the window. What I did get were these European Goldfinches, with their bright scarlet faces. 🐦

09 May 2022 07:26 — : I’ve used the wonderful Pastebot for Mac for the longest time but for some reason only today learned how to use sequential paste. 🤷🏼

08 May 2022 16:12 — : There’s something about the opening of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds that grabbed me right by my childhood viewings in the 60s of the Original Series. I got all teary! It took me right back to my childhood when the Space Age was new. ST:TOS was …

08 May 2022 14:22 — : In its second year my Granny Smith apple tree produced 7 apples. One fell off early in the season. I ate one recently. These 5 weigh 1 Kg in total. Very pleasing result. The birds ‘showed’ me they were ready to pick. 😆

08 May 2022 09:27 — : That was a treat! Deb made a delicious omelette for breakfast. Yum.

08 May 2022 08:52 — : This was an enjoyable read: Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest (Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) 📚: Carl, her fellow tour guide, is found floating in the Danube River. Was it murder or accidental death?

08 May 2022 07:07 — : This detail intrigues me: Two officers from the helicopter ran to the scene and took the seven youths into custody before they could get away. Seven arrested after helicopter police chase Two officers arresting 7 people seems pretty impressive to …

07 May 2022 11:03 — : Striding. 🐦

07 May 2022 09:38 — : Skating! This little New Zealand dotterel turns out to be banded, when I zoom in. They’re very small, fast birds: 25 cm and about 150 grams. Perfect on the beach: dark upper and white below so you think you’re just seeing shells on sand — till it …

06 May 2022 14:36 — : I’m surprised I finished reading Murder by the Book (A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery 1) by Lauren Elliott. It seemed confused and rushed, had basic logic flaws and the romantic elements were annoying. I’m unlikely to read more in this …

06 May 2022 13:55 — : I very nearly stopped watching Grace and Frankie in the middle of Season 7. It had been so long since the previous episodes aired and it dragged a bit. I’m so glad I stuck with it though. The ending(s) were spot on. So good to see old folk (and …

05 May 2022 09:09 — : Misty morning. Cobweb. Flax spear.

05 May 2022 09:04 — : Naughty little House sparrows sitting on the roof (pooping in the gutter that supplies our drinking water). 🐦 Update: the photo I exported at Medium resolution looked terrible. I’ve replaced it with a better version.

04 May 2022 14:43 — : Hey southern hemisphere types: do some sky watching over the next few mornings before dawn: The Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower Is About to Light Up The Skies, Here’s How to See It. ☄️

04 May 2022 09:57 — : Meanwhile, the Australian coots were having a bit of a dust-up (volume up). 🐦

04 May 2022 09:54 — : To my delight, this morning’s walk brought me two Kakīānau, Black swans with 4 cygnets, already swimming. 🐦

03 May 2022 14:50 — : Sasha 🐶 was not a cooperative model today, either before grooming or after.

02 May 2022 10:13 — : Not too bad to while away a few hours: A Welsh Murder Mystery Box Set Books 1–4 by Cathy Ace 📚: women of the WISE Enquiries Agency turned their backs on their previous careers to work together to help others. ‘Enquiries’ rather than …

01 May 2022 20:00 — : The Alton Brown Shepherd’s Pie I cooked tonight was delicious. The photo doesn’t do it justice.

01 May 2022 17:43 — : [Accidentally, while cooking] confirmed the smoke alarm still works. 👍

01 May 2022 14:25 — : Touching. Pied Stilt. 🐦

30 April 2022 10:55 — : Kāpiti Island rises from the dawn mist.

30 April 2022 10:02 — : This Karoro, Black-backed gull was keeping a close eye on me this morning. 🐦

29 April 2022 18:38 — : I did a heap of things today that I wanted to do. Some are unfinished, and that’s fine. The sky was blue, the sun warm, the day was still. The air is clean and I listened to birds. How fabulous to be alive! 🤩

29 April 2022 10:43 — : Fake puppies!: Police urge potential new pet owners to be wary following an influx of scams involving fake puppies and cryptocurrency. … potential red flags… [the scammers] will often use colourful text, Emojis and exhibit poor grammar. … payment …

29 April 2022 09:31 — : This post by @gregmoore reminded me of this day back in 2003 when Aphra 🐈, on top of the shower, was wondering if there was a yet higher place to reach.

29 April 2022 07:23 — : Aotearoa New Zealand is right in the middle of a giant high today, giving us cold clear nights and warm blue sky days. And no wind! 🤩 earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

28 April 2022 18:18 — : Things fell into place today for Deb and me to eat dinner out. We visited for the first time Nanyang Flavours in Shannon, a 35 minute drive from home, where I had Nasi Goreng. It was a very large meal and extremely delicious. I have leftovers for …

28 April 2022 09:47 — : Nothing special: just a photo from when I was walking Sasha 🐶 back along the lane to home, on a perfect morning. Blue skies, warm sun, not a breath of wind, silence apart from birds.

27 April 2022 17:10 — : This was such an interesting episode of Lingthusiasm: What it means for a language to be official. It’s way more complicated than I’d ever thought.

27 April 2022 07:10 — : Hah! Scifi writers note: to write a character who is… expert… Give them a deep, intense hatred of some oddly specific wow-I-did-not-even-know-that-was-a-thing-and-it-would-have-never-occurred-to-me-that-it’s-a-bad-thing thing they’ll gladly rant …

26 April 2022 16:57 — : Deb did a clean out and found an old iPhone 5. It’s so tiny! Look at it next to my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

26 April 2022 15:00 — : A friend and I drove to Foxton today to visit the Ans Westra photo exhibition. I specially loved her photo of this young Māori girl (not named) who is clearly a warrior in the making. Picture of photo by Ans Westra of a young Māori girl looking …

25 April 2022 14:16 — : Pukeko at the lake. 🐦

24 April 2022 16:14 — : Our dog groomer has come down with Shingles. Ouch! That means we need to find an alternative groomer for Sasha 🐶 who’s about due for a trim. 😒

24 April 2022 10:42 — : Something I’d like is more information in the list of Micro.Bloggers I’m following (micro.blog/[name]/following) @help. Useful would be: date they last posted &/or how many posts they’ve made. I follow ~600. I recognise 50—100 …

23 April 2022 09:45 — : Amazon have made a change I really dislike. When I look at a page of listings my eye now sees first in giant red letters a (supposed) discount amount to the left of the actual price in smaller black type. My eye sees the red, reads it as a price, I …

22 April 2022 15:50 — : On a day where I seem to be feeling a bit off-colour I’ve really enjoyed eating some Celery soup. Really easy and quick to make, once you’ve chopped up a load of celery and potatoes. Just right today.

21 April 2022 18:58 — : Tonight I made Roast cod on spiced Puy lentils — delicious. There was no cod available so I cooked a fish I’d never heard of before: Elephant Fish. Now I’m horrified to find it’s in the list of fish to avoid because of ecological …

21 April 2022 13:44 — : This month I am finally doing a chore I really have trouble getting to: selling stuff I no longer require. So far this month I’ve sold an Apple Watch, a Fujifilm zoom lens, a broken version of that same zoom lens. Today I’ve listed a 27mm …

21 April 2022 06:51 — : This is interesting: The streets have eyes, including the bit that says: One of the problems is the [facial recognition] software doesn’t perform well across all ethnicities. … the software has been designed with lighter skin as the default.

20 April 2022 17:23 — : Aaargh, Candice Renoir quickly became one of my favourite shows on Acorn TV. Just finished Season 4 which ended with a major event! I know 8 seasons exist altogether. I’m so hoping we get to see the rest soon!

20 April 2022 11:42 — : I think I’ve realised why my Netatmo rain gauge sometimes stops working. At this time of year we get little rain. When I go to investigate the rain gauge failing to work I have to clean out lots of spider webs. Once I do that, it works again. …

19 April 2022 12:28 — : I’m so much enjoying Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery. Only a couple of episodes left to watch and I’m having trouble not just bingeing them!

19 April 2022 08:23 — : Breakfast time for Sasha. 🐶

18 April 2022 12:55 — : I’m especially fond of waterfalls and have just discovered: the New Zealand Waterfalls website. 🤩

17 April 2022 16:13 — : Sasha 🐶 very obligingly naps in the car while I water the front lawn of our rental property. We could do with some decent rain! Maybe Thursday will bring some…

17 April 2022 14:28 — : I enjoyed Murder at Sugar Rush Beach (Detectives Preddy & Harris Book 3) by Paula Lennon 📚: Detective Preddy hoped for a quiet start to the new year. But there’s a murder at Sugar Rush Beach. A man is stabbed through the heart with an antique …

16 April 2022 15:38 — : Looked out the front door and spotted these two young pheasants moseying about. 🐦 They scurried off when they saw me though.

15 April 2022 18:44 — : I’ve been having a great Easter Friday, doing crosswords, watching videos, and during daylight, enjoying warm sun and fresh air. Also cooked Red lentil & carrot soup, which was kind of thin but nevertheless pleasing, and Homemade croutons, …

15 April 2022 13:07 — : In case it’s useful for someone else — I wanted to be able to grab the title and URL of an article I was viewing in NetNewsWire and make a Markdown link for posting to Micro.Blog. I used Applescript for this: tell application "NetNewsWire" set …

15 April 2022 11:50 — : I find recipes on the Internet then try out some of them. I’m forever converting measures of ingredients. This is useful and 🤯: Cooking Weights & measures, eg: [English and New Zealand] flours are milled differently [so you have to change …

15 April 2022 07:32 — : Wow. This 10 minute video An Interview with a Professional Jump Roper is quite something. Sometimes Tori Boggs and her rope are both moving so fast I can’t even see the rope and her hands and feet are just a blur. Her strength and endurance are …

14 April 2022 06:28 — : The pre-dawn sky is delightful. Look east to see Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn. On the 24th the Moon will join in. Check Stellarium Web Online Star Map for IDs. Screenshot below from 24 April 2022 at Waikawa Beach (with Māori names added).

13 April 2022 17:01 — : Whew. Finished watching Season 1 of Bel Air. That was quite an ending! Side note: I can’t get over the absolute wealth on display. It’s staggering to think there are folks who could buy their 17 year old a top of the line brand new sports …

13 April 2022 15:10 — : Update on Sasha 🐶. Her ultrasound today went well. Her liver looks like you’d expect for a 15 year old dog, with no evidence of tumours or anything. We’ll check liver enzymes in a month and if OK her dental surgery will go ahead, …

12 April 2022 17:13 — : This seems to be a busy week — it’s rushing by. One of my errands today though was to get this year’s flu shot. ✔︎

11 April 2022 07:35 — : Sasha, 15 and a half 🐶, is on her way to the doggy dentist (ie the vet) this morning for tooth surgery so we took a precautionary photo…

10 April 2022 16:10 — : I enjoy this author’s books and this was no exception: Striking Range: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima 📚: Deputy Mattie and her K-9 partner Robo are called to help investigate the death of a young woman found in a campground …

10 April 2022 13:54 — : En Pointe. South Island Pied Oystercatcher. 🐦

10 April 2022 13:40 — : We don’t often see starfish on our beach which doesn’t have the rockpools they may more usually be found in. This morning though I saw one (or maybe two — photos from different stages of my walk). They are the native Eleven-Armed Sea …

09 April 2022 17:46 — : In February 2022 @patrickrhone linked to the Meat/Less newsletter course. I’d wanted to reduce the amount of meat I eat and took up one suggestion the course made to eat vegetarian on weekdays. I’ve mainly done that now for a while and …

09 April 2022 14:53 — : Back in January of 2022 a huge branch from a 40 year old pine tree on a neighbour’s property fell down for no apparent reason. Last month they cut down the whole tree. Yesterday, by invitation, I gathered small branches, pine cones and several loads …

08 April 2022 05:33 — New midwinter public holiday in Aotearoa New Zealand : In the Northern hemisphere Christmas in December is a midwinter holiday, bringing hope and the renewal of the light when life is dark and cold. In the Southern hemisphere the December timing makes no sense as we enjoy long hot days. In Aotearoa New …

07 April 2022 18:32 — The information switch : The other day I was reading a book set on a cruise ship on the Rhine in Germany. At one point the characters did some interesting sightseeing tour and I flashed back to the year I spent in Düsseldorf am Rhein in 1976. I didn't do nearly enough …

07 April 2022 08:09 — : Whiled away a day with Death of a Blogger: A Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe Mystery Novella by Dawn Brookes 📚: a gossip blogger joins a tour party with victims of her malicious words…

06 April 2022 09:20 — : I’m a bit ambivalent about Murder in Midwinter (Oxford Dog Walker Crime Thrillers Book 2) by Annie Dalton with Maria Dalton 📚. An interesting concept but a few too many coincidences and some parts dragged. … the Oxford Six. One by one, the surviving …

05 April 2022 15:06 — : It feels like it’s been forever since I took a healthy dog to the vet for routine stuff. 🐶 Sasha’s teeth need some attention, so she’s booked in for a procedure next week. It’s great to see Sasha so well these days, even …

05 April 2022 11:05 — : Interesting: Trying to Keep Aging Neurons Healthy and Growing: That set me on a tentative and then growing effort to become creative in the ways I approached ordinary elements of my daily living. Now this was something quite different.

05 April 2022 09:31 — : Unknown Baby Girl, a short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, is very powerful. As always from this author, a superbly written story. Read for free before 11 April 2022. 📚

04 April 2022 09:44 — : I enjoyed These Little Lies (Detective Inspector Siv Drummond Book 1) by Gretta Mulrooney 📚. A new police procedural series from a British author I like: Detective Inspector Siv Drummond is looking for a fresh start. What she gets is two dead …

04 April 2022 06:53 — : Deb, leaving for work, told me to get out of bed and look at the sunrise. it was worth it. 😎

03 April 2022 08:42 — : Deb and I enjoyed Dream Horse 🎬 : the true story of Dream Alliance, an unlikely race horse bred by Welsh bartender Jan Vokes. With very little money and no experience, Jan convinces her neighbours to chip in their earnings … The group’s …

03 April 2022 08:34 — : I like to do my beach walks at dawn, when the sun just catches the tips of the waves.

02 April 2022 14:13 — : We see some excellent sights from our lounge window, like the two Air Force Hercules aircraft that just flew past really low. Air Force marks 85 years of service to New Zealand.

02 April 2022 12:59 — : Another in a series I enjoy: Close to Death by Elizabeth Gunn 📚. Detective Sarah Burke is called out to a mass shooting in a quiet residential street … it’s nothing she can’t handle. That’s until one of the ‘dead’ bodies wakes up. At least now …

02 April 2022 10:38 — : Scenes from this morning’s dawn walk.

02 April 2022 05:49 — : A hard but powerful read: This is How You Died | The Order of the Good Death: A physician who worked on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic addresses an auditorium she imagines is full of her patients who died.

01 April 2022 16:07 — : My first attempt at a Chocolate Mini Loaf Cake, which thought it was maybe a volcano! Tasted good though!

01 April 2022 12:34 — : I can’t believe how many times I need to correct a Post or Reply after publishing. Thank you so much @manton for making it easy to do that! 🙌🏼

01 April 2022 12:25 — : A big walk for Sasha 🐶 these days is to go all the way to the speedsigns, 500 metres away. On our early morning walk today we rounded a bend in the road to see this beautifully lit scene. Behind those dunes is the sea.

31 March 2022 08:54 — : Ready for some feelgood, with dogs? the dogs had to learn about 80 new behaviors before they [could] get their paws on the wheel of an actual car. … little things … like desensitising them to seatbelts … The day the dogs drove. Video: Driving Dogs. …

31 March 2022 06:17 — : An even better morning display today at 0644: low in the eastern sky a crescent Moon, right beside mighty Jupiter. Arrayed above them, Venus, Saturn and Mars. My photos don’t do them justice. ☽🪐 To keep an eye on the sky, Stellarium Web Online …

30 March 2022 05:44 — : This is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s smallest birds, often heard but seldom seen. I got lucky a few months back. Riroriro, Grey Warbler 🐦 : Length: 11 cm; Weight: 5.5 - 6.5 grams Riroriro, Grey Warbler song.

30 March 2022 05:18 — : I had Keen shoes that were new many years ago, were demoted to dog walking several years ago and finally to gardening. This year they fell to bits. For gardening I’ve now replaced them with Hard Yakka Women’s 3056 work boots. They should …

30 March 2022 03:59 — : This is bizarre: it’s not quite 5 am, pitch dark and I’ve been hearing a loud motorbike roaring around for 5 minutes or more. They may be on the beach — we hear it clearly from here — but why would someone be hooning on the beach in the dark? I guess …

29 March 2022 15:50 — : I had low expectations for what turned out to be an excellent book. Murder on Port Meadow (Oxford Dog Walker Crime Thrillers Book 1) by Annie Dalton with Maria Dalton 📚 drew me in immediately and held me engrossed to the end. I’ve bought Book 2.

29 March 2022 07:19 — : Has Apple Maps always had this? Just today I discovered Guides, and that I can add places to a Guide I’ve created. Very handy for a trip to Palmerston North. It syncs from my Mac to my iPhone too. Now, if only it would sync to the car’s GPS…

29 March 2022 05:16 — : At 6 am I remembered Mars, Venus and Saturn were to be close together in the morning sky. I popped outside and found the Moon hanging out too. Handheld Phone photo, plus Milky Way by Scorpio and Southern Cross. 🌌 Bonus sighting of ISS. 👍

28 March 2022 12:56 — : I’ve been listening to and enjoying @Matti’s excellent podcasts, The Early Riser and The Puppycast. That’s probably why I found myself speaking into Voice Memos on my phone as I set off for my beach walk this morning. Drafts app transcribed it for …

28 March 2022 12:25 — : Just experimented with Drafts transcribing a brief Voice Memo I made. Not bad at all. The hardest thing was getting the Voice Memo into Drafts. Sharing it did nothing. Voice Memos files, BTW, are stored at: ~/Library/Application …

27 March 2022 09:30 — : I suppose articles like Escape from Kyiv are ten a penny just now. It moved me deeply though. And made me think about how NZ is so remote I can’t even begin to imagine invading bombers flying overhead. We’re so sheltered here.

27 March 2022 04:31 — : I’m not given to sharing Wordle results, but today’s was very unusual: Wordle 281 3/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

26 March 2022 14:43 — : Abandoned 40% through: A Deadly Course (Sugarbury Falls Mysteries Book 1) by Diane Weiner 📚. Amateur detectives leap to various conclusions. I think I prefer trained detectives.

26 March 2022 12:41 — : I abandoned Aged for Murder (A Tuscan Vineyard Cozy Mystery—Book 1) by Fiona Grace 📚 about 33% through. The write-up didn’t make clear it’s a romance with lots of ‘chiseled jaw’ and ‘stunningly handsome’. Romance …

26 March 2022 12:36 — : I quite enjoyed Murder Under the Palms (Detectives Preddy & Harris Book 2) by Paula Lennon 📚. It was a little slow though.

26 March 2022 11:09 — : I bought myself an autumn day treat while out and about this morning. A very delicious real fruit blackberry icecream cone at the nearby blueberry farm.

25 March 2022 05:37 — : Hah, remembering this day in 2020 when global Covid cases numbered less than 500,000.

25 March 2022 05:23 — : I don’t often listen to music but this morning I’ve been captivated by Deva Mahal. For example this just released All Your Ships Have Sailed by Troy Kingi, performed by Deva Mahal and ensemble. Lyrics What a voice!

24 March 2022 13:40 — : I’ve had this M1 MacBook Pro for over a year now. Today after 9 hours of use the battery has ‘already’ dropped to 50% charge from full. How easily expectations change! Any of my previous MacBook Pros I’d be amazed to get 9 …

24 March 2022 13:34 — : Up, up, down, down. 🐦 Canada Geese, on the wing.

23 March 2022 16:24 — : These ring-necked pheasants are very common round here. They’re splendid birds, but also kind of incredible. That eye belongs in a cartoon. 🐦

23 March 2022 15:21 — : My new favourite — Shedunnit: a storytelling podcast that unravels the mysteries behind classic detective stories. I’ve listened to 3 episodes so far and it’s just so good! If, like me, you enjoy reading mysteries, or perhaps if you …

22 March 2022 15:17 — : We see Kingfishers around here quite often — usually in the garden. I didn’t really expect to see this little one on the beach yesterday. 🐦 Kōtare, Sacred kingfisher

21 March 2022 17:11 — : I spent an age today making a Big List of Waikawa Beach Birds. Counting only live birds, not those washed up on the beach, there are over 50! 🐦

21 March 2022 15:50 — : These Rock pigeons, although common everywhere, are actually not that easy to find at Waikawa Beach. 🐦 I first spotted them a few months ago, but it was only yesterday things came together for a quick photo of one. It flew away immediately. 😒

21 March 2022 15:35 — : This spammer failed to trick the detection engines by using these intriguing font forms. However, I do like the overall look. Must have been a big job to create.

21 March 2022 12:16 — : These two annoyingly distant Spur-winged Plovers were at the beach this morning. I’ve been wanting to get photos of them, but am a bit disappointed with the results. 🐦

21 March 2022 06:03 — : A few small shakes overnight, 2 very close and shallow 〰️: Sun Mar 20 2022 8:28 PM: 15 km south-east of Seddon; M4.5; Depth: 10 km. Sun Mar 20 2022 11:50 PM: 10 km west of Levin; M3.2; Depth: 5 km. Mon Mar 21 2022 12:08 AM: 10 km west of Levin; …

21 March 2022 05:46 — : My good friend, neighbour and no relation, Dr Jan Jordan, has just published a huge book she’s been working on for several years: Women, Rape and Justice: Unravelling the Rape Conundrum 📚 . Eyewatering cost, intended for academia but utterly …

20 March 2022 08:25 — : I was never really very fond of gulls, but I’m coming to quite like the ones at Waikawa Beach. Tarapunga, Red-billed gull. 🐦

19 March 2022 15:28 — : The Kuaka, Godwits were being very obliging this morning.

19 March 2022 13:32 — : I really enjoyed The Girl Who Killed You (The Shee McQueen Mystery Thriller Series Book 3) by Amy Vansant 📚: Shee quickly tracks [a missing] boy to a Bahamian island playground … The job seems such a breeze, she hires her daughter to infiltrate the …

19 March 2022 11:09 — : Waikawa Beach at 9 am on a cool, clear, sunny, still morning. Paradise.

18 March 2022 13:43 — : After completely draining the batteries on my original Airpods and case as a problem solving step (I hope), today I thought it’d be good to run my M1 MacBook Pro battery right down for a change. Takes a while…

17 March 2022 15:17 — : Sasha getting back to basics. 🐶

17 March 2022 06:13 — : Some kind of spacecraft launching gantry? No. Pouring concrete at the new subdivision, starting an hour+ before sunrise at 6 am! Photo at 7 am, just before sunrise. I’m not super happy about this pre-dawn activity.

16 March 2022 18:59 — : This is now my official preferred scrambled egg dish: Soft Scrambled Japanese Tamago Rice Bowl. Totally yum!

16 March 2022 18:53 — : The garden shop down the road has had Cabbage Trees on sale for a while now. I’ve already planted 14 in various spots but today I bought another 7 and planted them by the gate where we had a pile of mulch we’ve used up.

15 March 2022 16:41 — : In the next-door-paddock-but-one the farmer grows corn or maize. Today was harvesting day. One machine harvested the maize and blew it through a chute into a trailer, then the tractor would take away the full container and replace it with an empty …

15 March 2022 13:56 — : Another really good read in the Goodbye series: Goodbye Lake Street by Anne Shillolo 📚: Police and a secret group of citizen investigators are locked in a battle for child safety, and Detective Constable Holly Towns finds herself trapped between the …

14 March 2022 18:55 — : OK. A] Add a video to Micro.Blog: click the upload button, write text, Post. 👍 B] Add a video to a static blog via Publii: log in to YouTube, upload video, click a load of settings, struggle to get the embed code, add embed code to the correct editor …

14 March 2022 18:52 — : The public toilets at Waikawa Beach were built around 50 or 60 years ago. They’re now in a state of decay. Today builders started demolishing the men’s side. The women’s side will become two accessible unisex toilets, a family room …

14 March 2022 16:27 — : This morning on the beach I was lucky enough to get a decent shot of this Tuturiwhatu, Banded dotterel 🐦: Length: 20 cm; Weight: 60 g A small compact brown and white plover with a short black bill, relatively long dark legs and large round dark …

13 March 2022 19:26 — : Someone recently was asking about women podcasters (unless I imagined that…). Here are two that are utterly superb: The Happiness Lab Podcast with Dr. Laurie Santos - Pushkin Industries A Podcast of One’s Own with Julia Gillard (former …

13 March 2022 16:40 — : Two photos from a couple of days ago of a Kawau, Pied Shag at the beach. 🐦 Length: 65 - 85 cm; Weight: 1.3 - 2.1 kg; A large, relatively slim …shag … white face, black feet, blue eye-rings, yellow facial skin. Black back, nape and upperwings … white …

13 March 2022 13:32 — : This new channel was an instant subscribe: MinuteFood: MinuteFood serves up the science of what we cook, eat, and drink - all with the goal of unlocking ultimate deliciousness. MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida, Arcadi Garcia & Alexander …

13 March 2022 12:38 — : Many thanks to all those who worked so hard to bring us Micro Camp, and to all the presenters and those who joined in the chats etc. It was excellent!

13 March 2022 07:29 — : Proof that space and time are the same thing. 😆 Referring to the Micro camp online sessions I said I like the space between them. What I meant was the time between them. QED.

12 March 2022 13:31 — : On 03 March 2022 we had turf laid at the rental property we own. It must be watered daily. That water comes from a roughly 9,000 litre rainwater tank that also feeds the toilet in the house. Otherwise the house uses a metered town water supply. A …

12 March 2022 12:49 — : About 5 Km away is an organic Blueberry Farm that also has olive trees and makes award winning olive oil. This morning I stopped there and bought oil, and also a wonderful blueberry icecream. Didn’t think of a photo till I’d eaten more than half the …

11 March 2022 12:46 — : A new favourite photo: a Kuaka Godwit at the edge of the sea today. 🐦

10 March 2022 11:08 — : A View to Die For by Cheri Baker 📚: When a wealthy painter is murdered at the luxurious Londonian hotel, Paul and his new partner Andrew Kim take on the case. Another excellent story from @Cheri, with wit and humour and even the occasional Kiwi! …

10 March 2022 09:35 — : Me: I wonder if I can Base64 encode text somehow on my Mac? Keyboard Maestro: I got you with one click: manual:Filters [Keyboard Maestro Wiki]. Of course!

10 March 2022 03:34 — : Sasha was groomed yesterday. Here she is eating dinner. 😀 🐶

09 March 2022 13:10 — : I avoid driving my car because a] CO2 and b] petrol costs. Today I put 2/3 of a tank in: ~40 litres for almost NZ$120. The price is hovering round $3 per litre and is likely to keep rising. For 1 litre ($3) I could instead have bought 3/4 of a cup of …

09 March 2022 09:00 — : I’d love to see this as a movie! Great article! How Death Positive Women Kickstarted a Civil War: By October [1846 in Portugal], two governments had been deposed and the country was neck-deep in a civil war. And all because an old woman had …

09 March 2022 08:51 — : I think I’ll be watching this. It looks fun. Apollo 10 1/2 📺

08 March 2022 11:16 — : Before I could plant these 3 cabbage trees I spent a couple of hours over several days digging out lupins, gorse and blackberry, weedeating, gathering mulch and tires. Finally today I spent about 45 minutes in the heat actually planting. 4 more to …

07 March 2022 17:41 — : Sometime I want to bike along this trail myself. Really interesting article today: Lake Dunstan Trail: 55,000 more riders than expected in first year. In … January, 12,068 people passed the trail counter – almost as many [as] they’d [expected …

06 March 2022 14:09 — : Busy day but it started with a dawn beach walk and an encounter with Taranui, Caspian terns. 🐦

05 March 2022 12:43 — : Only 2.5 minutes in on this 12 minute video and I’ve already learned a really useful tip about longer night exposures. How to capture the night sky with a phone & camera | 3 TIPS for astrophotography beginners

05 March 2022 08:13 — : It’s roughly new moon, very little wind, and a 0.3 metre low tide almost 2 hours before this photo. With our gently sloping beach there was a vast expanse of damp sand between the dunes and the water’s edge. Photo looking south at 1x on iPhone 13 Pro …

04 March 2022 19:33 — : I almost missed seeing this brilliant scarlet sunset.

04 March 2022 08:01 — : This is a very thoughtful piece by Anna Rawhiti-Connell in The Spinoff : Aotearoa is different now who reflects on the recent occupation of NZ’s Parliament grounds and the riot when occupiers were cleared out. She also considers the pandemic and the …

04 March 2022 06:17 — : Enjoyed Broken Places (A Cass Raines Mystery Book 1) by Tracy Clark 📚: Cass Raines took a bullet in the line of duty… Now, the Chicago PD has one less African-American woman on the force and Cass is the head of a one-woman private investigation …

03 March 2022 14:29 — : 6 years ago we bought a property we’ve been renting out. The grass at the front was terrible. After a year or two we had it taken out and planted as garden. That led to years of battling weeds. Now we had that ripped out and turf laid. …

02 March 2022 16:47 — : The other day I found several jellyfish on the beach, mainly brown and dead looking. This 15 cm specimen was an impressive translucent red. The Wildlife of New Zealand Facebook group confirmed it as a Lion’s Mane.

02 March 2022 07:05 — : Some of the (male) illegal occupiers are berating Police for advancing when there are women and children in the protest. Well, a] women can look after themselves! and b] children should be removed by their caregivers in any case.

02 March 2022 06:26 — : At long last Police seem to be actually working on clearing the occupiers at NZ’s Parliament: Live: Anti-mandate protest enters 23rd day as police descend on Parliament: Police are descending on Parliament, with at least 4 large paddy wagons … …

01 March 2022 14:21 — : Sometimes folks fish off the beach with a kontiki — a motorised thing that takes hooks and lines up to 4 Km. Today a fellow had rods and reels set up on the beach and used a drone to take the hooks out to sea. He was fishing for gurnard, trevally or …

01 March 2022 05:16 — : This is an amazing thing. Not sure I’d be brave enough to do this ‘walk’ in Fife, in the south-east of Scotland: The Elie Chainwalk is safe, as long as you follow the signs. 3.5 minute video.

28 February 2022 19:54 — : The Carrot & Coriander Soup I made tonight was delicious and really easy and quick. Next time I may try adding just a hint of ginger. Forgot a photo, unfortunately.

28 February 2022 15:55 — : Sometimes Sasha likes to rearrange the rugs and towels in her crate. 🐶 Today things went a bit awry… until I finally gave her a hand to sort it out.

28 February 2022 11:27 — : Sand scarab 1: “Man, I was so drunk last night I nearly forgot the way home.” Sand scarab 2: “You were drunk… It took me 3 hours just to get in the front door…”

27 February 2022 14:26 — : Sasha 🐶 enjoyed being one of the humans when we went with friends to Tuktuk Waikanae for Thai food lunch. Top down isn’t my preferred angle for dog photos, but it was the only possible option. Sasha was so well behaved too.

26 February 2022 15:45 — : Swallows nest above the door to Deb’s zendo. Today we took the nests down (and won’t let them return) and cleaned masses of bird poop off the doors, aluminium door frame and deck. The Internet was right: warm water, dish soap, white …

25 February 2022 17:25 — : Gotta say: way back in the mists of time I enjoyed watching Will Smith’s Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Which led me to watch the currently screening reimagination of the show. It’s excellent. Not funny, but a realistic drama beautifully …

25 February 2022 16:53 — : Wowee, this was so delicious I didn’t think to take a photo. Quick and easy too: 20-Minute Chickpea Soup. Yum!

25 February 2022 12:42 — : I normal life I weedeated around the raspberry canes, as well as other spots. In abnormal life, NZ’s Covid case numbers doubled for the second day in a row, and I’m hoping Russia’s invasion of Ukraine doesn’t mean we’ll …

24 February 2022 16:26 — : I think my immediate dislike of the narrator got me off to a bad start. I so much wanted to like this Australian book 📚 but it just kind of annoyed me. Murder in Murloo (Dusty Kent Mysteries Book 1)

24 February 2022 12:45 — : After a rest I planted the other 4 cabbage trees. Now I just hope they actually grow.

24 February 2022 09:48 — : The other day I bought 7 cabbage tree plants at $3 each. Mostly they looked a bit sickly which is probably why they were so cheap. Today so far I’ve planted 3, continuing a line the previous owner started, but the day’s getting quite hot. …

24 February 2022 08:21 — : This 40 minute podcast episode is seriously interesting for anyone who uses written English: Why Does the Letter “A” Look That Way?: English lettering was borrowed from the Romans, but where did they get it from? And where did the …

23 February 2022 15:20 — : The mistakes we learn from: if a plant will get wide, plant it further from the border. A few years ago I planted flax bushes along the drive. I should have planted them further back so I don’t have to keep trimming them!

23 February 2022 03:54 — : Aha, learned something: Overwintering Parks in New Zealand | The Butterfly Musketeers 🦋: The overwintering stage in New Zealand starts in April or May. This is when swarms of Monarch butterflies form regularly to overwinter at places around the …

22 February 2022 17:05 — : Love this: Scientists Attached Tracking Devices to Magpies 🐦: Within 10 minutes … we witnessed an adult female … trying to remove the harness off of a younger bird. … By day 3, even the dominant male of the group had its tracker successfully …

22 February 2022 16:32 — : Finally refreshed the straw and shavings in the front part of the quail run. 🐦 Put the soiled straw round nearby vege garden. Trimmed back flax plant for easier access to quail run. The quail should love to scratch the straw around. It’s all in …

22 February 2022 07:23 — : This is a very informative article: The Wellington protest is testing police independence and public tolerance – are there lessons from Canada’s crackdown?: The [NZ Police] act independently of the Crown and serve only the law.

21 February 2022 11:08 — : As usual, our load of firewood had a few bits that would be unlikely to fit in our woodburner. In the past I’ve chopped them up with an axe where I could but my new Ozito 356mm 1800W Electric Chainsaw made short work of them! Those not already …

20 February 2022 10:50 — : I very much enjoyed Murder in Montego Bay (Detectives Preddy & Harris Book 1) by Paula Lennon 📚. Set in Jamaica and featuring Jamaican dialect was a bonus. Local ice-cream magnate Carter Chin Ellis is shot dead. Shortly after leaving Pelican …

20 February 2022 02:56 — : OK, that’s some heavy rain right there.

19 February 2022 15:18 — : We live at Waikawa Beach. Travel to the two closest centres, Ōtaki and Levin, means using State Highway 1. There is no alternative. That stretch of road is notorious: in 2021 the road was closed 5 times, 26 times there were delays, and 8 people …

19 February 2022 13:28 — : Folks have rights: get drunk drive vehicles smoke work in an office remain unvaxed work in proximity with other humans and responsibilities to obey laws: don’t drive drunk don’t smoke in the office don’t work in people-focused …

19 February 2022 10:38 — : After Oshi 🐶 died I spent heaps of time going through my Photo Library finding and labelling photos of him. Then I created an album of ‘possibles’ for a photo book from HappyMoose. Faced with whittling down 107 to 21 I realised I could …

18 February 2022 12:37 — : No photo, but today for the first and maybe only time in my life I came across a Briard 🐶: a French breed of large shepherd dog, traditionally used both for herding sheep and to defend them. Very big dog, loads of hair, and looked amazingly strong. …

18 February 2022 10:05 — : This little 4 minute silent video is so powerful and thought-provoking: When the Giant Cruise Ships Came to Town: The [cruise ships] that pull into the harbor now are so tall and broad that they block out views entirely, fundamentally changing …

17 February 2022 16:26 — : I enoyed Safe (Merrow & Clarke Book 1) by Jane Adams 📚, though the frequently mentioned Organised Crime Gang torture was a hard read. Now 17 year old Lauren’s on the run knowing her father will murder her, just like he murdered her mother.

17 February 2022 16:16 — : Yesterday + 2.25 hours work = today.

16 February 2022 10:10 — : Big congrats today to Dylan and Jeremy: NZ duo involved in music for major Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer: New Zealanders Jeremy Glenn and Dylan Jones, a drum and bass duo who record under the name of The Upbeats… I knew Dylan well …

15 February 2022 18:36 — : Weird that while Sasha was sick she didn’t snore. 🐶 Now she’s better she’s back, full throttle. Maybe she’s more relaxed now…

15 February 2022 17:26 — : Finished Straight Up (A Ruby Steele Mystery—Book 4) by Mia Gold 📚. I quite enjoyed it but there are things that strain credulity. [on a group holiday] a rich wife … wakes up with her best friend’s husband sleeping beside her—dead. Ruby Steele has …

15 February 2022 16:13 — : Pleasing dog news 🐶 : Sasha’s eye ulcer is almost healed. Some vascularisation that would worry the vet in another dog, but since Sasha’s already blind it won’t damage her vision further. Sasha’s also a whole lot more settled …

14 February 2022 16:25 — : I tend to see ngutupapa, Royal Spoonbills on the beach solitary, in pairs or even three at a time. Today is the first time I’ve seen a flock of maybe 12 or 15 — I was unable to actually count because of distance and the big piece of driftwood. …

14 February 2022 09:31 — : I wonder why four military helicopters are flying south in formation? Going to help clear protesters overstaying their visit to Parliament?

13 February 2022 13:59 — : Cancelling the reservations I made for the bike tour in April. I just don’t want to do that any more. I may instead do some random closer-to-home weekend type trips where I can take the bike on the car. New Plymouth, for example, has an …

13 February 2022 07:28 — : Many thanks to @cheri for the excellent idea of delaying the birthday I’m not in the mood for! I’ve made myself an IOU. I feel better about it all already.

13 February 2022 05:48 — : I slept an unbelievable 10 unbroken hours last night! Didn’t even have to get up to pee. Hope I’m not sick… 7 hours or less is more usual for me.

12 February 2022 19:20 — : Birthdays aren’t really a big thing for me but I’ve never felt less inspired by one (soon) than this year. I guess there’s a few things going on: our dog Oshi died; his sister is missing him, unwell, confused and frail; some local …

12 February 2022 10:28 — : It’s a rainy Saturday and my wonderful partner made delicious pikelets. Yumm!

12 February 2022 07:40 — : The very essence of Kiwi: while the French police are readying water cannons against protestors our police are deploying lawn sprinklers to get protestors off Parliament Grounds (after 4 days of ‘occupation’). 😆 🇳🇿

12 February 2022 07:32 — : While I enjoyed the first 2 books in the series this third one just didn’t gel with me. Too Close to Kill (Detective Sarah Burke mystery and suspense Book 3) by Elizabeth Gunn. 📚 They always seemed so good together. But did Frank shoot Lois …

11 February 2022 13:52 — : Friends gave us a Leptospermum scoparium Red Damask as a remembrance of Oshi 🐶. Today I planted it on ‘Cemetery Hill’, a hillock where the previous owner of the property buried her two cats, and where my cats Olive, Aphra and Ares are …

10 February 2022 17:34 — : Sigh. Hundreds of times over the last x years, lift Apple Watch say: “Hey Siri, set timer [x] minutes”. Siri sets timer. Today: “Hey Siri, set timer 18 minutes”. Siri: “You don’t have the timer app …

10 February 2022 14:28 — : Today more than 56,000 people received Covid booster shots while up to a couple of thousand protestors opposed to “Covid–19 vaccine mandates” camped out in Parliament grounds. Anti-vaccine mandate protest convoy arrives at …

09 February 2022 15:11 — : Crunch, crunch, crunch. 🐶

08 February 2022 17:41 — : The vet’s pleased with how Sasha’s 🐶 sore eye is coming along and we continue with drops. We’re now also giving Gabapentin for additional pain relief and as a slight sedative to calm her restlessness. Tonight she sleeps in her …

08 February 2022 12:22 — : Someone had fun writing this headline and teaser. Filling the big hole in Wairoa’s dental service

07 February 2022 14:55 — : I’m working back through my photo library finding all my photos of Sasha and Oshi and labelling them. The further back I get, the worse the photos are, in quality, composition, sharpness … everything. I guess that means I have developed in …

07 February 2022 14:49 — : 31 December 2009. “Yes, quite comfortable, thank you. Why do you ask?” 🐶

07 February 2022 11:07 — : Heard a snippet of this then sought it out. Magnificent! Prefer it to the song! Leonard Cohen … poetic reading of Simon’s “Sound Of Silence.” The striking cadence and the precise enunciation delivered in Leonard’s unique voice resonates with the …

06 February 2022 15:09 — : I enjoyed Death by the Thames (Tyrone Swift Detective Book 9) by Gretta Mulrooney 📚: Respectable, dull Sam Goddard is found dead in the River Thames the evening before his wedding, with a 15 year-old girl. They were both sedated.

06 February 2022 11:30 — : Suffer insomnia? Sasha’s 🐶 proven tips for best sleeping position. January 2014 and February 2022 — proof of effectiveness.

06 February 2022 11:22 — : As I work through my photo library I find photos typical of Oshi 🐶. They make me feel fond and happy, rather than sad. He loved to roll around, especially on the beach. 12 March 2017.

05 February 2022 19:42 — : I was towelling Sasha 🐶 off after her last pee in today’s pouring rain — she’s so good and reluctantly lets me do it. When Oshi was here too he loved being towelled dry, so I’d dry him first. Then when I’d turn to Sasha …

05 February 2022 13:47 — : This sticker I spotted on a car in 2016 gave me a laugh just now as I work though my Photo Library labelling photos of Sasha and Oshi.

05 February 2022 10:13 — : Love it! Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett with “Mama’s Rap” (1989). Fabulous!

04 February 2022 20:08 — : First time Sasha 🐶 has been home completely alone: 2.5 hours this evening. I shouldn’t have left her. 😒 Poor thing must have been ultra distressed in her soft crate. Came home to a 💩tsunami — in the crate where she couldn’t get away and …

04 February 2022 08:58 — : I think we won’t need to water the garden this weekend. 💦

03 February 2022 13:54 — : And to keep our run of vet visits going, today we took Sasha in for what Mary the vet thinks is a “Melting Ulcer” on Sasha’s left eye. 🐶 We’ve come home with Chlorsig / chlorafast drops and a checkup booked for Tuesday.

03 February 2022 09:59 — : Thank you so much to the many many people who sent well wishes for Oshi 🐶 and to us. I really appreciate that I have Micro.Blog pals around the world who had a thought for us. 🙏🏼 Give your dog / cat / kid / friend an extra hug today. 😀

03 February 2022 08:26 — : I firmly believe publication to be an essential step in the proofreading process…

03 February 2022 08:12 — : It’s new Monarch Butterfly day. The chrysalises are hatching. Life goes on. 🦋

03 February 2022 07:28 — Stories of Oshi : One day in February 2007 I had a brief errand in Ngauranga Gorge. Deb decided to come with me but wanted me to drop her off at the Animates pet store. By the time I returned to pick her up, only a few minutes later, she was in love. She'd picked up …

02 February 2022 17:56 — : When we saw Oshi 🐶 this afternoon he was benefiting from heavy duty pain relief for his total kidney failure. I’m not sure he recognised us but his eyes seemed to be saying “I feel weird and tired and I want it to stop.” We gave him …

01 February 2022 18:15 — : Thanks to the 36 people who joined in on my little Daylight Poll the other day. It was fun to learn that my day length in Waikawa Beach, Aotearoa New Zealand was longest at 15 hours 24 minutes, while the shortest was @svenseebeck in Oulu Finland, at …

01 February 2022 13:11 — : Waikawa Beach For Sale: 58 Manga Pirau Street. 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 176 m2 floor, 985 m2 Land.

01 February 2022 09:47 — : Tundra Courage by Brenda Bowie Wise 📚: While on a village trip to watch her students demonstrate their [nursing] skills, Meara encounters a victim of circumstances that don’t make sense. It is up to her to find the truth. Set in a Yupik village in …

01 February 2022 09:36 — : Oshi 🐶 update: he didn’t improve since yesterday’s vet visit. Now he’s at the vet for an overnight stay with monitoring, tests, fluids etc. A very unhappy boy. We fear the worst. Photo: he spent most of yesterday asleep.

31 January 2022 09:20 — : Oshi 🐶 update: he’s had pain relief, anti-nausea shot and if he’s not a great deal better by tomorrow he’ll have a hospital visit for closer examination. We’re to try hand-feeding as it may be too painful for him to stand to …

31 January 2022 09:18 — : Things you realise too late: after Mary the vet ascertained Oshi 🐶 needed to poop I should have taken him to the dog park for 10 minutes rather than leaving him in the car while I went into the supermarket… 💩 😫 Big clean up required.

30 January 2022 17:45 — : Our 15 year old dog Oshi has always loved food. 🐶 For the last 2 or 3 days though I’ve been coaxing him to eat, with almost no success. I’ve tried a range of things, even cheese and peanut butter. The only thing he’ll consent to eat …

30 January 2022 09:27 — : Deb and I have been watching some Acorn TV together. Vera’s great but can be so sad. Agatha Raisin was lightweight fun as was Queens of Mystery. Today I started in on a French show called Candice Renoir. 📺 Hooray for subtitles, but it’s a …

30 January 2022 08:08 — : Seems I bought this 📚 7 years ago but only just finished reading Innocent in Las Vegas (Tiffany Black Mysteries Book 1). Tiffany Black is determined to leave her job at the casino. She’s one small step away from acquiring her Private …

29 January 2022 07:03 — : When Canada Geese, Oystercatchers or Pied Stilts fly over you know all about it, thanks to the racket they make. 🐦 With other birds you hear the clatter of wings. You're lucky to spot the gorgeous Royal Spoonbills though as they glide over completely …

28 January 2022 17:15 — : It's a while since I read others in this series so the style of Murder in Pembrokeshire (Tyrone Swift Detective Book 8) by Gretta Mulrooney was a little jarring. 📚 Afan has disappeared. The next day, Swift discovers Afan’s body on a lonely stretch of …

28 January 2022 14:12 — : New fave TV quote. Legends of Tomorrow S07E10, ~20 minutes in: Sarah: I always used to know what the next move was, now … I don’t know, nothing’s working … Nate: We don’t need a perfect plan .… We got something those hotshots …

28 January 2022 08:49 — : Having trouble with my posts taking ages to show up on the timeline — for example, one from 2022-01-28 9:13 am hasn’t shown up while other folks posts at 09:33, 09:36, 09:43 and the like have. Been going on for several days now whether I post …

28 January 2022 08:13 — : Quick poll of Micro.Bloggers, with my answers: where are you? (Waikawa Beach, Aotearoa New Zealand) date? 28 January 2022 sunrise? 06:22 sunset? 20:44 day length? 15 hours 24 minutes

27 January 2022 12:19 — : Today’s discovery: a 2012 Māori language scifi book — Ngā Waituhi o Rēhua by Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira. 📚 4 teenagers live on Rēhua, a planet settled after Earth is destroyed by ecological disasters and global war … they discover an island …

27 January 2022 08:20 — : It was pretty nice this morning at sunrise.

27 January 2022 07:14 — The Wow Waikawa! Photo Fest: community and heart : Last year I devised a community event called the Wow Waikawa! Photo Fest and asked a friend to help organise it. Today I submitted the final project report to the funders. It’s very satisfying to have run this community event and to have received …

26 January 2022 06:02 — New Zealand retains top spot in global anti-corruption rankings : Good to see: The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index released by global anti-corruption organisation, Transparency International, ranks New Zealand first equal with Denmark and Finland, with a score of 88 out of 100. … “New Zealand has a …

25 January 2022 08:33 — : The amazing Kuaka, Godwit flies between Aotearoa New Zealand and the Arctic every year to feed and breed. 🐦 They are a similar size to the more delicate Pied Stilt. These were on the shore this morning.

24 January 2022 18:38 — : Enjoyed very much: Murder Across the Lines (Warwick & Bell Crime Mysteries Book 2) by Janice Frost. 📚 At a busy crossing in Lincoln city a motorbike skids to a halt. A man jumps and grabs a young girl waiting at the lights. … The girl falls to …

24 January 2022 18:20 — : Our dog Sasha, who’s 15, is pretty much blind. 🐶 She does not approve of the massive rearrangement of the furniture. What’s more I’m sitting in a different spot. She’s been restless the whole time since we moved things around. …

24 January 2022 18:16 — : It’s ~6 years since we moved to Waikawa Beach and yesterday we finally achieved the ‘right’ arrangement of furniture in the living area. I took out all the small furniture to properly vacuum and mop the floors. Then we changed …

24 January 2022 10:47 — : Another in an excellent series: Goodbye Haldane Hill (A DC Holly Towns Murder Mystery) by Anne Shillolo. 📚 the body of a young woman in Haldane Hill Park rings alarm bells for DC Holly Towns. But can she even say the words ‘serial killer’ and be …

23 January 2022 14:56 — : Sasha was a reluctant participant in this selfie. 🐶

22 January 2022 11:25 — : Came across this photo of Harriette the Fox Terrier from back in 2004 when she was about 14. Taken at the top of Mt Victoria, Matairangi, in Wellington, Te Upoko o te Ika. 🐶

22 January 2022 05:49 — : The other day I took photos of a Karoro, Southern black-backed gull as it flew by. Hand held. Pretty pleased with the results. 🐦 Black-backed gulls are often seen on the water’s edge where they scavenge corpses and fish frames washed up on the tide. …

21 January 2022 17:49 — : Dr Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford does excellent monthly night sky updates. She includes how the sky will look for us southern hemispherics too! Is Pluto a planet again?! Plus JWST updates | Night Sky News January 2022 …

21 January 2022 10:01 — : Excellent article: Love letter to the electric bike 🚴🏼‍♀️: New Zealand imports of new e-bikes … are on track to outstrip imports of new cars. For every electric car on our roads, there are at least 5 electric two-wheelers. The EV revolution is …

20 January 2022 07:18 — : This is a really interesting 30 minute video about concussion — Why I stopped watching football: I discovered so many awful truths about football (and contact sports in general) and their relationship with concussions, dementia, and chronic …

20 January 2022 06:03 — : This is a learning site I want to explore more: BBC Bitesize. For example, my Physics education was over 50 years ago and I suspect things have changed. I’ll review: Physics to brush up. I landed on English after searching for a particular …

19 January 2022 16:03 — : I really enjoyed At Close Range (Detective Sarah Burke Book 2) by Elizabeth Gunn. 📚 … a double homicide in a rich neighborhood. While the property developer husband is away on business, his party-loving wife winds up dead in their king-size bed …

19 January 2022 13:05 — : Eating oneself out of house and home… The multitudinous Monarch caterpillars have stripped every leaf from the Swan Plants and now, in desperation, are working on the seedpods.

18 January 2022 08:19 — : Tonga may not get comms back any time soon: Tonga’s undersea cable could take weeks to repair: The cable carries … internet and phone communications in and out of Tonga. It was damaged after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic …

18 January 2022 08:15 — : Tonga is tiny islands in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean. It’s no surprise that a huge volcanic eruption on the doorstep of the capital cut off communications with the world. Internet is via a now-broken undersea cable. Satellite comms are …

17 January 2022 17:06 — : Many thanks to Batch Resize Images Quickly in the OS X Terminal for giving me a quick and perfectly adequate way to make thumbnails for a web page from 32 photos: sips -Z 256 *.jpg Destructive! Work on copies.

17 January 2022 14:57 — : Waikawa Beach For Sale: 75 Strathnaver Drive; Offers over $849,000; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 95m2 floor area, 8794m2 land area, 2 garages.

17 January 2022 11:29 — : I haven’t spotted any Pukeko at the lakes recently so was glad to see a couple at sunrise today. 🐦

16 January 2022 07:56 — : Fiji to Tonga is 800 Km! Turn up the volume and watch this video clip of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption as heard in Fiji. Must have been deafening in Tonga.

16 January 2022 06:33 — : It seems the Hunga eruption in Tonga was a one-in–1000-year event: Radiocarbon dating suggested one major eruption of this scale occurred about AD1100 and another in AD200 And we heard it here at Waikawa Beach, 2,500 Km away. 🌋

16 January 2022 06:06 — : I very much enjoyed the Swedish book Still Waters (Sandhamn Murders Book 1) by Viveca Sten (Author), Marlaine Delargy (Translator) 📚 On a hot July morning on Sweden’s idyllic vacation island of Sandhamn, a man takes his dog for a walk and makes a …

15 January 2022 20:35 — : Watch these videos at Stunning satellite animations of extremely powerful volcanic eruption in Tonga. That’s amazing stuff. Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano. Lots of aroha for our neighbours and friends in Tonga!

15 January 2022 20:30 — : What’s that repeated thumping / booming we asked one another as we ate dinner outside. It sounded like maybe the army shelling nearby. The answer apparently is: shockwaves from the enormous volcanic eruption in Tonga about 2,500 Km away! …

15 January 2022 09:50 — : Kee-yah!

15 January 2022 09:49 — : On our Swan Plants some Monarch caterpillars are thriving. Meanwhile, the gory scene in the second photo shows a Paper Wasp devouring a young caterpillar.

14 January 2022 17:36 — : This proved very handy today when I had 32 photos to deal with: Create a Contact Sheet of Thumbnails with Automator in Mac OS X. Slightly outdated, but still extremely helpful.

14 January 2022 16:04 — : How lucky was I to get this shot of a Greenfinch on a moving flax spear! The flax spear was waving around all over the place, yet on this one shot the bird’s clear and in focus, even with a glint in its eye. All other shots deleted for being …

13 January 2022 16:21 — : I know others have felt unwell for a day after their Covid booster. I’m not quite up to par after yesterday’s jab, but it’s mainly just a bit of a headache and needing some extra naps. That could be equally attributable to not …

13 January 2022 10:38 — : Murder mystery with a huge helping of travel writing: Destination: Maui (Destination Murder Mysteries Book 1) by Ann Shepphird. 📚 I liked it well enough but I think on balance I prefer more investigation and less travel writing… Maybe a different …

13 January 2022 10:32 — : I borrowed on paper from the Library Backyard Bird Photography: How to Attract Birds to Your Home and Create Beautiful Photographs, 2014, by Mathew Tekulsky 🐦 Not so much a “How-To” as a “How I did”. Disappointing and I was …

13 January 2022 06:07 — : Wow, this 28 minute film is entrancing: Hargila 🐦 : Through the efforts of a remarkable conservation leader, Dr. Purnima Devi Barman … the [endangered Greater Adjutant storks] are now protected, celebrated, and increasing their numbers locally. …

12 January 2022 12:01 — : As all us ‘rich’ folks get Covid jabs 1, 2 and 3, The World Health Organisation now says that Africa (the entire continent of 1.3 billion people) won’t reach its target of vaccinating 70% of its population until late 2024. …

12 January 2022 11:51 — : Covid boosted. 💉

12 January 2022 11:48 — : If you enjoy reading mystery stories by excellent authors then you may be interested in Make 100 Mystery Stories: Crimes Collide: 100 Mystery Short Stories by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith in Five Volumes The Kickstarter has already …

11 January 2022 16:13 — : Little Yellowhammer on a flax spear, singin' away!

11 January 2022 11:29 — : Errands in Levin today. As we drove north past the consecutive rail and river bridges and round a bend we passed a petrol tanker stationary on the side of the road by Tatum Park — flashing lights, cones, cops etc. It had lost a whole front wheel and …

11 January 2022 04:56 — : It’s a year since I ordered my M1 MacBook Pro. I was worried about moving from a 15“ to a 13” screen. Took me forever to get used to the small screen but now I love that this machine is light and small enough to take anywhere.

10 January 2022 19:15 — : Having recently bought mini loaf tins I thought I should actually use them. Found and cooked this: Mini Gingerbread Loaf for Two. It was delicious! Luckily there’s some left for a snack tomorrow morning before breakfast.

10 January 2022 16:44 — : I’ve seen a few Spur-winged plovers around recently but haven’t had a chance to take a photo of them yet. This picture from October 2018 will have to do for now. 🐦

10 January 2022 12:10 — : For sale: 10 Arthur Street, Waikawa Beach: Offers Over $709,000; 2 bedrooms; 1 bathroom; 70m2 floor area; 809m2 land area.

09 January 2022 16:16 — : Interesting: Risk of Death For Female Patients Is Much Higher if Surgeon Is a Man, Study Reveals. It’d be interesting to know data for cross-cultural and other groupings too.

09 January 2022 14:24 — : Sometimes I try reading romance, but it’s unsatisfying like when hot chocolate is all froth… When Love Wins by Sherryl Hancock. 📚 Tyler has been openly gay, Shenin always dated men … the government’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell …

09 January 2022 14:08 — : This photo from February 2020 turns out the be the only one I have of a Goldfinch. 😒 Poor little mite flew into our window and was stunned. 🐦 Need to look out for one to take photos of.

08 January 2022 18:11 — : So pleased with my new zoom lens. Juvenile Starling on a flax spear; rabbit on the grass.

08 January 2022 11:39 — : Hey @g see how you get on with this Applescript you asked for. Copy the contents into Script Editor and see if it works for what you want. I bet others could do a way better job, but it’s a start. There are also probably much better ways to …

08 January 2022 06:40 — : I chose dawn today to bike round the village. Slightly chilly but perfect conditions, with no wind. The river was super low, despite it being 2 hours before low tide. The river is more usually about where the bolts attach that diagonal crossbeam on …

07 January 2022 17:18 — : Enjoyed, in spite of numerous typos: Unknown Victim (Gina Santoro Mysteries Book 1) by Kay Hadashi. 📚 Rookie Police Officer Gina Santoro … makes a career change … Now working in landscape management, she finds … a dead body on her front porch. …

07 January 2022 05:23 — : Last night I met that rare and elusive beast, 8 hours good sleep. 😴 It’s life-changing! 💪🏼

06 January 2022 04:04 — : I got lucky today: Wordle 200 3/6 🟩⬜⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

05 January 2022 19:46 — : Tonight we visited our weekender neighbours. Amy, the vet assistant, brought Doodlebug, the rescue guinea pig to the beach for a holiday. I got a “wheek”. 😀 // @jean

05 January 2022 17:00 — : Oh my! ❤️‍🔥Katharine Hepburn as a boy in 1935’s Sylvia Scarlett 🎥: as she chops off her hair she declares, “I won’t be a girl. I won’t be weak, and I won’t be silly. I’ll be a boy, and rough, and hard. I won’t care what I do! Don’t worry, I’m …

05 January 2022 15:11 — : Some folks are so desperate to get their vehicles onto the beach they’ll even drive through a high tide.

05 January 2022 07:17 — : Well, today I achieved variety, with breakfast anyway. Someone accidentally switched the locations of ground chilli and cinnamon in the pantry and I didn’t look closely. Chilli on porridge is … interesting. 😆

05 January 2022 07:11 — : This morning we’re heading out to a Waikanae Estuary Bird Tour. It’s only a 40 minute drive south. Mik will show you where to find roosting shags, the oyster-catches, scaup, dabchicks, herons, banded dotterels, terns and many other …

05 January 2022 05:35 — : I wasn’t entirely sure about Close to Her (Detective Sarah Burke mystery and suspense Book 1) by Elizabeth Gunn at first. Then I loved it and am ready to read more. 📚

04 January 2022 15:00 — : Today I kayaked 2 Km upriver. It was sunny and peaceful. After watching some ‘how to paddle’ videos I think my paddling technique has improved a little. Never gone so far before. Tired now! 🛶

03 January 2022 09:18 — : I’m learning a heap of useful info from the free videos from The Cornell Lab Bird Academy. Here’s one example: Inside Birding: Size & Shape. If you want to learn more about birds this is great stuff! 🐦

03 January 2022 07:43 — : I have a huge job ahead of me over the next unknown amount of time. I’ve been very poor at labelling the photos in my Apple Photos.app collection. I’ve now set up a Smart Album, just for last year to start with, and will work away on it a …

02 January 2022 17:09 — : With temps in the high 20sC we took the for us unusual step of going down to the beach for a “swim”. For me that means jumping over waves. Our beach is so shallow we waded out maybe 30 metres or more and were still only thigh deep. Pretty …

02 January 2022 09:42 — : It was a perfect sunset last night. I found I could even see the Makara Wind Farm (via binoculars) some 100 Km away. In the third photo most of the land on the horizon is the South Island or islands in Cook Strait.

01 January 2022 14:14 — : I love that BBEdit can compare documents and I can selectively copy text between windows.

01 January 2022 10:55 — : I have a lot to learn about taking photos of shags in trees. Just look at this dork though! 😆 🐦 Try zooming in.

01 January 2022 10:38 — : This is for @Cheri. Deb and I both looked at this Facebook Post and couldn’t figure out at first why someone wanted to give away half a bathroom sponge… [@Miraz](https://micro.blog/Miraz) I enjoy Britishisms, but eating a sponge sounds so …

01 January 2022 07:11 — : I don’t post my daily selfies, but did on 01 January 2021. So here’s my New Year’s Day 2022 selfie. 😀 On the beach at dawn, waiting for sunrise to see in the new year.

31 December 2021 22:14 — : I don’t do reviews, resolutions or plans these days — not sure I ever did really anyway. But this evening the thought popped into my head that I should make sure 2022 includes variety — it’s so easy to end up in a rut. So I guess …

31 December 2021 21:50 — : Every year a local couple mount a huge display of Christmas Lights on their house. The lights tell a story as Santa and elves move around delivering presents. Now others are putting up displays of lights too, like the tree at the village entrance. …

31 December 2021 11:32 — : Initial results of my new zoom lens are very pleasing. Two different Oystercatcher chicks at the beach. 🐦

31 December 2021 08:18 — : I hadn’t realised just how ginormous my new zoom lens is compared to the old. Camera: Fuji X-T2. Old lens: Fujifilm XC 50–230mm f4.5–6.7 OIS II. New lens: Fujifilm XF 100–400mm F4.5–5.6 R LM OIS WR. The price is also …

30 December 2021 15:26 — : Trip to Wellington today. Photo of the Wellington waterfront on a nice summer’s day from a 9th floor apartment on Oriental Bay.

30 December 2021 10:10 — : Haere rā, e hoa. RIP, Alana.

29 December 2021 19:04 — : Hmmm, this book didn’t quite gel with me: Nookie (Alex Dixon Humorous Mysteries Book 1) by Katrina Kyle. 📚 Alex Dixon has problems. She’s unemployed, unattached, and may or may not be in hot water with her former employer, the US …

29 December 2021 14:08 — : For a while now I’ve been eying up the Fujifilm XF 100–400mm F4.5–5.6 lens to attach to my Fuji X-T2 camera. I was planning on buying when we sell a rental property in a few months. Today though I gave way — all the birds I …

28 December 2021 14:24 — : Out of nowhere the other day, I wondered what a Mint Julep tasted like. I don’t drink alcohol so made a Virgin Mint Julep. It was easy and delicious, but has so much sugar. If I ever make it again I’ll cut the sugar way down.

28 December 2021 14:20 — : The other day on a whim I bought a couple of mini loaf tins. Today I baked White Bread Mini Yeast Loaf. I brushed on egg white to make a shiny crust. This bread was easy and delicious!

27 December 2021 14:13 — : Today I noticed the Australian coots on our nearby little lake have babies. 🐦 When I arrived with my camera they hurried off, but a couple of shots worked. That white frontal shield is a giveaway.

27 December 2021 12:03 — : A very useful read: 😀 Baking and baked goods are a perennial source of US/UK miscommunication—in large part because most of our current baking/eating habits were only invented after the split between American and British English. See: Separated by …

27 December 2021 06:32 — : Yesterday I learned a good lesson about getting the right light for photos of birds on a lake. 🐦 I went back in the afternoon and managed to ‘catch’ the New Zealand dabchick and the New Zealand scaup.

26 December 2021 14:01 — : At the lake this morning, I was unsuccessful in my attempts to take a good photo of the New Zealand Dabchick. I did manage to capture a photo of the Uropetala carovei | Bush giant dragonfly on the wing. Previous pics have been on my hand.

26 December 2021 13:55 — : The introduced Green and Golden Bell Frogs down at the lake this morning were making a racket: Waaaahhhhh woof woof. 🐸

25 December 2021 09:29 — : The Oystercatchers were protecting eggs recently. Now we have a fluffy grey baby to watch out for! 🐦

25 December 2021 08:56 — : Caught in the act! This Banded Dotterel, Tuturiwhatu, found something yummy! 🐦

25 December 2021 08:52 — : Many beach birds are quite big really: Gulls, Terns Oystercatchers, Pied Stilts. The ‘nationally vulnerable’ Tuturiwhatu or Banded Dotterels though are tiny, more sparrow sized. They scurry along the beach in a quite hilarious way. …

25 December 2021 08:47 — : Royal Spoonbill, feeding, flanked by two Pied Stilts, with a Black-backed Gull in the background. 🐦

25 December 2021 08:42 — : Merry Christmas, folks. At 7.30 am the beach was for the birds, including this group of Black Swans. Can you spot the odd one out — the ‘ugly cygnet’? 🐦

24 December 2021 12:15 — : It’s so trivial, but this “Enter This Side” sign at the store’s exit, irritates me every time. Unless they consider you’re entering the mall, but I see myself as exiting the store. 👿 Perhaps there is no one truth…

23 December 2021 21:08 — : Remembering Alana Bowman. RIP.

23 December 2021 15:47 — : Word's out about the railing! Today a Warou, Welcome Swallow, opted for the full photo shoot, even including the over-the-shoulder pose! 🐦

23 December 2021 06:19 — : Vehicles on the beach is a hot topic where I live, so this is interesting: Vehicle access to popular Auckland beach to close over holidays A permit system was introduced in 2015 to manage the volume of traffic and to ensure drivers were aware of …

23 December 2021 05:54 — : We seem to have our very own house Sparrow. This little cutie likes to sit on the railing outside the east door to our deck from the lounge and either keep an eye on us or just enjoy the view.

22 December 2021 10:31 — : Noone tends the grass verges along our private lane but I hate when they get too overgrown, so today I tidied things a bit with the weedeater. An hour’s work. Before and After.

21 December 2021 11:27 — : Today the farmer came and picked up the bales of hay. That was a two tractor job.

21 December 2021 07:43 — : This is cool. 5.5 minute video. Folks who write detective fic with high tech elements would like this. Comes under Linguistics! Hidden background noise that can catch criminals: Electrical Network Frequency analysis, ENF analysis, matches background …

21 December 2021 07:31 — : A couple of days ago the farmer next door mowed the cow paddock. Later he came back with his tractor and spinner to flip the grass and rake it into piles to dry. Then the next day he baled it all up. I love living in the country.

20 December 2021 06:27 — : Every single time I use Regular Expressions in BBEdit I just want to shout out my joy! Before and after screenshots.

19 December 2021 08:56 — : Today I made Courgette frittatas for breakfast. They were pretty good. Fresh courgettes from the tunnel house and a very small stick of finely chopped celery. I used thyme rather than dill.

19 December 2021 06:34 — : In the last 2 weeks we’ve had almost 200 mm rain (over 7 inches), and variously heat, high winds from several quarters, still days, cool grey days. Yesterday’s beach showed the effects: a lot of driftwood, and interestingly sculpted shore …

18 December 2021 10:06 — : The Royal Spoonbill was also a little wind-ruffled, while at least one of the nearby ducks was keeping a close watch on me.

18 December 2021 09:50 — : Annoying: I put my bike on its side stand so I could take photos of a Royal Spoonbill at the lake. A big gust of wind blew my bike over (it’s OK) and snapped off the stand!

18 December 2021 05:54 — : Rats! Apple Watch Locking: Other issues that can impact sensor performance include wrist tattoos. Thanks to an inconvenient mosquito bite overnight I’m wearing my watch on my left wrist. The watch keeps asking me to unlock it. Must be the …

17 December 2021 17:18 — : My friend Alana, and fellow Xena fan, gave me this fridge magnet many many years ago. Alana is very much in my thoughts at the moment.

16 December 2021 18:57 — : That was a cool little 20 minute film: Little Miss Sumo. It’s worth a watch (Netflix) 🎬: The premise revolves around the 20-year-old sumo wrestler Hiyori Kon, one of few women practising the sport.

16 December 2021 16:07 — : I’m glad these girls get to expand horizons: When I first came to New Zealand, I didn’t know what sport was …because I’m a girl and wasn’t allowed to play sport [in Pakistan] because I was a girl. Source: ‘I …

16 December 2021 16:01 — : Uh oh: Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has confirmed the country’s first case of the Omicron variant has been found at a MIQ facility in Christchurch. Source: Covid-19: Omicron case found in Christchurch MIQ

16 December 2021 13:41 — : Hooray for the NZ Invertebrate ID group on Facebook. I now know this insect is a Bush gadfly (Scaptia adrel). It was hanging out on the wall of our garage today. It’s roughly 3 cm long.

16 December 2021 12:06 — : I have two Japanese quail. Today, less than 2 Km from our house, I spotted a not-very-often-seen-round-here California Quail. 🐦 Pretty different, eh!

15 December 2021 14:50 — : I enjoyed A Mumbai Murder Mystery by Meeti Shroff-Shah. 📚 Some great turns of phrase, insight into a culture I’m not familiar with. So much food I want to taste! Radhi returns home to Mumbai … gets caught up in the mystery surrounding the …

15 December 2021 13:39 — : This was long overdue but today I finally took all the dirty straw out of the quail run and added fresh straw and pine shavings. 🐦 That all created a lot of consternation, as you can see by the slightly open beaks. They should enjoy it once …

14 December 2021 10:14 — : Some publishers use a service that detects which Amazon Store a newsletter reader might want to use and sends me incorrectly to Amazon Australia when I click a link. Keyboard Maestro to the rescue: I copy the title, KM turns it into an Amazon.us link …

14 December 2021 08:19 — : Love this music! Dufay is famous for being the first really major Renaissance composer and breaking from the medieval traditions, … his isorhythmic motets are more exciting than average. Source: Dufay’s Isorhythmic Motets | Azimuth Thanks to …

13 December 2021 07:47 — : Oshi, 🐶 aged 15, is arthritic, has a heart murmur and doesn’t see so well. He can now walk ~500 metres max, and still enjoys peeing on everything (male dogs!).

13 December 2021 07:45 — : Sasha, 🐶 aged 15, is pretty much blind and almost deaf, arthritic and has weak legs. I have to lift her up and down steps, on and off the bed. Her walks are now limited to ~200 metres max, and that can take 10 or 15 minutes. I hope she enjoys the …

13 December 2021 07:10 — : Sasha and Oshi turn 15 today! 🎉 They had some extra treats in their breakfast. Here are some silly birthday photos. 😀

13 December 2021 05:41 — : Happily noted: Nichelle Nichols played the role of Nyota Uhura on Star Trek: The Original Series. 🖖🏼 Recently, Astronaut Appearance Specialist Denise Young bestowed on Nichols NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement Medal for her …

12 December 2021 11:57 — : From a couple of days ago: Thrush on a fence post.

11 December 2021 14:19 — : I enjoy Anne Shillolo’s Port Alma mysteries very much. Unfortunately, I found Frozen Fear, part of a different series, somewhat annoying. I should know by now I’m not a big fan of romancey stories.

11 December 2021 07:41 — : Peekaboo. Cloud over the Tararuas.

11 December 2021 04:33 — : At the start of this week we had almost 100 mm rain over 2 or 3 days, with associated flooding around the place. Now there’s another 100 mm forecast over the next 7 days.

10 December 2021 19:00 — : The Welcome Swallow, on the other hand, just seemed inscrutable.

10 December 2021 18:57 — : This waxeye on the flax spear was a bit grumpy looking.

10 December 2021 05:48 — : This little Yellowhammer was also busy singing out loud on a flax bush yesterday. 🐦

09 December 2021 18:31 — : A late afternoon songster, this European greenfinch. 🐦 😀

09 December 2021 05:32 — : Time flies! Thought I should get ready to be able to easily type 2023 now we’re soon to be in 2022. Found my TextExpander snippet of y3 still expanded to 2013. That what happens when you use an app for more than a decade! Also found several old …

08 December 2021 13:10 — : It was time to replace lamp and filters on our Puretec HYBRID-G9 UV water treatment unit. I watched a maintenance video and noted 35 steps then took my courage in hand. It actually wasn’t that hard. I’ve made a note to set aside water for …

08 December 2021 09:48 — : We had 100 mm rain (4 inches) in the last 2–3 days. I’ve written about it with photos on the Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association blog: A bit damp in early December 2021.

07 December 2021 11:58 — : With all the rain the last couple of days this wild baby rabbit found a sheltered spot under the overhang of the quail palace roof. Handy nibbles right there too! 🐇

06 December 2021 13:30 — : I went out when it wasn’t raining quite so hard to check on things in this area. There was heaps more rain in the mountains than here so the river was pretty full. Islands of river weed are being washed away (and that’s good).

06 December 2021 08:30 — : This boy Oshi 🐶 has no manners — he barges in, pushes himself around, generally has no regard for anyone else. Except when he’s on my bed. Then he waits respectfully at the foot till invited closer, sits quietly, is a model dog.

06 December 2021 08:17 — : I’m finding the Publii documentation to be excellent. Clear, well laid out, comprehensive.

05 December 2021 15:11 — : I’m giving Publii a try, with good results so far: Publii is an open-source static site generator for every skill level, from beginner to developer. Now I know it works I’ll start building up the site. 😀

05 December 2021 13:00 — : Yesterday a starling flew right in through the open door and fetched up in the corner of the kitchen. It was not happy. It looked like it could inflict real damage, but armed with oven gloves I was able to pick it up and take it outside.

05 December 2021 04:51 — : The forecast is for a heap of rain in the next few days. We’ll see how much actually arrives. At least it’ll help fill the water tank.

04 December 2021 15:18 — : I recently took a deep breath and bought an iPhone 13 Pro Max. Then I wanted to protect it properly with a leather sleeve. After some missteps I finally did the smart thing and asked @aa to craft one for me. It’s fabulous! Even the …

03 December 2021 13:44 — : There are days when the sea is so calm I could be enjoying a tropical Pacific atoll. Very soothing!

03 December 2021 12:35 — : I made a smart choice today: was boiling with rage about something going on locally, selected an appropriate person to chat with about it. She cooled me down and brought extra perspectives and actions. [What! No patting oneself on the back emoji?]

02 December 2021 15:45 — : XKCD’s Edge Cake is particularly excellent. For those who don’t know: hover to get additional text.

02 December 2021 13:18 — : Love, love, love the “dog who looks like Patrick Stewart”: Dogs That Look Like Celebrities 🖖🏼

02 December 2021 06:27 — : Ever since I discovered the New York Times Acrostic I’ve been doing one per day, starting with the first in the archive. Sadly, that binge means I’m now all caught up. Now I have to wait a couple of weeks for each new one. I’ve …

01 December 2021 16:33 — : Your place or mine?

01 December 2021 05:19 — : For Sale: 38 Manga Pirau Street, Waikawa Beach: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 80m2 floor area, 809m2 land area.

30 November 2021 12:28 — : Yet another brilliant animated cartoon-style explainer (maybe 30 seconds) — this time about Antimicrobial Resistance from Dr Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris.

30 November 2021 07:30 — : Centuries of colonisation, racism and neglect have put Māori in a very bad position. Now (as always) they fight back: Low Māori vax rates not considered in alert level change Iwi say no to Rhythm & Vines over Covid-19 risk Iwi looking to …

30 November 2021 06:19 — : 7.15 am. This is the hour or two when the dogs check in every 15 minutes or so in case it’s breakfast time. 🐶 They have another 45 minutes to wait. 😆

29 November 2021 19:16 — : One of the tracks to the beach that I use has flaxes either side of the entrance. Sometimes the leaves grow right across the track. I couldn’t be bothered asking the Council to trim them, and just did it myself. Only took 15 minutes.

28 November 2021 19:08 — : I don’t always find the lead character endearing, but I enjoyed The Rachel Prince Mystery Series: Books 4–6 by Dawn Brookes 📚: a body … is found … on the first day of her Antipodean cruise. Can a seemingly harmless …

28 November 2021 14:35 — : Keeping tempers cool at Waikawa: Community irefighting.

28 November 2021 08:14 — : There are several interesting points in Declining Eyesight Could Be Given a Boost by Short Morning Doses of Seeing Red, including: Longer wavelengths spanning 650 to 900 nanometers improve mitochondrial performance to increase energy production.

27 November 2021 07:31 — : Hmmm, now we’re getting a handle on Covid Delta, this from WHO: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern Source: World Health Organisation

26 November 2021 16:40 — : Our Swan Plant had one microscopic Monarch caterpillar on it when a friend offered to bring some of her surplus caterpillars round. Of course I accepted. Hers are much much bigger.

25 November 2021 19:48 — : Because I was sitting quietly on a log, the Pied Stilt came closer, checking me out.

25 November 2021 19:45 — : Pied Stilt, strutting her stuff. 🐦

25 November 2021 15:09 — : Saw these little birds at the beach today. Thought they were one thing, but a search eventually told me they are New Zealand dotterels. One photo has an Oystercatcher to show the relative sizes.

25 November 2021 04:45 — : My brain doesn’t do well with pictures that replace words: on the cooktop it always takes me time to figure out which knob controls which element, in a lift my finger hesitates above the silly arrows for opening or closing doors. So I was …

24 November 2021 14:54 — : Near the beach is a house being built from the outside in. After laying the floor they put up door jambs and installed the doors. Next come the outside walls. Usually, after the floor, framing goes up, then walls and doors go in. It’s weird…

24 November 2021 14:50 — : It was stunning at the beach before 7 am today. In the photo, about one third of the way across the horizon from the right, you can just make out Mt Ruapehu.

23 November 2021 19:54 — : Blackbird.

23 November 2021 15:31 — : For no special reason, a photo from August 2012, at Ha’atafu resort in Tonga. Reading.

22 November 2021 11:33 — : How do these adjacencies happen so often? Is this really just a coincidence? No one talks about ravens then suddenly @cheri and @hollyhoneychurch both mention them, one after the other!? What’s going on? 🤨 …

21 November 2021 13:39 — : Well, well, well: Kobayashi Maru 🖖🏼📺

21 November 2021 09:52 — : Misremembering Something May Be Evidence That Your Memory Is Actually Working 🤔: people tend to remember the general gist of an item … while forgetting its fine details. …people tend to mentally “fill in” missing details with the most …

20 November 2021 15:29 — : The Grey warbler, Riroriro has a very distinctive song that I’ve often heard. I’d never seen the bird though until today. Very excited to report my first sighting, near our gate, and photos! This bird is even smaller than the tiny …

20 November 2021 15:04 — : Happened to have camera in hand when I saw this Tui on the flaxes.

20 November 2021 10:16 — : Ahhhh, mystery solved. I wondered why my author friend @cheri kept leaving out words in her blog posts. Now I know to blame Reader mode on Safari, which I use because I hate reading pale text on a dark background.

20 November 2021 04:38 — Blood moon November 2021 notes : I caught some glimpses of the eclipse last night, between cloud. Just after 10 pm, it looked just like this, in binoculars. My couple of photos were garbage. so, just to remember this: The longest partial lunar eclipse visible in New Zealand in more …

19 November 2021 20:48 — : I managed to see the almost total lunar eclipse in spite of loads of cloud. Pretty darned special, particularly with good binoculars. Took two bad photos. I wanted to focus on binocular views instead of camera fiddling tonight. 😀 Off to bed now.

19 November 2021 10:03 — : Absent-mindedly opened Camera app on my phone instead of the Covid–19 Tracer app to record a visit. Camera kindly offered to open the correct app for me.

18 November 2021 15:54 — : My Granny Smith apple tree should produce a good crop this year.

17 November 2021 15:59 — : LOL juxtapositions. On Netflix: The Flash with Dash and Lily.

17 November 2021 15:18 — : I’ve really enjoyed this series. Just finished 3rd Tango: (Schock Sisters Mystery Series) by Misty Evans and Adrienne Giordano. 📚 Looks like the authors have written other books, but in genres that aren’t really my thing. With any luck, …

17 November 2021 10:47 — : Hmmm, hope this URL works. I keep a diary / journal /TODO thing in a file on my Mac using OmniOutliner (OO). I’ve created a calendar document for 2022 that you’re welcome to grab and use. List items under the date. Use OO to Expand or …

16 November 2021 16:20 — : These maps are really interesting: Ancient Earth globe. For example, 240 million years ago Aotearoa New Zealand was situated close to the South Pole. By 66 million years ago it was roughly where it is today.

16 November 2021 08:25 — : I really enjoyed this 45 minute doco: No one had ever asked the journalist and broadcaster why he drank, but when he stopped everyone asked him why he didn’t. Source: Proof: Guyon Espiner’s alcohol documentary

16 November 2021 07:22 — : This is handy: Apple has quietly added a new tool in macOS Monterey for measuring your device’s Internet connectivity quality. You can simply call the executable networkQuality Source: The secret of the macOS Monterey network quality tool | …

15 November 2021 11:20 — : From a neighbour’s place, a view across to the Tararuas. Our house is the pale building on the right, our garage the pale building on the left.

14 November 2021 14:57 — : New shoes day: Merrell Siren Traveller 3. Great shoes! designed for women’s feet.

14 November 2021 04:54 — : I found 2nd Strike: Book 2 of 3: Schock Sisters Mystery Series by Misty Evans and Adrienne Giordano as compelling as Book 1. 📚 Now on to Book 3. Fifteen years ago, a newborn … was kidnapped … Then-FBI Agent Charlie Schock solved the crime … But it …

14 November 2021 03:55 — : I really enjoyed Juniper 🎬 : a self-destructive teenager is … asked to look after his feisty alcoholic grandmother … the crazy time they spend together turns his life around. A good read: Charlotte said yes: How we got a French screen icon to star …

13 November 2021 14:12 — : There are special bars across our footbridge designed to stop motorbikes from getting onto the bridge. What they actually do is make it very hard for human beings to get on the bridge, especially those who have dogs on leads, kids, wheelchairs, …

13 November 2021 08:47 — : This test of @manton’s script: Micro.blog via AppleScript has worked well. 😀 Thanks Manton.

12 November 2021 18:17 — : For sale 18 Henham Lane, Waikawa Beach: Bareland, 22155 m².

12 November 2021 09:45 — : Intense and very readable: 1st Shock: A Schock Sisters Private Investigator Mystery by Misty Evans and Adrienne Giordano. 📚 Elite forensic sculptor Meg Schock is obsessed with solving cold cases and bringing justice to victims. I’ve bought …

11 November 2021 11:53 — : Sometimes our military helicopters like to do a little bit of formation flying — directly overhead.

11 November 2021 07:48 — : Until this year we always said “If Oshi won’t eat, we know there’s a problem”. 🐶 This year it’s been increasingly difficult to get him to eat his biscuits, especially in the morning. We’ve tried various …

10 November 2021 19:37 — : Today I was looking at the Coastal Risk Screening Tool and suddenly recalled seeing the tsunami siren in Niue. That whole coral island is at least 25 metres above sea level.

09 November 2021 07:03 — : Breakfast … with friends.

08 November 2021 17:14 — : This grew on me: The Rachel Prince Mystery Series: Books 1–3 by Dawn Brookes 📚 The language is kind of prissy, but I got used to it — or perhaps it eased as the books went on. Cruise ship cozy.

08 November 2021 10:35 — : It was too hot for all of us by the time I took the dogs to the beach this morning. But boy it was a stunning day!

07 November 2021 15:25 — : A bit of an earthquake 〰️ just to keep us on our toes. Not far away but quite deep. Magnitude: 5.4 Depth: 189 km

07 November 2021 05:56 — : Waikawa Beach For Sale: 13 Holly Way. 2.01ha Land.

06 November 2021 19:30 — : We really enjoyed The Starling 🎬 As if Lilly’s troubles weren’t bad enough, a starling whose nest is in a tree in her backyard begins to harass and attack her and she becomes obsessed with stopping it.

06 November 2021 09:06 — : Wowee: parrots have names and use their own and one another’s names too. They learn the names in the nest. How a Parrot Learns Its Name in the Wild | Bird Academy • The Cornell Lab.

06 November 2021 06:47 — : These are my special friends for a few days while their mum takes a break.

05 November 2021 14:58 — : The majority opinion was in favour of an afternoon nap. Who was I to stand agin them? 😴

05 November 2021 12:50 — : From 2018: a small boat being launched off Waikawa Beach. // @odd

05 November 2021 10:25 — : With a barely perceptible easterly this morning our West Coast sea had almost no waves at all. So still and quiet!

05 November 2021 09:48 — : I love my iPhone 13 Pro Max. I was worried it would be too large, but it feels great in the hand and the camera is performing nicely. The blue is paler than I imagined. I also love my Apple Watch Series 7: nice big easy to read face and the touch …

04 November 2021 18:47 — : For Sale: 53a Reay Mackay Grove, Waikawa Beach This house will be visible from our place.

04 November 2021 16:32 — Our unfriendly roads : An email to NZTA today: For exercise and also to do my bit to reduce car use and save putting some CO2 into the atmosphere I biked from my home at Waikawa Beach, Horowhenua, to the dairy at Manakau today to get the bottle of milk I needed. That's …

04 November 2021 09:57 — : For Sale: 8 Sand Dune Grove, Waikawa Beach.

03 November 2021 08:45 — : That time when setting up a new watch led me to discover my phone was set to use Icelandic as a secondary language…

02 November 2021 16:03 — : I’ve finally found my perfect use case for the Apple Pencil on iPad: solving crossword puzzles that otherwise must be printed out, for example, the brilliant The Haunted House. Now I can also do a heap of the Times Archive too.

02 November 2021 12:29 — : Every November the tree lupins Lupinus arboreus come into full flower and play havoc with my allergies. I get itchy throat, nose, eyes along with blurry vision and head fog. Today’s Kenacort steroid shot is already helping.

01 November 2021 10:45 — : I’m booked on a bike tour for next April. The company will now require Covid vaccination certificates for all participants. Seems like a good thing to me. 💉

01 November 2021 08:06 — : I like the idea that after my death my body could become compost, feeding plants that nourish and protect animals, continuing the cycle of life. I hope this is available when I need it. Let’s Visit the Human Composting Facility!

01 November 2021 06:43 — : Last night Sasha 🐶 had to go out about midnight then started being restless again, wandering round the house. I put on a little solar powered lamp as a nightlight, put her back on the bed and she settled till morning. Maybe the lamp helped? I think …

31 October 2021 14:04 — : Lying awake in the night sped me through this very good read: Next in Line (Detective Clare Mackay Book 5) by Marion Todd 📚 Clare wonders why no one who knew Russell seems capable of telling the truth, and whether there is more than one …

31 October 2021 13:54 — : We had a difficult night with Sasha the dog 🐶 who is almost 15, pretty much blind, and hard of hearing. It may be a signal she has dementia. She was restless all night, pacing, barking, wanting out (but not really), on the bed, off the bed. She …

30 October 2021 09:42 — : An author, some of whose books I enjoy, wants to be helpful and send customers to the ‘right’ Amazon Store, based on geolocation. She’s not the only author to do this. It infuriates me! I use US Amazon not Aus. I end up at the wrong …

29 October 2021 18:35 — : A pleasant read: Swamp Sweets (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 21) by Jana DeLeon 📚

29 October 2021 09:58 — : My favourite time, when cabbage trees flower — those white panicles. Their perfume is utterly gorgeous.

29 October 2021 09:56 — : Cows in the mist.

29 October 2021 06:18 — : Don’t Choose Extinction: At least we had an asteroid. What’s your excuse?

28 October 2021 15:54 — : I had an idea, worked on it with a friend and today we’re launching a summer photo event for Waikawa Beach: Wow Waikawa! Folks submit photos that show the delight of Waikawa Beach, we print some and put them up over summer. It’s been fun getting …

28 October 2021 15:53 — : Feature request, @manton — today, using the web interface, I hit Post instead of Add Photo. Then I had to go back and mess about to add the pic. I realised the Post button should be alone on the right. I think it makes more sense to move the …

28 October 2021 06:52 — : This 5 minute video was really interesting: Why Some Fruits Won’t Ripen On Your Counter: Trying to ripen some fruits on your kitchen counter is totally fruitless - here’s why.

27 October 2021 19:10 — : Tonight the mountain peak directly east of us was absolutely luminous in the sunset.

27 October 2021 08:01 — : Wow. A word puzzle led me to discover Yma Sumac, 1932-2008, a Peruvian singer with a range of at least four and a half octaves. Listen to Yma Sumac sings Queen of the Night and Clair de Lune. I’d never heard of her before.

26 October 2021 15:53 — : My Granny Smith Apple tree is covered in blossom. That’s good for the bees. 🐝

26 October 2021 08:37 — : macOS Monterey Day. Version 12.0.1. 🎉

26 October 2021 04:55 — : I like this Wind Turbine Wall idea: Designed to be as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional, this “kinetic wall” is made up of an array of rotary blades that spin individually, driving a mini generator that creates electricity.

25 October 2021 08:52 — : I love TextExpander. Used it for years. Setting up a new email address for the local Association. I type the trigger and now I can choose the old email address or the new. This is one of my most essential apps.

25 October 2021 08:40 — : Apple Mail is OK, but I’ve sent emails from the wrong account because Mail chose the sender on my behalf. I need to be more in charge. This tip helps: select a ‘dummy’ account for the default ‘from’ account, then …

24 October 2021 15:43 — : A brilliant book by a favourite author: Unbreakable by Cari Hunter. 📚 Dr. Grace Kendal never stands a chance. The injured woman comes out of nowhere, bleeding heavily and holding a gun. Compelled to help her, Grace is dragged into Elin …

24 October 2021 06:04 — : Short on sleep this morning, so my brain cells are groggy. Not convenient when I have a committee meeting for Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association to attend, with a long agenda.

24 October 2021 06:00 — : I’m slowly learning that as I get older my body is less able to handle sugar. At a friend’s birthday party last night I drank ~500 mls of Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters. Then I was still awake at midnight. 😒 It didn’t …

23 October 2021 06:09 — : Is this new in Find My? When I checked on Deb’s progress as she drove home last night I got a Live view where the blue dot moved in real time. Forgive the shaky camera please.

22 October 2021 10:56 — : Darn it! Spent ages hunting for the ‘right’ sleeve for my new iPhone 13 Pro Max. Recalled years ago I had a nice sleeve from Pack and Smooch so ordered this beauty. Then they emailed: NZ Post won’t accept it, so I had to cancel. …

21 October 2021 15:23 — : I need to listen again to this invaluable 45 minute podcast: You Can’t Always Want What You Like why our brains don’t encourage us to do things that we know we’ll enjoy … strategies to help us do more of the activities that will result in happier …

21 October 2021 11:34 — : Five quail eggs in a box. Four of them, as usual, weigh 11 grams. The other one weighs 15 grams! Last time this happened the larger one was a double-yolker. 🐦

20 October 2021 19:38 — : Sunset / moonrise straight out of the iPhone. 3x telephoto.

20 October 2021 12:06 — : The other thing to arrive in the mail today was my new iPhone 13 Pro Max (blue). Setting it up between various other activities…

20 October 2021 10:51 — : This was one of two good things to arrive in the mail this morning: Letter advising “no evidence of breast cancer” after a recent routine mammogram. [Originally posted by mistake on @custom]

19 October 2021 13:54 — : I want to include this photo in a (mainly birds 🤓) quiz. Trying to decide which one of these military helicopters it is. Hmmm, I’m thinking SH-2G(I) Seasprite.

18 October 2021 06:09 — : Another excellent read from a favourite author: Fear on the Fens: (DI Nikki Galena Series Book 13) by Joy Ellis 📚 [they] must find a man who’s been missing for two decades and unravel the painful past of a broken family before anyone else dies. … …

17 October 2021 14:01 — : The dogs don’t like it when the grass in the dog yard gets too long. 🐶 It must tickle their bottoms or something and then they poop on the water tank, which I don’t want them to do. So it was time to tackle the long grass with the …

16 October 2021 15:05 — : I spotted this small yellowish-green bird on a flax spear but couldn’t make out what it was. I took a couple of photos through the window, but as soon as I opened the door for a better look it flew off. Greenfinch. 🐦

15 October 2021 16:58 — : It’s duckling season. 😀

15 October 2021 14:55 — : One reason I’m looking forward to an extremely high Covid vaccination rate in Aotearoa New Zealand is so the flood of [everything] encouraging people to get vaccinated can stop. So many articles, posts, memes, campaigns, news reports, ads, …

15 October 2021 13:30 — : Mysteries featuring black lesbians, with a touch of romance, are few and far between. Smoke Before Fire by A.M. McKnight 📚 I give this developing author a pass on the many typos, but the price should be half what it is on a lightweight book. …

15 October 2021 05:48 — : Yay, Apple are finally thinking about shipping me the iPhone I ordered a month ago. Selling some shares to cover the cost. Bought Applecare for this one too since it’s both so expensive and so droppable.

14 October 2021 15:00 — : Today I was rung by someone from LINZ who asked if I could put the broken marker post I reported yesterday back in the ground. When I dug into the hole I could see the post had been snapped off. There is a building site opposite and I suspect a truck …

13 October 2021 14:12 — : Waikawa Beach, 3 properties for sale: 13 Drake Street 27 Sarah Street 33 Sarah Street

13 October 2021 13:49 — : Way back in February 2017 I noticed small white posts appearing around the place — as in the background of this selfie. The closeup shows more of the post. Turned out they are Geodetic Survey Marker indicator posts. Today I reported one that …

12 October 2021 09:16 — : Another excellent read: What They Knew: (Detective Clare Mackay 4) by Marion Todd 📚: there’s a strong chance that there’s a killer on the loose in St Andrews. Clare and her team will have to look past the obvious conclusions and …

12 October 2021 09:11 — : Apparently critics really didn’t like Q-Force. I, on the other hand, really enjoyed it: Queer Force (Q-Force) [is] a group of undervalued LGBT superspies … as they try to prove themselves on personal and professional adventures image

12 October 2021 05:33 — : 3 am: Sasha 🐶, on my bed: I need to go out … Ohh noo, it’s raining out there … back on the bed instead. I’m awake, read, settle back to sleep at 4 am. 4.01 am: Sasha 🐶, on my bed: I really need to go out. I go out, in the rain, to guide …

11 October 2021 17:17 — : Heh: Bird of the Year: Bats join the competition Including the mammals in the Bird of the Year competition is certainly setting the bat amongst the pigeons, so to speak The long-tailed bat, pekapeka-tou-roa, is one of two native bat species in New …

11 October 2021 08:27 — : My 🐈 buddy Leo has an excellent view from his spot on the sofa. This was taken yesterday.

10 October 2021 09:16 — : My 🐈 buddy Leo’s family have a spa pool they urged me to use. That’s a nice way to begin a cool and grey Sunday. Ahhhh.

10 October 2021 06:42 — : I really enjoy this writer. Goodbye Sea Angel: A Port Alma Murder Mystery by Anne Shillolo 📚 was another great read: DC Holly Towns takes an extra paid shift on board the Sea Angel party boat … But before the night is out … a …

09 October 2021 14:11 — : My buddy Leo was relaxing in the play loft today. 🐈 I enticed him down the steps though.

09 October 2021 12:07 — : It was high tide when I took the dogs to the beach, so we had to negotiate our way through driftwood.

08 October 2021 15:19 — : I’m visiting my buddy Leo today. 🐈

08 October 2021 10:57 — : Finally, yesterday, the part of our shared private lane closest to the road was resurfaced. The existing surface was scraped off, shingle laid and graded, then rolled. At last now the sun has come out, and as the shingle dries out it will harden. Now …

07 October 2021 14:37 — : By the time I came home this morning the part of our driveway from the garage out past the gate had been completed. Thanks to the rain it’s all a bit sticky right now, but once it dries out it’ll be a good solid surface.

07 October 2021 11:21 — : Every couple of years I get a free mammogram with BreastScreen Aotearoa. It’s 10 minutes of having my breasts squished and squashed uncomfortably. Could be lifesaving though, so it’s a small price to pay. Simple delicious eggs on toast …

06 October 2021 17:46 — : Today workers scraped off the bottom part of our driveway and started spreading fresh shingle from the garage to the gate area. Tomorrow they finish adding shingle and then compact it.

06 October 2021 17:42 — : Lone kowhai flower.

06 October 2021 13:21 — : These are ‘before’ shots from today of the road end of our private lane. Tomorrow a contractor will scrape off the top, add fresh base coarse shingle and compact it. Maybe then I won’t have to clench my teeth while cycling along it …

05 October 2021 11:53 — : Hah! Hands off our Hairy Maclary! (wonderful kids book): this mistake has been calcifying for … 40 years. The Scots have thought Hairy’s theirs for as long as we in Aotearoa have known he’s most indubitably ours. It’s… as entrenched as Hairy’s… …

05 October 2021 11:35 — : Spammers don’t discriminate. Here’s the latest ‘Nigerian princess’ email, this time in Te Reo Māori.

05 October 2021 05:15 — : This 5 minute video was intriguing — I thought the Schmid Peoplemover was impossible: An elevator that can go smoothly from horizontal to vertical isn’t possible… right? Turns out the conventional wisdom is wrong, and the Schmid …

04 October 2021 10:36 — : After much fruitless messing about trying to crop photos to a circle in Acorn I checked Help and found: Acorn: Clipping to a Shape Layer. Brilliant. A couple of clicks and it’s done. Test image.

04 October 2021 07:55 — : Oh, the New York Times Acrostic for April 1, 2018 was excellent fun and a joy to solve. So clever!

03 October 2021 15:30 — : I’m far from a frog expert, but my Internet searches suggest this is a Green and Golden Bell Frog that was in our long grass.

03 October 2021 10:10 — : Excellent! Sexual violence prevention programme: Minister for the prevention of family and sexual violence… said one of the first priorities would be promoting respect and consent in relationships. The programme would also address …

03 October 2021 09:47 — : I really enjoyed Cold Deal (Kina McKevie Private Detective Book 1) by Lisa Ambrose. 📚 It kept me reading past bedtime. I hope the next in the series comes soon. Kina McKevie is back in East London more than a decade after killing her …

02 October 2021 12:58 — : Good grief! USPS won’t carry mail to NZ for a while: … “unavailability of transportation”. “refrain from mailing items … until further notice”. Disrupted USPS services to NZ include … airmail and surface mail. …

01 October 2021 12:34 — : Glee and Fliss, the Japanese Quail, are now back in their outdoor run. 🐦 They don’t care for change much so were very cautious and fluffed up to start with.

30 September 2021 20:03 — : The quail have been living in our garage since mid-July when we went away for two weeks. 🐦 Now the worst of the winter and spring weather is over it’s time for them to go back into their outdoor run. Today I added a transparent roof …

29 September 2021 11:53 — : Earthquake prone building.

28 September 2021 18:46 — : Woohoo! Wowee! ‘Babylon 5’ Reboot in Development at The CW From Original Series Creator J. Michael Straczynski Source: Variety Thanks @alexsavin for the news. Photo

28 September 2021 18:32 — : It was a chilly morning with a cool wind from the south. Then when I took the dogs to the beach I got the full force of the southerly, and it was bitterly cold! I was so glad of my down jacket. The southerly has brought more snow to the peaks of the …

27 September 2021 10:35 — : On this day in 2015, 25 September, we were in Morocco, trekking through the desert by camel to stay overnight in a Berber camp. That was an amazing experience.

26 September 2021 16:43 — : Noooo! When you finish Full Bodied (A Ruby Steele Mystery—Book 3) by Mia Gold 📚, knowing there’s a Book 4, so you go straight to buy it and see: This title will be auto-delivered to your Kindle on December 14, 2021.

26 September 2021 13:38 — : At 2 am today we put our clocks forward an hour. [Insert all the usual gripes about Daylight Saving.] At least now we really are on the way to summer! I’m a bit stiff and achey after yesterday’s planting efforts. A good day to read a good …

25 September 2021 18:15 — : Somehow Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 didn’t really grab me. I’m so glad I stuck with it though as I’m finding Season 2 hilarious. I specially love the immensely stupid Pakleds. And also the Tamarian cultural references still used …

25 September 2021 15:38 — : Micro.Blog Mac app request for @help : If I’m adding a bunch of photos it’d be good if the app could remember my previous selection in the dialog box — I’m often adding several from one folder and have to recall which from the list …

25 September 2021 15:36 — : Each year the Horowhenua District Council supplies thousands of spinifex and pīngao plants which volunteers then plant to protect and advance the sand dunes. In 1.5 hours today ~40 volunteers planted 4,000 plants. 🙌🏼 Some drill holes while others …

24 September 2021 06:19 — : This series keeps me reading well past my going to sleep time! I really enjoyed Extra Dirty (A Ruby Steele Mystery—Book 2) by Mia Gold 📚: A 40-something female tourist seeks out Ruby, desperate for her help. She was out partying all night with her …

23 September 2021 12:49 — : Dog grooming day for Oshi and Sasha 🐶 — before and after.

23 September 2021 07:16 — : Today’s dilemma: I have to take the dogs to the groomer very soon. I’m supposed to walk them first. It’s rainy and windy. Take them out and we all get soaked? Or leave it. (I’ll be spending the morning at the Library, hanging …

22 September 2021 20:23 — : Tonight I made Roast cod on spiced Puy lentils | delicious. magazine, using Monk Fish as that’s what I could get. Pretty good!

22 September 2021 15:12 — : Oh dear. I ate too much chocolate cake. First time trying this recipe: Six-Minute Vegan Chocolate Cake | Moosewood Restaurant & Recipes. Super easy. Light and fluffy. Delicious. I decided not to ice it.

21 September 2021 16:03 — : Here’s my GPS feature request: give me driving directions but let me choose that they only kick in when I’m ~10Km from my destination. I know my way around near me and can get to roughly my destination. It’s the fine details at the …

20 September 2021 16:41 — : I really enjoyed On the Rocks (A Ruby Steele Mystery—Book 1) by Mia Gold 📚: Welcome to the Bahamian world of Ruby Steele … her local dive bar, … her major drinking problem, her (way) too many fights, her inability to get herself out of trouble, and …

20 September 2021 15:09 — : There are 5 properties on our little lane. 3 have houses, one has a ramshackle ‘container’ set up to weekend in. The other has today started clearing all the gorse and blackberry so building a house can get underway. It’ll be noisy …

19 September 2021 17:12 — : With the thought that my iPhone is my most often used camera I’ve decided to go big and upgrade from iPhone 11 to iPhone 13 Pro Max. Yesterday I ordered a blue one. I may even also sell my underused iPad and Pencil to help fund it. I hope the …

18 September 2021 18:20 — : Canada geese flying at dusk.

18 September 2021 15:32 — : Another thing I keep forgetting how to do: How to Save Voice Memos on the Mac as Audio Files: [drag the voice memo from the left column of the interface] onto the Mac desktop This Grey Warbler, Riroriro was singing in the Levin dog park today.

17 September 2021 08:21 — : I quite like cheese, but just in a casual way. I’m surprised at how interested I am by this excellent 45 minute long video. I’m watching in 5 minute ‘bites’: How to Cut & Serve Every Different Kind of Cheese.

16 September 2021 16:10 — : In the last couple of weeks we’ve had a load of rain (even more in the hills), gales and some high seas. This has cut off the access for vehicles to our beach — a sudden 2 metre drop into water. We blocked access with a nearby picnic table. Now …

15 September 2021 10:57 — : At nearly 15 Oshi now seems to consider himself able to come home alone from the beach. 🐶 The only problem was he forgot to tell me that’s what he was doing… 🥵

15 September 2021 05:31 — : Cool, I was hoping for a new Apple Watch. The cycling workout features in Series 7 and other features are very appealing. I’ll be upgrading from my Series 5. 😀 Deb still has a Series 2. I’ll be encouraging her to upgrade too.

14 September 2021 19:36 — : Action at the bird feeder. Sparrows and Waxeyes. 🐦 Who knew sparrows had tongues!!!

14 September 2021 19:18 — : We really enjoyed the movie Happiest Season 🏳️‍🌈: the film follows a woman who struggles to come out to her conservative parents while she and her girlfriend visit them during Christmas. the film is a semi-autobiographical take on [Duvall’s] …

14 September 2021 06:22 — : I need to remember this: Not to capture but to create — The Power of Abbreviation in Photography: A tutorial on why you should abbreviate your scenes and invite your viewer to fill in the blanks and imagine the rest of the story.

13 September 2021 18:04 — : We’ve had 20mm rain today down here at Waikawa Beach at the coast. I imagine that up in the hills there’s been a great deal more. There’s a lot of water about in the paddocks and on the sides of the road. The river is very full and …

12 September 2021 14:09 — : There are only about 150-200 Kotuku, White herons in Aotearoa New Zealand and they are rarely seen beyond their breeding ground on the South Island. Miraculously there has been one at Waikawa Beach for a couple of days. Today I took photos of this …

12 September 2021 07:58 — : On a shop window we passed last night — no clothing? 😳

12 September 2021 07:54 — : Happy that one of my favourite podcasts is back from summer break: Quirks & Quarks with Bob McDonald | CBC Radio: presents the people behind the latest in science … also examines political, social, environmental and ethical implications of …

11 September 2021 15:51 — : When I was a kid Aotearoa New Zealand had 3 million people and 60 million sheep. Now we have 5 million people and dairying has replaced most of the sheep farms. A neighbour has 4 or 5 sheep on his property though. 🐑

11 September 2021 10:32 — : I’m on a quest to take photos of all the birds we see round here. 🐦 I’m also longing for the rather costly 100-400mm zoom lens, but actually have a 50-230 — some birds I just can’t get closer to. Success today with the Eurasian …

10 September 2021 16:04 — : I was down at the lakes today, bracing against strong wind gusts, trying to get photos of the Australian Shovelers on the other side of the water. A couple of Mallard ducks flew off and I happened to get a decent shot of them in flight! 🐦 These …

09 September 2021 16:00 — : Such a sad tale: The Scam | Loading Docs 2021 | The Spinoff - YouTube: The ultimate scam lures an elderly beekeeper around the world, from Greymouth to São Paulo, in this wild true crime tale. A trusting guy with cognitive impairments lost all his …

09 September 2021 15:04 — : I drove to Raumati South and biked along Te Ara o Whareroa – Paekākāriki.NZ Te Ara o Whareroa is mostly flat with a nice, flowing sealed track hugging the inland edge of the Queen Elizabeth Park sand dunes. A very enjoyable 12 Km return ride. Great …

08 September 2021 18:13 — : Experimenting with my camera. I saw part of the mountains lit while the rest was dark. This may have used the Acros film simulation. [Doesn’t pay to be feeding dogs, cooking and eating dinner, retrieving runaway dog between taking the shot and …

08 September 2021 08:42 — : This was a fascinating 13 minutes: How Much Of You Is Alive?: You’re alive right now… at least I’m pretty sure you are. But you’re not TOTALLY alive. Bits of you are always breaking down, being thrown out, and being replaced.

08 September 2021 08:21 — : This 10 minute movie was lovely: When Long Distance Works: Long (first-date) story short: She asks her to her best friend’s wedding. The … series spotlights 3 emerging women and non-binary filmmakers who each created a short film inspired by a …

07 September 2021 18:53 — : I read and enjoyed The Chase: (The Diving Series Book 15) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. 📚 I backed the Kickstarter and received an early copy. The first half confused me a little with several different storylines. The second half wove them all together …

07 September 2021 16:49 — : It’s typical spring weather today: rainy, windy, changeable, cool. So I dug around and found 4 photos from this day in 2018 when we were on holiday in Niue. That was a good holiday.

06 September 2021 20:14 — : I’ve used BBEdit for years now. It’s fabulous for working with and processing text. Today I whisked up an Applescript that numbers selected lines so as to create a Markdown numbered list. The built-in line numbering function doesn’t …

06 September 2021 19:58 — : Today I happened upon these recipes I want to try: My Everyday Green Smoothie Cheese Scones Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai with Peanuts and Basil Pasta cacio e pepe Six-Minute Vegan Chocolate Cake Maybe this week I’ll give a couple of them a go.

05 September 2021 14:36 — : They’re far from perfect but they beat any of my previous attempts to catch a hawk in flight by a mile. 🐦 I’m reading and learning from Dan Bailey’s book: X Series Unlimited.

05 September 2021 10:43 — : Pushed myself today on my bike: rode to the intersection with State Highway 1, 9.2 Km away. Total return ~19 Km. 🚴🏼‍♀️ Some head winds were a challenge. Mix of light battery assist and none.

05 September 2021 05:10 — : I often bike around Waikawa Beach on a ~9 Km circuit. Yesterday I went beyond this slightly for a ~12 Km circuit and turned the battery on my electric bike off for ~4Km. Today I’m slightly achey. I have till April to build up for my West Coast …

04 September 2021 15:10 — : After @cheri’s photo of Dutch Apple Pancake, with its perfectly placed apple slices, I decided to have another go at making it. Again, delicious! Better slice placement (I use way too much apple and like it like that!). Tried a couple in muffin …

04 September 2021 10:15 — : I bought my Fuji X-T2 camera a few years back with the intention of growing into it. 📷 That growth has been given a big nudge this week with my discovery of Dan Bailey’s tips and lessons. Practical, easy to follow. I’m looking forward to …

03 September 2021 16:17 — : At the river mouth this morning: looking left and looking right.

02 September 2021 17:27 — : Cuties from the deck this evening. Baby rabbits from a burrow in the paddock next door. Welcome Swallow, Warou, on the Zendo roof. 🐦 🐇 You have to watch out for the swallows: they build mud nests over doorways and light fittings, and in the garage if …

02 September 2021 10:00 — : I only recently discovered the free Merlin Bird ID app and it works well (for photos, not so much sounds) even here in NZ. 🐦 users answer a few simple questions or, snap a picture and then [see] a short list of possibilities tailored to location and …

02 September 2021 09:08 — : Apparently I keep forgetting how to do this: Rename flags In the Mail app on your Mac, click the arrow next to the Flagged mailbox in the Mail sidebar. … Click the flag name, click it again, then type a new name… Source: Flag emails in Mail on Mac …

01 September 2021 16:31 — : Formation flying.

01 September 2021 16:25 — : Black-backed gull.

01 September 2021 16:21 — : Gull flying with bivalve in its beak.

01 September 2021 16:18 — : (Mount) Taranaki.

01 September 2021 16:15 — : Whitebaiter with (Mount) Ruapehu and bird.

31 August 2021 19:25 — : Excited: I’ve booked on the West Coast Wilderness bike tour for April 2022. We bike through unbelievable scenery, from wild coastlines to lush rainforests … beautiful sweeping downhill trails … historic waterways, … past waterfalls and … on …

31 August 2021 09:58 — : Hmmm, downloaded free samples of two Kindle books: The Odyssey by Homer (Author), Emily Wilson (translator) and The Iliad by Homer (Author), Caroline Alexander (Translator). It might be interesting to read these again, some 50 years later, and …

31 August 2021 09:45 — : I was a teen when I read the Iliad and the Odyssey. The ‘teeth’ of this quote have always remained with me. Today I found the source (my bold): Son of Atreus, what manner of speech has escaped the barrier of your teeth? Homer, The Iliad …

31 August 2021 09:03 — Cooking the recipe : OK, you’ve bought ingredients, rewritten the recipe and you’re ready. You’ve set up your workspace, got the pots out, found the knives, measurers and stirrers and whatnot. Now on with the cooking. Tip: follow the recipe exactly, at …

31 August 2021 08:45 — : I like the author, the book’s well written, but I need to stop reading as the grisly bits are infiltrating my brain and my dreams: Beware the Past (Detective Matt Ballard Book 1) by Joy Ellis. 📚 I bought this in 2017 — perhaps I read it then. …

31 August 2021 07:57 — : Kiwis: if you’d like to make a donation to Afghan refugees arriving soon in Aotearoa New Zealand this GiveALittle page might be of interest.

31 August 2021 06:58 — : Hey @help I’ve seen an interesting bug in the web interface — see screenshot. The Reply box multiplies. It’s the morning. I reply to someone and get one box. I reply to another and get 2 boxes. By this screenshot I was on my 5th or 6th …

30 August 2021 13:56 — Get ready to cook : As A Reluctant Cook I’d regularly get really stressed while cooking. That still happens sometimes, but a bit of prep goes a long way to making the whole process smoother. First rewrite the recipe. I find most recipes are written for people who …

29 August 2021 19:44 — : It rained a lot the last couple of days, but was relatively warm. Those conditions probably created this very white low cloud in the valleys of the Tararuas, with the peaks standing clear above.

29 August 2021 10:02 — : I was pondering how Delta won’t be the last variant we deal with… What next? 🦠 For those who don’t know their Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu, Nu, Xi, Omicron, Pi, Rho, Sigma, …

29 August 2021 07:34 — : Spammers crack me up sometimes — ‘sping’⁉️From our Waikawa Beach community blog: Hello, You misspelled the word “sping” On your website. Sometimes errors > like can hurt your web traffic. Maybe check out a service that …

29 August 2021 06:43 — : Watched and loved CODA. 🎬 coming-of-age comedy-drama film that follows a hearing teenage girl who is a child of deaf adults (CODA for short). This shocked me: a mere 9 months! She looked expert: Jones took voice lessons and learned ASL for nine …

28 August 2021 14:57 — Find an easy recipe : Following on from A Reluctant Cook, I started my exploration of cooking by searching the Internet for a recipe I thought I might like. I’m happy to eat good quality mince (Americans seem to call this ground beef) so that was a good starting …

27 August 2021 10:44 — A Reluctant Cook : Although I’ve always enjoyed eating delicious food I’ve also always disliked cooking. I never learned how to cook, though I could muster up often acceptable dishes like scrambled eggs or some kind of meat and vegies. Something happened a …

27 August 2021 09:27 — : Finally another International Breakfast: Mini Dutch Apple Pancakes (the recipe website is abominable!). This was so delicious. Will definitely make this again. Eggs, butter, sugar, milk, cinnamon, flour, lemon zest — how could this not be tasty!

27 August 2021 08:57 — : Cool! And 75!!! Two dogs … among the first to go to a new refuge for animals affected by domestic violence, have been reunited with their owners. The purpose-built Pet Refuge … is able take up to 75 animals at a time. Source: RNZ News

27 August 2021 06:48 — : Very nice! My advice (for what it’s worth) for success and happiness: Compete with yourself and root for everybody else. Source: Candice Millard

26 August 2021 19:47 — : Our community Facebook group is OK, useful; the moderators great. A member, whose avatar shows a middle-aged white guy, posted an appalling anti-woman ‘joke’ about his wife not doing chores so he’d chain her to the gate for someone …

26 August 2021 17:45 — : We want the dogs to get used to their new soft crate so we just put it up in the lounge, added a few treats and dog blankets and ignored it. Oshi ate the treats; Sasha was anxious. Now it’s become a good place to have a nap, though only one at …

25 August 2021 18:09 — : The MB web timeline jams photos together unpleasantly (Before screenshot). I wanted them spaced (After). I use Safari on Mac so I made a stylesheet and pointed Safari to it. CSS: .post_text img {margin-top: 1.5em; background-color: #ffffff; …

25 August 2021 16:50 — : Today I walked on the other side of the Waikawa River, heading north. After floundering through undergrowth to avoid a wet-weather lake I eventually found a wide, smooth, well-used track. After ~1 Km I turned west, found my way through the dunes to …

25 August 2021 09:35 — : Uh oh. Hamilton Zoo animals are bored in shutdown: animals often look around confused at how quiet the Zoo is …. We spend a lot of time making sure we … give them extra treats and attention… because one of their main forms of entertainment …

25 August 2021 09:22 — : The dogs are of an age where they pee in the house if we’re out for too long (eg 2 hours). 🐶 We took to crating them to prevent that but the crate is now housing quail in the garage for the worst of winter. We’ve bought the dogs a new …

25 August 2021 06:36 — : I watched Ije: The Journey. Its subject matter turned out to be hard, but the unravelling and the perspectives were interesting. Chioma travels from Nigeria to the US to aide her sister Anya who is being charged with the murder of three men …

24 August 2021 19:49 — : Undermined: A Gay Mystery (Daniel Owen Welsh Mysteries Book 1) by Ripley Hayes. 📚 An unusual book for me to read, featuring male lead characters. A single, surprisingly graphic, sex scene. Leaned more to romance than mystery, but I did enjoy it.

24 August 2021 19:42 — : Another good read from this author: Goodbye Calais Club: (A Port Alma Murder Mystery Book 2) by Anne Shillolo. 📚 Disappointed I have to wait for the third book in the series. there’s no way Holly can investigate on her own. Or is there?

24 August 2021 19:21 — : I quite enjoyed The Complete Monica Noble Murder Mysteries, a 3 book set, by Faith Martin 📚. I had to take a break after book 2 as they’re a little cloying. A fairly easy read with a woman who has an eye for detail. Interesting acknowledgment …

24 August 2021 14:08 — : Whew! I’ve clicked Submit on a funding application for a fun photo project to run in our community over summer / Christmas. Having the idea in the first place was simple — the funding application was a lot of work. Not sure when we’ll …

24 August 2021 12:15 — : The dogs prescription came in 🐶: Veterinary exclusive Hills prescription diet Kidney Care clinical nutrition improves & lengthens quality of life Now we gradually introduce the new biscuits over the next few weeks. Roughly 2 x the cost of their …

23 August 2021 16:41 — : Very pleased that the government has, as widely expected, announced the whole country will stay in Level 4 shutdown until at least midnight Friday (Auckland for longer) thanks to the Delta variant of Covid running through the community. As expected, …

23 August 2021 15:52 — : A quick report on our new 4G internet connection: good riddance to VDSL! We now both speed along at the same time on the interwebs and Deb can even do Zoom calls from her zendo (home office / meditation room). We’re happy!

23 August 2021 12:42 — : Whew! Was about to start submitting a prepared funding application whose leisurely timeline began in October when I spotted the statement : “Note: Round 1 projects cannot begin before November 2021”. Quickly pushed all October activities …

23 August 2021 08:13 — : I don’t know that The Daily Mail is a news site to trust… but, I think this article is worth a look. After the 9/11 attack most news sites went text-only to even be able to deliver info. This article has screenshots: 9/11 and how readers …

23 August 2021 06:56 — : For our last holiday adventure we ate a magnificent dinner at Plato, a restaurant set in an unlikely, deserted, industrial part of Dunedin. My panfried hapuka photo doesn’t do the food justice by any means. The restaurant is quirky, full of …

23 August 2021 06:43 — : I already wrote a little about the Royal Albatross Centre, but wrapping up our recent holiday, here’s more. We viewed the birds from a hide, through glass. Several adults swooped right past the window and huge chicks were just outside. Older …

22 August 2021 12:16 — : We arrived in Ōtepoti, Dunedin, in miserable weather. We were hungry so we parked near The Octagon, and after some wandering, found ourselves at The Perc Cafe. I enjoyed a very delicious green pea and ham soup with bread. We returned the next day for …

22 August 2021 11:44 — : It’s a rare occurrence for me, but last night I slept 8 hours without interruption and the sleep quality was good. Today I feel as though I could do anything!

21 August 2021 19:58 — : A darn good read: Project Charon 1: Re-entry by Patty Jansen: Tina needs money, and needs it fast. Another creditor is impossible to find. That leaves her one option: to return to the world she fled fifteen years ago and Kelso Space Station 📚 Well …

21 August 2021 19:55 — : I so much enjoyed Project Charon 1: Re-Entry, by Patty Jansen — one of the books in the Cosmic Visionaries StoryBundle! I’ll definitely be buying Book 2 in the series. If you enjoy space opera take a look at the bundle, available for another 18 …

21 August 2021 17:01 — : People have assumed that attention and executive functions decline with age… our large study indicates that critical elements … actually improve during aging, likely because we practice these skills throughout our life. Source: Some Key Mental …

21 August 2021 16:43 — : The Catlins portion of our holiday ended with Purakaunui Falls: a short walk from a car park area through impressive podocarp and beech forest. We did stop to look at a couple of fossils in limestone but that wasn’t very impressive. Next …

21 August 2021 12:21 — : Just signed up for this inexpensive course: Joy of Birdwatching | Bird Academy • The Cornell Lab.

21 August 2021 08:04 — : Vroom vroom. 🚀 Today’s the day! Before the postie came: VDSL modem: DOWNLOAD Kbps 10799, UPLOAD Kbps 693. After the postie: 4G modem: DOWNLOAD Kbps 100575, UPLOAD Kbps 27696. 10x download speed and 50x upload speed. 🎉🥳👯‍♀️

20 August 2021 15:25 — : As probably everyone expected, Aotearoa New Zealand as a whole stays in Level 4 shutdown till midnight Tuesday. There are now 3 community cases in Wellington. Makes sense to stay shut down.

19 August 2021 19:16 — : On 10 February 1982 I spent the afternoon in a second story cafe in Bodø, Norway, watching rain showers pass across the harbour. I was thrilled to be in the Arctic Circle. I nearly fell on the icy footpaths though. // @odd

19 August 2021 18:54 — : It’s almost exactly 40 years since I sat on a train in Norway travelling from Oslo in the south to Bodø in the Arctic Circle. I have a few ancient (and bad) photos from that trip where this Kiwi marvelled at the snow and the northern buildings. …

19 August 2021 13:41 — : I’m not always happy with what our Labour government is doing or has done, but as I watch our Prime Minister speaking at a Covid press conference I’m still in awe at her excellence. She’s clear, straightforward, friendly, caring and …

19 August 2021 10:19 — : Nice quote about space opera: Or is it mostly just that space opera is so gosh-darn cool? The ships…the technology…the planets…the ray guns and laser swords. In many ways, it’s the ultimate escapist genre, transporting us to places and …

19 August 2021 09:06 — : In The Catlins, Nugget Point, Tokata has a lighthouse, a spectacular view and rocks that resemble gold nuggets. It was really windy up there, with sheer cliffs beside the track… One false step and that’d be the end of you. Fabulous views on a …

18 August 2021 15:40 — : Currently rationing the bird food for the Waxeyes. I was intending to buy more today but with the Covid shutdown the shop is closed and I shouldn’t be going out anyway. The birds will just have to go a bit short for a few days.

18 August 2021 09:21 — : Heh, healthy Kiwis. 😀 People are panic buying because of the lockdown, but: According to Foodstuffs, bananas and broccoli are top of the list of what people are buying. Toilet paper is at number 5.

18 August 2021 06:04 — : After another thunderstorm around 5.30 am the power has come back on. Immediately made a cup of tea. Thanks to the lines workers out in this awful weather and under a level 4 shutdown keeping us powered up!

18 August 2021 03:52 — : Woken at 0330 by loud torrential rain (now stopped). I’d like a cup of tea but the power’s still out. 😢

17 August 2021 22:43 — : Thunderstorm took our power out. 😒 Good thing we’ve got the fire going.

17 August 2021 18:26 — : Aotearoa New Zealand today has a case of Covid in the community that can’t be linked to the border. Precautionary assumption is that it’s the Delta variant. The whole country is going into Level 4 shutdown from midnight tonight for at …

17 August 2021 18:11 — : Feature request or suggestion @help : put some of the info from or even just the link to Exporting from Micro.blog - Getting started - Micro.blog Help Center on the page where one can actually export via the web interface. I spent ages trying to find …

17 August 2021 17:05 — : OK, today Vodafone rang me about our Internet upgrade. — Maybe our days of VDSL slow Internet are over — A new 4G modem is on its way. By the end of the month we should be speeding across the Interwebs. 😀 Also a cheaper plan, no contract and still …

17 August 2021 13:55 — : At Roaring Bay rare Yellow-eyed Penguins come and go at dawn and dusk. We spotted two. 🐦 A much more distant view than on the Milford Wanderer when a couple floated by looking like driftwood, till they put their heads up! Zoomed and cropped. …

17 August 2021 13:42 — : The Seascape Accommodation in Kaka Point, The Catlins was a superb place to stay. Gorgeous units with a super view, directly across a not very busy road from the beach. The hosts were extremely welcoming too, with extras like a packet of chips, some …

16 August 2021 13:19 — : My two Japanese quail are clearly independent thinkers, having produced these first eggs of the season. Thing is, we have 10.5 hours of daylight today and they “shouldn’t” start laying till we have 12 hours daylight per day — ie …

16 August 2021 11:04 — : Hmmm, I see there’s an OS update to 11.5.2. Updating…

16 August 2021 11:03 — : BTW: not looking for troubleshooting tips or anything on my Mac randomly rebooting. It’s more just a record.

16 August 2021 10:57 — : Nice views of Tautuku Bay from Florence Hill Lookout in The Catlins. 3Km southwest of Papatowai, a short gravel road leads to sweeping Tautuku Bay, which can be viewed from … the Florence Hill Lookout. The glow isn’t your imagination, …

16 August 2021 10:52 — : My M1 MacBook Pro just randomly restarted itself (3rd time so far in the last month), losing the Micro.Blog post (brief text and 3 photos) I’d written in the Mac app but not posted. Starting to be annoyed / concerned about these restarts. All …

16 August 2021 10:18 — : Lake Wilkie was nice from the viewing point at the top, but at eye level it was spectacular. formed after the last ice age when water became trapped in a depression between ancient sand dunes and a cliff. … it’s called a “bog lake” …

16 August 2021 09:03 — : Geneticists have … found evidence that natural selection more than 10,000 years ago probably provided a genetic basis for the dog coat patterns we see today. Source: New Study Finds We Probably Can’t Take Credit For The Diversity of Dogs' …

15 August 2021 20:24 — : Thank you for your Micro Camp talk @amit I really enjoyed it. Great story about the donkey! And 👍 the shoutout to us Kiwis.

15 August 2021 16:47 — : Had a magical wildlife encounter today when this White-faced heron, matuku moana followed me home from my dog walk and hung out on our deck for half an hour, pretty much within arm’s reach. It lives at the lakes about 400 metres away.

15 August 2021 16:14 — : Fungus on a tree at Lake Waiwiri, Papaitonga.

15 August 2021 09:08 — : Tautuku Estuary was another brief walk, but wow was it a stunner! The first sight of the broad expanse of golden reeds was breathtaking. Tautuku is a spectacular, forest-fringed bay that sweeps round to an impressive headland. Perhaps best seen on …

14 August 2021 16:39 — : 22% through and I was considering abandoning When Murder Comes Home (Aileen and Callan Murder Mysteries Book 1) by Shana Frost. 📚 Then this para decided me👎🏼: Steaming pots of savoury food effused mouth-watering aromas that drifted through the …

14 August 2021 16:15 — : On 28 June 2021 in The Catlins we started with a visit to McLean Falls. I loved the native forest, and the 22 metre cascade waterfall was well worth the short walk.

14 August 2021 13:58 — : My Micro Camp presentation is now available at Open for Inspection 🔍. There are also a few support files.

14 August 2021 09:14 — : Uh oh. I’m up now on Micro Camp! 🤞🏼

13 August 2021 15:03 — : Yet another excellent book in a series by a favourite author: Warn Me When It’s Time (Charlie Mack Motown Mystery Book 6) by Cheryl A Head. 📚 FBI agent, James Saleh, … helps the Mack Agency infiltrate and take down a homegrown militia …

13 August 2021 12:19 — : In the Catlins we passed through Waikawa, spotted a couple of Kereru on a power line and took a photo of Māngai Piri, Niagara Falls: … named by a surveyor with an obvious sense of humour who had seen the large North American falls and named these …

13 August 2021 09:30 — Graphic photo warning — dog skin lesion : Our dog Oshi is nearly 15 and having various health problems, including arthritis and an ulcerated eye. He gets eyedrops 4-6 times per day and will see the vet again in a few days. He’s always been a licker — he licks himself, Sasha, the floor, …

13 August 2021 09:20 — : Many Māori were raised with the knowledge that the first person to see the islands, Kuramārōtini, called out from her waka, “He ao! He ao! He Aotea!” Source: The racist aftermath of the Aotearoa debate | RNZ News

13 August 2021 07:17 — : One of life’s odd quirks — I just posted about watching Wellington Paranormal. In today’s local paper is an item that one of the lead actors comes from our local town, Levin, and will be back in a few days for a special screening of a …

12 August 2021 18:45 — : I’ve been attending weekly line dancing classes for months now and things are clicking quite well. I realise this is one of my favourites at the moment: Mozart & Roses. My head can’t handle dances that have a lot of spins and turns in …

12 August 2021 16:35 — : I’ve been drafting a funding application for a summer photo project for the community. It’s hard work! Now looking for something to watch for some down time.

12 August 2021 15:39 — : Wooo. Maybe our days of VDSL slow Internet are over… An email today from the ISP: modern, superfast, reliable Wireless Broadband that runs over our 4G mobile network. It’s the future. It’s ready for you now. Unlimited data plan on Wireless …

12 August 2021 12:39 — : On a whim the other day I bought TextSniper - Capture and extract any text from your Mac’s screen | images. I just tried it on the Curio Bay info board photo and am blown away by its speed and accuracy! This is a keeper! Years of pounding by …

12 August 2021 12:37 — : We visited the Curio Bay petrified forest. 180 million year old trees! Photo of me by my friend Chris. petrified wood like this is incredibly rare. The entire logs and stumps were preserved because the silification was within a matter of weeks or …

12 August 2021 08:22 — : Invercargill to Dunedin via the coastal Catlins route with no side trips is only about 250 Km. We spent 4 days on the drive because those scenic side trips are well worth the time. We stopped at Chaslands (1 night) and Kākā Point (2 nights). Of …

11 August 2021 16:52 — : I spotted a headline recently that the Wellington Paranormal TV show was mystifying Americans. Just started watching on The CW and finding it hilarious. Maybe you have to be a Kiwi to ‘get’ this.

11 August 2021 16:18 — : In Invercargill we stayed the night at Quest Apartment Hotel where the bathroom was the size our cabin on the Milford Wanderer had been. Whew! It was good to spread out. Next morning we picked up a rental car for Part Two of our holiday with friends …

11 August 2021 16:13 — : At Glowing Sky merino shop I discovered the glories of a Merino Tube Neck/Ear Warmer. This beats a scarf in so many ways and is so warm. Wish I’d known about these years ago. Icebreaker used to be great but quality plummeted. Glowing Sky merino …

11 August 2021 16:08 — : On the last day of our Rakiura Cruise some went for a brief walk in the morning, but I stayed and packed. After lunch we docked at Oban in Halfmoon Bay, then we had a couple of hours before the catamaran took us back to Bluff. We bought superb merino …

11 August 2021 10:47 — : Managing a blind, elderly dog is a whole new learning experience. TIL unfamiliar places make Sasha anxious so she needs to be on the lead. Plus I need to actively guide her past obstacles. I’ve become a ‘guide person’ to my dog. Deb …

11 August 2021 10:44 — : Today my friend Jan and I walked the dogs on the north side of the river, with a glimpse of snowy mountain peak. I liked a mossy tree. Poor old (blind) Sasha was very anxious in the ‘new’ place, especially after she walked into a low …

10 August 2021 17:35 — : Today I tried this Hungarian recipe: Pogácsa. I didn’t have enough white flour so used wholemeal to make up the amount. They were very delicious. Sort of flaky. They were easy to make, but use a heap of butter.

10 August 2021 17:32 — : Camo cow.

10 August 2021 13:41 — : Late in the last afternoon of our Rakiura Cruise we did a 1 hour easy walk at the Whaler’s Base in Paterson Inlet. The golden hour light was superb. The base operated from 1923 to 1933 and serviced Norwegian whaling chaser boats hunting in the …

10 August 2021 12:39 — : 10 August 2020: Oshi has an ulcerated left eye 10 August 2021: Oshi has an ulcerated right eye… Chlorsig/Chlorafast drops to be administered 4 to 6 times per day. Probably both dogs lost weight at the kennels from stress. Sasha might have diabetes. …

10 August 2021 09:11 — : The icy blast from the last couple of days has moved on, leaving snow not only on the high peaks of the Tararuas (happens several times each year) but also on the foothills. That’s pretty unusual.

10 August 2021 07:00 — : 6.55 am and at only a few minutes to sunrise it’s light enough out to see distinctly. We’re definitely on the way out of winter and on the approach to summer. 😀 Also, yesterday’s southerly blast is over and a big High is on its way …

09 August 2021 13:20 — : Hmmm, second time in a week my M1 MacBook Pro has frozen and restarted itself while I was writing in Apple Mail. All standard up-to-date release versions of software.

09 August 2021 09:50 — : The country’s in the teeth of a southerly storm, with many high altitude roads closed for snow. At 3.30 am I really thought the house might lift off in the 67 Kph gusts — we’re very exposed to the south where the icy wind (and just now …

08 August 2021 19:09 — : Some of us opted for the slow easy walk on Ulva Island. Our guide, Gabriel, shared a lot of info. We spotted Kiwi and Penguin tracks on a pristine beach, various birds — robin, kākā, kakariki, bellbird and others. There was Umbrella Moss, ferns only …

08 August 2021 18:48 — : On the last full day of our trip Sandy King and Detector Gadget (and her other trainee dog, Mawson) came aboard the Milford Wanderer. Sandy talked about getting rid of rats on the protected predator-free island, then the dogs checked our bags before …

08 August 2021 17:47 — : Careless writing: Women, on the other hand, can sometimes not work … These cultural expectations condemn them to be a burden… They won’t be lazing with their feet up but will be slaving at home! Unpaid work! 12 Countries Could …

08 August 2021 17:42 — : Hmmm, I’ve abandoned Blood in the Bayou: A Bone-Chilling FBI Thriller by CM Sutter just under half way through. There was too much point of view of a particularly nasty criminal and the FBI agents seem to be overlooking some obvious things. …

08 August 2021 16:12 — : On Sunday 25 July 2021 we were moored at Paterson Inlet, Rakiura, ready for two more adventures. But first: the sunrise.

08 August 2021 14:32 — : Good thing I’m proof-watching my Micro Camp video! There’s stuff I need to fix yet, but what do you call a verbal typo/autocorrect? “Microsoft.Blog⁉️⁉️⁉️ What the heck! How do I bleep that out?

07 August 2021 12:26 — : After motoring north for 6 hours, late Saturday afternoon we were taken by local guide Bevan for a walk (1 hour each way along a gentle grassy track) on The Neck — a low sandy isthmus at the mouth of Paterson Inlet on Rakiura, and an area with a rich …

06 August 2021 12:11 — : On Day 3 of the cruise I opted to relax aboard the Milford Wanderer in the morning while others went walking. In the afternoon I enjoyed a tender ride around Small Craft Retreat. There were sealions galore! And even more when we were back on the …

06 August 2021 07:24 — : Both our (old) dogs lost weight during their 2 week kennel stay. After I queried for issues the owner sent me back a very useful and extremely detailed log of their food, behaviour, management, staff observations etc. Now considering vet checks for …

05 August 2021 12:32 — : Pikihatiti or Port Pegasus, with its 5 metres of rain per year, is near the southern tip of Rakiura. I said I’d give it a go to walk up the 230 metre granite Bald Cone (47°S). The ‘track’ was 95% deep sucking mud. Amazing views …

05 August 2021 08:06 — : Had to get up around 3 am to let Oshi out then was awake for a bit. I was just wondering about getting back to sleep when there was a very loud and weird noise outside, followed by more noise and a bit of shaking. Earthquake Details: 30 km west of …

04 August 2021 11:28 — : I’m excited to be a presenter at Micro Camp 2021 and now I’m back from holiday I’m getting into the preparation. My topic will be Open for Inspection 🔍 — how to use the Web Inspector to help with customising your blog. Think …

04 August 2021 09:06 — : At Abraham’s Bosom beach on Rakiura I learned about the Turpentine Shrub (will keep fires burning), spotted a paua shell, and was intrigued by the rocks with their vertical layers of soft and hard.

04 August 2021 07:56 — : Once we were aboard the Milford Wanderer we motored off to Port Adventure where we landed for a brief beach walk at Oyster Bay and Abraham’s Bosom. Mollymawks floated round the boat. Lush bush grew almost to the water’s edge. A young curious …

03 August 2021 17:10 — : My credit card expired this month so I now have a new card. Now visiting services that hold my card number and updating the details — about 15 of them! So glad I made a list I keep with my card details in 1Password.

03 August 2021 12:00 — : On the Rakiura cruise expeditions from the Milford Wanderer always started with a tender ride, piloted by Gibby. The tender hung from the stern of the MW and there was plenty of help to board. Steps at the front were for landings. Gabriel and Annette …

03 August 2021 11:47 — : This large item was on the beach today — a shark fin?

02 August 2021 20:03 — : Our Rakiura Cruise was aboard the Milford Wanderer. The crew soon told us the sails are just for show! The cabins are tiny: 2 narrow bunks with a mini gap between, a teeny space at the end of one for luggage. The saloon has tables and bench seats, a …

01 August 2021 21:09 — : The holiday was utterly fabulous, but I’m also thrilled to be home in my own bed, with clean clothes, slippers on. Now for a good night’s sleep!

01 August 2021 16:33 — : In a visit to Otago Museum I learned the extinct Moa came in various sizes. The giant moa is in the photo. The male is small. When I stood level with the female my head came to about her rump. Then her neck and head stretched way above me.

01 August 2021 15:11 — : Heh. Dunedin Airport.

01 August 2021 07:17 — : This is the abundant but declining NZ native tarapunga, red-billed gull. 🐦

31 July 2021 16:05 — : For the final adventure of our holiday we visited the Royal Albatross Centre on Otago Peninsula. 🐦 the only mainland breeding colony of Northern Royal Albatross (toroa) in the world. The birds have a 3-metre wingspan. Chicks weigh ~10 Kg before …

30 July 2021 15:14 — : Behind you!

29 July 2021 15:27 — : Nugget Point Tokata had stunning landscape, along with its lighthouse.

29 July 2021 15:16 — : Purakaunui Falls rewards the use of the 27mm lens.

29 July 2021 08:10 — : Also at Roaring Bay last evening this huge black blob in the grass — a resting sealion.

29 July 2021 08:06 — : McLean Falls was wonderful for both the falls and the amazing “shrubland and fern and moss-rich tall forest”. If I lived nearby I’d visit all the time.

29 July 2021 07:50 — : The Tautuku Estuary boardwalk was a surprise — walking out into a sea of golden reeds. I think I heard a Fernbird.

29 July 2021 06:50 — : Yesterday we visited Lake Wilkie — Mirror Lake. The view from above was good, but down on the boardwalk there were stunning reflections.

28 July 2021 18:09 — : Today at dusk at Roaring Bay we were thrilled to spot two yellow-eyed penguins on the beach. Heavily cropped photo. 🐦 Yellow-eyed penguins / hoiho are one of the rarest penguins in the world and are only found in New Zealand (endemic).

28 July 2021 14:10 — : The view from our front door for a couple of days. Guess we’ll cope…

27 July 2021 19:53 — Catlins Day One: lighthouse, Jurassic fossil forest : This morning we picked up a rental car, squeezed in ourselves and our luggage, picked up groceries and squeezed them in too and headed from Invercargill, Waihōpai, for The Catlins. Route map. There was no hurry — this part of our holiday …

27 July 2021 12:46 — : The Waipapā lighthouse was built of rimu and totara. It was automated in the 1970s.

27 July 2021 08:41 — Rakiura Cruise, Day Four : The morning of the fourth day featured a 6 hour cruise to Paterson Inlet. The previous night I took Sealegs pills and was somewhat anticipating a repeat of the rough seas of the other day. However, this time we had the tide behind us and although …

27 July 2021 06:21 — : On Ulva Island, Rakiura, Aotearoa New Zealand, with its pristine golden beaches: kiwi tracks and penguin tracks. And always watch out for seals and sealions.

26 July 2021 20:56 — Rakiura Cruise, Day Three, afternoon : After lunch the tender went out twice for about 30 or 40 minutes at a time. With 28 passengers, the tender can hold half at any time. This was an amazing trip to Smallcraft Retreat, a nearby cove. From the time we left the Milford Wanderer until well …

26 July 2021 20:53 — : Here’s my new profile pic: a cheeky little South Island robin on Ulva Island. It was so dark in the bush I had to crank the camera to ISO 12800.

26 July 2021 20:37 — : A delight of the day was to see two yellow-eyed penguins swimming by the boat (no photo). They look like floating sticks until they lift their heads then they look like a kind of squashed duck. From behind they look like tiny seals. Nationally …

26 July 2021 20:33 — : Well, I can thoroughly recommend Thai Thai on Spey Street in Invercargill for a delicious meal. I ate a delicious cashew, chicken and vegetable stirfry. I’m temporarily online, but I suspect the next few days will be offline again.

26 July 2021 13:35 — : Back on dry land but may well be offline the next few days too.

26 July 2021 13:34 — : Yesterday’s late afternoon view.

25 July 2021 08:47 — : This sunrise at Ulva Island is a lie, sadly. The long exposure has really saturated the colours.

25 July 2021 06:45 — Typical bush clad hillside : The day we were anchored near Disappointment Cove I took these shots from the boat. These were my second attempt — I learned from the first attempt to increase shutter speed, because the boat is always moving, making shots a bit soft. Anchored …

25 July 2021 05:50 — : Sea lions, get yer sea lions here!

25 July 2021 05:42 — Rakiura Cruise, Day Three, morning : Wow, I slept well! I woke feeling quite stiff and achey though and decided to spend the morning on the Milford Wanderer. Quite a few opted to go on the morning’s walk: a less difficult walk than yesterday’s but still demanding, …

25 July 2021 05:42 — Rakiura Cruise Day Two : Whew, what a day! After breakfast of boiled egg, hash brown, tomato, sausage, plus as much toast, cereal and fruit as we wanted, the anchor came up and we motored off to Pegasus Bay — a 3 hour trip through open sea. It was rough! I had taken …

25 July 2021 05:41 — Rakiura Cruise, Day Zero : To start with we needed to travel from home to Invercargill. That meant setting off with our friends in the car at about 0915. We drove ~100 Km to Wellington Airport, parked in the long-term carpark, caught the free shuttle to the terminal and hung …

25 July 2021 05:40 — Rakiura Cruise, Day One highlight : Rakiura Cruise, Day One: one highlight was the teenage male sealion that came up on the beach at Port Adventure, where oysters were first harvested commercially in the 1800s. Rakiura cruise teenage male sealion heads for the beach. Rakiura cruise - …

24 July 2021 12:21 — : No connection in this mud!

21 July 2021 09:08 — : 46 degrees 36 minutes 54 seconds south.

20 July 2021 17:34 — : I really enjoyed this Canadian story: Goodbye Port Alma (A DC Holly Towns Murder Mystery) by Anne Shillolo. 📚 DC Holly Towns is on the team that has to untangle a far-reaching web of sex, drugs, and money, and solve a crime that threatens to tear …

20 July 2021 17:20 — : The Kaikoura Ranges were looking snowy today.

20 July 2021 16:56 — : Wellington airport features these birds from Lord of the Rings.

19 July 2021 20:30 — : Photo by Willow’s mum — with the whole back seat to spread out on, three dogs decided to create a tight little dog puddle. Willow at front, Sasha to the left and Oshi in behind. 🐶

19 July 2021 09:20 — : Hmmm: Around 95% of NZ’s sheep meat and 87% of beef is exported, and what’s left for locals is sold at a premium. If a housewife in the middle of Oxford in the UK is prepared to pay a certain price for a cut of meat, we have to match …

18 July 2021 12:13 — : Happened upon a cassette tape recording I made in 1976 of my mother’s parents. Fascinating to hear how they speak. Grandad, born in Islington, London, was a London bus driver in his youth. My grandma was born in Stoke Newington (also London). …

18 July 2021 11:16 — : Yesterday’s storm (for us, at least) was nowhere near what we expected. Some strongish winds, about 17 mm rain (not the 60-90 mm forecast). The sea must have been rough though — the high tide took driftwood right into the dunes. We were lucky: …

18 July 2021 08:39 — : Heard something today that jogged my memory about NZ’s infamous Six o’clock Swill. From December 1917 to October 1967 pubs closed at 6 pm: 🍻 resulted in a mad rush to drink as much alcohol as possible in [1 hour], leading to unruly …

17 July 2021 10:12 — : We tried a new restaurant last night: Ōtaki Kitchen at 30 Main Street, Ōtaki. Service was great and food excellent. I had the Roast fish (Blue Whiting) with brown butter and nut crust, pea puree, charred carrots, tomato tapenade and lemon beurre …

16 July 2021 10:07 — : Hey @jack Way back in March you mentioned the Johnny Decimal system. Thanks so much for that. It has allowed me to finally sort out my beyond chaotic filing ‘system’. It all kind of fell into place for me and it’s transformed how …

16 July 2021 07:27 — : Heh 🐈 🐶 🍽: New Zealand has the highest per capita rate of cat ownership of any country in the world, with 41% of households owning cats and 34% owning dogs. Who’s eating New Zealand: What your cat is eating | RNZ News Since 1990 our [cats] …

15 July 2021 11:15 — : Spotted ‘the’ Kingfisher today — perching on top of the tunnelhouse. Managed a photo through the window, but when I went outside it flew away.

15 July 2021 06:19 — : Damn good read, so well put together! The Case of the Fond Farewell (Ellie Tappet Cruise Ship Mysteries Book 6) by Cheri Baker. 📚 When tragedy strikes in the dark of night, Ellie and her friends investigate. The trail of deception leads to a …

15 July 2021 05:51 — : Niue reaches herd immunity, with 97% of eligible population vaccinated: Niue … vaccinated almost 100% of its eligible population. The Pacific Island nation, population ~2000, reached the milestone within two months. A national celebration was …

14 July 2021 18:59 — : A big storm is forecast for this weekend — gales and loads of rain. Plus it’s midwinter and we’ve had some solid frosts and we’re going away soon for a holiday. Today I moved my two quail into the garage, using the dog crate to hold …

14 July 2021 07:25 — : The forecast rainfall for this weekend has already reduced by ~20 mm, thank goodness. Still way high though.

13 July 2021 19:02 — : According to this crazy forecast we might get 144 mm (about 5.7 inches) of rain over 4 days this coming weekend! I imagine in the end we’ll actually get more like 15 mm, but if we do get all that’s forecast, things could be a bit wet!

13 July 2021 11:39 — : Knockout (A Holly Hands Mystery—Book 1) by Mia Gold had a very strong start. 📚 A new and original character and compelling premise. I found it strained credulity overall though and sometimes just annoyed me. Not sure I’ll read the next one.

13 July 2021 07:24 — : Vaccinating a load of people in a city is one thing. But how do you vaccinate a handful of people on a tiny tropical atoll 500 Km from the nearest island? NZ Navy ship delivers Covid-19 vaccine to remote Tokelau, northern Cook Islands

12 July 2021 11:11 — : And … ✔️

12 July 2021 10:57 — : Just waiting for COVID vaccine shot #2. It’s busy but we get to sit while we wait.

11 July 2021 19:10 — : This week for our International Breakfast Deb cooked New Orleans-Style Beignets. Very yummy!

11 July 2021 19:05 — : Today Deb and I attended a Stacking Rings Workshop in Wellington. We made textured or twisted rings from copper or silver. It was quite interesting but my interest has now been sated. I made a twisted copper and a textured silver ring in the 3 hours.

10 July 2021 20:53 — : The best thing ever! We Are Lady Parts 📺 We ended up binging. Hilarious! Excellent! Nida Manzoor’s anarchic and irreverent music comedy about a Muslim female punk band - called Lady Parts - who are on a mission to find a lead guitarist and …

10 July 2021 10:08 — : After our Rakiura Cruise later this month we’ll visit The Catlins, New Zealand for a few days. We’ve already booked a Royal Albatross Tour at the Royal Albatross Centre: visit the only mainland breeding colony of Royal Albatross in the world. …

09 July 2021 16:34 — : We’re heading later this month to Rakiura, a Dark Sky Sanctuary so now I need to discover how to take photos of the Aurora Australis. These may help: How to photograph the aurora The Idiot’s guide to Photographing the Aurora Australis 🤞🏼📷

09 July 2021 16:09 — : This was a pretty good read: Old Sins, Long Memories by Angela Arney. 📚 Meet Dr Lizzie Browne. After her divorce she moves to a small coastal town for a quieter life. Now her patients are turning up dead.

09 July 2021 14:16 — : I forget I have a 27mm prime lens for my Fuji X-T2. I also have a wriggly dog and a dog who refused to open his eyes. 🐶 Nevertheless, Sasha (x3) and Oshi. I should have used this lens more often with the pets.

09 July 2021 12:26 — : Heh, the telephoto lens makes Kāpiti Island look like you could wade out to it — it’s actually 20Km away. A shot of birds in the estuary at Waikawa Beach this morning.

08 July 2021 19:35 — : I’m getting quite excited: at the end of the month the Milford Wanderer will be our home for 6 nights as we sail round Rakiura. Designed along the lines of a traditional sailing scow, she has old-world charm combined with modern facilities and the …

08 July 2021 08:56 — How to maintain your speaking voice : As I get older I’ve become a little concerned about my voice. Sometimes when I try to call the dogs on the beach my voice ‘cracks’ and even disappears. Sometimes when I talk with people I think my voice isn’t reliable and can …

07 July 2021 14:53 — : Our new splashback installed. It’s a colour called Resene Koru to match our feature walls. Tricky with reflections… Really gives the kitchen a lift though and we could never properly clean the wall behind the stove.

07 July 2021 12:10 — : I love these little cuties. More waxeyes at the bird feeder.

07 July 2021 11:43 — : Get! Scram! Clear off!

07 July 2021 11:40 — : This is a ‘before’ of our oven and wall and rangehood. Soon there should be an ‘after’.

07 July 2021 10:50 — : Aha: an explanation of the planes: RNZAF carrying out low-flying around Manawatū, Rangitikei & Whanganui | NZDF tactical flying exercise … a Hercules training activity used by No. 40 Squadron … provides crews with a range of flying training

07 July 2021 10:43 — : We live not too far really from a military airfield (60 Km direct). I happened to be taking photos of the birds at the feeder, heard a noise, looked up and these two huge very low flying C130-H Hercules were heading straight for me. They banked …

07 July 2021 06:02 — : Sometimes at the supermarket I see workers with big trolleys assembling customer orders for delivery. This approach is utterly astonishing: How many robots does it take to run a grocery store? In Ocado’s grocery warehouses, thousands of …

07 July 2021 04:06 — : I think this is my third night in a row of restless and broken sleep. I’ve been having a good run of sleep lately after working on it, so this is annoying. Not sure what’s going on. 😴

06 July 2021 14:06 — : SexualHarassment is a bit of a problem by Sharon Murdoch.

06 July 2021 09:46 — : This started well, became a bit suss and then by 66% through was annoying: Last Call (The Janet Black Mystery Series Book 1) by Libby Kirsch 📚 I read to the end just to see the explanations really.

06 July 2021 07:52 — : Fascinating: Who’s eating New Zealand?: New Zealand produces enough food to feed about 40 million people but given our population is just 5 million, who are these people we’re feeding and what are they eating? Answer: people in other …

05 July 2021 09:48 — : Today’s International Breakfast was Drop Scones/Scotch Pancakes. I had problems — I had the griddle too hot (the recipe didn’t specify) and we had to use way more milk. Also used half the sugar. They were OK but could be better next time. We …

05 July 2021 08:20 — : Watching line dance tutorials. I can understand why the instructor wants to face the camera, but then I get very confused: I need to move in the opposite direction. I much prefer the tutorials where they turn their back to me. CopperKnob is a great …

04 July 2021 18:27 — : Someone gave me 18 header images for our community website but at 2400x560 instead of the 1200x280 I needed. I copied all images to a new folder then ran this one Terminal command on the folder. A moment later all were correctly resized. sips -Z …

04 July 2021 17:09 — : Rabbit ears.

04 July 2021 13:02 — : Hmm, I read The Uniform (Detective Helen Carter Book 1) by Jodie Lawrance. 📚 Set in Edinburgh in the 1970s the relentless grimness makes this a bit hard going: every single page contains dirt, grime, overt sexism, smoking, excessive drinking, …

03 July 2021 16:15 — : Wall decal dots are very cool — I have several in different sizes on the walls. We’re investigating a community art project for summer that would involve these. Today I took one of mine and roughly tested whether it would stick to a variety of …

02 July 2021 19:56 — : I enjoyed Lowcountry Box Set (A Liz Talbot Mystery) by Susan M Boyer. 📚 I’m not usually into ghosts but this was an inoffensive plot device much like hacking skillz or martial arts expertise. I skipped a few pages of the hetero-romance gory …

02 July 2021 17:20 — : The river at Waikawa Beach was pretty high the other day after loads of rain — it had been higher than this photo shows. Then today it was really really low. Maybe because it broke through the sand bar at the mouth it’s able to flow out more …

02 July 2021 17:19 — : The little silvereyes sure do love the birdfood! 🐦

02 July 2021 11:22 — : In the traditional Māori calendar New Year falls at mid-winter. From next year it’ll be a public holiday: will celebrate Matariki as a public holiday…, beginning on 24 June 2022. The calendar date … will shift each year to align with the …

02 July 2021 10:33 — : The frost lingered in shaded spots on the beach, and the track back to the car brought a great view of a snowy peak in the Tararuas.

02 July 2021 09:42 — : The dogs were right of course! It’s chilly but fabulous down at the beach.

02 July 2021 09:16 — : The dogs are giving me their full-strength ‘take us to the beach' glares even though it’s only 2C at the moment and the ground is mainly still glistening with the overnight frost. I may have to give in… 🐶

01 July 2021 15:37 — : I’m so pleased to be able to say that today I spent some time sitting on the front deck in the sun reading. It’s silent apart from birdsong.

01 July 2021 11:19 — Playing ball with a blind dog on the beach : Sometimes over the years Sasha 🐶 has had fun chasing a ball along the beach. This photo from 2019 shows her chasing a ball I’d rolled for her. She has never really been up to seeing a ball thrown through the air . Sasha and a ball on …

30 June 2021 14:37 — : I try not to get too hung up about language change, but the total loss of a perfectly good word upsets me. I don’t want the word ‘fact' to simply mean ‘information. False facts mistaken for reality by about half of New Zealanders | RNZ …

29 June 2021 15:54 — : Having procured pine shavings today I replaced some of the dirty straw in the quail run with a nice deep layer of shavings. I hope Glee and Fliss enjoy it. Also stapled back on the plastic roofing that came adrift in the gales yesterday. All between …

29 June 2021 15:45 — : Well, all the smart birds were snugged up in their little beds while I was trying to watch for them today. Wind, rain, cold are not conducive to bird activity. I did see 1 hawk, 3 magpies and a black-backed gull. A group of 5 birds rocketed by so …

29 June 2021 14:01 — : Even though the weather’s rotten I’m doing my bit this afternoon for the NZ Garden Bird Survey. There are worse things to do on a cold rainy day than look out the window and hope to spot some birds. Maybe I’ll spot a ring-necked pheasant …

29 June 2021 11:32 — : And here we have what seems to have become a daily power cut post. 🤨

28 June 2021 11:48 — : Yay. 😒 Winds gusting to almost 80 Kph and the power’s gone out. I presume a line has come down somewhere. Outage looks quite widespread.

28 June 2021 09:36 — : So much rain over the weekend localised flooding closed a couple of roads. The Waikawa Beach river’s running very swift — we had 43mm rain (1.6 inches), but up in the hills they surely had a heap more. The river has also managed to breach the …

27 June 2021 19:52 — : Lovely! Loaded up the dishwasher, turned it on and a moment later there was a loud pop and the house went dark. It was just us — the dishwasher seems to have blown up. We had trouble with it recently and tried to buy a new better one but supplies are …

27 June 2021 10:58 — : Last night we drove to Palmerston North to celebrate Deb’s recent birthday. Arranged Marriage provided delicious meals from the Kerala region of India. I had: chicken cooked in fresh spinach and cashews ground together then sautéed with roasted …

26 June 2021 12:41 — : On this cool, grey, rainy day we had our 15th International Breakfast : Churros. Yum! They were light and airy fingerfood. As usual we had to improvise a bit: an icing bag with no special nozzle, milk instead of heavy cream. It’d be interesting …

25 June 2021 13:16 — : It’s a Big Cuddle day for Oshi. 🐶

25 June 2021 12:22 — : Hmmm, coming later in 2021 is NCIS: Hawaii: NCIS: Hawaii stars Vanessa Lachey as Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant, Yasmine Al-Bustami as Lucy, Jason Antoon as Ernie, and Noah Mills as Jesse. I’ve always enjoyed NCIS (original). I mostly sorta …

25 June 2021 12:10 — : I check the global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions every morning. Today’s map shows an amazing air stream that flows down from the sub-tropics, across Aotearoa New Zealand and then right down to the Southern Ocean.

25 June 2021 09:44 — : What a great short read: Send in the Bugs. The Michelangelos Need Cleaning. The team washed [Night’s] hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11, a bacterium isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples … Via OrderoftheGoodDeath (@OrderGoodDeath) / …

24 June 2021 18:10 — : The local Canada Geese seem to be stirred up by the full moon. They’re flying around honking mightily. Volume up.

24 June 2021 14:19 — : I watched the documentary Lift Like A Girl On a busy, noisy high-traffic street corner in Alexandria, Egypt, a seemingly vacant corner lot surrounded by chain link fencing is the training site of Egypt’s most elite champions – female weightlifters. …

24 June 2021 11:53 — : I can understand why an online film festival like Doc Edge Festival 2021 needs to know my birthdate but why on earth was I required to select a gender? As a matter of principal and as an objection I selected Other.

24 June 2021 11:25 — : I thought I’d give Arepa de Queso a try. I had a few glitches, like forgetting the oil till a later step, having the heat too high so it’s a bit burnt / raw, wrong kinds of cheese. Worth a try though. Plus, perhaps I should have flattened …

23 June 2021 14:14 — : I suspect this is a slightly more distant neighbour’s cat. Such a beauty! A very hasty photo through the window as it turned back for a moment while running away.

23 June 2021 13:33 — : Dammit. A Covid+ traveller spent time in Wellington last weekend, so now Wellington region has to move to Alert Level 2. Luckily we live outside the region, but Deb works in Wellington several days per week. Fingers crossed there has been no …

22 June 2021 17:19 — : This 6 minute Tom Scott video is well worth a watch: History forgot these old fireworks. We recreated them. Around the old mining areas of North Wales, you find rock cannon: old Welsh firework sites. Most of the world has never heard of them: so we …

22 June 2021 11:07 — A Kiwi Covid shot part 1 : Yesterday I was wiped out by the time I got home. I drove to Levin to drop my car off for new tires, a window fix and a few other minor repairs. Then I walked briskly to the vaccination centre. After my Pfizer Covid–19 shot I walked briskly to …

21 June 2021 12:31 — : OK, COVID vaccine part one ✅ Part 2 on 12 July.

20 June 2021 13:15 — : We have some splendid Kāhu Swamp harrier around us. They soar past our lounge window, wings spread and sometimes sit on fence posts. Today I glanced out and saw one on a nearby post. I grabbed a couple of photos through the window, but when I opened …

19 June 2021 16:05 — : Ambivalent about Pineapple Lies: (Pineapple Port Mysteries 1) by Amy Vansant. 📚 The mystery solving seems to involve mainly having some random notion and declaring someone ‘the killer’. There’s a lot of (hetero) romance too. I may try book 2. …

19 June 2021 15:53 — : Deb and I have been really enjoying (re)watching Scott & Bailey, a British police procedural series. The three lead characters are compelling, and the dynamics complex and textured. Above all though there is hope and redemption, along with human …

19 June 2021 14:24 — : The best kind of little free community library: The Good Dog Library at the dog park in Levin. 🐶 Love it!

18 June 2021 12:51 — : I’m enjoying this author’s books, including The Girl Who Was Forgotten: (The Shee McQueen Mystery Thriller Series Book 2) by Amy Vansant. 📚 No more in that series so I’ve moved on to a different series by the same author.

18 June 2021 11:47 — : Hooray, just got confirmation after an online booking request: my first Pfizer Covid shot is scheduled for Monday 21 June. 😎 Deb had her second shot today. Meanwhile, apparently, anti-vaxers in Levin are graffitiing pharmacy windows. 😒

17 June 2021 19:07 — : The excellent 2 hour Indian movie Skater Girl brought tears to my eyes several times. The lead character, teenaged Prerna, finds freedom on a skateboard but her social environment keeps trying to restrict and limit her. There is controversy about the …

17 June 2021 11:35 — : Ugh. We sold a laptop with a troubled history — described as accurately as we could. We believed it was working fine. 3 weeks after purchase the buyer is disputing, claiming the Touch Bar doesn’t work. Breaking my brain considering what is …

17 June 2021 07:34 — : This 2-minute video is about the stars of Māori New Year, Matariki, which happens at this time of year. ✨ How to find the Matariki star cluster Māhutonga : Southern Cross Hinetakurua : Sirius Tautoru : Orion’s Belt Puanga : Rigel Te Matakāheru …

16 June 2021 15:56 — : The new bike rack arrived and I put it on my car. I checked a few videos about how to do it as the manual helpfully only had pictures without words. Grrr. Got my bike on then tried to add Deb’s bike. I was interrupted before figuring out the …

15 June 2021 15:08 — : Global Extinction of Languages Is Threatening … Human Knowledge: Among 12,495 medicinal uses for plants in indigenous communities … over 75% of those plants are each tied to just 1 local language. If these unique words trickle out of use, so too may …

15 June 2021 14:36 — : Brunched with a friend at Rosetta Cafe in Raumati South. The Big Brekkie (1/2 size) meal was superb: sourdough toast, roasted tomato, pan-fried spinach and mushrooms, polenta fries. With green tea. I opted out of the chilli bean mix because I …

14 June 2021 20:15 — : When we drove to Levin in the rain today we were delayed by yet another accident near Ōhau. Fortunately this was a simple nose-to-tail so emergency services cleared it quickly and it seems no one was injured. Makes a change from the many recent …

13 June 2021 16:47 — : This was a darn good read: The Girl Who Wants: (The Shee McQueen Mystery Thriller Series Book 1) by Amy Vansant. 📚 Shee’s quest to recover the life and loves she’s lost brings a depth of emotion rare in such page-turning suspense. Now for book 2.

13 June 2021 13:19 — : This week’s International Breakfast was a risky experiment we won’t repeat. The recipe was more of a memory aid for the writer and we didn’t have Cascaval cheese. So, Moldovan peasant food, Mămăligă, was generally weird. We added scrambled eggs and …

12 June 2021 17:29 — : Today we went to Paraparaumu for a Line-dancing social. The songs in red were Beginner level (that’s us). There were about 60 people there, including our teacher and a bunch of folks from other groups in the region. It was fun. Our teacher, …

11 June 2021 14:06 — : Hmmm, I enjoyed Mousse and Murder (An Alaskan Diner Mystery Book 1) by Elizabeth Logan. 📚 It strained my credulity a bit though. There seemed excessive attention to the cat. I’m not sure what exactly didn’t sit quite right, but I’m …

10 June 2021 17:11 — : We had to call on Reggie, our local water guy, to fill our drinking water tank today. I couldn’t tell whether we had one week’s water left or a bit more. Now I can relax. The last time we bought water was March 2020.

10 June 2021 13:11 — : Took my car through the carwash for what may be the first time in the 5 or 6 years I’ve owned it. The carwash and blow dry led me to the interesting discovery that one of the rear windows doesn’t go all the way up. The button will lower it but not …

10 June 2021 06:50 — : Researchers explored Māori storytelling in spoken word, weaving and carving and found: Polynesian narratives … include voyaging into Antarctic waters by Hui Te Rangiora … and his crew on the vessel Te Ivi o Atea, likely in the early seventh century …

09 June 2021 15:50 — : Once I finally got myself and the correct gear (nearly left the paddle behind) out on the river I really enjoyed it. I’d forgotten how serene it can be to paddle or float on a quiet river on a sunny day. My new neoprene gloves were excellent …

09 June 2021 12:43 — : I really have been meaning to take my kayak out again and today’s weather leaves me with no excuse. I see it’s been almost exactly a year since I last took it out. No wonder I’m finding it hard to actually organise myself.

09 June 2021 10:09 — : Blue beach morning.

09 June 2021 08:19 — : Ordered a tank of water as our rainwater tank is worryingly low. We need 30mm rain every week to cover our needs and forecast rain just keeps on not happening. Or decent rain is forecast and we get a dribble. Long-range forecast is for normal or …

08 June 2021 16:29 — : First time in my life, I cleaned my bike chain. It’s a messy business, but I think it went OK. 🚴🏼

08 June 2021 06:15 — : Ooooh, multiple timers! Yay!

08 June 2021 05:55 — : I use Siri quite a lot — on-device processing should be a big help. Siri quite often can’t help me when I’m out and about round here because of poor cellphone coverage.

08 June 2021 05:53 — : Whew, sitting up in bed watching the WWDC 2021 Keynote. Sasha the dog is asleep on the bed. I’m realising just how very pongy she is‼️ 👃🏼Good thing the dogs are off to the groomers in a couple of days! 🐶

08 June 2021 05:16 — : The 5 am start for the WWDC 2021 keynote is always a challenge. 🥱

07 June 2021 19:56 — : We had an unusual event at Waikawa Beach this weekend: the launch of a Little Free Library created by a couple of members of the community. Here’s Anja giving a speech before cutting the ribbon. And that’s the back of me as I introduced …

07 June 2021 17:33 — : Well, that was an interesting experiment. M1 MacBook Pro. I exported my Health data from iPhone. Then I opened the 1.7GB(!!!!) XML file into BBEdit. It took less than a minute to open and I can scroll up and down the 5,504,661 lines as though …

07 June 2021 16:33 — : A sea misty morning at the beach today.

06 June 2021 16:15 — : This week’s delicious International Breakfast was Mandazi African Donuts. Although deep fried, they weren’t oily or greasy. They were perfect, in fact. Would be ideal if you invite folks for afternoon tea. Just prepare ahead of time as the …

05 June 2021 15:46 — : My friend Anne writes cogently, coherently and interestingly about the Miss Silver mysteries by Patricia Wentworth. Some smart lit crit in there, and a most excellent quote from one about Hillary’s lunch. I wonder if I should try the books? I …

04 June 2021 16:24 — : Whew! A busy day doing various tasks for our local Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association: emails, blog posts, some admin stuff, update the list of members, liaise with the Horowhenua District Council about a dumped trampoline — perfect for a cool, …

03 June 2021 12:59 — : As I watch The Path to Happiness: What Chinese Philosophy Teaches us about the Good Life and learn about so many male thinkers I have a nagging wondering about how women might have framed differing approaches to the world. Did those men cook, clean, …

03 June 2021 08:11 — : Ha ha ha ha ha… The Mitchells vs. the Machines movie was weird, hilarious, bizarre, moving. I loved all the, I don’t even know what to call them, tech jokes, Apple winks, meme jokes. Very funny! a dysfunctional family saves Earth from a robot …

02 June 2021 15:34 — : Look who I found while weeding. I think it must be a Brown Tree frog - Litoria ewingii: They all have a white stripe along the jawline from the armpit, to at least, below the eye and sometimes to the end of the snout. I didn’t think to turn …

02 June 2021 15:32 — : Whew, listed my old S3 Apple Watch for sale. People seem to still be buying them used.

02 June 2021 10:53 — : At first I was excited by the new Aotearoa Astrotourism Academy. Then I looked more closely at the instructors and the programme: there is no Māori astronomy mentioned at all and no evidently Māori instructors. Tourists should learn traditional Māori …

02 June 2021 10:47 — : Eight black swans: two parents and 6 almost fully grown cygnets. It’s amazing all six babies survived to this age. Soon though they’ll leave and probably only the parent pair will stay.

02 June 2021 04:43 — : This one was a bit disappointing: A Simple Case of Murder (Lost in Alaska Book 4) by Leigh Mayberry. 📚 Pretty much everything was out of the Police Chief’s hands and I found the ending unsatisfactory. A spelling error was important in the plot …

01 June 2021 09:42 — : Today’s International Breakfast, Greek omelet, was delicious. We didn’t have oregano so used mixed herbs. I’d reduce the herbs next time. I realised you remove pips and juice from the tomatoes to reduce the liquid. Very delicious.

31 May 2021 19:57 — : This was so delicious and easy to cook. I used chicken stock rather than plain water. Curried cauliflower & lentil soup recipe | BBC Good Food 🍜 Take one cauliflower and blend with red lentils, fennel seeds, curry paste and lemon juice [for] …

31 May 2021 17:28 — : This morning I told Deb we’d probably have to buy a tanker of drinking water soon. With only 1.8 mm rain forecast today and hardly any for the coming week, our tank is concerningly low. No complaints, but as at dinner time we’ve had 17.6 …

30 May 2021 15:07 — : Another good read: Next of Kin (DI Sarah Quinn Mystery Book 5) by Maureen Carter. 📚 Lisa Webb is beaten and left to drown … the latest victim of a serial sex offender who has been terrorising the area. But DI Sarah Quinn realizes things are not as …

30 May 2021 07:53 — : Interesting: a successful author who doesn’t read: I was shocked to discover that she creates whatever she reads in her mind. … When the heroine arrives, her mind generates an image of that person. My mind, sadly, does none of that. The question I …

29 May 2021 09:33 — : Well, the official results are in from my Ancestry.com DNA test, and surprisingly, I’m not 100% English. Looks like there’s a bit of Scots (18%) and even Norwegian (10%) tossed in. Given my last name (Jordan) I actually thought there might be …

28 May 2021 17:30 — : For the past year or more a tiny fatty lump on my neck that I first thought was a pimple slowly grew into a small very annoying lump. A few days ago my doctor removed the lump for me. Today Deb helped me change the dressing and took a photo of my …

27 May 2021 18:31 — : I have two more lunar eclipse photos that aren’t too terrible. One about half way in and the other about three quarters to totality. 🌕

27 May 2021 07:55 — : I don’t see astrophotography in my future, but provided you don’t look too closely, this is pretty much the splendid view I had of last night’s lunar eclipse. It was magical, especially how early on I could hardly see any stars, but at peak the …

26 May 2021 21:57 — : Starting to see the Earth’s shadow encroaching on the face of the moon… It’s about an hour till total eclipse now.

26 May 2021 19:15 — : Trying to get serious with camera settings, tripod etc, and getting the darn thing in focus. Full moon before the eclipse starts.

26 May 2021 11:21 — : I plan to watch tonight’s total lunar eclipse by eye rather than through a camera lens, but I do want to try for a couple of photos. Checking How to Photograph a Total Lunar Eclipse | PetaPixel and How to Photograph a Lunar Eclipse and Get …

25 May 2021 12:07 — : Things I’m learning about ebike racks. My car has a 1 7/8 tow ball. The E-Rack 2 I’m considering needs a 50mm ball. These sizes are different. The tongue on my hitch is rated for 60 Kg max. The rack itself weighs 21 Kg and supports 60 Kg. …

25 May 2021 09:56 — Reina Pepiada: Venezuelan Arepas with Chicken and Avocado : This week’s International Breakfast: Reina Pepiada: Venezuelan Arepas with Chicken and Avocado. We were able to buy the P.A.N. cornflour online. These would be great for taking for a packed lunch or on a picnic.

25 May 2021 07:00 — : I love the On This Day feature in Micro.Blog. I check mine every day. I’d completely forgotten that a year ago we had an earthquake big enough that I actually left the house. // Thanks @cleverdevil.

24 May 2021 13:24 — : Thinking this might be a bike trip I could do next year: West Coast Wilderness Trail. A friend did it and said it was fabulous. The West Coast of Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island) is fabulous!

24 May 2021 12:52 — : Concerned by events in [Western] Samoa: Live updates: Samoa’s political crisis deepens where the party voted out in a recent election has locked the winners out of Parliament. Samoa and Aotearoa New Zealand have very close relationships. I …

24 May 2021 07:43 — : I enjoyed Lost to the Sea: A Cozy Mystery (Lost in Alaska Book 3) by Leigh Mayberry. Somehow the odd word choices and other ‘mistakes’ lend authenticity for me. I imagine the books are written by someone whose English differs from mine and it may not …

23 May 2021 15:31 — : Shocking news this afternoon that an office holder on a committee I’m on had a massive heart attack and passed away today. It can be so sudden folks — remember that. RIP.

23 May 2021 15:29 — : Well, Deb’s first outing on her new ebike was a success. I helped her learn how to stop and get off — something she’d been very nervous about. The bike barely goes into my MPV as the handlebars are high and wide. There won’t be room for …

22 May 2021 16:44 — : Called in to Torpedo 7 in Palmerston North to buy a chain cleaning kit for my bike and came out with the kit plus a new Trek 2021 Verve+ 2 Lowstep ebike for Deb. Oops! 🚲

21 May 2021 18:28 — : Back in early April Deb and I sent off Ancestry.com DNA tests. Finally the DNA is being analysed and we should have results in mid-June.

21 May 2021 18:23 — : This week I’ve been less tired, had less brain fog and less blurry vision. In the best spirit of changing several factors at once I’ve (probably) been eating better, have started taking brisk walks on alternate days and have slashed the amount of …

20 May 2021 14:52 — : Budget Day today in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Labour Government is committed to spending money in all the right places: improving health, housing, education, jobs and addressing (child) poverty along with climate change and things like rail and …

20 May 2021 12:48 — : On my brisk walk today I spotted this impressive ‘beach whare’. I now realise another angle would have made a better photo. Whare (pronounced roughly far-ry) is the Māori word for house or shelter.

20 May 2021 11:11 — : Ugh! Waikato Hospital enters third day affected by cyber attack: cyber experts are working to isolate the problem and reset individual computer systems as quickly as possible, but they were complex systems. the ransomware is now under police …

19 May 2021 16:43 — : Our local government organisations — Councils — use a system of geographic subdivisions called ‘wards’ that allow voting. There is debate about whether to establish “Māori wards”. Reading the submissions: one person thinks this is referring to …

19 May 2021 14:40 — : Heh, first some wanted to use CQD: dash dot dash dot | dash dash dot dash | dash dot dot This was a political process among the notable shipping nations of those times. At first they … provisionally agreed: CQD. CQD, in Morse code: ▬ • ▬ • ▬ ▬ • ▬ …

19 May 2021 14:31 — : Fascinating 25 minute The Allusionist podcast episode: SOS: SOS is a really versatile distress call. You … can tap it out in Morse code; you can honk it on a horn; you can signal it with flashes of light; you can spell it out on the beach with …

19 May 2021 06:49 — : 🧐 💭 What Chinese Philosophy Teaches us about the Good Life: The heart of compassion is the sprout of humaneness. The heart of shame is the sprout of propriety. The heart of deference and yielding is the sprout of ritual. The heart of right and wrong …

18 May 2021 14:27 — : Another Leigh Mayberry cozy enjoyed, with its endearingly odd language: A Killer Vacation: A Cozy Mystery (Lost in Alaska Book 2) 📚: Paul Coleman wasn’t a nice guy, and the deeper Meghan digs, he might not even be one of the good guys. This is not …

18 May 2021 11:08 — : Today’s village - beach loop walk added resistance training into the mix, courtesy of winds gusting up to 78 Kph at our place, probably more on the beach. I’ve also been liberally coated in sand. Still, when it wasn’t a head or side …

18 May 2021 08:16 — : 👍: Wellington dogs to swap plastic tags for metal 🐶: Wellington’s wagging goodbye to plastic registration tags for dogs in a bid to cut down on waste. … replaced with a single metal tag that should last a dog’s lifetime - … owners will …

17 May 2021 19:28 — : Super busy day today. We had 17.5 mm rain: hooray! I’m making progress at line dancing: hooray! Arrangements to launch the new local Little Free Library are falling into place: hooray!

17 May 2021 08:12 — : I listened with great interest to Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: Confucius the other day then found my way to the free course at edX The Path to Happiness: What Chinese Philosophy Teaches us about the Good Life. All part of my quest to be an …

16 May 2021 10:36 — : The 15 year old dogs have trained me to walk at a slow dawdle, with frequent stops, for max 20 minutes. Today I left them at home and did a brisk 40 minute walk, 3.6 Km round the road to the village and back across the beach. I need to build walking …

15 May 2021 20:02 — : We enjoyed watching Uncle Frank 🎬: Set in the 1970s, Uncle Frank is a road movie about a gay man who confronts his past.

15 May 2021 15:18 — : The privately owned lane we live along (with 4 other parties) needs resurfacing. We had a meeting today to discuss the quotes we’ve had and after some discussion all agreed on the middle-range option for the common area we all use. Not so hard…

14 May 2021 08:33 — : Soo… we had our first real frost of the year. Mid-May seems a bit early. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Temperature bottomed out around -1.8C. Paddocks next door show the white coating.

13 May 2021 13:38 — : I enjoyed reading A Cold Day for Murder: A Cozy Mystery (Lost in Alaska Book 1) by Leigh Mayberry and am embarking on the next in series. Numerous language oddities (missing words, wrong words) but with no info about the author I’m thinking …

13 May 2021 13:25 — : Ordered Airtags. After a week or two they were picked up by the courier in China. Nothing, nothing, nothing. 5 days later they’re in Auckland. Probably be with me by noon Monday. Now to find or make a decent case.

13 May 2021 13:20 — : Concerned when I watched The Flash S07E09. One of the bad-guys, giving people nightmares, had a fullface tattoo. The original screenshot was way too dark, but with huge overexposure it’s visible. Thing is, it very much resembles Māori tā moko. …

13 May 2021 10:10 — : Brain-explody: Comparing the world’s most well known locations with NZ’s latitude | WeatherWatch. (Using latitude co-ordinates only) Well known international locations on a map of NZ. How close are you to the South Pole and Tropics compared to …

12 May 2021 15:17 — : Already got back the results of my routine blood tests. All good apparently. ✔️

12 May 2021 14:53 — : This is an excellent time of year for taking photos of the neighbour’s gorgeous horse.

12 May 2021 14:51 — : The farmer next door runs hundreds of cows, and 4 sheep. Sometimes random animals also turn up — one year it was a Kunekune pig. This year it seems to be a deer. It looks fairly young.

12 May 2021 11:02 — : I hoped the doctor would remove a small annoying sebaceous cyst for me today, but instead she checked it and made an appointment two weeks away for the removal. Then she sent me for routine blood tests because it’s been a while, apparently. …

11 May 2021 14:13 — : Uh oh, I take that back. Now the 2016 MacBook Pro can’t load Amazon.com either…

11 May 2021 14:11 — : Hmmm, currently my M1 MacBook Pro refuses to load Amazon.com despite extensive troubleshooting. 2016 MacBook Pro though has no problem with it. Still investigating… (I had thought I’d sell this old Mac, but now I’m not so sure…)

11 May 2021 14:09 — : This was enjoyable 📚: Frightfully Fortune (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 20) a dead man gallops through the park on a black stallion and slides to a decapitated stop right in front of Swamp Team 3… another festival is about to be turned on its head I …

11 May 2021 07:56 — : I’m unhappy when I spot random bits of plastic, rope or other stuff on our beach, but we have nothing like this level of pollution: The Beach Where Lego Keeps Washing Up. Apparently studies have shown Lego in a marine environment could last 1300 …

11 May 2021 06:43 — : 💪🏼 ♀ Motherhood on the Battlefield of Death | The Order of the Good Death: For Mesoamerican people childbirth was considered a form of battle, therefore, women who gave birth were revered as heroes and great warriors.

10 May 2021 18:50 — : On 05 May I posted about a neighbouring property for sale: Waikawa Beach For Sale: 146 Strathnaver Drive. When we drove past this afternoon it had a Sold sign on it. 5 days. Not bad.

09 May 2021 14:38 — Korean Banchan : Our International Breakfast this week was Korean Banchan — Steamed White Rice, Gyeran Jjim, Sigumchi Namul, Pan-Fried Tofu with Dipping Sauce, miso soup. We invited friends to share with us. It was very filling and tasty.

09 May 2021 09:07 — : Predicted tracks for the LongMarch5B CZ-5B rocket body reentry are narrowing down. Our house is right under one of them (blue line). 09 May 2021 03:26 ± 2 hours UTC. So, that’ll be this afternoon for us. The Aerospace Corporation tweet Rocket …

08 May 2021 18:38 — : Sunrise at about 7.00 this morning was a very intense red.

07 May 2021 14:30 — : Pausing by the river to sit in the sun and fresh air for a bit.

07 May 2021 08:56 — : I enjoyed Dying Bad (DI Sarah Quinn Mystery Book 3) by Maureen Carter. I especially like the way the lead character abbreviates and makes more or less oblique references to cliches and idioms. 📚 [unsatisfactory answer] ‘Ok.’ If …

06 May 2021 15:32 — : Each time the chain comes off my bike I’m that bit more adept at putting it back on. Apparently this chain falling off thing is more of a problem on bikes like mine that have a single ummm cog (?) at the front.

06 May 2021 14:09 — : My first attempt at cooking crepes was a definite ‘learning experience’ (ie failure). The pan should have been hotter, the crepe thinner. We also didn’t have the right flour and the fruit I thought was a lemon must have been a lime. Next time…

06 May 2021 09:39 — : I want to give a huge shoutout to @danielpunkass A recent version of Black Ink let subscribers get the NY Times crossword. It mostly didn’t work for me and seemed a totally erratic problem. Daniel plugged away at it though and quickly solved …

05 May 2021 13:12 — : Waikawa Beach For Sale: 146 Strathnaver Drive: 2 bedrooms; 1 bathroom; 50m2 floor area; 3464m2 land area. Buyer Enquiry Over $695,000 Neighbours of ours. In the photo our place is the white dot near top right.

05 May 2021 11:53 — : Of course … yesterday I had a new spare house key cut. Today I found the one that had gone missing. 🧐

05 May 2021 08:47 — : This is a superb 8 minute documentary: The typeface that told the stories of Chinese New Zealanders: this set of heavy lead typeface has a fascinating story to tell about the history of Chinese New Zealanders.

05 May 2021 08:04 — : Indeed! If Aotearoa is serious about creating a future that young people can see themselves in, it’s time to divest from a very peculiar, and often overlooked fossil fuel: hobbits. The case to divest the NZ economy of hobbits

04 May 2021 10:13 — : Whew! Drama in our house this morning as Deb spilled half a glass of plain water on her MacBook Pro. Draining, drying, airing. That machine has been a trouble magnet. I’m trying to get her to buy a new M1 MacBook Pro. The battery life on mine …

04 May 2021 07:34 — : Waikawa Beach For Sale: 61-63 Manga Pirau Street: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 70m2 floor area; 827m2 land area. Two immediate beachfront sections. Includes self contained very well appointed tiny house. Will it sell? Land already half lost to storms. …

03 May 2021 17:17 — : At line dancing class today I was thinking about how learning goes: new new new new new new new new new 🥵 new 🤯 new 🥵 new new familiar 🤩 new new new familiar 🤩 new new new 🥵 new familiar familiar 🤩 new new new…

02 May 2021 20:13 — : I was moaning recently about listing a 2012 MacBook Pro and a 2013 MacBook Pro on our NZ auction website. Actually there were almost no stupid questions, and a good question. They sold tonight for a total almost double what I thought I might get. …

02 May 2021 20:04 — : The Ozzies so often do such great movies. Three Summers (Netflix) was brilliantly done: very funny, excellent messages slipped in sublimely, some good music. I’ll be watching this one again sometime. Magda Szubanski was superb as always: …

02 May 2021 16:35 — : This is an amazing explanation of how combustion engines work, with superb animations. I thought I understood the basics, but this step through of how things actually happen is stunningly clear and excellent. Internal Combustion Engine – Bartosz …

02 May 2021 15:33 — : Later this month we Kiwis can see a total lunar eclipse. I wrote about it on the blog for the local Waikawa Beach community: Look up! — There’s a lunar eclipse on 26 May 2021.

02 May 2021 15:01 — Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican Beans and Rice) : This week’s International Breakfast was Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican Beans and Rice). We didn’t have the Salsa Lizano, so made do with Worcestershire Sauce. This was easy and delicious and I’ll be making it in future for dinner.

02 May 2021 13:07 — : Oh crikey. A local asked me to visit to chat about an (excellent) arts project he’d like to do. I knew he’d written some poems once. I’m glad I didn’t check his website before I visited or I might have been too awestruck for a …

02 May 2021 07:41 — : Doing errands in Palmerston North yesterday I briskly walked a few blocks and was tired. I realise my daily dawdle with our dogs in their 15th year isn’t ‘walking’ as such. I need to train for our Rakiura cruise in July when there are …

01 May 2021 19:44 — : Wow, the photography on The Year Earth Changed on TV+ is stunning! Photo of capybara. It’s so heartening the world had a moment to breathe during lockdown (and disheartening that everyone wants to return to the old ‘normal’). We need to …

01 May 2021 17:07 — : Hmmm, I finished Blood Stained (Detective Claudia Nunn Book 1) by Rebecca Bradley. While I kept reading to the end it didn’t sit well with me. Most of the book is about a suspect interview. It’s not a procedural. I think I won’t be …

01 May 2021 15:44 — : Yesterday I had to pick Deb up from the commuter train at Waikanae. Here it is arriving.

30 April 2021 17:37 — : A new item on my list of things I aim to do: Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail | Central Otago: The 55km Lake Dunstan Trail takes you from Smith’s Way, just out of Cromwell to Clyde along Lake Dunstan, the Kawarau River and the mighty Clutha River Mata-au. …

30 April 2021 11:24 — : A nice thing to learn: Rakiura is the Maori name for Stewart Island. It translates as the Land of the Glowing Skies. We’ll be visiting later this year. Maybe we’ll get to see the Aurora Australis? Stewart Island Experience NZ

30 April 2021 10:21 — : I’m uncomfortable about Aotearoa New Zealand becoming the “Lord of the Rings” country, attracting tourists with hobbit holes etc. After all, the indigenous Māori culture has been used and misused for tourism even while being suppressed and …

30 April 2021 08:53 — : Whew, heart pounding. A sudden loud noise like a heavy truck right beside me; milliseconds later a quake that rattled loose items. 〰️ Quake - 2021p321253 Apr 30 2021 8:43 AM; 15 km south-west of Levin; Magnitude 2.7; Depth 1 km. Not strong but only …

29 April 2021 13:07 — : At a mere 5 minutes per week the That’s What They Say podcast is one anybody can fit in. The episode The language it is a-changin’ from 25 April 2021 is specially interesting. English used to have genders for nouns (Fem, Masc, Neut) and cases. …

28 April 2021 18:11 — : I’m selling a 2012 MacBook Pro and a 2013 MacBook Pro. Forgot to take photos until it was almost dark and the screens caught random blips of light. Plus now I’m sure not which photo is of which machine. I think I’ll be taking more photos …

27 April 2021 19:46 — : I thoroughly enjoyed reading @cheri’s latest cozy: The Case of the Red Phantom. With voices from beyond the watery grave, this is quite a puzzle. But since Ellie Tappet’s on the case there’s bound to be a resolution. 📚

27 April 2021 16:28 — : Strange — I had my flu shot almost two weeks ago, but today’s the day I feel that maybe slightly fluey feeling I often get a couple of days after the shot. Spent the day reading two books alternately — one on Kindle (in bed) and one in a PDF on my …

26 April 2021 11:20 — : I really enjoyed The Woman on the Cliff crime thriller by Janice Frost. This plot went to some pretty unexpected places, and the flashback timeline was cleverly woven in. Character growth was also on-point. 📚

25 April 2021 09:50 — : Thought-provoking! What Do Doctors Owe To The Dead People They Dissect? If thinking of a dead body as a patient seemed strange at first, I’ve begun to see it as a microcosm of the health care system at large.

25 April 2021 09:23 — Lablabi (Chickpea Soup) : This week’s international breakfast was Lablabi (Chickpea Soup) - Traditional Tunisian Recipe. Even without the caraway it was very delicious. A chunky bread would have been better than the soft white sliced we had. Long prep time, with soaking …

25 April 2021 07:39 — : Darn! We’re making another International Breakfast today and somehow ground caraway fell off the shopping list (it was on the list, but fell out of my brain). We’ll need extra imagination today. Plus, added to the list is mortar and …

24 April 2021 18:59 — : And in today’s Wikipedia search failure… The page “Lorena Light-Footed Woman” does not exist. Link to “Lorena, Light-Footed Woman” page. It failed for a comma? really?

24 April 2021 18:55 — : A good watch: the 30 minute documentary Lorena, Light-Footed Woman. Tarahumara woman Lorena runs ultramarathons in her sandals and skirt with T-shirt. Favourite part: she rejects the fancy running shoes she’s sent because those who wear such shoes …

24 April 2021 15:54 — : It’s a ghastly cover and a sadistic crime, but I enjoyed reading Mother Love (DI Sarah Quinn Mystery Book 2) by Maureen Carter. 📚 Olivia Kent hasn’t been seen for 5 days. Detective Sarah Quinn needs all the help she can get …

24 April 2021 11:09 — : Never had so many problems before ordering from the Apple website, but have finally achieved it. I just wish I could use Apple Pay. Out of the 20 or 30 times I’ve tried to use it I think it’s worked exactly once. Airtag 4-pack ordered. …

23 April 2021 17:53 — : I’ve been meaning to clean up the quail run a bit. Today I scraped out some of the poop and old straw etc and added some fresh straw. I need to buy another bale of straw too. Last week I added plastic over the open part of the roof for winter rain …

23 April 2021 17:53 — : I’ve been meaning to clean up the quail run a bit. Today I scraped out some of the poop and old straw etc and added some fresh straw. I need to buy another bale of straw too. Last week I added plastic over the open part of the roof for winter rain …

23 April 2021 08:26 — : As I thought: As for strapping an AirTag to a pet, Drance says, “If people do that, they just have to make sure that their moving pet gets into range of a device in the Find My network” so its location can be tracked. Apple’s AirTag tracker …

22 April 2021 17:59 — : I enjoy watching The Rookie. Interestingly, S03E10, Man of Honor, gives us 3 separate storylines of men supporting women in achieving the goal the woman has set out for. Makes me realise how unusual that storyline is.

22 April 2021 11:52 — : This 35 minute interview was so interesting: Lisa Genova: The science of memory and the art of forgetting. I liked this bit: Our brains have a very difficult time remembering proper nouns. People’s names, cities, movie titles, book titles … are very …

21 April 2021 11:18 — : Hooray! — Massive health sector overhaul explained — Aotearoa New Zealand population is ~5 million. Our system is far too complicated … We simply do not need 20 sets of decision makers. Nor do we need 20 plans for capital investment, for IT systems, …

21 April 2021 11:02 — : Hanging out at the local Library — Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō — after finishing errands while waiting for groomed dogs to be ready. It’s a great space: free WiFi, comfy chairs, cafe, random person playing the piano (well, too).

20 April 2021 19:59 — : The night before grooming. Sasha’s a little unfocused, but Oshi’s looking his cutest. 🐶

20 April 2021 15:06 — : I visited the international Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in Palmerston North. Amazing photos. Such dedication to the art (hours waiting for the perfect shot) and planning. Here are 2 favourites: Pallas’s cats and a spoon-billed …

20 April 2021 15:01 — : I had the best ever chicken teriyaki at Mr Choi Sushi Bar, 364 Main Street, in Palmerston North. Looked pretty suss but was busy with a variety of diners so I took a chance. So glad I did. Freshly cooked, piping hot, with rice, perhaps seaweed, miso …

20 April 2021 09:07 — : Excellent and powerful article re TV: Vegas keeps the Māori warrior-gangster trope alive for another generation by Leonie Hayden. Infinite quotable bits. Here’s one: From that one simple lie to justify a failure, came the notion that all …

20 April 2021 07:35 — : Yay … 😰 75% chance of major Alpine Fault earthquake in next 50 years NZ’s Alpine Fault has a 75% chance of causing a major quake … within the next 50 years. The Alpine Fault runs about 600km up … the South Island… and poses one of the …

20 April 2021 07:02 — : Note for future me, and others in a similar situation: after extensive troubleshooting for why pressing Play on an TV+ episode just led to a beachball and no video — I had to use Vodafone DNS servers not Unlocator — to match the geographical …

19 April 2021 11:41 — : Today I visited this fine fellow for a few minutes, as his people are away. Would not look at the camera. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 🐈

18 April 2021 17:58 — : I abandoned Coffin Cove (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 1) by Jackie Elliott about half way through. It didn’t hang together well, had way too much exposition — just not really my thing. 📚

18 April 2021 17:54 — : Excellent: A Question of Despair (DI Sarah Quinn Mystery Book 1) by Maureen Carter. It was well-written, held my interest so I read it pretty quickly, and had credible plot twists. I see some US reviewers don’t understand English as it’s …

18 April 2021 10:03 — Palak Paneer Paratha : Our International Breakfast this week is Paratha from India. We made Palak Paneer Paratha. There was too much just for breakfast, so I guess lunch is organised too. 😀 Spinach was fresh from the garden.

17 April 2021 13:13 — : The neighbour I visited yesterday had this wonderful large orange fungus growing on one of his pine trees.

17 April 2021 09:39 — : Daring Fireball, John Gruber: Crazed Gun Owner Kills 8 at FedEx Warehouse in Indianapolis: So seven people get blood clots after getting the J&J vaccine and we pull it, but eight people get killed by a crazed gun owner and it’s just another …

16 April 2021 09:24 — : Other Monarchs have hatched unobserved, but here’s one I spotted this morning, still fresh out of the chrysalis.

16 April 2021 09:03 — : This statement is gobsmacking: ACC must do better to speed up fossil fuel divestment: We balance our responsibility to invest in an ethical and lawful way with our need to earn strong returns for our unique Scheme I’d like to use that if on …

16 April 2021 06:01 — : Early to bed last night with the blahs, so I watched Work It — a teenage dance film. I liked the notion of the geek girl who couldn’t dance — that’d be me. Pretty pedestrian movie but fine for an easy watch with invigorating music when headachy and …

15 April 2021 12:40 — : Glad I reserved my day after the flu shot for blobbing. I didn’t sleep so well — loads of weird dreams — and am feeling a bit blah today. My only real task for the day is to take the dogs in for routine vet stuff.

15 April 2021 10:48 — : Wow. Kati Kariko Helped Shield the World From the Coronavirus: She needed grants to pursue ideas that seemed wild and fanciful. She did not get them… Collaborating with devoted colleagues, Dr. Kariko laid the groundwork for the mRNA vaccines …

14 April 2021 10:34 — : This year’s flu shot done. ✔️ Apparently it has extra ‘goodies’ to stimulate the immune response in over 65s so my arm might be quite sore. Thanks Unichem for extremely simple online booking.

14 April 2021 05:43 — : Starting the day with heavy rain, thunder and lightning.

13 April 2021 11:29 — : The other surprise today was the first Monarch Butterfly to emerge from its chrysalis. Such an amazing natural process! 🦋

13 April 2021 11:18 — : While driving past the lake at the end of our road today I was surprised to see our local black swan pair have 6 moderately large cygnets. That’s the first I knew about them having babies this year. Zoomed iPhone photo. 🐦

12 April 2021 19:28 — : Busy day! I’m getting better at line dancing, hooray! The easiest dances are OK with me. Every new dance has me falling over my feet, but I know I’ll get there. Also: met our new neighbour today. She came up for drinks with our other neighbour …

11 April 2021 19:44 — : We really enjoyed Concrete Cowboy 🎬, though we had to turn on subtitles. a fictionalization of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club an urban African-American horseriding culture in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

11 April 2021 15:32 — : The Heroine’s Journey: For Writers, Readers, and Fans of Pop Culture by Gail Carriger was a really interesting read. Thanks to @cheri for the tip. 📚 a clear concise analysis of the heroine’s journey, how it differs from the …

11 April 2021 12:28 — : Permanently retiring a 2012 MacBook Pro and a 2013 MacBook Pro. This time I’m remembering to follow the instructions at What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac - Apple Support. Still good machines, though flawed with age. Hoping I …

11 April 2021 09:12 — : Our boy Oshi 🐶 always has to be at the centre of things. If we’re patting Sasha he inserts himself. Your Dog May Get Jealous Even if It Just Imagines You Petting Another Dog: research suggests jealousy can be triggered even if a supposed rival …

11 April 2021 09:06 — : This is interesting: Here’s Why Our Brains Solve Problems by Adding Things, Not Removing: The first thing that comes to our minds is, what can we add to make it better? Our paper shows we do this to our detriment, even when the only right …

11 April 2021 07:21 — : We enjoyed Thunder Force 🎬: two childhood friends invent a way to become superheroes in a world where criminals have developed superpowers. It was suitably silly, had some decent laughs and was pretty gentle. Thanks to @gaby for alerting me to it.

10 April 2021 21:11 — : 41 gun salute! Wow. A 41-gun salute will be held in Wellington at midday tomorrow in honour of Prince Philip. www.rnz.co.nz When we lived in Wellington we used to be able to hear the salutes from home.

10 April 2021 18:28 — : With the Covid vaccine still a couple of months away for me, and winter approaching, it’s time for my free flu shot. Booked for Wednesday. Mind you, with last year’s border closures and other restrictions, flu was pretty much a non-event. …

10 April 2021 17:08 — : We suddenly have new neighbours in our little lane. This extremely tiny ‘tiny house’ turned up today. Presumably for weekenders rather than permanent residents. The front side view also shows part of the house behind. It’s facing the ‘wrong' …

09 April 2021 12:49 — : Deb has a complex family and decided to do a DNA test from Ancestry.com.au. I’m keeping her company. Today we spit into the little plastic tubes and sent them off. In about a month we should get results. Maybe I’ll find some of dad’s relatives. …

08 April 2021 12:21 — : After 1,000 Km my 1 year old electric bike was due thorough maintenance. Dropped it off with the bike guy in Raumati South, then had the most delicious brunch at Longbeach in Waikanae. I’m looking forward to getting it back tomorrow with …

07 April 2021 16:52 — : I put the spare key to my bicycle battery in A Very Safe Place. Don’t know where that is? Funnily enough, neither do I… And somehow the very act of writing that, after searching the house twice, reminded me I’d put it in the car!

07 April 2021 15:57 — : Sasha and Oshi are preparing for the synchronised napping competition in the next doggie Olympics. I think they’re in with a good chance! 🐶 Oshi maybe needs to work slightly on his tail placement.

07 April 2021 13:21 — : With autumn heading towards winter we’ve cleared nearly everything out of our tunnelhouse. In future we aren’t going to plant directly in the soil, but will set up a hydroponic system of pots, like the two in the photo. Next I need to clean the …

06 April 2021 19:44 — : My Sasha has a dream. 🐶

06 April 2021 18:59 — : I’m all caught up on watching For All Mankind on TV+. It was compelling viewing. So glad to know a Season 3 is on the cards.

05 April 2021 19:26 — : I always have tinnitus. It’s worse when I’m tired. When I’m stressed I don’t get back to sleep after waking in the night. That makes me tired and gives me a headache. Then the tinnitus gets worse which stresses me more. Today it all reached a …

05 April 2021 17:43 — : Glee the Japanese Quail decided to sit on eggs a couple of weeks ago. Her sister Fliss helps occasionally. I thought they’d pretty much stopped laying so left them to it, but now there are a good dozen toasty eggs in the nest. There’s no male, …

04 April 2021 06:19 — : It’s a miracle! About 10 hours of sleep and I’m not even sick. Amazing. Normally I’m pretty happy if I can get it up to 8 hours. Hooray for circumstances aligning.

03 April 2021 15:30 — : In getting ahead of things: I’ve changed the analogue kitchen clock, toothbrush clock, 2 cameras, oven clock. Yet to change: the car clock.

03 April 2021 13:11 — : I’ve been watching, and enjoying, S01 of For All Mankind. So much smoking and drinking! I’m amazed the astronauts were able to pass any of their physicals! Nice twist, with the alternate space race history.

03 April 2021 10:39 — : Today’s a day where I wish I had a Klingon Cloaking Device. I want to be invisible to the world — go for a bike ride without anyone noticing me, sit in the sun at home without any messages or emails or neighbourly waves. About to risk that bike …

03 April 2021 04:05 — : Tomorrow’s the day to put the clocks back in Aotearoa New Zealand: Daylight saving ends when clocks go back by 1 hour at 3am on 4 April 2021. Daylight saving Next change: September.

02 April 2021 12:34 — : I’m remembering that I stopped watching The Flash somewhere in Season 6. I’ve started Season 7, but it’s utterly underwhelming — pretty boring, pretty silly. It’s a shame… I’d like to settle in and watch some stuff today.

02 April 2021 06:38 — : Just before dawn was too dark for a selfie, but I took one anyway. Apart from missing a day last week, I still do a selfie each day for my own album. It’s been years now.

01 April 2021 20:27 — : LOL: Supergirl Recap Episode 601 as Kara points out, “Only four of us can fly.” Which I think is selling themselves a little short. I think maybe saying, “And there aren’t enough of us,” would have sufficed; four is a pretty high number of people …

01 April 2021 20:02 — : I loved this 20 minute video — it was such fun. The more I see Janelle Monae perform the more gorgeous I think she is. I love to see her perform.

01 April 2021 13:36 — : This poor fellow next door has been in my line of vision for quite a while — maybe since yesterday — without moving. Today I checked on him and he couldn’t get up. I’ve alerted the farmer. I hope the farmer turns up soon.

01 April 2021 10:38 — : So well deserved: How Siouxsie Wiles became ‘the Covid lady’, then New Zealander of the year: microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles was named New Zealander of the Year – Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa …she has … become synonymous with calm, clear, …

01 April 2021 09:45 — : One of the two lakes at the end of the road was looking so blue this morning!

31 March 2021 15:30 — : Drove a 2-hour round trip (+ time for a couple of quick errands) and took the dogs along. They used to be really good in the car — we’d forget they were there. Now aged 14 those days are gone. Panting started early outbound. By half-way home …

30 March 2021 15:51 — : Waikawa Beach for sale: 4/17 Strathnaver Drive: Asking price $450,000; 0.50ha Bare Land. Deadline Sale, closing 11am Tuesday 20th April, 2021 (unless sold prior).

30 March 2021 12:55 — : I really enjoyed on Netflix the documentary A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman. I’ve long been a fan of Wallace and Gromit and think Chicken Run is supremely hilarious and rich and enjoyable. In fact I plan to watch Chicken Run again soon. …

30 March 2021 11:40 — : I try to keep this blog positive but need to vent a bit today about logins. In the good old days you’d use a username and password to log into a website. We’ve all been educated now to use good passwords too and some of us use a password …

30 March 2021 10:50 — : hey @help has something changed with the Micro.Blog Mac app? This ‘No more posts’ button wasn’t actually telling the truth when I encountered it a couple of hours ago. I was trying to catch up on the timeline since last night. I clicked anyway …

30 March 2021 10:37 — : Our friend Willow is visiting for the day. However, Willow, Oshi and Sasha were reluctant to cooperate for a quick photo. 🐶

29 March 2021 19:31 — : Today was the fifth line dancing class I’ve attended and I’m starting to get the hang of it. I wasn’t exhausted from the mental effort at the end of the beginner’s hour and was quite enjoying it. Then we started to learn a dance in waltz …

29 March 2021 05:55 — : Taumarunui has this striking Moa sculpture at the south end of town. It’s made of small bits of wood — like driftwood, but they aren’t very close to the sea there.

28 March 2021 08:10 — : 450 Km to drive home today. We plan to go down through National Park again but then through Whanganui rather than Waiouru. Just for a change. Meeting friends for lunch at National Park (they’ve been down to Levin — we had lunch with them at …

28 March 2021 06:57 — : I’d forgotten … Hamilton, home of hot air Balloons.

27 March 2021 20:21 — : On a group outing to Sky City Casino in Hamilton. I’m not a gambler and find the appeal mystifying really. The occasional Lotto ticket or a bet on a horse race once every 5 years is more my speed.

27 March 2021 06:43 — : It’s only a two hour drive from Manunui to Hamilton. First stop Taumarunui for breakfast though.

26 March 2021 18:24 — : Taumarunui, population ~4,500, has a decent Thai restaurant, unlike Levin, population ~20,000. Tom Kha Gai soup FTW.

26 March 2021 18:21 — : Correction: Mahoe Motel is in Manunui, 3 Km south of Taumaranui.

26 March 2021 16:57 — : Kiwi as! Mahoe Motel, Taumarunui.

25 March 2021 13:51 — : A wonderful news story: Auckland Zoo has welcomed 4 new baby Galapagos tortoises. Just look at these little cuties! Galapagos tortoises are endangered and very difficult to rear but each tortoise can live for about 175 to 300 years.

25 March 2021 07:14 — Regular Expressions &mdash; a 2007 intro : When @odd mentioned he should learn about Regular Expressions I recalled I once wrote an introductory tutorial for Mac users. Here it is in all its 2007 splendour, including poor quality screenshots! Imagine you have a list of reversed names like …

25 March 2021 06:35 — : Mm, hmm. Opening a 27MB file into BBEdit on my M1 MacBook Pro: “Oh no! Spinning beach…” Done. Scroll, scroll, find. Smooth as butter.

24 March 2021 17:23 — : This was an interesting 5 minute video: Why Shakespeare Could Never Have Been French: Shakespeare sounds a certain way. Why? And why could it only work in English? Learn about Lexical Stress and Prosodic Stress.

24 March 2021 16:25 — : Autumn brings morning mists. It’s actually a lovely way to start the day.

23 March 2021 14:40 — Ful Medames : This week’s International Breakfast was our version of an Egyptian meal: Ful Medames: Ful medames is pre-Ottoman and pre-Islamic. It is probably as old as the Pharaohs. We didn’t have bread and forgot the garlic. All good, and we have a …

23 March 2021 14:34 — : 12 months ago today Aotearoa New Zealand went into Level 3 shutdown, preparing for Level 4 in 2 days. This year I’m noticing the (late) Monarch caterpillars are transforming into chrysalises. They should emerge in about 2 weeks. Our ‘cocoon …

23 March 2021 09:54 — : Stunning morning at the beach, still, sunny, no-one around. The sea really was that amazing milky silvery mirror blue.

22 March 2021 17:32 — : Yay! On Wednesday I learn how to make crossword puzzles.

22 March 2021 07:54 — : I was thinking of visiting the Zoo when we make a quick family-related trip soon to Hamilton, and noticed they have Fishing Cats I wanted to see. Then look what turned up in my On This Day page today from 2020: Fishing Cat: The Cat That Hunts …

22 March 2021 07:49 — : Hey @JohnPhilpin A year ago today you visited me at Waikawa Beach: miraz.me/2020/03/2… 😎

21 March 2021 17:48 — : Almost 48 hours since a sudden new allergy to Nurofen (probably) made my face swell up. Finally the puffiness around my eyes has almost gone. Plus, after taking an antihistamine yesterday lunchtime, I also feel almost normal again. Another ‘attack’ …

21 March 2021 12:07 — : I quite enjoyed Detective Hillary Greene Books 1–5 box set by Faith Martin. There’s something about the female characters and their sexual relationships that doesn’t sit quite right with me, but I’ll read more in the series. …

21 March 2021 11:23 — : For the longest time I thought we had Banded dotterels at Waikawa Beach but after close investigation I now think they are the very similar Wrybills. I’m pretty sure that beak has a curve to the right. Length: 20 cm; Weight: 55 grams. 🐦

21 March 2021 10:33 — : Really enjoyed Moxie at Netflix: Fed up with the sexist and toxic status quo at her high school, a shy 16-year-old finds inspiration from her mother’s rebellious past and anonymously publishes a zine that sparks a school-wide, coming-of-rage …

20 March 2021 17:05 — : Hmmm, for decades I’ve used Nurofen to help with headaches. Last night I had quite an allergic reaction that we attribute to Nurofen: swollen face, constricted throat. Today the doctor gave me an antihistamine to help with the swelling. Sasha …

20 March 2021 14:49 — : I should have taken some photos of the Pukeko chicks at the nearby lake a couple of weeks ago when they were fluffier. Look at these ridiculous gangly legs. And when the chicks run their legs look like cartwheels, like Roadrunner in the cartoons. …

19 March 2021 11:13 — : Bumblebee, meet pollen.

19 March 2021 10:46 — : It’s not often we see one of these around here. They didn’t stay long. And I’ve never noticed the “Highway Patrol” text on the car before either. What are we, in an episode of CHIPS? We don’t much use the word ‘highway’ in Aotearoa …

19 March 2021 08:04 — : A few years ago now I spotted a cop in Wellington who looked like he should have had a note from mum to be off school… So this is good: NZ’s oldest police graduate celebrates after 40 year wait: Perry, 57, has finally realised her dream of …

18 March 2021 15:38 — : In the middle of this year we hope to be cruising with friends round Rakiura (Stewart Island) at the southern tip of Aotearoa New Zealand. After that we’ll be hiring a car and visiting the Catlins. It’ll be our biggest holiday since 2015 …

18 March 2021 09:14 — : I have now learned the correct way to put the chain back on my bike. Now I need to learn how to remove the chain guard, which would make it easier.

17 March 2021 09:48 — : I learned Latin for 2 years at school. It’s invaluable for understanding English (and some other languages). However, that understanding could be gained in other ways and perhaps dropping Latin would make way for more currently relevant …

17 March 2021 09:30 — : Yucca in the dunes with Kāpiti Island beyond.

17 March 2021 07:31 — : Oshi eating. 🐶 He’s doing fine now! Even came and lined up for breakfast like he’s supposed to, rather than me having to tempt him off his bed.

17 March 2021 07:02 — : Thanks to a word puzzle, today I learned about Machicolation: a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at the …

16 March 2021 18:35 — : Oshi update 🐶: he’s still not quite 100% but he’s so much more himself — played with his stuffed duck after dinner, scrunched up the bedding to be just right, other very normal behaviours. 👍

16 March 2021 11:29 — : The Monarch caterpillars seemed to arrive late in the season, but they’re growing nicely on our swan plants. Some pretty long and chunky caterpillars there. Equinox is only a few days away now and we’re on our way towards winter.

16 March 2021 11:26 — Teishoku Traditional Japanese Breakfast : This week’s International Breakfast was a version of Teishoku Traditional Japanese Breakfast. It was delicious, though a bit of a faff to make. The omelette in particular was very yum. For various reasons we didn’t have any pickles, but …

16 March 2021 10:41 — : Huh!!! One ‘s’!! Just deserts uses this, relatively uncommon, noun form of desert, which may mean “deserved reward or punishment” (usually used in plural), “the quality or fact of meriting reward or punishment,” or “excellence, worth.” Via …

16 March 2021 06:21 — : I was intrigued to learn about Complete Knot List | Alphabetical list of all Knots | Animated Knots by Grog, especially since I had to store a length of rope just the other day. I should have done it like this: Coil Unattached Rope. Time to go back …

15 March 2021 18:44 — : My ‘technique' for giving dogs pills is 99% torture and 1% luck. 😧 🐶

15 March 2021 09:43 — : Mini Oshi update 🐶: Had to really coax him to eat breakfast. Booked an X-Ray. Drove to vet, put Oshi on the ground and he strolled around the carpark peeing on everything and being a perfectly normal dog! As he did when I took him to the dog park. …

15 March 2021 06:34 — : On safety, and the freedom to walk home: When words fail us. 🔗

15 March 2021 06:24 — : Two years ago today, the terror attack in Christchurch — Muslim community to pray in private on anniversary of attacks.

14 March 2021 19:12 — So, what's up with Oshi? 🐶 : For the last few days we've been struggling with what's wrong with Oshi. Last weekend we thought his bottom was worrying him so when Sasha had to get a shot at the vet on Tuesday we had the vet clean out Oshi's anal glands. She also noticed some …

14 March 2021 11:24 — : Waikawa Beach recently sold, apparently ~$950,000 — 13 Strathnaver Drive. 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Floor area: 96 m², Land area: 2083 m² 13 Strathnaver Drive sold

14 March 2021 10:53 — : It’s one of those fabulous autumn days: cold start, clear sky, warm sun (cooler breeze), waves as gentle as a holiday on a tropical island.

14 March 2021 06:45 — : Waikawa Beach For Sale: 111 Strathnaver Drive. Asking price $895,000 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 177m² Floor, 0.36ha Land. 111 Strathnaver Drive for sale

13 March 2021 18:34 — : We’ve seen mysterious lights up in the hills at dawn. I finally grabbed the binoculars (and then my zoom lens) for a daylight look. Turns out they’re logging up there and I hadn’t even noticed the change from green to brown…

13 March 2021 13:03 — : Oshi update: his symptoms are puzzling. We’ve come home with Rilexine® Palatable tablets - Easy to give tasty antibiotics | Virbac and advice on additional pain relief if it seems necessary. We’re to update the vet on Monday when X-rays etc …

13 March 2021 08:38 — : Oshi still seems pretty unhappy and uncomfortable. We have another appointment with the vet booked for lunchtime. 🐶

12 March 2021 16:59 — : Oshi’s latest medication: APOQUEL® (oclacitinib tablet) Allergy Medicine for Dogs: If your dog is scratching, licking, or chewing like crazy, you want to provide fast, effective relief. APOQUEL starts relieving allergic dog itch within 4 hours …

12 March 2021 14:14 — : Hooray! : NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover @NASAPersevere: Mission scientists worked with a Navajo (or Diné) engineer on the team … to seek the Navajo Nation’s permission and collaboration in naming new features on Mars.

12 March 2021 11:33 — : We had an unexpected visit to the vet this morning to sort out Oshi’s ‘bottom' problem. We came home with a week’s worth of Apoquel anti-itch tablets. A couple of days ago he had anal glands emptied, also flea and worm tablets, but still he was …

11 March 2021 08:18 — : Looks like I’ll be getting my Covid vaccine sometime around mid-year: When, how and where do you get your Covid-19 vaccine? NZ roll-out details announced. The Pfizer vaccine is the only one to have the green light from the New Zealand …

11 March 2021 06:15 — : Funds are tight this year so I’ll be closing down my separate lovewaikawabeach.nz blog as the domain name and Micro.Blog sub expire. Things I used to post over there will now go in a Waikawa Beach category on miraz.me .

11 March 2021 06:14 — : For Sale: 60 Sarah St, Waikawa Beach. Enquiries over $650,000. 2 Beds; 1 Bath; 70m² Floor; 988m² Land. 60 Sarah Street for sale.

10 March 2021 18:17 — : I made a big mistake this morning: with my phone beside the dog food bowls I played a podcast episode while I organised food. Sasha got a fit of the terrors. She was looking up and around, shaking, and couldn’t eat because she was so upset. I …

10 March 2021 12:05 — : 🤯🤯🤯🤯 Aaaargh! Internet / computer networking is utterly beyond my capabilities. The more I read how-to’s and reviews of products the more my head explodes. I tried the free option of moving the modem closer to the dead spot. No go. Phone hotspotting …

09 March 2021 17:00 — Russian Sweet Cheese Pancakes Syrniki : This weeks International Breakfast (at lunchtime) was Russian Sweet Cheese Pancakes Syrniki (Made with Curd Cheese), which we made with Ricotta, because that’s what we could buy. Not bad for a first try.

09 March 2021 14:48 — : Cool 4-minute video: Why Real Explosions Don’t Look Like Movie Explosions.

09 March 2021 08:40 — : The whole article is an easy and interesting read, but especially: I’m glad I didn’t give up 10 years ago to fit someone else’s idea of what a scientist should be like. And I’m glad people are finally starting to realise how important communication …

08 March 2021 18:10 — : It seems late in the season for it, but we finally have Monarch Butterfly caterpillars on our Swan Plants.

08 March 2021 12:17 — : On the property just past our neighbours there’s building work happening. I suspect they’re laying a concrete floor today. This is the first building in a new subdivision of six houses.

07 March 2021 17:33 — : Excellent! Lucy Lawless bringing My Life Is Murder local spin-off to TVNZ a contemporary mystery drama with a compelling female lead who is passionate about two things: discovering the secrets and hidden agendas behind the most baffling of crimes …

07 March 2021 11:49 — : We watched the amazing and very moving documentary Sherpa: explores some of the Sherpa culture and their spiritual relationship with [Everest], as well as the heavy work and risks Sherpas take in making multiple ascents to … make the climb possible …

07 March 2021 08:02 — : This very long read is riveting and thought-provoking: Deliverance From 27,000 Feet. 5 Sherpas surrounded the frozen corpse. They swung axes at the body’s edges, trying to pry it from its icy tomb. They knocked chunks of snow from the body … pieces …

06 March 2021 15:45 — : Yesterday Waikawa Beach was under a Beach and Marine Threat Warning, while parts of the northeast of Aotearoa New Zealand were under a Tsunami Warning. Still, this Tsunami Alert sign popped up at the main entrance to the beach.

06 March 2021 13:32 — : I’ve signed up for a free crossword puzzle creating class as mentioned at Puzzle 25: Animal Crackers. Not until April, but should be interesting.

05 March 2021 13:50 — : At the start of Fortune Funhouse (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 19) by Jana DeLeon I thought some plot tropes were wearing thin. However, this proved another enjoyable read with a tricky solution. 📚 a man is murdered in the funhouse and …

05 March 2021 12:04 — : My friend Jan took this photo of Sasha and Oshi. 🐶

05 March 2021 10:38 — : This map from RadioNZ shows better where the three quakes have been. We only felt the first, but there are tsunami and coastal inundation warnings for almost the whole country from the later two.

05 March 2021 10:00 — : Shaky times: the first earthquake around 0230 today was offshore New Zealand. Since then though have been two more huge earthquakes much further away but still in our region, by the Kermadecs. There are tsunami warnings along northern and eastern …

05 March 2021 01:51 — : That far away shake certainly woke us all up! It started with long light shaking then wound up to long strong shaking. In the morning I need to check the cupboards in case things fell over. Nearly got out of bed for it!

04 March 2021 18:42 — : A power cut last week led our Belling 60cm Freestanding Double Oven to misbehave: clock blinked, hob worked, top oven worked. The bottom oven though wouldn’t do anything. Troubleshooting section of the manual led us to an electrician … who came …

03 March 2021 19:12 — : Cool: symptoms of ‘the UK variant’ of Covid-19 in several languages, including Mandarin, Hindi, Punjabi as well as Māori, Sāmoan and Tongan.

03 March 2021 17:47 — : Last night we drove to Feilding with friends for dinner at Amayjen. It was our friend Jan’s birthday. Food was great, service was great. It was a fun evening. Almost no other diners there though.

03 March 2021 14:46 — : Grooming day for Sasha and Oshi (and, not shown, me). Oshi refused to look at the camera, but Sasha’s a very obliging girl. 🐶

02 March 2021 13:39 — Swedish Breakfast : As we continue our weekly International Breakfast series … last week it was Mexican Huevos Rancheros and this week Swedish Rye Crispbread with eggs and fish roe, which we supplemented with cream cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and ham (and ate at …

02 March 2021 09:07 — : It’s annoying to come home from a brief walk and find I have to brush piripiri out of Sasha’s coat. Nasty little things, these burrs. 🐶 At least she only had a few (that I’ve found).

01 March 2021 15:35 — : Today I attended a line dancing class for the first time and learned: I have no sense of rhythm I can count to 1 It was fun though. I’m the one in the middle and somehow I was actually doing the same step as everyone else at the same time!

28 February 2021 14:20 — : Finished reading Secrets on the Fens by Joy Ellis, one of my favourite authors. Another excellent read! 📚 the bodies of two young people are discovered … in the woods … It appears to be a lovers’ suicide pact … Until …

28 February 2021 10:38 — : It’s the last day of meteorological summer and blimmin hot. My temperature gauge that I don’t trust says 27C. A neighbour’s (1 Km away) says 22C. I think it’s between the two. So glad to have some proper hot weather at last, …

28 February 2021 10:33 — : For the last day of the photo challenge I thought I’d look up one of the first digital photos I took — with a Fujifilm DX-5. From November 1997 my Blue Burmese cat Minhla. 🐈 #28: up

27 February 2021 13:35 — : The farmer seems to be seeding the paddocks next door — perhaps with grass as he usually keeps dry stock (beef) on there. This year too he mowed those paddocks for hay / silage for the first time.

27 February 2021 08:44 — : Round here the male pheasants enjoy pompasetting their finest colours and longest tail feathers. #27

26 February 2021 10:12 — : Ahhh, finally figured out what I keep doing while reading Kindle in bed that changes the font size: pinch out to make text bigger; pinch in to make it smaller. That’ll save me a tedious trip to the menu bar next time I accidentally mess up the …

26 February 2021 09:57 — : I pretty much enjoyed The Rings of Grissom: Tales of a Former Space Janitor by Julia Huni, but I preferred the preceding Space Janitor stories. 📚 When she visits the ringed planet Grissom with security agent Ty O’Neill … Triana …

26 February 2021 08:59 — : Yesterday I took some polystyrene beans out of this dog bed so it’s not so solid and high. One of Oshi’s favourite things is to scrabble at the bed to make it comfy and then lie on the deck in the fresh air. #26

25 February 2021 08:25 — : I never knew real sourdough was a very different thing from mass produced bread, but this excellent interview clarified things for me: Andrew Whitley: Flour to the People | Radio NZ. Factoid: after searching, they found lost Scottish wheat strains in …

25 February 2021 07:52 — : The beach code: protect the native plants that hold dunes together by keeping to the tracks. Europeans planted exotic marram grass because cattle could eat it as they were driven along the beach before there were roads. Marram doesn’t hold dunes. …

24 February 2021 12:38 — : Aha! We’re at Batwoman S02E05 and it’s really cranking. I’m coming to very much like Alice, and the other characters. Some very nice touches here. 🦇

24 February 2021 09:41 — : Micro.Blog Feature request: while we wait for some kind of timeline position sync across devices, how about giving us some kind of widget to instantly scroll back in perhaps 1 or 2 hour increments? See my mockup of 12 hours back. Could be radio …

24 February 2021 09:32 — : Ah, today I have a chance to revisit one of my baby Japanese Quail. Here she is sitting on a plastic lid filled with water, and stones, so she can’t fall in and drown. This photo from a couple of years ago. #24

23 February 2021 17:58 — : Yesterday we went for a little walk at Papaitonga Scenic Reserve, only 20 minutes drive from here. The lake and the surrounding wetland and lush coastal forest [is] a refuge for birds that depend on wetlands or lowland forests for their survival.

23 February 2021 17:53 — : Māori facial tattoos (tā moko) are very special with huge ancestral and spiritual significance. But the custom nearly disappeared after Europeans arrived. Older photographic techniques also made them invisible. The Puaki - Ta Moko Exhibition in …

23 February 2021 09:30 — : Paradise!

23 February 2021 08:34 — : Banana: Not a banana: #23

22 February 2021 11:18 — : We watched and enjoyed News of the World, with Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel. It’s an appropriately slow-moving, thoughtful story set in Texas in 1870. While tough to see the incredibly hard and dangerous life of that time, the mass slaughter of …

22 February 2021 10:17 — : Some people have a lot of trouble with how to spell my name. The z at the end drifts all over the place, and sometimes is even silent! Sometimes I even get called Shiraz! It’s OK. “Hey you” works as well. 🤣 #22

21 February 2021 09:38 — : In September 2018 we were holidaying in Niue, where I tried a little snorkelling (with a full-face mask). I love the colours / colors in this photo. #21

20 February 2021 19:21 — : We enjoyed watching Finding ‘Ohana. No surprises, of course — it was a kind of junior Indiana Jones — but it did seem respectful of Hawai’ian culture. Interesting to see how much there is in common with Māori language and culture. ‘Ohana = …

20 February 2021 14:27 — : Took out my laptop at a cafe to fill in an hour waiting for my bike’s gears to be fixed. Panicked when I saw it had only 40% charge. Then I remembered this is my new M1 MacBook Pro where one charge lasts almost 2 days. 40% was plenty. Amazing …

20 February 2021 08:15 — : I’m feeding a friend’s chooks for a few days. From her place this morning I spotted this low cloud covering a sliver of blue sky above the Tararuas. The paddocks are brown because it’s very dry and technically summer. #20

19 February 2021 15:09 — : In Aotearoa New Zealand it’s a challenge for our native fauna to stay alive under the onslaught from exotic pests such as stoats, cats, possums, rabbits, hedgehogs, humans and numerous other animals. This pair of native Pateke ducks are lucky …

18 February 2021 12:35 — : Here’s a picture from my recent Photo Workshop day at Pūkaha Mt Bruce. The battery on my Fuji X-T2 died about 6 hours in, but my iPhone still managed this Tieke (Saddleback) which was being fed mealworms very close to us.

18 February 2021 12:29 — : For NZ$100 we bought this 1,000 litre plastic tank from the local licorice factory. It was used to ship vegetable derived glycerine for use in their factory. We’ll be using it to help keep our vegie gardens watered once we decide where to put …

18 February 2021 10:54 — : This is a perfect day to be at home. Blue sky and sunshine, a little birdsong and an occasional cicada, otherwise quiet, no wind. Paradise. #18

18 February 2021 08:04 — : Out of nowhere this morning I started humming The Tornados - Telstar (1962) a hit from my youth. I was 7 years old when this came out and it was only 5 years since Sputnik had been launched. Investigating that led me to another childhood favourite: …

17 February 2021 19:47 — : Glad I gave S2 of Batwoman a try after struggling through S1. Alice is less mad, gruesome and sadistic and more interesting and appealing. Batwoman’s backstory is superb. I love the way they’re dealing with contemporary issues. I’m …

17 February 2021 13:18 — : I was having difficulties sending some texts on my new Mac. Turned out I needed to check the settings on my iPhone. I also logged out of Messages, restarted the app and logged in again. So many little details to sort out when setting up from scratch.

17 February 2021 12:50 — : Our unexpected visitors last night had spent 5 hours on a 3-hour ferry trip from the South Island. Fierce gales left most passengers vomiting apparently. Not as bad though as those travelling the other way: Ferry berths after strong winds cause …

17 February 2021 12:46 — : From earlier this year. Our river is tidal, but on this day it was really still. Looking southwestish towards the sea. #17

16 February 2021 10:54 — : The erudite amongst us may know this is a very fine Giant Galapagos Tortoise — a huge animal I loved seeing at the zoo in Honolulu back in December 2008. It’s a wonderful zoo I’d happily visit again, even though I’m usually …

15 February 2021 08:03 — : It’s one of those mornings where the sea is almost mill-pond calm. The damp sand caught Sasha’s reflection as I looked towards Kāpiti Island. #15

14 February 2021 19:45 — : Well New Zealand has a community Covid case today so: Auckland moves to alert level 3, rest of New Zealand to level 2 for a few days. Tricky virus!

14 February 2021 09:56 — : I enjoyed reading Spoils of the Dead (Liam Campbell Book 5) by Dana Stabenow. I love her descriptions of Alaska and the life there. 📚 the archaeologist is dead, murdered on his own dig site. And Liam Campbell is about to learn that …

14 February 2021 09:23 — : Around 2001 compassion led us to adopt Olive the cat when her owners moved overseas from next door. However, we made a huge number of mistakes with her over the next 15+ years. She was always a difficult cat and I think that was our fault. I’d know …

13 February 2021 19:08 — : I was out of the house by 6 am for the Photography Workshop at Pūkaha Wildlife centre. Home by 7 pm. Made hundreds of photos, many not successful. I really like this Kaka close-up though. It was trying to steal food from our table at the cafe.

13 February 2021 16:38 — : Here’s a green gecko to make up for my blue. Look at those ‘teeth’!

13 February 2021 16:34 — : Hmm. That wasn’t the Tui brewery in my last post. It was simply a Fonterra milk factory. 🤦🏽‍♀️

13 February 2021 15:29 — : This is the brewery in Pahiatua where they make Tui beer. (I think) #13: make

12 February 2021 14:31 — : As my friend Rachel so rightly pointed out: It’s a good day : because I woke up :) Ageism is death!

12 February 2021 14:06 — : I just wrote this to a friend and realised it belongs here too: One of my latest philosophies: every wake-up is a fresh start. It was going to be ‘every day’ but that doesn’t really account for naps. 😆

12 February 2021 08:23 — : Well, this is so sporg : tomorrow I drive to Pūkaha Wildlife Reserve for a photography workshop. It’s only 42 Km away as the tūī flies, but I have to drive 125 Km thanks to the Tararua Ranges. (I’m not sure a tūī could cross the ranges — peaks …

11 February 2021 14:13 — : On the way home one of my favourite things about living in the country: I had to stop and wait for a herd of cows to cross the road. Paddock on one side; milking shed on the other. Actually, the cow cockie stopped the cows and let me pass. I would …

11 February 2021 13:47 — : My dentist office has this handy X-ray machine stowed against the wall. Today I had a crown put on one tooth — a very quick visit, with only a little discomfort from this second part of the procedure. #11

10 February 2021 11:57 — : Apart from my normal backup external hard drive, I’ve accumulated 4 drives over the years which contain assorted uncatalogued stuff, often duplicated. Arrrgh! 😫 I want to use one to archive most of the stuff from my old MacBook Pro. Now using ls -aR …

10 February 2021 08:12 — : Ferries cross the notorious waters of Cook Strait between Aotearoa New Zealand’s North and South Islands. In 1978 at age 15 Meda McKenzie swam across in 12 hours. Her brother: The amount of energy you use as a swimmer is astronomical … …

09 February 2021 08:15 — : This is not the right time of year (🌞😎) to find muddy things in Aotearoa New Zealand, so for today’s photo prompt this portion of Mud Cake will have to do. #9

09 February 2021 08:12 — : Unfortunately people bring trail bikes and quad bikes onto the beach and they like to do ‘donuts’. It seems the sand scarabs have been getting ideas…

08 February 2021 15:45 — : It takes ages but I’ve got time… I like setting up a new Mac afresh as it gives me the chance to reevaluate settings and apps, and even what files I need. Do I really need work I did in 2010 at my fingertips, or could it just be archived? Going …

08 February 2021 13:47 — Ricotta Pancakes : Inspired by @flish cooking meals from different countries and wanting a weekly ‘date’ with Deb, we’re having an International Breakfast together once a week. Today we enjoyed Italian Ricotta Pancakes which were light and tasty. We …

08 February 2021 08:51 — : This year is … different. I haven’t seen or heard a frog in our garden for a while. A Southern Bell Frog, Litoria raniformis, would often jump out from something when I was gardening or weedeating or shifting stuff around. Where are they all …

07 February 2021 12:55 — : After exhausting myself washing down the east side of our house I was craving a strong brew of gunpowder green tea. Clean wall on the left half and dirty on the right. #7

06 February 2021 07:30 — : “Sport" is pretty much the antonym of “Miraz”, but once in a while I take my kayak a little way up Waikawa Stream. That’s the closest I ever get to sport. It’s hilarious that my body shape happens to make me look ‘sporty’ so people often …

05 February 2021 18:39 — : I was worried I’d been too heavy handed with the marmite on my sandwich, but it worked out OK in the end. White bread with butter, marmite, lettuce (home grown), tomatoes (home grown), parsley (home grown), ham and cream cheese. @martinfeld

05 February 2021 10:33 — : Given how much time it spends on my lap, and the care and attention I lavish on it, I think it’s fair to claim my MacBook Pro as one of my most treasured pets. The new 13” MacBook Pro with M1 processor arrived this morning! How clean the screen …

05 February 2021 10:18 — : I’ve been using the Atkinson Hyperlegible Font | Braille Institute for a while now and really like it: it focuses on letterform distinction to increase character recognition, ultimately improving readability. We are making it free for anyone to use! …

04 February 2021 16:10 — : A new mid-winter public holiday for Aotearoa New Zealand: Matariki holiday date announced: The first annual Matariki public holiday will be celebrated on Friday, June 24, 2022 The reappearance of the Matariki stars in our sky each year marks the …

04 February 2021 15:40 — : I’m finding Season 2 of Batwoman much less gross than Season 1 and am enjoying the play of attitudes towards an ordinary parolee vs superhero. I like the notion that we can all be superheroes if we want to and get a bit of help.

04 February 2021 09:07 — : Two sides of the stick. This fine girl was on our front door at dawn. Quite long — I didn’t measure, but perhaps a hand span or length.

04 February 2021 09:04 — : My Japanese Quail are fantastic layers. With at least 12 hours of daylight they each lay one egg every day. Impossible to get 2 birds and 2 eggs in one photo, so this post has 3 ‘layers’ of photo. 😀 #4

03 February 2021 15:25 — : This morning’s inversion layer looked pretty good moments before sunrise.

03 February 2021 13:36 — : Can animals really predict earthquakes? data showed that the animals were unusually restless hours (up to 20 hours!) before earthquakes occurred and the closer the animals were to the epicentre of the earthquake, the earlier they started behaving …

03 February 2021 10:55 — : Using a 2012 MacBook Pro while I wait for my new one. I didn’t install anything that isn’t essential. I had to have 1Password, TextExpander, BarTender, Keyboard Maestro, Pastebot, SoundSource, Drafts, BBEdit, Micro.Blog, OmniOutliner, Black Ink, …

03 February 2021 10:41 — : Woohoo, my new MacBook Pro is closer. Can’t wait to get set up on the new machine so I can stop using this temporary 2012 model and then figure out how to handle the misbehaving 2016 model.

03 February 2021 09:53 — : The weedspraying getup, backpack, long-sleeved shirt etc are hot, heavy, make me breathe hard and sweat a lot — horrible! But protecting myself from poison spray is more important than comfort. Today I sprayed gorse, lupin and blackberry on our 3,300 …

02 February 2021 19:26 — : Tonight I actually thought to come down to the beach to watch the sunset. Picnic table is working well.

02 February 2021 07:21 — : Morning Beverage: Premium China White Snowbuds, in the sun, on the deck. #2

01 February 2021 09:42 — : There are several baby rabbits that live near our front door. They just don’t seem to be getting bigger and are fairly tame. I’m calling this one Bella. Rabbits are a pest in Aotearoa New Zealand, but these babies are so cute!

01 February 2021 08:57 — : I was reminded that I bought my electric bike exactly one year ago. So far I’ve ridden it for 880 Km, and it’s fallen over only twice, including today. I need to work out how to stop the front mudguard from now rubbing on the tire.

01 February 2021 08:00 — : Oh, well said! — Anniversary days are vestiges of occasions now disregarded and obscure. Let’s replace them with something positive and relevant for today. Why NZ’s outdated regional anniversaries should be ditched

01 February 2021 07:52 — : I was saying to Deb that Anniversary Days are colonial and should go. Now: Why NZ’s outdated regional anniversaries should be ditched: Wellington – mark the landing of the first(-ish) ship of settlers … an advance party arrived in… 1839, but the …

01 February 2021 07:37 — : February 2021 Photoblogging Challenge: #1 close up — sand scarab tracks. 📷

31 January 2021 16:42 — : I am deeply suspicious about that number of unread messages in my email InBox.

31 January 2021 13:04 — : A very happy blue morning at the beach. A (rare for this summer) perfectly blue sky, no wind, tiny waves. Kāpiti Island in the distance. Air so clear we could also see Taranaki and Ruapehu in the distance (not shown).

30 January 2021 20:29 — : We watched and enjoyed Alaska Is a Drag. 🎬 It’s an off-beat, curious but intriguing movie about a gay guy and his twin sister in Alaska who dream of escaping to California. Includes a fish factory, boxing, drag, fights and drinking…

30 January 2021 16:24 — : Good to see this: Tailor-made hijab now part of NZ Police uniform for Muslim female officers: Females of the Muslim faith, if they choose to wear the hijab, it is available for them. It is an approved official piece of New Zealand police uniform. …

30 January 2021 14:33 — : I’ve just enjoyed another excellent Kat Voyzey Mystery from @cheri: Cutting the Track! Cheri’s craft is really maturing. If I was in a pickle I’d definitely want Kat Voyzey on my side. 📚 Elated at the prospect of a real missing persons …

30 January 2021 11:30 — : OK, as a dog owner I have something to say to other dog owners. If your dog comes up to mine to ‘play’ and I know my dog probably doesn’t want to play, then when I ask you to call your dog, your correct response is: “Sure. …

30 January 2021 08:33 — : I enjoyed All Together Now, a happy-ending movie about a super-angelic homeless teen, the tragedy that takes her off-course, and how her community helps. 🎬 Rotten Tomatoes: an uplifting drama that stays largely on the right side of the line between …

29 January 2021 15:40 — : At last they’ve stopped polishing my new MacBook Pro and now they’re lovingly handcrafting the box.

29 January 2021 15:05 — : Today the electrician wired in the UV filter we had installed just before Christmas. He cut out a section of the house’s baseboards (replaced later with screws for easy removal in future) and installed the necessary power point under the house. …

28 January 2021 18:10 — : Our garage was put up about 4 years ago and the personal access door lock has been a pain ever since. We just left it unlocked most of the time. Now we have more stuff we want to secure so today a locksmith replaced the lock and made it work with the …

27 January 2021 18:20 — : Good news about our dishwasher: a 2-hour empty hotwash followed by a 2-hour hotwash with cleaner might have sorted the problems. The 2-hour hotwash after that cleaned the dishes that had been left dirty previously. Phew!

27 January 2021 08:58 — : Fascinating 25 minute video about how Aotearoa New Zealand uses genome sequencing data to guide policy and public response to Covid-19 in almost real-time. Short film on genome sequencing | Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor.

26 January 2021 18:27 — : On Sunday I used Drafts Pro on my iPad to take notes at a meeting. I’d started the note on my Mac. Somehow what I wrote on the iPad just disappeared in the following day. Now I discovered that Drafts has versions!!! All restored. Hooray for …

26 January 2021 17:46 — : In today’s dumb move: our dishwasher has been failing to clean the dishes. Step one is to buy a cleaner and run it through. I bought the cleaner today but failed to remove the cap before I put it through a 2-hour wash. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Trying again, but …

26 January 2021 08:10 — : I haven’t had a pan au chocolat for a very long time. This is a great size for a mug of tea too. Yum. Thanks The Gorge in Ōtaki.

25 January 2021 19:53 — : Every summer our beach community runs a Sand Sculpture competition, with categories for little kids, older kids, families. While the littlies make simple ‘castles’ some of the group works are masterpieces. Corona Virus; dog and bone; surfing …

25 January 2021 08:39 — : I often long for the ‘good old days' when I could just enter a username and password to log on to a website.

25 January 2021 07:11 — : My gorgeous Sasha. 🐶

25 January 2021 07:00 — : The Kiwi accent [is] one of the most variable accents in the world… “Over the last 120 years every single vowel has changed its articulation, which I think is probably unheard of in any other accent.” Via Major new study into how New Zealand accent …

24 January 2021 16:31 — : There is so much to Wow about and to quote in this article: Scooped: The history of ice cream in New Zealand. Just go and read it! Includes how ice was shipped from the USA to Aotearoa New Zealand in the 1860s (across the equator!!!). Egads! 🍦

24 January 2021 12:19 — : Reminder to self — when my new M1 MacBook Pro eventually arrives, install this: Hush: Noiseless Browsing for Safari.

23 January 2021 19:31 — : We really enjoyed So My Grandma’s a Lesbian!, another Spanish movie: When Eva’s grandmother decides to marry her best friend, Celia, Eva worries what her conservative fiancé and his family will think. Set on the Canary Islands which …

23 January 2021 08:27 — : Using algorithms, machine learning, and satellite technology for good: A New Method Has Been Enlisted to Help Save Elephants, And It Involves Space: images from a satellite orbiting 600 km above Earth, could survey upward of 5,000 square km of land …

23 January 2021 07:54 — : I enjoyed Holy Camp! a bizarre Spanish comedy musical: two 17-year-old girls spend summer at the camp they have attended since they were little. Both love … music; but God’s apparitions to and calling of María begin to change all their lives. …

23 January 2021 07:03 — : Good point: only the impossible problems make their way to the [leader’s desk]. Everything that’s clean and easy? That gets decided down lower in the chain of command. It’s the intractable, no-win situations that get escalated to the leader