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.
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 climate change reality check.
This makes for very sobering reading: New Zealand Historic Weather Events Catalogue. So many huge storms that have caused enormous damage.
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.
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 Christchurch earthquake. Third time lucky.
I always enjoy a visit from an Eastern Rosella. 🐦
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 food-growing land being flooded, roads being torn up.
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!
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.
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.
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 of the saddle.
Easy to photograph are Weka as they hang around on the ground looking for opportunities to break into bags to steal food. 🐦
I wasn’t up to the challenge of photographing birds in dense dappled foliage. This is a Kākāriki | Red-crowned parakeet on Kāpiti Island. 🐦
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 directly from the trunk or branches
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. 🐦
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! 🖖🏼
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, an enormous alien colony vessel
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.
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 even see the Coal Sack by Crux.
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. 📚
