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. 📚
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.
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. 〰️
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 depictions of mental health issues.
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 waist-high flood water.
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 the swimming pool.
My neighbour Chris makes the very best Afghan biscuits. It’s rare for me to buy Afghans anywhere that are as delicious.
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 from Ex Cyclone Gabrielle.
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 shutter when your finger can’t feel it!
