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 books I’m reading. What a first-world problem to have! 😵💫
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.
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 to my shoulders. 🙌🏼
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.
It took longer than I expected to mulch this bit of garden on a steep bank by the lane.
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 Safari takes me to the right places. 📚
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 annoying — perfect
this and that. 📚
10 cubic metres of pine mulch will keep us busy over the summer.
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. 📚
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!
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 success.
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 Hobby Pride, a response to homophobic behaviour
Sasha looks good after her groom. 🐶
Sasha was a good girl, quietly waiting while I hung out the washing. 🐶
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 rather than objects, roles, or labels.
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 babysitter who went missing?
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 connected…
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 40,000 fans at Eden Park this weekend.
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 disproportionately important” I realised it’s a foot that wedges a door open, allowing light and fresh air to pass through. And to be fair to RadioNZ, they are actually actively working on inclusivity and appropriate language.
