Miraz Jordan

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 before I get it.

Today I’m in Whanganui for a 30 minute glassmaking workshop. First a cup of kawakawa fire tea at the cafe next door.

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.

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.

At dawn, in the frost, I saw a beautiful full moon setting behind the lake at the end of the road.

Beach mushroom.

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

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: Life as a seasonal worker.

Yes, Autocorrect, I was in fact trying to buy Harraways Rolled Goats at the supermarket! Or was it Rolled Boats? 🤣

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. 🌧

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. 🎥

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.

That time in September 2015 when we went on a camel trek in Morocco. Thanks iPad for the memory.

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.

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 be?
To whom, or to what, would you be loyal?
To whom, or to what, would you be accountable?

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 then is real.