An article that everyone should read: The Sunday Essay: My breasts and me.
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 of humanity.
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…
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.
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 improve women’s lives in every way?
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 … Māori and Pasifika donors.
“Matariki is about celebrating who we were, who we are, and who we want to be.”
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. 🐶
Nice!
“Don’t buy presents. Be present.”
Mānawatia a Matariki! Tips for how to celebrate if you don’t know where to start.
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!!! 👿
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 driver who crashed into a fence.
First snow of the season on the nearby Tararuas. Brrr.
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.
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.
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 of it when they walk.
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 Zealand for the better. 🎥
This Eastern Rosella announced herself and then stuck around long enough for me to take some photos. 🐦
Updated with better quality photo.
This little Piwakawaka was flitting round me, then landed close enough for me to be able to take a couple of iPhone photos. 🐦
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 excellent. I really enjoyed the Fettucine with chicken, red capsicum and mushroom.
The river mouth was looking pretty good at dawn today.
