I didn't get down to see this the other day, but well done kids (and adult helpers). The offshore sandmining should not be allowed to go ahead.
A community group opposed to a fast-tracked sand mining proposal in Northland's Bream Bay has set an unofficial world record for the number of people making sandcastles at once. …
the bay was a "closed sand system" so any sand mined from the sea bed would not be replenished from the sea. Instead, the holes dredged in the sea floor would eventually be filled by sand washed from local beaches, fuelling erosion.
Via: Sandcastle world record broken during anti-mining protest.
When I biked to the shop this morning I forgot to tuck the end of my shoelace into the shoe, so sure enough, my lace got caught up in the chain as I was taking off.
Which reminded me to pay another visit to the most excellent Ian's Shoelace Site to check on Hiking / Biking Lacing:
Distributes pressure evenly, plus keeps knots and ends to the inside – away from scrub (hiking) or to the outside – away from chains (biking).
I tried the lacing out on my new Merrels.
Dutch Cities Are Building These Tiny Staircases to Help Cats Exit Their Canals:
Two cities in the Netherlands are mounting tiny staircases on the sides of their canals to help cats escape if they fall in the water.
Between the capital of Amsterdam and a smaller city called Amersfoort, there could be over 500 tiny staircases along the canals by the end of the year.
We enjoyed a few minutes walking by the Whangārei marina, spotting this tree covered in butterflies.
We also saw a Spotted dove 🐦 :
A native of south and south-east Asia, the spotted dove was introduced to New Zealand in the 1920s, when some were released from captivity in Mt Eden, Auckland. …
The spotted dove is a medium-sized, somewhat long-tailed dove with a greyish head, pink-grey underparts, and speckled greyish brown upperparts. Its distinguishing feature is a large white-spotted black half-collar around the back and sides of the neck.
Last night we had dinner with friends at The Quay Cafe, Restaurant & Bar by the marina in Whangārei.
I had a huge chunk of pistachio stuffed Lamb Saddle, with parsnip and shiitake mushrooms, which was delicious, but too much meat.
The view from our table was very pleasant.
Setting up a brand new Mac from scratch is a bit of a hassle, but I love it.
Downloading the apps, choosing fonts, finding extensions, rearranging Toolbars, setting Settings, realising I no longer need certain apps …. It's all a nice adventure.
I had to wait all day for the courier, but my M5 MacBook Pro finally arrived. Turns out that after logging in to Micro.Blog, the first two apps I installed were Keyboard Maestro and TextExpander.
BTW: there was a charger included in the box.
We haven’t had fish and chips from the shop for ages. Ruakākā Takeaways did a nice bit of battered snapper and the chips were good too. As usual, the fish was better without the batter. 😆
Someone down the road is revving their boat engine, making lots of noise and clouds of smoke. As you do.
One of the features of a beach community in Bream Bay, I guess.
On 25 November 1769, the Endeavour sailed into a large bay. Cook commented:
We had no sooner came to an [anchor] than we caught between 90 and a hundred Breams, (a fish so called) this occassioned my giving this place the name of Bream Bay
James Cook, ’25 November 1769’, South Seas: Voyaging and Cross-Cultural Encounters in the Pacific (1760-1800)
The fish was probably snapper.
🤣
Via: Toitū Te Whenua.
In our flash new house we don't have mere blinds and curtains; we have "window treatments". These arrive today.
Here are a couple of Before photos: dining area and lounge.
I like this uncluttered look with its clean lines.
This strawberry is pretty much the first fruit of our food forest. Yum.
I'm really surprised "our" magpie hasn't scoffed it. Too busy chasing off "our" white-faced heron I guess. 🐦
Another lesbian romance: Fire Fall by JD Glass. 📚
Bennie Grego, an EMT by day and comic book artist by night is forced to make a near impossible decision.
I guess romance books, of any ilk, just don't sit that well with me (though I keep hoping). This left me a bit uneasy. I may have liked it better as an action-focused novel with a side of finding that special someone.
Sometimes a recipe I've found online specifies Kosher salt. I've never been able to find that here in NZ, so finally searched for alternatives.
Two videos were very helpful, explaining it mainly just means flaky salt.
Do I Need to Use Kosher Salt?:
Regular table salt is comprised of many minute, regularly shaped cubes.
Kosher salt … forms large, craggy flakes that don't fit together very well.
A cup of table salt will have twice the salting power of a cup of Diamond Crystal kosher salt
See also: What is kosher salt, and why do (American) chefs love it?.
Off to buy flaky salt.
After insufficient sleep I was a bit reluctant to drive down to Waipū Cove for the walking group but decided I just needed to push through it.
When the road was closed though, I figured fate had stepped in and simply returned to enjoy this splendid sunny morning at home. 😆
I'm a little mixed about the lesbian love story Beowulf for Cretins: A Love Story by Ann McMan. 📚
A burned-out English professor toiling away at a small college in Vermont’s Champlain Islands finds love and ensuing complications that very well may spoil her last shot at tenure and happiness.
With a cast of brilliant academics and a university as the setting the book wandered off into highfalutin topics and verbal exchanges that were too stratospheric for my simple tastes.
It was a decent story though.
People pay thousands to go to a Pacific Island for a holiday but here we are living just down the road from a cafe with tables outside and a view across the marina to Mt Manaia. Bliss.
Drove with our friend J to brunch at the Anchorage Cafe, then biked around the area seeing sights.
[Legend says Manaia] began battling Paeko with incantations. Because of the two men’s power, they became frozen as peaks on the mountain, along with Manaia’s wife and their children.
Via Manaia.
Spotted this sticker on a car. 🤣
I've been monitoring a magpie nest high in a nearby tree for a while now and I believe there are new chicks up there. I saw 2 adults leave the nest, but there was still movement. I'm pretty sure I could see a chick's head. 🐦
Mallard ducks on the Dune Lake. 🐦
