Miraz Jordan

Only 2.5 minutes in on this 12 minute video and I’ve already learned a really useful tip about longer night exposures. How to capture the night sky with a phone & camera | 3 TIPS for astrophotography beginners

It’s roughly new moon, very little wind, and a 0.3 metre low tide almost 2 hours before this photo. With our gently sloping beach there was a vast expanse of damp sand between the dunes and the water’s edge. Photo looking south at 1x on iPhone 13 Pro Max.

I almost missed seeing this brilliant scarlet sunset.

This is a very thoughtful piece by Anna Rawhiti-Connell in The Spinoff : Aotearoa is different now who reflects on the recent occupation of NZ’s Parliament grounds and the riot when occupiers were cleared out. She also considers the pandemic and the Christchurch earthquake.

6 years ago we bought a property we’ve been renting out. The grass at the front was terrible. After a year or two we had it taken out and planted as garden. That led to years of battling weeds. Now we had that ripped out and turf laid. Organising watering is a nightmare though.

The other day I found several jellyfish on the beach, mainly brown and dead looking. This 15 cm specimen was an impressive translucent red. The Wildlife of New Zealand Facebook group confirmed it as a Lion’s Mane.

Some of the (male) illegal occupiers are berating Police for advancing when there are women and children in the protest. Well, a] women can look after themselves! and b] children should be removed by their caregivers in any case.

At long last Police seem to be actually working on clearing the occupiers at NZ’s Parliament: Live: Anti-mandate protest enters 23rd day as police descend on Parliament:

Police are descending on Parliament, with at least 4 large paddy wagons … and a helicopter overhead.

Sometimes folks fish off the beach with a kontiki — a motorised thing that takes hooks and lines up to 4 Km. Today a fellow had rods and reels set up on the beach and used a drone to take the hooks out to sea. He was fishing for gurnard, trevally or snapper. Drone at top left.

This is an amazing thing. Not sure I’d be brave enough to do this ‘walk’ in Fife, in the south-east of Scotland: The Elie Chainwalk is safe, as long as you follow the signs. 3.5 minute video.

The Carrot & Coriander Soup I made tonight was delicious and really easy and quick. Next time I may try adding just a hint of ginger. Forgot a photo, unfortunately.

Sometimes Sasha likes to rearrange the rugs and towels in her crate. 🐶 Today things went a bit awry… until I finally gave her a hand to sort it out.

Sand scarab 1: “Man, I was so drunk last night I nearly forgot the way home.”

Sand scarab 2: “You were drunk… It took me 3 hours just to get in the front door…”

Sasha 🐶 enjoyed being one of the humans when we went with friends to Tuktuk Waikanae for Thai food lunch. Top down isn’t my preferred angle for dog photos, but it was the only possible option. Sasha was so well behaved too.

Swallows nest above the door to Deb’s zendo. Today we took the nests down (and won’t let them return) and cleaned masses of bird poop off the doors, aluminium door frame and deck. The Internet was right: warm water, dish soap, white vinegar and a soft cloth did the job.

Gotta say: way back in the mists of time I enjoyed watching Will Smith’s Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Which led me to watch the currently screening reimagination of the show. It’s excellent. Not funny, but a realistic drama beautifully realised. Hard issues galore! 📺

Wowee, this was so delicious I didn’t think to take a photo. Quick and easy too: 20-Minute Chickpea Soup. Yum!

In normal life I weedeated around the raspberry canes, as well as other spots. In abnormal life, NZ’s Covid case numbers doubled for the second day in a row, and I’m hoping Russia’s invasion of Ukraine doesn’t mean we’ll be fondly looking back on 2021 as the year things were good.