In the last 2 weeks we’ve had almost 200 mm rain (over 7 inches), and variously heat, high winds from several quarters, still days, cool grey days. Yesterday’s beach showed the effects: a lot of driftwood, and interestingly sculpted shore by the river mouth.
The Royal Spoonbill was also a little wind-ruffled, while at least one of the nearby ducks was keeping a close watch on me.
Annoying: I put my bike on its side stand so I could take photos of a Royal Spoonbill at the lake. A big gust of wind blew my bike over (it’s OK) and snapped off the stand!
Rats! Apple Watch Locking:
Other issues that can impact sensor performance include wrist tattoos.
Thanks to an inconvenient mosquito bite overnight I’m wearing my watch on my left wrist. The watch keeps asking me to unlock it. Must be the tat!
My friend Alana, and fellow Xena fan, gave me this fridge magnet many many years ago. Alana is very much in my thoughts at the moment.
That was a cool little 20 minute film: Little Miss Sumo. It’s worth a watch (Netflix) 🎬:
The premise revolves around the 20-year-old sumo wrestler Hiyori Kon, one of few women practising the sport.
I’m glad these girls get to expand horizons:
When I first came to New Zealand, I didn’t know what sport was …because I’m a girl and wasn’t allowed to play sport [in Pakistan] because I was a girl.
Source: ‘I didn’t know what sport was’ - female refugees discover sport in NZ
Uh oh:
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has confirmed the country’s first case of the Omicron variant has been found at a MIQ facility in Christchurch.
Hooray for the NZ Invertebrate ID group on Facebook. I now know this insect is a Bush gadfly (Scaptia adrel). It was hanging out on the wall of our garage today. It’s roughly 3 cm long.
I have two Japanese quail. Today, less than 2 Km from our house, I spotted a not-very-often-seen-round-here California Quail. 🐦 Pretty different, eh!
I enjoyed A Mumbai Murder Mystery by Meeti Shroff-Shah. 📚
Some great turns of phrase, insight into a culture I’m not familiar with. So much food I want to taste!
Radhi returns home to Mumbai … gets caught up in the mystery surrounding the death of her best friend’s father.
This was long overdue but today I finally took all the dirty straw out of the quail run and added fresh straw and pine shavings. 🐦 That all created a lot of consternation, as you can see by the slightly open beaks. They should enjoy it once they get over the shock though.
Some publishers use a service that detects which Amazon Store a newsletter reader might want to use and sends me incorrectly to Amazon Australia when I click a link. Keyboard Maestro to the rescue: I copy the title, KM turns it into an Amazon.us link and takes me there. 📚
Love this music!
Dufay is famous for being the first really major Renaissance composer and breaking from the medieval traditions, … his isorhythmic motets are more exciting than average.
Source: Dufay’s Isorhythmic Motets | Azimuth
Thanks to @chrisaldrich for the link.
Oshi, 🐶 aged 15, is arthritic, has a heart murmur and doesn’t see so well. He can now walk ~500 metres max, and still enjoys peeing on everything (male dogs!).
Sasha, 🐶 aged 15, is pretty much blind and almost deaf, arthritic and has weak legs. I have to lift her up and down steps, on and off the bed. Her walks are now limited to ~200 metres max, and that can take 10 or 15 minutes. I hope she enjoys the fresh smells.
Sasha and Oshi turn 15 today! 🎉 They had some extra treats in their breakfast. Here are some silly birthday photos. 😀
Happily noted: Nichelle Nichols played the role of Nyota Uhura on Star Trek: The Original Series. 🖖🏼 Recently,
Astronaut Appearance Specialist Denise Young bestowed on Nichols NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement Medal for her 40 years of activism in diversifying NASA’s ranks.
Source: Daily Star Trek News
From a couple of days ago: Thrush on a fence post.
I enjoy Anne Shillolo’s Port Alma mysteries very much. Unfortunately, I found Frozen Fear, part of a different series, somewhat annoying. I should know by now I’m not a big fan of romancey stories.
