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I went down to the beach before sunrise today. I love walking through the avenue of toetoe / pampas (I think it's pampas, but I can't tell the difference).

A grassy track through tall plant spears with white fronds at the top.

There was just enough light to shine on the water.

A small bright spot of water in an otherwise datk landscape with pale blue and orange sky between clouds.

And the river wound golden across the sand.

A yellow ribbon of river winds through a darker beach landscape as the sun starts to light a partly cloudy sky with orange.
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I bought this M1 MacBook Pro in January 2021. This morning after 3 hours of use, including a couple of videos at full brightness and high volume, there's still 75% battery left!

I still can't get over the battery life on these machines.

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Pleased to report that last night's Emergency Alert Test Message was received very loud and clear.

Phone screen displays Emergency alert test.
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Hah! Trivial pursuits? – language: a feminist guide:

In crosswords the influence of patriarchal, racist and heteronormative values is most apparent in judgments on the “puzzleworthiness” of words. … [that] reflects the vocabulary and the cultural preoccupations of the straight white middle-aged men who edit most crosswords. That means, for instance, that arcane baseball terms are deemed puzzleworthy, but words referencing the interests of women, minority ethnic groups or LGBTQ people are not.

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We went to our nearest town this morning for some errands. Here's the main road through Levin on a sunny Sunday morning.

Levin main street.
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Nicely said: Manton Reece - Audio narration in Micro.blog

We want to see the personal side of someone, not just the polished brand. We want to see the imperfect, the creative, the emotion. We want authenticity.

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This 45 minute documentary was so interesting. This Civil War Submarine Vanished for 136 Years:

A Civil War submarine powered by hand cranks and lit by candlelight. What could possibly go wrong? Meet the HL Hunley.

I had no idea submarines were so old.

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What a delight to start my day with Himalayan Moon Drops oolong tea from Nepal:

Harvested in June 2023, … is crafted using hand-harvested leaves from Japanese and Taiwanese tea plant cultivars grown at an elevation of 1850m. The steeped infusion is smooth and creamy with notes of flowers, sweet malt, raw sugar and sweetened whipped cream.

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Yesterday morning I spotted a shag that was a bit different from our usual white-chested shags. The Bird ID Facebook group helped me learn that this is a native Kawaupaka | Little shag:

A small shag with a short yellow bill, black feet, a relatively long tail and multiple plumage variations.

Mainly black shag with black feet, white throat and yellow bill standing on a large piece of driftwood.
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My day went awry in the best possible way. I cut short my bike ride to collect my Fuji X-T5 and take photos of a rare visitor to Waikawa Beach: a Kōtuku | White heron. 🐦

Such amazing birds!

Tall white bird stands tall beside a river.
Pure white bird with sharp yellow beak and neck kinked flies across the image.
Black shag in the river looks at the heron on the bank.
Peekaboo!

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Today's beach photo is toetoe reflected in a pool of water left behind by the tide.

Toetoe bushes reflected in standing water.
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Check out this gorgeous late afternoon sun.

Late afternoon sun lights a more distant and hilly part of the landscape.
Late afternoon sun lights a more distant and hilly part of the landscape..
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Detective Chief Superintendent Fran Harman faces many challenges in Come to Harm (Detective Fran Harman Mysteries Book 1) by Judith Cutler. Menopause symptoms create problems, her elderly and very demanding parents are a long drive away, and the cold case she's assigned seems to have no clues.

It was a good read and sets us up for more character development in subsequent books. 📚

Book cover: Come to Harm.

Correction, 29 May 2024: somehow I originally linked to Book 2, Do No Harm, but the book I actually read was Book 1, Come to Harm.

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I knew it was still too dark at dawn to take photos of the Pūkeko by the lake, but I did anyway. I like the effect on this shot. Fujifilm X-T5, lens: XF100-400mm, ISO 12800, 600 mm, 1 ev, f22, 1/30 s. 🐦

Dark bird with glowing red face shield beside almost glowing rushes, everything else black.
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Calm ocean on an overcast day with hardly any waves. For the Pacific Wave Appreciation Society. 🌊

Here was the view to the north, with dark clouds lowering.

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OMG. I have shares currently worth a massive $16 in this company, and here's a screenshot from today's shareholder update. (I invested $140 initially.)

Blah blah meaningless jargon blah blah.
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It’s totally beautiful down at the beach this morning. So glad I came out even though rain was threatened.

Dark sky lowers over a pale sea.
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Model boat on a lake.

I've seen plenty of birds on our local lake, but a model boat on Lake Puna o te Ora was a first.

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It's not at all uncommon to find dead fish on the beach. Usually gulls have had a feed.

This poor little thing though was unusual for being intact, and because it was only as big as the palm of my hand. The dead fish are usually bigger, often small sharks, but other kinds too.

Small grey dead fish on the beach.
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Still in the beautiful Milford Sound back in March 2024.

Young seals on a rock.
Young seals on a rock.
Bush clad slopes.
Bush clad slopes.
Waterfall down bush-clad cliff face.
Waterfall down bush-clad cliff face.