Oh crikey. A local asked me to visit to chat about an (excellent) arts project he’d like to do. I knew he’d written some poems once. I’m glad I didn’t check his website before I visited or I might have been too awestruck for a casual back and forth of ideas.
Doing errands in Palmerston North yesterday I briskly walked a few blocks and was tired. I realise my daily dawdle with our dogs in their 15th year isn’t ‘walking’ as such. I need to train for our Rakiura cruise in July when there are opportunities for good hikes ashore. 🐶 🚢 🥾
Wow, the photography on The Year Earth Changed on TV+ is stunning! Photo of capybara.
It’s so heartening the world had a moment to breathe during lockdown (and disheartening that everyone wants to return to the old ‘normal’). We need to exercise greater restraint.
Hmmm, I finished Blood Stained (Detective Claudia Nunn Book 1) by Rebecca Bradley. While I kept reading to the end it didn’t sit well with me. Most of the book is about a suspect interview. It’s not a procedural. I think I won’t be reading more from this series. 📚
Yesterday I had to pick Deb up from the commuter train at Waikanae. Here it is arriving.
A new item on my list of things I aim to do: Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail | Central Otago:
The 55km Lake Dunstan Trail takes you from Smith’s Way, just out of Cromwell to Clyde along Lake Dunstan, the Kawarau River and the mighty Clutha River Mata-au.
Video — amazing scenery!
A nice thing to learn:
Rakiura is the Maori name for Stewart Island. It translates as the Land of the Glowing Skies.
We’ll be visiting later this year. Maybe we’ll get to see the Aurora Australis?
I’m uncomfortable about Aotearoa New Zealand becoming the “Lord of the Rings” country, attracting tourists with hobbit holes etc. After all, the indigenous Māori culture has been used and misused for tourism even while being suppressed and obliterated. That’s why this statement chimes for me as we hand taxpayer dollars to Amazon to make even more LotR stuff:
we will be ploughing more money into a film about a fake indigenous culture than we are into Māori TV, which tells the stories of New Zealand’s indigenous culture and real people.
Whew, heart pounding. A sudden loud noise like a heavy truck right beside me; milliseconds later a quake that rattled loose items. 〰️
Apr 30 2021 8:43 AM; 15 km south-west of Levin; Magnitude 2.7; Depth 1 km.
Not strong but only 1 Km deep and nearby!!
At a mere 5 minutes per week the That’s What They Say podcast is one anybody can fit in. The episode The language it is a-changin’ from 25 April 2021 is specially interesting. English used to have genders for nouns (Fem, Masc, Neut) and cases. Who / whom is a relic of cases.
I’m selling a 2012 MacBook Pro and a 2013 MacBook Pro. Forgot to take photos until it was almost dark and the screens caught random blips of light. Plus now I’m sure not which photo is of which machine. I think I’ll be taking more photos tomorrow, with more care. Sigh. 💻
I thoroughly enjoyed reading @cheri’s latest cozy: The Case of the Red Phantom. With voices from beyond the watery grave, this is quite a puzzle. But since Ellie Tappet’s on the case there’s bound to be a resolution. 📚
Strange — I had my flu shot almost two weeks ago, but today’s the day I feel that maybe slightly fluey feeling I often get a couple of days after the shot. Spent the day reading two books alternately — one on Kindle (in bed) and one in a PDF on my Mac (sitting up).
I really enjoyed The Woman on the Cliff crime thriller by Janice Frost. This plot went to some pretty unexpected places, and the flashback timeline was cleverly woven in. Character growth was also on-point. 📚
Thought-provoking! What Do Doctors Owe To The Dead People They Dissect?
If thinking of a dead body as a patient seemed strange at first, I’ve begun to see it as a microcosm of the health care system at large.
Lablabi (Chickpea Soup)
This week’s international breakfast was Lablabi (Chickpea Soup) - Traditional Tunisian Recipe. Even without the caraway it was very delicious. A chunky bread would have been better than the soft white sliced we had. Long prep time, with soaking chickpeas overnight.
Darn! We’re making another International Breakfast today and somehow ground caraway fell off the shopping list (it was on the list, but fell out of my brain). We’ll need extra imagination today. Plus, added to the list is mortar and pestle for grinding seeds that were available.
And in today’s Wikipedia search failure…
The page “Lorena Light-Footed Woman” does not exist.
Link to “Lorena, Light-Footed Woman” page.
It failed for a comma? really?
A good watch: the 30 minute documentary Lorena, Light-Footed Woman. Tarahumara woman Lorena runs ultramarathons in her sandals and skirt with T-shirt. Favourite part: she rejects the fancy running shoes she’s sent because those who wear such shoes are always behind her.
It’s a ghastly cover and a sadistic crime, but I enjoyed reading Mother Love (DI Sarah Quinn Mystery Book 2) by Maureen Carter. 📚
Olivia Kent hasn’t been seen for 5 days. Detective Sarah Quinn needs all the help she can get … even muckraking journalist Caroline King.
