Hmmm, for decades I’ve used Nurofen to help with headaches. Last night I had quite an allergic reaction that we attribute to Nurofen: swollen face, constricted throat. Today the doctor gave me an antihistamine to help with the swelling. Sasha and Oshi lent moral support. 🐶 🤕
I should have taken some photos of the Pukeko chicks at the nearby lake a couple of weeks ago when they were fluffier. Look at these ridiculous gangly legs. And when the chicks run their legs look like cartwheels, like Roadrunner in the cartoons. Photos: chick; adult. 🐦
Bumblebee, meet pollen.
It’s not often we see one of these around here. They didn’t stay long. And I’ve never noticed the “Highway Patrol” text on the car before either. What are we, in an episode of CHIPS? We don’t much use the word ‘highway’ in Aotearoa New Zealand.
A few years ago now I spotted a cop in Wellington who looked like he should have had a note from mum to be off school… So this is good: NZ’s oldest police graduate celebrates after 40 year wait:
Perry, 57, has finally realised her dream of putting on the blue uniform
In the middle of this year we hope to be cruising with neighbours round Rakiura (Stewart Island) at the southern tip of Aotearoa New Zealand. After that we'll be hiring a car and visiting the Catlins. It'll be our biggest holiday since 2015 when we went to Spain. 🛳 (My 1st cruise.)
I have now learned the correct way to put the chain back on my bike. Now I need to learn how to remove the chain guard, which would make it easier.
I learned Latin for 2 years at school. It’s invaluable for understanding English (and some other languages). However, that understanding could be gained in other ways and perhaps dropping Latin would make way for more currently relevant languages. Latin lovers mourn language loss
Yucca in the dunes with Kāpiti Island beyond.
Oshi eating. 🐶 He’s doing fine now! Even came and lined up for breakfast like he’s supposed to, rather than me having to tempt him off his bed.
Thanks to a word puzzle, today I learned about Machicolation:
a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall.
Oshi update 🐶: he’s still not quite 100% but he’s so much more himself — played with his stuffed duck after dinner, scrunched up the bedding to be just right, other very normal behaviours. 👍
The Monarch caterpillars seemed to arrive late in the season, but they’re growing nicely on our swan plants. Some pretty long and chunky caterpillars there. Equinox is only a few days away now and we’re on our way towards winter.
Teishoku Traditional Japanese Breakfast
This week’s International Breakfast was a version of Teishoku Traditional Japanese Breakfast. It was delicious, though a bit of a faff to make. The omelette in particular was very yum. For various reasons we didn’t have any pickles, but their sharpness would have been good.
Huh!!! One ‘s’!!
Just deserts uses this, relatively uncommon, noun form of desert, which may mean “deserved reward or punishment” (usually used in plural), “the quality or fact of meriting reward or punishment,” or “excellence, worth.”
I was intrigued to learn about Complete Knot List | Alphabetical list of all Knots | Animated Knots by Grog, especially since I had to store a length of rope just the other day. I should have done it like this: Coil Unattached Rope. Time to go back and rewrap it.
My ‘technique' for giving dogs pills is 99% torture and 1% luck. 😧 🐶
Mini Oshi update 🐶: Had to really coax him to eat breakfast. Booked an X-Ray. Drove to vet, put Oshi on the ground and he strolled around the carpark peeing on everything and being a perfectly normal dog! As he did when I took him to the dog park. Cancelled the X-Ray!
On safety, and the freedom to walk home: When words fail us. 🔗
Two years ago today, the terror attack in Christchurch — Muslim community to pray in private on anniversary of attacks.