Polls in Aotearoa New Zealand closed just over an hour ago. Almost 2 million people voted early, which leaves maybe 1.5 million who may have voted today. At the moment the left (red, Labour Party) are well in the lead. Greens are doing well too. It’s 2 weeks till final result.
I thought this ad for hearing loss services was very cleverly done.
Every month or so I drain the first flush diverter and clean the filter inside. This 60 litre tank fills with the first ‘flush’ of dirty water off the roof then diverts the remaining cleaner rainwater into the 20,000 litre tank we use for all our water. 💧
They’re midwives, nurses, teachers, CEOs, engineering professionals, people who work in … all the industries the country has a shortage in.
We’ve gone from losing nearly 20,000 New Zealanders a year … to gaining 7,200 in the year to March.
In Good News: Lizard hunting kicks off Wellington roading project:
Before work gets underway … native lizards … in a slumber through winter will be moved to a new home.
And
At another … development … 27 lizards … have been moved to lizard ‘hotels’ until work is complete.
Heh, dogs keep their owners humble: Sorry, But Dogs May Prefer The Faces of Other Dogs to Those of Humans 🐶:
new research suggests … that dogs' brains are equally as excited by our faces as they are by the backs of our heads.
Home-grown tunnelhouse strawberries and store-bought Icelandic Vanilla Bean yoghurt. Yumm.
Moose, a big horse who used to be our neighbour left a few months ago. At least, I thought he was big till I met this giant, Bosley, on the beach today. He’s an enormous 18 hands. His mother was a thoroughbred and his father a full Clydesdale. His rider, Jo, let me take a photo.
At this time of year the tī, aka cabbage tree, aka Cordyline, produces beautifully scented panicles. It’s the most gorgeous perfume.
Photo: Waikawa Beach, Horowhenua, Aotearoa New Zealand, at 0945 local time (UTC+13).
I think Netflix ☛ Away was a remarkable series. While no-one has actually travelled to Mars yet, it felt totally realistic. By the last few episodes it was more like watching an actual mission. So glad this focussed on people rather than gadgets. Excellent!
Thanks @macgenie for the thoughtful discussion on Voyager Revisited | Neelix Has Had It With Your Condescending Attitude (Episode 18).
Was just pondering his role as Voyager morale officer today while watching the complicated personal dynamics in Netflix ☛ Away.
Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Janeway to appear in Star Trek cartoon: 👍
Kate Mulgrew is joining a new Nickelodeon series called Star Trek: Prodigy where she’ll reprise her Star Trek: Voyager role as Captain Kathryn Janeway. The new show will be CG-animated
// @macgenie 🖖🏼
Put together Deb’s new bookshelves. Easy! Carefully followed the more complex instructions for the kitset desk. Just near the end wondered why there were 2 pre-drilled screw holes missing. And why there are two extra holes on the front… Warning: some disassembly required. 😣
I’d never heard of autoethnography before, @martinfeld. An interesting episode. Good to hear too of your long history with the German Language. I think my interest was sparked when I was ~7 when my older sister, on a school trip from England, sent me a postcard from Germany.
Every Monday I receive an email reminding me to fill out a survey for Flutracking.net | Tracking Influenza Across Australia and New Zealand. It takes a few seconds to respond. It’s interesting to see seasonal flu is almost absent in Aotearoa in 2020 (thanks to Covid measures). 🦠
The General Election in Aotearoa New Zealand is on, with voting closing in a few days time. If you happen to want to know more about our Mixed Member Proportional representation system this is a good explainer: Election 2020: Our MMP voting system explained.
I’m starting to investigate a possible trip sometime to Rēkohu / Chatham Islands, a part of Aotearoa New Zealand that’s a 2-hour plane flight east of the mainland. It’s quickly become very confusing; each site shows tours that cost more (if the price is even there) than the last.
Gave the quail a bit of a treat today: fresh straw and macrocarpa ‘roofing’. That white plastic tray was the best $2 I ever spent at a school fair.
The book Open Season: Book One of the critically-acclaimed Seasons Mystery Series by Maryann Miller was an odd read that left me feeling uncomfortable. I won’t be reading more of this series. Maybe the 2014 publication date excuses its lack of awareness about white privilege. 📚
Dallas police detective Sarah Kingsly is still reeling from community protests over her accidental shooting of a 14-year-old African-American boy … Meanwhile, in a PR move, her superiors team her with a new, African-American partner, Angel Johnson. Both women must overcome their mistrust of each other and thorny racial conflicts as they try to solve a series of mall murders.
