Met a friend at Lock Up at 52B Marine Parade, Paraparaumu, for brunch. The toasted cheese gem (no photo) was delicious. I was taken with the cheerful teapot.
Another build update for our new house. 🏡
I think the photo from the builder shows Gib stopping and plastering progress.
With the door at the end slid back and 'doubled up' it really shows the effect of having tinted windows.
We get to see a bit of greenery around the place too, with trees nearby.
Spotted from / at the supermarket car park today.
🤣
Bonus supermarket activity: I got to pat a lovely wee patient dog that was a cross between Poodle and Lowchen.
Another in an easy reading series I enjoy — Killer at the County Show (The Malvern Mysteries Book 5) by Kate Wells. 📚
Tensions are high at the Three Counties Show when accusations of cheating add fuel to a longstanding feud. For Jude Gray, whose only hope was to not make a fool of herself showing her Kerry Hill sheep, farming life has never been so dramatic.
You always know Jude's close to solving the mystery when she sets off without telling anyone where she's going. 😆
A simple but delicious fried eggs on toast at Cafe 66 in Ōtaki.
We decamped there during our Open Home today and discussed still to be decided details about our new house: where should the washing line go? Where should the toilet roll holders go? Do we want any extra concrete (eg paths) laid? Is the arrangement of shelves and rails in the walk in wardrobe as we want it?
Aaaargh!
Detectives Leo and Shan make a good team against a sweltering Yorkshire summer in Fire on the Fells (Detectives Donovan & Young Book 2) by Cath Staincliffe. 📚
beneath the façade, dark secrets smoulder. It’s only a question of which was worth killing for.
The series is a good read.
Hmmm, tailor-made suits — Shane Ave Suits (my emphasis):
In designing your suit, you will have over 500+ fabrics to choose from. You will also have the opportunity to choose your own styles, linings, shirt collars and cuffs. You can even personalise your lining to have an entirely unique design!
OMG: I'd be dead. I'm more of a this one or that one girl.
The builder on our new house tells us: 🏡
This week all the Gib fixing has been completed and now the guys have started Plastering. [After the plaster dries, the workers] will start the Finishing Lines and Hanging Interior Doors.
Apparently, Finishing Lines are the Architraves around the door frames and the Skirting around the floor.
The builder's photo shows a bathroom.
OMG: we're going to have a house! That we'll live in! It's getting real.
It's a good thing it's not Dotterel nesting season. Last night's tide seems to have been unusually high and would have wiped out the nest. They last nested just by that larger bit of driftwood only a couple of metres from the white tape. 🐦
16 Authors I like
Back in July 2022 I listed 20 authors I enjoy: 186+ mystery books I've loved.
After chatting with a friend I realised I should update this list, so here are 16 more mystery authors I've enjoyed since then. I didn't count the books this time. 📚
- Alice Bienia: (Jorja Knight Private Investigator Mystery Series)
- Alison Joseph (Sister Agnes Mysteries)
- Barbara Nickless: (Sydney Rose Parnell)
- D. L. Keur: (The Jessica Anderson K-9 Mysteries)
- Deborah J Ledford: (Eva "Lightning Dance" Duran)
- Faith Martin: (Detective Hillary Greene)
- Janice Frost: (Warwick & Bell Crime Mysteries)
- Judith Cutler: (Detective Fran Harman Mysteries)
- Kris Bock: (The Accidental Detective)
- Lakota Grace: (The Pegasus Quincy Mystery Series)
- Laura Dave: The Last Thing He Told Me
- Lynne McEwan: (Detective Shona Oliver)
- Rachel Ward: The Missing Checkout Girl Mystery (and others)
- Rosemary Kirstein: (Steerswoman Series) — I don’t often read fantasy, but this was really engaging.
- Susie Steiner: (Manon Bradshaw)
- Tracy Clark: (A Chicago Mystery)
Gorgeous colours this morning at the little lake just near our house.
Two podcasts I've just discovered that I'll probably subscribe to:
Women of Steel with Miriam Grace:
Miriam Grace talks to remarkable women about their lives and challenges through the lens of her work as a psychotherapist.
Recorded in Sheffield, the UK city of steel, Women of Steel uncovers lived experiences which challenge existing power structures and validate the voices of marginalised or disadvantage women.
Fun and informative interviews with the best sapphic fiction writers.
5 light links 28-May-2025
The world seems dark and grim. These 5 links are about bringing a little light. 💡
Native jumping spider found in restored Rotorua forest | RNZ News:
A native jumping spider boasting great eyesight and tiny genitalia has been discovered at a Rotorua forest that is being restored.
Rotorua Canopy Tours has been working to make the Dansey Scenic Reserve pest-free for more than a decade.
They are now enjoying the fruits of their labour, with new species being discovered as the old growth forest thrives.
Are Sailing Ships the Future of Sustainable Shipping?:
By leveraging the power of wind, Grain de Sail vessels reduce CO2 emissions by 90 percent compared to conventional maritime freight.
DOC ranger snaps rare footage of tuatara and takahē 'having a scrap' | RNZ News:
A takahē and a tuatara have been filmed engaging in a bush-floor stoush in a new video captured by a DOC ranger. …
It started with the takahē seemingly attacking the tuatara, DOC ranger Nick Fisentzidis said. …
"I saw them having a bit of a nip at each other; the takahē definitely had a go at the tail of the tuatara, and they had a bit of a scrap.
"I followed them down the hill, and the tuatara got a couple of bites in, so the takahē backed off and snuck back away up the forest."
Researchers uncover giant 30-year-old fungus near Eltham | RNZ News (be sure to visit the link and look at the photo):
A trio of fungal experts stumbled across the largest Ganoderma specimen they had ever seen … the enormous Ganoderma bracket fungi, which was almost 82 centimetres wide and 45cm deep and thought to be about 30 years old, on a rotten stump at Rotokare near Eltham ….
Two others on the stump were almost as big.
I challenge you to look at these photos and not immediately feel a bit better about life.
If you're having a bad morning, afternoon or evening, Jason Kottke has you covered:
These are owls in towels. That’s it, that’s the post.
Best link ever!
Glanced up from messaging a friend to see this splendour.
Hmm, two author interviews I've listened to in two days now …
This morning: Interview with Cari Hunter, a favourite northern English lesbian.
I've very much enjoyed
If you're having a bad morning, afternoon or evening, Jason Kottke has you covered:
These are owls in towels. That’s it, that’s the post.
Best link ever!
After a false start a couple of years ago, I finally read and enjoyed The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red by Martha Wells. 📚
A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red
I was drawn back to read it after watching a very interesting 22 minute interview with Martha Wells: I didn’t know how non-neurotypical I was until Murderbot.
I may well read more of the series.
We just bought new Eufy P2 Pro smart bathroom scales.
This device tracks 16 essential body measurements, such as Heart Rate, Weight, Body Fat %, BMI, BMR, Protein, Body Age, Nutrition Tracking, and more.
Apparently, I'm a bit low on protein … 😳
One nice touch is the scales recognise who's using them so we don't have to remember to press a button for that.
Looking back, I see we had our old scales for about 13 years!
Three for the Kill (The Cat Caliban Mysteries Book 3) was another lightweight but entertaining mystery by D.B. Borton. 📚
The author comes up with amusing turns of phrase, like this:
[After buying a new used car] Already I was in love. I had forgotten what it was like to drive a car that goes when you put your foot on the gas pedal.
Looks like the builders have put up all the gib on our new build. 🏡 Photo by the builder, as usual.
Next up, plastering:
The Plastering will take approx 1.5 weeks, now the temperature has cooled down the Plaster takes a bit longer to dry between coats, if you add another coat too early it can cause shrinkage.
