Deb had a social engagement in Palmerston North today so I went along for the ride. I enjoyed an excellent Chicken Teriyaki dinner and a bit of a read at Mr Choi's.
An excellent movie, inspired by true stories — The Beautiful Game 🎥:
Advocates to end homelessness, organize an annual tournament for Homeless [people] to compete in a series of football matches known as The Homeless World Cup.
Grim reading: There's an Awkward Link Between Plastic Production And Pollution We're Not Considering:
Our new research found the relationship is direct – a 1% increase in plastic production leads to a 1% increase in plastic pollution, meaning unmanaged waste such as bottles in rivers and floating plastic in the oceans.
Another in a series I enjoy: Silence in West Fork (The Pegasus Quincy Mystery Series Book 5) by Lakota Grace. 📚
Pegasus Quincy and her former partner, Shepherd Malone, have some difficult choices ahead when Shep’s daughter is caught with a murder weapon in her hand.
We really enjoyed the hilarious and heartwarming film The Phantom of the Open, based on a true story. 🎥
Maurice Flitcroft, a shipyard worker in the north of England, entered the Open Golf Tournament in an attempt to win the big prize. He'd never even picked up a golf club before …
A mere 29 Km (by road), 25 minute drive south of Waikawa Beach is Peka Peka Beach. Small waves at Peka Peka Beach with Kāpiti Island in the background. For the Pacific Wave Appreciation Society. 🌊
Now I See You (Mountain Resort Mystery series Book 1) by Shannon Work wasn't a favourite read, though I kept with it. It uses an Omniscient viewpoint that I found annoying — we were in the heads of half a dozen (or more) characters, including the perpetrator(s). All a bit much really. 📚
On our bus tour to Milford Sound we stopped for photos at Monkey Creek.
What’s in a name? | New Zealand Geographic:
Monkey Creek … commemorates a downpour that flooded a creek and washed away a surveyor’s dog, called Monkey. He fortunately made it back to camp the next day.
In the last couple of days Deb and I have watched Vera S13E01 and My Life is Murder S04E01.
That's some good quality telly there. 📺
This week I've tracked my sleep. Estimating Sleep Stages from Apple Watch:
Apple Watch contains 3-axis accelerometer signals that track motion. They record not only large movements … but also more subtle movements … [Then] an algorithm classifies the signal every 30 seconds (epochs) into one of four stages: Awake, REM sleep, Deep sleep, or Core sleep.
The Cascade Creek conservation campsite in Fiordland National Park was a gorgeous location. Apparently the sandflies are bad there. We just stopped for a cuppa and a scone. And photos. This is one of my favourite photos from the whole trip — the light! (If it survives the upload changes.)
I took this shot of a mountain from near Mirror Lakes in Fiordland. I'm afraid I have no idea which mountain it is.
One of my best recent purchases: Hand Warmer Wheat Bags. 60 seconds in the microwave and moments later my hands are wrapped round a toasty wheatbag.
I have self-diagnosed Raynaud's Phenomenon so random fingers sometimes go white and numb. The wheatbags help.
Darn it! I went to read Bridges to Burn (Detective Clare Mackay Book 8) by Marion Todd today, only to find I'd already read it (and given it 5 stars). I recall nothing about it! 📚
Eglinton Valley photos
As promised yesterday, more photos of Eglinton Valley in Fiordland National Park. All show steep beech-clad snow-topped mountains rising from a valley floor covered in golden tussock.
Text in image: Today's marine biology lecture is on sharks. We all know them as the scary triangles of the sea, but recent research has revealed that the triangle is only a small portion of the shark-over 90% of it is hidden beneath the surface.
Hidden Title text: Concealed mostly beneath the surface, sharks are the icebergs of the sea.
In a series I enjoy, Standing Dead (A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Book 8) by Margaret Mizushima was a good read. 📚
Mattie’s K-9 partner, Robo, makes a grisly discovery—a body tied to a dead pine tree. Mattie is shocked when she realizes she knows the dead man
Why was this NZ$11.28 when I bought it 2 weeks ago and now it's $19.56!!!
Like all of Fiordland National Park, the Eglinton Valley was beautiful. A broad flat valley floor covered with golden tussock, with steep beech-clad mountains meeting it in a sharp line. Behind, snow-covered peaks.
My next post will contain several photos, as I couldn't choose just one.
On our recent holiday we took a bus trip from Te Anau to Milford Sound where we cruised for a couple of hours up and down the Sound.
Our first brief stop was at Te Anau Downs Scenic Lookout on Lake Te Anau, with amazing light, as so often on this part of our trip.
Delighted when I opened a window at 6 am to hear a Ruru | Morepork in trees around 500 metres away.
Calls are given almost exclusively at night. The onomatopoeic ‘more-pork’ call is the most characteristic and often heard call.