A couple of weeks ago Sasha had Xrays and minor surgery. This week is Oshi’s turn. He’s pretty poorly: an ulcerated eye, rotten tooth and general malaise. 🐶 He’s stayed at the vet’s tonight ready for surgery tomorrow. Photo shows his swollen eye with the dye to show up ulcers.
I’m excited to see this video series: Dianna’s Intro Physics Class. I’ve long wanted an intro course for adults. I last learned about physics a good 50 years ago and have forgotten everything. Meanwhile, the world has moved on. Much to learn…
In Rotorua on the Sulphur Lake sculpture trail (PDF), Rory McDougall: Ghost Soldier:
For the soldiers who returned in spirit. … I try to achieve the motion of passing through and ascending upwards using negative space in silhouette – a ghost soldier.
black-and-white #mbaug
I’ll write separately about the Redwood Treetop walk in Rotorua, but at night they fill the forest with amazing lights, including these ‘fireflies’ which flit around. The photo does it no justice at all, but it was absolutely magical. If you’re ever lucky enough to visit, see it!
Another view of some of the thermal pools at Polynesian Spa, with lake beyond.
One of the delights of the Polynesian thermal pools in Rotorua is being able to look out over the lake while soaking.
Rotorua has many fine views, such as these trees in Government Gardens.
It’s a pleasure to be in Rotorua for a day or two, especially with fewer people around, thanks to our borders being effectively closed.
Am working my way through the NY Times Acrostic archive. Nearly 20 years on and I’m so aware of 11 September 2001. Like early 2020 it was a pivotal moment around the globe.
In both cases air travel was forever transformed — one symptom of massive societal change.
I rarely check texts before I send (I really should) so this autocorrected exchange with my partner while out in town was weird‼️
D: just getting petroleum (a/c from petrol)
Me: Petroleum! Fancy! I hope the house pillow (a/c hoi polloi) like me will be allowed in the car!
🤔
I really enjoyed Netflix ☛ Quartet 🎬:
takes place in Beecham House, a retirement home for former professional musicians, patterned after the real-life Casa di Riposo per Musicisti founded by Giuseppe Verdi.
Featuring Dame Maggie Smith. 👍 It’s a gem.
At the supermarket I spotted this unlabeled tray of weird objects in the fruit department. Turns out they are called Red Dragonfruit. Maybe next time we should buy one and try it.
At Ototoka Beach there was a small waterfall, maybe 3 or 4 metres high. It was enough for a good flow.
This 7 minute video makes a whole lot clear about our Aotearoa New Zealand earthquakes, and is easy to follow: New Zealand’s Twisted Plate Boundary.
Interesting: oceanic crust is basalt of volcanic origin which is heaver than continental crust, maybe something like granite.
The full pollen season in New Zealand is approximately 34 weeks long and varies in its timings each year - It begins in July or August with the Pinus season and continues into August/September with deciduous trees like oaks, elm, birches
We used to live near the top of Mt Victoria in Wellington, beside the Town Belt. Hundreds of pine trees were planted there in a 1930s Work Programme. The 6 weeks on end in 2012 of chainsawing to maintain the trees drove me crazy — no peace at all.
More photos from our visit to Ototoka Beach near Whanganui. The road takes you to the top of the cliffs, then there’s an easy walk down to the beach, past a maybe 3 or 4 metre high waterfall and next to a cliff face full of deep layers of millions of shells.
We watched NZIFF ☛ The County 🎬:
full of feisty female energy … sprinkled with rousing ‘you go girl!’ comic moments.
I suspect the reviewer saw some other film…
one woman’s fight against a co-op stifling the livelihoods of farmers in a remote valley near Reykjavik.
Grim.
