We watched the British comedy Swimming with Men. It was odd, but after a bit became funny in a strange kind of way.
When accountant Eric [has a midlife crisis] he [joins] a male synchronised swimming team [and] finds brotherhood …as they train for the world championships.
I found a Huhu Beetle down by the garage. They’re big.
If a huhu beetle lands on the hair of a person … scissors must be used for extraction. The beetles are most active at night, are attracted by the lights of the dwelling and only live for about two weeks. They do not feed
This morning at the beach I liked these clouds. Looking pretty much due West. (Hello Australia! 👋🏼)
In mid-winter at Waikawa Beach we have 8 hours of daylight and I don’t fare so well. I need my daylight and sunshine to thrive. So Murmansk at mid-winter would be pretty much bottom of my list of potential places to be. Beautiful photos though. iPhone night-mode.
Secret Santa went down well. A present for everyone, including the dogs. Christmas with Kiwis.
A bountiful dessert. Christmas with Kiwis. Cheesecake, fruit salad, semifreddo, chocolate spheres.



Wine and a board game before dessert. Christmas with Kiwis.
Christmas with Kiwis. Dinner with friends. Everyone brought delicious food to share.




Deb’s been cooking Slow Roasted Pork Belly as our contribution to a shared lunch with 4 friends. She’s also made Chocolate mousse domes with raspberry coulis centre. My job is cleanup. We’ll start eating around noon and laze the afternoon away on the deck with various courses.



I was surprised to see someone out ‘surfing’ the 30 cm ‘waves’ at 6.30 this morning. Christmas with Kiwis.


Strawberries fresh from the tunnel house make a fine addition to breakfast. Christmas with Kiwis.
Fellow Kiwis, Aussies and other southern hemispherians: let’s show our fellow northern Microbloggers what our Christmas is like. Blog your day. Christmas with Kiwis.
Dog walk at 6 am as it’ll get too hot later. It’s only 10C at this time of day though so merino cardigan, merino jersey and possum merino hat are a must. Christmas with Kiwis.


And just for kicks, this was 10 minutes later and includes a distant rooster.
Dawn at 5 am on Christmas Day at Waikawa Beach in Aotearoa New Zealand. For those missing bird song.
Our neighbours have a ‘Christmas Tree’. It’s a flax spear with lights and decoration trinkets. Christmas in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Dawn at 5 am on Christmas Day. Waikawa Beach, Aotearoa New Zealand. A sound file of birdsong is coming but taking forever to upload from my phone.
It’ll soon be time to start a 2020 folder on my computer. Random memory: when I was 11 my sister turned 20. I thought I would never be that old — it was too distant to imagine. Now here we are, some 54 years later and it’s [almost] 2020 for heaven’s sake! 🥳
I enjoyed The Case of the Missing Finger. It was a nice, light read with an interesting turn or two. @Cheri
