Sometimes in the early morning when the sand is fresh and undisturbed you can see that wildlife has been enjoying the beach overnight. I’m not sure exactly what made these tracks — perhaps a crab, a hedgehog or weasel, and probably a rabbit.
A person involved in a single-vehicle crash is understood to have left the vehicle, and has been hit by another vehicle.
Initial reports suggest the woman is in a serious condition.
Ugh. This is the crash we passed. Explains why we saw only 1 damaged car.
The dogs had to wait in the car while we ate with our friends. So afterwards we took the dogs for an extremely brief comfort stop on the Wellington waterfront outside Te Papa. It was a gorgeous day. Second photo shows Mt Victoria, where we used to live.
Our drive back from our friend Helen D’s birthday brunch in Wellington was 2 hours instead of 1.5. So glad we got to crawl past 2 accidents rather than being the accident ourselves. The more serious one closed the southbound lane on the expressway, where the rescue helicopter had landed.
This month’s most unusual beach find: an Australian Bureau of Meteorology Radiosonde. Serial number: N4610489. Approx GPS: -40.697469, 175.136803
Update: That balloon was released from Hobart Airport on 27 December 2018.
Thanks @smokey for pointing to this post by @vasta. Loved it! Beacons of virtual proximity:
When I look at that list of green dots in Slack… I see the beacons of people who care …telling each other that we are not alone, and we are here together, close while far away.
New Zealand isn’t very dog friendly and dogs aren’t allowed in cafes. I was delighted to see this one come into the cafe where I was eating breakfast. It didn’t want to say Hello though. 😥
I was weeding today, at our rental property in Ōtaki, when this worm came along. It scrunched itself up when it saw me. Even so, it was about the length of my middle finger. Most of the other worms I saw, and I’m glad to say there were plenty, were much smaller.
This 12 minute video is very interesting and thought-provoking: Our Food System is Rigged
The way we eat is unsustainable for the climate. …We need to convert more of our diet to plant-based foods, and away from red meat. …How can something so necessary be so hard?
The stone monument at Ōtaki Beach, shaped like a bow of a ship…commemorates two significant shipwrecks along the Ōtaki coastline..
October 13, 1878 the barque Felixstowe
October 22, 1878 the full-rigged immigrant ship, City of Auckland
Total: 4 dead.
We used to live at the top of Mt Victoria in Wellington. There was a toilet block and scruffy bit of grass nearby. A photo from 2014 shows this empty space. Today we visited and it’s been transformed, with interactive sculpture and even a slide and native plants. It’s splendid!
Getting excited about a trip “Up North" next month, which will include Te Rerenga Wairua / Cape Reinga. I’ve visited once before, in August 2004. Three photos from that trip. Luckily I generally take better photos these days.
We enjoyed Blinded by the Light very much. It’s a 2-hour British feel-good movie based on a true story.
… the coming-of-age story of Javed, a British-Pakistani Muslim teenager whose life is changed after he discovers the music of Springsteen.
In 2016 we escaped New Zealand’s August with a week in Niue 🇳🇺 . This photo is in a cave at the north tip of the island. The blue is utterly clear water in a pool in the cave. Photo from about 10 metres up.
After his visit to the vet yesterday Ares the cat is doing better today. He was given hydration, antibiotics and pain relief. Must keep that trio in mind for when I’m his age. 😀 🐈
Heh, my favourite NativLang is back with this 10 minute video today: Gvprtskvni - how is this even a word, Georgian!?
Starting from one clustery word, we'll go on a journey looking for the "root" of this record-breaking consonant phenomenon known as Georgian.
Ares the elderly cat is now down to 4.52Kg. In July it was 4.6. He now has antibiotics and pain relief and has had a hydrating treatment too. His favourite food is the gravy part of pouches that have ‘meat’ in gravy.
My numerous attempts today to photograph Ares have all come to nothing much. These are the best two. He’s an old boy. Off to the vet today as he’s sneezing quite a bit. 🐈
I’m getting a new crown on a tooth. Last week the new crown didn’t fit. Today a new one arrived … and didn’t fit. Numb face again and a bit fed up. Consolation fries with tomato sauce and aoli. And difficulty eating them.
In August 2012 we escaped NZ’s worst time of year and were enjoying warm sun in Tonga. One highlight was a day trip on a tiny boat to watch humpback whales. We lunched on a minute white sand island with some of the clearest water anywhere.
