One of my go-to sources for how to do stuff on my Mac, iPhone, iPad and other Apple devices has always been Take Control Books. I've learned so much over the last couple of decades …
If you want to boost your knowledge then check out the catalogue today as they have a brief sale:
Pi Day+ Sale! Save 31.4% on all books (including upgrades)! Sale runs through Monday, March 17 at 11:59 PM CST.
Really interesting 22 minute interview video: How Ibtihaj Muhammad made Olympic history.
This was a particularly interesting moment 😵💫:
Q: While you were competing you also wore your hijab. Again, it was a huge talking point but did you receive any backlash for being visibly Muslim and representing Team USA?
A: To be honest I thought that death threats and hate and those type of things were really common for public figures but apparently it's not. It doesn't happen to everyone.
Interviewer: Samantha Johnson.
This was a lightweight and rather enjoyable read which took us as readers in unusual directions. Cat relies on her skills honed as a mother of three to help solve the case. One Deadly Take (The Cat Caliban Mysteries Book 1) by D.B. Borton. 📚
Armed with nothing but a library card and a stack of well-thumbed mystery novels, Cat’s ready for her first case as a sleuth-in-training
Yesterday I picked 8 Kg apples off my Granny Smith tree — that's about $35 worth. I also left some on the tree as they didn't really seem willing to leave home yet.
Now I have to peel and chop them all, stew and freeze them!
As expected, there were no bids on our house for sale at the auction. Now folks who wanted a firm price and who will make conditional offers will emerge from the woodwork.
Tomorrow is the auction where our Waikawa Beach house may not sell.
We met with the auctioneer and estate agent to discuss the reserve price and what happens next.
We can expect offers though within the next two weeks. Apparently this is normal — Selling a house at auction:
If the property fails to sell it is “passed in”. The sale can continue through negotiation with a buyer either on the day or in the following days with many sales completed within 24-48 hours.
All a bit nerve-wracking …
This morning I pulled a fresh T-shirt from the drawer. I don't generally have black clothes so I expected this to be my Presentation Zen T-shirt.
It was not. It was a black T-shirt with a white heron on the front. 🐦
Perhaps someone gave me this? I didn't recall I had it …
This book was not only a good read, but the team of detectives were all people I was happy to spend time with. Murder in the New Forest (The DI Callum MacLean mysteries Book 1) by Carol Cole. 📚
I stayed up too late reading this and will definitely read the next book too. 😀
Our new house passed another inspection today. 🏡
I'm not quite sure what these builders photos show, but they were working on roof trusses. One seems to show some lengths of the long run Colorsteel that will cover the building.
Next steps are roofing cladding and building wrap.
On this morning's rather brief walk I spotted a Royal Spoonbill at the lake, then two more, with a Dotterel, at the beach. 🐦
Also at the beach were a small flock of White-fronted Terns (only a few of them in this photo — I liked that group of four) and a Pied Stilt with unusual black eye patch.
5 light links 10-Mar-2025
The world seems dark and grim. These 5 links aim to bring a little light. 💡
Via: — The world’s first Fish Doorbell is live again in Utrecht 🙂 🐟🐟
Every spring, thousands of fish swim through the Oudegracht in Utrecht, searching for a place upstream to lay their eggs. But the Weerdsluis is often closed. You can help the fish continue their journey! If you see a fish, press the doorbell. This alerts the lock operator to open the lock.
The flightless takahē, an "extinct" bird found wild in a hidden valley:
Believed extinct … the flightless takahē [was] rediscovered … in 1948.
Since then, the Takahē Recovery Programme on New Zealand’s South Island has helped grow its population from just 130 birds found surviving in the wild to around 500 protected birds in 2023.
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New kākāriki karaka population helping to bring bird back from extinction | RNZ News
A new wild kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet population is being established on Pukenui/Anchor Island, with 34 of the critically endangered birds being released. …
Critically endangered means less than 1000 birds self-sustaining. Currently there are around 400 kākāriki karaka in the wild, and the population on Anchor Island is helping to move the bird off the critically endangered list.
Air Pollution Is Falling Worldwide:
Global emissions of several harmful pollutants are falling — meaning, according to a story shared by RTBC Contributing Editor Michaela Haas from Our World in Data, that the planet as a whole has likely passed “peak air pollution.” Of course, that doesn’t mean emissions have peaked in every part of the world, but it’s an encouraging overall trend.
Rare white weka spotted at West Coast campground | RNZ News.
We also visited the gym where we were alone for a while so I had some fun trying out the various machines. Made a pleasant change from dumbbells.
I was disturbed to find I just couldn't do lying leg curls, even with only a 5 Kg weight. 😳
For our third and final Open Home Deb and I took ourselves to Old Courthouse Eatery in Levin for lunch. I had a Steak Sammy: seared steak, brie and salad, which was fine. I wish they'd asked me how I like the steak as it was a bit too red for me.
Noone attended the open home. 😒
If you're even remotely interested in wildlife or amazing scenery then the TVNZ documentary series Endangered Species Aotearoa is a must see. I hope my overseas pals get a chance to view it too.
It's perfectly put together, as the hosts and camera crew use local specialists to find and discuss birds, sea creatures, insects and other wildlife.
Join comedian Pax Assadi and conservationist Nicola Toki on a journey of discovery to learn about the vulnerable wildlife species facing extinction in Aotearoa and the South Pacific.
This 50 minute podcast episode is just mind-blowing. With AI we may soon be able to translate between animal 'languages'. But should we? Digital Dr. Dolittle: decoding animal conversations with artificial intelligence:
Chris talks to Aza Raskin, co-founder of Earth Species Project and Karen Bakker, a professor at the University of British Columbia, about animal communication and the pros and cons of the latest AI technology.
Work continues on our new house up north. 🏡
This week the roof trusses were put in place.
Photos courtesy of the builder.
I usually visit Harrison's Cafe and Garden Centre with my good friend J but she's away at the moment. I had hoped they'd have their excellent ginger gems, but I was unlucky with that. Hence a hot chocolate and gingerbread person were consumed solo.
Nevertheless, it was good to get out of the house.
It was so blimmin cold this morning I went down to the shed in the dark and brought up firewood for our first fire of the year. 14C in the house and 6C outside.
Luckily I took a photo and looked at it soon after as I'd forgotten to remove items we'd stored on top, including a fly spray dispenser!
This morning's dawn beach walk netted me a Matuku moana | White-faced heron. 🐦
And just like on this day, 06 March 2023, a Ngutuparore | Wrybill. Note how the bill curves to the bird's right.
Half a dozen things in our house beep when power is restored after an outage — that's why I woke from a sound sleep at around 0230 this morning. However, it must have gone out again straight away.
It was an hour or two before it was back again.
After a cup of tea I managed another hour of sleep.