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I sometimes wonder why I see huge driftwood on the beach but never in the sea. Today this item bobbing about, too small for a boat, too big for a kayak, caught my eye. Aha! — big driftwood tree. There were a few others nearby too.

A calm ocean scene is depicted with gentle waves in the foreground and a small boat visible far in the distance on the horizon.
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Seeing this enormous Twitter User number leads me to ask: 1] How do you even say that number — it’s way beyond ’trillion’? 2] How many accounts does each person on Planet Earth even have [theoretically]?

A Twitter user with an unusually large follower number is shown, indicating membership since June 2018.
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Noticed for the first time today: in Google Maps on iPhone, a ‘cone’ radiating from the blue dot marking Me changes direction according to which way I’m facing. Love it.

A location marked as Home near Strathnaver Drive is shown close to Lake Huritini on a map.
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There’s a helicopter spraying paddocks near Emma Drive, Walkers Lane or Takapu Road this morning.

A helicopter is flying close to the ground, creating a dust cloud above a grassy and hilly landscape surrounded by trees with mountains in the background.
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The river was like glass by the footbridge this morning. Great reflections!

A wooden pedestrian bridge stretches over a calm body of water, reflecting the surrounding trees and clear sky.
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Wow. Had to stop the podcast I was listening to. Between thunder, gale force winds and rain on the roof and windows, I can’t hear a thing.

Rainfall accumulated up to 4.3 mm with a peak in the evening, wind speed reaching a maximum of 75 km/h with fluctuating direction, and an indoor sound meter showing significant noise increases from morning to evening.
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Last night’s thunderstorm reached peak intensity with this 64 decibel thunderclap and lightning right above our house. It blew at least some of the fuses. It was immediately followed by severe hail for a minute or so.

A line graph displays fluctuations in decibel levels between 30 and 75 dB, with a peak at 64 dB recorded at 22:20 on Tuesday, the 22nd.
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The Netflix animated programme called Spirit is just lovely for kids — features 3 girls, probably ~13, having adventures with horses in Arizona. Friendship, bravery, skills of all kinds. I'm not the target demographic but find it enchanting.

Screenshot from the show of 3 young girls interacting.
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Yay, this week our temporary dog fence is being replaced with a permanent fence and gate. Dog yard, Part 2. Bonus: Ares the cat.

A black cat is walking down wooden steps outside a house with glass sliding doors and a fenced patio.
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It seems likely this juvenile bird on the beach, struggling to fly, was a fairy prion — “an abundant and familiar petrel of exposed coastal waters around New Zealand.”

A small, fluffy bird with gray and white feathers is lying flat on the ground.A small gray and white bird is resting on the sand with its wings tucked close to its body.

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Sunrise and coatstand.

Shadows of two people seemingly wearing wide-brimmed hats are cast on a wall with a rectangular light source.
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The Levin Public Library open area has a piano for public use. Someone just did a nice rendition of Po Kare Kare Ana.

A spacious, modern library area features several people seated at tables and one person playing a piano against a wooden partition.
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I’m genuinely shocked that the Kindle edition of The Odyssey - a New Translation by Dr. Emily Wilson with Dr. Bridget Murnaghan is more expensive than the paperback and only 4 cents cheaper than the hardcover. Checking with my local library now…

The book listing shows the 1st Edition Kindle Edition of The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson, with options to buy the Kindle, hardcover, or paperback versions and includes customer ratings and purchasing details.
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Salt and pepper shakers that look like a lion and a pair of geese.

I’m not actually a big fan of cutesy stuff, but these Salt and Pepper shakers had a certain appeal.

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Sasha went for a paddle, while Oshi just watched. Good thing both are booked for a bath and trim next week.

A small dog is walking through shallow water with tall grass and hills in the background under a cloudy sky.A small, light-colored dog with a fluffy tail stands on a sandy beach near the water during what appears to be late afternoon or early evening.

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Busy morning — for the Poaka (pied stilts).

A group of black-and-white shorebirds with long pink legs are standing and wading in shallow water near the coast.
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Blue sky, warm sun, no wind. The beach today is paradise.

A calm body of water is bordered by a shoreline covered with driftwood and vegetation, under a clear blue sky.A calm river flows gently in front of a bank with grasses and distant mountains under a clear blue sky.

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Enjoying the slight streaks of cloud over the Tararua mountains just before sunrise today.

A dark landscape is silhouetted against a clear sky with a faint glow near the horizon, suggesting either sunrise or sunset.
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Sometimes we gets mats of small pieces of driftwood. Nice sharp edges on this one.

Almost circular mat of tiny bits of driftwood.

Edge showing the about 50 cm depth of a mat of tiny bits of driftwood.

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The answer to a question you may not have asked: no, you can’t eat olives straight from the tree. Straight off the tree, they are bitter, very bitter www.cooksinfo.com/raw-olives. I found out the hard way.

Olives on a tree.