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Today’s beach finds: Ram’s horn (helps squid rise and descend in deep water); shell; Portuguese man o’ war; Pacific Oyster (I think).

A close-up of a white, spiral-shaped object resembling a shell or a curled insect pupa resting on a bed of dried sticks and twigs.A dark ridged seashell is partially buried in coarse sand.

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While making breakfast I spotted the pheasant family in the cow paddock next door. The binoculars showed 5 birds. One’s missing from the photo.

A group of pheasants is standing and foraging in a grassy field near some bushes.
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I’m not great at identifying shells. This is not a sheep’s head, but 3 rock oysters (probably) stuck together. Then there’s the grey and blue one — could be a whelk. Most similar shells on our beach are red in hue.

A large, weathered seashell rests on sandy ground near some driftwood.A large, blue and black striped seashell rests on sandy ground.

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Late afternoon at the beach.

A person is kayaking on the ocean near a partially submerged tree branch during a calm day.Three seagulls are perched on a small rock in the middle of a body of water with a concrete barrier in the background.Gentle waves lap against a sandy shore with distinct ridges formed by the water's movement.A large pile of driftwood or dried branches is stacked along a beach with a sandy and pebble-strewn foreground under a partly cloudy sky.

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This tight formation of 3 planes sped past just after noon today. I assume they were returning from Anzac Day ceremonies in Wellington. I think they must be T-6C Texan II airforce planes which cruise at 515 Kph.

A small greenhouse is situated in a grassy area under a partly cloudy sky with three airplanes flying in formation above.
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The farmer next door is spreading fertiliser on the cow paddock.

A truck is driving across a grassy field, kicking up dust under a cloudy sky with distant hills in the background.
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At the setting of the sun …

Golden sunlight illuminates a grassy landscape with bushes and distant hills under a cloudy sky.A scenic landscape features green hills, a wooden walkway, tall grass plants, and a vibrant sunset sky with clouds.

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And the tide went out…

A beach scene shows patterns of seaweed and debris scattered across the sand under a partly cloudy sky.
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At the river, where it turns from flowing West to flowing South (for a bit).

A calm river or stream is flowing past a sandy shore with rocks and trees under a clear blue sky.A sandy beach with rippled patterns leads to a calm body of water under a clear blue sky at sunset or sunrise.

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When beach visitors have to be towed out of the river by the no longer viable vehicle entrance, and then have to be towed through the river by the sea.

One vehicle tows another on the beach.
One vehicle tows another through shallow water on the beach.
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At the mouth of the Waiorongomai Stream.

driftwood across the mouth of the stream forms a dam.
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My favourite noise isn't the whistling in my ears

I’m working on overcoming tinnitus and improving sleep at the moment. After a professional hearing test last week, today I tried this Online Hearing Test. The results seem pretty similar: fairly normal hearing with a bit of (probably age-related) loss at 4,000 and 8,000 Hz.

Audiogram.

I landed on the Hearing Test after visiting (and donating to) myNoise.net. I’ve been using sounds from that site (or rather, their iPad app) to help me go to sleep.

Some soundscapes, such as Japanese Garden also help during the day to mask the tinnitus and help my brain to stop focusing on the whistling I hear all the time. I’m trying to train my brain to ignore the tinnitus sounds and it might be working. Yesterday I noticed a period of maybe an hour of blessed silence.

Tinnitus Tunes (University of Auckland) has set me on this path:

You may have just discovered you have tinnitus, or you may have had tinnitus for a while and been told “there is nothing that can be done, you will just have to live with it.” It makes us mad when we hear that, because it is not true! You can take part in our 12 week Tinnitus Transformation program with online advice, information and treatment broken down into 5 simple steps.

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I take a selfie every day. I almost never put any of them out in public — it's a project just for me. But today Sasha joined me…

Black and white photo of a black dog looking at my face.
Close up on black dog's face, with white round the muzzle.
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Last week the Antarctic sent us cold air. This week we're sending it back.

Wind map shows air streaming south.
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I haven't been for a bike ride for such a long time. I’m out of practice. Good to get out in the sun and fresh air today though.

Sporty bicycle leaning against a garage.
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There was a brief gap in the clouds so I was able to see a light dusting of snow on the Tararuas. That's because the wind today is coming straight from Antarctica. Brrrr.

Early snow on the Tararuas.
Map showing wind from Antarctica.
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The thunderstorm at midnight really upset Sasha. Now, at nearly 9 am it's just rain and maybe dull rumbles, but she’s still unhappy, trembling and restless. 🐶

Small black dog.
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I love how the wind smooths and ripples the sand overnight. It was rippling the river water too.

Rippled sand by dunes.
Rippled water in the river.
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There were a lot of birds at the river mouth this morning: Black backed gulls and White-fronted terns in particular. These were just some of them. 🐦

Gulls and Terns on sand by the river mouth.
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On cooler mornings at dawn we can see the top of Mt Ruapehu, 164 Km away, from home. Kei te harikoa ahau. (Makes me happy.)

Map showing a line between Waikawa Beach and Mt Ruapehu.
Distant mountain top at dawn.