Not quite exactly the first strawberry of the season from the tunnelhouse, but the first I had all to myself, and not half eaten by the slaters / birds that got to it first. 🍓
It was a couple of days ago I caught this shot of a Pied Stilt with captured food in its beak and a spray of water all around. 🐦
Former PM Jenny Shipley is on the other end of the political spectrum from me, but her comment is spot on — Treaty Principles Bill 'inviting civil war':
"[The Treaty of Waitangi] is a relationship we committed to where we would try and find a way to govern forward. We would respect each other's land and interests rights, and we would try and be citizens together - and actually, we are making outstanding progress, and this sort of malicious, politically motivated, fundraising-motivated attempt to politicise the Treaty in a new way should raise people's voices, because it is not in New Zealand's immediate interest.
OK, rhetorical TV world question: if the victim's hands are tied in front of them why don't they take the gag out of their mouth? 📺
Those, like me, frustrated at not seeing the actual haka I mentioned yesterday, can see it on YouTube. Stirring!
The stuffed shirt on the parliamentary front bench they confront is the instigator of the awful Treaty Principles Bill.
Anne writes some seriously good stuff, like this: In praise of creating crap:
The value of creativity is not in the quality of what you create. The value is in the act of creativity itself. The value is in the energy you spend, and the fact that you spend that energy bringing something into being rather than tearing something (or someone) apart. …
Being creative is part of being human. It’s how you know you’re alive. And it’s how you contribute. How you influence. How you have some input about the civilization we’re currently building.
I love that this can happen in our NZ Parliament! Watch: Haka interrupts vote for the Treaty Principles Bill | RNZ News (2.5 minutes):
A haka led by Te Pāti Māori interrupted voting for the Treaty Principles Bill this afternoon.
ACT's Treaty Principles Bill is a disgrace!
The Pied Stilts must be nesting. Based on last year's experience, if you come within 50 to 100 metres of their nest they dive bomb you — they flight straight at you and swerve at the very last moment. 🐦
Maybe I shouldn't post this because there are goosenappers about …
But there are so many Canada Geese around at the moment, it may be safe. 🐦
There were several Caspian Terns on the beach this morning. This new burst of warm sunny weather is bringing the birds back at last. 🐦
I came across an older book I hadn't read from an author whose work I enjoy. This was a really good read: Alias by Cari Hunter. 📚
A car lies crashed below a Welsh mountain road. One of the young women inside it is dead, the other badly injured, with no memory of who she is or what just happened. All she has is a bus pass showing her photograph and a name she doesn’t recognise.
For a calm, quiet, sunny morning there was a bit of energy in the waves. Kāpiti Island in the background. For the Pacific Wave Appreciation Society. 🌊
We visited Palmerston North on errands today so I had my usual favourite lunch: Chicken Teriyaki at Mr Choi.
It's been weeks, what with visiting Whangārei then Deb being quite sick and me being slightly below par. Finally today we went back to the gym, where I did 5 Km on the bike, then some lat pulldowns, rowing, Russian Twists and Overhead Crunches.
Short, but good.
Ohhh, so that's why … How to Tame Sequoia’s Window Tiling - TidBITS:
Have windows on your Mac started to expand to fill the screen since you upgraded to macOS 15 Sequoia? … having windows change size underneath your pointer can be jarring. Luckily, new settings in Sequoia let you move windows around your Mac without having them jump around.
Heavy on the religious minutiae, it was interesting that Sister Joan was able to ferret out wrongdoing in spite of the enormous limitations of a very contained life. I may not read more.
A Vow of Silence (Sister Joan Murder Mystery Book 1) by Veronica Black. 📚
There are whispers of virgin sacrifice and suicide, and the mother prioress certainly wears pink nail varnish. And who is the young man hiding in the bracken?
This book grew on me as I read more, but it didn't entirely grab me. Blindsided (Grace Smith Mystery Book 2)by Liz Evans. 📚
When Grace Smith, a down-on-her-luck private investigator with an unimpressive track record, gets a call from an elderly man about a missing person, she’s not expecting much.
Today's Bird World adventure — the flue of our woodburner wears a 'sock' to keep birds out, so it was very surprising to see this sparrow head sticking out into the lounge in the gap between the flue itself and the plate on the ceiling.
I extracted it enough so it darted off … straight into a window. After 5 minutes resting on the grass it recovered and flew off. Whew! 🐦
Nicely said:
@checkervest I still skip! It's best to be yourself, early and often. Lest you fall in with the wrong crowd by accident. 😀
Volume up! This little Yellowhammer was singing right outside my open door. 🐦
