Miraz Jordan

Sometimes Deb and I go to the gym together, sometimes we go separately. Sometimes I do some weights or core work at home. This was the gym on a quiet day last week. There were a handful of other folks there, but I managed to exclude them from the photo.

In the middle of the day it was warm and sunny. When I glanced up from my book, the snowy mountains were beautiful above the deck railings.

At sunset they were lit from another angle.

It was -3C in the early hours. Now the sun's been up for nearly 2 hours it's crept up to almost 0. The Tararua ranges have snow on the tops.

Busy day preparing food: I steamed broccoli and put it in the freezer, stewed apples, made stew, made celery soup. Then of course, came dish washing.

Much of the soup will go in the freezer, and some of the beef stew, to be enjoyed later this month.

The thing the video below can't convey is how bitter the southerly quarter wind was at the beach today. At least the wind wasn't as strong as yesterday when walking into it was excellent resistance training.

For the Pacific Wave Appreciation Society. 🌊

Came back into the house only to find a completely unexpected visitor. 🐸

It must have come in amongst the kindling, and had gathered fluff and bits of garden stuff on the way.

A modest proposal – language: a feminist guide:

… don’t I think that women and girls can be “just as bad” as men and boys?

If that’s a general claim about moral conduct, then the answer is yes: for me “the radical notion that women are people” entails the belief that women are no more virtuous than men. But if it’s specifically a claim about sexual and domestic violence, then the answer is no, because it simply isn’t true.

Also:

you can mislead, distort or obfuscate by omission: bias isn’t just about what you do say, it’s also about what you choose to leave unsaid.

Such an interesting discussion on Lingthusiasm #90, What visualizing our vowels tells us about who we are, especially:

vowel spaces are linked to other aspects of our identities … as well as gender and sexuality.

… cis straight men tend to have vowels that are all more towards the centre of the vowel space. Everybody else – so cis, straight women, gay men, lesbians, trans people of all genders, nonbinary people – use way more of the vowel space.

48 minutes. Transcript.

Some success today when I made my own variant of Bubble and squeak for lunch. After watching a video about how to cook with stainless steel pans I managed it with very little food sticking to the frypan for a change.

1. Heat the pan.
2. Test for a bead of water.
3. Add oil then heat it.
4. Cook.

A delicious start to the day with Three Moons Oolong tea from Vietnam.

Three Moons is a semi-oxidised oolong that is lightly roasted multiple times over three months – or ‘three moons’ – to give it characteristics of an aged tea. This enigmatic tea reveals fascinating aromas – vegetal notes of roasted green bean intermingled with nut and fruity notes of green apple and melon, followed by a floral finish.

Gym session alongside Deb this morning. She did her thing while I worked on my weights routine. Booked a session with the trainer for later in the week — I'd bet I'm doing some things incorrectly and I hope I can increase a couple of weights slightly.

Bream Bay Strategic Plan 2006:

It is a place unique for its variety of coastal and shoreline bird-life, the Ruakaka and Waipu estuaries and nearby open shores providing an internationally important habitat for several species which are critically endangered. Fairy terns, NZ dotterel and variable oystercatchers all nest and feed on this coast. More common godwit, knot, turnstones, caspian tern, white fronted tern and Australasian gannet use the coast and the estuaries.

Archaeological sites around the estuaries of the Ruakaka and Waipu Rivers include pa, pits and terraces, and extensive midden. Intensive surveys of the coast have yet to be carried out. Sites of historical significance include the Nova Scotian landing at Waipu and the graves of these early immigrants, as well as evidence of gum digging, mining and early sawmilling.

Bream Bay:

Ruakākā
Ruakākā area is made up of Ruakākā Beach, Ruakākā Township and Marsden Point. Ruakākā has seen development due to its proximity to the expansion of the country's only oil refinery at Marsden Point during the 1980s. A timber processing plant at Marsden Point has further stimulated growth.

It's been a welcome quiet day. I went for a brief walk on the beach where I chatted with an acquaintance, D, and his sweet dog, Millie. It was a cool, grey day though, so I was glad to light the fire when I came home.

Earlier this month I sent off a bowel screening test. As expected, I received a negative result. Hooray!

Foxton has a strong Dutch heritage, so when I visited yesterday I ordered Pannenkoeken at the De Molen Cafe. I thought the apple would be cooked inside the pancake rather than lying on top.

The cinnamon sugar was a bit strong, but overall the pancake was delicious.