Today on a whim I went to see Bookworm, a New Zealand film:
about a young girl named Mildred embarking on an adventure with her estranged American father Strawn Wise to seek out the mythical Canterbury panther in order to help Mildred's ill mother.
It was an enjoyable way to spend a cold and rainy afternoon. Bonus: gorgeous scenes of Canterbury back country. 🎥
Today I enjoyed a walk through the bush at Papaitonga just up the road at Ōhau. Here are two views of Lake Waiwiri.
On the road out I spotted the first lambs of the season.
This fine pheasant was feeding in the paddock next door. 🐦
20 minutes before sunrise and the Tī Kouka were reflected in lake Puna o te Ora.
Bright in the background, native toetoe, or more probably, invasive pampas.
I have an opinion: I believe "sixths" is the most difficult word in the English language for anyone to pronounce, even native speakers.
I came across the word in a puzzle recently, and have been turning it over since.
The word starts at the front of the mouth for 's', zips to the back with 'k' then the front with 's' and the tongue a little back (x), then the tongue gets in on the more forward act behind the teeth for 'th', then moves back for another 's'.
It's easy to say words ending with 'ths' like "months" or "births". Even "sixth" is manageable. In fact, we're liable to fudge the 'th' a bit by not really saying it, merely hinting at it. But putting that final 's' on the end of "sixths" is a tongue twister.
There's no real way to fudge it, with the 'th' between two 's' sounds.
I guess we're most likely to just leave out the 'th' and say something like: "the glass is 5 sixs full". Or a smart person would say (less accurately) "about 80%".
Crazy language, English!
I'd already read books 6 and 7 as standalones, but enjoyed the other 3 books in this set. Some of the situations became quite bizarre, but the series keeps evolving in an interesting way. The Bea Abbot Agency Mysteries Book 6–10 by Veronica Heley. 📚
The author has some nice turns of phrase.
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.
When I prepared apples for stewing today I put the cores on the picnic table. The Tauhou | Waxeyes were very happy with that arrangement. 🐦
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. 🌊
I finally decided half way through to abandon Murder in Time by Veronica Heley. 📚
The author writes a different series I enjoy but this story has a rape as a central issue and the author's handling of it is weird. It could as well have been a burglary or a mugging. Just not at ease with this book.
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.
Another in a series I enjoy, but not the strongest entrant. Murder at the Hotel (Rina Martin Murder Mystery Book 10) by Jane Adams. 📚
All the usual characters had their parts to play but there was less ferreting out of information and more view into the minds of the suspects.
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.
- Heat the pan.
- Test for a bead of water.
- Add oil then heat it.
- 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.