This morning's tea: a lightly roasted oolong: Bagua Shan Siji Chun 2024:
Following oxidation, compression, rolling and curing, they are gently roasted at the end of processing. The result is a light and silky-soft infusion with moreish notes of sweetened cream, caramelised sugar and flowers.
A Google image search led me to Megabalanus, and then I found my way to Pink Barnacles (Beach Barnacles Of New Zealand) · iNaturalist NZ.
Of course I'd heard of barnacles but I had no idea that's what this is. It's not uncommon to find these on Waikawa Beach.
See also Beloved Barnacles.
This was a quick read, thanks to my enjoying this series so much. I find the main characters very appealing. A False Report by Veronica Heley 📚:
Bea’s investigation leads to the discovery of a circle of crooks with links to high society.
This book introduced me to a nasty practice called The Badger Game.
Interesting — Should you add milk to tea?:
In European salons [in the 1600s], tea was served in delicate fine bone china, easily cracked by the shock of hot tea being poured into the cup. Adding milk first served to reduce the temperature of the infusion, preserving the fragile teaware.
What to expect from 'seal silly season':
Vomiting in public. Snoozing in the middle of busy roads. Hanging out in KFC car parks, and waking up on strangers' couches. … all activities that perfectly normal juvenile seals get up to at this time of year.
Dr Jody Weir, a marine science adviser …, said the period from June to September was commonly referred to as "seal silly season".
Ah, yes, we see young seals on the beach sometimes at this time of year.
One of the book series I really enjoy — Detective Nikki Galena Mysteries (15 book series) by Joy Ellis is available at low cost for a few days. 📚
This is your chance to buy the books if you want to read the series.
Meet Detective Nikki Galena. She will stop at nothing to avenge her daughter. Under the brooding skies of the Lincolnshire Fens, she pursues the most vicious criminals.
How kiwi returned to Wellington
We learned that in areas with no pest control, virtually 90-100% of chicks were being eaten before they could defend themselves. The number one perpetrator was the stoat.
Yay, Season 10 of The Brokenwood Mysteries has started on TVNZ. Episode 1:
After dinosaur fossils are discovered in the foothills of Brokenwood, the town buzzes about the potential boost for tourism. But when a paleontologist turns up dead, the future doesn't look so rosy.
Excellent episode!
Today I attended a really interesting talk by Associate Professor Phil Battley, Zoology & Ecology Group, Massey University at the local Forest and Bird branch meeting.
Red Knots … The Secrets they Hold
Despite being the second-most numerous Arctic shorebird species to visit Aotearoa, the migrations of red knots / huahou to and from their Russian breeding grounds have been largely mysterious. …
I haven't seen Red Knots at Waikawa Beach but they are found just up the road at the Manawatū Estuary.
I wasn't really expecting to enjoy The Bea Abbot Agency Mysteries Books 1–5 box set by Veronica Heley but I was quite wrong. 📚
The characters are interesting and evolve over time. Mrs Abbott has delightful quirks, such as perhaps wanting to wring an annoying neck, but talking herself out of it.
There were two Tīrairaka | New Zealand fantails at the beach this morning. They're so small and I was so far away. And they flit around constantly.
Length: 16 cm; Weight: 8 g
This is an extreme crop.
Oh yeah, I always like to start off the day with a good belt of Smirnoff and lemon … Heh, no! I haven't drunk alcohol for decades now. I picked this up off the side of the road on the way to the beach.
A bit of a rainbow.
That's quite an impressive weather system over Aotearoa at the moment.
Via earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions.
An acquaintance who lives not far away messaged me to ask if I'd like a load of good quality horsepoop for the garden. I happily said Yes, of course.
They delivered it the other day. That's about 5 barrow loads. One horse produces that much each week.
I'm continuing to simplify my life and to step back a bit from all kinds of things. I've just sent out the final edition of the Waikawa Newsletter and will no longer be updating the Waikawa News blog, though I need to create a new homepage to make it easier to find information from the archive.
I've written more than 600 Waikawa News posts in the last 2 years. In the 5 years before that I wrote more than 700 posts on the local Ratepayers organisation blog.
Time now to just focus on my own personal blog and to be less involved in hyperlocal matters.
At 7 am, still about 40 minutes before sunrise, I stepped on to the beach. Although there was barely any light the pair of Paradise Ducks on the nearby remnant lagoon loudly announced my arrival. In the background are a few birds twittering. 🐦
Mindblowing: I talked to people who had never seen trees
!
Great 11 minute video — Canadian Arctic Expedition:
Snowy Owls, Ivory Gulls, and Sanderlings were the targets on a Cornell Lab expedition to collect sound recordings in the Canadian High Arctic.
Such a thoughtful and considered article. Everyone should read this — Weighing in on "Man or Bear":
the most common question I get about my travels is some version of, “Aren’t you afraid to bike/hike/travel alone as a woman?” By naming my gender, the implication is clear. What people really mean is, “Aren’t you afraid of men?”