Another excellent Braincraft video: How to cope when life is terrible - YouTube.
Aha! 2028 total solar eclipse in New Zealand:
before the total eclipse [on 22 July, 2028], Aotearoa would also be treated to a small dress rehearsal on 22 September 2025.
"There's a really big partial eclipse of the sun which isn't total, but a lot of the sun will be covered."
From Takapō we headed south, with a momentary stop at Lake Pukaki, so blue! I believe that's Aoraki | Mount Cook visible on the right.
I'd forgotten I'd read other books by Judi Daykin, with varying enjoyment. The Wild Thyme Farm Murder (Detective Sara Hirst Book 6) was well-written though, held my attention, and managed to produce several viable suspects. I enjoyed the interactions of the characters. 📚
I haven't visited the beach with my camera so much lately — many of the birds have gone. Today I took the camera and captured this Tarapunga | Red-billed gull. 🐦
About 9 pm at Lake Takapō, in the Dark Sky Reserve (on 23 March 2024). This was the view from our excellent rental apartment. An almost full moon shines on the lake; fog rolls in between the mountains; township lights are muted.
I enjoy Anne Shillolo's murder mystery series, but Murder at Lost Lake: (An Elk Ridge Murder Mystery Book 3) had a couple of important plot points that stretched my belief a little too far. That made the book just a little less enjoyable. 📚
Four victims in one day is a bleak and frightening record.
What bliss! Lying on the outdoor couch on a warm (finally) sunny blue sky day. The distant sea faintly in the background. Bees buzzing nearby. Birds chipping and cheeping and singing. An occasional high plane droning. The tiniest breeze.
What a day to be alive!
Such a moving essay about environment: The Sunday Essay: Piercing the living waters | The Spinoff:
I was promised dolphins, whales, and maybe even manta rays, but the surface of the sea was broken only by wind and the occasional gannet trying its luck.
Apparently in April 2022 I advised myself about having spent too little time
sightseeing:
It's easy to look back decades later and make judgements.
A great reminder as I've recently berated myself for not frequently visiting Takapō when I lived only 2 hours drive away (nearly 50 years ago).
I saw this video a couple of days ago after the huge earthquake in Taiwan and told Deb to watch it. She couldn't find it, so here it is for posterity: Watch: Taiwan earthquake shakes man in rooftop pool.
Bag 3 of the Lego build complete. It required only a minor fix where I must have messed up in a previous stage. 😅
I encouraged this little Southern Bell Frog out of the garage yesterday. So glad to spot a frog again — they seem to have been in short supply.
MB April Photo Challenge: windy 📷
Sasha, tail flying, on a windy day at Waikawa Beach in August 2019.
Just before our tour to the Mt John observatories (photos strongly discouraged up there because of stray light). This was Lake Takapō at 8 pm with fog rolling in through the mountains and an almost full moon illuminating the lake.
Takapō is so beautiful.
Having recently visited Tekapo I was intrigued by this new murder mystery set there: Dark Sky: Murder among the stars - by Marie Connolly. But I don't buy / read books on paper (it's a real chore for me) and it seems there's no ebook. 😢 📚
Not a new thought, but today it really hit home to me — someone on the radio said "grow the economy" and I thought: what say as a society we valued wellbeing above all else (rather than growth or money)? Wellbeing of humans, plants, animals, the planet, communities, nations, businesses …
According to the team behind the study, extra effort needs to be made to educate people about the benefits of good sleep and the link between poor sleep and poor health.
Yup, keep 'educating' me on how my poor sleep endangers my health. That's sure to help … 😵💫
Maybe half way between Temuka and Takapō is Fairlie, with its James MacKenzie and Dog statue.
is named after James Mackenzie, a shepherd and would-be farmer. … Said to be immensely strong physically, he was admired as a rebel who challenged the powerful and wealthy in a class-conscious community.
I was doubtful about The Jenny Starling Mysteries Books 1–4 by Faith Martin at first but really rather enjoyed the books with their understated gentle humour. 📚
When she wasn’t saving the trees, whales, or whatever else needed saving, Jenny’s mother was painting; and painting anything at all that took her fancy. Her daughter’s long-suffering van, council walls, park benches — once, even a neighbour’s poodle …
Books:
- The Birthday Mystery
- The Winter Mystery
- The Riverboat Mystery
- The Castle Mystery