Sasha, aged 16 and a quarter. Her back legs, well all her legs, are having trouble supporting her. Breakfast was a bit of a problem this morning. 🐶

Today will be a Very Good Day for her with her favourite foods and treats. Her friend Willow will visit too.

Small dogs with back legs at a poor angle for standing while she eats.
Another view. Small dogs with back legs at a poor angle for standing while she eats.

Look at this little poppet, back in February 2007 when she was just 3 months old. Sasha's come a long way in the last 16 years! 🐶

Chubby black puppy lying tummy down on a wooden floor with legs splayed.

Sasha, aged 16 and a bit, was out to it on her rug, until I poked my phone in her face. 🐶

Old black dog fast asleep on rug and floor.
Close up on the elderly dog's face.
Close up on the dog's face after she moved her head.

I’m so thrilled. Look at this shot I got tonight (iPhone 13 Pro) at our wee star viewing. Crescent Moon with Venus and bird. Below that cloud, then a strip of sea, a strip of sand, river.

Crescent Moon, Venus and bird at dusk.

Crescent Moon and Venus. @odd

Crescent Moon and Venus

Sasha in her crate earlier today. 🐶

Small black dog asleep in her crate.
Small black dog, close up on face.

I prefer my own company to groups, so what induced me to organise a community Star Viewing tonight? These are things I’m hoping we can find / look at:

  • Sirius
  • Orion
  • Orion Nebula
  • Taurus
  • Pleiades
  • Mars
  • Southern Cross
  • Large and Small Magellanic Clouds
  • Beehive Cluster
  • Milky Way.

The sleepy eye of morning.

A strip of orange sky at sunrise, resembling an opening eye.

Back in January I made Crusty French Bread Rolls and results weren’t great. I tried again today, with the mixer, and they’re my most delicious bread rolls yet!

Before and after baking. They could have been a little taller, but they’re light and tasty. Recipe

French Bread rolls with butter glaze before baking.
Bread rolls fresh from the oven.

This is the time of year for the couple of Yucca gloriosa in the dunes to flower. The long lens in the first photo makes distant hills look really close.

Yucca flowering in the dunes seen from the track onto the beach.
Yucca flowering in the dunes — closer.
Yucca flowering in the dunes — closeup.

Thinking about that 1.5C global warming number … it seems so tiny, yet its effects are huge. We need to find a Consequences Score (CS) and start to use that. Let’s start talking about reducing the CS from 1,000,000 to 100,000, for example. A score of 1,000,000 feels enormous; 100,000 manageable.

Every morning I check earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions to see what’s going on with weather around Aotearoa New Zealand. I find it educational and informative too. I love seeing how the land forms affect wind flow. Bought them a coffee today.

Wind shears along the east coast on 22 March 2023.

Watched B5 S01E03, Born to the Purple, with its love, intrigues, machinations, wiles, compulsion, slavery, compassion and forgiveness. B5️⃣

BTW: Sasha has to stand on the carpet now to eat her meals as otherwise her legs slide out from under her. She no longer has sufficient strength in her legs to control that.

She used to eat sitting down (she has a long body). Even a year ago she was still able to do that. 🐶

Sasha in March 2022 eating from a bowl on the floor, while sitting.

Sasha told me at length that breakfast didn’t meet her requirements. Only after I added some of the expensive gourmet wet food did she consent to eat it. 🐶

I hope when I’m her age (16 as a dog, but the vet says that’s like being 100 as a human) I get that kind of consideration for my wishes.

Small black dog eating from a bowl on the floor.

Thanks to a crossword I have now heard of three Impressionist painters: Marie Bracquemond, Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt. Lovely!

Watched B5 S01E02, Soul Hunter. Interesting ideas about how different cultures can view something from opposing perspectives. We learned some interesting things about the Minbari called Delenn, who is more than she seems. B5️⃣

And I say again: “Sea levels are rising. We gotta deal with climate change.” 🐦

Gull in the estuary, leg completely underwater, beak wide open as though shouting.

Watching Lingthusiasm: Bringing stories to life in Auslan - Interview with Gabrielle Hodge. I have utmost respect for sign language interpreters who are saying what went a moment ago while observing what is current. What skill! Paying such close attention must be exhausting.

Screenshot from Interview with Gabrielle Hodge.

Oh Siri … sometimes you drive me pineapples!

Me: Hey Siri, add Vanilla Wine Biscuits to the Groceries List.

Siri: OK, I’ve added chocolate to the Groceries list.

What????