Well, that was a mistake — to watch Star Trek Picard S03E01 today. Now I have to wait a whole week to see episode 2! Pretty blimmin’ good! 🖖🏼
I enjoyed the lightweight and mildly humorous sci-fi Independent Living (EarthCent Universe Book 1) by E. M. Foner. 📚
a group of retirees leaving Earth and a young woman in EarthCent’s new witness protection … are all going to live on Flower, an enormous alien colony vessel
OK, the plan for tomorrow is to visit Kapiti Island on a day trip. Making sure my camera batteries are charged! I expect to see lots of birds.
0215 and Sasha 🐶 took me a long way down the lane before she had a pee. It’s a beautiful night though, still and not cold. The stars were so bright; Orion setting in the west and Scorpius rising in the east. The Milky Way was stunning. I could even see the Coal Sack by Crux.
There is so much about this book that makes it unlikely I would enjoy it — romance genre, sports, genius level maths…. I was riveted: Simply Connected: A Lesbian/Nonbinary Sports Romance by Alex Washoe. Leaves me with much to think about. 📚
Apparently, Kāpiti Coast earthquake upgraded to magnitude 6.3 〰️:
A strong earthquake centred off the Kāpiti Coast on Wednesday night has been upgraded to a magnitude 6.3.
I’m still shaking. This M6.1 quake started with a really loud noise followed by enough shaking to get me out of the house. No damage though. 〰️
Thanks to @Cheri for mentioning Racing Hearts by Alex Washoe. I kept reading even when other things demanded my attention. 📚
a grumpy/sunshine opposites attract romance.
Contents warnings for encounters with transphobia and bigotry and for depictions of mental health issues.
We had minor wind and rain. Elsewhere in Aotearoa NZ homes, towns, roads are devastated by Ex Cyclone Gabrielle. Then this — Auckland’s emergency pet shelter:
four greyhounds have just come in, the owner had to carry them out of the house in waist-high flood water.
I really enjoyed this Australian light cozy mystery. A gentle fun read: Till Daph Do Us Part (Daphne Jones Mysteries) by Phillipa Nefri Clark. 📚
Daphne Jones has travelled … to officiate a wedding … a member of the bridal party ends up face down in the swimming pool.
My friend Chris makes the very best Afghan biscuits. It’s rare for me to buy Afghans anywhere that are as delicious.
Amazing: we’re under a Strong Wind Warning here in Horowhenua yet it’s barely a bad weather day as yet. A bit grey, almost no wind, a few drops of rain. Meanwhile elsewhere up country there are 12 States of Emergency, flood, slips, gales and worse from Ex Cyclone Gabrielle.
Deb gave me these SealSkinz Waterproof All Weather Ultra Grip Knitted Gloves for my 68th birthday. I’ll be using them as photography gloves, given that these days random fingers go numb when I’m out and about. Not easy to press the shutter when your finger can’t feel it!
Part way through a game of Carcassonne yesterday. A friend was teaching 4 of us how to play. I happened to win, thanks in large part to a farmer who was able to walk to quite a lot of towns.
All those traditional values about owning (strategic) assets…
This wētā made itself big and scary when I mowed the lawn today at the house we’re selling in Ōtaki. I was accordingly cautious and kept my distance.
We went to a friend’s 80th birthday BBQ. One of her guests had done this amazing job icing chocolate cupcakes as if they were roses. So clever!
While organising some papers I found this copy of the September 1945 letter to mum advising her that dad had been freed from the Japanese Prisoner of War camp. Even though it's almost 80 years ago, I've obscured a few details.
The Top 5 Dogs of the Week! makes me tear up every week.
ROFL: Poker Face S01E03 and the racist, fascist, sexist, homophobic MAGA dog! Natasha Lyonne is hilarious.
My car problem could be the transmission, but the mechanic with decades of experience who took it for a drive thinks it’s a sensor problem. Booked for a sensor replacement in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile I can still drive the car. Such a relief.