Saw this gorgeous creature on my walk today. Aotearoa has the best birds and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.

Got to pat an eight month old French bulldog on my walk today. Joyous.

When folks confuse you for an American political strategist…

Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth are the hottest Lizzy and Darcy - Fight Me.

Very demure, very mindful.

Binge watching Lost for the first time, because, why not, and Season 1 Ep 18 has the worst attempt at an Australian I’ve ever heard. Unless this lady living in the Australian outback is actually an Australian, Kiwi, South African?

Watching Black Doves. Gosh the Brits know how to spin a good yarn.

Meanwhile here in my small city in Aotearoa New Zealand: The local press are running an article seeking to find someone who forgot to take two tea cups when they bought a dinner set at a garage sale. (Oh no!) This is news here. It is wonderful. 😊🌻

Let the long weekend begin. 🥳🎉

Hi all - just jumping back here to say most powerful Aurora Australis in our lifetime is happening right now. Possibly strongest aurora in over 100 years. Basically if the data holds ALL OF NEW ZEALAND will see aurora it with their naked eyes, possibly even full colour & dancing lights after dark

Quite happy with the latest effort (except for the orange one).

Connections Puzzle #320 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Wordle 1,042 2/6 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 😳😳😳

I think I’m the only one who kind of liked Connections today.

Just emerged from our wee whare in a state of undress to investigate sounds foreign to mine ear when a man in a large balloon directly overhead bid me good day

Would anyone be able to suggest where I could get the string replaced on my brother’s pounamu necklace please? I’m in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Mōrena. Here, have a quiz to start your long weekend Saturday.

"That sounds less like a “legislative plan” than no plan at all in search of an alibi." John Campbell: Our water infrastructure is in the poo www.1news.co.nz/2024/03/23/j...

Balloons this morning. 🎈🌅

Excellent way to start your day.

More brilliant writing by John Campbell. #nzpol

If that speech really pissed you off and you'd like to read and support regular critique of such things, please consider a sub to this plucky little newsletter subslack.substack.com/p/believe-in...

Looking for an accountant with understanding of writing income (including overseas payments) in the Ōtautahi area. I've been with my accountant from Dunedin for 18 years but time to shift base. I do a lot of prep work before handing over my accounts. Do NOT want to do the tax stuff myself

“It’s a new form of civil wrong we’re proposing, which would recognise there is a legal duty to stop contributing to the climate crisis, and the Supreme Court has agreed that we have the right to argue for that.” — Michael Smith.

If you don’t write the thing on the task list and tick it off after you did the thing, did you even do the thing?

A bit of fun for Saturday morning. Weekly Te Reo Māori Quiz: Rāhoroi, Pēpuere 17

Sign me up.

When folks say we live in a meritocracy I look at the wombats who are “running” the country and I laugh, and laugh… #nzpol

Here's a few new dahlias. I love how different they all are. 🌱🇳🇿 #flowerreport

Coming open.substack.com/pub/subslack...

Go well little guy. You were the best horse anyone could ever wish for.

Biblical about the beast with three backs running our smoking policy open.substack.com/pub/subslack...

Whoeee. I’ve been watching a bunch of YouTube videos of sov cits getting their butts handed to them in court. It’s wild!

Please sign and share widely. Chris Hipkins’ petition to oppose ACTs treaty principles bill. petitions.parliament.nz/47610fe8-f47...?

One of the things I enjoy about going up to the farm is all the capable, confident women up there. Driving massive tractors, zipping about on quads, expertly reversing horse floats into parking spots barely wider than the float, handling horses that weigh ten times as much as they do. Love it.

Thinking of tackling the Hooker Valley track within the next month or two. Does anyone know how 'solo-female' friendly it is? 🏔 🇳🇿

Two #kakapo are on their way back south after repeatedly escaping from Maungatautari fenced sanctuary. We’re working hard to understand how and why the kākāpō are getting out, and how to stop them! This week we’ll be testing new tracking tech. #conservation 📸 Dani Whitaker

Saw some sort of furious cloud today.

Kia ora Tauranga peeps - a whanaunga of mine is looking for a rental in Tauranga. Needs to be 3+ rooms and they need to be in by 18 Feb. Anyone have any info or leads for them?

Anyone want to come cook my dinner for me? I’m shattered.

Weekend freebie. If you like this sort of thing, please take a look at the subscription possibilities subslack.substack.com/p/trying-to-...

A bloody stupid idea

I think I need to win $250 on lotto this weekend. 🥰

I waited 15 months for a cardiac MRI. Within days of having that, I got a letter saying I was waitlisted for an Echo. I was going to cancel it until I read it would be up to a YEAR before I’d be seen, due increased demand caused by Covid. So yeah, stop funding boosters. That’ll work out swell.

I wrote a thing and The Press published it this morning 👇

Content warning: Food That’s a wrap. (See what I did there?)

Aotearoa relevance klaxon: Watching an old episode of QI and they’re talking about how well Ardern handed the pandemic. 🥺 I miss having a PM who cared.

I’m beginning to think that the worst thing John Key did as PM was to lend that little cockwomble Seymour an air of legitimacy. #NZPol

Long-form journalism engaging with actual research. Another bloody good piece from this fella. www.1news.co.nz/2024/01/21/j...

Re this Te Tiriti vandalism, it feels like it would be appropriate to add “any similarity to the meaning and intent of the original signed document is purely coincidental”.