Stovetop espresso maker and Breville Smart Oven. Easy.

There doesn't seem to be a single mushroom recipe in any of my cookbooks.

Spotted a white thing. It couldn't be, I thought. It's much too early. But then the next day, there was more of them. Sure enough. 🍄

Oh goodie. I did my search on Papers Past a bit different today and found another whole cache of tea on my great grandfather.

Still no Luxon? Weird, thought he'd be back at work by now...even my local charity shops are all open again and back at it, but no word of the PM...

Not back at my job for a few days, but never really stopped working on Kat's Nip. I submitted some files to the printers today, and exciting things are happening in amongst the more normal and mundane things like harvest and processing.

When you think you're all done and go to have a wee brag about it, then notice a glaring problem which is going to require a fairly significant redesign. Sigh.

One of the most profound things I’ve heard recently was that the advantages of solar and wind power is that you don’t invade other countries for their wind or their sunlight…

"anthropomorphised probability engine"

We're about to be subjected to AI propaganda like never before. Yay.

It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month. It’s about oil and regime change. And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for Far North. Go to https://metservice.com/warnings/home for more information

Pretty sure I have figured out how to take consistent and well-lit photos and video of both my hands making catnip toys without a second person, so that's a win for the day.

Hi. Does anyone have a fruiting apricot tree who would be willing to send me 30-40 apricot stones later in the season? I'm not realistically gonna buy and eat that many apricots for the stones, and we don't get the frosts for fruit, but I want to try a thing.

And if you want a Mamdani, you need to volunteer with a ground campaign. You need to talk to people irl about the policies your candidate is fronting and why they're a good thing. It's not just charisma, it's support. Support against bad actors and support to rally wider political momentum.

I have been trying to get this shot for days.

I will take it 🥔

UPDATE: The mouse ran into the bathroom where Sergei was convalescing. The ancient, skeletal, one-eyed cat dispatched it with surgical precision, while all the able-bodied cats ran around like doofuses. Therefore, I shall update my new year wishes: May all your problems be self-limiting.

Today's little farm jobs are to check the entire fenceline; and spray gorse, thistles, and ragwort in our "Number 1" paddock. This is made way easier by the fact we can access our tools and potions in the sheds. Thanks, yesterday-us!

this is been through a crisis PR because they're talking percentages instead of number 125,000 is about the population of dunedin

My StoryGraph Wrapped came though.

In 2024, I read 8 books. In 2025, I read 100 books. Here are 5 thoughts on what I think helped. 1. Start with something you like. Preferably a series you know you'll rip through. Start this in January. Give yourself the dopamine of getting through a few you already know you can read and enjoy. 1/5

R and I have decided that both our sheds need tidying up, so we're each gonna work on one today in the hopes that we'll be able to actually access our tools and materials for all the other things we'd like to do this year.

I do almost all my reading via audiobook because the amount of time I am available for uninterrupted holding and staring is much less than the amount of time I am available for listening

Ado, by Ursula Bethell. This poem was published in 1929 and I feel it in 2026.

Stayed up til 1am last night so I could record my first finished book of the year. Not the smartest call in the light of morning; but at least I stayed up late reading one night this holiday.

Here, at time of writing (first minutes of 2026) is what I understand to be the case about the Manage My Health data breach. I am writing this out as a what I know and why (and don't know) as of now to help anyone trying to explain this to others. This is a data breach with stolen patient data.

Happy New Year pocket pals.

I think my garden ladies out there will appreciate this. By Evelyn Hayes. From 'From a Garden in the Antipodes', which I'm pretty sure will be fully proof-read on WikiSource soon...

Kazu, the group/individual behind the ManageMyHealth breach, has posted some samples of the data for verification and they all appear to be legitimate. Among other things, there are test results (ie; Labtests), referral letters, patient health summaries, hospital ED summaries and other letters

Didn't put on a load of towels due to thunderstorm warnings, but absolutely could have washed and dried a load of towels today 😖

I'm not an economist or historian, so this is only vibes... But I tend to think that the times we generally think of as the most prosperous (in NZ, Australia, UK and US at least) were the times with the strongest worker strength (unions) and the most public/government investment.

Free yourself from feeling like you have to continue reading a book you aren't enjoying. It shouldn't be a chore. Even if you're over halfway through and you realize you just don't care whodunit* *based on a true story of me going "oh ugh I just hate everyone in this book and don't care"

Related: if you like electronic or audio formats, look at Gutenberg or Librivox. Gutenberg has 75,000 free ebooks of all sorts; Librivox has thousands of free audiobooks. All done and checked by volunteers.

In 2024, I read 8 books. In 2025, I read 100 books. Here are 5 thoughts on what I think helped. 1. Start with something you like. Preferably a series you know you'll rip through. Start this in January. Give yourself the dopamine of getting through a few you already know you can read and enjoy. 1/5

Gosh I’m glad I found out that the portal that holds my health data may have been breached via the news rather than direct communication from them ManageMyHealth investigating possible cyber breach www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

@melbailey.bsky.social I've just done the maths and realised today is your birthday. Happy birthday!!

Next task on the agenda is to clear the fridge of stuff we'll probably never finish, and compost it, to make room for the New Year cheesecake that needs making very soon if we're gonna eat it before midnight.

10am and we are just about to leave town, so not quite safely home. But I would not want to be out much later today. The madness is already real.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for Northland,Auckland,Waikato,Waitomo,Taumarunui,Taranaki,Taihape,Wanganui,Manawatu,Tararua,Kapiti-Horowhenua,Wairarapa,Wellington. Go to https://metservice.com/warnings/home for more information

Popping our heads out of the compound today to take the trash to the transfer station, re-supply, and pick up some Boxing Day purchases. Hoping to be home again by 10am, and that everyone else is sleeping in.

Freezing most of our berries now and keeping out the nicest ones to eat fresh. Separating the blueberries from the other berries because I really want to make blueberry muffins but there's never enough at once for a batch, so I have to save them up over time.

This is a fun summer project that is also going to take years of hunting out and growing weird plants before I'm done. I don't have a lot of cookbooks, but the ones I do have are quite intentional. This one is full of fun side quests.

I used the last of the red onions to make a batch of Bright Pickled Onions from my new cookbook. I think I'll try a batch of Crispy Fried Shallots (and shallot oil) after I pull them up out of the garden.

Apparently I gardened too hard yesterday, and now my body has complaints.

The power is back on!!

If anyone has a hook up for calabrian chilli seeds, I'm looking 👀

I don't want gen AI in my browser I don't want gen AI in my pc I don't want gen AI in my art I don't want gen AI in my games I don't want gen AI in my music I don't want gen AI in my movies I don't want gen AI in my books I don't want gen AI in my cart I don't want gen AI in my life

I think in 2026 I'll aim to read 50 books, because I'll be studying and I'm not sure I'll have the bandwidth for 100. But amongst those 50, I want to read every day; and read all of Jane Austen's books.

Oh shit it's a vehicle impact.