It was meant to be fine today but it is not and my garden plans have been thwarted. But look at the stunning orange orbs of the persimmon tree.

Caught myself humming "I come from the land of plenty". Mandymins we still call them, because our children may be decades past learning to talk but mandymins and butterbyes will forever be in their parents' vocabulary.

A soggy day and a sodden dog with an attractive yellow form of the ubiquitous red hot poker (kniphofia). In the area we call the wild north garden.

Preparing for the fall. jury.co.nz/2026/05/31/p... Not Lucifer, North American autumn or an older person's trip. Just a tree, albeit one around 40 meters. We don't usually get so much warning when another one will fall.

Made the mistake of watching the news. That warmongering, cockwomble amateur Pete Hegseth can, bluntly, fuck right off on the matter of our defense budget.

Ripening persimmons to dehydrate.

I had to switch nasalising Nicola off. I can not cope with her hypocrisy and smugness. Who had a huge lolly scramble for landlords, Nicola? Who gave tax breaks to Big Tobacco? Who borrowed for unaffordable tax cuts that made no sense at an individual level? Nicola Willis 2024.

Is a duck in a horse padlock the modern equivalent of a storm in a teacup? Or it should be, if Labour has a competent comms team, which does not appear to be the case.

All Luxon knows is that he has no, no, no, he says no, nothing to know here. Or something similar.

We both laughed out loud at "a promise of a law change forcing the gas industry to provide better information on supply and demand." Information disclosed is oft what suits the company best and estimates of remaining gas are just that - estimates. Rough guesses, even.

First saw the Topp Twins at Sweetwaters when they were still performing as Homemade Jam. Absolute standout on the small stage. I still remember them more than MiSex and Elvis Costello. Back in 1980 so before you young'uns were even thought of.

Shopping advice needed. My one and only grandson turns 10 soon. He is Australian born and bred. Now in his Emo/Goth phase. Only wears black, but with colourful socks. And is into black studded wear. New Plymouth does not abound in this sort of product for smol people. Any advice on sources?

Eye glasses? In this convoluted verbiage from our dim PM, is he really harking back to 'eye glasses' of old? Why yes, he is.

Erica Stanford and her 'work books' can get right back 50 years where they belong, to the days when failing children left school the day they turned 15.

Went to high tea at Tupare Garden today. It was very cute but I would never want to live in a Chapman Taylor house. Putting looks and image well above any sense of comfort and convenience.

Well stone the crows and colour me shocked. Basically, what this article says is that even with the current throttling back of gas production, the maximum we have left is somewhere over 8 years. Likely to be best case scenario and based on company guesstimates. www.rnz.co.nz/news/busines...

Like clockwork, we have the first magnolia of the season - M. campbellii which has opened before all its leaves have fallen for the winter.

Not to be too mean, but my photographer friend commented that this candidate's photograph on her many billboards is so heavily photoshopped that it could be mistaken for AI.

Is there a happier sight to start my morning than my FB memory of small grandson in a giraffe hat making a bid for freedom via a smallish dog door?

Steve Braunias doesn't hold back with his description of Paul Goldsmith, countering Mark Todd's hijacking of the Ockham awards and attempts to present his own simplistic life view while excusing this government.

It seems that Dudley, seen here in his younger days, may be at the end of his road. Ol' Iron Bladder, as we used to call him, seems to be incontinent in the night. And I will not wash his bedding every day.

Thank you for your kind invitation to attend the annual cocktail party to be held at the at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, Knightsbridge but I regret we are unable to attend.

We drive an MG4 EV and pay the same road user charge as our staffer's bloated, diesel Holden Colorado which has a bonnet pretty much at my shoulder level. I put this down to the spitefulness of Simeon Brown.

That is the ninth rat caught in the back shed in the last 3 weeks. Ralph is excitedly waiting for his kill - which takes about one second from the trap door being opened.

A little bit of Tikorangi in Norway. jury.co.nz/2026/05/10/f... At about 17500 km away, it may be the furthest one of our plants has reached.

Was Nicola's extended drinks party for the press gallery funded by taxpayers?

Standing in Bin Inn, my nostrils picked up a familiar scent of the 1970s. I have found the place where joss sticks have come to rest. I would not have thought that Whaitara has a big market for joss sticks.

It is, as they say, a dark and stormy night.

It’s the putting right that counts. (L V Martin)

New post from the garden here. jury.co.nz/2026/05/08/a...

Arborists are here taking down a dead crabapple. Not a big job but they will have it done and cleaned up by morning tea when it would take our guys a good day and a half.

Superficial, I know. But Nicola is looking terrifyingly gaunt and thin. Is she unwell?

Not my experience. I had this surgery 10 years ago and the improvement was a miracle for me at the time and the knee has stayed pain-free.

Luxon be fighting fires on many fronts now. That should keep him busy.

My interest level in King Charles hovers around zero, less than zero for his queen. But I feel considerable sympathy for Chas this week. Stay strong, Chas. Stay strong. You will get home again soon.

Daughter on day one after solar installation just yesterday. I am suffering electricity envy.

Are we now witnessing an orchestrated hit job on Maiki Sherman?

On a domestic note, our top loading F&P washing machine is nearing the end of its life. It is somewhere between 25 and 30 years old and owes us nothing. Recommendations gratefully received. Top or front loader? Cycle time is more important to me than saving water.

The bulbs of April in my latest garden post. jury.co.nz/2026/04/27/a...

Sydney daughter is thrilled to have their rooftop solar and battery installed. 18 panels and battery. $13k Inclusive of GST Australian. This is what we could have had happening here if we had a government that didn't think alternative energy was 'woke'.

Last of the summer wine type show with Brian Tamaki, Barry Soper, and that open letter writing guy getting into stupid scrapes and blaming Jacinda Adern (who is absolutely not in the show and has nothing to do with anything) about it

Plenty of fresh snow on te maunga.

A *butter chicken tsunami* is just 'colorful language'? Really? Not racist towards Indians? Also, isn't there something about butter chicken not even being Indian but something devised to suit British colonial palates? Is that what Shane Jones orders when he eats Indian food?

The day has arrived for the first fire of the season. Our version of central heating in that it is in the centre of the house and takes the chill off both on the cold side and upstairs.

Feels like tornado weather here. I mention this so that should one make landfall here soon, I can claim to have predicted it.

I cleaned out my pantry and yet again I ponder whether having 5 different types of cooking oil and 7 different vinegars is affectation, privilege or necessary to our standard of living.

Because we dislike heavy, oversized modern dinnerware, I buy vintage sets from time to time. Last one was getting down on plates so I picked up this - just vintage Noritake but 78 pieces for $100. Should last a decade of daily use.

Imagine being Luxon, knowing that standing behind him is…. Judith Collins trying to suppress her amusement.

If Luxon is gone burgers, does that mean his favorites- young Simeon and wet Goldsmith, will also fall from favour?