Alison Campbell
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acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Alison Campbell
@acampbelteacher.bsky.social
930 followers 740 following 3.9K posts
Biology educator, science communicator (I'm retired but still doing both!), foodie, dog-lover, avid reader, & somewhat addicted to cycling for pleasure. Occasional blogger: https://blog.waikato.ac.nz/bioblog/
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acampbelteacher.bsky.social
I stepped out into the garden with the puppy and a balloon drifted over us, quite low, from beyond the trees. (Puppy wasn't bothered ar all.)
A hot-air balloon against a blue early-morning sky. The upper part of the balloon is black with HAMILTON in white all-caps. The lower half is vertical rainbow striped. The flame of the burner is visible above the basket.
November 21, 2025 at 6:36 PM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
I turned the TV on for the puppy...
A very large* mackerel tabby cat staring fixedly at a TV screen, which shows a flat, seed-covered bird feeder with a Grey squirrel sitting at the top right-hand corner. * = 8kg
November 21, 2025 at 5:59 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
New soccer star in the making.
November 19, 2025 at 11:36 PM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Genter, however, says the overall costs of the Roads of National Significance are prohibitive. For context, the Transport Agency values the entire existing 11,000-kilometre state highway network at $85 billion. “So you’re building 17 additional roads, not that great a length in kilometres, for more than 50 percent of that? I just think it’s a promise they’ve made that they can’t keep, that no one can keep,” she says. “They’re promising this huge sum of money on some highways when they’re saying they can’t afford to pay nurses, doctors, teachers, midwives, firefighters. They can’t afford to properly resource the firefighters and nurses to do their job but they have this extraordinary sense that somehow building these roads is going to be worth more money than they have.”
November 19, 2025 at 11:31 PM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
They are nothing but ecological & economic vandals.

The fuel of ‘last resort’: How imported gas became New Zealand’s first choice www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
"Its response, prior to the October announcement, was to dismantle or delay nearly every major Labour-led initiative designed to develop a cleaner, cheaper and more reliable power system. "Among the casualties were the NZ Battery Project, which was exploring both pumped hydro at Lake Onslow and an alternative "portfolio approach", such as flexible geothermal, demand response, grid scale batteries and hydrogen biomass. "That was scrapped in late 2023. Soon afterwards, the Gas Transition Plan, designed to manage declining reserves and ensure supply during the shift away from fossil fuels, was shelved. Plans for offshore-wind farms first stalled in Parliament, and then again because of competing mining proposals. And the GIDI Fund - which co-funded industrial electrification - was cancelled, leaving many firms without support to electrify or switch to other, cleaner fuels."
November 17, 2025 at 6:02 PM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
A couple of evenings ago he discovered the dogs of YouTube ❤️😆
Beau the golden-brown cavoodle puppy staring fixedly at the TV, where the dogs of YouTube are ramping. He is wearing his smart new blue collar.
November 17, 2025 at 8:38 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Dozing snoot - Beau sleeping happily in the shade on a hot Hamilton afternoon.
Puppy dozing in the shade, photo taken at nose level. His paws aren't really that big (forced perspective again). Between them is a little black nose surrounded by snoot, & his eyes are firmly closed. His forehead is reminiscent of Chewbacca's.
November 17, 2025 at 8:34 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Pretty.
A pale mauve poppy viewed from behind, illuminated by the morning sun.
November 16, 2025 at 7:22 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
This young fella came to see if we had leftover fish'n'chips last time we were in Raglan. (We did not.)
Juvenile white-faced heron judging us from the branches of a pohutukawa tree.
November 15, 2025 at 5:10 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Look what popped up in the middle of the Flanders poppies 😍
In the foreground is a slightly frilly mauve poppy (probably a peony poppy) with purple basal markings, yellow ovary, & slightly grey anthers. There's a red Flanders poppy in the background.
November 14, 2025 at 7:33 PM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
"Emails the woman had sent to Mitchell’s official email address had been diverted by a police appointee seconded to his office, on the instruction of Coster’s office, away from Mitchell or his political staff and kept secret, supposedly to be dealt with by police headquarters."
November 13, 2025 at 6:49 PM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
It's poppy season! Peony poppies from our garden. These are all singles; this year's batch of the frilly peony-like multi-petalled flowers aren't particularly exciting. IMO anyway.
Two single-whorl peony poppy buds - a lovely dense pink with white basal patches. A deep crimson single-whorl peony poppy with purply-black basal patches, showing its yellow ovary & creamy white anthers. Red single-whorl peony poppy with almost black basal patches, pale yellow ovary & ring of creamy white anthers. Purple-crimson single-whorl peony poppy with yellow ovary & creamy white anthers.
November 13, 2025 at 6:41 PM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Our philodendron is being suggestive.

And hot 😁
Image shows a white, somewhat phallic, immature philodendron flower thrusting up from a green, white-lined sheath. All surrounded by other green leaves & one flower bud, all spattered with raindrops.
November 13, 2025 at 7:52 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
So much enjoyment from a little tube of cardboard ❤️
November 12, 2025 at 1:36 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
He loves the replacement.
Beau the cavoodle puppy (on the right) with his very own dog (the floppy stuffed toy on the left). Hard to tell where he stops & it starts.
November 11, 2025 at 6:46 PM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
He found one of the old toys we hadn't put away properly after the grand-toddler's last visit. I took it away because, the eyes - but was having so much before that, that I got something similar at the vet.
Very small dog (darker brown) wrestling with a very large toy dog (pale creamy brown). It was hilarious to watch.
November 10, 2025 at 5:47 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Today's (p)update
A very small brown cavoodle puppy lying on his back, mouth open & all 4 paws in the air, enjoying a tummy rub. Beau the tiny cavoodle puppy asleep by the back door with his head on a pale blue running shoe. Please note that he has a perfectly good bed! Beau, a brown cavoodle puppy, lying on the lawn with his white-&-orange giraffe Kong toy.
November 9, 2025 at 5:28 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
The sheer joy of a puppy ❤️
November 7, 2025 at 9:32 PM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Beau was SO good on the car trip home. Snuggled on my lap, snacked, drank, had a pee (on a training pad) - & waddled into the travel crate to spend most of the time asleep ❤️
Beau the cavoodle puppy. Ignore the forced perspective of the photo - he's only 8 weeks old & just a smol doggo. Beau asleep (with Tigger) in the travel crate. While smol, he is also quite long when stretched out. Look at his toe beans!
November 6, 2025 at 7:42 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Floof alert!
November 6, 2025 at 4:51 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
FIVE MORE SLEEPS!!!

Isn't this the most adorable little creature? 💘💘💘
Beau is wearing a pretty blue bow & sporting lovely thick golden fur, while standing on a green mat & giving the vet a side-eye.
October 31, 2025 at 9:13 PM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
More socks! Fiesta socks!!! (The Charlotte Stone pattern is for mandarins, but my choice of a random-knit yarn makes them look like Christmas baubles.)
My latest pair of socks (another Charlotte Stone design). The background colour is pale cream. The brightly-coloured sections are in a random knit (orange, yellow, green, blue, & purply-red). The motifs are supposed to be mandarins (whole & in cross-section), but I'm reliably informed that my yarn choice means they look like Christmas baubles 😁 Fiesta socks!
October 28, 2025 at 6:38 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Counting down the sleeps till our new puppy comes home. Squeeeee!

(He was only 4 weeks old when this was taken.)
Image shows someone (in a pale green sweatshirt) cradling a little brown puppy in their hands. The little puppy is Beau. He was 4 weeks old when the photo was taken & will be 8 weeks old when he joins our whānau ❤️❤️❤️
October 28, 2025 at 6:08 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Dipping the tax collector's fingers in molasses, so fewer coins slip between newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/22/d...
(Meanwhile, a taxation bill before Parliament’s finance select committee would remove Inland Revenue’s ability to investigate the net worth of New Zealand’s wealthiest families and individuals, and would remove transparency requirements for trusts.)
October 23, 2025 at 1:28 AM
acampbelteacher.bsky.social
Chris Slane is on point.
Cartoon by Chris Slane showing a couple with a young child at their front door, looking with sad puzzlement at their teenaged son, who is standing on the path with all his worldly goods. The son is saying "I'm moving home. The government has freed me from dependency on employment *and* benefits."
October 14, 2025 at 7:47 PM