1st September and I’m STILL picking tomatoes ripening in the garden 😳 This is NOT normal. #nz #aotearoa #climatechange

Thank you internet, that’s one less cabbage white going to hatch out now!

A casualty of our recent stormy weather rescued
Monarch butterfly chrysalis
#aotearoa

This kukupa/kererū has become a regular visitor in our garden of late. Question is, will they hang around to be counted in the #nzgardenbirdsurvey or will they be like the kōtare and show up either side of the counting?

Around 8yrs of saved blister packs about to be sent off to Terracycle. I bought the box in a sale last year and have crammed it to bursting (lots of tape used!) The cost doesn’t seem so bad when it covers 8yrs!

Last bit…
I’m beginning to fear that at this rate it’s going to need a military coup to get him out of the White House.

A fFriend shared this in the other place this week. It looks like that Big Beautiful Bill has some very sneaky stuff tucked in there

What do the ants know that we don’t? I keep finding clusters of ants, mostly sitting still in odd places. This is by far the largest though. Ironically one cluster was under a lid with ant-bait in. Some clusters are about the size of a 20c coin. But all are mostly stationary. What’s going on?! #nz

Seeing as this is creating quite a bit of interest in that other place, here are progress photos of my first homegrown bunch of bananas! Very exciting for someone who spent the first 35yrs of their life in the UK with literally freezing cold winters.
#Aotearoa #TeTaiTokerau

Plum blossom. In mid May. This is most definitely Not Normal. #aotearoa #nz

First Monarch chrysalis I’ve spotted this year. Lots more caterpillars though 😊

I’ve got painting to do too, but not in this humidity!

‘a big, beautiful ocean as separation’?🤦🏽‍♀️

And the winning outfit award at Waitangi this year goes to the Whaea with the ‘Gang’ patch safety pinned to her shirt. Genius.

This poem ‘First they came for…’ by Pastor Martin Niemöller has been preying on my mind a lot lately. How long will it take for people to realise that certain populist politicians have no real interest in the wellbeing of their voters, just themselves, the ‘broligarchy’ of the USA, & their cronies?

Ah the joys of that ‘forward 15 seconds’ option repeatedly pressed until safe listening is resumed. It’s going to be a long four years…

One of my aims for 2025 was to finish the various paperbacks that I had started last year which got abandoned in favour of ebooks and audiobooks when my energy levels were really low. I’ve just finished the second, but will start it again reading each month’s chapter as the year progresses…