Ness
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nessau.bsky.social
Ness
@nessau.bsky.social
150 followers 190 following 120 posts
Vegetation ecologist & research laboratory manager - on pause (MECFS / LC). Also: fire behaviour, libraries, cultural preservation, music, guinea pigs, TNR cats, sunsets.
AUS
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nessau.bsky.social
This photo represents one of the proudest moments of my entire life. He was so trap-shy!

Contrasting with our tuxedo TNR guy who I had to lock up on trapping nights because he was so trap-happy 😆 (Anything for an extra feed haha)
Blurry photo of a half-crouched, half-loafed grey & white cow kitty inside a towel-lined cat trap that is open at both ends. There's a blanket & tub on top of the trap. It's outdoors, the photo is taken through a gate, and there's a bright blue seedling tray in the foreground.
October 2, 2025 at 11:34 PM
nessau.bsky.social
victims,' he said.”

Now, compare that statement from last week - which turned out to be wildly inaccurate - to this one from 1970:

“…the diagnosis of hysteria in its epidemic form is not a slur on either the individuals or the institution involved. Whereas it is true that sporadic cases of...
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Many people will feel that the diagnosis of hysteria is distasteful. This ought not to prevent its discussion, but perhaps makes it worthwhile to point out that the diagnosis of hysteria in its epidemic form is not a slur on either the individuals or the institution involved. Whereas it is true that sporadic cases of hysterical disability often have disordered personalities, the hysterical reaction is part of everyone's potential and can be elicited in any individual by the right set of circumstances. Source: McEvedy CP, Beard AW (1970) Royal Free Epidemic of 1955: A Reconsideration, The British Medical Journal, Vol 1: No. 5687: 7-11
September 17, 2025 at 2:54 PM
nessau.bsky.social
Two lovely cats in foster care, seeking homes - please repost if you can 🙏

Brisbane/south-east Queensland - Australia.

Philomena is a former Community Cat who was taken in for surgery after an injury, but she's fully recovered now.

Call Monica-0403792233

1/5
Philomena: White cat with pale brown patches is alert, looking directly at the camera while she loafs on a floral-patterned cushion Joseph: A white cat with pink nose is half-sprawled on a pet bed, looking towards the camera with ears pointing slightly back
August 3, 2025 at 4:21 AM
nessau.bsky.social
I visited some of the #TNR cats today ❤️

There was an old house brick nearby, so I put tasty treats inside the brick holes and a couple of kitties had a great time poking the food back out to eat.

Ah, pls disregard the bit when Bluey swats Louis in the face...they're still besties, honest! 🫶 (0:31)
July 1, 2025 at 8:07 AM
nessau.bsky.social
I made it outdoors briefly.

The last of today's winter sunset - a still evening under a high pressure system. A few days until full moon
Peach colours in the sunset, with the tops of houses & a bougainvillea shrub in silhouette.
June 6, 2025 at 8:04 AM
nessau.bsky.social
[May is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome awareness month]

Fatigue isn't just 'tired'... 🧵

Fatigue is perpetually thinking that you'll feel a bit better if you rest that little bit longer...but hours and days later, the lead blanket is just as heavy.

#ME/CFS #LongCovid

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A blue ribbon beside the text, "ME/CFS May International Awareness Month", plus the ME/CFS Australia logo An app-generated line art rendering of a photo showing the head and neck of a person lying in bed. They're looking directly at the camera but look dishevelled and slightly unwell.
May 19, 2025 at 3:26 PM
nessau.bsky.social
Two days in a row!

This one is zoomed in, though.

That's mum (Bluey) snacking from in bed 😆
Ear-tipped brown-grey & white cow kitty and blue-grey tabby & white kitty are both in a cat bed. Cow kitty is on his side, looking at me and alert. Tabby is loafed with neck outstretched to grab a mouthful of cat biccies from an adjacent food bowl
May 14, 2025 at 6:27 AM
nessau.bsky.social
This is a rare close-up photo of #TNR Community Cat Louis (no, it's not zoomed in!) And only the 2nd time I've seen him use the bed.
He was super relaxed after a good feed, naww.
His background: found with his also-stray mum in a shed at about weaning age; *very* slowly socialised over these 2 years
Ear-tipped brown-grey & white cow kitty lies on his side in a pet bed, with eyes firmly closed. He's up high inside an outdoor night-time enclosure with mesh and vegetation in the background
May 13, 2025 at 11:23 PM
nessau.bsky.social
I visited some of our resident #TNR kitties earlier this week.

Mr White Socks is content to sit near me after eating his evening meal. Bluey and Louis are up high to catch the last rays of the day
Ear-tipped tuxedo cat sits on top of a cloth carrier as I sit on the ground beside him. He's looking past me to his left. He's relaxed but alert with his ears up and eyes open. He's in shade with streaks of light behind him Ear-tipped grey & white tabby & cow kitty sit a short distance apart, up high on corrugated iron sheets. There are streaks of late afternoon light across them. They're both looking directly at me
May 6, 2025 at 7:51 AM
nessau.bsky.social
On days when I can, I love catching the last moments of sunset from my bed
#ME/CFS #LongCovid
A west-facing window with a burgundy curtain tied back. Through the glass is a pawpaw tree, another house, and a small section of sky that's pale orange now that the sun has gone below the horizon. Photo taken from my bed
May 6, 2025 at 7:35 AM
nessau.bsky.social
Mr White Socks got bored of waiting....he's an adorable and playful companion!
An ear-tipped tuxedo cat (black with white chest/belly/paws) has the corner of my maroon hoodie jacket in his mouth. His front paw is on my bare food as he pauses mid-play. We're on a timber deck Mr White Socks - an ear-tipped tuxedo cat - is out of focus as lies on his side and bunny kicks, while biting the corner of my hoodie jacket and grabbing it with both front paws. He's playing on our front deck
April 7, 2025 at 11:12 PM
nessau.bsky.social
Nearly breakfast time for Bluey, Louis & Mr White Socks on the front deck (they are 3 of our #TNR residents)
An ear-tipped tuxedo cat looks over his shoulder at me as he lies sprawled out. A small blue tabby and a cow kitty sit on separate chairs in the background. They're on our (mostly-finished but not painted) front deck. The air is relaxed but expectant Zoom-in on a small blue tabby with white chest & paws, loosely loafing on a chair (Bluey). Behind her, a grey & white cow kitty lies on another chair. Both are ear-tipped and have their heads up to look at a passing bird
April 7, 2025 at 11:12 PM
nessau.bsky.social
A #TNR kitty patiently waiting for her dinner tonight

(Those little front paws are ❤️❤️)
A fluffy ear-tipped cat sits on a path in our backyard. She's dark chocolate-brown with a bit of white showing on her chest. Her front paws are adorably held together, and she's alert as she listens to a few other TNR cats nearby.
April 7, 2025 at 12:51 PM
nessau.bsky.social
HOPE

It's 1001 nights since I got COVID-19. 1001 nights of uncertainty, instability and loss. My world turned upside down. But somehow, after 1001 nights, hope is still alive.

#ME/CFS #LongCovid

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Flowery cross-stitch in green, yellow, pink and blue surrounds the juxtaposed stitched message, "The horrors persist but so do I". Credit: secretsfromwholecloth
March 23, 2025 at 1:21 PM
nessau.bsky.social
How chilled is this lass? That's Bluey, a #TNR kitty, relaxing on rafters in her night pen. We try to keep our regular TNR cats inside this coop or in a building at night for their protection and for our native wildlife. They have plush beds and various hides in there, but I guess she likes the view
Ear-tipped blue-grey tabby is somehow managing to sprawl out while being perched on overhead rafters. She's resting her head but her eyes and ears are taking in her surrounds. There's a small space between the timbers she's resting on and the corrugated iron roof. The coop walls are mesh and there's shrubbery in the background.
March 17, 2025 at 2:33 PM
nessau.bsky.social
Corn husks! Tasty 😋

They only get them occasionally so they think it's a great treat ... so much that bold Lettie (black, back right) was about to steal some from Edith's mouth (multicolour long-hair with wide nose stripe). The attempt was unsuccessful & Lettie sensibly went and got her own piece
Five guinea pigs of assorted colours/cross-breeds are loosely clustered at the far end of their cage, nibbling on pieces of corn husk. There's a red fleece between them - it has one of their ice bricks inside because it was unseasonably hot today.
March 17, 2025 at 2:16 PM
nessau.bsky.social
I'm not very experienced, but going back to the vet clinic a 2nd time actually accelerated progress towards cuddles for one of our skittish young TNR residents, rather than being the setback I'd anticipated. I thought it'd break trust, but it reinforced it in his case. This guy ⬇️
Ear-tipped dark grey-on-white cat is sprawled on his side, bathing his forearms while resting on rusty corrugated iron. There's a fence and shrubbery in the background.
March 13, 2025 at 3:19 AM
nessau.bsky.social
Dessert tonight is cos lettuce, capsicum, two types of cucumber, tiny slices of sweet potato, and strawberries as a special treat.

Plus a hay top-up, of course.

#cavy #guineapig
5 guinea pigs of various colours are at the back of their cage, busy munching their way through a small pile of veggies. They're in a C&C cage lined with grey vetbed. In the foreground is a ceramic tile, which is there as a cool surface to lie on since the weather has been really warm lately.
February 19, 2025 at 1:13 PM
nessau.bsky.social
A cute little floof-ball making herself comfy on one of the patio couches.

She was the first of our #TNR residents. We'd see her in the yard from mid-2021, though it took around a year before she got up the courage to approach us. She's a very different cat these days!
An ear-tipped cat lies on her side on an aqua-coloured sofa. She's dark chocolate-brown and fluffy. She's looking at the camera with partly open eyes because she's busy resting and only vaguely interested in what the human is doing.
February 18, 2025 at 1:37 AM
nessau.bsky.social
Some #TNR kitties doing their best at life 😻

The tuxedo has been with us since early 2023 - probably abandoned. The other 2 (we think they're mum & bub) turned up about 3 months later - we think born stray, but willing to be patted by trusted humans these days
Three ear-tipped cats sit around a plate of pet mince. The blueish tabby and the grey & white cow-kitty are busy chewing. The tuxedo cat is about to grab another mouthful. They're on a paved area outdoors with metal and timber in the background
February 18, 2025 at 1:24 AM
nessau.bsky.social
Breakfast was hay and fresh grass. Now it's time for the serious business of morning tea pellets for these furry potatoes

#GuineaPig #Cavy
5 guinea pigs sit huddled around 2 bowls of pellets. They're munching and look relaxed and content. They're in a corner of their C&C cage that's lined with grey paw-print vetbed
February 18, 2025 at 1:09 AM
nessau.bsky.social
Three of our resident #TNR kitties enjoying mince in the late afternoon sun
3 cats sit in a small circle. A tuxedo cat on the left has his head down to eat. The other two are sitting upright but looking at a piece of mince on the pavers. On the right is a grey and white cat with a long tail, and at the back is a small blue-ish tabby. They're mostly in shade, but some bright streaks of light cross through the photo.
January 28, 2025 at 5:09 PM
nessau.bsky.social
Little Retta getting in first for a turn on the ice brick during this week's heatwave
A long-haired guinea pig rests on top of an ice brick that is wrapped in bright red fleece. The back of the cage is behind her. The cage is lined with grey, patterned vetbed. The corner of a red hay bag is visible to the right.
January 28, 2025 at 5:01 PM
nessau.bsky.social
Final image: ThePleasantMind. Other credits: unknown.
4-panel cartoon. 1.First character yells, "What do we want?" 2. The crowd yells back," "Better memory". 3. First character: "When do we want it?' 4. "Want what?" Brain fog. Me: Toast seems like a safe meal. I'll put on some toast. Me: *Puts in bread*. Me: *Stands next to the toaster for a solid two minutes*. Me: What am I doing here? Toast: *Pops*. Me: *Screams*. Multi-panel cartoon. 1. Read directions on box. (Cartoon of a contented woman with short brown hair with a box up in front of her face. The box looks like it contained a ready-to-heat meal.) 2. Throw box away. (Cartoon of the box in a full rubbish bin) 3. Pull box out of trash 15 seconds later. (The woman stands with the box up in front of her face again, with movement lines showing she's just pulled it out of the bin in front of her. She is frowning.) 4. Repeat. (This is written in large font above 3 panels that sequentially show the bin and the woman holding the box and looking very confused, with many movement lines.) 5. Seriously, what's wrong with me?! (The woman holds the box up but is completely exasperated, mouth wide open and head back as she yells this.) A man in office attire sits back, exhausted, in a chair. He holds a mug of coffee or tea in his lap. Image text: Brain fog is a mental condition which means a sluggish feeling. People with brain fog often feel disoriented, forgetful, mentally slow & have a reduced mental clarity. What are the causes of brain fog? Lack of sleep, stress, depression, menopause, medications, chronic illness, hormonal conditions, vitamin and nutrient deficiencies, short term illnesses. Copyright thepleasantmind, all rights reserved, freepik
January 28, 2025 at 4:53 PM
nessau.bsky.social
I hear galaxies in my mind.
I sense a billion atoms vibrating; the hum of the universe.
I feel the cool of a morning mist surrounding me, swirling gently to nowhere.

1/-
#MECFS #LongCovid
Image: Galaxy NGC 300. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Image Number: PIA04924. Date: October 10, 2003. A swirling galaxy with multicoloured celestial bodies scattered through the dark background.
January 13, 2025 at 11:20 AM