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Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
Hmm, I haven't been off the island since February, shortly before Aotearoa went into the first lockdown...Can't say I miss going over to Auckland...
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Black Friday is a crazy custom... you tend to get older stuff at slightly knocked down prices but people go completely mad for it. Nothing like getting a bargain to motivate folks.
Went out this morning into a blasting wintery wind that was gusting at 90km and seemed certainly higher on the coastal headland I hiked up to. Was tipped off the rock I tried to sit on three times. No matter how far I leaned into it, eventually my body angle acted like a wing lifting my feet off the ground eliminating any anchoring to the ground that I could depend on.
Not a hard day to feel like a leaf in the wind.
Loved it.
Yes there is something exhilarating about a strong gusty wind which nearly lifts one off ones feet, a feeling that if you let go of trying to stay grounded/fighting against it you could fly....(be it like a leaf being tossed around)
Well around 5.30am Tuesday morning UK time, my son and his fiancée were woken by this racket...It was caught on their security camera....Two foxes having a scrap on the deck in their garden, in SE London...
When I arrived there were just two other people there, and when I left a couple of hours later there were around 14....
I was serenaded with bird song to the back of me, ocean waves to the front, sunrays from above, whilst reading one of Alan Watts books my daughter bought me a couple of Xmases ago "The Wisdom of Insecurity"
Our wheelchair conversion van got T-boned. lady was texting. now my mini-me 250 is my primary transport and my e-bike is my backup. Unexpected detours.
Took the mini-me on the freeway (expressway) to visit our #2 son's plot at Rose Hills. stayed up with traffic. life is quirky, and it is always interesting.
Put on my light blue mask and walked briskly. Not many wearing masks. It is not compulsory in the open air where we can socially distance. However in London social distancing is not that easy. Mask is washable. ✅
Thanks to everyone sharing. Good and bad. Life is quirky as @Lionduck says ... I think that is the first Noble Truth ...
Rosy our resident chook was attacked by a dog that wandered onto the property, it ripped out her bum feathers whist biting her bottom, Rosy's human companion (the property owner) took her to the local vet, who stiched up her botton and it now looks like her feathers are just starting to grow back and she's back to her old self again scrounging for food...Her human companion told me Rosy's a blessed chook
Pleased to hear the Blessed Rosy Bottom Is feathering [note to self: do not mention yummy chicken recipes ... show some restraint]
I am pleased to report our air fryer, which I thought was kaput is working. Fuse tested with my multimeter. OK. Turned out it needed a clean. Sweet potato chips and onion bhajai for tea ... Yum.
Update ; Told will have van back in about three weeks. My mini me 250 will still be my primary transport. But, I will be able to take the Mrs. to the Dr as needed. Time for some Blackberry Sake.
Sounds evil good.
We have sherry and port, which I feel will go in cooking. Though I may have a bit of port on X-day, X-mass ... SantaMass ... whatever it is ...
As I don't keep precepts, I have no problem keeping or breaking. Had some craft beer about a week ago. One bottle between three.
Some Aussies will go to great lengths to decorate their Christmas tree...
2
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
My solar-powered, atomic-clock synchronised, titanium encased Junghans watch seems to finally have given up the ghost... it’s showing just a double-dash for an error code, which I think means it can’t get enough charge to sync. It’s lasted twenty years, I thought it was indestructible.
@Bunks in all the years I lived in Oz and travelled around the country, not once did I see a Koala in the wild, locals would say, there are lots pf Koalas in the area, but I never saw any.... I saw plenty of Roos, Wallabies, Possums, a few Emus, & Snakes...
@Shoshin1 said: @Bunks in all the years I lived in Oz and travelled around the country, not once did I see a Koala in the wild, locals would say, there are lots pf Koalas in the area, but I never saw any.... I saw plenty of Roos, Wallabies, Possums, a few Emus, & Snakes...
Yep, I can understand that. I reckon I’ve seen maybe 2 in all my years here. I’ve heard more than that though. They do make a distinctive sound.
It's a cockroach ...Gislereia fulva common name Scoria cockroach, becaiuse here in Aotrearoa it can be found amongst scoria...It was just unusal to see one wandering around during the day, something must had disturbed it...
Some cockroach species are often mistaken for bettles, however the main difference is the life cycle, beetles have what's known as a complete life cycle, eg, egg> grub>pupa>adult and cockroaches have incomplete life cycles egg>nymph>adult ( the cockroach nymph moults as it grows into an adult and if it's a winged species the wing are fully developed when it reaches the adult stage...
Don't cockroaches also have a secondary sub brain to start their legs moving away from danger before the primary brain can react. I used to have an apartment where I routinely acted as a bouncer to all cockroaches brave enough to show themselves in the daylight.
Man were they hard to escort out.
Yes something like that...they have what's known as a simple central nervous system...The vast majority of cockroach species (4,600 species worldwide have been identified) are not considered pests, I think it's less than one percent that have pest status...facinating creatures to study...
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
If anyone is on Facebook, and absolutely hates what the changes to it have produced (there are many complaints of certain things no longer working, or just malfunctioning completely) then there is an alternative, if you yearn to go back to the way Facebook used to be before they messed with it...
I was going to report you MIA (Missing Inaction) and ask if anyone knew your situation ... No need for that thread. 🙏🏽😌
Been keeping an unsuccessful eye on Lobster to ensure good behaviour ... 🙊🙉🙈
Meanwhile ...
... our supermarket food delivery was an hour earlier than its allotted one hour slot. After ranting, screaming and headless chicken panicking from everyone thinking it was the end of civilisation as we know it ... they came again. ✅ 🥳🤩
🌈Calm. Breath deeply and ... all is well again ... phew ... 😌
Well another two more fillings this morning. over an hour in the torture chair. after the torture I thanked my torturer and paid her $500... then went retail therapy shopping, bought liquid soap dispenser and pair of lightweigh summer pants, made mushroom soup for lunch, and had a stroll along the beach, it had been a hot, humid and overcast day....the cool ocean breeze was most welcoming...
1
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
I was going to report you MIA (Missing Inaction) and ask if anyone knew your situation ... No need for that thread. 🙏🏽😌
I am currently in semi-retirement, and will probably go into full retirement from January 1st.
Everything has a beginning, a middle and an end. I feel my work has run its course. Time to hang my knapsack up, put my trekking stick in the corner, take off my walking boots and instead don carpet slippers, sit in the rocking chair and devote my energy to knitting.
Now that the beloved but extremely wrathful Bodhi Covid is changing many of us into reclusive ascetics, spiritual practice and life changing knitting/mending is now a viable course. Bravo @federica. Rock on.
Lots of boats in the bay...but the beach was almost deserted ..
Next week will be different, it's holiday time and over the summer months the island's population triples, however due to international travel restrictions, many KIwis will be holidaying at home and no doubt the island will be on their visit list....
I came across this native bee on the path it looked like it was drunk, however it's possible some mites have attached themselves to its body or its been injured....
I am preparing to celibate celebrate Santa Day with Baby Bodhi Jesus:
Smoothy + port (one of your five a year)
Gruel and humbugs for the Buddha Grinches/Scrooges/Fanatics
Virtual xmas cards are now a thing - yeah easy does it
Whilst BJ (Baby Jesus) was born in a stable condition, BB (Baby Buddha) was born al fresco ...
These super babies are tough ... Buddha walked after birth [allegedly]
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@federica said:
I am currently in semi-retirement, and will probably go into full retirement from January 1st.
Everything has a beginning, a middle and an end. I feel my work has run its course. Time to hang my knapsack up, put my trekking stick in the corner, take off my walking boots and instead don carpet slippers, sit in the rocking chair and devote my energy to knitting.
The very picture of domestic bliss... all that’s missing is a tablet to visit NewBuddhist with.
Some random and useless announcements.
1. I got a new job as a medical assistant and hope I like it.
2. I've been a member of this site for 17 years this December.
@Kerome said:
A nice book @shoshin ... I’ve read some of Alexandra David-Neel’s writings, she was a fascinating woman. Not bad for a few pennies at the Red Cross shop.
I've read some of her stuff too, as well as some books by her adopted son, and enjoyed them.
2
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@Kerome said:
A nice book @shoshin ... I’ve read some of Alexandra David-Neel’s writings, she was a fascinating woman. Not bad for a few pennies at the Red Cross shop.
I've read some of her stuff too, as well as some books by her adopted son, and enjoyed them.
Yes I thought it gave a really different perspective on some of the roots of Tibetan culture, kind of the other side to Tibetan Buddhism. Her travels through Tibet and her various encounters with its magicians and practitioners at a time when very few people let alone women did these kinds of journeys were very enlightening.
I locked up my e bike up to a large bike stand today outside a shopping center. When I finished shopping and came back to my bike, a woman came over and pointed out how the lag bolts securing the bike stand to the concrete flooring were missing. With a small lift, my pricy bike lock wouldn't be attached to anything.
I think I had a lucky day today.
I tried to attach photos of this from my I phone but this site says the file is too large to do this. Anybody else had this problem?
Well the America's cup is on in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf which means ferry trips are disrupted, departure times and travel times, trips take longer than usual because the routes have been changed due to the course...The Kiwis are ahead of the Poms and it looks like they will win this race....
I'm not a boatie person, but have been watching the race on TV...(only because the normal programme has been cancelled )
@Shoshin1 said:
Yes you were very lucky @how ...Nice bike....
Well the America's cup is on in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf which means ferry trips are disrupted, departure times and travel times, trips take longer than usual because the routes have been changed due to the course...The Kiwis are ahead of the Poms and it looks like they will win this race....
I'm not a boatie person, but have been watching the race on TV...(only because the normal programme has been cancelled )
They still have the America's Cup? Thought it would have been cancelled by now due to a lack of interest.....
Today was a scorcher, had my morning powerwalk, after which I went for a skinny dip at my favourite beach, home for a light lunch of two rice crackers with avocado tomato and savory yeast flakes sprinkled on top, then rounded the afternoon off with a stroll up to the lookout at the back of the property...
Comments
Hmm, I haven't been off the island since February, shortly before Aotearoa went into the first lockdown...Can't say I miss going over to Auckland...
Black Friday is a crazy custom... you tend to get older stuff at slightly knocked down prices but people go completely mad for it. Nothing like getting a bargain to motivate folks.
Went out this morning into a blasting wintery wind that was gusting at 90km and seemed certainly higher on the coastal headland I hiked up to. Was tipped off the rock I tried to sit on three times. No matter how far I leaned into it, eventually my body angle acted like a wing lifting my feet off the ground eliminating any anchoring to the ground that I could depend on.
Not a hard day to feel like a leaf in the wind.
Loved it.
Yes there is something exhilarating about a strong gusty wind which nearly lifts one off ones feet, a feeling that if you let go of trying to stay grounded/fighting against it you could fly....(be it like a leaf being tossed around)
Well on this morning's walk it was rainy cool and wintery...and this afternoon it was summer again...a bit windy but much warmer...
Officially today (1st December ) is the first day of summer...
Snow flurries here in Memphis, TN this morning!!!
Wow I didn't realise it snowed in Tennessee ...Stay warm @Vastmind
@Shoshin1 ... we average about 3 inches a year. That being said....we skip some years and most of the time it doesn’t stick. We get more ice.
Well around 5.30am Tuesday morning UK time, my son and his fiancée were woken by this racket...It was caught on their security camera....Two foxes having a scrap on the deck in their garden, in SE London...
After my morning walk I went for a skinny dip...
When I arrived there were just two other people there, and when I left a couple of hours later there were around 14....
I was serenaded with bird song to the back of me, ocean waves to the front, sunrays from above, whilst reading one of Alan Watts books my daughter bought me a couple of Xmases ago "The Wisdom of Insecurity"
Our wheelchair conversion van got T-boned. lady was texting. now my mini-me 250 is my primary transport and my e-bike is my backup. Unexpected detours.
Took the mini-me on the freeway (expressway) to visit our #2 son's plot at Rose Hills. stayed up with traffic. life is quirky, and it is always interesting.
Stay safe - Stay well
Peace to all
Beautiful autumn day yesterday. 🌈
Put on my light blue mask and walked briskly. Not many wearing masks. It is not compulsory in the open air where we can socially distance. However in London social distancing is not that easy. Mask is washable. ✅
Thanks to everyone sharing. Good and bad. Life is quirky as @Lionduck says ... I think that is the first Noble Truth ...
NT 1-4
... gonna find 8 new directions to walk in ...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Noble_Truths
Rosy our resident chook was attacked by a dog that wandered onto the property, it ripped out her bum feathers whist biting her bottom, Rosy's human companion (the property owner) took her to the local vet, who stiched up her botton and it now looks like her feathers are just starting to grow back and she's back to her old self again scrounging for food...Her human companion told me Rosy's a blessed chook
Pleased to hear the Blessed Rosy Bottom Is feathering [note to self: do not mention yummy chicken recipes ... show some restraint]
I am pleased to report our air fryer, which I thought was kaput is working. Fuse tested with my multimeter. OK. Turned out it needed a clean. Sweet potato chips and onion bhajai for tea ... Yum.
https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/best-air-fryer-chicken
[bad, bad lobster]
Update ; Told will have van back in about three weeks. My mini me 250 will still be my primary transport. But, I will be able to take the Mrs. to the Dr as needed. Time for some Blackberry Sake.
Peace to all
Sounds evil good.
We have sherry and port, which I feel will go in cooking. Though I may have a bit of port on X-day, X-mass ... SantaMass ... whatever it is ...
As I don't keep precepts, I have no problem keeping or breaking. Had some craft beer about a week ago. One bottle between three.
Good news about transport
Some Aussies will go to great lengths to decorate their Christmas tree...
My solar-powered, atomic-clock synchronised, titanium encased Junghans watch seems to finally have given up the ghost... it’s showing just a double-dash for an error code, which I think means it can’t get enough charge to sync. It’s lasted twenty years, I thought it was indestructible.
I recall growing up hearing koalas in a tree in my hometown and thinking there were bush pigs about haha 😂
@Bunks in all the years I lived in Oz and travelled around the country, not once did I see a Koala in the wild, locals would say, there are lots pf Koalas in the area, but I never saw any.... I saw plenty of Roos, Wallabies, Possums, a few Emus, & Snakes...
Yep, I can understand that. I reckon I’ve seen maybe 2 in all my years here. I’ve heard more than that though. They do make a distinctive sound.
I have heard them growling too @Bunks when staying in the bush...
Walking into the village via the beach late morning I came across this little fellow scurrying across the track...
What is it @Shoshin1 ?
A flying beetle of some sort? I once came across one in Italy, although you don’t tend to find them in the cooler north of Europe.
It's a cockroach ...Gislereia fulva common name Scoria cockroach, becaiuse here in Aotrearoa it can be found amongst scoria...It was just unusal to see one wandering around during the day, something must had disturbed it...
Some cockroach species are often mistaken for bettles, however the main difference is the life cycle, beetles have what's known as a complete life cycle, eg, egg> grub>pupa>adult and cockroaches have incomplete life cycles egg>nymph>adult ( the cockroach nymph moults as it grows into an adult and if it's a winged species the wing are fully developed when it reaches the adult stage...
Don't cockroaches also have a secondary sub brain to start their legs moving away from danger before the primary brain can react. I used to have an apartment where I routinely acted as a bouncer to all cockroaches brave enough to show themselves in the daylight.
Man were they hard to escort out.
Yes something like that...they have what's known as a simple central nervous system...The vast majority of cockroach species (4,600 species worldwide have been identified) are not considered pests, I think it's less than one percent that have pest status...facinating creatures to study...
If anyone is on Facebook, and absolutely hates what the changes to it have produced (there are many complaints of certain things no longer working, or just malfunctioning completely) then there is an alternative, if you yearn to go back to the way Facebook used to be before they messed with it...
https://zafoid.com/
See you there...
Are you back from holidaying @federica 💗?
I was going to report you MIA (Missing Inaction) and ask if anyone knew your situation ... No need for that thread.
🙏🏽😌
Been keeping an unsuccessful eye on Lobster to ensure good behaviour ... 🙊🙉🙈
Meanwhile ...
After ranting, screaming and headless chicken panicking from everyone thinking it was the end of civilisation as we know it ... they came again. ✅ 🥳🤩
... our supermarket food delivery was an hour earlier than its allotted one hour slot.
🌈Calm. Breath deeply and ... all is well again ... phew ...
😌
Well another two more fillings this morning. over an hour in the torture chair. after the torture I thanked my torturer and paid her $500... then went retail therapy shopping, bought liquid soap dispenser and pair of lightweigh summer pants, made mushroom soup for lunch, and had a stroll along the beach, it had been a hot, humid and overcast day....the cool ocean breeze was most welcoming...
I am currently in semi-retirement, and will probably go into full retirement from January 1st.
Everything has a beginning, a middle and an end. I feel my work has run its course. Time to hang my knapsack up, put my trekking stick in the corner, take off my walking boots and instead don carpet slippers, sit in the rocking chair and devote my energy to knitting.
Many blessings to you @federica
🙏❤️☀️ Amitoufo 🙏❤️☀️
Now that the beloved but extremely wrathful Bodhi Covid is changing many of us into reclusive ascetics, spiritual practice and life changing knitting/mending is now a viable course. Bravo @federica. Rock on.
Lots of boats in the bay...but the beach was almost deserted ..
Next week will be different, it's holiday time and over the summer months the island's population triples, however due to international travel restrictions, many KIwis will be holidaying at home and no doubt the island will be on their visit list....
I came across this native bee on the path it looked like it was drunk, however it's possible some mites have attached themselves to its body or its been injured....
Maybe it has been on the bee mead @Shoshin1 🤪
I am preparing to celibate celebrate Santa Day with Baby Bodhi Jesus:
Whilst BJ (Baby Jesus) was born in a stable condition, BB (Baby Buddha) was born al fresco ...
These super babies are tough ... Buddha walked after birth [allegedly]
The very picture of domestic bliss... all that’s missing is a tablet to visit NewBuddhist with.
The shady part is the coolest part of the track up from the beach...in every sense...Had a dip before work ....
These are scattered around the island
There's also one outside my place of work in the village...just incase I need a kickstart ...
Some random and useless announcements.
1. I got a new job as a medical assistant and hope I like it.
2. I've been a member of this site for 17 years this December.
I've read some of her stuff too, as well as some books by her adopted son, and enjoyed them.
Yes I thought it gave a really different perspective on some of the roots of Tibetan culture, kind of the other side to Tibetan Buddhism. Her travels through Tibet and her various encounters with its magicians and practitioners at a time when very few people let alone women did these kinds of journeys were very enlightening.
I locked up my e bike up to a large bike stand today outside a shopping center. When I finished shopping and came back to my bike, a woman came over and pointed out how the lag bolts securing the bike stand to the concrete flooring were missing. With a small lift, my pricy bike lock wouldn't be attached to anything.
I think I had a lucky day today.
I tried to attach photos of this from my I phone but this site says the file is too large to do this. Anybody else had this problem?
Yes you were very lucky @how ...Nice bike....
Well the America's cup is on in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf which means ferry trips are disrupted, departure times and travel times, trips take longer than usual because the routes have been changed due to the course...The Kiwis are ahead of the Poms and it looks like they will win this race....
I'm not a boatie person, but have been watching the race on TV...(only because the normal programme has been cancelled )
They still have the America's Cup? Thought it would have been cancelled by now due to a lack of interest.....
No @Bunks , it's alive and well, all the overseas teams had to do two weeks quarantine on arrival...
Ah ha.
Not one but two foxes in my tiny urban garden. 😍 One of them pissed on my pansies. I believe this is a free fertiliser gifting. 🦊💗🙏🏽😌
Today was a scorcher, had my morning powerwalk, after which I went for a skinny dip at my favourite beach, home for a light lunch of two rice crackers with avocado tomato and savory yeast flakes sprinkled on top, then rounded the afternoon off with a stroll up to the lookout at the back of the property...
We are in for a hot dry summer...
Happy Summer Solstice to my Southern friends
Happy Winter Solstice to my Northern friends
May all beings in all the dharma realms be happy, healthy and free from suffering.