Bird flying over a Pōhutukawa tree in Te Aro park. 📷 #Pōhutukawa #tree #bird #park #TeAro #Pōneke #Wellington #AtaMārie
Pōneke and Te Whanganui-a-Tara from Mata-i-Rangi lookout; view across the city and harbour to Te Ahumairangi hill. #AtaMārie #morning #views #pōneke #wellington 📷
Summer is in full bloom in Pōneke.
Pōhutukawa tree in Te Aro park.
📷 #Pōhutukawa #Summer #Pōneke #Wellington #Aotearoa #KiwiSummer
Finished reading: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan 📚
Really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed the great story telling, the strong characters, and the exploration of traditional Chinese mythos in new ways.
Apartment renovations story
Today’s Pōneke / Wellington newspaper has a story about the recent renovations to the apartment that my partner and I have lived in for 22 years:
Many thanks to Kylie Klein-Nixon for the story, and to Andrew & Lynnette Scott (designers & project managers, Design in Residence), Liz Mark (design consultant), Phil Maxey (builder), and Reilly Joinery for making it a reality!
Also thanks to Oliver Cain for the wonderful piece, "Jeremy + Bill", which features in the story.
Photo: Monique Ford / Stuff.
End of a long saga in Kiribati
It has been a very long year for my partner, Judge Bill Hastings, as a serious constitutional crisis has unfolded in the Pacific island state of Kiribati.
I am extremely proud of the work he did in Kiribati before and during this crisis, and of the integrity and measured judicial approach he has demonstrated throughout.
It is deeply sad that what started as a wonderful opportunity to help the further development of an independent and increasingly indigenous judiciary in Kiribati has ended the way it has.
The article below provides a good account of this week’s developments:
New Zealand judge resigns from top-ranking Kiribati judicial position
A Wikipedia article provides the full background to the constitutional crisis:
Andrew Bayer Live at ABGT500 Los Angeles
Andrew Bayer's live set at Above & Beyond's Group Therapy 500 at the Banc of California Stadium is now available to stream and view.
This was one of the top sets of the weekend; we were also lucky enough to see Andrew live in a much smaller venue at the Academy LA the night before, where he also played a great set.
Lies are the path to totalitarianism
“Before mass leaders seize the power to fit reality to their lies, their propaganda is marked by its extreme contempt for facts as such, for in their opinion fact depends entirely on the power of man who can fabricate it.” – Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism 💬
Finished re-reading: The Ness Of Brodgar - As It Stands 📚- an overview of the current state of the excavations at this Neolithic site on Orkney. #Archaeology #Prehistory #Neolithic #Orkney
The Ness of Brodgar
The Ness of Brodgar Excavation continues to uncover fascinating information about Neolithic Orkney:
At its zenith, in the main phase that we are currently exploring (dating from c 3100BC), the Ness was dominated by huge freestanding buildings flanked by a pair massive stone walls.
The best book on the Ness at present is The Ness of Brodgar: As It Stands (Orcadian, 2020)
I am very keen to visit this and other sites in Orkney at some point!
Finished reading: The Adventures of Ibn Battuta 📚- accounts of the 14thC travels of Ibn Battuta.
Long term trends fascinate me; fads don’t. It’s working out which is which that is the problem. #mbnov
Auckland train and bus to the airport
Auckland airport from Britomart station by train and bus transfer at Puhinui station - transfers every 10 minutes. Total cost $8 - compared to $70+ via taxi or rideshare. Similar travel time.
(Normal trip cost is $5.40; the $8 included a new AT Hop card. It was also Santa Parade day and central Auckland was gridlocked. Uber was quoting $122 to get to the airport - and it would have taken 1.5 hours....)
