What is hip?

🎵What is hip? Tower of Power, that’s what.

Tower Of Power - What Is Hip? (Chicago 1977)

Bookmarks - to use or not to use?

I’m experimenting with the full bookmarks function in micro.blog. I haven’t spent enough time yet to know if I will use it enough to justify the extra $5, especially as the Vivaldi browser includes a good ‘Notes’ function.

But it is very appealing for research and linking interesting pages to blog posts.

No emergency alarms at medical ward today

CW: medical treatment.

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Busy weekend - soccer club breakup and community 'placemaking' under threat in Porirua

⚽️It’s been a busy weekend. Yesterday, we had the local soccer club’s end-of-season breakup. For the first time in many years I wasn’t involved in organising it after stepping down from the committee following my cancer prognosis from my haematologist at the end of last year. I said to the folk there that it was a little odd to be presenting the “Iain MacLean Memorial Trophy” when I was not yet ‘in memoriam’. That flew over the children’s heads, as I hoped it would, but some parents got it.

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As I’ve been fixing my breakfast I’ve been listening to the children next door practice their Kapa Haka skills. The 10-year old showed me her poi skills when I was out there earlier. Now her brother has joined in and they are practicing their waiata and a haka. It’s great to hear.

The family is all excited today. The father-in-law is getting his gong from the Governor General this afternoon.

He (Anthony Dreaver) was made a Member of the New Zealand order of Merit in the New Years honours list for his work in local history, especially around Kāpiti. This involves endless committee meetings, but he has written several books and lots of journal articles.

Everyone is very proud of him and happy he has this recognition.

Company on a wet day

🐕You’re never alone when you’ve got a dog ready to snuggle in.

Photo of man and small dog.
Winnie likes to get in close especially when there is a woollen rug to lie on.

Is it too soon to say we probably won’t have a spring drought? Rain, rain and more rain.

Great news from our children travelling in Europe. Our daughter-in-law (the journalist) has just picked up a 3-month contract at CNN, based in London. We don’t know many of the details apart from it being in their digital team, and she might get to do some presenting, which she is good at.

Hopefully, by December they will have realised how good she is and offered her a permanent role.

Happy birthday to our youngest child. He and his wife are currently on a bus tour through part of Europe with a bunch of Aussies. They seem to be having a great fime, and I think he got more than one birthday party.

Currently in Venice.

Auto-generated description: A group of six people is smiling for a selfie together.
The last time we all got together at a farewell party for Angus and Charlie before they went to Europe for their OE.

Crash, bang, flash. The thunder and lightning has arrived.

A new pain?

I woke up early two days ago with a very sore shoulder. A newish pain. What could that be? (CW: medical talk)

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Want to read: The Magician by Colm Toibin 📚

My mother-in-law lent this to me a few weeks ago, and it has joined a small pile of ‘one day I’ll get to this’ books.

My father’s bible given to him by the Kelso Presbyterian Church after he enlisted in the Army in World War 2, and went into basic training.

The referenced verse, 11 Timothy 2:3, says “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Christ.”

We have another, more battered brown copy, which I think Dad carried with him and got more use.

Photo of inside cover of small New Testament bible, with inscription to Lance Corporal Robert MacLean
This was one of the versions of the New Testament of the Bible given to service personnel in World War 2. It includes a message from King George VI

Regarding the news from Auckland today about the City Council considering when stores can sell alcohol.

I reckon anyone who wants to buy alcohol at 11pm has probably been on the sauce for a while and doesn’t need any more!

A new notebook

I’ve just created a new section in my bullet journal for September. It’s the last one I have any room for in the notebook. Given my prognosis at the end of last year, I didn’t think I would be doing this. But, things have changed, and I have even had the confidence to buy a new notebook for October and onwards.

It’s not exactly one of my highest priorities regarding my health, but I will be interested to see how much of the new notebook I get time to use!

Community newsletter for Pukerua Bay

If you’re interested in what we’re doing in our little community, check out our two-monthly community newsletter (edited by my clever wife).

The latest issue of Kōrero (kōrero is Māori for news or talking) is online.

Here you can find information about the PKB Hub’s Pop-up Parlor, the Climate Action spring series, and a link to Maringikura Mary Campbell’s Facebook page with her artwork.

Also, lots of informative articles. We hope you enjoy it.

Figure and figcaption element for images in micro.blog

I’ve been experimenting with the

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element and attribute for images in micro.blog.

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Your immune system is not a muscle

A fascinating description of the incredible complexity of our immune system. Not too technical for a non-clinical person to understand.

Rachel Thomas, PHD - Your immune system is not a muscle

The weather’s really crapped out in the past half hour. Wind’s up, rain’s back. We’ll have to console ourselves with the memory of yesterday’s perfect weather.