Posts by ChrisW
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Capture: Someone, Somewhere, In Summertime, in reply to Jos,
The Hamilton Gardens, never been before, was most amazed!
I've seen the signs, stopped to admire, but haven't followed them yet.
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Capture: Someone, Somewhere, In Summertime, in reply to JacksonP,
Thrush?
Starling.
Deserves a better response, especially after that beautifully well done duck on the blue thread. Another starling through window-glass the other day, scoffing a fig. (So this is Fig. 1) The degree of spottiness is highly variable.
Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 - Starling is in boots and all. These from closer, at my parents' bird-feeder, in October a few years ago. Yellow bill for the breeding season. Each arrowhead/triangular white spot is a feather tip.
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Visualising young Norfolk pine tops as crosses really ‘struck home’ to me a few years ago. First this three-dimensional cross on a church dome at an active 1600-year-old Syriac Christian monastery in southeastern Turkey, where crosses and churches are rather uncommon. (But there’s something of a match to the cross-star dual character of the Norfolk top.)
Then two weeks later, western Crete where multi-crossed churches are common, and Norfolk pines (all no more than 25-30 years old) even more so. Here a pair symmetrically matching the two-towered church – not by chance are they commonly planted by churches. This at Maleme the focal point of where the NZ troops fought in WWII. The Norfolks so strongly calling of home and those connections – I consider them honorary native NZers now.
International blue skies bonus, even if not up to local standards.
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Capture: Got the blues, in reply to Hebe,
Seeing stars: I noticed the stars in the Norfolk pines for the first time not long ago
As well as stars when seen from that angle, young ones are topped by a cross when seen more side-on or from a distance. This one from my doorstep though 300 m away, framed by leafless walnut branchlets in August. The stimulus to take this particular photo might have been the stripy blue sky, but look at the way the Norfolk pine is doing its part to hold it up!
I understand that the cross on these trees was seen as an attractive feature by missionaries so brought to the Bay of Islands early on (1820s?) There’s a secular one at least, planted by the Busbys in the 1830s in the Treaty grounds at Waitangi. So I like it there’s a pair of young ones by the monument marking the site of William Colenso’s ill-fated 1850s mission station at another Waitangi, by the mouth of the Ngaruroro River here with Cape Kidnappers beyond, and that these had strikingly tall crosses on top in February last year.
Each new whorl of six branches starts by making a smaller cross.
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Hard News: Key Questions, in reply to Matthew Poole,
It's bad enough that National has Shearer's non-declaration of a sizeable offshore bank account (which he knew he had, since he declared it for tax), without taking the PM to the Privileges Committee on less than a concrete case of misleading the House.
I see I'm mistaken in asserting a plain lie to the House -
Grant Robertson: What role, if any, did he play in recommending the appointment of Ian Fletcher as Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: His appointment was made by the State Services Commissioner,That was a genuine lie of omission. Misleading the house, surely, but ...
The plain lie was to journalists outside Parliament. Not a matter for the Privileges Committee, but is it really business as usual?
Shearer and Labour are not the entirety of the Opposition, but still, he/they should take an opportunity sooner rather than later to have another go at front-footing the New York bank account matter, if not to be hobbled forever. He had no possible motive for deliberate non-declaration of this financial asset. It would have been of no political consequence whatsoever. And easily overlooked, especially if his tax returns are prepared by an accountant or such-like.
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Hard News: Key Questions, in reply to Paul Brislen,
oh, that's a pig's ear.
Far from it, because here's the silk purse I made from your makings. And the contents, Matthew Hooton's NBR piece, is indeed a fine and rare gem.
The headline is particularly apt, drawing attention to the point as for Clinton that the lie in attempted cover-up/denial is of greater significance than the earlier matter of inquiry.
And it is assuredly a lie that his/Key's only role in Fletcher's appointment was to receive (and approve) the recommendation of the State Services Commissioner. Not a lie of omission, not a brainfade - a plain lie. To Parliament in formal business on a matter of substantial significance. Contempt, Privileges Committee ...
Why is there still soft-pedalling this by the Opposition?
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Hard News: Done like a dinner, in reply to David Haywood,
If anyone's interested, we had some good news in our household last week, including the granting of a Code Compliance Certificate for the work I've done on repairing the house -- so I probably have only another six months or so of work to finish up the cosmetic details.
Definitely interested, impressed and pleased to hear of your progress, and happy at the implication your eyesight is restored one way or another.
Cheers. -
Cracker: It's urs!, in reply to Damian Christie,
but I'm sure as a teacher you're good with that stuff)
He'll go far, that lad ;-)
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Capture: Got the blues, in reply to Nora Leggs,
Lake at Bethells on a full moon night
Hey! I recognise those navigational stars. And the lake – Wainamu. Follow the stars just over the ridge to the right and another lake is hidden there – Kawaupaka –
so secret, it’s not shown on the map.
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Yet another study in Paringa blues
Blue sky and blue shadows, the mountains as thrown fabric -
“Somewhere in a blanketfold of the land/Lies the golden strand.” (Dennis Glover, ‘Arawata Bill’)
Oddly enough as soon as I thought this, an image of Dennis Glover looked back at me from the top of one of those kahikatea trees.Blue sky and blue shadows, reflected in two sets of smooth ripples paralleling those blanketfold shadows.
Restore them together as one scene linked by doubled bands of kahikatea forest to lake-edge ecotone, in light and shade - more to it than the average chocolate box :-)
