Unless otherwise attributed, copyright of all content on this blog and its Xanga predecessor belongs exclusively to Pete McGregor. If you'd like to use any of it, just ask.
December 2009
How to post big photos in blogger (and other tweaks): A technical post. Photos: Annotated screen shot. (7 December 2009).
November 2009
Different people: In the Palmerston North City Library. Photos: Cow and drongo, Bookshelves, Carpark at night. (19 November 2009).
October 2009
Memories, dreams: Which was I remembering? Photos: Fowlhouse detail, ANZAC memorial detail. (18 October 2009).
September 2009
This rock belongs to us all: What we found on International Rock Flipping Day. Photos: Life under logs (3); Maisie the Westie. (21 September 2009).
[Notification of International Rock Flipping Day] (17 September 2009).
Colds, kidneys and the cosmic dance: The sense of reality altered by illness. Photos: Winter apple tree, Kereru (native pigeon), Ming (the cat). (6 September 2009).
August 2009
Insanity and improbability: War and other reasons my existence is too improbable to believe. Photos: Stirling bomber crew, F.E. McGregor, Stalag IV B, Watercolour sketch of Stalag IV B by Frank McGregor. (27 August 2009).
June 2009
The Ice Man: Battling the cold in the Pohangina Valley. Photos: Sunset on the Ruahine, Frost, Winter trees. (18 June 2009).
May 2009
Demons and angels: Time at Flounder Bay. Photos: Piwakawaka (fantail), Dawn beach, Breaking wave, Flounder Bay lagoon (2), Coast at Driftwood Cove, Southern bell frog. (29 May 2009).
April 2009
Questions, knowing, risk: thirteen thoughts about thinking:The difficulty of deciding. Photos: No. 2 Line, Anne-Marie, Pumpkins, Good Friday dawn, Jacket, Robinia and moon, Ngamoko Range, Poplar trunks. (30 April 2009).
February 2009
Forty percent of real life: The virtual world is not the real world. Photos: Baler twine (2), Nor'west sky, Deer. (17 February 2009).
Forty percent of real life: The virtual world is not the real world. Photos: Baler twine (2), Nor'west sky, Deer. (17 February 2009).
December 2008
Lives on the line: An encounter with a stoat on a bike ride up No. 2 Line, Pohangina valley. Photos: No. 2 Line (3), No. 2 Line road end & Ruahine. (14 December 2008).
Lives on the line: An encounter with a stoat on a bike ride up No. 2 Line, Pohangina valley. Photos: No. 2 Line (3), No. 2 Line road end & Ruahine. (14 December 2008).
November 2008
The Migrants: Jesse Conklin's research on Bar-tailed godwits. A visit to the Manawatu estuary, with wrybills. Photos: Jesse (2), black-backed gull, lupins, tern with fish, godwits & knots, wrybill. (27 November 2008).
Ngamoko hut: The place of back country mountain huts in our cultural landscapes. Photos: Pohangina river (5), Ngamoko hut, whio (2). (9 November 2008).
The Migrants: Jesse Conklin's research on Bar-tailed godwits. A visit to the Manawatu estuary, with wrybills. Photos: Jesse (2), black-backed gull, lupins, tern with fish, godwits & knots, wrybill. (27 November 2008).
Ngamoko hut: The place of back country mountain huts in our cultural landscapes. Photos: Pohangina river (5), Ngamoko hut, whio (2). (9 November 2008).
October 2008
A new (photo)blog: Notification about The Ruins of the Moment. (27 October 2008).
Seven years and a lifetime: What happens when someone you love dies. Photo: Pheasant. (24 October 2008).
The road to Whanganui: After every moment, the world carries on. Photos: Fenceposts (2). (16 October 2008).
A new (photo)blog: Notification about The Ruins of the Moment. (27 October 2008).
Seven years and a lifetime: What happens when someone you love dies. Photo: Pheasant. (24 October 2008).
The road to Whanganui: After every moment, the world carries on. Photos: Fenceposts (2). (16 October 2008).
September 2008
The life of birds: Musing about flight and birds. Photos: Playing with light (2), tui. (29 September 2008).
Twenty-one: Ming, the cat from next door. Photos: Ming (2), Jimmy/Tigger. (15 September 2008).
Flipping rocks: International Rock Flipping Day and Conservation Week. Photos: Kereru, spider, skink. (7 September 2008).
The life of birds: Musing about flight and birds. Photos: Playing with light (2), tui. (29 September 2008).
Twenty-one: Ming, the cat from next door. Photos: Ming (2), Jimmy/Tigger. (15 September 2008).
Flipping rocks: International Rock Flipping Day and Conservation Week. Photos: Kereru, spider, skink. (7 September 2008).
August 2008
Life after birth: The survival of life. Picture: Winter willows. (29 August 2008).
The joy of organs: National Offal Week: A celebration (?) of offal-eating. Photos: Hooded vulture (Ghana), blowfly, agama lizard (Ghana). (21 August 2008).
Nepal: Return to Pokhara: Sketches from Pokhara; the significance of families. Photos: Crow, Phewa Lake (2), road marker, Macchupuchare, where Corbett shot the man-eating leopard of Rudraprayag (India), kids at Rudraprayag.
No shelter from the storm: The aftermath of the July storm. Photos: View from the kitchen, broken stump. (13 August 2008).
The uselessness of everything: A defense of science and wonder. Photos: Paua, evening over Hawke Bay, caravan, beach, 23 kereru, leaf and rain, lagoon, ute and skull. (5 August 2008).
Life after birth: The survival of life. Picture: Winter willows. (29 August 2008).
The joy of organs: National Offal Week: A celebration (?) of offal-eating. Photos: Hooded vulture (Ghana), blowfly, agama lizard (Ghana). (21 August 2008).
Nepal: Return to Pokhara: Sketches from Pokhara; the significance of families. Photos: Crow, Phewa Lake (2), road marker, Macchupuchare, where Corbett shot the man-eating leopard of Rudraprayag (India), kids at Rudraprayag.
No shelter from the storm: The aftermath of the July storm. Photos: View from the kitchen, broken stump. (13 August 2008).
The uselessness of everything: A defense of science and wonder. Photos: Paua, evening over Hawke Bay, caravan, beach, 23 kereru, leaf and rain, lagoon, ute and skull. (5 August 2008).
July 2008
Wordlerised: Playing with Wordle. (28 July 2008).
This is the world now: Winter in the Pohangina Valley. Photos: Winter skyline, view from the back door. (19 July 2008).
Wordlerised: Playing with Wordle. (28 July 2008).
This is the world now: Winter in the Pohangina Valley. Photos: Winter skyline, view from the back door. (19 July 2008).
June 2008
Nepal: towards Annapurna (Part II) : Trekking the Annapurna Sanctuary trail from the Himalaya hotel back to Naya Pul. Photos: Forest in rain, rufous sibia, Annapurna South (2), Kali Gandaki evening, ponies at Ghorapani, chooks. (17 June 2008).
Nepal: towards Annapurna: Kathmandu to Pokhara, then the Annapurna Sanctuary trek as far as the Himalaya hotel. Photos: Chook at Tolka, boats at Pokhara, rain at Tolka, snow at the Himalaya, hijinks at the Himalaya, views from the Himalaya hotel (2). (7 June 2008).
Nepal: towards Annapurna (Part II) : Trekking the Annapurna Sanctuary trail from the Himalaya hotel back to Naya Pul. Photos: Forest in rain, rufous sibia, Annapurna South (2), Kali Gandaki evening, ponies at Ghorapani, chooks. (17 June 2008).
Nepal: towards Annapurna: Kathmandu to Pokhara, then the Annapurna Sanctuary trek as far as the Himalaya hotel. Photos: Chook at Tolka, boats at Pokhara, rain at Tolka, snow at the Himalaya, hijinks at the Himalaya, views from the Himalaya hotel (2). (7 June 2008).
May 2008
The end of the world as we know it: Thinking about the planet's prognosis and how to act in light of that. Photos: Mantis head, toadstools, Nandor Tanczos, snowboarder, white-faced heron, woolly mullein, sastrugi and Girdlestone. (16 May 2008).
Thinking about squid (poem) : Photo: Live squid at Hakodate market. (9 May 2008).
Not gone yet : An cursory update on what I've been up to. Photo: Pourangaki River “woodcut” (7 May 2008).
March 2008The end of the world as we know it: Thinking about the planet's prognosis and how to act in light of that. Photos: Mantis head, toadstools, Nandor Tanczos, snowboarder, white-faced heron, woolly mullein, sastrugi and Girdlestone. (16 May 2008).
Thinking about squid (poem) : Photo: Live squid at Hakodate market. (9 May 2008).
Not gone yet : An cursory update on what I've been up to. Photo: Pourangaki River “woodcut” (7 May 2008).
The colours of the world: On seeing, and colour vs black and white in photography. Photos: Sky, land, & water; gull & tern, Himatangi beach, friends at wedding, dusk, Macchapuchare, Kileswar farmer, beach feet. (31 March 2008).
Digital photography: a few questions: Questions and answers about basic aspects of digital photography and processing. Photos: Pourangaki river (2), whio (2), tuatara, native snail, coprosma seedling, Pohangina river.
February 2008
Bouldering — it's all
Friends and definitions: A meandering meditation on friendship, the nature of definitions, and the importance of examples and analogies. Photos: Kokako, musicians (Slate Row; 3 photos), my late uncle, Amelie. (5 February 2008).
January 2008
The tides is pulling me: Playing with a close-up photo of the Pohangina river. Photo: Not sure how to describe it. Best to go and look. (18 January 2008).
Hone Tuwhare: A poem, Tuwhare's Mussel, paying tribute to Hone on the day he joined his ancestors. Photos: Flat Point, on the Wairarapa coast (2). (16 January 2008).
Ed Hillary's new challenge: Remember him as he was. Photos: Prayer flags, Nepalese child, evening silhouette (all from the Annapurna region of Nepal). (12 January 2008).
December 2007
Where to begin: A meandering post about exploration, Christmas, insects, time and life, and beginnings and endings. Photos: Vegetable sellers at Jamnagar, India; robber fly; Pourangaki headwaters (Ruahine Range). (31 December 2007).
One more; once more: Another notification about leaving for a few days in the Ruahine. Photos: Whio; Badumna (grey house spider). (17 December 2007).
Danger: Whio (blue duck) survey in the north-central Ruahine Range. Photos: Whio and chicks (5); titipounamu (rifleman) female; Ranunculus sp. in rain. (13 December 2007).
On a long coast: A few days on the eastern coast of Aotearoa — real New Zealand, before it’s gone. Photos: Cliff-perching grass clump; beach scenes (3); white-faced heron; wind-sculpted cliff; driftwood; rabbit. (3 December 2007).
November 2007
Over the Ngamoko: Three days in the headwaters of the Pohangina: Leon Kinvig hut, Ngamoko hut, whio. Photos: Ngamoko tops; on Knights Track; riverbed panorama near Ngamoko hut; river rapids (2); snowgrass & cloud on the tops (2). (27 November 2007).
Off into the hills: Just a note that I was leaving for a few days in the Ruahine. Photo: Ngamoko tops. (21 November 2007).
The hunted animal: Thoughts from the top of No. 1 Line, about what it means to belong somewhere — especially if you’re an introduced mammal in Aotearoa. Photos: On the No. 1 Line track; chamois. (18 November 2007).
Emergence (poem): Photo: Firewood pile (heavily processed). (12 November 2007).
October 2007
Getting to the point (poem): Photo: Beach detail near Pencarrow Head (B&W). (29 October 2007).
The ruins of the moment: [27 February–2 March] Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan. Photos: Langurs (3); treepie (2); chital stag; sambar; roots; parakeets; moon over cliffs; tiger eyes (at Naini Tal zoo). (12 October 2007).
Talking to Albert (poem): A poem from 1994. Photo: Miep. (10 October 2007).
September 2007
Yellow flowers, smiling: Snapshots from the city (Wellington) and the coast. Photos: Quail (2); oystercatcher; boneseed flowers. (26 September 2007).
How to get lost: On the edge of imagination; hope for an ephemeral life. Photo: Tauhou (silvereye). (11 September 2007).
Grace on a rainy day: International Rock Flipping Day, No. 1 Line. Photos: Spider, No. 2 Line landscape, rimu bark. (2 September 2007).
August 2007
Bundi: Goblins and uneasy dreams: [25–25 August] A few days exploring Bundi, including the Taragarh fort and palace, the home of Kipling’s goblins. Photos: Tree & ruined temple; street goats; rhesus monkeys (2); Bundi from the fort; palace detail; bus station. (31 August 2007).
Kileshwar, Gujarat: [14–21 February] At Kileshwar in Gujarat’s Barda hills. Photos: Villagers (5); babbler; fish owl; magpie robin. (17 August 2007).
Return: Returning; changes; synchronicity; wondering. Photos: Boehm's bee-eater; bushbuck; claw; saddle-billed storks; zebra. (5 August 2007).
July 2007
Old and young; past and present: [6–8 February] Meeting people in and around Bhuj. The impacts of tourism and gawking. Photos: Old woman preparing mirror shards (2); Rabari women (2); dyer/block printer; bobbin winder; Parbat, our guide; young (old?) child. (9 July 2007).
June 2007
On the beach: [February] Bhuj and Mandvi. The “Omlet” man. Photos: Hills at Mt Abu; mugger (crocodile); babbler; Bhuj street scene; boat builder, Mandvi; Mandvi riverside; Bikaner market; Bikaner street scene; Mandvi street scene; grey squirrel (Great Malvern, England). (6 June 2007).
March 2007
Time and life: Jodhpur and Mt Abu: [January] Why (I think) I write; wondering about Indian identity. Photos: Bishnoi woman & child; dyer; sack mender; Rabari woman & child (Gujarat); performers at the Republic Day celebrations; mongoose, Gujarat; old door; Rabari child, Gujarat; young guys at Kileswar. (28 March 2007).
February 2007
The unimpeded distance: Deshnoke; the Karni Mata mandir (the rat temple); Kolayat; Jaisalmer. Photos: Dancer; rats (2); musicians (2); the white rat; Mr Sharma; pigeon yoga; black kite; Jaisalmer (2). (13 February 2007).
January 2007
Still on the road in India: [3–28 December] The Jim Corbett museum at Kaladhungi; Ramanagar; bus journeys; Delhi; crowding; Bharatpur & Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Photos: Langur; rose-ringed parakeet; magpie robin; brahminy starling; palm squirrel; old Delhi; snow leopard (captive); chital; golden jackal (2). (13 January 2007).
December 2006
The idea of mountains: [19–27 November] Thinking about life and accomplishment, in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalaya. Photos: Indian Himalaya from Kausani (3); Indian boy; conifer cone; saddhu(?); spider; porter; snow leopard at Naini Tal zoo. (9 December 2006).
Engineer Baba: [18 November] Visiting Urgam, Kolpeshwar, & Maharj Raman Giri, near Josimath. Photos: 65-year-old at Urgam; threshing amaranth; ancient temple; amaranth thresher; chillies; house; engineer baba. (7 December 2006).
Badrinath: [15–17 November] Visiting Badrinath, in the Garhwal Himalaya (India), on the day it closed for winter. Photos: Near Badrinath; joinery workers; road works; Mr S.; Badrinath; the temple; clearing after rain, Josimath; local men (3); the Happy Saddhu. (2 December 2006).
October 2006
The last post: Nietzsche and the life I live. Photos: Little shag; Nigel Gavin & Lorina Harding playing at the Celtic (2); muscovy duck; woolshed, No. 1 Line, Pohangina Valley (heavily processed); shoreline at Burdan's Gate. (30 October 2006).
Departure: Thoughts about leaving home, a month from going overseas. Photos: Shoreline at dusk, Burdan's Gate (3); tui at Williams Park near Eastbourne; little shag, Williams Park. (5 October 2006).
Rain: A short passage about the arrival of rain in the valley, followed by an old poem from 1997. Photos: Mallard adult; mallard duckling; Evening shoreline near Burdan's Gate. (1 October 2006).
September 2006
Dreaming: A summary of theories of dreaming, particularly the Hobson vs Solms controversy. Photos: Possum skull; Viv, Tony, & Paul at the Waterford; hound's tongue fern; horopito abstract. (22 September 2006).
Corrugated iron: What it means to me. Photos: Shed & creeper; pukeko; spur winged plover; corrugated iron car. (15 September 2006).
Dusk: Part dream? Photos: Pohangina Valley landscape; ancestors Veronica & Eileen. (9 September 2006).
August 2006
Vagrancy: The wisdom of kids; time and restlessness. Photos: Kereru; red billed gull (2); rock, mussels, waves. (31 August 2006).
Time: A bike ride after illness; the meaning of life... Photos: Farm track; Ruined school house; roadside weed; semi-abstract poplars. (22 August 2006).
Failure: Visiting Eastbourne; failing to learn the lessons of capitalism. Photos: Jacob's ladders, Paekakariki (2) and Pohangina Valley; Waipapa Point, Southland; Steer & fence. (6 August 2006).
Dreaming: A summary of theories of dreaming, particularly the Hobson vs Solms controversy. Photos: Possum skull; Viv, Tony, & Paul at the Waterford; hound's tongue fern; horopito abstract. (22 September 2006).
Corrugated iron: What it means to me. Photos: Shed & creeper; pukeko; spur winged plover; corrugated iron car. (15 September 2006).
Dusk: Part dream? Photos: Pohangina Valley landscape; ancestors Veronica & Eileen. (9 September 2006).
August 2006
Vagrancy: The wisdom of kids; time and restlessness. Photos: Kereru; red billed gull (2); rock, mussels, waves. (31 August 2006).
Time: A bike ride after illness; the meaning of life... Photos: Farm track; Ruined school house; roadside weed; semi-abstract poplars. (22 August 2006).
Failure: Visiting Eastbourne; failing to learn the lessons of capitalism. Photos: Jacob's ladders, Paekakariki (2) and Pohangina Valley; Waipapa Point, Southland; Steer & fence. (6 August 2006).
July 2006
Dimensions of a life: Reflecting on life. Photos: Te Awaoteatua Stream; magpie (2); Utuwai farmland. (27 July 2006).
Midwinter, Pohangina Valley: Back in the valley after a month in Palmerston North. Photos: Evening; putangitangi; rainbow; wire netting; Surat Bay (Catlins). (19 July 2006).
City: Cities as processes and relationships. Photos: UCOL buildings at dusk (2); Eastbourne interior; Wellington harbour twilight. (11 July 2006).
An archaeology: Secret compartments and hidden messages. Photos: Granddad (2). (4 July 2006).
June 2006Dimensions of a life: Reflecting on life. Photos: Te Awaoteatua Stream; magpie (2); Utuwai farmland. (27 July 2006).
Midwinter, Pohangina Valley: Back in the valley after a month in Palmerston North. Photos: Evening; putangitangi; rainbow; wire netting; Surat Bay (Catlins). (19 July 2006).
City: Cities as processes and relationships. Photos: UCOL buildings at dusk (2); Eastbourne interior; Wellington harbour twilight. (11 July 2006).
An archaeology: Secret compartments and hidden messages. Photos: Granddad (2). (4 July 2006).
Wairua: Tony Bridge visits the Pohangina Valley. Wabi sabi and how the land communicates. Photos: Pohangina Valley landscapes (4). (26 June 2006).
The shag who spied me: Little shags. Photos: Little shags (2); Jetty fence (B&W). (19 June 2006).
Icon of wildness: The snow leopard. Photo: Fence and moon (B&W). (13 June 2006).
What the sea threw up: Biking Wellington harbour’s coast road, from Eastbourne to Pencarrow Station. What are we doing to our coasts, our oceans? Photos: Breaking waves (2); Little shags; Lake Kohangapiripiri; gulls fighting. (8 June 2006).
What we write with: Encounters with words, prompted by rereading The English Patient. Photos: Books; pipit; piwakawaka. (4 June 2006).
May 2006
Sounds and silence: Listening. Photos: Poplar grove; Charlie the burmese cat; young friesian bulls. (31 May 2006).
The sacred kingfisher: A bird blind in one eye. Photos (all black & white): Cape honey flower; shingle beach; blackberry flower. (27 May 2006).
Southerly front: Enjoying the eastern coastline of Wellington harbour. Photos: Rocks & waves (3); shoreline; feral goat. (24 May 2006).
Rainbow (poem): Photo: cream can artwork. (22 May 2006).
Transformation: A brief note about the human/nature dualism and its consequences. Extensive, thoughtful comments from readers. Photo: Entrance to the Whangai/Whenua?Ahi Ka exhibition. (20 May 2006).
Other dimensions: Huia at Te Papa; living in the 3rd dimension. Photos: Shoreline waves (3); juvenile blackbacked gull. (17 May 2006).
Beauty and the bird: The “10 most beautiful birds” meme. Photos: Redbilled gull; Mongolian chook; takahe; kea; Ralph. (11 May 2006).
Culprit: Photo: Dirk (6 May 2006).
Crap writing: Equanimity—an ode to cat shit (poem). Photo: Matiu/Somes Island. (2 May 2006).
April 2006
Searching: Wondering about questions, answers, and enlightenment. Photos: Lampshade; Miep; Dirk; oystercatcher; redbilled gulls. (26 April 2006).
Heisenberg (poem): Heisenberg at the Arts Centre. Photo: Yak running, Mongolia. (21 April 2006).
Blood and guts: Conversations and donating blood. Photos: Fencepost, Amanita, Catlins shed. (16 April 2006).
Evenings: Just what the title says, except for a morning haiku. Photos: Pohangina Road shed; self portrait. (13 April 2006).
Being still: The quality of stillness. Photos: Te Awaoteatua Stream; Raupo. (7 April 2006).
The long fall into autumn: The consequence of the Trade Me sale and thoughts on success and happiness. Photos: Amanita; locked gate; writing reflections. (3 April 2006)
March 2006
Metaphor (poem): Photo: Wellington coastline. (30 March 2006).
Tales of white-tails: White-tailed spiders. Photos: White-tailed spider (2); daddy long-legs. (24 March 2006).
Wellington: Dead or alive?: A visit to Te Papa. Finding wrens. Photos: Waterfront poem; Wellington harbour dawn. (21 March 2006).
Sabre: the Darrans: Moraine Creek, Lake Adelaide, Phil’s Biv, Sabre. Photos: Lake Adelaide; Moraine Creek; Sabre; rock wren; Jono on Sabre; L. Adelaide from Sabre; L. Adelaide & L. South America from Sabre; Nor’wester over the Tasman valley. (16 March 2006).
Birds; beaches (and a poem): “The evolution of truth”. Photo: Catlins beach. (13 March 2006).
In the Catlins: Including thoughts on old things and authenticity. Photos: Tomtit; rock wren; rifleman; Jono at Sefton biv (2); evening light on the Liebig Range. (8 March 2006).
Listen to the land: Through central Otago. Photo: Letterbox. (7 March 2006).
Climbing Rolleston: ... via the Otira Slide and again up the Otira Face. Photos: Jono at the foot of the Face; summit ridge snow; lunch on the Otira Face; summit; Crow névé crevasses; Crow schrund; Jono in schrund; rifleman. (2 March 2006).
February 2006
Life on the rocks: Rock wrens at Sefton Biv. Photos: rock wren; Sefton biv; dawn above the Mueller glacier. (25 February 2006).
On the road: an update: A summary of the first week of a 3-week South Island journey. (8 February 2006).
January 2006
Head Games: bouldering at Baring Head. Photos: People bouldering (5). (31 January 2006).
What Murray would’ve wanted: Looking for whio (blue ducks) in the Pohangina River, and thinking about the loss of a friend. Photos: Whio (2); Pohangina river; Ruahine foothills; Track along main Ruahine Range; Top Gorge hut. (25 January 2006).
The fringe of memory: Time with family in and around Wellington; Te Papa, the zoo, Point Howard. Photos: Red panda; blackbird; meerkat; lioness. (15 January 2006).
Sleeping with Anna Kournikova: A walk with friends through the Manawatu Gorge; a long and international evening. Photos: Pohangina valley sunset (2); spur-winged plover; house sparrow; jumping spider (Holoplatys). (8 January 2006).
Every day is a journey: “Home”, and travelling. Photos: Pohangina valley manuka; hare; welcome swallow. (4 January 2006).
December 2005
A Christmas conversation: Conversations with small friends. Photos: Kereru; Hoherius. (31 December 2005).
Christmas wildlife: The stoat and other friends. Photos: stoat (3); hare. (29 December 2005).
At home with the dragon: home or the nomad’s need? Photos: damselflies; mason wasp. (21 December 2005).
A nice day...: ...began with an earthquake. Seeing stoats. Photos: damselflies; thundercloud. (16 December 2005).
We save the world (tomorrow): A pub discussion about how we (can’t?) save the world. Photos: Pups; moon; deer. (12 December 2005).
Bird. Life: Enjoying birds—and life. Photos: Tui; native passionvine; rainscape. (8December 2005).
Small is beautiful: The anthribid beetle Hoherius meinertzhageni. Photos: H. meinertzhageni; flowering grasses. (2 December 2005).
November 2005
Fossil fools: A visit to Point Howard and Eastbourne. Photos: Kereru; Wellington rain; Ralph the Abyssinian. (29 November 2005).
Reading the water: (poem). Photo: Keyboard detail. (25 November 2005).
Wet, wild, and wonderful: Ruahine wandering: Eight days in the Ruahine Range. Photos: Ruahine landscapes; Ranunculus; karearea (falcon). (14 November 2005).
October 2005
What the thunder said: Musings about storms; the paradox of constraint and freedom. Photos: Westland mountains; verandah art. (30 October 2005).
Earthquake: a poem: Photo: Trees in TeAwaoteatua Stream. (29 October 2005).
Work, play, and persistence: Daily life and encounters with birds. Photos: Badminton tournament (2); Kowhai & rain cloud. (24 October 2005).
Weta and the wide world: Not photographing a weta. The nature of freedom. Photos: Mongolia (3). (15 October 2005).
A mark that remains: ...after that which has made it has passed by (shul). Photos: Kereru feather details (2). (8 October 2005).
Home again: meeting Rocky, the bodhisattva. Wondering about home. Photos: Rocky; Port Hills snow; Taylor’s Mistake bach; plaque. (2 October 2005).
About words and light: The tension between trying to write and trying to photograph. Photos: Hay bale; wedding. (1 October 2005).
September 2005
Depressions and highs: A post-election 40th birthday celebration. Photos: Tony on guitar; Duncan on flute. (20 September 2005).
Innocence: A little bit of politics leading up to the NZ parliamentary election. Photo: Rugby player and ref. (11 September 2005).
August 2005
Talking about talking: The art and delights of conversations. Photos: Admiralty Bay; TeAwaoteatua Stream. (29 August 2005).
Tax cuts: stuff and nonsense: Principles for voting. Photo: Fern leaf. (25 August 2005).
Links to old (Xanga) posts: Hyperlinks to selected posts on my old blog. Photo: Lance on the run. (15 August 2005).
God set to win in Tasmania: Does the devil face extinction? (12 August 2005).
The second city: Nagasaki. Photo: Morioka room details. (9 August 2005).
Landscape as playground: Climbing Girdlestone. Photos: Mountain scenes (3). (5 August 2005).
July 2005
Oops... silence = incompetence: Demonstrating my ignorance of geekery. Photo: Blackbacked gull. (31 July 2005).
The end of tolerance?: An astonishingly intolerant outburst from the man who’s now our Minister of Foreign Affairs, contrasted with my wonderful experiences with overseas students. Photos: Some of those great people (3). (30 July 2005).
Pervasive doubt: What do I know? Photo: Starling rainbow. (22 July 2005).
Switching from Xanga: Why I stopped updating the Xanga blog and switched to blogger. Photos: Tararua sunset; Moon, cloud and branches. (21 July 2005).
Links to old (xanga) posts
Every now and then I want to find something I wrote ages ago, or—as has just been the case—someone asks me about one of the old xanga articles. So, here's a partly-annotated collection of links. It's not comprehensive; just a selection of some of the more interesting or contentious articles.Japan—notes, thoughts, impressions.
Remembering Abashiri & Sapporo—a short post from China, when I was missing Hokkaido (I still am).
China—notes, thoughts, impressions.
Mongolia—sketches, lists, impressions, thoughts.
Zavkhan trekking (Mongolia)—check it out if you're thinking of going to Mongolia. Or even if you're not.
Russia—notes, thoughts and impressions from the trans-Mongolian train from Ulaan Baatar to Moscow.
Leon Kinvig & whio—one of the huts in the headwaters of the Pohangina River. Whio/blue ducks are one of my favourite birds .
mid-Pohangina hut—more time alone in the Ruahine Range.
“Adventure”—why I don't like the way the word is often used.
Dolphin research and other stuff—a fortnight around French Pass and Admiralty Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.
Arthurs Pass climbing (Barker hut)—a week's mountaineering with Terry and Lance; ascents of Murchison and Wakeman and an exit down Greenlaw Creek.
Philosophy and ethics of photos
Is clarity always a virtue?
Extinctions
ANZAC Day 2005
(macro photos of flies and spider)
Possibility—thoughts from Farewell Spit.
Boredom
The Foreshore and Seabed Bill (now an Act)—a guide for the perplexed.
The soul at dawn—not doing what I'd intended to do.
Home, and tacit knowledge
Fame and tragedy—if the world is ignorant of your achievements, are you still in bliss?
Democracy—Aristotle thought it to be one of three evil forms of government.
Paying attention to art—can too much damage it?
Arguing for a better way of discussing—the hegemony of dialectic arguing and an appeal for more exploratory discussions.
ANZAC Day 2004—part of a multiple post.
Eudaemonia—nonsuperficial happiness.
Photos from the 2004 Baring Head Rock Hop—round two of the National bouldering series, near Wellington.
The cosmos and scientific arrogance—or is that ignorance?
Home and place
Mountaineering on the West Coast—an attempt on Mt Whitcombe, with Terry, Andrew and Jonathan.
give you ideas for your own reading and 2) something of an insight into my interests. Regarding 2), you should quickly recognise some general themes: photography, writing, travel, the ‘natural’ world and—because I can’t think of a better phrase—‘what it means to be human’.