[Smile] What's something small that really makes you smile?

Forums › Off topic › [Smile] What's something small that really makes you smile?

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#3177227 3-Jan-2024 06:34

That here in Germany we have just exceeded 60% electricity generation from renewable energy for over 84 million inhabitants.

Last year, the increase was over 8%. So in five years we could be at 100% if all goes well. Planned was/is to be at 80% in 2030. As we all know, nothing changes without hard facts. Perhaps it wasn't quite so stupid of us to switch off the nuclear power plants after all? 😉

Nevertheless, we are still working on the perpetual motion machine. 😄

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Handle9

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#3178860 8-Jan-2024 07:43

Flights are booked for our visit to NZ in March.

I feel poor but happy days.

eracode

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#3178868 8-Jan-2024 08:04

We have native karaka trees growing up very close to our first-floor deck in suburban Mairangi Bay, Auckland. This time of year they have a lot of big yellow berries on them - young-ish trees but they have had berries for the past 3-4 seasons. I'm aware that the berries are a favourite food of wood pigeon kererū - which we have in the area - but I've always thought they wouldn't come that close to the house.

Yesterday, big flap, flap and a kererū arrived in one of the trees - literally 1m from the edge of the deck and at our head-height in the tree - just sat there happily eating the berries. It went away after 5-10 mins but came back a bit later while we were sitting out on the deck. Could hardly believe it. Beautiful.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Rikkitic

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#3178900 8-Jan-2024 09:45

eracode:

We have native karaka trees growing up very close to our first-floor deck in suburban Mairangi Bay, Auckland. This time of year they have a lot of big yellow berries on them - young-ish trees but they have had berries for the past 3-4 seasons. I'm aware that the berries are a favourite food of wood pigeon kererū - which we have in the area - but I've always thought they wouldn't come that close to the house.

Yesterday, big flap, flap and a kererū arrived in one of the trees - literally 1m from the edge of the deck and at our head-height in the tree - just sat there happily eating the berries. It went away after 5-10 mins but came back a bit later while we were sitting out on the deck. Could hardly believe it. Beautiful.

We have a pair, sometimes one more, that hang around the farm and gorge on wild plums next to the house when they are ripe, like they are now. Big fat birds that hang upside-down on the branches and pull them down to the ground.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

frankv

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#3179343 9-Jan-2024 12:30

Reflecting on my holiday in Perth and environs.

This was my first time to WA, and my preconceived mental image was basically flat red desert. Not so! The Indian Coast Highway runs mostly through grey-green scrub. The next slightly major road inland is farmland with lots of rivers and water, and vast areas of wheat; north of Perth there's also some huge (red) heaps of mine tailings. The vastness of Australia boggles my mind... in 2 weeks we saw just a tiny slice of southwestern WA, maybe 2% of WA.

Especially good bits:

Flying over Sydney on the way to Perth, on such a clear day that I could see the Bridge & Opera House
South of Perth is limestone, so many caves. We visited Mammoth cave, which has lighting and a boardwalk. Also fossils and skeletons... an Aussie national paleontology treasure that you can walk through!
Hamelin Bay, and stingrays that come into ankle- to knee-deep water to rub against your legs.
Busselton Jetty, especially the underwater observatory at the end of it.
Rottnest Island & quokkas.
The Wellington Dam mural.
The small towns and chocolate factories and cheesemakers and wineries
Excellent roads, apart from a few roadworks all in excellent condition. So different from NZ roads.
The Witchcliffe raptor centre & Cavendish Park & wild kangaroos and emus and birds
The Nambung Pinnacles & some actual red desert-like scenery
Kings Park
Perth Xmas lights display
Helpful, friendly people, including lots of volunteers
Fine weather every day, temperatures up to 40C, but aircon everywhere
Showering in the backyard
Cheap food (including a $2 watermelon!) and petrol
The iridescent greenness of NZ when we returned

The less nice...

Fremantle Prison, where people were incarcerated in inhumane conditions until 1991. And hanged until 1964.
Penguin Island, where the population of penguins has dropped from 2,000 to 200 in 20 years. Mostly due to global warming.
Flies, even on Rottnest Island and over a mile offshore at the end of Busselton Jetty.
Colonial history and the Aborigines.
Crows.
Aussie drivers. Lane-jumping and no indicators and roaring down dirt roads leaving opaque clouds of dust.
Perth's non-existent surf
Red-eye from Perth to Auckland meant about 3 hours sleep in 30
Grey drizzly days for a week after we got back

Rikkitic

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#3179355 9-Jan-2024 13:12

frankv:

Reflecting on my holiday in Perth and environs.

I greatly enjoyed Perth. Especially sitting on the beach (not a surfer), experiencing Freemantle at night (something to do once) and enjoying the view from Kings Park (except for the biting insects, which were voracious). Perth has a pleasant, laid-back feel. At least it did for me. There are far worse places.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

Rikkitic

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#3181485 13-Jan-2024 15:40

Newshub being smugly coy about the location of the wedding (we know where it is but we are not telling you) while publishing a photo of the venue with the name prominently displayed on the wall! 🤪

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

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Tinkerisk

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#3181549 13-Jan-2024 22:06

Rikkitic:

Newshub being smugly coy about the location of the wedding (we know where it is but we are not telling you) while publishing a photo of the venue with the name prominently displayed on the wall! 🤪

Well, nobody said that the average press is clever. I don't begrudge her private life and the fact that she doesn't keep everything to herself, very likeable! Politically, I can't make a judgment from here. But the news is about the person. 😀

floydbloke

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#3182501 16-Jan-2024 07:45

Thames Coromandel District Mayor, Len Salt, would get my vote.

Did Eric Clapton really think she looked wonderful...or was it after the 15th outfit she tried on and he just wanted to get to the party and get a drink?

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3182502 16-Jan-2024 07:53

floydbloke:

I'm fairly certain that's not compliant with the requirements of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 when responding to information requests.

That aside, I would appreciate the frank response.

frankv

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#3182513 16-Jan-2024 08:53

Steve Hart (anti-vax, anti-mandate, climate change denier, conspiracy theorist, mayoral candidate) :

“But if you went down the main street of Thames and talked to the community – like an elderly church-going woman – she wouldn’t be impressed. And geriatric conservatives are a large part of the voting community who I don’t think would approve of that language at all.”

I dunno that elderly people would appreciate being labelled as "geriatric". And I think that elderly conservatives are a small part of the electorate. Nevertheless, I do think that most of them would approve of that language under those circumstances. I certainly think it's 100% appropriate.

OTOH, Hart (possibly the actual author of the OIA request) did get 1111 votes in the mayoral election, about 8.5% of the total vote. Maybe that was due to a promise to freeze rates by eliminating waste. He did beat 3 candidates -- I shudder to think how bad they must be.

It bemuses me that "sovereign citizens" on the one hand claim that government and therefore judicial institutions have no legal authority, and then use legal means to challenge those institutions.

In answer to Hart's “is this the sort of person we want as mayor?” I'd say "Better than 4 of the alternatives!"

geoffwnz

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#3182515 16-Jan-2024 09:08

frankv:

It bemuses me that "sovereign citizens" on the one hand claim that government and therefore judicial institutions have no legal authority, and then use legal means to challenge those institutions.

Yes, but you think logically and critically about things in a rational manner. There's nothing logical about anything that comes out of the word salads vomited up by the "sovereign citizens". Take a look at the parliament occupation. "We don't want to abide by rules and laws" followed by "you all need to abide by our rules and laws to be part of this occupation". *facepalm

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rb99

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#3182921 17-Jan-2024 10:02

Spotting the neighbours heading off to the beach (?), with the preschooler in the hat that mostly covers his head and the rucksack hanging so far down his back it practically touches the ground...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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floydbloke

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#3183443 18-Jan-2024 10:17

Handle9:

Flights are booked for our visit to NZ in March.

I feel poor but happy days.

Mrs. and I just decided to upgrade to Prem Economy for our upcoming trip in June. The extra $2k hurts for now but it'll be pretty much forgotten by the time June rolls around so happy days indeed.

Bonus smile came when there was no wait time calling the AirNZ contact centre (booking couldn't be changed online), looks like 5.30am is a good time to get hold of them. Also quite impressed with their automated identification and authentication steps, still a couple of mundane verification questions and scripted steps from Shane the agent (who was excellent) but a pretty good experience all round.

Did Eric Clapton really think she looked wonderful...or was it after the 15th outfit she tried on and he just wanted to get to the party and get a drink?

ToPGuNZ

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#3183448 18-Jan-2024 10:30

Finding a very supportive and non-judgemental gym means more smiles recently. After many years of non-activity then back surgery it has been great to get along and exercise in a great environment. Staff and members are full of encouragement and this means results are achieved. Having chats with other members has also helped my mental health.

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