iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 10/10/2026

TVNZ might not have thought about how this looks on the app.

"Mass murderer's firing squad execution to be live-streamed in 90-year first"
With a big WATCH NOW button underneath it.
I hope NZ television doesn't actually live steam this.

G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 10/10/2026

Behold the treasure I received today. The last time I was able to find this Brandy Snap Whittakers was in Feb at the FreshChoice in Raglan of all places. Haven't seen it anywhere since, which made me Very Sad. Somebody knew this and thought of me and somehow made this gift happen 🥰

Two blocks of delicious Whittakers Brandy Snap chocolate, somehow not yet devoured by me even though I have had them for several hours now.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 09/10/2026

I scrawbed the corner of my mouth with a too-wide bit of toast this morning and all day I have felt like this.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 09/10/2026

I've used an eReader almost daily since getting a Sony Reader in 2007, then a Kindle Keyboard, then a couple of Kindle Paperwhites. Today I cut the Amazon cord and got myself a Kobo. Biggest improvement over Paperwhite so far is not having a stupid Sleep button right where my little finger goes 😄

A Kobo Clara BW eReader with a book open—The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende, if you're curious. My little finger is acting as a stand at the bottom.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 08/10/2026

I might be waiting a while for this one 😬 But no doubt it will be worth the wait because Catherine Chidgey writes great books, and by the time I get it I'll have forgotten I was waiting for it and it'll be a delightful surprise 🎁

Library hold queue for Catherine Chidgey's new book, "The Starving Bride". I am person number 119 in line for the three copies that the library ordered!

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 07/10/2026

I only discovered a few days ago that The Neverending Story was a book before it was a film. Reading it now (thanks, @christchurchlib.bsky.social ) and enjoying it immensely. I'm told the book has a lot more to it so I'm looking forward to that. Also I was not expecting Atreyu to be green-skinned.

The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende, translated to English by Ralph Manheim.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 05/10/2026

Yup that'd do it. I think my earliest proper scary film was Killer Bees, which introduced me to the fact that a person can die from bee stings and it ain't pretty. Happily this did not produce a life-long phobia, as you can guess from my avatar!

A TV magazine ad for Killer Bees, a made-for-TV movie starring Gloria Swanson which came out in 1974.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 04/10/2026

On impulse this evening I hopped on my much-neglected bike and took a little walk around Christchurch CBD, but it ended up being a very weird experience. For some reason my brain was assaulted by pre-quake memories and I almost felt vertigo in Cathedral Square trying to remember where (when) I was.

The river Avon is almost as still as a millpond on a very calm Sunday evening in Ōtautahi Aotearoa. There are spring blossoms everywhere but it's hard to appreciate that in this photo because it's monochrome.

A gull perches on the railing outside a restaurant on what my mind refuses to remember as anything except the Strip, even though it has been called something else for many years now. Anyway the gull looks striking, and being in shades of black/white/grey itself it's perfectly at home in a monochrome photo.

A mixture of pre- and post-quake buildings, with the Christ Church Cathedral a strange combination of both as it has been under repair since the steeple fell off and the rose window fell in during the 2011 earthquake and aftershocks, and it currently has a false front made to look like the original stone front.

I find the wrecked cathedral to be a blight on us all and much prefer to gaze at Tūranga, our beautiful new central library which is on the far left.

Pre-quake artwork and building giving me something to latch onto as my brain tried to remember what decade I was in. The Chalice, by sculptor Neil Dawson, was created to mark the 150th anniversary of the settlement of Canterbury, and installed in the square in 2001 which means it has always been part of my memory of this space. I'm glad it's still standing now.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 03/10/2026

Half price yellow stickered chicken at the supermarket? Oh alright, I'll make a pie for dinner for the first time in years. Chicken and leek pie in sour cream pastry. Get in ma belleh.

A dinner plate with a portion of delicious pie, and some steamed vegetables with a knob of butter melting on top.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 02/10/2026

Library holds are like a friend who drops little gifts on your doorstep because you mentioned something months ago and they remembered and thought you'd like it. ❤️ our libraries

"The Pagans" by James Alistair Henry and "The Brain Cliff" by Dr Norman Swan. I only remember requesting one of these from Christchurch City Libraries, but they remembered on my behalf.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 30/09/2026

My dreams crack me up sometimes. This just came up in a Facebook memory from a few years ago. What was going on in my brain that night?!

I dreamed that my garden flooded, and there were frogs in the garden pond, and also a baby seal, and also an angry mama seal from whom I had to flee, and a Haast eagle flew down and pecked me on the nose, and a drone camera from a nearby Jackson Five street theatre group landed on my head, and unfamiliar guests were arriving for a party. That was a LOT to be going on all at once.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 29/09/2026

Australia, what are you doing to me with this font?! Gaaah. I keep feeling like I need to fix my screen's aspect ratio.

A screenshot of https://www.austrade.gov.au/en/how-we-can-help-you/programs-and-services/simplified-trade-system showing text that is somehow both squashed and stretched - on purpose.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 27/09/2026

Weather-wise today has been cold and wet more than it has been anything else, so I'm pleased that I grabbed the chance of a bit of afternoon sunshine for a short walk. Rain back on now but I felt the sun on my skin for a few minutes!

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 26/09/2026

I bought a robovac yesterday so I could finally see what it was like to have one. Rover has already done four full passes over all the carpets in the house, plus several moppings of the kitchen floor and one mopping in the bathroom, and the novelty has yet to wear off for me 😆🤖🧹

A Xiaomi robot vacuum/mop, which I have named Rover, pootles about gathering what is apparently an unending amount of fluff from under my bed and sundry other places around the house.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 25/09/2026

I gave it a real go but the clicking was still doing my head in. Today that has been fixed.

A logitech M331 SILENT mouse, which isn't completely silent but is barely audible.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 22/09/2026

Well gosh. I have just finished reading "Doomsday Book", a time travel novel by Connie Willis from 1992 that I'd never heard of and knew nothing about. I don't remember what prompted me to get it from the library. Anyway I loved it and am feeling quite emotional now 🥺

Doomsday Book is a 1992 science fiction novel by American author Connie Willis. The novel won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and was shortlisted for other awards. The title of the book refers to the Domesday Book of 1086. Kivrin Engle, the main character, says that her recording is "a record of life in the Middle Ages, which is what William the Conqueror's survey turned out to be".

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 18/09/2026

Same view, same time, different cameras. Which do you prefer?

A monochrome photo of the Port Hills in Christchurch NZ

A colour photo of the Port Hills in Christchurch NZ

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 18/09/2026

Mia, I would happily have thrown a ball for you but they were all on the wrong side of the fence for me! Mia is possibly not the most threatening guard dog I've ever seen 😂

A big dog lies inside a security fence. Fastened to the outside of the fence is a ball bucket, with a sign that reads "I would love it if you threw a ball for me – Mia" and a photo of the dog in a heart shape. Sadly the ball bucket is EMPTY.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 14/09/2026

Oooh I like the NZ Post Christmas stamps for this year! collectables.nzpost.co.nz/christmas2026

Four beautiful NZ native bird postage stamps.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 12/09/2026

Yes TradeMe, that is indeed a top pick! (I have no idea why it thinks I'm interested in this.)

A screen snip from a TradeMe section entitled "Top picks for you", where the first listing is an ice axe. TradeMe is the NZ equivalent to eBay, only far smaller.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 12/09/2026

A monarch butterfly was very interested in the blossom on my plum tree today.

A monarch butterfly dining on plum blossom nectar in a garden in Christchurch NZ.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 09/09/2026

I finally got a colour printer which has been on my wish list since 2020. First thing I did was make a tiny photo book. This was a huge amount of fun and I doubt it'll be the last one I churn out!

A tiny paper photo book on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track. It measures about 5.5cm wide and 7.5cm tall and has 14 pages inside the cover.

Two inner pages, showing bare feet on a sandy beach and a dishcloth hung out to dry between trees.

A two-page spread showing one of the many long golden beaches that the Abel Tasman is known for.

Two more inner pages, showing a close-up of a weka (native bird, very pesky and steals anything not nailed down) and a view of a wooded campsite with a Durston tent peeking into frame.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 07/09/2026

Best ad. Well done DuckDuckGo 😄 www.youtube.com/shorts/wlwoP...

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 04/09/2026

I don't hear any similarity in accent myself except, as you say, maritime Canada, but there will be certain words and phrases that made the jump. Those probably make up most of what the quiz matched me on! And it wasn't a strong match, as would be expected for an Irish person living in NZ 😄

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 04/09/2026

Linguistically I'm apparently a better fit for New England than anywhere else in the USA, no doubt due to the influence of British and many Irish immigrants landing there. So no big surprise really!

A map saying my dialect is close to that of New England, particularly New York/Massachusetts/Connecticut, and very far from Oaklahoma and Dallas.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 01/09/2026

Yesterday it was winter and I had no plum blossom. Today it is spring and I have plum blossom!

A black and white photograph of plum blossom and unopened buds on the first day of spring in NZ

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 30/08/2026

The Cardboard Cathedral looking its usual striking and angular self in yesterday's sunshine, with the new Christchurch stadium in the background. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardboa...

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 30/08/2026

Ōtautahi Christchurch on an almost balmy Saturday night at the end of winter.

Three girls huddle over their phone while two guys walk towards the camera, one giving a double thumbs-up, in one of the alleys leading away from Riverside Market.

The Christchurch Municipal Chambers building is lit up from within.

A queue of people waiting for their turn to buy gelato at Rollickin.

Morningcider in a tall glass tumbler with ice and lemon.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 25/08/2026

Really impressed by this detail for the F&B "Future of Conservation" hui in Christchurch this weekend. I might bring my knitting or at least a doodle pad. It's so much easier to focus when my hands are kept busy.

Advance info for a day-long session run by Forest & Bird giving people permission to bring fidget tools if that helps them stay focused and engaged.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 24/08/2026

What a delightful surprise, @cathsheard.bsky.social 🥰 I shall add it to what is now Cath's Corner in my home office!

A lovely little abstract painting, possibly with ducks, by Cath Sheard, in shades of blue and green.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 23/08/2026

The Christchurch Coastal Pathway is such a gem. I parked up at the start and walked to Sumner with a fierce tailwind, fortified myself with an iced chocolate, and walked the 6km back in a fierce headwind. No need to cross a single road or mingle with traffic, and coastal views all the way.

The post-quake remnants of Shag Rock with a windswept walker gamely battling the elements and sand flying into his face.

A boat sits at anchor in very ruffled waters.

Three small children play in the shallows.

Lots of people enjoying ice cream on a surprisingly warm and sunny day.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 22/08/2026

The Healy Pass, on the Beara Peninsula in the west of Ireland. After driving down this winding road, Mum and I were flagged down by an elderly chap with a stick. We thought he might need assistance but he just wanted a chat (in the middle of the road).

A view over a wide open and green but sadly tree-free valley, with a winding road meandering down to the valley floor. This was a originally famine road, cut to provide employment during the Great Famine, and I can imagine it was difficult work for men who were already starving. You might think WINZ is bad but it has nothing on the British of the time and their approach to taking the best of Ireland's food and wealth while driving Ireland's people to the workhouse, emigration, or the grave.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R574_road_(Ireland)

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 21/08/2026

A few years ago my flock of hens dwindled to one who was VERY SPOILED in the last few days before I rehomed her. She came in to watch Netflix with me and we shared a plate of cheese and crackers 😆 (Thanks @apocalypseelf.bsky.social for the reminder!)

A hen watching Money Heist in my living room.

A hen sharing a plate of cheese on crackers with me.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 21/08/2026

My favourite sculpture in Christchurch and possibly anywhere: "Passing Time" by Anton Parsons. I saw his earlier version of this type of sculpture in Palmy and it looks deflated in comparison. This one is better!

"Passing Time" by Anton Parsons, all smooth metallic curves and pleasing angles. Even its shadow is interesting to look at.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 19/08/2026

Now jabbed. Bring on the sore arm rather than days of debilitating sickness and possibly worse!

An upper arm with a small sticking plaster over a needle puncture.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 19/08/2026

Oh FUCK OFF. Or, as some might say, "on yer bike mate".

Prime Minister of NZ whinging about bike lanes making it difficult to travel locally, presumably not by bike in his case.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 18/08/2026

There have been so many rainbows over Christchurch today!

A rainbow over the Port Hills in Christchurch NZ, as seen from the estuary.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 16/08/2026

Every time I re-watch The Matrix (currently on TVNZ+), I am astonished at how well it has aged. I've been saying this for the best part of 30 years! Seeing it in the cinema when it first came out was definitely a formative experience for me so I'm glad it continues to bring televisual joy now.

Screenshot of my TV screen showing The Matrix. Key characters are staring at an old timey rotary dial telephone, the kind I grew up with, having just used it to transport themselves into the matrix. I definitely didn't do THAT with the home phone as a kid.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 15/08/2026

The bright lights of NZ suburbia on a rainy Saturday evening.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 14/08/2026

Look at the adorable cuteness of this meerkat, keeping watch for threats including possible threat from a helicopter that happened to be flying overhead at Orana this afternoon.

A meerkat triptych. Look to the side! Look straight up at the helicopter! Look fiercely at the camera! There's potential danger everywhere but it will not go unnoticed with such a vigilant sentry on guard.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 14/08/2026

Today I watched a gorilla shit into its hand and then eat it, and now you can too.

A gorilla shitting in its hand and then eating it. It already had one big chunk in its mouth, chewing away at it like a wad of gum. Apparently this is a thing that gorillas do sometimes.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 10/08/2026

I'm listening to Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", which is interesting because I've never read it and had no idea what it was about, but it's read by Michael York and I'm constantly picturing him as Basil Exposition. Probably not quite the right vibe for the material 😂

The actor Michael York as Basil Exposition, the guy from British Intelligence who is Austin's handler in the Austin Powers comedies

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 09/08/2026

Funnily enough I have a photo of my own footwear that day. I was very shocked and not thinking clearly about what would be worth photographing so I decided to illustrate the size of the crack in this newly installed kerb on Hereford Street. No banana for scale so my foot sufficed!

A black-shoe-and-sock-clad foot peeps into view beside a concrete kerbstone that has been cracked and broken through in multiple places during the motion of the earthquake in central Christchurch.

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G██████ 🇮🇪 🇳🇿 @genesis.eurosky.social · 08/08/2026

Took myself out around the city today for a little Christchurch photography jaunt.

Steps up to Craft Embassy and other purveyors of food and beverage, in the area that was the Strip pre-quake and I can never seem to remember the name of now.

Interestingly striped paintwork on a Kiwirail carriage, which makes me sad because Christchurch doesn't have commuter rail and I'll probably never be on this train.

Riverside Market was bustling as always, both inside the main building and in the alleys outside it. What a success story that has been!

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