Writing retreat in a friend’s gorgeous family bach along a remote stretch of Lake Taupo. Wonderful!!

I want the job at Duolingo where they come up with the world’s strangest phrases for people to learn!

Currently reading: Bluets by Maggie Nelson 📚

Good news and bad news…bad news first:

Can anyone recommend a blog platform that would be good for an eleven year old? We’re going on a month long trip and I’m thinking a travel blog so her teacher and classmates can read it while she’s away… but it’s got to be as frictionless as possible or she’ll never use it. iPad friendly?

Think I am late to the party on this YouTube channel but this was awesome: Your dishwasher is better than you think (tips, tricks, and how they work) - YouTube

Finished reading: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher 📚

Finished reading: Swordheart by T. Kingfisher 📚

Something that will affect more and more people as climate change continues to press on: Salt in the womb: How rising seas erode reproductive health | Grist

I tried to write a blog post but all I can fixate on at the moment is my burst eardrum…

Today’s candles. Bit of a theme going on!

I finished a great workshop about newsletters and I need to up my game!

If you’re interested in reading about life in New Zealand, creativity, books, gaming, pets, music and writing, as well as occasional links to free stories that I write, you can sign up here: jessicanickelsen.ck.page 🤪

Currently reading: On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden 📚

Anyone else having a grey day that pumpkin soup and bookstore browsing can’t fix? Here’s a pick-me-up!

I have a real fascination with abandoned places; this looks amazing.

Currently reading: The Listening Book by W. A. Mathieu 📚

Portishead, pinot, and ping pong tonight! 🏓

Non-spammy post time (sorry again), for camera peeps: would an iPad Air be enough to sort photos during a month of travel? I was going to take my laptop with me because my phone is old and sad, but the weight is considerable. What do you take as your hardware setup when you travel with your camera?

Oh no, I was tweaking some old blog posts and noooo, a whole load of images have come through somehow. Apologies!!

These browser tabs are getting away on me like gremlins after midnight :(

🎹Paraïba by Ritual Fade (youtube). Super nice.

One other thing that I found interesting today - my Blot.im blog achieved an ‘A’ rating with websitecarbon.com while my author page (with much less content) on GitHub pages got a ‘D’!

Does anyone know of any newsletter platforms or services where you can basically write up a markdown or html file, rather than having to use a convoluted web-heavy online portal? I love how easy Blot is to use for my blog, and I really enjoy the text-first feeling of using it.

Currently reading: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor 📚

Went for a walk yesterday with the xPro2, trying out some new recipes. These are using the portra 160 recipe. Feels like a bit too much Portra? Though I like the warm, creamy feel. 📷