Can anyone recommend a good online newspaper or journal that is not UK-or US-centric? (Or for that matter Australian, Canadian or Kiwi.) Am feeling a bit weary of “the guardian in my inbox every day” and want to change it up. Bonus if it includes interesting social/cultural commentary.

Really enjoying: Writing to Meet You: Letters For Secluded Times. I don’t know anything more about this initiative but it’s really rather lovely.

Blackberry foraging at Korokoro yesterday!

I signed up for a draft-a-week challenge this year, hoping to get back into the swing of quick idea generation and also as a way of not putting off writing stories until the idea was “just right.” But it’s looking like all I’m doing is writing scenes and then scrawling notes to future me on how I might finish something, then having run out of time, I barrel on to the next idea. Both are unsatisfying ways to work…I guess that “discovery” is worth something.

Utopia Science Fiction magazine (which I’m an assistant editor for) is currently running a kickstarter to help fund our fifth volume. If you enjoy sci-fi with a positive spin on it, please take a look!

Took a cool workshop with Harry Lien yesterday (via Cat Rambo): Author Branding for Introverts. Made some pertinent discoveries! Apparently “my things” are underdogs & reluctant heroes, chaos, and a rollicking good time! Have thusly updated my author bio 🙃

Also: lately I’m finding I just hate the internet. 😞

📺 Been on a total kdrama binge-fest over the last few months! Most recent: Rain and Shine / Just Between Lovers (Netflix gives weird alternate titles sometimes.) 10/10.

Last of the Cycling Postmen – so good! ❤️

New newsletter went out. It was April’s, so naturally was sent on the first of May. The Beauty of Ten Minutes

Not sure if I am getting any better at this format but I think I’m less nervous about doing it. :)

I’ve had two 4:30am starts in order to catch some of Cat Rambo’s writing classes…the last was two days ago and I’m still tired!

Latest newsletter: Good things, and lessons from the slush pile.

Nice things to do

Found this wacky guy on the side of the house today!

First day of school for the new year. Lots of talk about what schooling will look like with omicron here on our shores. Some people opting for home schooling instead of facing the uncertainty.

Leila’s keen to go, knows she needs to be careful with her mask, and she’s had one jab. I think she needs it, in the same way I need to regroup myself after six weeks of family time.

Garden first: a good watering, and then some lettuce, kale, Brussels sprouts and dill planting. The garden is haphazard but I like it that way. Things twist and turn around each other and somehow seem in harmony? Some interesting things in there this year: the peppercorns are fruiting for the first time, the blueberry is cooperating. And my favourite: a geranium with star-shaped leaves and flowers that look like wings.

I love leaving tiny notebooks everywhere. Love leafing back through them. Blog post ideas, to-dos, scribbles from my daughter, lists, quotes… they’re comforting to me.

Spent an hour this afternoon sorting through the Moostie’s old art. I looved the unicorn hoof phase!

A day of obsessions around the house today: Moo can’t get enough She-Ra and I really, really, need to put down Slay The Spire and go do something productive!

Really enjoying the Domestika course “Blog Writing: Find Your Personal Style” 😍

I thought this piece, considering our leaders’ mental health, was very good. The public—and the news that stokes the “outcries” when we go into lockdown by always focusing on the negative—could use the reminder, I reckon. During Covid, spare a thought for our leaders' mental health - Stuff.co.nz

Liked: What’s in a name? - Forest and Bird

Lockdown day 5: lots of cooking and jobs around the house! Currently making: Venison pie - Jamie Oliver recipes

Despite the awful news about Delta and lockdown, it was great to hear that vaccinations are resuming, and open to over 40s now. All booked! By the 21st of October I’ll be double-vaccinated. Whew!

Am like a child with a new toy today! It’s been a long time since I’ve had a new piece of apple hardware.

So. Much. Fun!