Male and Female Red-necked Wallabies down my street this afternoon. No need to guess which is which. ;-)

#AustralianWildlife #WildOz #RedNeckedWallaby #macropod #marsupial

Got my very first review uploaded at my new job! Here it is aaaand I've managed to confuse myself. This BYD hybrid actually works out cheaper to run than my Nissan Leaf. 😞
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJOqrxNeFeM

Yesterday was also my first ride with a fully waxed chain (OEM drivetrain).

Quick notes:

FMD, such a mess trying to avoid making a mess, but that's another tale.🤦

Shifting started out clunky as the chain was stiff in spite of my flexing efforts, but improved somewhat.

After 40km of dusty firetrail, my chain's a bit dusty. 🤷 Remarkably clean.

I no longer see wax externally. Hopefully it's still internal.

I couldn't repeat poor shifts at home today.

It feels normal.

#ChainWax
#mtb
#eMTB

#Spotted on Market Day in Aotearoa New Zealand:

A small human (6?) sniffs her hotdog suspiciously and asks: "Why is there mustard?"
Dad shrugs and says: "One of life's mysteries. Don't question it."
Small Human sniffs her hotdog again. "But WHY?"

A tiny human (2?) with a pugnacious expression is HAULING a doll's house out of a cafe's toy basket.
Roaring triumphantly when she FINALLY succeeds.
Hefting it above her head like a pigtailed wrestler brandishing a champion belt.

A little black dog (Scottish terrier) is solemnly watching his human (70s?) take her seat in a cafe.
Tail wagging optimistically, patiently waiting and then politely jumping onto her lap when he's given the go ahead.
Giving her a look of pure button-eyed adoration as she sips her coffee.

A sturdy little dog (Patterdale terrier) has been given the most important of jobs. She's to guard a tiny new human (weeks?) while the adults have a coffee.
Doing perimeter checks of the cafe table, before coming back to sniff Tiny New Human with a little tail wag.
All seems well!
Firm friends in the making.

A small human (4?) is VERY excited to see Grandad approaching in the markets.
Arms waving, expression pure happiness, he RACES up to Grandad, SKIDS to a halt and then with maximum solemnity holds out his hand for a very proper handshake.
Grandad thoroughly charmed.

(Continued Below)

Oh, I ran out of space, how unusual... (waffling)

Back to my opening point, on the way back I dropped into Woody Pear dam, Oaks dam, Wheel Gully dam, & an unnamed dam. I couldn't remember if Toby's Glen has a dam, & didn't look. 🤷 All are simple dirt mound firefighting dams, most are low.

I had a great time, of course, but my knee hurts. I'm wearing an elastic support, & will probably moan for days.

54.9km 2hrs32
Ascent 1286m
89 hrs recovery required, says Mr Garmin

#BlueMountains

Dammit all!

Or was that all the dams? 🤷

I put the mock on by bragging about my riding. 😡 I've done 3-4 short rides, but it's been a month since a 50km ride.

Anyway it was GLORIOUS today, so I rode the Oaks again. School hols, but no kids. I saw close to 20 people riding up, & later saw most of them riding back down.😁

My knee went wonky, though. No, not the already dicky one, of course not. As if. I needed all my Es, as I couldn't put in enough grunt on my own without sooking.

#eMTB
#eBike

'Towelling the bloke up in the cells': Shocking police emails revealed https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-04/emails-police-pressure-drop-charges-arrested-allegedly-beaten/106874516 #IndigenousAustralians #Corruption #Police #Courts #Crime

For your envy and resentment, I'll just remind you all that birds like this flap around like regular pigeons where I live.
@iBlame

PHON versus Pini: IA editor pulls pin on Pelican Pauline https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/phon-versus-pini-ia-editor-pulls-pin-on-pelican-pauline,21246?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=IA_Feed #Auspol

TIL...

I needed a new fitted sheet. They've always been OK, but never as good as promised. I'd wonder why elastic was only ever at the corners, thinking it'd work better if elastic was all the way round, & if the bit that tucked in was deep enough to actually tuck.

A few online promised deep sides, but I found myself in a store having a sale. Bought a bargain sheet promising deep sides.

Readers, to my surprise & delight, it also has full elastic, is deep, & stays put. HUZZAH!

#bedsheets

The A to Z of who Pauline Hanson does and does not represent https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/the-a-to-z-of-who-pauline-hanson-does-and-does-not-represent,21228?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=IA_Feed #Auspol

Sometimes when I encounter parrots, I think of that video clip of Iggy Pop singing "Surfin' Bird" to his pet cockatoo and I'm inspired to do the same. I haven't done it yet, but it's really only a matter of time.

How to stop the popularity of One Nation and reduce the impact Hanson's so-called policies?

Look at history.

One Nation almost disappeared during the resources boom in Australia. Why? Because people were happy. Now, people are discontented, struggling with everyday living.

Reform social support so that it actually supports society and not the wealthy and parties like One Nation, built entirely on hate for the "other", will fade into nothingness again.

#Politics
#AusPol #Australia #SocialDemocracy #PHON #OneNation

Neil the seal! We can't get enough of his pinnipedular antics! But the truth is he's just a little guy... https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2026/jul/01/neil-the-seal-is-back-terrorising-tasmanias-coastal-communities-everyone-leave-him-alone

@Nickiquote Your daily Aussie animal quota

"Spotify's effective payout averages roughly $0.003 to $0.005 per stream... By contrast, Bandcamp pays artists roughly 82% of each sale. A direct $10 album sale can exceed revenue from thousands of streams. Buying music or books directly from artists, whether physical or DRM-free digital, is one of the most direct ways to support them."
Artists are likely better off when you #buy one album (and #pirate the rest) than from your #streaming #subscription!
#music #capitalism
https://dervis.de/physical/

This paper took forever to publish. All the co-authors are astronomers, so we initially started with astronomy journals, and they didn't like it. Not astronomy-enough, I guess. So we tried a space journal instead. Here's the article from Acta Astronautica: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094576526004091

And here's the non-paywalled version on the arXiv: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2512.09643

You may remember I wrote a bunch about this months ago when we first put it on the arXiv. Now it's peer-reviewed, and officially DONE.

If further proof is needed (for those diehard who still believe the far-right SMR dream) #JohnQuiggin has reviewed the nuclear powerplant playing field to deliver his prognosis:

“Looking at the world as a whole, the first half of 2026 has seen
* two (2) new reactors connected to the grid, both in China
* three (3) construction projects reaching first nuclear concrete, all in China
* zero (0) new final investment decisions outside China
* one (1) new/revised export contract, probably just symbolic, between Rosatom and Uzbekistan

Generously assuming a 4:1 capacity ratio, the two new reactors would be equivalent to around 8 GW of firmed solar. That’s what China installs every week or so, and the world as a whole every four or five days.

In summary, nuclear power isn’t a vital source of energy, obstructed by politics. Outside China, it’s a zombie, animated by political imperatives. In China, it’s an afterthought, running far behind solar and wind, as well as (regrettably) new coal and gas, and about level with new hydro.”

Sit tight folks, #Renewables are winning the fight — if not fast enough for comfort — and will continue to do so until we beat the #FossilFuel and #NuclearPowerGeneration industries.

Read more:
https://open.substack.com/pub/johnquigginblog/p/the-state-of-nuclear-power-in-2026

#AusPol #Electrification #ClimateAction

#Spotted at a Flat Chest Fest* in Aotearoa New Zealand

Two women (30s & 50s?) are trying to remember how to rumba through a crowd full of people of all ages makes and models. 70s disco music playing. Both counting "one two three one two three," in between missteps and laughter.

A woman (50s?) with Cheshire cat flair is gently smoothing the fake moustache back on the face of a drag king (60s?)* with a blonde mullet wig, 80s shades and a black leather jacket. Moustache restored, they blow a kiss to each other. Old friends sharing a wonderfully silly moment.

A woman (60s?) with spiked, rainbow-died hair is rocking out in her wheel chair, sharing a comically sultry look with a friend across the room, arms in the air. Madonna's "Like A Payer" cranking over the speakers.

Two bubbly men (20s?) in a delightful assortment of sparkly gear are hugging while mosh-dancing. A third friend, being the very responsible adult making sure they don't bump into anyone. No one minding when they accidentally do.

A couple (30s?) are getting their boogie on, on the dance floor while holding coffee cups. Sipping in between groovy moves. Sneaky smooches with soft smiles. A lovely moment.

(Continued Below)

Despite playing soccer* as a kid (poorly), I've avoided most of the football, but happened to watch Netherlands v Morocco today.

I don't like draws, am no fan of extra time, & hate the cruelty of penalty shootouts.

Yet I was on the edge of my seat the whole game, roaring at botched chances, cheering brilliant shots & great saves, abusing theatrical diving, & marvelling at the skills on display. I enjoyed it.

*🤷 I know, but I played in two *soccer* clubs

#WorldCup