On Thursday (17 November 2011), sometime after 9pm, I will be talking to Veronika Meduna on Our Changing World on National Radio and reading a few poems from Kingdom Animalia: the Escapades of Linnaeus.

The words on the beach, “This is a day for the eating of clouds” are busy settling into a poem now that the tide has swept them away.  They originally came from me mishearing “It’s cloudy today” as “It’s cloud-eater day”.  I like the cloud-eater version better.

It’s so good to see all the pingao around Island Bay now the council has fenced it off.  Many years ago (over the 1985/86 summer) I did a coastal vegetation survey with Yvonne Weeber for the Wellington Harbour Board  (best job I’ve ever had!) and it was very exciting every time we found a struggling pingao plant clinging on amongst the marram.  Now they’re thriving – hurrah!