Remote

Bec

@teadrinker@aus.social

mastodon 4.7.2

Tea witch; writer and editor; keen on planetary survival; PhD (Australian steampunk and the environment); parent; gardener and friend of pets. Grew up on a farm, still feel the land in my bones. Menang Country/South Coast, Western Australia

#gardening #hiking #academia #writing #editing #kindness #nature #environment #climate #dogs #food #cats #agriculture #permaculture #reading #books

627 Followers

700 Following

50 Posts

Joined November 23, 2021

Pronouns:

she/her

Languages:

Posting in English, speak/read fluent German, basic French

Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 1mo ago

Boosted by @trending@homestead.social

I happened to stand up for a screen break this morning and heard some chittering outside the window. There among the lavender flowering and hardenbergia was a rosella. So I zoomed in through the flyscreen and managed to snap a couple of photos, which I went to show the Kids of course. They crept into the study to see and returned, whispering with excitement about the second bird that had just flown in! It's a pair and they're having snacks in the garden! My heart 🥰 #birds #garden #nature #wildlife #bloomscrolling

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2w ago

We're back home after a weekend in Perth. Hours of wonderful catching up with some dear friends and a belated birthday lunch with my sister and nephews. Wow, it's quite the drive, though, and as always, quite the drivers. Yikes. Dad is now settled into the care home, which was perfect timing since I didn't think I could leave town while he was still at home. I spent a few hours sorting out all the admin (and carrying all the stuff in with my amazing SIL!) on the day he moved in, and then I went back in the evening to check on him... he was OK. A big adjustment. Now it's been over a week and we spoke on the phone last night -- he sounds so much more like himself. Really well, really clear and sharp. What a difference it's making, having someone else take on the responsibility of his medication and meals, and being able to visit with Mum for hours at a time without having to plan it around taxi rides or organising with me to pick him up. #caring #CareWork #ageing

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

New family member... #kitten #cat #caturday

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 1mo ago

#ThreeGoodThings

Dad stable for now, and hearing aids are fixed, which makes things so much easier
tea 🥰
this cute kitten-puppy standoff that involved little puppy yips and lots of kitten paw swipes and purrs, all of which gave me such needed belly laughs after a really busy and people-filled day

#CareWork #ThingsILove #tea

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

I'm enjoying this book as an after-lunch read before I go outside and potter in my medium sized garden #reading #books #gardening

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Cool crow* thing that happened the other day, and which I just remembered: So the backstory is that sometimes the crows (ravens) like to nick off with our chooks' eggs, and honestly I'm OK with it because I love how cheeky and clever they are, and they don't take many eggs. The other thing you should know is that our chooks are free-range-ish in a fenced off section of the garden, which (for now) is secure around the edge but open to the sky. It's a few weeks until the chooks will start laying but the crows live around our area and I often will say hello to them when we're out walking. And then the other day, we were walking up the street towards our house and I saw a bird gliding high up above and I thought it was a pelican, but then I saw the silhouette of the head and realised it was a hawk! And then! a crow/raven appears from the right, and not only starts harassing the hawk, but also caw-caw-caaawing to its family members, and they are on the job straight away, and within seconds, the hawk has left the vicinity of our chooks and the crows see it off -- we could almost hear them saying, 'And stay out!' I'm thinking that the crows were protecting our chooks -- not because they care about the chooks themselves, so much as they care about the eggs the chooks will start laying soon! Crows. So great :) *apparently the ones around here are ravens, but they seem to not care that I call them crows #crows #ravens #birds #ThingsILove

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

In happier news, I spent the morning thinking it was Tuesday and I'm so happy to realise it's actually Wednesday, what a blast

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Pet death

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Normally I use two monitors for work because it's easier for me to monitor chat and read PDFs on one, while I work on the other.

The secondary monitor gave up on me yesterday. It's not salvagable. I will have to buy another one.

Friends, I'm having to alt-tab between windows and it is most unsatisfactory...

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

Visited the community garden. Caught up with some folk, met some new ones, discussed gardening and global food supply chains, and also received some magic beans (sort of). One more month-ish until the windowsill seed sprouting can begin, hurray! #gardening #community

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Ugh, it looks like I have a tax bill. It's not huge and I will be able to pay it off over a few months, but also boooo, I already paid tax this year 😅 Why do I need to pay more?! And to find out how to pay less, I have to pay an accountant to tell me...

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

Would you like to see the very shiny and beautiful flugelhorn that I now get to play? (If you don't want to, that's OK too, no pressure, just blink now) I can borrow it on a long term loan and if I want to buy it, we can 'work something out', said the guy who bought it (meaning that I could pay him off over time, not anything sinister!!). I got to play it during this week's rehearsal and it was such a joy! It's so gorgeous. The valves are really high quality. The sound is next level. So mellow! I had never heard of a flugelhorn or even heard one being played but omg I'm a convert #music #ThingsILove #StartingFromScratch #flugelhorn

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

How is your day going, friends? Mine has been pretty great – no work today as I took leave so I could have a long weekend. Taking Kid2 to work in a bit and will pick up some vegies for tea, probably going to bake a cake at some point too. Arranged to meet a friend for coffee tomorrow and possibly on Sunday, but apart from that I have few plans, which means there's plenty of time for unscheduled gardening and reading 🥰 #today

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 4mo ago

Kid2's shift got changed which unfortunately meant I needed to take her to work rather than her catching the bus, but! On the way home I took a slightly longer route to drive past trees and I saw a wedgetail eagle coasting up high above the canopy 😍 What a gift! I actually wowed out loud!

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social I guess I'm being naive when I ask whether there's any regulation on this kind of thing...?

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@darkuncle@infosec.exchange It's so unfair that money buys power. I hate it @sundogplanets@mastodon.social

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@nickzoic@aus.social Ahaha, that's so awesome! A raven, you say? Nobody here but us chooks!

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 4mo ago

Our little Sebright has died and while she was probably quite ancient in Sebright years (we got her as an older chook three years ago), we're still a bit sad, because Sebrights are SO SUPER and delightful and she was very much my favourite.

She was so fast! She made the cutest little sound -- different from the croaky croons that the others do when they're going about their day. She was a remarkable escape artist and spent a couple of weeks hiding in the neighbour's garden after flying over the fence and not realising how to get back (I said she was my favourite, I never said she was clever -- although to her credit, she did learn her lesson and didn't fly over there again).

She didn't lay much, she was tiny so didn't eat many scraps, she also would regularly dig up my seedlings if she could find them and she was very good at finding them. She was... kind of a menace?! But I think the cheekiness and the cuteness just made her all the more adorable and I'll miss her

#chicken #death #pet #chook

Aus.Social

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 1mo ago

Replying to

@weirdfoodie@thecanadian.social Truly a great tea. Have you tried Barry's? Also excellent

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social This is not the solar powered future I asked for

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

First band performance today, and despite not having played two of the pieces before (the rest of the band had played them before; I had not), it went really well. There were definitely times when the others carried me but I held my own at times... for four rehearsals, I feel like it was a solid achievement. It did wipe me out for the rest of the afternoon though. All the stimulation and adrenaline, it's quite a lot for a body to manage. I didn't get much time to practise this week but I'm hoping next week will be better. At the very least I'll have time tomorrow and Monday. Something else to look forward to: one of the guys is bringing me a cornet to try out next rehearsal. Exciting! #trumpet #music #ThingsILove #StartingFromScratch

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@MsDropbear42@blahaj.zone I wonder, if I grow a beanstalk, there could be some extra gardening space at the top of it...?

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@futzle@old.mermaid.town In the company I work for, I have a bunch of Indian colleagues and omg, the English they speak is one of my favourite Englishes. What's not to love? They use UK spelling for the most part, they have some delightful turns of phrases and although some of the words or syntax are not what I would use, I always understand them. In a world where homogeneity of language is pervasive, Indian English is a wonderful, creative, beautiful alternative.

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@Unixbigot@aus.social At least it wasn't the Celcius/Fahrenheit thing, I guess

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@MsDropbear42@blahaj.zone Not really, sort of more like a trumpet but smoother and less bright and brassy, does that make sense?

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

Trans clothes shopping

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

Trumpet update: I've been to band twice! The first time it was very scary but everyone was kind and I could probably play about 30%. This week I really didn't feel like going. It's quite a late finish and it's a weeknight, plus I feel as though my playing has plateaued in the last few weeks. But I went, and I'm so glad I did. I could do much more than last time and the scales and exercises I've been doing are helping a bit, I can tell. I mentioned to my teacher that I felt flat and not as good as I wanted to be, and he said it's normal to feel a bit discouraged sometimes. Progress is not linear, right? So it's just about sticking with it...

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@hhhneil@aus.social You jest but I'm discovering that it's quite a thing as a brass player to have numerous instruments. Because the fingers are the same for so many of them! It blows my mind a bit!

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@captainvellalives@lgbtqia.space 😭 @sundogplanets@mastodon.social

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@captainvellalives@lgbtqia.space Please do, and provide updates. I'll bring the popcorn...

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 4mo ago

Cosy crime lovers, give me your recommendations. Favourite series? Favourite authors? Setting is unimportant, just needs to be cosy...

#CosyCrime #CozyCrime #CozyMystery #books #BookRecommendation #reading @bookstodon@a.gup.pe

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@hhhneil@aus.social Oooh, excellent idea

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@MsDropbear42@blahaj.zone 😁

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@MsDropbear42@blahaj.zone Yeah, sort of sweeter... I guess more like clarinet? You might be familiar with this one by Chuck Mangione? Flugelhorn makes its beautiful entrance around 0.18... https://youtu.be/YKp7g0mxHVc?si=NCNs3UbNfMZAPhpb

Feels So Good

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@danielthepope@mastodon.me.uk This is so lovely 🌻

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@msdropbear42 I'd really rather not redo last week if that's at all possible

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@oldperl@mastodon.online Woohoo! Herzlichen Glückwunsch! @bergischgruen@nrw.social

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@CaringKinderSociety@aus.social Me too 🥰

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social Semi-trailer (with semi pronouned 'semmy' not 'sem-eye')

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@MsDropbear42@blahaj.zone It's put me on a high all week 🥰

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@superball@norcal.social Ah! Good to know, thank you :) @sundogplanets@mastodon.social

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@superball@norcal.social Yeah, I've heard this pronunciation too, which is why I wanted to clarfiy :) Out of interest, how would you pronounce semicircle? ee-sound or eye-sound for semi? @sundogplanets@mastodon.social

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@skinnylatte@hachyderm.io This is so excellent :)

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@Sheep_Overboard@infosec.exchange Yep, checks out! Meanwhile, we lived near drug dealers for a time and were always in danger of having the needy in our garden/at our front door because people were incapable of reading house numbers or remembering where their dealer lived. It wasn't ideal

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@Sheep_Overboard@infosec.exchange Ah! This is very clever!

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@Sheep_Overboard@infosec.exchange I grew up further inland than where I now live, too, and it wasn't uncommon to reach freezing or even subzero temps in the winter. I don't remember being as cold as I am these days but perhaps as a kid I ignored it because there were more important things to do?!

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 5d ago

#ThreeGoodThings

it's a long weekend (even though I'm not in NSW, I get their holidays which means I have a holiday when everyone else in my state has to work, and that leaves me feeling special and probably a little smug... also WA had a holiday last week and I didn't get it so I'm not that smug)
I bought sugar snap peas and they are so good, I've eaten ten already, yummo
Ella has been doing great on her walks, which is awesome! She's such a fast learner. Is she a genius wonderdog? Not quite sure about that but I'm managing my expectations and trying not to compare her with a certain other genius wonderdog 🥲

#dogs #food #holidays

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@Sheep_Overboard@infosec.exchange That is good to hear! I know the cold weather is important for balance and the environment but geez it can be uncomfortable

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 3mo ago

#ThreeGoodThings

I've been trying to avoid unnecessary supermarket trips, so I didn't buy berries until I was grocery shopping yesterday, and it's so great to have them again at breakfast after running out last week, yummo
it's grey and cold here but in between showers the birds are singing and doing fly-bys through the garden
I have an extra long weekend this weekend (I booked some holidays) so today is my last workday for the week and it feels like such a win

#food #3GoodThings #today

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Bec @teadrinker@aus.social

· 2mo ago

It's been A Day, with two seizures for Jarrah, but still there are some Good Things:

had a good chat with one of my band mates about making friends and neurodiversity and how it gets better as you get older and give fewer fucks
tea, obvs, especially the herbal nighttime tea I'm having right now
sent a picture of Bramble to an old friend (we met on livejournal!) and it's been a while since we talked but I've been thinking of her lately and it was so great to catch up

#ThreeGoodThings #3GoodThings #ThingsILove #friends #tea #cats #music

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