Winter Walks

Our winter officially begins on June 1st, not on the shortest day. We had some really wintry weather in May, cold enough to make the town's deciduous trees put on a proper show.

I try to get out for a walk every day if I can - Manu gets grumpy if he doesn't get his walk (and so do I).



Here's some shots from a few days ago - a walk at the beach:

 Tuhua (Mayor Island) from Waihi Beach

Looking south. The beach is just the way 

I like it - deserted!

And yesterday we had a lovely walk along the river bank:

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

Summer

We had a very cold and windy non-spring, but now we are being rewarded for our forbearance with a fantastic summer. Since just before Christmas the weather has been beautiful - sunny and warm, with a high most days of about 27˚ C (about 80˚ F), usually with a pleasant breeze. 

There's been no rain, and I guess if this continues much longer people, especially farmers, will start complaining. But I love warm weather, and I'm happy!

Last weekend my daughter and her family went camping at a beach not far from here. 

It's not a surf beach, so it's perfect for little folk.

Low tide, sunset:

Sunrise:

Don't you love summer?

Season's Greetings

Merry Christmas to everyone, whether you're having a white Christmas or a summer one.

Birds of a Feather

An assemblage of swans, gulls, etc:

Tagged swan, Melbourne

Red-billed Gull (Larus novaehollandiae)

Hope is the thing with feathers 

That perches in the soul, 

And sings the tune without the words, 

And never stops at all

~ Emily Dickinson

Black Shag (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Shag + Gulls

Swans + Gull, Lake Rotorua

Peacock, Tuscan vineyard

Southern Black-backed Gulls (Larus dominicanus)

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
   When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
   But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings--
I know why the caged bird sings!

~ Paul Laurence Dunbar

For Thematic Photographic # 307

Look Straight Down - TP 305

I hardly ever look down to take photos, it seems - at least that's what I discovered 

when I went looking for something to post for this theme.

Here's a baby Manu at about 6 weeks, with a bit of grass stuck in his collar. 

When we got him he was so small that he would fit in my son's hand (it's quite a big hand, admittedly).

Here he is with his friend D'Arcy the Golden Lab, who was trying to pick Manu up in his mouth:

And this is my grandaughter at 18 months - I'm looking down at her looking down...

 

Thematic Photographic 305 is over here, at Carmi's

A mote in your eye - Dirty?

As some of the pictures that people have posted for Thematic Photographic 301: "Dirty" have already shown, "dirty" is in the eye of the beholder - or the person behind the camera.

A couple of years ago an old friend of Mr A's and his lady friend came to stay with us for a while. He is Austrian and lives in Klagenfurt, she is Chinese and lives in Shanghai. They borrowed Mr A's car and set off on a road trip to see New Zealand.

Some of you will know that the majority of our small country consists of two narrow islands which run north to south (ish). Generally speaking, the beaches on the east coasts of both islands are calm, smooth, sweeping, with light, often golden, sands. Those on the west coasts have black sands, wild surf, rugged cliffs and lots of driftwood.

When our visitors returned, all Ms Shanghai could talk about were the 'dirty beaches' - how nasty and unpleasant they were, and how they needed 'cleaning up'.  Needless to say, they had spent most of their trip driving along the west coasts.

These are examples of what Ms S was criticising:

Dreaming of summer: TP 298

Carmi (he's back!) has chosen 'Summer' for our photographic theme this week.

On this side of the world it's raining wintry rain, the shortest day has just gone, and I'm dreaming of sunny days, beaches, and holidays.

 

 

 

A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, 

the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. 

~James Dent

Naturally dirty ... TP 266

At certain times of the year we get sea lettuce growing in our local estuary - it can get 

really bad, making things unpleasant for windsurfers and yachties.

It washes up onto the foreshore, leaving a thick carpet of green when it is at its worst. When there are piles of it on the sand, decomposing in the sun, it smells horrible because of its high sulphur content.

There wasn't a great deal around when I took these photos.

Of course, Manu has to check it out.

See more at Written Inc

Otherwise fine; TP 252

Two of my favourite cloud photos, for this week's Thematic Photographic. 

You can see more on this theme here.

Summer sky, at our local beach. 

These clouds make me think of long hot summer days:

Stormy skies, Masterton.

These clouds just make me remember.

The Best Thing

The best thing this Christmas/New Year has been seeing all of my immediate family together, 

for the first time in three years. 

One of them wasn't even born last time we were all in the same place!

Here are a few favourite shots from the last few weeks.

My beautiful granddaughter. She will be 4 in March:

Her little brother, who has just turned 2:

And both of them at my favourite spot - on the water - with their dad:

Sunday Snapshot

For my Sunday Snapshots I look for  pictures I like, 

but which I haven't posted before.

These are from a road-trip in October last year -

a keen dogwalker doesn't let a brisk, cold westerly wind stop her:

 And the kitesurfer makes the most of it...

New Plymouth beach, Taranaki.
(click to enlarge)

Thematic Photographic 151: Rough

There had been a 3-day easterly storm , and there were driftwood logs and debris thrown up 

all along our beach.

These kids were enjoying playing amongst the flotsam:

 See other "Rough" entries here.

 I've had a rough day at school today - but I won't mention that....

Sunday Snapshot 4

Two days to go until the shortest day!

our beach, June 21st (midwinter day) 2010
(click to enlarge)

"In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, 

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;"

~ Christina Rossetti