To insanity and beyond ...: I think I used to be NORMAL ....

I THINK I used to be NORMAL .... but that was before I discovered caffeine.

This “not-normal” side of me attracts strange friends .... one of them has just a few minutes ago changed her FB profile pic to a photo of her stripey socks and gum boots. She’s also posted a pic of my rather mismatched trainers from this morning’s ramble.

Let me explain about the trainers .... they’re brand new, only a week old. Sad to say, looking at them in this photo, you’d never think they were brand new. In fact, you wouldn’t even say they were a matching pair .... but they ARE. Somehow I always manage to get my feet wet when I ramble.

As anyone who reads my blog will know I take HUNDREDS of photos. Being in the right spot is a prime requisite when photographing our feathered friends. Sometimes it necessitates going off the beaten track or leaping across waterways to stand on islands .... sinking islands as was the case today. Having Indy join you on said sinking island makes it sink further .... and my feet end up in the river.

Not only do I take hundreds of photos but I also kick the rugby ball HUNDREDS of times. It’s quite obvious, looking at the photo of my trainers, that I’m right-handed and I kick with my right leg.

As I said, I think I used to be normal .... but I’ve NEVER had normal friends.

I don’t have a normal hound either ... she’s just a little crazy! After leaving her behind yesterday when I went to the Lab, she wasn’t taking a chance on being left behind again today. From the minute my feet touched the floor, I had a brown shadow .... a rather LARGE brown shadow. She was attached to me by an invisible rope .... that I kept TRIPPING over!!

No matter how hard she tries, she’s unable to make herself small. A large chocolate brown Labrador underfoot is a frustrating way to begin your day. Even the bathroom wasn’t safe from invasion.

Nothing can take the spring out of my bounce when the day’s as beautiful as it is today though ..... not even a “ma vas” chocolate brown Labrador. For my Kiwi friends who don’t understand what ‘ma vas’ means, it’s a South African term for a child that won’t let it’s mother out of it’s sight .... something like what my chocolate hound was doing this morning.

Days like today overwhelm me .... there’s just SO much to see and savour. I have to pinch myself ... if this is a dream then I don’t want to ever wake up. NEVER let me NOT appreciate this awesome spot I live in. The sand and the waves on my doorstep and reserves like Waiatarua just a short car drive away.

Hmmm .... let’s not forget the Village Co-op .... caffeine addiction fixer extraordinaire ... and home to the yummiest of ice-creams.

It’s Gav’s birthday today .... he’s not normal either. I won’t mention his age, except to say he’s older than me. Birthday mornings in our house are traditionally started by everyone jumping on our bed .... including the hound. If it happens to be YOUR birthday and you’re still trying to get some shut-eye, then watch out .... you’re about to be bombarded with bodies.

The hound loves it! She jumps around on the bed getting more and more excited as the noise level escalates. She’s even been known to add to the noise level on occasion. This morning was no exception ... excitement overload.