I very nearly missed THAT game!

I very NEARLY missed THAT game on Sunday morning and that would’ve been a CATASTROPHE! 

My SA mates will know which game I mean.  

The Currie Cup Final.  

Sharks vs Western Province and my Sharks WON 

.... COMPREHENSIVELY!

It was SO worth getting up for.

Hmmm .... not stealthy enough!

It’s been a long weekend here in good ole NZ.  

Labour Weekend.  

The fourth Monday in October commemorates the successful struggle for an 8 hour working day that was won by one Samuel Parnell back in the 1840's. 

 Funny how things have changed.  As Christmas approaches we’re expected to have the shop open from 9am to 6pm ... so much for an 8 hour working day!

When the shop’s busy though, time flies so you don’t always register that you’ve been on your feet and working for over 9 hours.  The bonus .... I get to TALK as much as I like! 

It’s that WORDS FALLING out of my MOUTH thing again!

I love talking almost as much I LOVE low tide?  

Have I mentioned that before .... how much I love low tide?

I might have done but I’ll say it again.  

I just LOVE LOW TIDE!

It’s when the Kingfishers and the Herons come out to play!

They LOVE the rock pools.  The Heron agitates the water like the seagulls do.  I’m surmising here but I think the agitation of the water makes the little creatures living in the sand think the tide’s turned and they come to the surface thinking they’re safe.  

BUT they’re NOT.

Before I can blink, the eager eyes of the Heron have spotted whatever’s risen to the surface and that long beak of his finishes the job.

The Kingfishers hunt in a very different way.  They like elevated observation points where they can sit and watch for the little crabs in the mudflats.  The crabs don’t stand a chance.  A flash of blue and the crab’s history.  

Regardless of their hunting methods though, both these bird species are out and about at low tide.  The opportunity to sneak up close CAN’T possibly be ignored.  It’s a good thing I DON’T mind muddy feet as the mudflats at low tide can be rather dank and sticky.

Smelly too sometimes.

I managed to snap some magical shots today but only after having managed to dissuade Sam from accompanying me onto the mudflats.  He reckons my time on the beach is best spent throwing balls for him and the hound to retrieve ... not stalking birds.

Besides in his eyes, HE’S the celebrity, not the birds!

“Feeling GOOD is not waiting for SOMEONE or SOMETHING to happen to you.  It’s YOU deciding TODAY .... I LOVE MY LIFE.” 

~ Marlene Neumann

These rum-induced visions are getting to me!

Argh!!!! Those rum-induced visions of my friend John are starting to get to me. My Sharks are JINXED! They lost in the final of the Super Rugby and now they’ve lost in the Currie Cup final too.

It was early to rise in this household as the final was on at 4.20am in the arse end of the world. Form dictates that my Sharks SHOULD have won. EVERYTHING was in their favour! A home final at the SHARK TANK, all their Sprinkbok players back in the team AND they beat Western Province in BOTH warm-up matches. On the night though, Western Province’s defense was just too good ..... dam!

My man Lambie was awesomeness and beyond! He scored ALL of the Shark’s points. I just hope if he’s selected for the tests against Ireland, Scotland and England, he’ll get more game time than what he did in the Rugby Championship.

Win or lose, my Sharks will ALWAYS be No. 1 in my eyes!

There was no point in going back to bed after the rugby so we headed out bright and early for a ramble, only the hound and the birds for company.

There’s something soulful about early mornings. There’s a calmness in the air that you don’t feel at any other time of the day. It always amazes me that more people don’t take advantage of the early morning peace and tranquility. They wait until the hustle and bustle of the morning has begun and then wonder why they feel no serenity in their lives. In the words of Elizabeth Barret Browning 

“Earth is crammed with heaven.”

Peace ... it’s a bit of an oxymoron of a word when referring to early mornings! The bird chorus can be quite raucous and as for the waves crashing onto the beach ... that’s a rumble that’s anything but silent .... BUT .... I love it! It’s not an artificial noise, it’s Mother Nature at her best.

It’s been a really gorgeous day in Auckland. It wasn’t meant to be according to the people in the know, our local Met Office .... but they got it WRONG! 

It was this lady's 50th birthday today ... and she's running the marathon!

The sun has shone for the running of the Auckland Marathon, one of the FEW races that is allowed to traverse the Harbour Bridge. The Marathon begins in Devonport and crosses the Harbour Bridge into town. The half-marathon participants then finish in Victoria Park while the full marathon participants run the length of Tamaki Drive to St. Heliers before turning around and heading back to Victoria Park.

A London businessman .. complete with bowler and briefcase

Yep ... even an escaped convict!

We timed our ramble so we’d be back in the village to watch the runners go past. The hound gets SO excited! She’s used to us yelling and clapping when we’re watching the rugby on TV ... yes, we get rather vocal! She wanted to join in with the cheering and clapping for the marathon runners! Have you ever witnessed or HEARD a Chocolate Labrador cheering ... it’s hilarious!

I’m sure the runners appreciated her support though!

Even Superman was there!

Hmmmm .... I think I’ve found a phrase which describes my hound’s daily routine superbly!

“Get up, be AMAZING, go BACK to SLEEP.”

Tiger - doing what he does best, lazing in the sun.

My Sharks are in the Currie Cup Final!

Well, it had to happen ... my Sharks in the Currie Cup Final against Western Province and I’m NOT subscribed to the Rugby Channel!

The Rugby Channel hasn’t been showing the Currie Cup matches live so it seemed pointless subscribing to it, especially as the Rugby Championship and Super Rugby have been available on several other channels.

I WANT to see my Sharks play in the final though, especially as it’s on home ground, so I guess we’ll be subscribing this week!

BEFORE the weather turned miserable .... this was on Wednesday when we found Tim on the beach with the hounds .... in his suit, ready for work!

It has been a miserable weekend from a weather perspective .... rain ... and more rain .... and still more rain AND wind! I DON’T live in Wellywood but it sure feels like I do. The sun shone sporadically yesterday whilst I was at the St. Heliers market but it’s been AWOL in a BIG way today ..... in Auckland, that is.

Tiger has been PACING the house like the caged tigers in the zoo do ... he’s SO over the rain. Even the hound looks at us askance when we suggest she heads outside to relieve herself .... and she’s a water-loving hound, for goodness sake.

The wet and wicked weather has kept us indoors most of the day, apart from a brief foray to the beach with the hound earlier this morning ... and a stop-off for coffee-to-go. We got drenched! 

We’ve spent most of the day hanging pictures and mirrors and painting the inside of my outside room .... hmmm, don’t read that too quickly or you’ll get confused! The hound has followed us up and down the stairs ad-infinitum. Despite my entreaties to her to remain upstairs she gives me a resigned look as she gets up and follows me down the stairs once again. I give up.

 I’m hoping the outside room will be a great space as a studio cum shop. I often get asked if people can buy product from me at home and I’ve not had a suitable space to set up in that’s separate from the house and accessible without having to walk through the home. This house HAS such a space and in such a pretty setting too! More pictures will follow shortly ... it’s still a work-in-progress at the moment.

We joined our oldest lemming and some of his friends last night to celebrate his birthday. His actual birthday was on the 11th but moving and packing for moving isn’t conducive to birthday celebrations. Hard to believe he is now 24! I never have difficulty remembering how old I am, I just add 30 years onto the oldest lemming’s age .... so simple!

Sky Tower is all lit up pink .... it LOOKS gorgeous! October is Breast Cancer Action Month and for the 12th year in a row, landmarks around the world go pink to raise awareness of the disease and to raise funds in a Global illumination campaign. The tower's been lit up since the beginning of October but I only saw it last night! 

Shucks .... I need to get out more!