My mate Sebastian.

 My mate Sebastian went to Doggie Heaven on Friday ... Carol wasn’t ready to let him go but Sebastian knew it was time. He knew that pic I took of him on Thursday was going to be the last one I’d ever take of him and he made sure it was memorable. When I looked through my photos on Thursday morning before posting my blog I was blown away by the light in his eyes and how wonderful he looked ... who would have thought it would be his last outing to the village.  

He was the most dignified of hounds .... and the MOST loved of any hound I’ve yet to meet. I will never forget watching Carol walk up and down the hill every day with Sebastian in tow, taking him for his daily constitutional. It was

always done at his pace .... with no hurry .... this was “Sebastian time”. 

Whilst Friday was a sad day, it also held many beautiful moments ... sitting with Pete and Carol as they reminisced about their hound and the joy and happiness he’d bought

to their lives was special.  I felt privileged to spend that time with them and to be there when Sebastian breathed his last. What a huge hole he’s left in their lives.

Taking photos of empty beaches in the Eastern Bays for Dog Friends ... for

Okahu Bay ... empty ... and it's a glorious day

the hearings Coucil is holding in May .... has taken on more significance. Because of Sebastian’s age and the length of time it took to come down the hill, he was never able to access the beaches during summer. I took several photos of empty beaches on Friday and have posted them to

Mission Bay

Dog Friends site for inclusion in the submission. Council have received over 10 000 submissions for the proposed changes to the Law ... I’m hoping the majority are in the hound’s favour.

Having to share my sandwich with the hound!!

Glen Dowie Boat Club

It’s wonderful that Friday was such a beautiful day, from a weather perspective that is, as empty beaches on gorgeous sunny days will have a lot more impact than empty beaches on overcast and rainy days. We truly live in an awesome spot and driving around taking all the

photos on Friday was a timely reminder of how magnificently scenic this island is. Gareth and I took advantage of HAVING to go to the beach and found a lovely isolated beach to have our lunch at .... the hound got to swim too ... but don’t tell anyone!!

My land of birth did me proud this morning .... getting up at the crack of dawn .... 3.30 am!! .... to see Wales defeat France and take the Triple Crown and 6 Nations honours was memorable. Listening to them sing the National Anthem gave me goosebumps!! 

Gav came down at 4 to watch the Sharks take on the Reds but ended up watching the rest of the Wales/France match first as it was so exciting.  Flipping between channels WASN’T an option!!

Fortunately my Sharks managed to pull off a win against the Reds too so, all in all, a brilliant morning of rugby here at the arse end of the world .... a lazy afternoon/evening elsewhere in the world!

My hound is the grateful recipient of two new rugby balls ... an “unchewed” South African one as hers is really looking the worse for wear ... and a new WELSH one.  She very proudly took the Welsh one to the beach this morning and enthusiastically showed it off to all those souls doing “Round the Bays”. I wonder how long it’ll be before this one looks as chewed as her old South African one!

Indy with her ball yesterday

Last night's sunset

... and a close up of it.

"Don't you dare TOUCH it Indy!!"

Maggie (one of my neighbour's dogs) on the beach this morning.

Me and my ball!

.... Kiwi dogs DON'T bark ...

The road down to Glover Park on an absolutely glorious morning!

It doesn't look like the sun was shining .. but it WAS!!

WOW .... what an absolutely glorious morning .... I could have walked and walked and walked some more today  .... but the hound was getting tired .... or was it that she knew there was a rather large bone waiting for her at home ..... hmmmmm....

Days like today leave me feeling enthused ... I arrive home weary .. sweaty .. oh yes .... but on such a high ...  I know that nothing can unhinge my day ..... I’m at peace with my world.

The hound wasn’t at peace with her world today though!  We deviated to the coffee shop to pick up our daily fix and there was a very large .. very vocal .... German Shepherd outside.  We’ve met her on the beach before but I can’t remember her name, but we’ve not met her outside the coffee shop ... and not when my hound’s hindered by a lead.  

The grass at Glover Park has been moved but not the edges ... I love to
lie on the grass and look out at my world ... it's truly an awesome spot!

I don’t know if the hound was trying to establish her dominance or just having a chin-wag about the summer beach times ... but she was unbelievably vocal ... just as vocal as the German Shepherd in fact!!  The chaps at the building site and the girls and patrons in the coffee shop must have wondered what was going on .... the dogs made such a din!!  It’s so unlike Chocolat .... she’s seldom vocal ..... she knows that Kiwi dogs DON’T bark ... she’s been told this ad infinitum by one of the significant ‘others’ in my life.  She had the grace to look suitably contrite on our way back to the beach .... until her friend at the building site said hello .... then all semblance of trying to appease me was forgotten .... the whole body wagged and waddled as she gave him his very own wet and enthusiastic greeting.  Fortunately he understands Labradors ... he has two of his own ... a wheaten one and a chocolate one ... and his chocolate one is just as crazy as mine!!

This letterbox always attracts me eye ...

Sebastion and his human were heading down for their daily fix too so we stopped to catch up with them .... well I stopped to catch-up ..... the hound buried her ball on the beach.  We chatted for so long that she eventually gave up waiting for me to kick the ball.  She’d already buried it several times .... and dug it up again .... rolled and rolled in the sand until she resembled a sandy-coloured Labrador instead of a Chocolate one .... and finally, in despair of ever getting my attention again, picked up the ball and ambled off to the waves to take the ball for a swim by herself.
Sebastion ... dear old soul that he is .... just lies on the boardwalk and watches her antics .... I’m sure he’s remembering back to the days when he was as enthusiastic and playful as she is.

As our weather improves and summer approaches there are more and more people out in the morning .... some locals ... some tourists ... but all enjoying the abundant opportunities there are here to walk.  There was a group of 4 tourists at the view-site .... European .... and they wanted to take photos of the hound and her ball.  They’d driven past me on their way up to the view site and had seen her walking along, ball in mouth, so they wanted to know all about her. I’d love to hear the stories that are told when all these tourists return home and develop their photos ... so often I get asked if she can be photographed ..... either with her ball in her mouth or carrying one of her ginormous logs.  I hope that when they look at their pics, they remember with a smile the large chocolate brown Labrador that exudes happiness from every pore!


Chocolat is my reminder, on a daily basis, that we create our own happiness.  Our daily rambles and her extreme enthusiasm and exuberance for life rock my world.  I’ve met so many new friends - and yes, most of them have hounds  .... I see so much beauty in the little things that I might have missed if I hadn’t been walking with her ... and ... best of all .... I’m rediscovering myself and quite liking what I see!

Being happy doesn’t mean that everything in my life is perfect .... far from it  ... but it does mean that I’m choosing to look beyond the imperfections.