Will-of-the-wisp moments ....

 

I write because I can.  

I write to rid my mind of worrisome thoughts and unnecessary musings.  When I put pen to paper ... or in this case, fingers to keys .... it allows a release from the troublesome world I currently inhabit.  Not that the world in general isn’t troublesome, but my little world has it’s own set of worries that at times seem overwhelming.

Writing is cathartic.  It forces me to focus on the positives in my day ... on the will-of-the-wisp moments in time where happiness enters my world unbidden and leaves me smiling.

Moments that wouldn’t happen if I wasn’t who I am.

Most of the time I see the best in everyone and everything.  

There is little that can sway me from seeing a rainbow no matter the cirumstance.  

Take today for exampe.  It’s one of THOSE days ..... wet, VERY windy and yes, woeful. The colour GREY takes on new meaning when viewed on a day like this.  It validates the common perception that a lot of Kiwis have that NZ has more cloudy days than sunny ones.  I beg to differ.  We have an abundance of sunshiny days - I should know - I’m out there EVERY morning!

Today though there just isn’t enough sky for all the shades of grey that Mother Nature is unveiling.

When you have a hound like mine though, NO day is NOT rambleworthy.

There are many like-minded souls - hound souls that is - in my neck of the woods and the waves were full of them. Windy days whip up wonderful waves even when the tide’s retreating.  We had hound after hound LEAPING into the waves after balls and logs and Bandit doing his best to herd them to safety.  He takes his job very seriously does Bandit.

Even the Gulls and Skua were grounded.  The few that were in the waves and fossicking amongst the rocks were fluffed up like cotton wool balls.  It’s not often they look disconsolate about the weather.

The approaching storm eventually forced even us hardy souls of the beach so we took the hounds for breakfast

The weather might be grim but we were snug and warm.  They new French Café has overhead heaters and blankets on the chairs and is VERY friendly towards hounds.  Sam polished off the water belonging to the neighbouring hounds and promptly destroyed the water bowl too.  

It WASN’T the only one he managed to destroy this morning.

Both hounds shared my breakfast.  Carol had a very healthy breakfast which they weren’t as partial too.  Mine was far more appealing and I had constant nudges from Sam to remind me he was still there. My hound sat and ‘purred’ as I ate, her eyes glued to my every mouthful.

You are saving me some, aren't you?

Yes ... it WAS one of those will-of-the-wisp moments in time and it WASN’T only me that was left SMILING!

It can't possibly be time to go home, can it?

“Happiness is not something ready made.  It comes from your own actions.” 

~ 14th Dalai Lama

Playing around with the layout for my stall tomorrow ... 

Grey being a colour, NOT a state of mind.

“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself 

and know that everything in life has a purpose.” 

~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Jubilantly joyous GREY weather ... grey being a colour, NOT a state of mind!

Howling winds, bouncing waves, erratic rain ... Sunday had it all.  

Thank goodness we DIDN’T have the wind and rain at Milford on Saturday. 

 I think the gazebo MIGHT not have survived.

It wasn’t just the waves that were bouncing. The hound was too.

Market days mean no long ramble, especially on Milford market days.  The beach is close to hand when we do Browns Bay Market or Orewa Market so she gets to take the chauffeur to the sand.  She doesn’t at Milford though so by the time Sunday morning comes round, she’s chomping at the bit to be in the waves.

She had Bessie for company on Sunday and Molly.

Molly’s another Black Lab we’ve got to know on our daily rambles.  She’s all of 9 years old and is going blind.  The fact that she can’t see doesn’t deter her from WANTING to chase balls in the waves.  She’s eagerness personified and stands frantically waiting, ears pricked for the sound of the rugby ball hitting the water. 

She’s incredibly accurate when the ball’s in shallow water. The deeper the water where the ball is though and the less able she is to find it.  My hound reluctantly comes to the rescue.  Despite not wanting to hand her stick to Bessie, she WILL drop the stick and retrieve the ball if encouraged to do so.  She glares at me reproachfully whilst doing it and is apt to drop the ball in the shallows in her haste to return to the stick.

Molly’s just delighted to have the ball back within hearing.  

Her happiness ISN’T diluted at all by her inability to see.

Her human is another human I admire.  Despite Molly’s disability she still brings her to the beach on a regular basis and everything is done at Molly’s pace and within the limitations Molly has.  

Humans who LOVE their hounds ... they make my heart smile.

“Dogs lives are too short. You know the pain is coming, but there’s such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving love, while always aware that it comes with an unbearable price.” 

~ Dean Koontz

Despite the early hour of the morning that we ramble, silence ISN’T always present, especially when Bandit and the hound espy one another on the beach.  They have a VERY  vocal love affair. Their rather verbose conversation was even audible to the other half on his way down to the bus-stop this morning ... and we were down the FAR end of the beach.

Heaven help anyone trying to have a sleep-in on a week day morning!