There's no doubt about it .... I'm an addict!

“I’m trying to be awesome today ..... but I’m EXHAUSTED from being so  FREAKIN’ awesome yesterday!” 

~ courtesy of the ‘Fight like a Girl Club’ on Facebook.

Even when tiredness overwhelms me I STILL have to ramble.  It’s an obsession .... like a drug.  Each and every day is improved when I’ve greeted the sun and let the waves wash over my feet.

There’s no doubt about it ... I’m an addict.

Addicted to the sun .... addicted to the waves .... addicted to my hound .... addicted to the breath-taking vista that surrounds me.  I can think of no BETTER addiction to have!

Early morning mist creeping over the bridge

I think most people have addictions though they might not always see it as such.  My friend Carol, for example, is very much addicted to exercise. Despite having a bruised and battered bottom she STILL participated in TWO gym classes last night and is heading off to participate in a half-marathon this weekend.  Her boundless energy leaves me feeling exhausted ... how on earth does Pete keep up? 

They say hounds take after their humans.  That would explain Sam’s never-ending enthusiasm to chase down a rugby ball and race up and down the beach. One more throw of that ball is NEVER enough for him.  He’s JUST as addicted to exercise as his human .... and just as whacky!

Mondo trying to get her ball .... she won't give it up though so he pinched Sam's instead.

Whilst we sit on the steps soaking up the autumn sunshine they dig ginormous trenches in the sand to bury their balls in.  They always attract a bit of an audience as they dig trench after trench after trench.  They both do the manic hound look quite well .... ears flailing back .... eyes rolling .... teeth bared ... minds intently focused on moving as much sand as they can.

Every now and again another hound will arrive on the beach and the hound .... the chocolate one that is .... will bound over to greet and meet the newcomer.  She races over at full gallop which is rather intimidating to the hound in question as she’s no small Labrador.  She’s got the run down pat though and pulls herself up with inches to spare as she sprays sand all over the hound she’s greeting.  I have a feeling the spraying of sand is intentional.

Sometimes she takes the ball with her.  Other times she leaves it in the sand.  Much to our amusement today, Sam got quite protective about the balls.  He looked to see WHERE she’d left her ball then picked his up and dropped it next to hers .... then he stood watch over the balls until she returned.

He’s so protective of that chocolate hound and her ball.

It was suggested to us today by a fellow rambler that our hounds OWN the beach .... and the more I think about it, the more I’m sure they DO.  

Sam's put his ball down where hers is so he can look after it until she returns.

This is THEIR beach .... enter at your peril!

Oh yes ... it's a TIGGER kind of morning!

My morning rambles are often punctuated by social discourse with a variety of friends.  The hound of course doesn’t approve of these frequent interruptions to her ramble.  She has a one-track mind.  It’s bad enough that I insist on waiting at the view site for the sun to rise, without having to break stride for social chit-chat.

We were already slightly late leaving this morning ... not because the middle lemming was late or tired ... but because I was TIRED.  Life and it’s stresses are catching up with me and the body’s shouting ‘HELP’ .... loudly.

I ignore its pleas though ... as I ignore anything I disagree with ... and head out the door to get my morning fix of sunshine and soul food.  A very NECESSARY elixir for life.

Tranquility is defined as a state of peace and calm ... free from disturbances and noise.  My early mornings have been anything BUT tranquil lately.  I’m leaving home whilst it’s still dark but so are so many others.  There are unfamiliar ramblers with loud voices, and joggers with heavy feet pounding the pavement and lycra clad loonies on their two-wheel conveyances.

The streets are BUSY ....  and  NOISY.

The lycra-clad looneys are part and parcel of the early morning vista  ... both visually and vocally ... but they move past rapidly and take their noise with them.  The unfamiliar ramblers don’t.

Why does everyone suddenly want a piece of my early morning magic?

We greet several familiar ramblers as we bounce ... oh yes, it’s a Tigger kind of morning .... back down to the beach.  These ramblers know the secret of the magic in the morning and smile serenely back, secure in the knowledge that they, like us, will still be walking up to the viewsite when the frosty fingers of winter engulf us.

The unfamiliar ramblers might not.

Pete was standing on the boardwalk enjoying the morning vista and drinking his coffee.  We discussed cricket ... the Black Cap kind .... the Titanic and cruising in general whilst watching a cruise ship zig-zag through the shipping lane into Auckland Harbour.  It never ceases to make me smile when I see these large liners cruising past so close to shore.

Pete was feeling invincible.  The girls at the Co-op had been having a problem with the coffee grinder and had intended calling out someone to fix it .... but Pete had fixed it for them.  He’s 'the man' and he was revelling in it.  I didn’t dare burst his bubble.

Moira and Fergus joined us on the beach too.  Fergus also likes to be ‘the man’ and puts himself between the hound and the waves.  She finds him quite intimidating ... despite his small stature ... and runs warily around him to retrieve the ball.  He visibly STRUTS when he’s doing it and is so FUNNY to watch! He’s TYPICAL terrier - LARGER than life and not AFRAID of the hound.

It’s not just my hound that’s confused when I’m in the water with her.  Nico had the same quizzical expression on his face when Brian took to the waves today.  Any swim he might have had would have been unintentional as he was only trying to encourage Nico to go deeper.  I had the camera at the ready just in case Brian happened to trip.  

You have to capture these moments for posterity and I know Brian would have thanked me for thinking like that!  He did, after all, neglect to catch one of Carol’s ‘MOMENTS’ on camera a while back.

This is what makes my village real.  The uncomplicated and crazy folk who live here that spend time in the waves and on the sand with their hounds.  They add richly to my life and are JUST as necessary a fix as that morning sunshine and soul food!

This was taken yesterday when she saw Sam arrive on the beach.

They were delighted to see one another and raced through the waves with the ball.