I feel an adventure coming on!

I must have used up my quota of sunshine over the last few days .... done and dusted for a while because there’s sure a shortage of sunshine in the sky around here today!  We’ve been gifted with grey skies and intermittent rain .... the hound wasn’t the only one getting wet on our ramble.

The only other visitors in the waves were the seagulls and some intrepid kayakers.  There was  a large group of them ...  a dozen maybe ... heading out in double kayaks to Rangitoto.  They were being given their last-minute instructions as the hound and I headed up the beach ... her antics in the waves caused giggles and laughter as they pulled the kayaks out to sea.  I certainly didn’t envy them their trip  ... the wind

I love this pic .. it's not well focused but it catches the movement!

was blowing in a westerly direction and their journey to Rangitoto would be against the wind and the current ... the waves are mighty choppy today!!  I do like the thought of what they’re doing though ... they kayak out to Rangitoto then climb to the summit  .. have a picnic lunch ... then kayak back ... it sounds like a whole heap of fun!

Those intrepid kayakers!

Another kayaking trip that we’ve discovered is to that favourite little island of mine ... Brown Island ... the one I gaze out at from the view sites on my ramble.  I want to do the moonlit kayak ... you leave St. Heliers Bay at 6 in the evening .... kayak around Achilles Point to Brown Island - which takes about an hour and a half ... climb to the summit of Brown Island and watch the sun set over my city whilst having a picnic supper.  kayaking in the moonlight must be so much fun .... I can see my ocean from a completely different perspective ... I feel an adventure coming on!!

Back to our ramble though ..... did I mention that it’s raining ...... still ...... why is it that my hound finds the largest and most obscure logs to haul along the beach.  Today’s whopper was impossible .. not just for her to carry .. but for me to throw as well.  I’d already used up my quota of bags in picking up her doggy does .. and wrapping round the camera to keep it dry .... so didn’t have another one to pop the rugby ball in to put in the backpack.  We walked along the beach with me kicking the rugby ball every few yards and throwing the obscurely shaped log into the waves .... well, as far as one can throw a large, heavy, obscurely shaped log! It’s probably fortuitous that it was raining as there weren’t that many observers around to hear and witness her frustration with said log!  She gets quite vocal .... and for a hound that’s been taught that Kiwi dogs don’t bark
.. that’s quite something.

We met another feline friend on our walk today ... well ....  the hound assumes it’s a friend ... I’m not so sure the feline shared that sentiment.  As is normal on the road past the shaved kitties house, she races along in front of me .. nose to the ground or in the bushes .... reading the mail .... the pee- mail that is.  Today’s pee-mail had a bite to it though .... a totally unexpected bite .... a rather large black and brown cat that was not impressed by a brown nose that invaded it’s space.  This cat, unlike the shaved kitties, was not in the least bit scared of the chocolate Labrador blocking its path. It stalked slowly towards the hound ....  all puffed up .... eyes glaring .... tail waving ..... it was definitely the dominant animal in this line-up and was making sure my hound knew it.  Chocolat, with good grace, retreated ... she knows better than to tangle with a fearless kitty cat!

I thought she’d done herself an injury in Glover Park ... we met another chocolate Labrador there called Murphy ..  he was gorgeous and very interested in her rugby ball so the two of them were having a great game of chase with the ball.  Somehow or other they collided and she ended up being flipped over and wouldn’t get up off the ground .... I went cold ..... I really thought she’d hurt herself!  She must have twisted something though as, after allowing me to feel her legs and stretch them all ... she slowly got to her feet .... she is favouring her right front leg a little so I think tomorrow’s ramble might not be as far or as intense as normal ..... I might have to amble at a Sebastian - with an ‘a’ - pace! ..... sorry Carol (Sebastian's human that is) ... couldn’t resist it .... haha!!

Even on dismal days .. my bay is BEAUTIFUL!

What I love about days like this .... yes, despite the rain .... are that they show me I don’t necessarily need to see the sunshine in order to know it’s there ... and no, I don’t mean the sun in the sky kind of thing ... but the sunshine we bring to our lives.  It’s always there .... it’s a permanent fixture ...... every day ......... even on the rainy days ..... I can choose if I want to shine or not!

I can’t resist adding this quote today .... it was posted by someone on FB and it’s by Elizabeth Kubhler Ross .. who was a noted psychiatrist

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths.  These people have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness and a deep loving concern.  Beautiful people do not just happen.”