Thank goodness Sebatian's never taken to drinking coffee

Last night's sunset

I give my attention to the world when I ramble .... I focus on the little things around me ... the beauty I see even on the darkest of mornings, the humour I find in every situation - people around here wear the oddest of pajamas - or don’t wear pajamas at all ..... and the early morning sounds that shatter the silence as the world begins to stir.

I woke with the beginning of a migraine this morning .... up my neck and across my left eye .. I know what’s coming and I hate it - with a passion. Sometimes my rambles help ... I can focus on the space immediately around me and zone out extraneous information ... especially when I walk early and on the more secluded beaches.

Our rabbit on Cliff Road was out again bright and early ... I’m sure he’s someone’s escaped pet as he’s not at all phased by me moving closer to him.  He doesn’t like the hound ..... understandably .... she would give chase at the slightest opportunity. He’s obviously made his home in the vegetation above the cliff and I’m quite enjoying my run-ins with my new furry friend.

The tide’s still high at the moment as we head down to Ladies Bay ... it’s great for the hound for swimming but it means we can’t get further along the coast than the rocks that separate the two bays.  There was a flurry of activity on the rocks as I climbed up .... a flock of seagulls swirling and circling above the waves and the rocks. It was too dark to see what all the commotion was about but something was definitely disturbing them. I’d have taken a photo of them but the battery in the big camera was flat and I didn’t have the spare with me ... typical!

The rocks are a special place ... so isolated and protected by the cliff on one side and pounded by the waves on the other. It’s the first spot the sun hits as it pokes its head over the horizon, turning the rocks into great gold and glittering boulders. It’s my favourite spot to sit and watch the early morning

water traffic ... the kayakers as they head out to paddle or fish .... the fishing boats returning with their early morning catch .... the car ferry as it travels between Auckland and Half-Moon Bay. The daily commuter ferries are like busses ..... they scuttle across the waves between Auckland and several destinations with a regularity that I could set my watch by ... if I wore one!  I’m not sure what time the first ferry departs Auckland but there’s always a ferry going past when I hit Ladies Bay at 6.45.

The overcast skies and cooler mornings mean there are fewer humans in the waves when I head down to the village. There’s an elderly Asian lady who swims EVERY morning, regardless of the weather or the temperature of the waves. She does her warm up stretches on the sand and slides elegantly into

the waves and out to sea. I’m intrigued by her .... she says good morning but doesn’t enter into conversation. There’s a calmness and contentment about her that is almost zen-like.


Carol’s fast learning that the hound likes coffee ... she’s not content with JUST having my dregs

when I’m finished ..... she wants Carol’s too. After finishing mine she moves across and sits in front of Carol, eyes firmly fixed on the prize, willing Carol to drink faster! Carol’s a quick learner though ... it hasn’t taken her long to get the hound’s message ... drink faster she does, much to the hound’s delight. Thank goodness Sebastian’s never taken to drinking coffee ... the hound would lose out if he had!

We met the twins on the boardwalk again today ... they are such delightful little girls and love holding Sebastian’s lead. One of them asked me if she could hold Chocolat’s lead but Chocolat’s not Sebastian ... she doesn’t do the lie down and stay still bit very well ... so it wasn’t long before the

lead was handed back to me.  The twins have 3 older siblings and they’ve all been asking for a hound ... I think Mom has enough on her hands with 5 children all under the age of 12, she doesn’t need to add a hound to the mix! Just a thought ... maybe she’d like a Callum .... 


Sadly, the ramble didn’t do for my head what I’d hoped ... I succumbed to the pain, took my medication and collapsed. I hate taking meds at the best of times ... and especially these ones,  they leave me feeling zonked and totally washed out, but they do alleviate the pain.

Tomorrow is a new day .... and I CHOOSE for it to be a good one!