Fergus isn't too keen on chocolate Labradors ...

The sun peeping through this afternoon

Street lights still on

Rain .... rain .... and more RAIN! Didn’t sleep well last night as I could hear it pounding on the roof .... heavy rain .... reminiscent of the rain I used to be fearful of back in SA after we’d been flooded .... twice. Funny how memories like that never quite go away despite the number of years that have passed since it happened.

I’m back to leaving for my ramble when it’s still dark ..... the sun’s not risen when I head out the door and the street lights are still on in the city. I’m awake .... just .... but the world’s not.


I could see evidence of the heavy rain at Ladies Bay .... huge branches had been washed up onto the rocks between the two bays 

- the rocks where I normally stand to catch the sun rising. The waves must have been huge as those rocks are normally well clear of the water. The hound was ecstatic .... logs on the rocks .... that’s NOT normal. The log was huge though - and long and, despite her best efforts, she wasn’t able to dog-handle it onto the sand.

There's that "look" ... but this one's way too big to throw!

Suzanne will be pleased ... Bella’s rugby ball was washed up onto St. Heliers beach last night. Bella loves chasing Chocolat’s rugby ball but always gives up when Chocolat arrives to take it off her. Last week Suzanne decided she’d bring Bella’s own rugby ball to the beach. Not a good idea .... with no Chocolat to race for the ball, Bella couldn’t be bothered and the ball floated off to Rangitoto with NO hound in hot pursuit. 

Yep ..... the manic hound!

My hound is way too besotted with her ball to watch it disappear off into the distance. Even when she finds huge logs on the beach, like she did today, the ball will still not be left to bob off to distant shores. The only time she’s ever been reluctant to retrieve it has been when Julia’s had the Zinger ... then it’s taken a firm voice and limitless patience to persuade her to fetch the ball!

Logs were the order of the day today though .... huge logs .... remnants of rough seas and stormy skies .... the hound was in log heaven! I lost count of the number of logs she tried to bury and unbury on the sand .... we moved down the beach at a snail’s pace as every large log had to be sampled to see if it could be moved. 

If it could be moved, I got the ‘look’..... Gav and Gareth will know the ‘look’ .... it’s the one that says “If I can move it, YOU can throw it!” ..... yeah right. Some of these logs weigh more than she does and she EXPECTS me to throw them!! I did manage to throw a few of them but there’s always the fear that the log will land on her ... her brain’s addled enough though ... a thump on the head from a log is unlikely to make any difference.

 My seagulls are a little miffed .... I’ve forgotten to take food to the beach for them two days in a row now. They stood on the rocks watching as I focused the camera on them ... then Fergus came along and they took to the air. Fergus isn’t too keen on chocolate Labradors ... or seagulls it seems. Both Bella and Indy wind him up ... but he doesn’t mind Chocolat ... maybe it’s because he’s known her since she was a pup.

A Fergus 'look-a-like' .... too cute!

Rain curtailed our playtime on the beach .... this unsettled wet weather is predicted to remain around until Friday so I guess getting wet is going to be mandatory this week.

Barney joined her in the waves this morning!

My city at night ... and all that smoke is from the fireworks I missed!