To insanity and beyond ...: Sam lifted his leg, took aim .....

“Words are the raw material out of which literature is created.”

~ Francine Prose in her book ‘Reading like a writer’.

The view I wake up to every morning

It’s Friday so it’s rambling at Waiatarua time with Julia and Indy. I really needed to stretch my legs this morning so headed out to the view site first for a quick hill-climb before meeting Julia at the Co-op.

The moon last night, no longer full

Standing up at the view-site listening to the silence all around me is awesome. It’s early morning .... no hum of traffic yet, no voices .... not even the crashing of waves below me as the tide is just starting to recede. Just me and the hound and the world around me. I close my eyes and just listen .... and it’s perfect .... until the hound farts!

The world comes rushing back in a thousand sounds and reality returns. Ah well ..... I touched my soul for a moment .... it’s enough.

The hound at least had the grace to look abashed.

There was a feathered frenzy at Waiatarua when we arrived..... Black Swans, Pukeko, Mallard Ducks, Scaup ... to name but a few .... all lurking around the grassed area where some of the regular ramblers feed them. The Pukeko are greedy and not at all fearful when there’s food involved.

Indy’s arrival DID send them fleeing back into the water but not before grabbing the remnants of their impromptu meal. Indy even went wading into the wetland after them. I think he was after the food, not the Pukeko but his antics in the water attracted the attention of the Black Swan who started hissing and moving in Indy’s direction. I think he realised the Black Swan was a completely different ball game to the Pukeko and gave up the chase .... thank goodness! I wouldn’t want to tackle one of those swans. When they lift themselves up and spread their wings, they’re HUGE .... even taller than Indy .... and WAY MORE fearful looking!

Carol didn’t join us at the reserve this morning. She took Sam to Glover Park instead. Some of the older humans with hounds .... and I say that tongue-in-cheek as Carol is 63 .... take their smaller hounds to Glover Park once the beach restrictions come in during summer.

Summer??? Is that what they call the weather we’re having right now?

Sam, being a male hound, loves to leave his calling card on every bush, shrub, tree, wall, post-box etc that any other male hound has left a scent on. Carol didn’t QUITE expect him to add HIS calling card to the rack of hats outside the pharmacy in the high street though!

One of the six Scaup that are in the reserve ... they're DIVING DUCKS and are forever
ducking under the surface!

He lifted his leg, took aim at the hat and let it ALL out

.... a long, noisy stream!

Carol didn’t miss a beat. She heard the sound, looked down and, realising there was nothing she could do, urged Sam on up the street. She didn’t even glance back. I don’t think she could .... she was LAUGHING too much!