The clock's ticking.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.  
What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” 

~ Jane Goodall

Would that everyone’s mornings could begin like mine.

I watch the world wake up and it’s magnificent.

Early morning autumn skies are just the best.

As the sun casts it’s rays across the bay, reflections rebound of every surface.

My world comes to life in a glistening and glittering fashion.

The hound of course notes NONE of this.

She has a log.

Time is short

and the  clock’s ticking.

It’s also low tide.

The mudflats and the rock pools beckon.

They TEEM with life when the tide’s out.

There’s an abundance of mud too.

Glorious gloopy sticky mud
that sucks our shoes in
and clings to our legs.

I lost count of the number of times Julia NEARLY lost her shoes.
It wasn’t just the hounds that looked like they’d had a mud-bath by the time we were finished.

Mornings like this help me breath easier.
I soak up the tranquility and calmness and just BE.
The iciness of the water as it seeps into my shoes is electric.
It makes me feel alive.

Cold feet and numb toes.

But alive.

That ticking clock stops for no one.

There IS no replay.

NO rewind.

NO pause.

Just the MOMENTS that each day brings

and I'm DEFINITELY a moments fan.

Bubbly .... from BOTH ends!

Ef-fer-vesce ~ definition: 

1.  to show liveliness or exhilaration     

2. to bubble, hiss and foam as gas escapes.

I love the way the rock shelf in the front of Rangitoto resembles North Island

Effervescent describes my hound completely! She’s lively, high- spirited AND bubbly ..... from both ends of her body!

Ask the fur-ball!

The fur-ball is 8 weeks old ... and boy, has she grown!

What started out as an awesome morning is rapidly turning to custard. Those fluffy white cotton wool clouds that were reflected so beautifully in the mirror-like “waves” this morning are no more. They’ve gone AWOL .... scared of the big grey rain clouds I’m thinking.

We’re supposedly going to be affected by Cyclone Evan towards the end of this week but he’ll have lost some of his aggro by the time he hits our shores.

Even Sky Tower is reflected in the mirror-like sea today!

EVERYTHING needed a wash this morning .... not just the hound! My trainers are caked in mud .... my socks and feet dirty beyond belief. That’s what happens when the tide’s way out and it’s a beautiful morning in the bay. Let’s not even mention the holes in the trainers .... courtesy of kicking rugby balls!

Mud, GLORIOUS mud!

The mud oozes in everywhere ... even between your toes!

Uh-oh .... she who LOST her shoe in the mud!

At least I didn’t lose my SHOES! Someone, no names mentioned, managed to leave her trainer IN the mud. A great big SQUELCH and I managed to pull my foot out ... trainer intact .... not so Julia! She had to hobble back to shore one shoe on, one shoe off. Sadly she didn't fall over .... that would have made for an EPIC pic .... spoilsport!

The new café in 6 Maheke Street opened over the weekend and, as Julia and I walked past with the hounds today, we were stopped by a lady having breakfast in the café. She has two chocolate labs of her own, mother and daughter, called Coco and Chanel. She’s a New Zealander who’s now living in the States and is back in NZ for 3 weeks. She was missing her hounds and couldn’t resist saying hello to ours!

It’s always great meeting fellow Lab lovers from all over the world!

Life has been hectic. I’ve donned the Chocolat and Co hat today and been working from home for the first time this week. The hound was in seventh heaven as we were able to stay on the beach a little longer than we have the past few days. Anthony had offered to give me a lift to Waiatarua as my usual chauffeur and her hound are away .... I was sorely tempted but sanity’s prevailed. 

Today I’m on a mission!

It’s Chocolat and Co’s last market for the year on Sunday ... the twilight market at Albany. I’m hoping we’ll finish the year on a HIGH!

“Love all, trust a few and do wrong to none.” 

~ from All’s well that ends well by William Shakespeare 

It’s easy to LOVE everyone ... but doing no wrong .... hmmmm 

.... that’s a different story altogether!!

Is it possible for a Chocolate Labrador to become even MORE chocolate??

Yep .... an even MORE chocolate Chocolate Labrador!

The vet’s getting to know Sam REALLY well and he’s learning to expect the UNEXPECTED where Sam’s concerned. He’s NOT a Labrador for nothing.

This week he ATE Carol’s hairbrush .... yep, her HAIR-BRUSH
.... he has strange tastes!

The Heron in the bay on Thursday morning

His behaviour the last two weeks lends credence to the belief that if a hound has enough stimulation in their day, they have no need to chew things and dig holes. Sam hasn’t been allowed to swim or walk off-lead since his op and his behaviour at home has been abominable. 
He’s dug holes in the garden and chewed a myriad of Carol’s things .... only Carol’s though  .... cause she SMELLS so good!

This week he’s back to his normal contented self. 

One of the Black Swan cygnets chasing a duck .... boy, did it POWER through the water!!

Phew!

That’s Carol breathing a sigh of relief, not me!

My hound is exhausted this evening. She’s had two days of full-on rambles with her favourite 
4-legged furry friends. 

Oh yeah .... I think she's a TAD muddy!

Sam and her gave the word “muddy” new meaning yesterday. It wasn’t only Sam that turned into a chocolate hound ... my ALREADY chocolate hound made herself even MORE chocolate! That MUD puddle at Waiatarua has a lot to answer for.

Double Trouble!

The Labrador Gang was out in force. The collective noun for a group of Labradors is a ‘party’ ... a very apt descriptive word for these social hounds that inhabit our lives. They definitely recognise one of their own and much tail-wagging and bum-sniffing takes place when they encounter another Lab when we’re out on a ramble. 

Today it was waves and black sand as Julia and I and the hounds headed out to Piha. Summer exposed itself in all its warmth and beauty .... no hint of any wintery weather  ... just glorious sunshine and blue skies. The hounds are allowed off-leash on the North side of Lion’s rock and we took full advantage of it.

It’s an idyllic spot .... so picturesque!

We had the beach to ourselves and spent a magical few hours walking in the waves ... yes, we got wet .... but isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when you go to the beach.

Someone creative has painted the electricity sub-stations in Piha .... not just with a coat of paint but with a colourful mural of the birds that inhabit the area. 

Our little village of St. Heliers has gorgeous bus-shelters, 
Piha has gorgeous sub-stations.

Insane?  Yes, but beautiful!

“Insanity ... a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world.” 
~ R.D. Lang

ps. This blog was meant to be posted yesterday but google, in its wisdom, decided I have too many photos stored on-line! It wouldn’t let me load any more .... boo hoo. 

I’ve had to BUY more storage space now in order to continue uploading photos for my blog ...... argh!!!