We need a LAW change!

NO-ONE ... and I mean NO-ONE should have to work indoors on a day like today.

It has been glorious!

Sunshine blue skies, low tide, cotton wool clouds

 ... all that was missing was ME!!

I couldn’t help but feel aggrieved as I headed down to the shop. 

Why can’t it RAIN on the days that I work.

The hound hadn’t liked having to leave the beach early either.  Even though it’s low tide, she’d found a humungous log which she’d insisted on dragging up the beach. 

 It really was HEAVY ... with a capital H.  

Even the significant other had difficulty in tossing it into the waves.

The hound of course had no problem retrieving it.

Between her antics with the log and the amorous advances of a Seagull 

... yes, a seagull ..., our time on the beach was over in a flash.  

I didn’t find Kingfishers or Herons this morning but I did capture a little White Eye up at the view-site and the rather humourous behaviour of that romantic Seagull.  

It’s not EVERY day I get hit on by a bird.

From sassy seagulls to laidback Labradors.  

Sam the Man came to visit again this morning.  He made his usual fast-paced

entrance into the shop and flung himself at my feet for a tummy rub.  

Even when he’s NOT on the beach, he’s a feet-seeking missile.

He’s one of the few males of ANY species that has me at his beck and call.

He didn’t only want a tummy rub though, he wanted the dregs of my caffeine fix too.  

Sam is more of a caffeine addict than what either his mother or I am.  

Even Pete thinks so.

I had to chuckle when Carol read me a message that Pete (under instruction from Sam) 

had sent her whilst she was away.  It went like this

“Hi Mummy, just to let you know I am really, really looking forward to you coming home.  Dad does try and he does his very best, but do you know I haven’t had a fluffy in 5 days, it’s just not the same when you are not here.  Daddy said I could stay up till you come in, he’s going back to work soon so I will have a little sleep.  Love Samuel John Joseph xxx”

I DON’T think I’m the ONLY one that Sam has at his beck and call!

There is a bright side to even the darkest of circumstances

Early morning and the lights are all still on!

Can't resist a pic of my tree and the sky above Rangitoto
is taking on a pink hue

What is it about my morning ramble that makes me feel so good?  Is it the early morning tranquility ... the awakening of a new day that I capture through my lens .... the stillness of the morning air as I make my way up the hill to the view site or Ladies Bay?  I feel the spring in my step .... I feel the hound’s excitement and

anticipation as we head out the door.

There’s just something intangible about them ... something I can’t quite put my finger on but it’s there .... it fills me with a sense of well-being and calm.  I return from my rambles with a smile on my face - and

no, that’s not because I’ve encountered any nudists.  My brain is buzzing with ideas and I feel an easy contentment that comes from exercise and fresh air.

I just LOVE the early morning light ... I love the softness it adds to my images ... the pink glow as the sun’s rays peek over the horizon.  They add a luminosity and ethereal beauty to my city as it slowly springs to life. All the lights in the city and on the Harbour Bridge are still on as we wind our way along the cliff road .... they cast reflections on the sea .... mirrored images of tall buildings, of small buildings, of trees and a handful of vehicles snaking their way along Tamaki Drive.

Awesome cloud formations!

This illusion of calmness and serenity is soon shattered as the world wakes up ... by the time I  head down to the village the roads are awash with cars ... busses ... pedestrians .... bicycles ... all heading off for whatever their morning holds in store.  The ‘pause’ in my morning has been brief .... it always is ..... time waits for no man

The tide is way out this morning ...

and, as the sun creeps up in the sky, so the busyness of another day begins.

Early mornings like these possess magical qualities .... they are times of reflection ... of emptying out the thoughts of yesterday so as to allow for the thoughts of today. An analagy from a book I’ve just

read comes to mind .... if your cup is overflowing and full of your own ideas, how can any more go in ... until you first empty your cup!  Sometimes the world we’ve become accustomed to dulls our creativity and limits our vision ... the challenges we

face should be seen as opportunities to grow and learn ... from struggle comes strength. There is a bright side to even the darkest of circumstances but only if I have the courage to look for it.

The morning brightened slightly and she found some friends on the beach

Even mornings like today, wet, windy and woeful ... yep, Wellywood weather  .... have a bright side. There’s something so amusing about watching the gulls trying to fly when the wind is blowing gales. I wonder sometimes if they’re cleverer than what I think and their flying in reverse is a way of reaching their goal ... even though, to me,

it appears as if they aren’t.  Sometimes they’re static in the sky ... seemingly held in place by an invisible hand ... no forward motion, no backward motion ... just a gentle undulation as their wings move up and down.  They have no idea of the amusement they afford me.

I get to make works of art out of these magical moments in my morning .... I get to share what I see through the lens ... and I love that.  I get to see the sun as it slowly raises it’s head ... the early morning dew on the roses and agies .... the neighbourhood cats as they return from their nocturnal escapades ... and of course, not to be forgotten ... I get to share in the enjoyment of all this with my hound!  

Love the paw over the log .... OWNERSHIP!

As the sun rises higher in the sky the pink glow over my city slowly vanishes and with it, the magical moments it created.  Every new day brings its own brand of magic ... tomorrow will be different from today .... I will be a different person tomorrow to what I am today.  The colours and textures of my world are constantly changing but they make me come alive ... I never want to lose that feeling. 

This pic was taken yesterday ... she was rather tired!