How would you describe the PERFECT man?

I love Jo Brand’s sense of humour ... very dry and very witty.  When asked on one of the episodes of QI how she would describe the perfect man, she replied in a deadpan voice  

“ A dead one”.

I can relate to that ... maybe not ALL of the time, but definitely SOME of the time.

Men are a different breed.

It’s bought home to me so vividly when we do markets.  My stall defines me and what I create and I’m quite particular about how I lay it out.  One of the vendors we’ve got to know over the last year is quite the opposite.  Fling it on the table and let it sell itself, seems to be his motto.  The sooner he has it on the table, the sooner he can wander around the market and socialise with the other stall-holders.  Most of us are still trying to create our space so he can, on occasion, be an unwelcome distraction.

To be honest, not ALL men are like that but they DEFINITELY come from a different planet.

We had wind at the market today .... the weather kind.  It played havoc with my canvas prints .... so much so that “Global warming” hit the ground SEVERAL times despite having elastic holding it on the easel and despite the easel being attached to the table!  When the wind means business, nothing holds it back.

Wind aside, the weather has been amazing.  When you live where I do and you have days like today, you get to satisfy several of your passions.  I DIDN’T get to ramble with the hound but I DID get to be a crocodile.

There were as many, if not more, yachts and vessels out in the gulf as what there were cars on the road .... and there were LOTS of cars on the road.  We CRAWLED along Tamaki Drive at such a snail’s pace that I was able to take photographs as we drove.  

Driving along Tamaki Drive is NEVER a chore.  It’s a magical drive home winding along the shoreline, in and out of the bays.  The tides are always changing, as is the weather ... and as for the scenery .... well!  On days like today there is MORE than enough eye candy .... of both female AND male persuasion.  I could just SIT all day and take in the view.

No weekend is complete without indulging in an ice-cream ... not just any ice-cream though ... but Joshua’s Ice Cream from the Co-Op, Orange Marmalade ice-cream to be specific.

There was a queue out the door when we got there ... unsurprisingly.  When the sun’s shining and the skies are blue, the Co-op does more business selling ice-creams than selling coffee.  I’m a bit inflexible where ice-cream’s concerned and the girls at the Co-Op have cottoned on to that. 

 “Orange marmalade, in a cone?” I get asked

.... “yes please” I reply “with a gingerbread man”.

Kohimarama Beach

Yum.  Some moments are just meant to be good ones.

St. Heliers Beach

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” 

~ Carl Jung

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!