I need practice!!

Words.  My words.

My bay at sunrise when the tide's out

“I had the right to remain silent, but I didn’t have the ability.” 

~ Ron White

Neither do I.

Would that I could adequately describe an image with words.

In this case, with THIS image, words are superfluous.

The image says it all.

That magical moment that defies description

THAT morning was magical.

It took all the words, the angst, the confusion and blew it into the stratosphere.

Life is about living, NOT just existing and I need to remember that.

I asked the significant other to HOLD the camera whilst I replied to Em's text .... NOT to use it!

The hound has it sussed.

So does Sam.

They have no need of words.

They express themselves in a thousand ways WITHOUT uttering a sound.

Zak, Chocolat and Sam ... a Labrador Puddle

The Shag that Em's and I were stalking

Not so me.

I use a thousand words and more to express myself

and STILL don’t always get my meaning across.

It’s that ‘words falling out of my mouth’ thingy.

TOO many words.  

They tumble out, tripping over one another in their haste to be heard.   It’s not a pleasant sight.

Wine time at "The Spa @ 52"

I need PRACTICE!! 

Loads of it!

A fiery sunset at rugby on Saturday night

I should take a leaf out of Sam’s book.

He’s practised so much at being a feet-seeking missile that he can SMELL us on the beach BEFORE he sees us.

  His race along the beach is fast and furious and only ends when he flings ... yes FLINGS ... his body at my feet and turns upside down for the mandatory tummy rub.

Zak and his reflection

NO words are necessary to express his delight at seeing us. 

It’s BIZARRE but this is Sam.

Words ARE necessary when the time comes to LEAVE the beach though.

Both hounds would stay all day if they could.  

So would I.

I’m convinced they were both BEACH BUMS in a previous life.

That’s why they’re so practised at sand surfing and wave wallowing.

The sand and the waves are where they’re happiest.

I can understand why. 

It’s my happy place too.

Life. is. beautiful.

“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” 

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Sky Tower all lit up on Saturday night

The "Spa @ 52"

“Some people never go crazy.  What truly horrible lives they must lead.” 

~ Charles Bukowski

Crazy makes life MAGICAL and adds mayhem to the mundane.

Naughty Zinny chasing the seagulls!

Far too much yummy wine.

Glorious sunshine.

Scrumptious food.

Zany company.

Logs for Africa

Our absolutely DELICIOUS lunch!

... and let’s not forget the spa with a view.

Some moments are just necessary.

The logs for Africa might be an exaggeration but the rest certainly weren’t.

Our soak in the spa was well deserved after packing away Em’s logs for the winter.

Even the hound helped, though not with the same enthusiasm and intent as us.

She wanted to KEEP the logs, we wanted to STACK them.

A conflict of interest best solved by giving her one of her own.

It’s not often I drink copious amounts of wine, but I did on Sunday.

The occasional foray into a state of inebriation definitely has it’s downside the next day though.

It WASN’T our neighbour’s jack hammer that made my head ache in the morning.

I could of course blame it on the Spa.  

It’s dehydrating and head-ache inducing.

If I were to do that though, I might NOT 

be invited back to partake in this indolent luxury again.

Sorry Ems but this HAD to be included ... there aren't many spas with a view like yours!

Yeah right.  

The owner of the “Spa @ 52"  has a soft spot for the hound  so repeat invitations are a given.

Said hound was the only one NOT happy about “The Spa @ 52"

but only because she COULDN’T join in.

Hounds and Spa pools are NOT a good mix.

Don't you love the socks on the line ... all with their own bunny ear pegs!

From lucrative markets on Saturday 

... and no, I didn’t get the pun that was left on my FB post about the NEW market in Newmarket.  Blame it on the BLONDE or the busyness of the moment.

Tamaki River with Panmure Bridge in the background

to scintillating games of rugby on Sunday, this weekend has been full on with fun and fabulousness. 

Black Shag in motion .. 

I think he wanted to join the hound.

“Perhaps strength doesn’t reside in never having been broken, 

but in the courage to grow strong in the broken places.” 

~ unknown

Yep, she enjoys her very OWN ice cream .... from Macdonalds!!

Love the sunsets over the river!

A friend is NEVER a co-incidence in your life.

A friend is NEVER a co-incidence in your life. They enter your life at the right time ... be it for a brief moment or a lifetime ... to fulfill a need in you. They bring joy, laughter and tears and their impact on your life always leaves positives behind.

I’m so glad I have so many AWESOME friends in my life.

I’m having a gloomy sort of day. I’d been so looking forward to the Grey Lynn Park Festival this weekend ... and it’s been CANCELLED. Over 400 stall-holders have spent weeks preparing for this event. Bad weather has been forecast for Saturday and this has apparently caused the cancellation. 

Those white cotton-wool clouds spread across my sky this afternoon.

It’s a grrrrr sort of day and the grey gloomy weather is only adding to my mood. 

I’ve BEEN for a long ramble, HAD my caffeine fix AND a brioche - courtesy of Julia .... scoffed a bar of chocolate all on my lonesome .... but it hasn’t lifted my mood.

A baby Chocolat and a baby Shimmer .... they used to LOVE one another!

I was SO excited about participating in this festival.

Time to move on ... so I've been going through all my pics of the hound when she was a puppy .... that's been fun!

At least all the effort I’ve been putting in over the last few months won’t be wasted as it’s only 2 weeks to Fruit Bowl Craft Jam 2012. That’s an INDOOR 2-day market so there’s little chance of it being cancelled unexpectedly ... YAY!

She's LOVED coffee from the very beginning!

I also now get to go to Waiheke tomorrow on a wine tour. It’s a Christmas function that Gav and I were invited to but had to decline because of the Festival. Fortunately they can still accommodate us so I’m off to sample numerous varieties of Fruit of the Vine on the morrow. Better walk the hound early as I probably won’t be in any fit state to walk her on my return. 
Wine does that you know!

I was reading an article earlier about walkable cities ... ie cities where walking about them is safe, useful, comfortable and interesting. This line caught my eye and made me chuckle ... 
“Let’s have a moment of silence for all those who are stuck in traffic on their way to the gym to ride stationery bicycles.” 

She loves being brushed with the vacuum cleaner

I guess walking as much as I do makes the article more pertinent. There’s a lot to be said for re-inventing cities so as to make them more walkable. The article was specifically speaking about American cities which have effectively become no-walking cities ... but it’s probably applicable to most cities worldwide. Downtowns are easy to get to but NOT worth arriving at.  Cities are losing their sparkle. Creating a walkable city is not only socially and physically desirable but would also contribute to an increase in urban vitality. I’m all for it!

A trio of chocolate mousse!

This is what happens when you’re having a ‘grrrr’ kind of day .... you get distracted by all kinds of inane information on-line, some of which actually turns out to be kind of interesting.