Let the flying begin!

Tuis are just so acrobatic as they syphon the nectar out of all the blooms.

“When we walk to the edge of all the light we have

and take that step into the darkness of the unknown,

we must believe that one of two things will happen;

There will be something solid for us to stand on,

Or

We will learn how to fly.”

~ credited to Herta Payson

 but not confirmed.

I know I’ve said this before, but I LOVE Fridays!

Especially when they’re accompanied by clear blue skies, 

gorgeous sunshine 

and a low tide.  

Could have done without the icy wind though

but that’s a small price to pay for such a magnificent day.

My little piece of paradise gleams and glistens!

It MORE than makes up for the tumbled-up world I’m living in.

We’re on the move again.

Moving home that is.

Not quite sure yet where to but we’ve handed in our notice

and the search for alternative

 ... and less expensive ...  

accommodation begins.

I’m putting it out to the universe

KNOWING that it’s the right thing to do.

I keep asking myself why I’m having to leap these hurdles on my own though and, 

as is usual when I ask questions of myself, 

the answer soon sprung to mind.

I have to learn how to fly!

It’s quite ironic then that the low tide this morning elicited a glut 

of Kingfishers and Herons for me to photograph.  

If anyone can teach me how to fly, they can!

Except that we’re talking flying of a different kind.

And it’s hard.

That’s why mornings like this are necessary.

A quiet reminder that, whilst life might not be quite perfect, 

there are still moments of magnificence in the midst of the mayhem.

Let the flying lessons begin.

I feel her frustration!

                     The hound DOESN’T like it when I work at the shop on a Tuesday.

She KNOWS that on a Tuesday and Friday we have LONGER rambles.

  She KNOWS they’re the days I torment the birds, 

especially when the tide’s low like it was this morning.  

She also KNOWS they’re the days we meet her mate Sam in the waves.

This morning though, that wasn’t happening and she was confused .... comically so.

This ISN’T right.  The beach is THAT way.  

You could see in her face the words she was trying to speak.  

It’s HARD being a hound.

It’s even harder being the human who understands what the hound’s trying to say 

... especially “the words falling out of my mouth” kind of human.  

I feel her frustration!

It tugs at the heart-strings.  

Not only because I know she’d rather be in the waves and on the sand than at home

 ... but  I know I’d ALSO prefer to be in the waves and on the sand than at work! 

 The sand and the waves are my happiness stomping ground!

Needs must though, so it’s off to work I go.

I had a surprise visit from Sam the Man who was delighted to have his mom home.  Carol is not only an EXERCISE addict but a SUN-BUNNY of NOTE and loves the climate on the Gold Coast.  She’s hatching a plan to eventually spend several months of the year there but I’m not sure if Pete knows this yet.  Apparently Sam has a passport so he can travel too.  

I wonder if Pete does .... or even if he’s included in this plan.

I’ll have to ask him!

But back to the beach and the bounty of birds this morning.

I’d headed onto the rock pools between St. Heliers and Kohi in search of Kingfishers.  Couldn’t find any of those but spotted a heron in the distance.  Yes, the white-faced heron ... the nemesis of my friend Julie.

They’re quite LARGE birds and dreadfully ungainly as they take to the air.  Little did I know but he was heading in my direction and very nearly upended me as he drifted over my head and landed on the rocks alongside. Trying to maintain one’s balance and dignity on slippery rocks  isn’t easy!  He walked in a circle around me poking and fossicking in all the nooks and crannies for whatever tasty morsels he could find, completely unperturbed by me being in his space.  Maybe he thought I was part of the scenery.

It’s a pity the light was so poor this morning. 

The Kingfishers WERE out there ... two of them 

... hunting for crabs in the mudflats. 

Would that everyone could experience the high that moments like this leave me on.  

It’s like a drug ... an elixir ... an orgasm!  It makes EVERYDAY so worthwhile.  

“The business of life is the acquisition of memories.  

In the end, that’s all there is.” 

... a rather profound thought from Carson in episode 4 of Downton Abbey on Monday night.

I very nearly missed THAT game!

I very NEARLY missed THAT game on Sunday morning and that would’ve been a CATASTROPHE! 

My SA mates will know which game I mean.  

The Currie Cup Final.  

Sharks vs Western Province and my Sharks WON 

.... COMPREHENSIVELY!

It was SO worth getting up for.

Hmmm .... not stealthy enough!

It’s been a long weekend here in good ole NZ.  

Labour Weekend.  

The fourth Monday in October commemorates the successful struggle for an 8 hour working day that was won by one Samuel Parnell back in the 1840's. 

 Funny how things have changed.  As Christmas approaches we’re expected to have the shop open from 9am to 6pm ... so much for an 8 hour working day!

When the shop’s busy though, time flies so you don’t always register that you’ve been on your feet and working for over 9 hours.  The bonus .... I get to TALK as much as I like! 

It’s that WORDS FALLING out of my MOUTH thing again!

I love talking almost as much I LOVE low tide?  

Have I mentioned that before .... how much I love low tide?

I might have done but I’ll say it again.  

I just LOVE LOW TIDE!

It’s when the Kingfishers and the Herons come out to play!

They LOVE the rock pools.  The Heron agitates the water like the seagulls do.  I’m surmising here but I think the agitation of the water makes the little creatures living in the sand think the tide’s turned and they come to the surface thinking they’re safe.  

BUT they’re NOT.

Before I can blink, the eager eyes of the Heron have spotted whatever’s risen to the surface and that long beak of his finishes the job.

The Kingfishers hunt in a very different way.  They like elevated observation points where they can sit and watch for the little crabs in the mudflats.  The crabs don’t stand a chance.  A flash of blue and the crab’s history.  

Regardless of their hunting methods though, both these bird species are out and about at low tide.  The opportunity to sneak up close CAN’T possibly be ignored.  It’s a good thing I DON’T mind muddy feet as the mudflats at low tide can be rather dank and sticky.

Smelly too sometimes.

I managed to snap some magical shots today but only after having managed to dissuade Sam from accompanying me onto the mudflats.  He reckons my time on the beach is best spent throwing balls for him and the hound to retrieve ... not stalking birds.

Besides in his eyes, HE’S the celebrity, not the birds!

“Feeling GOOD is not waiting for SOMEONE or SOMETHING to happen to you.  It’s YOU deciding TODAY .... I LOVE MY LIFE.” 

~ Marlene Neumann