Punctured balls.

Who would have thought Sparrows could look so cute and fluffy!

 "When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge 

to test our courage and willingness to change."

~ Paulo Coelho

This was taken whilst we were in the car crossing Harbour Bridge.
I'm amazed that it came out so well.

I needed a morning like this one.

Breath-taking beauty and exuberance in abundance.

Our morning ramble took us to Takapuna.  

Not with my mate Sam as is the norm, but with the significant other.

... who's feeding the sparrows!

Other Carol, she with the exercise fetish, was heading off to Rotorua for the weekend

to participate in yet ANOTHER half-marathon.  

All the better to prepare her and Pete for their Great Wall of China half-marathon in May.

Takapuna Beach

Yes.  She’s nutty in the extreme.

The first bouncing hound!

She missed out on what was a glorious morning’s ramble.

Boulder hopping, rock climbing

and wading through the waves took us further along the coast than usual.  

Taken from the other end of Takapuna Beach before we began boulder-hopping and rock-climbing.

The remoteness is astonishing. 

The scenery breath-taking.

A food for my soul kind of morning.

My world still rocks, even in all it’s chaos.

Our ramble was FULL to the brim of smile-inducing moments.

Especially after meeting Hugo.

He’s a TIGGER in disguise.

He BOUNCES.  Abundantly.

Into the waves AND back out of them.

He’d even give Sam a run for his money with his exuberance and enthusiasm. 

His human had a tale to tell about Hugo and LARGE balls of the rugby and soccer ilk.

Hugo has expensive tastes where balls are concerned.

He used to have a rugby ball like the hound’s which he loved to chase in reserves and on the beach.  

Whilst chasing it at a reserve one day, 

he was distracted by a group of youngsters playing with a soccer ball.  

Another caffeine addict??

Hugo being Hugo discarded his own ball to join in their game.

Hugo being Hugo punctured their soccer ball in his attempt to catch it.

Maybe.

He had to hang his head in shame.  

The ball he’d punctured was a signed World Cup Soccer Ball with a replacement value of $300.  

His owner was left with only mothballs in his wallet after paying for a replacement ball.

No more pocket money for Hugo.

No more rugby or soccer balls either.

We took the warming signs about falling rocks VERY seriously.
These could cause a bit of damage.

The hound can relate to his story.  

She’s managed to burst a fair number of  balls too.

I'm relieved NONE of them were $300 World Cup Soccer Balls!

"Lovely days don't come to you ... you should walk to them."

~ Rumi

This is a whacky fur-ball.  The hound is wet but he has to rub himself all under her tummy
... and then expects to be dried too.
There's something amiss with the 4-legged members of this family

I went AWOL today ...

I went AWOL this morning .... well, the bubbly, bouncy part of ME did.  There’s no warmth in my soul right now, just like there’s little warmth in that winter sun. 

I feel distant and lost and angry and raw all at the same time.  

It’s transient and I know it’ll pass but I hate how it makes me feel.

Life sucks at times.  

It hits you with the proverbial sledgehammer and leaves you reeling.

Even an eternal optimist like me STRUGGLES sometimes to make sense of what’s happening in my life and to understand all those little voices in my head that just DON’T shut up.

I need hugs .... LOTS of them.

It’s a good thing the hound can’t talk.  She could write a book of all the thoughts I share with her when I’m rambling on my lonesome and the tears are streaming down my face.

She does what she knows best though.  

She gets me out and rambling .... and smiling.

You can’t help but smile when you get a freezing salt-water shower or your feet are covered by a mountain of sand in a matter of moments. 

You can’t help but smile when a big Golden hound dribbles a soccer ball along the beach with his nose, whilst being chased by a chocolate brown hound. 

You can’t help but smile when both hounds are trying to get a grip on said soccer ball that’s floating away in the waves.

Yes ... SOCCER .... not rugby for a change.

The hound found a “precious” on the beach this morning

 .... in the form of a soccer ball.  

Magical moments.  ‘In the moment’ moments.  

We ALL need moments like this.

The hounds share their magic with more than just Carol and I.  Their trench-digging antics in the sand are attracting more and more attention each day.  

One gentleman asked us if they could come and dig up his garden.  Another wanted to pinch the chocolate hound whilst his partner wanted the golden one.  

So many people stop to chat and take photos of them.  

They bring smiles to more faces than just ours. 

We even make Pete smile most mornings!

I needed those smiles today.

“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment, he needs help.” 

~ Thich Niht Hanh

.... mud .. guts ... and glory!

Obi and soccer ball ... and my hound and rugby ball!

And so .... one week to go till the end of RWC 2011.  The majority of my Kiwi friends are delighted that their Flightless Fowls are through to the final ... and yes, maybe they deserve to be there ... but France certainly don’t ... and nothing anyone can say will ever make me think any differently.  The players at RWC have given their all ... it’s sad that the same can’t be said of the match referees and the IRB in general.  Sadly, the calibre of refereeing has not been up to scratch and leaves a blot on the copybook of RWC 2011.  New Zealand itself has been a tremendous host.  The country and the people have opened their hearts and their homes and welcomed visitors and players alike with huge enthusiasm and warmth ... the vibe has been awesome and I’m SO proud of my adopted country!

On my ramble this morning, so many people commiserated with me over Wales’ loss on Saturday night ... the general consensus was that they had been robbed of a place in the final.  They were all delighted that I’m still proudly flying my flag ... and that I will continue to do so till the end of the tournament despite my disappointment in Saturday’s result.  I love the way my flag has bought people out of their shells ... they chat to me so enthusiastically about rugby and life in general ... so many want to know where ‘home’ is seeing as I fly a Welsh flag ... AND what I think of living in NZ.

I was told this morning that I kick my hound’s ball incorrectly .... I kick it with my toe instead of my foot .... no wonder I have such a HUGE hole in my takkie!!!  A gentleman walking on the beach had been watching all the dogs at play .. and my hound had pinched someone’s soccer ball and was having a great time dribbling ... yes, dribbling it ... along the beach with her paws.  He’d been watching me kick it for her ... and he’d seen the Welsh flag .... so he came over to chat and show me the correct way to kick her ball .... which I’m still unable to do .... it’s hard unlearning a bad habit!!

See the soccer ball .... and she's carrying the rugby ball
.... not for long though!

Rugby ball forgotten about .... we only want the soccer ball now!!

If she could have done, she’d have bought the soccer ball home with her today instead of our rugby ball ... she was having so much fun with it!  The owner of the dog who’s ball it was, kicked it out to sea and she struggled to get a grip on it to bring it back to shore.  I could see her head bobbing further and further away as the elusive ball headed off to Rangitoto .... hound in hot pursuit!

I wondered if her disinclination to bring the rugby ball home was her way of telling me how disappointed she is with RWC ...... nah .... she’s only a dog .... what does she know about the glorious game of rugby and all its ridiculous rules.  Would that rugby could be played as it used to be played ..... mud, guts and glory .....

Pete at the coffee shop had an interesting analogy for a good referee ..... he likened a ref to a flight to South Africa ... you’re not aware of whether or not the flight was good .. you can’t remember what the cabin crew were like .. you just know you’ve arrived at your destination.  A good ref should be unobtrusive .... allowing the game to flow ... but not directing it .... you should be unaware of his existence until the final whistle blows ... something maybe the IRB needs to bear in mind in the future ....

In the meantime I have it on good authority that my Sharks are performing delightfully well back in good old SA .... a home semi-final ‘nogal’ ..... methinks I need to sort out some live-streaming to be able to watch the semi’s and the final over the next two weeks!  My Bokke and my Dragons weren’t able to lift my Yayness levels ... maybe my Sharkies will!!