New Zealand’s Native Clematis

…in my experience, is usually flowering at the top of a tree….you can see it from afar, but it is too high up to appreciate at close quarters…let alone photograph…

…this lot is growing in sand dunes on low scrub bushes…

…mmm, clematis.

This One

…or this one?….

…I can’t decide….

…and where’s my tripod?

Aramoana Sunset

…the sun going down behind Mt. Cargill…

…and Dee standing in it…

…listening to the young mullet (we think) jumping to catch bugs….

….like standing in the rain without getting wet…

…then a royal spoon bill flew low in line with the other side of the inlet all lit golden like a painting on silk….

…shit.

Aramoana

…sand….

 

…small female sealions…

 

…bloody great male sealions…

…small birds…

 

…and two carloads less crap….

Holiday Snaps

…I meant to put these up on Sunday, but was extra busy in the shop…

…snow forecast for today…so no so busy today!….

…always holiday prepared…(especially if you’re still carrying that cold)….

 

…take plenty of recycling….(and booze)

 

 

….and sustenance….

 

…because your hostess may have cleaned (out) the fridge…

 

…and only left you a fluffy quince…(without explaining they are supposed to be fluffy)…

 

 

…go outside….don’t forget your gloves….

 

 

…take pictures of nature….

 

 

…and natures residents….

 

 

…get back inside before the weather breaks….

 

 

…had a wonderful time…

…wish I was back there now!

More Penguin News

…my good friend Dee’s resident penguin…is still resident…and now he’s moulting…

…which means he’s with us for a few weeks at least…

…and he’s a little more acclimatised to Dee & Me being around so I managed a snap sans grimy glass…

 

…mmm…penguin sheddings…

 

 

 

…they’re so fluffy!…especially close in…serious insulation….

…hopefully the Dept’ Of Conservation comes to the party re: warning signage…spent most of the Easter break chasing un-leashed dogs away with a broom…

…no matter how “in-control” people think they are of their townie mutts, it doesn’t take more than a second to bite a penguin…

…although I’ve seen him throw a shape & squawk at a couple of would-be predators & he’s packing an impressive defence mechanism!

The Next Best Thing To Happy Feet

…well, better than happy feet…

…because he’s real …

…and he’s just outside my good friend Dee’s place…

…and you can drink coffee and make a snack whilst observing him…

 

…shoes & pants optional.

 

 

Yellow eyed penguins are rare & protected in NZ…this little fella has been caught & relocated from this beach twice now…lots of dog walking in the area….wish Dee’s windows hadn’t been so sand splattered…didn’t think it wise to snap him from outside as there wasn’t anything for me to hide behind!….cool neighbour for a day though.

Ladybird

…ladybug…

…depending on where you’re from.

…(taken out at my good friend Dee’s place a few weeks back….without the use of a ladder…the sand has since been removed from the side of the house….no trench digging to facilitate egress for the foreseeable  future! … )…

…(desperately trying to get back on track with a completely blown drawing schedule…normal transmission resumed soooon…hope you enjoy the snaps…).

Oh So Thats Where It Is Going

…all those fat guys/fatct**ts… nudie suited, twin craniumed and monosyllabic, have finally got a name…

 

…Governmentzilla…

…is it just me, or has every democratic government in the world turned into a lumbering, two headed, behemoth with only a vague sense of political direction….

…the left working in conjunction with the right and achieving little more than scuttling each others policies…

…stubby arms that are perfect for waving around and getting attention, but incapable of performing the simplest of humanitarian tasks (or wiping its own arse)…

 

 

…if we could send them to another country on a permanent sabbatical, we would.

I Went To The Beach And All I Got Was

…this photo of the sun shining on tidal ripples…

…which is a shame really because we walked round the point on the Aramoana spit and waited for a departing log ship to go past… it’s a “tight” squeeze at the head of the Otago harbour, so it’s quite a buzz to watch the boats go past from the old pilots jetty, up close and personal…

…even more exciting when you realise that there is a pod of 50 to 60 bottle nose dolphins riding the ships wake…

Wahoo!!

…they broke off at the harbour mouth and looked to be heading out to sea…

…but returned with the pilot boat, who circled and played with them for about 5 minutes, just inside the harbour mouth, between Taiaroa Heads and the Mole… finally breaking off and leaving them to mill about long enough for the Monarch wildlife boat to give their passengers 5-10 minutes of full on dolphin fun…

…all observed from shore by me and my good friend Dee…

…nope, too busy looking and yahooing to take any pic’s…

…so sand is all you get.

Oh…if it makes you feel any better…

…my good friend Dee called the next day to say that, after I left, a whale was blowing and sounding just beyond the harbour mouth!!!… at least she doesn’t have a camera to forget to use.