They are ducks!

Yesterday, as I was driving home from the Arts Festival in Whangarei, a lovely day turned into one of those afternoons when the air is soft and the late afternoon sun captures shapes and hollows in the landscape that we often miss. I come around a corner and see this view every day but yesterday every poplar seemed to stand out.

Ahead is the little village of Maungakaramea which I pass through every day.

But on this day the hills can be seen between the township and cellphone tower (on the steepest hill in the background, you can just see it). This is the same tower that you can see above in my header, but from a different angle. You have to drive another 20 mins to get to my place.

Looking further to the right, this one of my favourite views on my daily drive. I love this uppity, downity range. It may not be precise English, but doesn't it look uppity, downity to you?

And now, we are coming to the highlight of my drive home. Remember I spotted what I was pretty sure was ducks last week? Not far from the spot where I saw them last, there is a little bridge. Yesterday I went over the bridge and saw them in the muddy water below! I stopped and pulled over as soon as I could, probably around 50 metres from the bridge. Now, I thought, how do I get back there and get a photo without scaring them off? Ah ha! Now this is commitment to a cause, the cause in this case being my determination to determine whether they are ducks or geese (I'm having a bit of fun with words here!).

Anyway, to demonstrate my commitment, I took off my shoes and in my socks I crept back up the road. Thank heavens, no neighbours came driving down the road to discover me creeping up on......yeah, right....ducks!

There were two of them paddling around in the creek

and another three sitting on the bank.

I walked back to the car in my socks humming happily, even if my feet were a bit cold.

Further down the road, at what I call Hunter's Corner, the late afternoon sun was still working its magic...

And then, about a km from my house, one last gift of the day.

The last rays of the winter sun.