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I have a new phone, courtesy of my son-in-law.  So although, to me, it appears to have all the bells and whistles, I guess it is already outdated. I've only had it a couple of weeks but it's made me cross a couple of times already.  OK, you're right, it hasn't made me cross.  I've got cross because I haven't been able to figure something out.  No matter how many times I check the settings, I still can't hear it when it rings.  Annoying.  And I find getting messages about emails and Facebook all a bit too "instant" for my liking.  

When I was at Jock's funeral (see previous post) at the weekend I was tempted and checked my messages when I went back to the car to get my camera.  Damn!  And double damn, I should not have done that.  It's not good to receive bad news when you are already feeling emotional.  It could have waited until I had been duly respectful to Jock.  I know my limits and knew I wouldn't be able to cope with the catching up with old friends and family that would follow the burial.  

AS I just said, I know myself and a well established behaviour for me is to skulk off by myself when I need to process something.  So that's what I did although I knew I wasn't up to driving home just yet.  So I headed out towards the coast where Jock used to live, in search of a place that fitted my mood.  

Before I left I took a few photos of the Northern Wairoa River as it winds through Dargaville, with the mountains of home in the background.  It's a muddy, muddy river and that day was a beautiful chocolate brown which I didn't manage to capture.

And one in the other direction of the river as it heads towards Pouto and the sea.  

 

I knew when I took the road down to the beach at Mahuta that I wouldn't be able to go too far as a four wheel drive vehicle is needed to access the beach.  I'd forgotten about the heather that grows on the roadside.            

             

                               

I didn't go much further than the spot where I took this next photo.  The road turns rather quickly to sand and grows very narrow.  You can see it snaking its way out to the beach in the middle of the photo, to the left of where I was standing. 

 

I am so lucky to know of lovely, wild, untamed places like this, the kind of place I need when life seems a little bit harder than it needs to be.  When I need to shout out loud, "Oh, come on, life!  Not now!  Give me a break!"

It's amazing how much good a little time in such a place does for me.  I enjoyed my drive back home stopping to take a few more photos further up the river.   If you look carefully you might be able to make out the old railway line which runs between the road and river.  These days there is no rail service but the line can be explored on converted golf carts.  Must do that one day soon.  When summer comes perhaps.  It's far too cold right now.