Bivouacs

Not far from the Tangihua Lions Lodge is an area where kids on school camps can make bivouacs using dead material from the forest floor.  Sometimes students sleep a night in their creations.

I thought to post some photos of the efforts of the school that was there last week after I heard someone refer to the bivouac of life and held my tongue rather than admit I had no idea what he was talking about.  Thank heavens for Google.  It's a good expression referring to life as a temporary shelter.  Google tells me "it re-emphasises that we are on earth only for a limited period of time and whatever we wish for should be achieved while we are alive."

 I'm taking part in My Corner of the World. 

Lily

She shares my mother's name - Lily - and she's a delight to be near.  Especially when she is having a rare treat, an icecream, after her first day at kindy.

On the way home

On the way home from Taranaki I stayed in a cute little Airbnb just 9 kms off the highway in Pukekawa, cropping country.  I should have taken a photo of the brand on the bed, it was just so, so comfortable.

 

The owners obviously go to a lot of trouble to establish a tranquil rural retreat.

 

 The area has rich red soil and is known for growing a range of vegetables. 

 Potatoes, I think

A week somewhere else

Any time spent in Taranaki is time well spent in my book, even when it's a fair bit colder than here at home.  I didn't even complain about the wind.  Well, not much.  Spending time with my daughter and her family are added attractions, staying with her in her new home with a view of that marvellous mountain, Taranaki, make for the perfect getaway.

Taranaki is the home of Betty who hosts Welcome to my Corner of the World each week.  It might be just as well I don't live there all the time, I'd just post constant photos of that mountain.

I drove down there this time, didn't like the thought of wearing a mask for hours on two flights and while waiting in Auckland for the second flight.

I set my GPS for the temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hamilton thinking that would be a good place for a little rest and walk around.  Should have looked it up before I left home, that would have saved me from driving out of my way only to be disappointed that it is closed for renovations (estimated to be completed in 2021).  The best I could do was a photo from the side of the road.

It wasn't very far out of my way, to be honest.  The same road gave me a very pleasant drive through to Pirongia where I had booked a Shed to stay the night.

 

A very creative couple had taken a half round farm shed and turned it into a funky and very comfortable one bedroom accommodation.  It had been raining lightly most of the way and continued to do so through the night, so I didn't get to enjoy the view of Mt Pirongia which is out there in that mist.  Despite the rain, I enjoyed what there was of the view.

It was still raining the next morning when I stopped for a cup of coffee at the Otorohanga playground.  The brightly coloured equipment looked as dismal as the weather with no children to be seen.

However, the weather cleared as I went further south and I could easily see the mountain as I drew nearer and started pulling off the road to take photos. 

My grandson, Aiden is soccer mad.  He's outside with his soccer ball for hours every day.  While I was there I got to attend his club prizegiving so could share the family pride when he won Most Valued Player for his team.

A great reward for the hours he puts in.  And a good lesson for a young bloke to learn - you have to  put in the time to reap the rewards.

This was very much a family visit, I didn't go off wandering.  Had a day shopping with my "shopper" daughter.  Three hours of it!  I was exhausted after that but have some nice new clothes that my daughter decreed as an improvement on my usual.  There are so many things one should think of when clothes shopping according to the fashionista.

Found this delightful spot one day in Pukekura Park.

Love your corner of the world, Betty.

Turkeys and a pheasant

There's a flock of turkeys making their home on the access road to the lodge.  There hasn't been much traffic coming and going to the lodge and, with their daily lives having little interference, they are less flighty than they usually are.   I managed to get close enough to get a photo out the car window today.  They are in terrific condition, very fat.  Which might not be a good thing for a turkey.

 

As I drove away I noticed a steer on the other side of the road, just standing and staring.  I thought he found me interesting but he was actually keeping an eye on the turkeys. 

Just inside the bush a pheasant let me get quite close before moving off the track into the bush.  Or so I thought at the time.  Looking at the photo now,  you have to look hard to see it.

 

 

 I was at the lodge for the best part of the day.  Here at home it was grey and overcast but the sun was shining while I was at the lodge and the walking tracks looked so appealing in the dappled light.

 

 

So that's my corner of the world today.
 

Hungry seaguls

During the week I had lunch beside the river in Dargaville and noticed no seagulls came to beg me to share with them.  I hope because they have returned to a time of plenty, unlike during our Level 3 Covid 19 Lockdown when the they were ravenous, clearly missing the people who regularly picnic in this spot.

I wonder what other wildlife suffered from a lack of people in their environment.    

I'm linking this to Covid-19 around the globe, the subject for this week here.

Waiting for the storm

Only two months ago we experienced a "once in 500 year storm".  That one was a beauty.  Beauty may not be the word you would use but I enjoy a good storm.  That was when my son was lucky to escape unharmed when he drove into flood water.

Now, today, we are waiting for a "once in 10 year storm".  My neighbour came over to warn me of its approach yesterday afternoon when I arrived home and offered to tie down my grand-daughter's trampoline which lives in my back yard.  I think he mentioned 'weather bomb' as well.  He's in the fire brigade so I thought he would know if an approaching storm was serious or not, so gratefully accepted his offer.

I think this storm is mainly going to effect the South Island but I did a bit of Googling and discovered they had their once in 10 year storm in 2017, so it must be headed somewhere else.

I'm over all the hype about storms.  There's nothing unusual about spring storms in New Zealand, they happen nearly every year.  Now they come with dramatic warnings, every storm has to have an historic connotation as if every high tide will turn into a tsunami.

I know the powers that be just want us to be prepared but I feel they make so much fuss, so often, that they run the risk of losing credibility.   I know that is fast happening with me.  I'm getting very annoyed at the sight of my deck chairs taking up space in my living room while the sun shines outside.  OK, it's a little windy and I do mean only a little and we had some nice gentle rain earlier this morning.  I'm over it!

On a happier note I had a lovely day out yesterday with visitors from Taranaki.  I enjoy nothing more than acting as tour guide to visitors to our region.  We enjoyed a round trip out to Ngunguru, Tutukaka and Matapouri Bay and home via Hikurangi and Maungatapere.

The bush in front of the lookout on the road to Tutukaka needs a trim.

Matapouri Bay

Kids and calves

I had a 'moment' at a local event on Saturday.  I found it quite embarrassing, I guess because I'm not given to, what do they call them - PDAs?  Public displays of affection.  I'm not given to displaying my feelings for the world to see.  I nearly got away with it but just when I almost had myself under control without anyone noticing, a friend said hello and I blurted out that the stall selling baby clothes had reduced me to tears.  So much for social distancing, the dear lady could see my distress and gave me a hug.

I've let the distance between myself and my little Brasilian grand-daughter get to me.  I so, so want to hold and cuddle her and when I think about how long I might have to wait to do that, occasionally I get a bit down about it.

 Our Brasilian baby

Silly, when I have so many reasons to be thankful.  I have frequent video calls with her and her dad. 

And a great-granddaughter who I see quite often.  Yes, the generations are a bit jumbled.  That's what you get when you have early starters and late starters in the same family.

Little Lexis, the great grandie had her fourth birthday at the weekend.  It did my heart good to see the little ones enjoying the spring sunshine.

I caught up with the newest breed of cattle to be introduced to New Zealand at the birthday party when Georgia took me and her other grandparents to see her calves.  I had to look them up as I'd never heard of Speckle Park cattle.  I thought maybe they had been bred to look good in the front paddock of lifestyle blocks but no, they are excellent beef cattle.

They are just beautiful with a black nose, black feet and black ears - and variously speckled coats. This lot are the offspring of friesian dairy cows and semen in a straw as Georgia described artificial insemination.  I'll have to go back to the farm one day soon when I'm not in my party clothes and get some better photos.

They appear to be quiet, placid natured, easy to handle and reasonably intelligent the way they sorted themselves out so quickly at the milk feeder.  Or that could just be a reflection of how they are handled.

According to the man who brought them here, they are the fastest-growing cattle breed on the planet.  Aren't I just the fount of all knowledge?