... to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

Port Albert on the Kaipara Harbour

I often go down to Port Albert to sit and read or write. I like being beside the water and it's not far from home. And there are huge flocks of birds there - oyster catchers and pied stilts especially which I like to observe. 
   This photo looks lovely, doesn't it? But it's not always so picturesque. When the tide is out, it looks like this:

Low tide at the wharf

And that's when I step out of my comfort zone. You see, I hate heights and the long wharf stands high above the mud flats at low tide. And I have this silly irrational fear that I'm going to have an Alice in Wonderland "Shrink me" type moment & fall through the gaps between the boards! Which was not helped by an official hazard sign on the shore stating the obvious - that you could fall off the wharf and drown!
  But today there were kingfishers at the end of the jetty, landing then flying and diving for fish, going round and round from the handrails to the water and back again. And I wanted to photograph them so, clutching the rail tightly and stepping ever so slowly, I made the long walk from the shore to the end of the wharf.
   By which time the kingfishers had seen me coming and abandoned the area completely!

... to Practise Perseverance

Laings Beach, New Zealand

I love quotations! On the day my daughter was born I started writing in a beautiful, cloth-bound journal the quotes that resonated with me or made me laugh or were relevant at certain times over the years. It is a chart of my life, my most treasured possession; the one thing I own that I'd save if the house was on fire.
  But I don't put quotes only in the journal. I also stick them on the refrigerator door.
There is one there at the moment, a saying by the Dalai Lama:
                                    
                         Never Give Up

And there is a Japanese proverb on the fridge door too:

             Fall down seven times; get up eight

I thought of those wise words on the weekend, when I saw them being practised. You see, we went away with friends to a beach house and on the last day we witnessed an amazing sight. Hundreds of gannets flew over the bay.
  Usually gannets work in pairs, patrolling the skies up and down the beach, looking for fish. But hundreds arrived and the sky was white with them. While at a great height, they'd fold their wings tightly against their bodies, and plummet headlong into the sea. Sometimes they'd surface with a fish in their beaks; more often than not they wouldn't catch one. 
  But the thing that impressed me the most was that those birds persevered. Again and again they flew up high then plunged down, splashing into the water; not for ten minutes or half an hour, but for literally hours on end. We sat and watched them, spell-bound, as they put on a show of such persistent effort, the like of which I hadn't seen before. 
   The gannets didn't give up. They persevered. It was a lesson well-learnt for me, one I'll remember when the going gets tough.

... to Look for Happy Omens

Double Rainbows Today

Not one, but two rainbows this afternoon! Can you see the second one, faintly at the left of the photo?
   Seeing them, I was reminded of the words of one of New Zealand's early pioneers. The Reverend Vicesimus Lush ( what a great name that is!), his wife, four children and their maid servant left England in 1850 to emigrate to this country. After a long, trying sea voyage he spotted the north coast of New Zealand - and a rainbow!
  In his journal, he records his excitement and delight:

 I beheld it under favourable circumstances and accompanied with what I took as a happy omen: ...  an exceeding brilliant rainbow arched the canopy of heaven and embraced the Island in its gigantic arc.

Imagine how pleased he would have been if he had seen today's double rainbow. An extra happy omen!

... to Be Surprised

The First  Iris Flower at Iris Cottage

The day I look forward to every year has arrived & it took me by surprise! You see, we live in Iris Cottage and every year since we have been here we have planted more and more iris bulbs. Each year I look forward to the first bloom as a ray of light and hope for spring in the midst of winter. 
  And today, when I went out to the letter box to collect the mail, I saw it - the first iris flower looking so beautiful under the trees in the front garden.
  Now I can't wait for all the other iris bulbs to bloom. More beauty to look forward to!

... to See the Sunshine after Rain

A Camellia After the Rain

It's been raining this morning but when it stopped and the sun came out, I saw this camellia glowing in the light, bejewelled with raindrops. It made my heart lift! And I was reminded of the lyrics to a song by Mark Knopfler:

                         There will be laughter after pain,
                         There will be sunshine after rain,
                         These things have always been the same,
                         So why worry now?


That's a comforting thought as well.

...to Feed the Birds

I get so much pleasure from watching the birds that visit our garden. And now it's winter I put out food for them each morning. It didn't take the mynahs and sparrows long to work out where and when to appear. They're waiting for me every day and if I'm a bit late appearing, they fly up close to the windows as if to hurry me up!

Ingredients for Birdseed Cakes

  I make birdseed 'cakes', a batch at a time and keep them in the fridge. They take five minutes to make, cost only a few cents, and are much appreciated by our hungry feathered friends.

  Here's what you need. You don't have to have exact measurements.

• dripping or lard
• wild bird seed (from the supermarket or garden centre)
• breadcrumbs
• extras such as chopped peanuts, popcorn, raisins (whatever you have on hand)

1. In a microwave safe jug, melt some lard.
2. Stir in enough birdseed and extras to make a thick mixture.
3. Spoon into patty pan tins or little plastic moulds and set in fridge.

  And that's all there is to it!  

  I got such a surprise today. Out on the lawn, pecking away, was a turtle dove! I've never seen one round here before. In fact I had to 'google images' it to check what it was. Now all I need is to find a partridge in the pear tree and I'll be really happy!

A Turtle Dove in our Garden

  

... to Look Up!

Wonderful Cloud Formations

I had been inside all day today, hunched over the computer writing a short story. It wasn't until late afternoon that I put on a jacket and scarf and ventured outside for a walk. I had gone halfway around the block, deep in thought, puzzling over my story's ending, before I really looked up - and saw this beautiful sky!
  Wonderful cloud formations always remind me of my grandmother. She used to love looking at the sky and would always comment on the colours and the clouds.
  It was while I was taking this photo that a memory of a book I had read as a child flashed into my mind. It told how Robin Hood and his band of merry men were such successful robbers because they used to hide, unseen, up in the trees. And most people, when going about their daily lives, look down at where they are walking or straight ahead. They don't look up.
  So if you are walking along preoccupied with your thoughts, or are texting as you go, or are trudging to the bus stop, or are hurrying down a busy city street, hemmed in by tall buildings, pause a moment ... and look up!

... to Watch the Birds

The New Zealand Native Wood Pigeon (keruru)

The native wood pigeons are back! I heard the noisy 'swoosh, swoosh' of wings and looked out to see four gorging themselves on the fruit of the guava tree. They'll provide me with hours of entertainment now for a couple of weeks, till they have stripped the guava trees and moved on to ... who knows where.
  With their large, plump bodies and broad white chests they look like the avian equivalent of cuddly teddy bears. They are so heavy that when they land in trees the branches bend alarmingly. I always expect to hear the creak and crack of breaking wood.
  The Maori name for the handsome wood pigeon is keruru or kukupa. I dashed outside to snap this photo of one while it was sitting still, taking a break from gulping down the guavas.

... to Chase Butterflies

A Monarch Butterfly

I took the time today to follow a butterfly because, so the saying goes, 'butterflies lead you to the sunny side of the life'. 
  And this monarch, late to leave after summer, did lead me on a merry dance. With camera in hand, I stalked it from the geraniums down by the lawn to the bright pink nerine flowers on the deck and back again.
  It stayed still there long enough for me to get this photo. And then, with a dainty flit of its wings, the butterfly fluttered by.