Friday, 26 August 2016

Something new


Hund (n) (of German origin): dog hound
I’ve been criticised in the past for calling the hound just that, a hound.

In some research I’ve been doing of late on the etymology of words (a fascinating subject) I chanced upon an article defining the word “Hund” as above. Interestingly enough the photo accompanying the article is of a Labrador Retriever!

I think that vindicates me calling her a hound.
You might have noticed the change in the title of my blog.  The time seems right to focus on this new chapter in my life and move in a slightly different direction, hence the new blog.  I’m frequently asked at markets if I keep a weekly log of all the photos I take and where they’re taken.  
To date I haven’t.  
The change in direction of my blog is designed to remedy that.  
I want it to be a photolog of the locations we ramble at that I can then share to my website.  
So why the title?
A tongue in cheek reference to the prevalence of hashtags on social media.
I know. I know.  They're here to stay so best I use them appropriately.
To put our rambles into some perspective, the hound and I ramble on average between 30 and 35kms a week in and around the Auckland metropolis.  When time permits we wander further afield.  
Now that life has settled somewhat, this wandering further afield will hopefully happen more frequently. 
Hitting the road before the sparrows fart allows for catching the sun before it actually rises.  There's something about the early morning solitude and tranquility that I wish I could bottle.  
It feeds MORE than just the soul.  
Whilst I marvel at Mother Nature, the hound catches up on p-mails.
It's our kind of world and we love it.
Sun Rise at Achilles Point
From Pt. England and the Tamaki Estuary to Browns Bay beach and Cornwall Park we've rambled more than our average this week.
It's been wonderful.
The weather's been a tad challenging with plenty of rain and overcast skies.
Tuesday was my day off so we spent all morning rambling!
Part of our ramble was the coastal path between Glen Dowie Park and Coultis Street.
A view of the bay from the Glen Dowie Boating Club
 Next up was  Cornwall Park.
Typical of Auckland's "4 seasons in one day" phenomena,
we revelled in sunshine and blue skies whilst we were at Cornwall Park

Someone was feeding the army of birds when we arrived and the Guinea Fowl and Roosters were thoroughly enjoying the feast.
Guinea Fowl always make me think of balloons on legs 

with their round bodies, tiny heads and spindly legs.

The park  itself is centred around a volcanic cone, One Tree Hill.
 The volcanic peak  can be seen in the distance in the shot below.
One of my favourite parts of the park is  Twin Oaks Drive.
All the trees along the drive were planted from acorns grown in the park.
The Daffodils are flowering at the moment too.
It's all so gorgeous!

 Small gated gardens wthin the park.
After walking the circumference of the park 
we hopped in the car and drove to the summit of One Tree Hill.
 By this time the hound and I had covered just on 15kms in the 
few hours we'd been out and she was feeling a tad tired.
She chose to sit in the car and watch whilst I climbed the stairs to the top.
A last gorgeous shot of One Tree Hill as we head for home.
Wednesday morning's sunrise took me by surprise.  
The skies had been heavy and overcast when we set out, so to arrive at Pt. England and find this kaleidoscope of colour reflected in the water was incredible. 
The red skies though were just a foretaste of the weather we've experienced the rest of this week.
Rain. Rain.and.more.Rain.
Good job I enjoy walking in the rain!
"Life is a succession of moments, 
to live each one is to succeed."
~ Corina Kent