Chickening Out

 

It was a lovely day for a walk and I decided to go into a totally different suburb and hunt out a walk I had heard about.  It was said that the path wound its way along the river bank and was quite pretty.

After some driving around, I finally found an access point and set off through the trees.

It was cool and shady and very, very still and quiet – almost spooky quiet, which unnerved me a little.

Then the path came around a corner and there was a dramatic drop down to the riverside (the photo doesn’t do it justice – it was STEEP!).

End of walk!  I may perhaps me a bit of a chicken, but sometimes I think it pays to listen to your gut instinct and I somehow knew that going down there would not be a good idea – apart from all the effort required to come back up again!

When walking alone, it pays to be aware of your surroundings don’t you think?

Margaret 😊

 

A Walk By The Lake

 

I went for a morning stroll beside Hamilton Lake this morning (officially named Lake Rotoroa, but we always call it Hamilton Lake).

It was meant to be sunny – in fact, the weather forecast said it actually was sunny at the time – but a high cloud cover hid the sun and made the day rather dull.  Sometimes the forecasters don’t get it right!

Being school holidays, there were a lot of families and people out walking and using the playgrounds.  

Most of the bird life had taken to the water to avoid all the activity, and I thought these Canada Geese looked attractive as they cruised around.

Quite a few Australian Coots live in this area and obviously get very used to people.  Several of them came to within a couple of metres of me without any trepidation whatsoever. 

I especially love the feet of these birds as they are so different to any other bird we have here.

I like the way the City Council has decorated these public conveniences with Maori motifs. 

Public facilities are much needed but are often very utilitarian, so making them more attractive is a “well-done” in my book.

May your day be a happy one 😊

Margaret.