Monthly Archives: November 2016

Rain, Rain go away

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We’ve just finished a week up north with Buddie. The weather was warm, if a bit windy and we managed to get out on the kayak to go fishing.

We have now travelled south and are on the northern edge of Lake Rotorua, and since arriving here it hasn’t stopped raining. Well not so sure about yesterday as we went back to Hamilton for lunch.

Sitting outside at sister Jenny’s it was a warm 23° C and the sun was out. However on our return the closer we got to our house sit the more cloud there was in the sky and the lower the temperature became. So much so that when driving into the front yard the sky was completely grey and the temperature was down to 17° C.

Overnight I was awoken by torrential rain, which started to make me worry. I had recently read up about the lake and how it was formed along with a few other facts. The main one that was swirling around my brain at 2:00 in the morning was the fact that there is no outlets to the lake……With all this rain and all the water now entering the lake, how long will it take the water to reach our house…..

Perhaps I’ll find out when I get up in the morning…

Seagulls

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For some time now I have thought seagulls were not too intelligent. The ones I remember from when I lived in the UK seemed to be large and thuggish. More brawn than brains. I had no way to prove this until today.

Sat looking out across Opito Bay in the north of the North Island of New Zealand I was finally proved correct in my thoughts.

The owner of the house we are house sitting at the moment has put out some sweet water for the Tui’s to drink. Now these birds also look a bit scatty. When they fly they seem to have no direction and flutter randomly across the sky. But the know a free lunch when they see one. After taking a drink of nectar from the flowers in the garden they top up with a nice sweet drink.

After them the common sparrow shows that he too also recognises a good opportunity to refuel. Having seen the Tui have his top up Mr & Mrs Sparrow also descend on to the drinking bowl and take their fill.

All this time a seagull has been watching from the roof top above. He swoops down gracefully hovering over the balustrade and finally lands both feet in the feeding bowl. He takes a look around to see what the others had been up to. He fails to see the free drink available, so flies off still thirsty and with sticky feet.