This morning, when I woke up, the rain was pouring down and it seemed a good idea to snuggle under the covers until daylight! So I did. With the light of day the heavy rain stopped and it was only light showers after I went out. I let the dogs off, fed the goats, horse and chickens and then went for a walk. The top loop track is my regular. The first part of the walk is along the top of our driveway and is flat and easy walking. Each side of the track, as we call it, has regenerating bush; saplings of rimu, miro, lancewood, toro, ponga and kamahi, along with many mosses, ferns and the odd gorse plant. From our gate it’s about 250m to an area we call ‘The Sawmill’. The Sawmill got its name because after a big wind we lost some trees and after they were pulled out of the bush they were milled on site at; The Sawmill. At The Sawmill, I left the main track and walked up a farm-track that loops around to join the main track again. This is not a gentle walk in the park, but rather a bit of a climb up a roughly hewn track and then it flattens out for a bit.

The bush up here is a bit more mature and I really enjoy walking along, looking at the trees, listening to the birds and watching for anything of interest.

At the very top of the track there is an entry into the bush and a very narrow track leads into the forest. Here there are all sorts of treasures; plants, fungi and birds. Its a very special place. Today, because the bush was so wet, I didn’t delve too far in, but still enjoyed looking at the different plants, their colours, shapes, stages of growth and size.

The dogs were very pleased to get out and have a good run. Petra especially bounds around; up, down over and under, she is never still! I carried a tennis ball with me, Petra’s favourite, and she doesn’t seem to mind where I throw it, she races off to catch it as fast as she can! The other dogs; Mica and Pearl, have learned to stay out of Petra’s way when she is chasing the ball. She gets so focused that if the others are in her way, she’ll often bowl them over. From the noises they make it must hurt.

Just before I come back onto the main track I cross Blue Creek. The name conjures up an image of crystal clear blue waters but not so, its a tannin-brown. The creek got its name from me after I found blue mushrooms growing close by. This small creek is not very fast flowing, unless we’ve had torrential rain but it is ever so pretty. I love the way the water splashes down over the rock and moss, across the track and then back in to the bush on the other side. Its a peaceful place and I relish and savor the atmosphere each time I’m there.