Seasick

I spotted these models sitting in the back of a miniature jetboat that is used to advertise the thrill of hurtling through narrow boulder infested gorges and risking a wet & messy demise along a river near Hanmer Springs.
Not sure if the bottom chap is the best of marketing tools? I feel queasy just looking at him.

Redwood

This large Redwood tree trunk lives outside the Hanmer Hot Springs pool complex. One of the aspects that I enjoy about this tree is it could be the leg and foot of some enormous Saurapod, just standing there waiting for the rest of the herd to stop 'roaming the earth' and catch up. Is it strange, lazy or biased writing, when dinosaurs 'ruled' the earth they were also 'roaming' it, never 'exploring' or 'investigating' it?  You only ever hear the word 'roaming' in association with dinosaurs going about their daily business. Another tired ignorant expression that journalists vomit up when they want to elicit fear and loathing in those who choose to read or listen to them is 'shark infested waters'. Sharks are cool and damage far, far fewer people than horses.

Straws

Not being a consumer of the spiritous liquors I tend to order apple juice or sugar based carbonated water drinks when we are out. Virtually every time the beverages are delivered to the table mine has been defiled by a sadly limp plastic straw. This winds me up severely. Just because I choose not to part-take in alcohol doesn't mean I don't know to use a glass. Not only is a straw an insult. it also adds to waste stream. It would be an interesting and life threatening experiment to see the reaction of a rugby team being served their beers with a straw flopping around in it.

Farewell Summer

The warmth of summer has finally evaporated and the promise of cool autumn shadows is upon us.
Daylight saving has ended. Which seems to bring with it a sense of urgency in the garden. Time to put the warm weather accoutrements into hibernation. As the sun gets lower it streams into my studio, bringing heat and the joy natural light embuing everything with an intensity and beauty that no artificial light source can ever match.

Tree Stump

This is an intriguing way to disguise an old tree stump. This lovely wooden picnic table was outside a real estate agents premises in Foxton

Dog

This fearsome beast is half of a pair guarding the driveway of a Foxton beach residence.  Casting concrete animals is a dying art that I hope makes a come back with the whole retro revival thing going on. I'm sure there is interest out there. Talking with the owner of the 'dog', she said they had had many people wanting to purchase these ornaments. Our garden has a couple of concrete critters that occasionally make an appearance. One is a fawn, the other is a yellow rabbit. I'll break out the camera next time they are spotted.

Food

Chowing down on fresh simple food outdoors with family and friends on a warm summer evening is about as good as eating gets. I'm sure it's something primal. Maybe we feel closer to nature because we aren't cocooned by the perceived safety of four walls. Just as an aside, the lettuce that prawns are nestled on is a variety called 'Iceberg' apparently it is the preferred type for many prawn salad fans. I have been begged to grow it at home. I have yet to find the seed or seedlings anywhere.