Shed

Imagine how cool it would be to have a paddock populated with old sheds, huts. shelters and assorted abandoned small buildings/structures. This corrugated wee beauty is not abandoned. It sits alongside the railway station in Reefton. You don't see too many with a curved roof.

Pruning

Yet more tree control. The silver birch on the left is a protected tree, I think that means it is not allowed to be cut down. Normally I am against such molestation, for some reason this works. The monkey puzzle tree is rumored to have survived 80 years, so far.

Truncated

In the days when men had their haircut by a barber, the most brutal no nonsense 'style' was the 'short back and sides'. This standing corpse of a tree (stump seems too puny a word to describe the presence of this elephantine cliff of wood) reminds me of pictures of those nuggety blokes all shorn and ready for a hard day's 'yaka'. According to a plaque hanging on the fence this old gum tree was planted back in the 1860's in Motueka and was decapitated in 2006. The sign nailed to it  commands those who may have the desire/urge to climb it should forget it.

Whale

Another gull on the prowl for a tasty tidbit.  I'm pretty sure this Blue Eyebrowed whale didn't let the gull snatch any dinner. However I don't think the prowler went hungry that evening. It was summer's evening in Nelson and many holiday makers had infested the area to eat their fish & chips.

Gull

When ever you go fishing gulls are your constant companion. Perpetually hungry they never take their eyes of your pile of juicy bait. Occasionally one will entangle itself in your fishing line. This causes high excitement in the flock. Almost immediately, as the hapless bird struggles to free itself, every other gull within earshot will take to the wing and surround their distressed colleague. I puzzle over this behavior, are they showing concern and band together to so solidarity to downed brother/sister? or are they hoping for an easy meal? Once I have reeled the bird to shore and gently untangle it unharmed from the line and release it, the crowd disperses. Just an aside, those beaks are very sharp and pecky.

Sheep

These little beauties were spotted on track on the Port Hills of Christchurch. Not wanting to sound cruel or mean, I enjoy the apparent dimness of sheep.

Scud

Our ultra beloved cat, Scud had to be put down very suddenly last week. Turns out he probably lung and or blood cancer. Many tears were shed. He was very smoochy and social always hanging around wherever we were.
He always liked it whenever I would finally sit down so he could leap on me to settle in for a nap.
Whenever visitors left he would amble down the drive and out out onto the berm to see them off.
We miss him so much. Farewell.