Auckland Anniversary Day/Australia Day

Yes!  I celebrate both days because my heart is in both countries! 
As my friend & I sat on a park bench at the Parnell Rose Gardens overlooking Judges Bay, up over the tree-tops came these five tiny planes flying in formation & doing all these amazing twists & turns!
Down went the sandwiches and out came the camera very quickly!  The planes were miles up in the sky which is why the planes look so tiny & far away.  It was amazing watching them & lunch was quickly forgotten for awhile.  The planes were out over the ocean which made a gorgeous backdrop.

 No!  They are not mozzies they really are planes!

In these two photo's the planes were on their way back to the airfield & were a bit closer to us.

 Free entertainment right there in front of us!

 This was one of the sailboats coming into the Waitemata Harbour.  At first we spotted this boat way off in the distance and could tell it was by far the biggest sailboat around.  As it got closer we could see just how big it really was!  In the background is Rangitoto Island (the darker bit of land) and Waiheke Island in the far distance.

 Here she is almost right in the harbour & about to moor somewhere.  That's Mt. Victoria on the North Shore, in the background.

 A view of the Sky Tower in Auckland City.  From the viewing platform you get a 360 view of Auckland and the surrounding suburbs.

 A closer view of the Sky Tower.

 One of the many roses in the Parnell Rose Gardens.  They were not at their best because of the heat & humidity.  I have seen them one December & they were spectacular.  It isn't usually so humid then.

 Another shot of the Sky Tower & the lower part of Auckland City.  JUst to the right of this shot is the Waitemata Harbour which, on this day, was full of boats of all kinds! 

 Another view of the Sky Tower.  If you ever visit Auckland, make sure you visit the Sky Tower, it's worth it to see the view!  You can see both the East & West coasts and beyond.

 Some of the roses in the gardens.  The colours are a bit pale as I didn't have my glasses with me so I couldn't see to change the apperture.

 Not sure which was my fave rose that day as they were all so beautiful - wilted or not!  Mind you, by the time I got home that day, I too was pretty wilted and would not have taken a good photo!!

 From the Parnell Rose Gardens we skipped over the the Auckland Domain.  This is a photo of the Three Muses.  Unfortunately there was no plaque telling you about them.  There was a big (empty) pool in front of them & had it had water in it I would have been sorely tempted to get in - clothes & all!!  It was a very hot/humid day that day.

 I loved all the colours of these plants but had to wait sometime to take the photo's.  Why??  People!  Everywhere!  Not that you would notice by these two pics!  This is part of the Domain.

Thanks for visiting, {{HUGS}} from me to you:-)

Scottish Cultural Festival

 These were some of the pipers at the Scottish Festival I went to recently.  I think this was the Police Band.

 This is my plumber!  I'm used to seeing him in overalls, not a kilt!  He was carrying in the Haggis.

 These four girls were having the most fun of anyone!  This was part of the audience participation.

 They had the biggest smiles on their faces and were great to watch!

 These guys were part of the group piping in the Haggis.

 The lone piper piping in the Haggis.

 The four girls having more fun!

 This lady was tuning her harp & just looked so nice sitting on front of the Calla Lilies.

 Another one of the pipe bands.  There were so many it was hard to keep up!

 I couldn't resist taking this photo of these flame coloured Calla Lilies. 

 And this has nothing to do with the Festival at all!  This is what I bought at one of the Op Shops I frequent.  It has about 36 plastic slide things that you an remove.  I left them in & have my dies in them.  Each set of dies is in a plastic cd folder and fits perfectly in each slot. To remove the plastic slides the rounded pieces of the box come off.   There is also a small drawer on the bottom. 

Thanks for visiting, {{HUGS}} from me to YOU:-)

A Tea Pot & A Day At The Beach

 I saw this tea pot letter box when I was out one day last year.  Isn't it cute!  I'd love a terr box like this!

 This was taken at Muriwai Beach in November last year.  I was on my way to the Gannet Colony which you will see below.

 Here are some of the thousands of birds at the Gannet Colony at Muriwai Beach.  It's about a 15 - 20 minute hike up a lot of steps but when you get to the viewing platform it is definitely worth the effort! 

 This is the view of part of Muriwai Beach from half way up the track to the Gannet Colony.  Muriwai is a very long beach.  I used to ride my horses u & down this beach & through the forest - so much fun!

 One the Gulls which was diving for fish!  The sea was pretty rough but it didn't stop this bird!

 Some of the thousands of Gannets at the Colony.  Can you  spot the baby Gannet?!  Center left and second bird up!  The baby is a bit smaller than the mother & is fluffy rather than feathery! 

 A view of the Gannet Colony.  This Island is one of the nesting places & is out i the ocean a bit.

 This was taken from the track just before the Gannet Colony.  It is looking down over the other side of Muriwai Beach.  I'm not sure what this beach is called.

 The sea was like a washing machine this day. 

 A small Island off the Muriwai coast.  This was taken at the bottom of the track I had been up to see the Gannets.  I walked back to the beach along the rocks to the left.  I wasn't as close to the sea as it appears as I had a long lens on my camera.  I have a great respect for the sea &  made sure I stayed safe!

 

 There was a hole in the rocks & each time the waves came in the water spouted up through this hole!

 Here is the water draining back through the hole back into the ocean.  I could have watched this for hours!

Mr (or Mrs.!) Seagull waiting patiently for me to share my lunch with him/her!  Giving me that "Poor me I only have one leg" story!  Even though the wind was blowing he still managed to keep his balance!
I love Muriwai Beach, it is one of my favourite west coast beaches!
Thanks for visiting, {{HUGS}} from me to YOU:-)

Caught On Camera!

 Here is "Romeo-Valentino (aka Ro-Ro) caught on camera trying to get into the pantry!  The doors have a small 1 cm gap between them & he can get his paw half in there & open the doors a tiny bit but not fully open enough to get in. 

 "It's not easy 'cracking' the pantry but I know I can do it", say's the culprit...

 "Maybe if I try it this way I can get in.  Oh bummer they're jammed", he says...

"Oh to heck with it, it's hot & I am tired, I'll just have a roll on the floor & look innocent & maybe mom will open the door for me!", he say's.  (I didn't!)
WHY does he want to get in the pantry?  Cat food maybe??  No!  There is a bunch of artificial Dahlia's I got form an Op Shop & I keep them in the pantry.  Why?  Well Ro-Ro just LOVES to chew on them & he sits there & sniffs them & drools all over them!  He must be able to smell the flowers in here as he spends a lot of time trying to get in!
Thanks fro visiting, {{HUGS}} from me to YOU:-)

Another Car Crash...

 Only thirteen days into 2013 & this is the fourth car crash on my road.  It's not the road it's the drivers.  This crash was just up the road from me & happened about 7.15 pm last night.  The driver drove into the bush & was taken away by the Police.  It was still daylight when the crash happened but was darker than usual at that time because of cloudy weather.  This photo was taken after it was pulled out from the bush.

 This is the front of the car on the drivers side.  No -one was injured as far as I know.

 The car being pulled on to the tow truck.

 This is the back end of the car.  I don't now if the passenger side of the car had any damage as I was on the opposite side of the road.

This is the car about to be towed away.  Residents shook their heads in disbelief at yet ANOTHER car crash on this road.  As I said, this is the fourth crash in 13 days. 
Thanks for visiting & stay safe!  Drive carefully!  {{HUGS}} from me to YOU:-)