At last, a proper walk

Well, a reasonably proper walk, anyway. After delivering Esther and co safely home, I decided it was well past time for me to pay a visit to Belmont Regional Park. I've only lived in the Wellington region for about twenty years, I had never got around to going to this reserve that's so close to where I used to live. Anyway, I went there for the first time, pulled up in the carpark and was pleased to hear the sound of birds - early evening is a good time for them. There were lots of tui, kereru and magpies in residence, and some other birds, the sounds of which I didn't recognise. I had a lovely time, pottering around, looking at things, taking photos. The track that I explored had a gentle uphill gradient, barely noticeable - except at this part, where it appeared part of the original track had been washed away due to flooding, and a new track had been laid around the uphill side of the washout. That theory was confirmed when I found where the new track rejoined the old one, and I followed the old track back along the stream to the washout. Time flies when you're enjoying yourself, and I spent half an hour ambling along the start of the track, and another half-hour ambling back. At one point I caught sight of a small native bird fluttering around in a tree right beside me. I think it might have been a stitchbird, but we'll never know because this is the best photo I managed to get. I took a few other photos as well, but this will have to do for now, as it's late and I need to go to bed! No pedometer reading for this walk, I haven't got a new battery for it yet.

Ferry duty

I collected Esther, Jimmy and Liam from the ferry terminal. This is me waiting for the ferry... ...and this the "new" ferry coming in. Formerly known as the Pride Of Cherbourg (I can tell, because the lettering is still there on the side) she's now called the Kaitaki, or Challenger.

A restrospective entry

As the day drew to a close I thought I had better do something in the way of a walk. I went and found a piece of suburbia that was still collecting a few rays from the setting sun. That's nice thing about walking up hills, if you pick the right piece of hillside it keeps the sun longer. Anyway, I walked uphill for about twenty minutes (including pauses) until I found what was clearly going to be a dead end. I thought was going to have to go back the way I came, but then I spotted a shortcut straight down the hill, a well-hidden pedestrian access-way that took me most of the way back to where my car was parked. My pedometer told me I had walked less than 100m, but it was found to be lying when I checked the distance by driving up in the car - it was more like 500m. I know, it's not a lot, but at least it was uphill! I think the pedometer needs a new battery.

Rewarded for going out on a windy day

Yesterday I ran out of time for walking before it rained - but I had a good excuse, I was working on my CV so that I could apply for a job. Today the weather was windy and I nearly talked myself out of going for a walk. But I decided, on the way home from the shops, to stop and see if it was sheltered enough in my old hang-out, the Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve. It wasn't too bad, so I headed up the track for ten minutes then turned around and came back. When I got back to the car, my reward was waiting for me, in the form of two big fat kereru (NZ native pigeon, see the Wikipedia entry too) feeding on the foliage of a small tree. So I spent another ten minutes sneaking up on them and trying to get a decent photo with my phone-camera. These birds are pretty easy to sneak up on, so I suppose it's no wonder they're a threatened species. Unfortunately it was late in the day and the camera does not perform well in low-light conditions. These two are best I got, and I've had to adjust them. From now on, I'm going to start keeping my real camera in the car.

Revisiting the roadworks

It's been a few weeks since I finished at Datamine, so today I went back for another look at progress on the so-called bypass. At present the most interesting part is the bridge that's being built in Ghuznee St to let the bypass pass underneath. They've poured a few more slabs of foundation/support, and it looks like they might be getting close to putting the actual bridge part in.

The importance of safe sox

Yesterday I didn't do a serious walk, but I did a few little bits here and there, from the supermarket to the library and suchlike. I was down to my last pair of emergency socks (because I hadn't done my washing). Alas, one of the socks finally developed a definite hole in a spot at the back of my heel where the edge of the shoe is the most irritating, so now I'll have to perform daily contortions to apply dressing strips. This will cramp my style a little, but I'm determined not to let it stop me walking. It's pretty minor really, just an annoyance. I discovered a new thing to console myself with today - at least I don't have Guinea Worm. I saw an item about this hideous sub-Saharan parasite on BBC World and I can't even bring myself to describe it, so just go and read the Wikipedia entry if you want to know about it. I'll just say that if you ever go to impoverished remote parts of Africa, be very careful about the drinking water, make sure it's filtered.

Starting again, again

There has been a hold-up in proceedings. I have back-slid and now I have to start again, again. It's really embarrassing when you have to make people wait because you're hyperventilating after climbing three flights of stairs with a bunch of young fit people. It's even more embarrassing when you're puffing and panting after climbing a few steps up from street level to somebody's house. Never mind that asthma was a significant contributor to both incidents, enough is enough and the asthma will go away when my fitness improves. As will a few other medical issues, I hope. So, on with the show. A couple of days ago, as my first step to getting back into it, I walked down to the bottom of my street and back. 3 minutes to get down there, and three or four times that get back, with several stops along the way. It's a steep street, and I thought it might have taken longer.