Otago

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Weather, Make Your Mind Up

Had a lovely walk with the dog after work. Now the wind is raging and the rain is lashing the windows. Potential snow day forecast for this week too!

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Moeraki

With gale force winds and rain forecast I envisioned our trip to Moeraki to be largely spent indoors. In fact we had quite the opposite, apart from a blustery late afternoon.
We visited the reserve by the lighthouse and discovered the field that grows sea lions; took the dog for a walk up the Millenium Track to where the whalers used to look out for whales until they killed most of them off. We dined on fish at the World famous Fleur’s restaurant. So. Much. Fish.
In the afternoon we read magazines in the sun, then when the weather took a turn, watched the worst movie ever – High Freakquency. (Seriously bad, the story, the acting, the sound quality, the camera work; heck the cover even has a photo from ANOTHER FILM on it (Friday). Avoid. What a waste of 12c to buy it).
In the evening we squeezed more food into our full bellies at the tavern where I sampled Moeraki Draught.
A great, relaxing weekend and only an hour from home.

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Science Festival

Took the niblings to the Science Festival at the university today. They seemed to enjoy themselves – they made gummy worms; checked out blood under a microscope; touched a human brain and ate Twisties frozen with liquid nitrogen allowing them to breathe “smoke”. I sent them home with periodic tables, they’ll thank me when they’re doctors.

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Dunedin Midwinter Carnival

To celebrate the shortest day Dunedin held its annual Midwinter Carnival and lantern festival. The lanterns get bigger every year and this time round the stars were the swan and castle lanterns.
Due to the wind the fireworks were cancelled meaning the new years fireworks should be doubly spectacular.

*Fun fact* Pigalina and two friends, aged 15, attended Dunedin’s first Midwinter festival. We were pictured in the newspaper wearing our mid 90s grunge chic and holding candles. We were then chased down Lower Stuart Street by rogue fireworks. They have since learned their lesson and pay attention to the wind.

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Make Sure You Stay Outside Shelob

This guy was lurking by the bins.
I hope it stays outside because there will be a lot of shrieking if it makes it inside and one of us will have to wrangle it out again on a piece of paper.
Spiders are friends. Friends that are only welcome inside if they are little.

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Clean Green New Zealand

We like to say that we are clean and green here in NZ. We would be, if we got rid of the large population of imbeciles that inhabit the land.
Today was World Oceans Day so I had a clean up of a particularly littered bit of coastline near my house. People drive past and biff their litter out of the car window and it makes me furious.
Among the usual ciggie packets, fast food rubbish and (crap brand) beer bottles – bogan litter – I picked up an empty packet of frozen peas, a 12 pack toilet roll wrapper, some child’s underpants and an ironic Coke bottle that had “I love beaches” printed on it.
FFS Dunedin, stop it.

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Queen’s Birthday Adventures

The dog dictated where we could go today, having not had a big walk for a few weeks. He is not allowed on a number of the beaches on the Otago Peninsula, so we headed out to the area by Port Chalmers.
We went towards Osborne, along a long gravel road. We reached a part where a sign read “Track not suitable for vehicles”. After some deliberation we decided to walk the track to see where it ended up. We were glad we did – it came out at Purakanui Beach and there was a track up to the top of the cliffs that over looked Doctors Point. There were moments where I thought Tobias was about to cock his leg on a bush and fall to his doom.
We then went in search of a beer in the sun.
Hard to believe it is the start of Winter.

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Thanks But No Thanks

After doing his usual excited jumping and cavorting when I arrived home and indicated a walk was on the cards, Tobias sat dutifully while I put on his coat so he wouldn’t get cold.
He charged out of the door, tail wagging, until we made it five houses down the street and he refused to go any further. (Pictured). Too cold! Back to the heater.