Woodhill

Here's some pictures of us walking at Woodhill Forest (for those in Auckland that haven't taken your pooch there, you should!) We drove down the dirt road that runs parallel to Murawai beach and from there theres heaps of options for different tracks to follow.

I don't know how busy it would be in the weekends but we've been three times during the week and although the car park has had plenty of cars we never saw a single other person or dog (just some rabbits that made for awesome chasing)

And its perfect on the hot days we've been having as theres a great stream that you can follow for 20ish minutes on the way back to the carpark, looks of deepish bits for swimming in too.

There's an agility and obedience ribbon trial this weekend - we'll be going out to do the elementary obedience class and maybe spec. beginners, unfortunately Pepper is 2 weeks off being allowed to compete in agility so we miss out on that which is annoying, because she's been totally awesome in training, hasn't put a foot wrong really and she'd certainly be able to do elementary and starters without to much trouble. But oh well, plenty of time up our sleeves over the next few years for competing - I'm just itching to get started! So we'll be Helen and Snoopys cheer squad and paparazzi!

Trip to Brisbane

Holiday pics from my trip to Brisbane, in Australia last week (Ben's living over there for his job for a while so I went over to visit)

Best part was going riding on Noosa beach with my friend Chloe. We hooned around on a gorgeous beach on some cool wee stock horses and it was so fun. Payed for it though 'cause I haven't ridden for a long time and so could barely walk (or go from sitting to standing without pained looks on my face) for the rest of the trip.

We also went to Australia Zoo (thats the one that was run by the Crocodile Hunter) It was a lovely Zoo but soooooo much merchandise! A gift shop at each different area of the park and the faces of the two children of the Crocodile Hunter slapped onto everything imaginable. Steve Irwin was famous for his conservation message but it really seems like it was very "forced" and that the Zoo is really just a revenue gaining venture now that he has died.

I have to say though, they put on a Free Flight bird display - it was amazing! Birds flying into the open air auditorium, landing, grabbing a fish or treat and then flying (or walking in the storks case) out again - they have Gala's, Rosella's, macaws, water birds, stork-y things and more. It was cool, most were a bit too fast to photograph though.

And of course the crocodiles

And the kangaroos were really tame too

I like the old looking ones with the sad faces best (I think they were the grey kangaroos)
And miscellaneous other creatures



And I got to meet Hsin-Yi and Honey to deliver a collar custom by Helen, which must have had some kind of special zoomy magical powers if Honeys dancing the next night was anything to go by!

Fireworks

This is what we think of them


Pepper has been a nervous wreck this fireworks season, poor thing. We had fireworks shot over the fence beside us in bright sunlight while on a walk on Wednesday and since then she's not been herself, just spending heaps of time sulking on her mat. Our neighbour spent 4 hours setting them off on Friday night. Totally ridiculous. We're supposed to be in a "recession" and yet people can still manage to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on glorified sparklers.

So many animals get injured at this time of the year. A live blackbird had four firecrackers strapped to his chest. Worse, a horse at the pony club next to our dog club broke both his front legs when some kids snuck into the reserve beside his paddock and starting letting the stupid bloody things off. He spent the entire night lying in the paddock in agony, was found in the morning in huge distress and was obviously euthanised. So sad and such a horrible way to die. Makes me sick and my blood boil.

And then to make matters worse I have to deal with all these idiots at work, patching up their drunken firework induced burns, Grrrrr!