Well arent I the sucker for punishment?

1) I mowed the lawns - now dont forget this is no nice flat little postage stamp, this is huge and nasty gradients. The Japanese Zen garden idea is still appealing! Failing that once we get our sheep, they will have weekend run of the garden as well as the field!

Remind me that i shall not plant any thing that sheep may eat in the garden otherwise this will be counterproductive!!

Anyway i raised a bit of a sweat.

It started raining as soon as i finished

2) Paul gets home from work and we eat dinner, Simba starts wingeing about Doggy Boot Camp training and i take a hasty look outside and note that it has stop chucking it down. So i stupidly (i could slap myself about with a wet salmon for this!) mention to paul that we could go for a wander up to Signal Hill as he hasnt been there.

Note: Signal Hill is the bush reserve that starts immediatly above our 2nd section/field. Just before we moved here a lot of it was destroyed by a bush fire but they are starting to replant etc. I found out yesterday from the Animal Control Officer that it was a great doggy walking area, so thats where we had a look yesterday if you remember yesterdays post.

So as we dont know the distance from our section to the walking track we pack the dogs in the car and drive off to the walking track about 1 mile around and up above us. So on goes Simbas rucksack and off we march.

Well several gasps of breath later, containment of my heart within the chest wall, Paul helping me, and fierce negotiations with my calf muscles we reach the top, see the remains of the bush and walk further onto the quarry blasting area. Then about turn and start back down after checking out the view over Dunedin. Once we reach the area that is directly above our place I send Paul in to see how far down it is, so we can beat a trail from our section onto the reserve, which would be great. So as you can probably guess, a mission is evolving in my mind!
Pauls weekend job!! make a track through!

Well Wolfie bless him did probably better than me on this little wander!

I do however now wonder why i gave up smoking as i could breathe better then, and i was certainly healthier and fitter. But being on the boat maintained my fitness, which i dont have now. No water to collect, no shopping to lug half a mile down a towpath, no shit tank to empty, no routine maintenance. Life is easy here, compared, but i do miss the old girl!

Anyway i digress

So yes hopefully we will make a little trail up to the reserve.

Oh yes and yesterday the Animal Control Officer visited and we now have our 'kennel license'

Animal Control Laws

1)Over here all dogs have to be registered and wear a special coloured tag, and if seen without them you are given a fine.

2)To own more than one dog you have to get a 'kennel license' which means an Animal Control Officer comes out and examines your property for secure fenced areas, welfare of the animals and temperament etc.

These are really good ways of ensuring a better level of animal control and if a dog strays they can reunite with the owner. Dogs unlicensed are impounded for 7 days, each day a list is put in the local paper, and to get your pet out you have a fine and to get a license for them before they will be released. The down side is that these animals are usually destroyed if not claimed after the 7 days.

Basically the system is very good and the animal control officers helpful and efficient. This is probably why dogs have their own designated play parks. See Simbas blog for all the exciting info about those!!

Well tommorrow is Friday and my housework day, when Paul gets home we are having Fondue followed by a good wallow for hours in the 'fire bath' and a few glasses of Vino! I cannot wait, my aching muscles are pleading with me as i speak now.

Well it is almost 11.30pm and i guess we have to brave going to bed with the Demon Monster, he has been absolutely horrendous all night so can only hope he is tired now.






Bye for now x