This person felt like week-old roadkill.
No self-respecting germ would normally invade this person’s drug loaded body, so, when the rampant and infectious plague that was decimating workmates, did an invasion of this body, this person had to attack. Immediately, even our Quack agreed, so, am now at the front end of a month’s worth of antibiotics.
The plague did have one benefit if you could call it that – a couple of days off work. Still, days come, work days go. Perspective changes with degrees of sickness, so the normal ten hour shift felt double that and Friday’s two-hour commute felt only just blurring short of eternal.
Saturday morning’s alarm did wake this person, indicating a degree of illness, and, with some ado, with due, prolonged consideration and not little admiration of this toasty warm scratcher, this person did extricate himself, added due layers of bush n image hunters clothing in mind of riverside or coastal perambulatory excursions through geographic displacement.
Mmmm, perhaps a quick brew first to get the inside head sorted. With determination of cloud layers, location, states of tide and wind, with light quantity and quality sorted. This also brought about a second cuppa as it was quite warm inside our hut . . . and does this person really want to go out? Yes and nah, though bloody conscience determined the need to go. Therapy session is definitely required, really gotta kick this plague into the gutter from whence it came, and, it really was an extra tough working week.
As always, tis my happy place outdoors, and the same river that borders the orchard we live on downstream becomes this person’s studio / canvas. Still clad in autumn colour, looking super saturated in mornings’ first light.
With such beautifully clouded skies, the morning light promises to be exceptional, and with kawau / shags on their roosts, feather dynamics are guaranteed. With a near high tide, piscatorial activities shall be minimal.
Riverbanks looked tide-ily different with flood groomed grasses, usual yet not, and flood debris lagging all upright structures, including flax ‘n tree bases, with flax ‘n tree debris from upstream flora.
It’s always great to see the activities of game and water birds, and how they interact with the aquatic life, observations of the synergy of nature is pure relaxation, in the hours-long sessions in between images.
As delightful and perfect as the morning was, this person had several hours of mahi ahead; shifting four cubic metres of wet firewood from the orchard river block up to our hut. Yay.
Yep, one load at a time, into the back of the wagon, up to the hut in nine loads. Three hours of solid mahi, relocating the old wet wood. With no one to call on, only one person to do the mission, so with one foot leading, nothing quite like a stiff rum to look forward to at the end. Not to mention a long hot shower followed with a few extra painkillers and an anti-inflammatory. Cramp sessions to look forward to on the horizon for the next day or three, not to mention stiffness and pain to make the coming working days even more challenging than what they are already. Anyway, got to save some grief and pain for another time, shan’t get too greedy, eh.
Post wood location translation, this person did NOT feel like doing a lot. Fact is, all this person desired was the hot tub, massage, rum or an Irish whiskey, and chilling out.
Nah. Not a chance, sodding conscience had better ideas, eh. And, except, weather deity Tāwhirimātea had other plans.
Beautifully clouded skies on a still evening, beckoned and this person just had to determine the best location was amidst some hidden blackberry entwined in the riverside long grasses. A location all on a recently reformed riverbank, on top of a Toi Toi clump outcrop, almost under a flax / harakek and a little too precariously over the river. With a few scratches to add to the day’s collection, this person was a little successful. Have yet to process those images.
It turned into a mission to make images while the hands were cramping up. It took the fun out of the exercise, but perseverance paid off with being in a beautiful location, and sights ‘n sounds of being naturally silent, yet being one, in synergy with the riverside. Where birds land within arm’s reach, and swim within a metre of this person without any sense of disturbance.
Getting off ‘n out from beneath the flax, was a little rougher round the edges than usual and the disentanglement from the blackberry taking a tad longer. Having the fire lit prior to going out was the bonus.
