Western Springs Lake

A bit of a day. A meeting at 0730 of the Body Corporate Committee for the apartment block. Decided to avoid a fully in the dark run and defer it until later in the day. After the meeting, I managed to get one letter written before S and I went to visit friends. When we got back, I discovered in the mail a letter from the tax department. So most of the afternoon was spent sorting out how much I had to pay and writing the cheques and doing all those horrid things.

I rewarded myself with a run before sunset. I went down to Western Springs to run around the lake on the various paths looking for some of the water birds that are breeding there. Just as I arrived at the lake, this is the scene I saw, and photographed.

Not long afterwards, I saw a couple of adult black swans and a number of grey cygnets. I was "threatened" by one of the adults until it realised I was not a threat by taking a photo. The two I liked can be seen on my blipfolio.

Further on I wanted to get a picture of a pukeko with the evening sky behind; went over the bank by the lake and under a tree to get down lower. Pukeko are peculiar birds. They are quite unfazed by motorway traffic zooming past only metres away, and when I'm more metres away than the cars, they run away! Maybe the brave ones live by motorways?

As I went on from there, I realised that my hand on the camera case was sticky. I stopped to investigate, and found a glob of something sticky on the camera, and now all over the case. Wiped it off as best I could with a wet leaf, and headed home, where I was able to get camera and hands clean. I have no idea what fell out of what tree or whatever, and did this. All seems functional still.

I am now enjoying a nice glass of Syrah, before dinner cooked by the great cook I live with.