Waimate hills

During the night the wind roared. The house is sheltered but I could hear bits of twigs  and other debris hitting the house.

By daylight the wind had dropped but the forecast remained ominous. My plan was to leave for home early, head down the Waitaki Valley, and take the State Highway 1 route.

I stopped and took this photo just before the Waimate gorge. The shape of the hills, colours and shapes were lovely.

By the time I left the wind was rising. I stopped and took several photos but the light was flat and as I got further across the Canterbury Plains visibility dropped. Looking inland I could no longer see the mountains for dust.

Further down the valley towards the main highway, the wind dropped away. There was little wind as I passed through Timaru, but just north of Orari it picked up.

It was dusty and gusty from Ashburton onwards but I missed the worst of it, and for that I am very grateful.

It's been a good weekend. But I did lose my prescription sunglasses overboard on Friday. I'd like to think a large rainbow trout is poking around them ;-)

In my absence the little fur child has been expensive too. His seasonal itching and worrying has some early. He had a bare patch on his side where he'd pulled his fur out.

He's had a steroid injection and isn't over grooming. He's also wearing a fabric collar with stiffening in it. It's like what dogs wear after being neutered only it's softer. It stops him scratching and reaching around to tug and pull at his fur. Hopefully he'll heal and break the habit.

It isn't his 'frill' to keep so I'll have to see if it's possible to get one for him. Must get a blip before it goes back ;-)

Better keep going, the cost of a few days away is the clean up.