The Abandoned Kennel

After a wet, wild and windy night (and a drizzly, soggy morning) the sun finally made an appearance this afternoon. To stave of cabin fever (and possibly to walk off a rather large dinner last night and accompanying wines) I took the opportunity to head up onto the hills further up the valley for a bit of air and to stretch the legs.

It's only when you start climbing up the slopes and take in the far reaching views that you realise how impressive the valley is and the varied nature of its terrain. Whilst it may be steep and craggy in places, my jaunt took me up the somewhat easier sunny slopes behind my neighbour's sheep yards and up onto the high paddocks full of ewes and their lambs.

With the sun, fresh air and silence (apart from the bleat of sheep and the echoing sound of a swollen river in the valley below), I felt rested and very much at peace. The views towards Mt Herbert and the Spur were impressive and, as predicted yesterday, a light dusting of snow graced the tops, a legacy of the wild southerly weather of the last 24 hours.

On the descent down through the yards I spotted this abandoned kennel, tucked away under a silver birch. I guess this was used by the dogs once the mustering was complete and the sheep were in the yards. The dappled light coming through the trees made me think that this would have been a great place to take a nap. If you were a dog of course....