If 3 is a crowd...

... what should we call this many Shags?

Today dawned crisp and clear. After breakfast at our hotel we mooched around Oamaru.

Oamaru is famous for its old quarter built from Oamaru stone, the limestone I bike through yesterday.

But it was these Shags on an old fenced off pier that caught my eye. They preened and dried their wings, rested, squabbled, and generally followed some sort of order known to them. I was more fascinated by them than the endless trinkets in the shops.

Late morning we headed north, the adventure over but still a visit to the Riverstone Restaurant to make. The restaurant was shut today but our focus was to see the fruit and vege gardens and the quite bizarre castle built on the plains of North Otago.

You can read about it here https://i.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/houses/107559614/inside-dots-incredible-oamaru-castle and see it in the extras.

Other extras include images of the old quarter of Oamaru and of course Dot's castle.

Jasper is pleased to see me. I'm mostly unpacked, Bob is hooked up by his front wheel in the garage, and I'm rather tired.

It's been a great adventure.

Today's gratitude: For a warm autumn day.