Sitting out Lusi

Christchurch has been lashed by the edge of Cyclone Lusi last night and today, with ferocious winds rocking my house night and early morning. It's now late afternoon Sunday and my house is so clagged in by cloud, misty rain and driving easterlies that I can't see down to the beach, let alone my neighbour's house! It's really unpleasant; not cold though. I don't think that there's been any build up of rain or river waters either, which is a relief, especially after the catastrophic flooding very recently.

I was amazed to see dozens of White-fronted terns lined up on the beach this morning, sheltering from the easterlies; I've never seen them in such numbers before. They were, very sensibly, at the far eastern end of Sumner Beach, facing into the wind. I only had my little waterproof camera with me, so the clarity of the image isn't great (have been thoroughly spoilt by my Nikon D610!) but it's good enough for you to get the idea. That's the old Signal Station on the right, in the distance.

I was delighted that so many of you liked yesterday's Just a Hint of Gold image, with some absolutely wonderful comments, and stars and hearts too. It's so heartening - thank you so much! It popped up into Spotlight for a little while.