The days are short and the sky is generally grey but there's still plenty going on to warm the heart. Winter is soup and woodburner time - it might be cool outside but definitely warm and cosy inside. It's dark when I walk to work so I have to wait until lunchtime to check out the driveway to see who visited overnight. There's usually whitetail deer prints but every now and then the kiwi visit...
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| Gumboot and kiwi prints |
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| A very welcome visit from a kiwi family |
I bought a Goodnature possum trap 20 months ago but it hadn't caught any possums. An expert was in at work and suggested moving the trap to a smaller tree and putting it down lower, but at least 70cm above the ground to protect kiwi. He also swapped my trap for a later version and I installed it on another totara not far from the first. Just a few weeks later and I got my first kill - a good-sized male that is now buried deep under my new rhubarb seedlings.
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| My Goodnature possum trap had its first catch |
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| One possum down, 30-50 million to go |
I was out walking at dusk last Wednesday; there was a stiff easterly blowing, the almost-full moon was rising over Foveaux Strait and hints of glowing skies.
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| Moon rising over South Sea Hotel |
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| Seaweed-covered Halfmoon Bay |
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| Colourful dinghies on Halfmoon Bay |
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| Looking west over the township |
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| Looking NE over stormy seas at Ringaringa Beach |
The exhilarating walk was well worth it with a yummy dinner and a most enjoyable viewing of Despicable Me 2 in 3D; I've missed out on most of the animated movies and can see that I have a lot of catching up to do. I walked home in the moonlight, no torch required. What a neat way to spend an evening!
