The last day of the year again! How do 365 days go so quickly? I barely got into double figures for blog posts this year yet not sure where the extra time went to. It seems to be a sign of the times and my resolution for 2017 is to smooth the chaos and make every day count. Wish me luck!!
I've had a busy December working at Stewart Island Lodge; early starts mean that I hear the glorious dawn chorus as I'm getting ready for work. Last week's sun rise was at 5.49am and I was in bed before the sun set at 9.42pm, no wonder kiwi are seen occasionally during the day as there's less than 6 hours of darkness in December. I've heard 6 kiwi calls since Christmas Eve - a duet at 4.36am, a duet the following night at 10.57pm, a female call 3 days later and another at 2.38am this morning. There were small kiwi-like prints on the drive so perhaps there's a wee one exploring with its Mum.
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| A sunny evening in Paradise |
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| Stewart Island Lodge at the top of the picture |
I've spent more time down at the wharf this month; I don't usually meet the Lodge guests but I had to pick up a radiator key that was being sent over on the 5pm ferry from Bluff so went down early and took photos...
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| Ferry arriving from Bluff |
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| The Foveaux Express coming in to dock |
The conditions were a lot calmer than on Tuesday this week when gale force winds forced the cancellation of the afternoon's ferries from Bluff and from the island. Accommodation is always tight between Christmas and New Year so it was extra-challenging finding beds for all the visitors that were stranded. Everyone that I was involved with took it in their stride though and came out to breakfast the next morning with smiles on their faces.
I've been reading lots of good books lately - hmm, maybe that's why I haven't been blogging!! Will post some reviews when I have time. Eleven years ago I did a 'New Zealand Native Plants' course by correspondence and that one semester paper changed my life. The evidence that we are damaging our Mother Earth for future generations of ALL species is hard to ignore and I think that 2017 will be a pivotal year; are we prepared to change our habits and work toward a more sustainable future? Let's hope so.
