The day begins

Three days ago I was roused not long after 0500 by the beeps of the alarm on my running watch; in order to have time to get to the top of Maungawhau for the sunrise. Left it on for the next day in case. Those two days seem to have reset my automatic waking system and (as I did yesterday) I woke spontaneously at 0510. Stayed hidden in bed except for getting up to chase the T Rex cat out his cat door to continue licking where I couldn't hear him.

Eventually I gave in got up and headed out for a run, fully expecting a grey morning. Almost immediately spots of rain began to fall, convincing me that I was right. However, as I headed up the hill to the top of the Highfield Garden Reserve, I saw the brilliantly coloured sky. Hastened on and decided this was the best of a series of pictures over the bay. By the time I took this it was raining in a subtropical style; vertical with large drops. The boats moored in Algies Bay are slightly fuzzy because of the rain. The sun was far from dazzling, also because of the rain.

On the right of the picture are flower stalks of the New Zealand flax. The large tree on the left is a big old macrocarpa (Monterey Cypress) in a field where donkeys graze.

(Interestingly one year and two days ago, I took a picture of the sunrise over Algies Bay, and the day after that, my picture of the moonrise over Kawau Bay has a feel somewhat like this picture.)

Midday, S and I headed south back to Auckland to have an afternoon tea and present exchange with daughters C and J, and C's boys and husband. Using the little Panasonic (as the Pentax appears to have something on the sensor or the mirror) I got some happy family snaps. And stayed with the photo from the start of the day.

Back to the beach, where I cooked pork spare ribs and leeks and tomaton, enjoyed with a pleasant red (for me; white for S and J). Now there is time to post a blip before sleepiness drives me to bed without much commenting, yet again.