Wild and Windy

There is a nor-west gale blowing all day here. It is quite enervating and makes for a very noisy day as it whistles through trees and around buildings. The gales have caused problems in parts of the South Island with some power outages.
I drove Fergus to the river in order to walk one of our past usual routes today. At first he was very alert with ears pricked and eyes scanning everywhere. I think he was looking for his best mate Gypsy who was re-homed last weekend. It was very sad especially when he settled down with ears low and looked disconsolate as he trotted along about one foot behind me.
This image gives an indication of the dry conditions to come unless we get some considerable rain very soon. The river is almost dry in this area and it is getting very dusty. The orange flowers are Californian Poppies and the purple ones are Purple Linaria which is just starting to flower. The dark blue hills in the far distance are the part of the Richmond Range. The wind was making the young willows on the right dance and sway. It is almost summer…..