After a day indoors yesterday it was time to venture forth with the bassets. We figured a stroll along the Kaitoke Hill and Pylon loop just across the way would be a perfect way to get our daily exercise fix.
It turned out to be a walk on the wild side. One of our favourite walks has been ruined by masses of trees being felled in the recent storms. I can tell you Fortnum and Mason were not impressed at having their normal clear run for hooning along interrupted by big trees.
It went from bad to worse for them. Every time they cleared a tree across their path another was just a few yards along. We reckon there must have been close to 20 trees across the path which required some mountaineering by the bassets.
Let’s just say Mason needed a bit of encouragement to get across this tree
The indignity of being hauled over a tree was too much for little basset. He was in a bit of a huff after and didn’t want his picture taken. Can’t blame him though his legs are only a few inches long!
No such shyness from big basset who simply loves to have his picture taken!
It was quite a walk. We were starting to see parts of Kaitoke you can’t normally see from the walk in the forest. Also we were seeing more roots of trees upended in the storm.
It wasn’t just the bassets that struggled to get over, around or under the trees. There was one point we were calculating how far back we’d have to walk!
This is how we like to enjoy our walks.
Still, you have to spare a thought for other people across who New Zealand who have been suffering with the storms. Here’s a video of how the wind affected a motorist in Nelson.
So amazingly beautiful there, even with so many trees knocked down. Who cleans them up? (It’s probably a dumb question, but I’m new to that kind of world) such amazing destruction, but I imagine it made for a nice change to the walk.
A bit reminiscent of the Big Storm! OH’s response to fallen trees is ‘tree- chainsaw- firewood’. Not a bad idea considering the astronomical price of heating, gas went up 35% yesterday. good thing we have a wood burner to suppliment our heating. Incidently, it’s supposed to be summer here,( Devon), monsoon more like and not very warm, 17C. Yesterday in 3 hours we had 10mm of rain. Better get back to raking up all the gravel from the drive which is now in the front yard.
Claudious – I’ll be onto the Regional Council next week who own all this land. They’ve already been out on some trails with the chainsaw to clear them but up on the Pylon Loop it’s going to take a gang of chainsaws to have the right impact.
Ruta – back to the typical British summer I hear. Definitely time for people to start looking for alternative energy sources given British Gas have decided to rip people off. Power bills here in New Zealand are astronomical too. When you’ve finished returning your gravel to the drive can you pop over and put our top soil back on the banks!
Julie