 penguin courtship Hello friends and family The week began with the annual meeting of the Trustees for Penguin Rescue. It was wonderful to feel so supported in our efforts to provide sanctuary for penguins. Walter and Paul will be making little penguin houses for the Moeraki colony.  A Truck full of trees On Tuesday, we met with the land owners here at Katiki Point and once again it was an exercise in frustration. There are no plans to control visitor behaviour going forward. While we were down at the point, 2 visiting tourists harassed the seals in front of us. The DOC representative went and spoke to them. The land owners will not close the reserve for the coming penguin breeding season. In their view, as there were no penguins here when they were growing up, they are not important.  A Hawk snacks on the back paddock On Wednesday, I met with the engineer in charge of SH1 upgrade along Katiki Straight. They will schedule work around penguin breeding if required. Thursday was the day for the Trustpower Community awards. Penguin Rescue received a regional commendation in the Heritage and Environment section which was just great as Oamaru prides itself on its heritage and the competition was strong.  How many penguins went fishing this morning? Yesterday I gave Elaine a hand with some landscaping and she made me a yummy lunch. We made 1100 followers on Facebook! (Penguin Rescue)  Socializing before going fishing for the day Have a great week!
Rosalie  Checking out the upgrade. Hello friends and family On Sunday, Hiltrun, Elaine and I celebrated 1000+ likes on our Facebook page (Penguin Rescue – well worth following for great photos. Check out the latest video here. ) by having lunch at Hampden, travelling in Hiltrun’s new electric car, to Hampden’s launch of its electric car. Most of the locals that I know were there so I was very pleased. It says a lot that the event was so well supported. I will probably subscribe to the car for at least one year, to travel to Oamaru, and see how costly it works out to be.  Rabbits thinking big - attacking cabbage trees Monday was warm and spring like, but on Tuesday a cold front blasted in. I realise now that the new windows are working very well – no more rattling and banging whenever it is breezy! Wednesday was my day for the Top-tip shop and it was very cold and very quiet. I spent the afternoon inside.  A fine looking juvenile On Thursday, the weather warmed up and I worked in the reserve, tidying up more nest sites and shifting branches and fences. It was the last day on the job for the lighthouse painters and they expect that the lighthouse will be re-piled in the summer. This inspired me to burn the rubbish pile in the paddock. This is prunings and included quite a lot of flax so it was smoky.  Winter colour attracts Bellbirds Yesterday was a red-letter day – I was able to get back into gumboots again.  I will take this one thanks! Have a great week!
Rosalie  Standing with crest erect Hello friends and family The week began with cold mornings and then sunny days – just great. When it is cold here I can see far away very clearly. Chris and Hiltrun came up on Sunday night after a holiday and it was great to catch up with all their news, my news and the penguin news! We did the rounds on Monday and on Tuesday, I was back doing proper work – hedge cutting! I completed the big hedge on Thursday.  A more relaxed penguin I had a call about a penguin on Katiki beach on Friday and it was a glorious if unsuccessful beach walk in the morning sun, all the better as I escaped a few hours of the power cut to repair the transformer that broke last week.  The winter sun enhances the glorious countryside Hiltrun arrived on Friday night and on Saturday we began the annual job of optimising each nest site for the upcoming breeding season. We have over 100 nest boxes and so this is an important job to get onto.  We enjoy stunning sunrises and sunsets We also saw a healthy returned Juvenile which is a great sign that survival rates will be good again this winter. June is early for this to happen so we are very pleased.
Have a great week! Rosalie  The only penguin I saw at home this week. Hello friends and family Week 2 of my recovery and I am very bored! Having my stitched foot elevated certainly reduced the discomfort for my foot but my butt had other ideas! The weather has been calm and cold, but not freezing. The lighthouse painters have had a few days off.  Winter blooms On Wednesday, I went to the tip with waste metal and caught up with Alison. After our discussion, I hope to host a predator trap library here where locals can borrow traps when they want to do some predator control and bring them back when they are done. I hope that dog fences can become part of this for those people who cannot afford to dog proof their sections.  A reminder that spring is not too far away On Friday, I went to Oamaru and had my stitches out. I must wear a dressing for another couple of weeks while it heals over. During the week, I got more fish and more meat so our new freezer is quite full. If I have to go into it, I think I need to switch it off as it has a big fan blasting the cold air about.  The young seals are very social. Yesterday was sunny and calm but made challenging by a power cut that lasted until after lunch. A transformer had blown up and the technicians were away for the long weekend. I am lucky that I have my camper to cook with when this happens.  Home time. Today has started off wet but is going to clear.
Have a great week! Rosalie |
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January 2025
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